Fab Five of the Month for the Month of February

Wow! What an exciting finish to February 2008! This month could be the most exciting month we see all year. Well, that is until the Western Conference Playoffs start. Not only did we see outstanding individual performances and spectacular team play, but we also saw the Wild West get even tougher(if that is even possible!). However, this is not the time for talk of the Western Conference race. It is time though, for the Fab Five of the Month!

Last month, Amare, CP3, Kobe, Yao, and LeBron were the top 5. However, this month, only two of those 5 return to the infamous Crossover Hoops' Fab Five of the Month. Now, I present you with February's finest.

5. Carmelo Anthony-F-Denver Nuggets: In easily his best monthly performance of the year, Carmelo Anthony lead his team to a decent 9-5 record. Normally, a month of 9 wins and 5 losses would be regarded as much higher than just "decent". However, Carmelo's Nuggets squad is in the Wild West, and winning 9 out of 14 games in a month, is just barley enough to keep you above water, which is metaphorically where the Nuggets sit right now. 9th place in the conference, and 1/2 game out of the 8th and final playoff spot. Anyways, on to Carmelo's spectacular month. He averaged a season high of 27.5 points per game this month, to go along with his 8.8 rebounds, and 49 point explosion in a 111-100 win over Washington on Feb. 8th. For the month, Carmelo shot just under 50%(49.6% to be exact) from the field, and sunk 85 out of 95 free throws for a 89.5 percentage for the month. In his career high-tying 49 point game vs Washington, he shot an unthinkable 19-25 (76%) from the field. Easily his highest field goal percentage in a game all year. Carmelo pushed hard this month, look for him to push even harder to get into the playoff picture by the end of next month.


-Carmelo Anthony scores 2 of his 22 points on a reverse layup, in a Feb. 12 win over the Miami Heat.

4. Manu Ginobili-G-San Antonio Spurs: In three separate games this month, Ginobili recorded career highs in three separate statistical categories. On a Feb. 11th game @ Toronto, Ginobili pulled down a career high, 15 rebounds. 2 days later he exploded for a career high 46 points in a match with LeBron James and Co. He also hit a career high 8 three pointers in that game. Then, on Feb 23rd, GINOBILI!, dished out a career high 12 assists in a 98-89 win over the New Orleans Hornets. Ginobili showed the coaches, who mistakenly forgot to vote him in as an All-Star reserve, that he deserved to be wearing a West uni in New Orleans this past month. Manu helped lead the Spurs to a spectacular 10-1 record during this month, despite injury to their star play maker, Tony Parker. Look for Ginobili to continue his strong play, and lead the Spurs on their annual second half surge into the playoffs.


-Manu Ginobili drives to the basket against Minnesota guard, Marko Jaric. Ginobili dropped 44 points on 18 shots, while hitting 7 of 9 threes, in a 100-99 win over the slumping Wolves.

3. Tim Duncan-PF/C-San Antonio Spurs: Timmy D got off to a slow start this year, getting a double double in only 7 out of 15 games. However, this month, Duncan had a great month of February, as usual, leading his team along with Manu Ginobili, to a 10-1 record for the month. One of Duncan's best performances came in a 100-99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb 21st. He dropped 24 points(on 8-16 shooting-50%), pulled down 14 rebounds(12 offensive), dished out 7 assists, blocked 4 shots, and made all 8 of his free throw attempts. There were two stats of his that stood out from that game. His 7 assists, and his 8 for 8 shooting from the foul line. Timmy D, not normally a good free throw shooter(72% for the season-68.2% for his career), showed everyone, that even though he is 31, soon to be 32, he is still a major player in the game. Overall, a great month for the Big Fundamental.


-Duncan skies up for 2 of his 23 points in the Spurs 89-74 win over the Atlanta Hawks, on Feb. 25th.

2. LeBron James-F-Cleveland Cavaliers: January's finest player of the month, proved to be spectacular again this month. King James had averages of 30.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 8.5 assists, and 1.9 steals, while shooting 49.8% from the floor. The Cavaliers only went 8-6 for the month, however, 8-6, along with 2 back to back triple doubles, and 8 30+ point games, kept LeBron in the top 2 in this months rankings. On back to back days this month, LeBron recorded triple doubles 2 days in a row(in a 2/19 loss to Houston and a 2/20 win over Indiana), for the second time this season, making him the first player to do so, since HOF'er, Magic Johnson, did it in the 1987-1988 season. LeBron is still a top 3 candidate for MVP this year, but since it doesn't look like the Cavs will reach 50 wins, the award seems out of his reach this year. Look for LBJ23 to keep up the intense play to push the new-look Cavs through the playoffs, and into another possible Finals appearance.


