Trade Deadline Recap

The trade deadline wasn't as exciting as we have seen in past years, considering that no stars were traded. A lot of teams made some interesting moves, but nothing major was made. The biggest loser from the trade deadline is the NBA's fans, because they did not get to see a lot of trades. You can see everything that happened right here:

Wednesday

On the night before the trade deadline, the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns made a three-way trade. 

The Rockets got:
Thomas Robinson

Francisco Garcia

Tyler Honeycutt

2013 2nd round pick (Suns)

The Kings got:

Patrick Patterson

Cole Aldrich

Toney Douglas

The Suns got: 

Marcus Morris

It was a pretty good trade for the Rockets, who did a good job getting Thomas Robinson. This trade is also interesting because the Morris twins are now re-united in Phoenix, Markieff and Marcus.

Thursday

Here are all of the trades that happened on trade deadline day:

Miami Heat Trade

The Miami Heat sent Dexter Pittman to the Memphis Grizzlies for a 2013 second round pick.

Celtics Acquire Talent

The Boston Celtics sent Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins to Washington and received Jordan Crawford.

J.J. Redick is among 18 players who were traded on deadline day.

Raptors Get A Backup PG

The Toronto Raptors sent Hamed Haddadi and a second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Sebastian Telfair, who will likely back up Kyle Lowry for Toronto.

Portland Also Gets A Backup PG

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired Eric Maynor from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a trade exception and rights to Giorgio Printezis.

Bucks Get A Shooter

The Milwaukee Bucks have sent Doron Lamb, Beno Udrih, and Tobias Harris to the Orlando Magic for J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ish Smith.

Hawks Swap Guards With Dallas

The Atlanta Hawks have sent Anthony Morrow to the Dallas Mavericks for Dahntay Jones.

The Bobcats Get McBob

The Charlotte Bobcats have sent Hakim Warrick to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Josh McRoberts.

Thunder Get Ronnie Brewer

The Oklahoma City Thunder got Ronnie Brewer from the New York Knicks for a second-round pick.

Golden State Makes 2 Small Trades

The Golden State Warriors made two trades today. The first one sent Jeremy Tyler to the Atlanta Hawks for a second round pick. They also received a second round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers, to whom they sent Charles Jenkins.

It wasn't a very exciting deadline day, but at least some trades did happen. One surprise was that Josh Smith was not traded. The Hawks pulled out of a three-team deal at the last minute, so Smith will be staying. Another surprise is that the Utah Jazz did not make any trades, despite having so many players who are free agents this summer. It was an interesting day. Thanks for reading.

Analysis: Carmelo Anthony vs Kobe Bryant

On Thursday, the Knicks, led by Carmelo Anthony, easily took care of the Lakers at MSG. 

Kobe Bryant has always been a more talented player than most--excepting LeBron, KD, and CP3, and possibly one or two other NBA players. But this year, we have seen the Knicks and their success, with Carmelo Anthony leading them. Meanwhile, in LA, Kobe has a lot more talented teammates, particularly Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol. Somehow, though, Kobe's Lakers have started 9-14, while Anthony's Knicks are 17-5 and undefeated at Madison Square Garden. Has Carmelo Anthony proved himself a better player this season than Kobe? Let's analyze this match-up.

Scoring

Carmelo Anthony scores 28.3 points a game, while Kobe only scores 26.6.
Edge: Carmelo Anthony

Sharing
Carmelo only sets up shots 2.7 times a game, and Kobe is up at 5.6.
Edge: Kobe Bryant

Rebounding
Carmelo Anthony has 6.5 rebounds a game, and Kobe only has 5.3. Sorry Kobe, you need to grow a couple inches.
Edge: Carmelo Anthony

Defense
Kobe only averages 0.3 blocks per game, and Melo is only at 0.5. However, Kobe is at almost 2 steals a game, and Anthony isn't even at one.
Edge: Kobe Bryant

3-Point Shooting
You might not believe this, but Kobe is only making 1.7 threes a game, while Anthony is making 2.7. Carmelo also has a better percentage than Kobe at 40.1%. Sorry Laker fans.
Edge: Carmelo Anthony

Field Goal Percentage
Despite not shooting well from downtown, Kobe Bryant is surprisingly averaging 46%, while Melo is at 44%.
Edge: Kobe Bryant

Turnovers
Kobe Bryant is turning the ball over 3 1/2 times a game, and Melo is only at 2.7.
Edge: Carmelo Anthony

Free-Throw Shooting
Carmelo Anthony is not shooting as well from the line, though. He is at 82%, and Kobe is at more than 84%.
Edge: Kobe Bryant

Team Success
It all comes down to this. Sorry Kobe Bryant, but your Lakers are 26-29, and Melo's team is 32-19. If you want to be better than Melo, then the Lakers need to be better than the Knicks.
Edge: Carmelo Anthony

Winner: Carmelo Anthony

Power Rankings: 25-21

25: Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are looking pretty good, but they are not a playoff team. Kyrie Irving is an amazing point guard with amazing talent, but he can't carry this team on his back. They need more pieces to this team. C.J. Miles, Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters. These are all key pieces to this team, but the team needs more to become a competitor. I am excited to watch the Cavaliers this season, but they won't be making the playoffs.

