No Blood No Foul

The sports blog world is probably going to erupt tomorrow with news that Carmelo has demanded a trade. I can see it now – hundreds of bloggers saying that Denver *has* to trade Melo or risk losing him for nothing.

Not so fast.

While it’s certainly true Denver would probably be wise to move Carmelo now, they certainly don’t have to. There are a lot of unknowns that play in Denver’s favor. (more…)

I won’t go into my opinion of LeBron too much, but I think Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo Sports has it right. James is an egomaniac, and his spectacle only served to ruin his image. However, that’s really not important now. Now it’s time to wonder just how well the new triumvirate of Wade, Bosh, and James will play. Without all the pieces assembled, it’s still up in the air a little bit, but it’s safe to say the final Heat roster will look something like this: (more…)

In the last couple of days, it’s been reported that Chris Bosh has given the Raptors a list of teams he’d like to play for next season. While this news has been denied by Bosh’s agent, it’s been confirmed by Raptors GM Colangelo. Colangelo’s confirmation seems like pretty strong evidence Bosh has requested a sign and trade because:

1. Confirming the existence of the list hurts Bosh’s image with Toronto’s fans. The fact that a list officially exists hurts Bosh’s standing with fans. Colangelo wouldn’t do that to his star player unless he felt like his chances of staying in Toronto were slim.

2. Colangelo is starting the sign-and-trade ball rolling. Now that NBA GM’s are aware Bosh can be had, it’s time for them to start calling Toronto and making a pitch to Colangelo. Obviously, the final move is up to Chris Bosh…but if someone calls and offers a superstar to Toronto to try and acquire Bosh, that’s going to help set the value for a sign-and-trade. The next question is… (more…)

Amare is going get moved this month – here’s why:

1. Phoenix can win almost as many games without Amare as they can with him. If you saw Phoenix and Dallas play last Thursday, you know that Phoenix has a bunch of scrappy young athletic bigs that can shoot and finish. I’m not saying they’re better without Amare – no chance – but they’re not much worse is he leaves town.
2. Phoenix could lose Amare this summer for nothing.
3. Phoenix can’t afford Amare if he decides not to opt out. Phoenix needs Amare off the books this summer if they want to make some moves and make their team better without going over the luxury cap.
4. Phoenix can still get under the luxury cap. If Phoenix can trade for a talented young PF while also reducing salary by about $3 million (possible), they might consider trading Channing Frye to a team with a trade exception (hello Nuggets!) to get under the cap. This would be HUGE financially.

Here’s the trick for Phoenix: whatever move Phoenix makes, it has to be viewed as part of a bigger plan to get better. If Steve Nash decides Phoenix is throwing in the towel and asks for a trade, Phoenix becomes a less talented version of the Golden State Warriors. Here are the possibilities: (more…)

If you’re looking for a full recap of the game, both Bust a Bucket and The Nugg Doctor have done a nice job of breaking down last night’s game from each fan perspective.

Here are some thoughts I have about the game that I haven’t seen mentioned:

1. McMillan needs to resolve the PG question. I believe McMillan yanked Andre Miller at about the 6 min mark in the 4th quarter last night. Blake wasn’t playing nearly as well as Miller last night, and when Dre sat down the look on his face said it all. McMillan recognized his mistake at about 3 mins, but by then Blake had thrown a nasty turn-over. I recognize that it’s early, but I see this being a source of concern in Portland.

Miller is the better player, and the fact that McMillan isn’t starting him could upset team chemistry. Or it might not. As I said, it’s a concern in my mind.

2. Denver needs (more…)

If you haven’t already seen it, check out my 2009-2010 NBA Season Predictions for the Eastern Conference.

First, some assumptions:

1. That all the important players stay mostly healthy.
2. That there aren’t any major trades. Obviously this will change, but when it does the rankings will be updated (if I have time).
3. That some lame-o (who isn’t bold enough to publish their own predictions before the season begins) will criticize me when the season ends. Lame.

In order of how they’ll finish…

1) L.A. Lakers

Possibilities: Another trophy.

Problems: Point guards. On both sides of the ball. Quick guards like Brooks and Paul can carve them up. Fisher is getting old. Farmar isn’t the guy. (Good thing Kobe is more than capable of playing point guard.)

Prognosis: They are the best in the league. Bynum’s inevitable improvement will counter the inevitable decline of Derek Fisher, and anyone who thinks Artest can hurt this team is flat-out crazy. They are the team to beat. (more…)