Celtics Warriors Basketball
Peek-a-boo!

Hey, Utah -- on the bright side, now that your team has lost all of its identity, now would be a perfect time to change names to something that makes more sense for your geographic location!

Worst of the Night in Pictures:

APTOPIX Timberwolves Bucks Basketball
Is "jamming your opponent's nose into his brain" a legal defensive tactic?


APTOPIX Grizzlies Nuggets Basketball
It's soooo cold in Denver now


20110222-pau-gasol
Do we need to explain to Pau how to hang on the rim?


20110222-lamar-odom-shannon-brown-kobe-bryant
Lamar Odom is not comfortable with this


Nationally Televised Games:
Thunder at Spurs, ESPN, 7pm: Hey, all right! A good start to the ESPN double-header!

Clippers at Hornets, ESPN, 9:30pm: ...And we follow that up with a Clippers road game? Damn it all. Yeah, Blake Griffin will do Blake Griffin things, but we all know how this one will end up.

All The Other Games:
Rockets at Cadavers, 7pm: So it appears that Gerald Wallace is heading to Portland, even though the Cadavers had been talking to the Bobcraps for several weeks as well about trying to get Wallace. Because yes, Gerald Wallace is the missing piece that would have gotten this Cleveland franchise turned around...

Pistons at Pacers, 7pm: The Pistons actually beat the Pacers in OT a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what happened there, since these teams have been going in opposite directions otherwise for awhile now thanks to the Pacers' dead coach bounce.

Kings at Magic, 7pm: I couldn't help but wonder if a matchup like this right after the All-Star break might result in the Magic coming out lethargic and not really into it, resulting in a surprisingly close game. Then I remembered these are the Purple Paupers we're talking about. It doesn't matter how lethargic the Magic look.

Wizards Generals at 76ers, 7pm: The Sixers need to win this one to split the season series with the Generals, and to keep from being the butt of every joke for weeks if they should let the Generals win a road game to take the season series. That would suck. A lot.

Bulls at Craptors, 7pm: Joakim Noah. Finally healthy. Thank God.

Bucks at Knicks, 7:30pm: So, is this the Bucks' team bus?

Oh, and I almost forgot: Carmelo Carmelo Carmelo Carmelo Carmelo Carmelo Carmelo Carmelo (deep breath) Caaaaaaaaaaaaarmelo.

Grizzlies at Timberwolves, 8pm: Better way to spend your time instead of watching this game: Five Seconds of Every #1 Song Ever. (Well, as long as "ever" means up until 1992.) I especially appreciated the harsh transition from Rick Dees' Disco Duck to Chicago's If You Leave Me Now.

Jazz at Mavericks, 8:30pm: Apparently Deron Williams first heard about being traded by watching SportsCenter. Do you think anyone planned to tell him he was traded, or did they just plan on catching him at the door when he showed up at the stadium tonight. "Uh, Deron, buddy... we need to talk..."

Hawks at Suns, 9pm: And the Hawks continue to be stuck in that zone of being just good enough to be in the playoffs, but not good enough to actually be good, and not bad enough to get good draft picks... Their offense has looked pretty ugly lately. Not Western Conference in the Null-Star game ugly, but still ugly.

Lakers at Frail Blazers, 10:30pm: Brandon Roy might be back for this game! Enjoy him while you can, Portland fans. I'm afraid of stat-cursing this, but the Blazers could lock down their longest win streak in three years tonight.

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31 Comments:
Anonymous Niko said...
Of this entire Carmelo trade fiasco, I think the biggest winners are the Utah Jazz? Who would've thought that? Yeah Williams is gone, but they got rid of a little bitch. Plus, they get this year's Nets' first rounder.

Only downside to the trade is Harris. Mainly because if he says something along the lines of "playoff team" everything could go downhill really fast.

Blogger AnacondaHL said...
Haha *puts Roy back into fantasy team starting lineup*

Big fat w/e.

Blogger LotharBot said...
Niko, the Jazz got some nice pieces (a prospect and 2 good picks), but they're still in the lux tax and won't have any cap space next year. They gave up a proven winner for a proven stat-curse and 3 assets that could be very good or could be busts, and they have no flexibility going forward. I think they "won", but they'll only be big winners if Favors and the picks all pan out.