24: Toronto Raptors. Toronto picked up some key players in the offseason: Kyle Lowry, Landry Fields,  Terrence Ross, and former draft pick Jonas Valanciunas. They have definitely improved from last year, but they still aren't ready for the playoffs. They could be a playoff team right now, because they had the number one pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. But they picked Italian center Andrea Bargnani, who hasn't lived up to expectations. This guy is a center that can shoot threes. He should be starting on the all star team. For Toronto to make the playoffs, Bargnani definitely needs to improve. Another player on this team that needs to step up is DeMar DeRozan. This guy should be the next Vince Carter. He has been in the dunk contest twice. If veterans DeRozan and Bargnani can step up, this team will be playoff ready.

23: New Orleans Hornets: The hype this year for the Hornets all comes from the number one pick, center Anthony Davis. I think Davis can be really good and lead this team to an eventual return to the playoffs. But the player that needs to be the leader for this team is Eric Gordon. Gordon was injured most of last year, and that is what the problem is. But if Eric Gordon is healthy and playing well, and Anthony Davis is living up to expectations, this team still isn't making the playoffs. Why? They need a small forward. Who does New Orleans have at the three position right now? Al-Farouq-Aminu? Hakim Warrick? Darius Miller? To be a playoff team, you need solid players at all positions. These guys are not solid players. So when Anthony Davis is living up to expectations, Eric Gordon is healthy and at his best, and the team has a solid player at the small forward position, then this team can talk about playoffs.

22: Phoenix Suns. The Suns did not have a great offseason. The main thing that hurts them is losing Steve Nash. Nash was an amazing player for this team. He always carried Phoenix on his back. He is so good because he knows the fundamentals and is arguably the best floor general in the game. He always can get the ball to the right places, no matter what his age is. The reason the Suns narrowly missed the playoffs last season is that Nash had no great scorer to get the ball to. The Suns were so successful in the 2010 playoffs because Nash had someone to get the ball to. Nash to Stoudemire was the thing. But when Amare Stoudemire left, the Suns stopped making the playoffs because they had no great scorer. Fortunately, the team signed Goran Dragic, who had a great last season. Hopefully he can be this team's next Steve Nash.

                   21: Houston Rockets. Houston had one of the worst offseasons in the league. They got rid of everyone to attempt to get Dwight Howard, but that failed. Now they are one of the youngest teams in the NBA. They have three first round picks, Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones, along with rookies Scott Machado and Donatas Motiejunas. They have second year players JaJuan Johnson, Marcus Morris, Greg Smith, and Chandler Parsons. Their third year players are Gary Forbes, Patrick Patterson, Jeremy Lin, and Omer Asik. That's 13 players! That's like the whole team! Kevin Martin, Carlos Delfino, and Shaun Livingston are the main veterans on this team, but they need more. You can't have a team this young with only a couple of veterans making the playoffs. They need more veterans.

Power Rankings: 30-26

For the upcoming season, I am going to rank every NBA team 30-21 to see all of the worst teams and which of them are expected to do better than others this season. After this season, we will see which teams finished as expected. Here are teams 30-25.

30: Orlando Magic. The Magic gave away Dwight Howard and got basically nothing. Arron Afflalo? Al Harrington? Nikola Vucevic? And all of those draft picks they got aren't going to help them this season. They now just have no star on this team (but they still have some stars on the logo. because Dwight Howard is a jerk. All he wants is to win. He has no loyalty to his team. I'm not saying he is the only selfish NBA player, I'm just saying that that the Orlando Magic could have gotten a lot more for Dwight Howard.

29: Charlotte Bobcats. Last year, the Bobcats had the worst NBA season of all time. To top that, they lost the first pick in the draft, so they missed out on Anthony Davis. They settled for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist instead. In my opinion, Kidd-Gilchrist is overrated. He really isn't that good. Anthony Davis would have given them a bright future, but not so much of a future with Gilchrist. The Bobcats also lost D. J. Augustin, arguably their best player last year, only to replace him with Ramon Sessions. Corey Maggette did well for them also last year, but he is also gone now. The only hope for Charlotte now is for the young guys Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to step up and lead.

