Breaking down the NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA was the topic of choice for the last few weeks amidst the many rumors surrounding the trade deadline. Their were several big names floating around such as Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudamire, Chris Bosh and Rasheed Wallace. Sadly, only 1 of the above mentioned names was moved. Fans love to see trades, and new dynamics assembled in the league (Bostons Big 3) which can alter the balance of power from East to West. Here is a look at some trades I like, and some that made no sense.

Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic

The Magic have lost Jameer Nelson for the season so they were in a dire need for a point guard to keep that high powered offense moving through the playoffs. Enter Skip to my Lou! The trade brings Alston to Orlando in a 3 way deal that sends Kyle Lowery of the Grizz to Houston and Brian Cook and Adonal Foyle go to the Rockets. This trade is a steal for Orlando who gave up 2 bench players for a starting point guard with playoff experience. Houston gets Kyle Lowry who is a better shooter than Alston but not a great passer. I'm not sure who will start Lowry or the quick trigger Brooks who has been great off the bench. The Grizz seem like the clear losers in this trade especially if Mike Conley doesn't step up and earn his starting job.

Shawn Marion to Toronto

The Miami Heat have been dangling Shawn Marion as bait around the league all season long, with no big time takers. Finally they choice to address their low post problem and bring in Jermaine Oneal. Once Marion was traded last season I felt as if Marion's value would drop if he wasn't moved in the off season. Playing in the 7 seconds or less offense has a tendency to make any player look better than they really are, and that's what happened with Marion. With no consistent go-to-move Marion was exposed in the half court offense of the Heat and his value plummeted. I believe had the Heat had moved him as early as July they could have possibly gotten Boozer and another young stud to pair with Wade. Oh well! Now the Heat have to absorb Oneal's massive contract ($23 Million next year) and hope to make a playoff push and keep J.O healthy in the process.

Larry Hughes to the Knicks

The Knicks are always in the mix come deadline team each year, but this year they took the high road and made the small deal instead of trying to hit the home run. They acquired Larry Hughes from the Bulls in exchange for Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson. By doing this the Knicks get a true 2 guard, but I'm not sure how he will fit into the 7 seconds or less offense of Mike D'Antoni with limited range on his jump shot. Is it me or does it seem as if the Knicks and Bulls are just loading up on players who will have no impact on their run to the playoffs. Really don't see how this trade is a benefit to either team other than to save some money. Hopefully while they are trimming the payroll, they can keep fans in the seat.

Peace,
Agent 34

"Think with your Dipstick"

This is one of the funniest commercials that I saw on Superbowl Sunday. I'm not sure why I like the little Irish guy running around smacking people with dipsticks, but Castrol was a big winner with this entertaining spot. You be the judge.

N.Y. Swag

Whomever made the schedule for the New York Knicks this season obviously has a grudge on the once proud franchise. Kobe on Monday, LeBron on Wednesday, with a 3-course meal of the Celtics on Friday. Wow! I'm sure the Knicks will be sure to send some courtside tickets to the schedule makers next year. Arguably the 2 best players in the NBA, followed by the defending champions proved to be too much for the Knicks as they went 0-3 during those home games. Not only did they lose the games but records were set in the process. Which one do you think was more impressive?
Kobe set a new Madison Square Garden record by topping Bernard Kings record of 60 points with a 61 point performance; the second highest of his career. It was an almost flawless game from KB24 as he hit difficult shot after difficult shot while doing so in the flow of the game. This great feat was accomplished while playing only 37 mins and going 19-31 from the floor, and 20-20 from the charity stripe. More importantly the fans at MSG gave Kobe a curtain call with chants of MVP, something that NY legend Spike Lee has never seen before...not even from Jordan.
LeBron had a tough act to follow on Wednesday but he is rarely one to disappoint . It was originally thought that he scored 52pts, 11ast, 10rbs, but the league office took away a rebound to leave him one shy of a triple double. That would have put LeBron in elite company as only the second player since Kareem Abdul Jabbar to record a triple double while scoring 50 points. With all that aside his performance was incredible to say the least. LeBron's jump shot seems to always improve when he is playing on the biggest stage in the NBA. He hit two 3 pointers and reeled in 16 free throws along the way.


From a statistical point of view LeBron is the winner, although if you are a student of the game (like me) then you will understand that LeBrons 52 was hard fought and not as seamless as Kobes 61. Talk amongst yourselves and be the judge...who had the better performance?

'Peace
Agent 34

Mid-Season Awards

We are almost at the halfway mark of the 2009 season and much has changed since opening night. Some teams have lived up to the hype while others have flamed out, and then there are a few surprise teams in the mix. Also, there are players who have bounced back from injury, MVP candidates and budding superstars. Here is a look at the biggest milestones thus far..

MVP

Kobe Bryant has picked up where he left off last season and is still in MVP form. The Lakers are off to the 2nd best record in the league at 35-9 and have a stronghold on the tough Western Conference. KB24 is practicing less is more by succumbing to only 20 shots a game, and his teammates seem to be reaping the rewards. The early favorite for the award was LeBron James but after the duo squared off in LA; its Kobe's race to lose.

NEXT BIG THING

Danny Granger has been taking great strides since coming into the crowded draft of 2005(CP3, C-Bosh ect.) Once Jermaine O'Neal was traded the team needed a new leader and Granger has lived up to the bill. He is currently 4th in scoring at slightly under 26pts a game. Not only is he turning into a proven scorer but he also has shown a nac for hitting the big shots. He has 2 buzzer beaters under his belt this season, and a would be 3 only to be 1 upped by CP3 in New Orleans with a walk off 3 pointer. Granger should be an All-Star reserve, and he currently has Indy eying the 8th seed in the East.