Denver gave up a one-dimensional star and an aging (but still pretty good) player and got 3 guys who can definitely play NBA ball, 2 prospects, a decent pick and an early 2nd, and saved a boatload of money and will probably have a decent bit of cap space next season. I'm not real high on the star potential of any of their new guys, but they got younger, bigger, cheaper, and the guys they got are character guys who I think will mesh together. They won, but still not real big.

The Knicks gave up 4 proven NBA players, a prospect, and 2 pretty decent picks for an all-star with bad defensive awareness to pair with their other all-star with bad defensive awareness. And each of them will take about 1/3 of the Knicks' cap space, leaving them to fill out the remaining 10ish roster spots with almost no money. IMO they came out of this as big losers.

The Nets gave up 3 unproven commodities and a stat curse for an all-star PG (who happens to also be a bitch, but he's a bitch who wins.) Plus they suckered their archrivals into giving up too much for a guy whose weaknesses will be exaggerated in 'Antoni's system next to Apostroph'e. Going forward, the Nets should have a boatload of cap space to fill out the roster around DWill and BLo, and they still have some extra picks.

I'd rank the outcomes this way:

Nets > Nuggets > Jazz >> Knicks

Blogger winnetou said...
At the Knicks press conference, speakers tried to emphasize that rumours were inaccurate (we all know which) and Donnie Walsh was very much involved in making this deal happen.
Shortly before that, Utah representatives stated they informed DWill of the trade via a 9am, 30 second phonecall. They also mentioned Sloan would not be contacted to retake his coach position and the deal would have been made even without his resignation.

The next NY, Utah, NJ and Denver games should be very interesting. Maybe even Minnesota. Okay, probably not them.

Anonymous RRR said...
"Uh, Deron, buddy... we need to talk..."

Jazz FO handled that about like inviting him to a prison scrub game and leaving him behind!

Pushed over the bench and abused!

Deron is a good ball player, has the potential to be one of the best. But he also has a massive ego problem, I'm sure he and Avery will get along well with that eh?

But one thing you can't do is tell the world you are the best they've ever seen and then NOT back it up! He has been flat and lack luster all season, his on court whines have gotten way out of hand.

I don't like losing him, but he did this to himself.

Blogger Will said...
Dan B.- I've thought about this and I think Utah, New Orleans, Charlotte, and Memphis need to have a four team name trade. It would go Utah gives New Orleans the Jazz, New Orleans gives Charlotte the Hornets, Charlotte gives Memphis the Bobcats, and Memphis gives Utah the Grizzlies. NO and Charlotte get their team names back and Grizzlies live at least in the vicinity of Utah. The Bobcats is a dumb team name and Memphis is a weird NBA city so why not?

Blogger Dan B. said...
Will -- I've had the same exact thought. But alas, that makes entirely too much sense, and it would somehow make David Stern feel like it might be a blemish on his record, so it will never happen.

Anonymous Adrià said...
Dan, you're just evil. How could you bring the Bulls to lose against the Craptors...

The Other Chris will be happy for once, at least.

Anonymous Reignman said...
Lol, this is the second time Avery trades away his prodigal son and student Devin Harris

Lots of crazy shit going on, now I'm reading Portland might get Gerald Wallace for Przybilla and a bag of (more) crap? Dammit, had they known he was that available Spurs could have offered Matt Bonner + filler

Blogger Dan B. said...
Adria -- Hey, I didn't say anything about this particular game. It was just a generalized statement. But also the game isn't over yet. Let's see what happens.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
The Jazz dropping D-will was straight up good management. How many teams have put up with prima donnas, creating drama by wanting trade this, salary that, or team/play time control. Well, bugger that for a lark.

The draft picks are worth the trade, and while I certainly don't think their new PG is the team's future, I'd be willing to bet a few pesos that he's not starting on their roster next year.

Anonymous EuroGuy said...
I would like to nominate Beasley for the "Most Improved Hairdo 2011".

Anonymous Reignman said...
Halfway through the 3rd quarter, Melo is 6-16 from the field, and STAT has no rebounds...yeah, I think the Knicks will be a serious contender

Blogger chris said...
Mind = blown.