-LeBron(right) explains something to newly acquired big man, Ben Wallace(left). LeBron and Co. are 2-2 since the trade that brought Ben Wallace to town.

1. Kobe Bryant-G-Los Angeles Lakers: Making his third appearance on C-Hoops Fab Five of the Month Rankings, Kobe has proved to everyone that he is absolutely deserving of this years MVP award. Kobe lead the Lakers to a 13-2 month, which included a 10 game winning streak. Kobe had his best monthly shooting percentage this month, shooting, 50.7% from the field. He also shot his best percentage from the charity stripe this month, shooting 88.3%. He also converted on I believe 47 consecutive free-throws, before missing in a game vs Phoenix. Mamba and the Lakers are only getting better as the season progresses, and they look to finish the season as the best of the west, heading into the playoffs. Kobe's Lakers have also been on top of most writers power rankings for the past couple weeks, and Kobe is starting to convince former haters, that he is one of the greatest ever to play the game.


-Kobe celebrates with new Lakers forward/center, Pau Gasol. The Lakers are 11-2 since their acquisition of the Spanish Superstar.

Well, thats it for this month. Two Spurs made the cut, 2 MVP candidates were seen on the rankings, and one rising superstar rounded out this months top 5. Check back at the end of March for next months Fab Five of the Month.

Check back soon for new posts. I got some new ideas for the blog, so you might see some new additions in the upcoming weeks.

The West Gets Wilder and the East? Well...Cleveland got better

-Pictured above left to right is, Shaquille O'Neal, Jason Kidd, and Pau Gasol.


In one of the most active trade years, the Western Conference became even more dominate, if that is even possible. With the Lakers addition of power forward, Pau Gasol, Phoenix's acquisition of the Big Aristotle, and the trade which sent All-Star point guard, Jason Kidd back to the team that drafted him, the Dallas Mavericks. However, all these deals happened before the 3:00 PM (EST) Trade Deadline this afternoon. Most people were expecting a quite deadline, because of all the high profile trades made in the previous weeks. However, the trades that went down today, were hardly quiet at all. Chicago finally dealt center Ben Wallace. one and a half years into his 4 year 60 million dollar contract he signed with the Bulls in the summer of 2006.
Seattle sent away forward/guard Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West. Minnesota forward, and runner up in the 2008 slam dunk contest, Gerald Green, was sent to his hometown of Houston to play for the Rockets. Since there are so many trades, I won't go over all of them, but I'll comment briefly on each major trade completed over the last few days.

Trade #1: On Tuesday, Dallas finally acquired Jason Kidd. The trade was as follows: New Jersey trades PG Jason Kidd, PF Malik Allen, and SG Antoine Wright to Dallas, who signed F Keith Van Horn and traded him to New Jersey, along with, PG Devin Harris, C DeSagana Diop, SG Maruice Ager, and SG/SF Trenton Hassell. Overall a fair trade for both teams. Dallas gets a star PG, however, I don't see it helping them beat the likes of the Lakers, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Utah.

Trade #2: In the last trade completed before today, San Antonio acquired C Kurt Thomas from the Seattle Sonics, in exchange for G Brent Barry, C Francisco Elson, and their 2009 first round pick. This trade makes San Antonio even better, giving them a scrappy big man in Kurt Thomas, who will take a lot of the defensive load, in order to preserve Tim Duncan for the playoffs. Seattle gets 2 expiring contracts in this deal, which will help them sign free agents in the upcoming off season.

Trade #3: In a three team deal, the Houston Rockets acquire G Bobby Jackson, G Adam Haluska and a 2008 second pick from the New Orleans Hornets. They also obtain the rights to Sergei Lishouk of Memphis. The New Orleans Hornets receive PG Mike James and G/F Bonzi Wells from the Houston Rockets. Memphis adds F Marcus Vinicius from New Orleans, and the rights to Malick Badiane, from Houston. Bonzi Wells, Mike James, and Bobby Jackson, are the only notable players moved in this trade. Bobby Jackson gives Houston a nice option at back up point guard. Jackson was the 2003 Sixth Man of the Year, while playing for the Kings. Mike James and Bonzi Wells bring New Orleans the toughness and experience they will need to succeed in the Western Conference playoffs. Wells is a tenacious all around player, and will most likely take Morris Peterson's starting SG job by the playoffs. Mike James provides depth for a very weak New Orleans bench.