SURPRISE TEAM

The Orlando Magic have taken the league by surprise and are proving to be contenders not only in the East, bur for a Championship. Led by; Superman 2 Dwight Howard(20pts-13rpg), the Magic are off to a 34-10 record and just completed an impressive 4-0 West coast trip only to return home and get beaten handedly by the Boston Celtics. This team lives and dies by the 3pt shot, when they are effective they are truly unbeatable, but some nights the shot doesn't fall and they are exposed. Time will tell whether this team is a true Contender.

6TH MAN OF THE YEAR

Jason Terry has been a proven scorer in this league for a quite a few years, bur only a few players can match their production coming off of the bench. Not only has he matched it, but he is playing some of the best ball of his career. At 20ppg he is proving to be a great compliment to Dirk Norwitzki as they are slowly becoming a dangerous team in the crowded Western Conference.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
This was a tough choice, even halfway through the season its hard to pick a clear cut favorite for the ROY. Derrick Rose is slightly ahead of O.J Mayo at this point just
because of the pressure that comes with running the point in the NBA. Also, the Bulls have a much better record than the Grizzlies and should vie for a playoff spot. Rose is second in scoring at 16ppg and is learning to trust his teammates more with a above modest 6.3 assists a game.






Peace,
Agent34

A "Notorious "Review

Today I took my friend Michelle's advice (her blog) and took advantage of the $5 movie special at the Fork & Spoon (Formally Buckhead Backlot). I didn't even look at the other movies that were playing, I was there for only 1 reason and that was to see the adaptation of the Greatest Rapper of All-Time..The Notorious B.I.G.

The movie in my opinion was very well researched and this is coming from a Hip-Hop head who followed the rise of Biggie Smalls as a young kid. Notorious showed a young Christopher Wallace struggling between the 2 worlds of drug dealing and rapping while being pursued by an ambitious Uptown intern Sean "Diddy" Combs (played by Derick Luke).



Here are some of the Highs and Lows of the Move..

Highs:
-Lil Kim and B.I.G (How they Met)
-Angella Basset as Voletta Wallace
-Tupac and Bigs friendship
-The actress who played Faith (You will understand after you watch..LoL)
-Derrick Luke as Diddy (He definitely went to Diddy's dance school)
-Lil Cease who was played by the actor from Losing Isaiah (He was hilarious)

Lows:
-Lil Kim (She kinda got the played in the movie)
-Death of B.I.G
-East Coast-vs-West Coast Beef

Overall this was an excellent movie that portrayed a legend that I grew up listening too at a young age. Even though it was years overdue it was right on time, hopefully people will be able to take away the positive messages that were on display throughout the story. The rise of a man who chased a dream and in the process helped launch a billion dollar industry.
R.I.P CHRISTOPHER WALLACE
'Peace
Agent 34

Teammates You Forgot About..

A lot of times in the NBA a young superstar is paired up with an old seasoned veteran to try and create a tag team of sorts. Today we revisit some of the duos that just never panned out and wonder what if..

Steve Nash and Jason Kidd

These two future Hall of Famers only played together for 1 season, but they are arguably the top two point guards in the last 10 yrs of the NBA. A back court of Nash and Kidd seems like an All-Star lineup, but after Nash's emergence as a solid point guard Kidd was shipped to New Jersey.


LeBron James and Darius Miles

This duo saw limited action together in 2003 due to a D. Miles knee injury that pretty much ended his career as an explosive dunker. If Miles had not suffered that injury rookie LeBron would have had a very good sidekick in his quest for an NBA Championship. Other critics will argue that having 1 premier player on a team is a natural maturation process for a rookie to become a superstar and in this case that was true. LeBron went on to be..well Lebron and Miles is currently trying to find a home while recouping money from the Portland Blazers.

1984 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers have had a slew of NBA players who are Hall of Famers over the years but arguably no team in history had more than the 84 Sixers. Not only did this team include Moses Malone and Dr. J, they also had a young rookie by the name of Charles Barkley and seasoned veteran Maurice Cheeks. The 4 HOF's made it to the NBA Finals that year but eventually lost out to the Boston Celtics. During this era it wasn't uncommon to see a loaded team draft a budding rookie, due to the structure of the collective bargain agreement and the lack of a salary cap. (The only reason the C's won 11 straight years) Although this team only played together collectively for one year, if all were in their prime; I'm not sure they would be beat.

These are just a small collection of great teammates, watch out for more to come..

'Peace
Agent34

LG Watch Phone!?!

So while surfing the net (yeah I do that) I stumbled onto a video of a revolutionary phone that is actually a watch. Yeah a watch..so apparently the new phone will hit stores sometime in 2009, but is without a carrier thus far. Here is a look at the phone from the showcase...



I'm not sure how this phone is going to work, it has to use bluetooth right? I mean walking around with your watch on your ear and mouth is not a trend that will catch fire in 09, so it has come with bluetooth only. Also, what about text messaging? This phone seems like it will be a hot commodity but nothing like the Iphone or G1 craze that we saw in 08. Below is another video of the new LG phone up close and personal, oh and I'm not going to lie I may have to scoop it up ASAP...come on I grew up on Dick Tracey and James Bond.



'Peace
Agent 34