Pumaman went 11 for 12 from the charity stripe tonight!

...but the Purple Paupers win by SIX POINTS!?!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!

Blogger Dan B. said...
The Orlando loss to Suckramento may be my greatest stat curse yet. I must be careful with my powers, for they are obviously quite strong...

(Though I still contend you can't blame me for the Bulls shitting the bed tonight)

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Well I guess James Johnson showed CHI what time it is. He's now 1-0 as a starter ;)

Blogger LotharBot said...
"Halfway through the 3rd quarter, Melo is 6-16 from the field, and STAT has no rebounds..."

... and the main thing going for them is the Bucks don't play in or near the paint on offense. That's the only reason the Knicks have a lead, and it's only a few points late in the fourth.

Blogger Unknown said...
So... amazing stat happened tonight.

Dajuan Summers had a killer Trillion. I'd like to call it a Trillionth. He played 1 second. Yep, 1 total second and no <a href="http://www.nba.com/games/20110223/DETIND/gameinfo.html>stats</a>

Blogger chris said...
Matt: Gonna have to doublecheck with Lacktion Bot 5000, but 1 second would qualify as a Super Mario, and anything between 0.000000000000001 seconds and 0.9999999 seconds as a Super Mario Galaxy!!!!

Blogger The Sports Hayes said...
I'd say 1 second qualifies as a Luigi

Anonymous Shiv said...
Shout out for Caltech ending their 300-odd game conference losing streak. The last time they won? 1985, against the Gregg Popovich-coached Pomona-Pitzer team.

Blogger Unknown said...
With his first game this season in Rip City, does anyone else feel that Kobe remembered what Henry Abbott said about him when he hit those final two shots in the last minute of regulation to send it OT?

Anonymous Geert said...
So who is going to throw Blake Griffin his lobs now?

Will this be the beginning of the end for Baron Davis? I see him getting fat and unmotivated in Cleveland, while only chucking up 3's.

I do understand LA's financial motivation, but not Clevelands. Why take a 31-year old guy with a big contract if you are rebuilding? Can and will they buy him out?

Blogger chris said...
And...

ScrumptiousSoda (Northmass) has new clips on...

Dwight Howard the Pumaman losing to the paupers

Delonte returns!

Anonymous Stockton said...
Great recap on NBA.Com
Seems like the Jazz got the Beaubois brothers...

TURNING POINT: Not only were the Jazz without Williams and his 21.3 points and 9.7 assists per game, they didn't have the services of the two Nets acquired in the deal: point guard Rodrigue Beaubois and rookie forward Rodrigue Beaubois. Rodrigue Beaubois (toe) and Mehmet Okur (back) were out with injuries, leading to heavy minutes for the starters.

Anonymous Stockton said...
I thought Harris was a SG... well, you live, you learn...
Anyway... no way the Jazz would get William's value... only shot was to trade him either to Phoenix, NO, and no way they would improve a Western opponent. So, dumping him to a lesser team was the easy choice.
Harris is a scorer... and Favors helps with size (hope). And a NJ draft pick is always a good bet...
Things went sour when mr. Williams started to bitch around loosing players to free agency, and the game book being too complicated for the newcomers. Clearly, he was NOT staying. So...

Anonymous Cetti said...
Harris is a scorer without a reliable jumpshot. But in NBA 2k11 he's the king of and-ones, so you have that going for you.

Anonymous Astrid said...
The Knicks gave up 108 points to the Bucks (who rank last in points/game) and won only by 6 points.

Douglas ain't gonna go 10-12 each game. Nothing better than disappointment bawful. <3

Anonymous balazs said...
From the ESPN recap: "[Carmelo] matched the third-highest scoring game in a Knicks debut since 1964, just two points shy of Keith Van Horn's 29 on Oct. 29, 2003." Keith Van Horn! And the second highest scoring debut belongs to: Allan Houston! Great company.

Blogger Lord Kerrance said...
How bad are you defensively when Jose Calderon starts punking you out?

"Korver was sometime on LB [Leandro Barbosa], sometime on DeMar. I was trying to find the guy being guarded by Korver and play the pick and roll with them.”

So much for Gay Elf Defense.

Anonymous Stockton said...
Trade news

Ak for NJ for Deron Williams!!!