Earlier this week, I had posted pictures and information from the first NBA game I ever attended: the Warriors @ Knicks, played at the World's Most Famous Arena, the Madison Square Garden. A week after that exciting night, I was back to some live NBA action in Washington DC on November 16th, where I got to see the Washington Wizards play the visiting Toronto Raptors.
It was a peculiar change of scene from the game at MSG. The crowds were scarce, and much quieter. The pizza was better, but nothing could match the hot-buttered MSG popcorn. And the game was pretty much over in the third quarter, so the crowd was kept enthused by T-shirt guns and hot-dog give-aways.
But I, for one, had special interest in this match-up: ever since the glory days of Vince Carter (now amongst Toronto's Public Enemies), I have been slightly partial to the Raptors, and was interested in seeing their young players such as Andrea Bargnani and Sonny Weems in action. Most importantly though, I was here for Gilbert Arenas - one of my favourite players in the league, who was attempting to make a comeback after some horrific decisions last season.
Arenas' backcourt partner-in-crime and Washington's current darling John Wall unfortunately missed that game, and it was a pity, since Wall has been the most explosive player in the league. The rookie easily the quickest player on the ball ever, drawing comparisons to a certain Allen Iverson, and he has been putting up some good performances as well.
But without Wall, it was Arenas' night. This game was his first start of the season. After the game, I wrote about his attempt at a comeback on my NBA-India article. Sure enough, Arenas has repaid my faith by significantly improving his output ever since.
Arenas took over in the third quarter in this game, and with the help of Andray Blatche and Nick Young, Wizards easily beat the visiting squad.
Anyways, here are some of the not-very-fantastic photographs I have from that night. And no, I'm not sorry for the Hibachi overdose.
Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to attend my first two NBA games at the Madison Square Garden (New York) and Verizon Center (Washington), watching the Knicks host the Warriors and the Wizards host the Raptors.
It was obviously a mind-BLASTING experience... The MSG, home of the Knicks in particular has been my dream. Watching my favourite Knicks squad was a pleasure to say the least - few things in the world can match the excitement of a Knick game, regardless of how well (or unwell) the home squad is performing. I wrong about this experience in my NBA-India article a few weeks ago. It was a close game which the Warriors won by 5 points. After the game, I was also invited to go to the locker rooms and speak to some of the Knick players. I interacted with Knick starters Landry Fields, Danilo Gallinari, and Raymond Felton.
Anyways, enough writing - A picture says a thousand words, so here are some that I clicked from the Knicks game. I will upload my write-up and photos from the Wizards' game another day
Madison Square Garden, pregame
David Lee returns to play the Knicks for the first time!
In less than 48 hours, the NBA is going to be officially injected with a boost of fresh blood - the NBA draft will be held at the Theatre in Madison Square Garden, New York, where NBA teams will pick amateur players from US college basketball and other eligible players, including international players. The Washington Wizards won the lottery, and thus the rights to make the draft's first pick.
With the help of many different sources, including Draftexpress, SLAMOnline, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, and other sources, I've been able to draw my own picture and predict how the players will be picked on the evening of June 24th / the morning of June 25th, if you happen to be watching from IST.
So, without further ado, here is Hoopistani's Mock Draft 2010 of the top 14 (lottery) picks:
1. Washington Wizards - John Wall: Wall was the favourite months before the lottery, during the lottery, after the lottery, today, and tomorrow. By far the most explosive player in this draft, Wall will immediately become one of the best young point guards in the league, adding competition to the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, etc. Move over Gilbert Arenas, it's gonna get Wall-E over in Washington!
2. Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner: There has been some talk of the 76ers potentially ignoring Turner and picking a big man like Derrick Favors, but they should play it safe and pick the former national player of the year. He's bound to become the best answer to their woes since The Answer himself.
3. New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors: This is a draft class heavy on talented big men, and I feel Favors is the best one of them all. He will make a dangerous tandem in New Jersey with Brook Lopez.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves - Wesley Johnson: Johnson's stock has increased a lot recently, and some even expecting him to go third. I feel the Timberwolves will be calling the services of this talented wingman.
5. Sacramento Kings - DeMarcus Cousins: Cousins' attitude may have caused a drop in stock for him, but I feel any team will be dumb to let him fall outside the top 5.
Quicker than you can say "Kwame Brown", the suffering Washington Wizards beat the odds and years of bad fortune to win the NBA Draft lottery last night and have the rights of the number one pick of the draft.
If you don't know: the NBA Draft is the time of the year when NBA franchises get a chance to pick new players for the their team. The 14 teams who do not make the playoffs are put into a draft lottery system, and the team with the worst regular season record has the best chance of getting the highest pick. The playoff teams get to pick their players based on reverse order of their regular season standings. Get it?