Trade #4: Houston makes another deal today, acquiring F/G Gerald Green, who is a Houston native, from the Minnesota Timberwolves, in exchange for G Kirk Snyder, a 2010 second round draft pick, and cash considerations. This trade doesn't have any immediate impact on either team. However, Gerald Green could prove to be a late bloomer, and become a star in his hometown of Houston.



Trade #5: A 3 team-11 player deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, and Seattle Sonics is completed, and is without question, the biggest trade on the day of trade deadline. The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire C/PF Ben Wallace, PF Joe Smith, and 2009 second round pick from the Chicago Bulls. They also receive G/F Wally Szczerbiak and G Delonte West from the Seattle Sonics. The Chicago Bulls get PF Drew Gooden, G Larry Hughes, PF Cedric Simmons, and SG Shannon Brown from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Seattle Sonics acquire F Donyell Marshall and F/G Ira Newble from Cleveland, and G/F Adrian Griffin from Chicago. LeBron has been seeing all the great teams getting even better, and he wanted his team to give him some help. Well on the day of the trade deadline, LeBron finally gets some new help. The additions of Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West, will all aid the Cavs tremendously in their hunt for a title. Although, if they somehow manage to get past Detroit and Boston, whoever they play from the West in the finals, will decimate them.




In a meaningless trade, Portland traded G Taurean Green to Denver for G Von Wafer.

Overall, a big season for trading. Tons of big deals were made, and it will only make the league tougher. Their players who were expected to be traded, such as, Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Vince Carter, and the entire Knicks roster, who all remained in their current locations. That being so, the off season should be full of roster changes and blockbuster deals.

The East goes home victorious; Allen catches fire and LeBron takes home some hardware

-2008 All-Star Game MVP, LeBron James, hoists up his MVP trophy. LeBron finished with 27 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds.

Except for a few short periods of time, The East squad led almost the entire game. From start to finish, the East outplayed the West in the NBA's annual pickup/exhibition game, beating them, 134 to 128. Leading the way for the victorious Eastern Conference squad was Cleveland forward, and 2006 All-Star Game MVP, LeBron James. He finished with 27 points(12-22 shooting), 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. He also had a handful of dunks, including a ferocious slam over Dallas forward, Dirk Nowitzki, with 55 seconds to go, putting the East on top for good. He was announced the games MVP, his second time in three years. Another player who produced quality numbers for the East was Boston's Ray Allen, who had 28 points(10-14 shooting), 5 of which came from behind the arc to give the East momentum down the stretch. Orlando center, Dwight Howard, had a big night, hitting all 7 of his shots, for 16 points. He also pulled down 9 rebounds and had 3 steals. For the Western squad, New Orleans' guard, Chris Paul, played the best, scoring 16 points(7-14 shooting), and dished out 14 assists. Also playing great for the West team, was Portland guard, Brandon Roy. In his first ever All-Star appearance, Roy dropped 18 points(8-10 shooting), pulled down 9 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists.


-First timer, Brandon Roy, of the Portland Trail Blazers, skies high for 2 of his West high, 18 points.

One key factor that kept the West out of contention the majority of this game, was the absence of Kobe Bryant. Kobe played hardly at all, due to torn ligaments in his right pinkie finger. He exited the game for the final time after about 3 minutes into the 1st quarter.


-Laker's superstar guard, Kobe Bryant, can only sit back and watch as his team goes on to lose 134-128.

Overall, New Orleans hosted a great All-Star weekend for the players and the fans. In my mind, the best part of having the game in New Orleans this year, was the amount of charity work they players were able to do for this depleted state of Louisiana, just 2 years off the horrible, Hurricane Katrina. Well, this was a nice break from the season, but now its time to start the second half, and watch 10 West teams duke it out for 8 playoff spots. We also get to see how many sub .500 east teams make the playoffs. It's been a great weekend! We have had celebrities, youngsters, slam dunks, 3 pointers, and SUPERMAN 2.0!

Records, Repeats, Cupcakes, and SUPERMAN

Tonight had to be one of the most exciting All-Star Saturday Nights in a VERY long time. We had a Skillz Challenge record set, by Jazz guard Deron Williams, we saw the sharpshooting small forward from Toronto, Jason Kapono, defend his crown in the three point shootout, and we saw Dwight Howard and Gerald Green put on probably the most spectacular performance in the history of the Slam Dunk Contest.


