In fairness to the basketball expertise possessed by Jim Dolan, trading for a superstar usually works out great for the receiving team. The cliché in the NBA is, in fact, never trade away a superstar because you can’t get value. The danger in analyzing trades that are not even a year old and involve key players in their 20s, however, is that change can occur unexpectedly. That was the case in 1971 when the Baltimore Bullets sent sensational guard Earl Monroe to
Remember the old NBA slogan “I love this game!?” (It pre-dates “Where Amazing Happens”). If you are in your early 20s, you may not. But that’s OK. Lots of people in their early 20s seem to believe the world began 10 years ago, and have no recollection of crappy cell phone reception, dial-up Internet or the fax machine. But those who are a bit older certainly remember that ad campaign, and Sunday was one of those days when love for the game
Highlight Performance: Chauncey Billups, LAC– Returning to Denver, his former team, Billups had a great game, scoring 32 points and hitting 6-12 shots beyond the arc. Being that he is no longer the point guard, Billup’s assist totals have suffered a but this season. However, being the starting shooting guard, he has been a bit more willing to pull the trigger than usual, so big scoring nights occasionally come as no surprise. This was an impressive game by Billups, and his
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Critics of LeBron James often point to his late-game disappearances in the postseason. When the Chicago Bulls visit the Miami Heat in the NBA’s best game Sunday afternoon, they will have no recollection of any of those instances. That’s because in last year’s Eastern Conference finals, James was spectacular down the stretch in all four of Miami’s wins. In Game 2, James scored nine points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to take home-court advantage from the Bulls. In an 85-75 victory
We have a tie for basket case of the week. So congratulations to the Orlando Magic (dropping from 5th to 18th) and the New York Knicks (now ranked lower than the Nets). So guess which happens first: _ Mike D’Antoni gets fired. _ Dwight Howard gets traded. _ Billy King acquires Chris Kaman. Please, wager amongst yourselves. ‘A’ is the frontrunner, but don’t rule out ‘C.’ As for ‘B,’ I’m not so certain anymore that the Magic wait until the trade deadline. In the West, I’ve
// Fans in the NBA’s two biggest markets can’t be very happy right now. For that matter, neither can David Stern. The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA. They predate instant replay, maximum salaries, team planes, the draft lottery, the 3-pointer, free agency, conferences and leather sneakers. For more than 50 years, they have anchored the league on opposite coasts, guaranteeing interest in the two biggest cities in the country. Both teams basically have unlimited budgets. Both teams
The foremost reason fantasy league owners are typically challenged making trades is due to the varying opinions of player values. Everyone loves his or her own guys, most notably following the draft. League drafts have now long since passed and at this point, so too have pre-draft valuations and player expectations. That guy you drafted in the second round might not be more than a Top 70 player at this point (that would be you, Amare Stoudemire!) and that late round