No Blood No Foul

A report on Yahoo Sports today says that the Phoenix Suns are considering moving Amar’e Stoudemire. Rumors abound that Amar’e is dissatisfied with his new coach, his reduced offensive role, and the fact that people keep asking him to play defense. This shouldn’t come as a surprise - the knock on Amar’e since he joined the NBA has been his attitude.

Still, it must be said that Amar’e can flat-out ball. The guy has moves, an excellent mid-range game, and he can finish. If the Suns really are interested in moving Amar’e for a combination of youth and expiring contracts (as the report on Yahoo suggested), there are only a handful of teams that have a legit opportunity to land Amar’e. (more…)

Recently, the LA Clippers acquired Zach Randolph from the Knicks for some left-over popcorn and a couple of dirty jerseys (no disrespect to Tim Thomas and Cat Mobley, but this “trade” was more of a giveaway). Now, the Clippers have the challenge of splitting minutes between 3 solid big men (Randolph, Kaman, and Camby). While it might sound great to have three potential all-star bigs, it’s a luxury the Clips can’t afford. The truth is the Clippers are weak at the 2 and 3, and moving one of their bigs (either Camby or Kaman) is the best way to balance the starting roster.

So who will it be - which big will the Clippers trade for a swingman? The consensus choice is to move Kaman. Kaman and Randolph don’t really complement each other (at least on paper), whereas Camby and Randolph seem like they can balance each other fairly well. So where will Kaman go?

Here’s a list of potential trade partners:

• Charlotte seems like a perfect match. Gerald Wallace is a top-notch SF, Kaman is a top-notch PF/C. Neither is a superstar, but both could be in the right situation. This move likely makes both teams a little better. Still, you have to wonder why this deal hasn’t happened already. Perhaps Charlotte isn’t quite ready to part with Gerald Wallace…or perhaps there are some pieces involved that can’t be traded until the 15th of December.

• Chicago is intriguing. The Bulls need a scoring big (Tyrus Thomas is still very raw and Noah isn’t capable of becoming a scoring threat), and they have exactly what the Clippers need in Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon. Gordon has made no secret of his desire to leave Chicago, and Nocioni is a luxury Chicago likely can’t afford (not with Deng’s humongous contract). Still, the chances of this deal being made during the season are slim. Gordon loses his Bird rights if he’s traded, and considering just how much he thinks he’s worth, that’s not going to happen (Gordon can veto an in-season trade). If this deal did go down next year, both teams would be much better.

• What about the Wizards? The Wizards look like a team blowing apart. Losses are stacking up, Gilbert Arenas is talking about the positives of ending up in the lottery, and the Eastern Conference isn’t getting any softer. The Wizards haven’t been very competitive playing three perimeter all-stars in the playoffs, so maybe they should shake things up and swap Caron Butler for Kaman. Losing “tough juice” would be hard for the fans in Washington, but playing an inside-out game with Agent Zero and Kaman (with Tawn’ around to knock down open jumpers and create mismatches) would be much more traditional. It would be a bold move for the Wizards (Butler might just be the glue that holds the team together), but what they’ve been doing isn’t working. LA ends up with the best prize in this deal - a tough defender and able scorer that knows how to work with an egomaniac.

Of course, the Clippers could move Camby. His deal wouldn’t bring them as much in the way of superstar talent, but he would definitely help fill-in some of the team’s gaps. Perhaps the critics (me included) will see that Kaman and Randolph can play together. Perhaps that’s what the Clippers are hoping for too.

No matter what happens, Chris Kaman or Marcus Camby are leaving Clipperland within the next year - likely before the trade deadline.

With the western conference stronger than ever, it seems that San Antonio isn’t going to get many more chances at competing for a championship. This year might be it, and Ginobili’s recent injury has substantially endangered their chances. While the safe move for the Spurs is to stick with what’s been working so well for so long, maybe it’s time to mix it up with a big-time trade. Here’s why:

1. The Spurs struggle to put points on the board, which puts a lot of pressure on their franchise player Tim Duncan to produce night-in and night-out.
2. Duncan is getting older and the championship window opens or closes with him.
3. Manu Ginobili, arguably the Spurs best pure scorer, could miss the first month or two of the season.

The Chicago Bulls have some problems as well, and a trade or two seems inevitable:

1. With Luol Deng’s big new contract, Nocioni’s contract is a luxury they can’t afford.
2. Captain Kirk Hinrich doesn’t fit their long term plans.
3. Chicago isn’t in a very good position to participate in free agency in 2010, at least not without renouncing the rights to a young player or two.
4. Chicago is a team without a clear-cut leader or go-to scorer.

So why don’t these two teams make a trade? San Antonio sends Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, and a throw-in (Matt Bonner) to Chicago for Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich.