-Gerald Green of the Minnesota Timberwolves, goes to complete his "Birthday Cake" dunk in the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest.


-2008 Slam Dunk Champion, Dwight Howard, goes up for his SUPERMAN dunk, which amazed the crowd, beyond belief.

I'll skip talking about the Shooting Stars competition, because, as usual, it was less than exciting. So, I'll begin with the Playstation Skillz Challenge, which Jazz guard, Deron Williams won easily, over New Orleans hometown hero, point guard, Chris Paul. Deron Williams recorded a record time in the final round of this contest, clocking in at, 25.5 seconds. Paul finished in a close second, completing the course in 31.2 seconds. Nets point guard Jason Kidd and 2 time Skillz Challenge Champ, Dwyane Wade, failed to advance to the 2nd round, completing the course in 39.7 and 53.9 seconds, respectively.

Not only did Toronto's marksman, Jason Kapono win his second straight Foot Locker Three Point Shootout, but by scoring 25 points in the final round, tied Mark Price's all-time record, set in 1986. Kapono edged out last nights Rookie Challenge MVP, Daniel Gibson, and 2006 3 point champ, Dirk Nowitzki in the final round. Gibson scored 17 in the final round, to place second, and Dirk took third, scoring 14 in the final round. The other contestants included, Detroit's Richard Hamilton, Phoenix's Steve Nash, and New Orleans' Peja Stojakovic, who all failed to qualify for the second round.

Finishing off the night, was the always exciting Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. Timberwolves swing man, Gerald Green was looking to defend his dunking crown, while Orlando center, Dwight Howard was looking to avenge his early exit from last years contest. Memphis forward, Rudy Gay, and Toronto, rookie, forward, Jamario Moon, both newcomers to the contest, both looked to make a bang in the exciting event. However, after mediocre dunks from Rudy Gay, and exciting, but not dunk contest worthy dunks from Jamario Moon, Dwight Howard and Gerald Green would put on a show no NBA fan will ever forget. Dwight Howard producing two incredible first round dunks, and then starting the second round off with the SUPERMAN DUNK. Gerald Green's most memorable dunk, had to be his first dunk. Called, the "Birthday Cake" dunk, Green blew out a candle on a cupcake, sitting on the back of the rim, before jamming the ball in the hole. However, Green was no match for Superman's second round, and Dwight won handily, receiving 5 out of 5 votes from the judges panel, and 74% of the vans vote, online and via text message. A full recap of this video can be seen in the following video, brought to you by ESPN.com.




Overall, a very exciting night, and it should carry over well into tomorrow's All-Star game. All the participants tonight put on quite a show, and next years Saturday events should be even better. Also making headlines today, was Sacramento's trade of Mike Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks. Tomorrow should be entertaining, and this weekend should finish off well.

Bibby is Finally Dealt, but for Who?

It's been a year of Mike Bibby trade talk, and on the 2nd day of All-Star Weekend, Mike Bibby is finally in another uniform. On Saturday afternoon, the trade of Kings point guard Mike Bibby to Atlanta for guards Anthony Johnson and Tyrone Lue, along with forwards Shelden Williams and Lorenzen Wright. The Hawks also sent their second round pick in this years draft to Sacramento.

Normally teams wait until after the break to complete trades, but since none of the 5 players involved in this deal were apart of the eventful weekend, it shouldn't matter that much. The trade for Sacramento seemed to be a cap clearer for this summer, because 3 of the 4 players acquired for Bibby, have expiring contracts.

This trade should be a big help for Atlanta, who seemed to be a point guard away from being a playoff contender in the east. Now, they have one of the most playoff savvy point guards in the league. He has boatloads of experience, this being Bibby's 10th season in the league. Sacramento on the other hand doesn't immediately benefit from this deal, but it will help them this coming off season, by clearing a little over 7.5 million dollars from their payroll. With this draft also being quite deep, they should also be able to pick up a decent player with that second round pick. Shelden Williams, AKA the Landlord, could become quite a beneficial asset to this young King's team. He provides the inside toughness, to complement Brad Miller's more offensive oriented game, creating a somewhat threatening lineup of possibly, John Salmons or Beno Udrih, Kevin Martin, Ron Artest, Williams, and Miller. Overall, this was a very unexpected deal, but it seems somewhat reasonable for both teams, and could be a hit or miss for Atlanta and Sacramento.