28: Sacramento Kings. The Kings, I'm sorry to tell you, stink. But they shouldn't stink. The Kings have some talent on their team-Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and Marcus Thornton, just to name a couple. The problem is they don't pass the ball. Everyone on the team is looking to score. That is the reason that the Kings stink. They shoot too much. If the Kings start passing the ball, then they will start winning games. And, if you win games, you become a better team. The Kings could move cities anytime, but until then, pass.
                                                  27: Detroit Pistons. The Pistons have some pretty talented young guys. Brandon Knight, Greg Monroe, and now Andre Drummond. They are looking pretty good for this season, but we can't be sure How well their young (and old) players will play. They have opportunity for a great season, but also opportunity for a disappointing season. Tayshaun Prince is one player on this team that needs to step up, as well as veterans Corey Maggette, Jason Maxiell, and Charlie Villanueva. The young guys are the key to this team's success, but the veterans also need to be key contributors. If I could choose a face for the franchise, it would be Greg Monroe. This is his chance; his season to step up and lead. If the Pistons want success, mix the veteran play with the young guys' athleticism.

26: Washington Wizards. The Wizards are overrated. They did pick up some solid players in the off-season, but they haven't proved anything at all yet. Some things need to happen before they become a playoff team. The first thing is John Wall. He needs to play at an all star level and be a leader and a floor general for this team. They also need chemistry to mix the young players with the veterans. Nene, Trevor Ariza, and Martell Webster are just some of the veterans on this team that can and need to lead as well. Bradley Beal, the rookie and number three pick overall, also needs to work on his game. The most important thing for him is just to knock down the three when he is open and when it is needed. So basically, John Wall needs to mix with the veterans and be a leader.


        

Preseason Starts!

Finally the NBA Preseason is starting! I can't wait!

Here is the best play from preseason so far!

Predicting the Starting 5 For Each NBA Team

I am going to predict the starters for each team this season.

This is my prediction for the Oklahoma City Thunder starting five.

Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, Kyle Korver, Josh Smith, Al Horford
Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee, Paul Pierce, Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett
Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Brook Lopez
Charlotte Bobcats: Ramon Sessions, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bismack Biyombo, Brendan Haywood
Chicago Bulls: Kirk Hinrich, Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, C.J. Miles, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao
Dallas Mavericks: Rodrigue Beaubois, Delonte West, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Kaman
Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Dalino Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, JaVale McGee
Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee, Andrew Bogut
Houston Rockets: Jeremy Lin, Kevin Martin, Carlos Delfino, Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik
Indiana Pacers: George Hill, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West, Roy Hibbert
LA Clippers: Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Lamar Odom, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
LA Lakers: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard
Memphis Grizzlies: Jerryd Bayless, Tony Allen, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol
Miami Heat: Mario Chalmers, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh
Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, Luc Mbah-a-Moute, Ersan Ilyasova, Samuel Dalembert
Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio, Brandon Roy, Andrei Kirilenko, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic
New Orleans Hornets: Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon, Hakim Warrick, Ryan Anderson, Anthony Davis
New York Knicks: Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler
Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins
Orlando Magic: Jameer Nelson, Arron Afflalo, Hedo Turkoglu, Al Harrington, Glen Davis
Philadelphia 76ers: Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Dorrell Wright, Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum
Phoenix Suns: Goran Drajic, Jared Dudley, Michael Beasley, Luis Scola, Marcin Gortat
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, Meyers Leonard
Sacramento Kings: Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, Thomas Robinson, DeMarcus Cousins
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw
Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Landry Fields, Andrea Bargnani, Jonas Valanciunas
Utah Jazz: Mo Williams, Randy Foye, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson
Washington Wizards: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor, Nene

The Dwightmare is Finally Over

Dwight Howard finally got traded. But is it fair for the small market teams?

Dwight Howard finally got traded. After there were trade talks for what seems like an eternity, one finally went through. If you somehow didn't hear the news, here is the trade:
Lakers get: Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark.
Nuggets get: Andre Iguodala.
76ers get: Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.
Magic get: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christain Eyenga, a protected first round draft pick from each of the other three teams, and two other draft picks.
Wow. What a mouthful. It took four teams, 12 players, five draft picks, and trade talking for a ton of time, but it finally is over. But what about the Lakers now? Is it fair that they have four all-stars and amazing depth of players on their team? Is it fair that only 4 or 5 big market teams have a real shot at the title, and that everyone else will be left in the dust? Is this league just a bunch of guys playing basketball, or is it more than that? Oh well. I guess I can write all I want about it, but it won't change a thing. I guess i'll just enjoy watching my favorite sport.