Here’s how San Antonio improves: Hinrich and Nocioni can start at the 2 and the 3, respectively. Captain Kirk is just as capable of a ball handler and passer as Manu Ginobili, and while he’s not as good of a 3pt shooter as Manu according to the stats, I’d like to see what Kirk can do when he gets wide open (something he hasn’t enjoyed much in Chicago). Besides, Hinrich wouldn’t need to knock down as many 3’s with Nocioni on the floor. The Captain can also backup Tony Parker as needed, another bonus for the Spurs.

Nocioni’s hustle play, 3pt range, and solid mid-range game would help to compensate for a lot of Manu’s intangibles (Nocioni seems ideal for the Spurs by the way). Even better, Nocioni and Hinrich would provide comparable defense to the combo of Manu Ginobili and the aging Bruce Bowen - while also offering quite a bit more offense. Team rebounding would improve, and because of these two new players San Antonio’s offensive attack would be more balanced. Tim Duncan’s workload would also be reduced with Hinrich and Nocioni on the floor to score and rebound.

If the Spurs make this trade they get younger, score easier, and don’t skip a beat in terms of defense. Since the contracts of Hinrich and Nocioni get smaller every year, the Spurs would still have a chance of landing a solid free agent in 2010 provided they avoid any more long-term deals. With 4 starters signed, that’s a good bet.

One more benefit for the Spurs - they probably won’t be dropping any close games when the season starts. If San Antonio doesn’t make this move and instead waits for Ginobili to get healthy, there’s a good chance they’ll miss a few early-season wins. That could translate into a much tougher post-season (and another missed opportunity).

What’s in it for Chicago: The Bulls need leadership - badly. When he returns from his injury, Ginobili brings that leadership along with a will to win that ignites this young team. He becomes the leader the Bulls are lacking. He has enough talent to lead the Bulls back into the playoffs now. Bruce Bowen provides toughness and leadership (and most likely limited minutes), as well as giving the Bulls some real defensive chops. Just imagine how much better of a player Luol Deng will become if he practices with Bowen. Bowen and Ginobili also help freshman coach Vinny Del Negro get up to speeed and set the right tone in the locker room.

Perhaps just as importantly, Chicago gets rid of two long term contracts that they really don’t need. Hinrich’s PG skills are officially redundant with Derrick Rose on the roster. Nocioni is a great energy guy, but his contract is too expensive for a bench player. With contracts pending for Sefolosha and Tyrus Thomas in the summer of 2010, moving the contracts of Nocioni and Hinrich clears plenty of space for Chicago to re-sign their own young talent while also being able to participate in the big free-agent market.

Bottom line: What this really comes down to for San Antonio is that it gives them at least one more shot at a title, and probably 2 or 3. The triumvirate of Ginobili, Parker, and Duncan almost got it done last year, but with Bowen showing his age and Ginobili’s helter-skelter playing style, it seems risky to rely on either one of those players much longer. The Spurs need to do something to make their team better, and as important as Ginobili is, his injury risk is too great. His prime is just about past - why not trade him now for maximum value? Indeed this deal is such a no-brainer for Chicago that they would likely part with a first round pick or two. Chicago is going to try and trade Hinrich and Nocioni anyways - the prospect of getting back a real team leader in Manu Ginobili should be enough to get Chicago to cough up a couple of picks.

Why doesn’t this deal make sense? Chemistry perhaps - moving Manu is breaking up the three amigos. However, the truth is that Duncan is the Spurs. He is the most important player, and everyone else is expendable.

But what do you think??

Say what you will about Chicago Bulls GM John Paxson and his recent coaching hire, but I think ol’ Johnny got it right. Why pay top dollar when coaches don’t matter very much anyways?

While one could argue there are a few top notch coaches that could make ANY NBA team good, like Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan, and Gregg Popovich, it’s a tough make your argument stick. After all, each of those men enjoyed the services of elite players like Bill Russel, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and Tim Duncan (along with a slew of other greats) during their most successful seasons. It’s true that no one wins without talent, but it’s hard to prove that coaches really make much of a difference. (more…)

As we all know, December 15th is an important date as far as making an NBA trade is concerned. By rule, it’s the first day that free agents signed during the summer can be traded. Typically, this flexibility opens up a lot of trade possibilities and triggers some shuffling. So, without further delay, here’s my list of the ten NBA players most likely to be traded beginning Dec. 15th. (more…)

I’m putting my basketball analysis cred on the line and boldly predicting how the eastern conference playoff picture will look in about 6 months. While I’m nearly 100% confident in my picks for the west, I’m not entirely sure about any of these teams. With the exception of Detroit and Chicago, every other team on this list could fall out of the big picture. The truth is that most teams in the East aren’t that good, and teams that aren’t that good tend to be inconsistent. Anyways…

1) Detroit Pistons - Expect Flip Saunders to improve Detroit’s offense, and look for their bench to rival many teams starting squads. (more…)