Sacramento's record is currently 23-28, 11th place in the West, and is 9 1/2 games out of 8th place. Atlanta is 21-28, 9th place in the Eastern Conference, and is currently .05 percentage points out of 7th and 8th place.

All-Star Friday Night Recap

-Rookie-Sophomore game MVP, Daniel Gibson(1), hits one of his 11 3 pointers over Toronto rookie, Jamario Moon(33), in Friday Nights Rookie-Sophomore game.

After T.O made history in the celebrity game, by becoming the first participant to dunk in the contest, it was time for the highlight of the night, the Rookie-Sophomore game. The game was moderately exciting, as usual, with the Sophomore team blowing out the rookies, 136-109. Making it the sophomores sixth straight win over the rookie squad. The game, highlighted by Cleveland's Daniel Gibson's 33 points(11-20 from 3 point range) and the Lakers Jordan Farmar who tailed 17 points and 12 assists. Gibson's 11 3 pointers, broke the previous record of 7, by Kyle Korver in the 05 game, and he had tied the record by the end of the first half.
Also for the Sophomore team, Memphis forward, Rudy Gay, had 22 points on 9-12 shooting. Portland All-Star guard, Brandon Roy scored 17 points and had 7 assists for the Sophomores.

The rookies were lead by Seattle forward, Kevin Durant's 23 points and 8 rebounds. Also shining strong for the Rookie Team, was Nets forward-center, Sean Williams. The 6-11 Williams scored 17 points to go along with his 10 rebounds. Atlanta center Al Horford scored 19 points and pulled down 7 rebounds.

It seems as if All-Star weekend is looking to be very good this year, and All-Star Saturday Night should be more than what most of us are expecting.

All-Star Weekend Predictions

Ahh, not only do I get a 4 day weekend from school, but it's All-Star Weekend in the NBA. This years All-Star weekend should be exciting, taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kicking off tonight with the Celebrity All-Star game at 4pm(pacific), followed by the always exciting Rookie-Sophomore game at 6pm(pacific). Then after some sleep, I wake up too the best day of All-Star Weekend, All-Star Saturday Night. However, the events don't just happen at night. During the day, you can check out the amusing West and East team practices on NBA TV, which have proven to be entertaining the past 2 years. Also during the day is the D-League All-Star game, which should be somewhat entertaining. After all these events and a little dinner, it's time for the fun, All-Star Saturday Night! Starting at 5pm(pacific), the Playstation Skillz Challenge will be highlighted by Dwyane Wade, who will be looking to win this contest for the third straight year! Also in the contest is New Orleans' Chris Paul, Utah's Deron Williams, and New Jersey's Jason Kidd. After that is, my least favorite event, the Haier Shooting Stars Challenge. Featuring a legend, a current NBA player and a WNBA player from Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, and San Antonio. Hopefully this years Shooting Stars will be much better than last years, where Team Detroit won by default over Team Chicago. Following the Shooting Stars, is the Foot Locker 3 Point Shootout, where Toronto sharpshooter, Jason Kapono, will look to defend his crown against: Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Detroit's Richard "Rip" Hamilton, Phoenix's Steve Nash, Cleveland's Daniel Gibson, and New Orleans' Peja Stojakovic. Finishing off the night is the most popular, biggest fan favorite event, the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. Competing this year are: Reigning Champ, Gerald Green, from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando's Dwight Howard, Memphis' Rudy Gay, and the lone rookie, Toronto's Jamario Moon.
For some reason, this years Dunk Contest, is looking to be very exciting. With video's of Toronto's Jamario Moon's practice, Rudy Gay asking the fans for help, and Dwight Howard's desire for avenging his early exit from last years contest, we should all expect a dunk contest to NEVER forget. Now, enough chatter, here are my, predictions for the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.

Rookie Challenge MVP-Rudy Gay-F-Memphis Grizzlies
Playstation Skillz Challenge-Chris Paul-G-New Orleans Hornets
Haier Shooting Stars-Team Phoenix(Eddie Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Cappie Poindexter)
Foot Locker Three Point Shootout-Steve Nash-G-Phoenix Suns
Sprite Slam Dunk Contest-Dwight Howard-C-Orlando Magic
All-Star Game MVP-Dwight Howard-C-Orlando Magic

Well there we go, I have Dwight Howard taking home 2 pieces of hardware, Chris Paul blocking Wade from a 3rd Skillz Challenge Championship, and Steve Nash taking the crown from Jason Kapono in the Three Point Shootout. Hopefully, All-Star Weekend is as good as I hope. Look back later for more All-Star weekend posts.

The Western Conference and LeBron James are Loving Devan George...For Now...

Jason Kidd looked like he was a couple signatures away from being traded to the Dallas Mavericks early Wednesday afternoon. About 5 hours later, the deal had fallen apart. Not because the sources were bad, or a GM decided the trade wasn't fair, but because of a veteran player named Devan George, had exercised the rare provision in his one year deal with the Mavs. This provision, called, "Early Bird Rights", is made possible by being in his second year on a second contracts with the Mavericks. The trade that has been put on hold, would have sent point guard Jason Kidd, and power forward Malik Allen to the Dallas Mavericks. In return, Dallas would trade guard Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop, guard-forward Jerry Stackhouse, forward Devan George, guard Maurice Ager, 2 first round draft picks(2008 and 2010 picks), and cash to the Nets. Obviously, George did not like this deal, and used his veto power, to keep him on the championship contending Dallas Mavericks. Not only could other west teams such as the Lakers, Phoenix, San Antonio, and New Orleans breathe after hearing the fallout of this trade, but it gives the Cleveland Cavaliers' management another chance to make their young superstar (LeBron James) happy, by possibly swinging a deal for the All-Star point guard.
Adding Kidd, the 9 time All-Star to their team, would certainly help the Mavericks keep up with the west powers, such as the Lakers, Phoenix, San Antonio, and New Orleans. Kidd would provide Dallas with tons of leadership, playoff and finals experience, and he would help out their rebounding tremendously, because the Mavs leading rebounder, Nowitzki, a legit 7 footer, can't even pull down 9 rebounds per game. Kidd would also bring a nice defensive presence to the Mavericks that only a few players on the Mavs bring. Overall, trade could be good for both teams, or it could screw both teams. We'll see what happens in the upcoming days between Dallas and New Jersey, and possibly Cleveland.

NBA Trade Idea of the Week: Trade #4

Here is Crossover Hoops weekly trade idea.

Last week the trade was Jason Kidd for Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. This weeks trade involves the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. Two teams that are in desperate need of a roster revamp.

Key players in this trade are center Ben Wallace of Chicago and power forward Zach Randolph of New York.

The Trade: The Chicago Bulls trade center Ben Wallace and point guard Chris Duhon to the New York Knicks, in exchange for power forward Zach Randolph and combo guard Fred Jones.

games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=2377~885~1718~1017&teams=18~18~4~4

WHY THE TRADE HELPS CHICAGO:

The Bulls, in desperate need of post scoring love this deal. The get Zach Randolph, a young power forward, who will give them 22 and 10 every night for a very long time. They also pick up the high flying combo guard, Fred Jones, and his 3.3 million dollar expiring contract. With this expiring contract and the loss of Wallace's salary, the Bulls will have slightly more flexibility in resigning Luol Deng and Ben Gordon to new contracts this summer. Creating a starting 5 of Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Zach Randolph, and Joakim Noah, gives the Bulls one of the best starting 5s in the NBA. This trade is much more useful to the Bulls than the talked about trade of Wallace for Richardson, Malik Rose, and Fred Jones, because it gives them the inside offense they have been missing since Elton Brand wore a Bulls jersey.

WHY THE TRADE HELPS NEW YORK:

The Knicks are most likely willing to make any trade at this point. This trade may not look great statistically for New York, but it really helps them out. They bring in center Ben Wallace, who is a great defensive player still. Since the Knicks already have Eddy Curry and David Lee, Ben Wallace could do for the Knicks, what Alonzo Mourning has done for the Miami Heat the past few years. He may not log 30-35 minutes a game, but that is fine. He can still grab 7-8 rebounds, block a couple of shots, and give Eddy Curry a break every now and then, which is all they need Big Ben to do. With the departure of Randolph, it allows David Lee to finally get back into the starting 5, which is where he should be. Lee is very underused player. He would be a starter on almost every other NBA team, however with Randolph sitting above Lee on the depth charts, Lee hasn't been able to be the 15 and 11 he really is. The addition of Chris Duhon in this deal is also HUGE for the Knicks. It gives them a young point guard, who can be their floor general, until the Knicks can pick up a full time starter in the off season. Duhon is a solid point guard, he may be small, but he is great defender, a good scorer, and a above average passer. He will definitely fill Marbury's former role very well. The addition of Duhon gives the Knicks a solid starting lineup of Duhon, Crawford, Richardson, Lee, and Curry. Although the trade won't immediately push the Knicks into the playoffs, it should help a little bit.

After the completion of this trade, here is what both teams depth charts might look like:

CHICAGO

PG-Kirk Hinrich-Thabo Sefelosha-JamesOn Curry
SG-Ben Gordon-Fred Jones-Adrian Griffin
SF-Luol Deng-Andres Nocioni-Demetrius Nichols
PF-Zach Randolph-Tyrus Thomas
C-Joakim Noah-Joe Smith-Aaron Gray

NEW YORK:

PG-Chris Duhon-Nate Robinson-Stephon Marbury(Out for Season)
SG-Jamal Crawford-Mardy Collins
SF-Quentin Richardson-Renaldo Balkman-Wilson Chandler
PF-David Lee-Jared Jeffries-Malik Rose
C-Eddy Curry-Ben Wallace-Randolph Morris-Jerome James

UPCOMING POSTS-

-All-Star Weekend Predictions
-All-Star Weekend Diary?
-2008 Mock Draft
-Possibly the emergence of a new weekly column, due to the end of Trade Idea of the Week after the Trade Deadline.

I Heard an NBA joke today; Phoenix trades Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for Shaquille O'Neal

According to breaking news on ESPN.com, the league-worst Miami Heat have completed a trade with the Phoenix Suns, that would send the soon to be 36 year old Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix, and multi-dimensional All-Star Shawn Marion would be sent to Miami along with guard Marcus Banks. This might be one of the worst, and dumbest trades in NBA history. The team (Phoenix Suns) with the fastest tempo in the NBA, are trading one of Nash's favorite running mates for a 36 year old, slow center, who not to mentions still has 2 years 40 million dollars left on his contract. I do not know why Shawn Marion continues to pout about no recognition. HEY SHAWN! without a point guard like Steve Nash you are a 12 and 10 player at best! You can't create your own shot, and your 3 point and free throw shooting has been horrendous this year. If you think, going from one of the best teams in the NBA to the worst team in the league, is going to work out better for you, you are truly a perfect example of how stupid some players can be. Good luck even averaging 12 points a game on Miami. Have fun having your season end early for most likely the rest of your career. If you stayed in Phoenix, you would be easily a 17 and 11 player on a title contender until Nash retires. I feel bad for Phoenix that they had to deal with all the pouting you gave them. Whatever, you got your wish, you are out of Phoenix, good luck even being on the All-Star ballot next year. Going back to what I said about feeling bad for Phoenix. I feel even worse now, because this trade might take them out of finals contention for a while. Shaq is of no help to this team, and this trade will make it even easier for my beloved Lakers to win the Western Conference this year, and possibly get to the finals. Overall, Miami gets the best of this deal, as they get rid of some trash in Shaq and his contract. Hopefully, Shawn opts out after this year, and saves the Heat some cap to help them pick up some free agents to put around superstar Dwyane Wade.

Trade Idea of the Week: Trade #3

Here is Crossover Hoops' weekly Trade Idea of the Week. Here is the 3rd trade to come out.

This weeks trade involves the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Jersey Nets. Jason Kidd is obviously involved in this deal, and you see what might happen, if Kidd is dealt to Cleveland. Which has been talked about over the past week or so.

The Trade: The New Jersey Nets trade PG Jason Kidd to the Cleveland Cavaliers for G Larry Hughes and PF/C Drew Gooden.


games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=1711~356~429&teams=17~17~5

WHY THE TRADE HELPS CLEVELAND:

Obviously LeBron and the rest of the Cavs are immensely happy about this deal going down. They bring in a 9 time all-star, and a great floor general, with tons of playoff experience. Although Kidd's shooting ability is completely worthless to any team, he still does everything else well. Already 11 triple doubles this year, Kidd is one of the smartest players in the game, and will help LeBron get back to the NBA Finals. Although Kidd still has a large contract, in my opinion, I would much rather have Jason Kidd for 19 million and 21 million next year, than a increasing Larry Hughes contract, already at 12 million, for 3 more years. A trio of Kidd, LeBron and Ilgauskas could be one of the best in the league for the next 1-2 years. Great trade for Cleveland.

WHY THE TRADE HELPS NEW JERSEY:

Okay, I still stand by my word, that trading Kidd is not what the Nets need. However, with all this Kidd to Dallas, Kidd to Cleveland talk, I had to use a Kidd trade in this weeks trade idea. If Kidd goes anywhere, it should be Cleveland. They make him happy by sending him to King James and co, and in return get a solid, veteran combo guard, in Larry Hughes. Since Hughes has been running point the majority of the season in Cleveland, I don't see why he still can't if he was in Jersey. Hughes is a good defender, play-maker, and scorer. Although his contract will hurt the Nets for 3 years, he will still provide help in the back court, whether it means he is starting, or he is providing energy off the bench as a 6th man. They also get Drew Gooden, a young, tough big man, who will help add inside scoring, and interior defense to the Nets front line. Although with the sudden emergences from rookie Sean Williams, and 2nd year player Josh Boone, Gooden might have to have his role reduced to a bench player. Most likely he will still get 20+ minutes a night, and he will hopefully bring to the Nets, what he brought to the Cavs. Overall, a solid trade for the Nets. It is probably the best they can get for Kidd, from what teams have been offering lately.

After the completion of this trade, here is what the depth charts could look like for both teams:

Nets:
G-Larry Hughes-Marcus Williams-Darrell Armstrong
G-Vince Carter-Antoine Wright
F-Richard Jefferson-Bostjan Nachbar
F-Sean Williams-Drew Gooden-Malik Allen-Nenad Kristic*
C-Josh Boone-Jamal Magliore-Stromile Swift
*-injured reserve

Cavaliers:
G-Jason Kidd-Daniel Gibson-Damon Jones-Eric Snow
G-Sasha Pavlovic-Ira Newble-Shannon Brown
F-LeBron James-Devin Brown
F-Anderson Varejao-Donyell Marshall-Cedric Simmons
C-Zydrunas Ilgauskas-Dwayne Jones

WOOOOO! It's Great to be a Laker Fan!

So I am sitting in class and I get a text from my Dad saying, "The Lakers are getting Gasol for Kwame, Crittenton, and draft picks!!! Wow!". Forgetting that I was still in class, being the Laker fan I am, I stood up and shouted a fairly loud, "YES!". I had been waiting for the Lakers to bring in Gasol for almost 2 years, and today, my wish came true.

According to Breaking News at ESPN.Com, the Lakers have acquired power forward Pau Gasol and a 2010 second round draft pick from the Memphis Grizzlies, in exchange for center Kwame Brown, rookie guard Jaravis Crittenton, guard Aaron McKie(re-signed earlier today), the draft rights to center Marc Gasol(Pau's brother), and first round draft picks in 2008 and 2010.

This has to of been the smartest trade by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak since he has been the Lakers GM.

ASSESSING THE DEAL

The Memphis Grizzlies get a career underachiever in Kwame Brown, and a solid rookie in Jaravis Crittenton. However, since Kwame's contract(9.1 million) comes off the books after this season, this proves to be a huge boost in the Grizzlies hunt to sign free agents in the upcoming off season. Crittenton is also a nice boost for the Grizz, he is a extremely young and athletic combo guard, who should mesh nicely with Conley in a few years. They also get the draft rights to Pau Gasol's brother, Marc Gasol, a 7-0 center, who is clearly no where near his brothers level. However Marc should be a solid addition to the team if they can get him to come over from Spain in the upcoming years. Aaron McKie is of no value to the team, and will most likely be released in the upcoming week. The 2008 and 2010 first round picks should be some what valuable to the Grizzlies. Assuming the Lakers are not a lottery team for the next couple years, and that they finish in the top 5 among teams in the NBA for the upcoming years, the Grizzlies should still get some decent talent with those two picks.

The Los Angeles Lakers, with the addition of All-Star Pau Gasol, create one of the best starting 5's in the league. With Kobe and Fish/Farmar in the back court, and Odom, Gasol, and Bynum(When he returns from injury), in the front court, the Lakers look like they will be an elite team for the rest of the season, and many years to come. With 3 players on their roster each making at least 13 million dollars, and the up coming contract extension for Andrew Bynum, they will most likely be in salary cap hell for the next 3 or 4 years. However, the Lakers make more than the spend, and With a quad-squad of Bryant, Bynum, Gasol and Odom, the price is definitely worth it. Gasol brings experience, scoring ability, rebounding, interior defense, and excellent post skills to the Lakers, which should help them become the dominate team they once were in the early 2000's.

ALSO! Congratulations to Mitch Kupchak, for finally growing a pair and making a trade. I have bashed Mitch for the last 5 years and today, he has proven, he is not a complete dunder-head. So for now Mitch, you have my respect.

LET'S GO LAKERS! BRING HOME A CHAMPIONSHIP TO LOS ANGELES ONCE AGAIN!