But of course, things don't always turn out well for the worst ones - just as the Nets. The worst teams only have a 25 percent chance of winning the first pick, and the Wizards, who had the fifth-worst record, struck lucky last night and won that honour.
Here is how the lottery ended up. The Draft Day this year is on June 24th:
1. Washington Wizards 2. Philadelphia 76ers 3. New Jersey Nets 4. Minnesota Timberwolves 5. Sacramento Kings 6. Golden State Warriors 7. Detroit Pistons 8. Los Angeles Clippers 9. Utah Jazz (from the Knicks) 10. Indiana Pacers 11. New Orleans Hornets 12. Memphis Grizzlies 13. Toronto Raptors 14. Houston Rockets
The Wizards have had a fairly unfortunate recent history, and especially a tragic last season. Not even Gandalf (the White, not the Grey), the greatest Wizard of them all, couldn't save them. Neither could Michael Jordan, who was probably greater. The last time the Wizards got a first pick was eight years ago, when then part-owner Jordan decided to pick a young Kwame Brown who turned out to be my favourite bust ever.
And then last season happened. Wizards entered the year with optimism, as they boasted a formidable Big 3 of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison. The season turned to turmoil after Arenas' injuries/gun case: Butler was traded to the Mavericks, Jamison became LeBron's newest sidekick as Cleveland, and Arenas was last seen serving his sentence at a halfway house. Hibachi!
But now, they have a chance at redemption. The biggest name in the draft this year is Kentucky point guard John Wall. Wall's explosive skill make him the favourite to be picked first.
The argument against Wall is that he plays essentially the same position as Arenas, and the predicted second pick, shooting guard Evan Turner from Ohio State might be a better fit to play along with Arenes in the Wizard backcourt. Turner was the 2010 College National Player of the Year.
But I am of the belief that teams should always pick based on talent, not position. Pick the best player available, and the rest will figure out for itself. In the case of the Wizards, they should definitely go for Wall, and then trade Arenas for a quality big man if possible. Let the 76ers deal with Turner at number two.
My favourite draft website is Draft Express, who keep detailed and meticulous tabs on draft prospects all year round and are about 467 thousand times better informed than I am in this particular topic. Here is their top-10 picks from the mock draft, as of today:
Wizards: John Wall, PG 76ers: Evan Turner, SG/SF Nets: Derrick Favors, PF/C Timberwolves: DeMarcus Cousins, C Kings: Al-Farouq Aminu, SF/PF Warriors: Wesley Johnson, SF/PF Pistons: Cole Aldrich, C Clippers: Ekpe Udoh, PF/C Jazz: Greg Monroe, PF/C Pacers: Ed Davis, PF
I agree with their top four picks, but I would probably put Greg Monroe a little higher. June 24th is the big day when the picks, and more sensationally, the trades, could change the landscape of the league. And as the crazy free agent rush of the Summer of 2010 looms, this Draft Day could turn out to be more important than ever. I will have a more in-depth preview of the draft as the day approaches, adding my predictions for the picks.
It's 2007, and I'm playing ball at the Royal Park court in Leeds. We haven't yet started a game - my friend Zyman and I are just shooting around at one of the four baskets on the outdoor court. Before taking every wild, ill-advised three-pointer, we shout out odes to our favourite basketball players, perhaps for inspiration, but mostly because its goddamn funny.
"Kobe!" says Zyman.
"Hibachi!" I shout. After nine bricks I finally score a swish. Gilbert Arenas is watching.
It's 2008. Arenas has played only eight games the whole season due to a knee injury. The Wizards play the Cavs in the playoffs, but with his skills limited, Arenas is barely able to make a difference and save his team from making a first round exit.
It's the year 2004-2007, and the world is at the height of ArenaMania. Playing in his best years with the Washington Wizards, Arenas was an All Star in all three seasons. He led the Wizards to the playoffs in 2005, 2006, and 2008, and at one point, had the team looking like amongst the best in the East. He averaged 25.5 ppg in 2004-05, 29.3 in 2006-06, and 28.4 in 2006-07. He scored a franchise record 60 points (with 8 assists and 8 rebounds) against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in an overtime victory at the Staples Centre, including an NBA record 16 points in overtime. He was so ruthless in those years, that especially after that one game, Kobe friggin Mamba Bryant called him "cold-blooded".
It's now 2009 - The season that he signed a six-year $111 million contract with the Wizards - Arenas missed almost the entire season due to his injuries, and only played two games in the end.
Back to 06-07: Arenas, also known as 'Agent 0', has made 11 of the first 13 buzzer beaters he took in the 2006-07 season, the most amazing of which were game-winners against the Bucks and the Jazz in the space of two weeks. In both situations, Arenas had the ball in the final seconds with the score tied, and in both situations, he decided to shoot a long three. And in both situations, he celebrated the basket even before it went in. Now that's gangsta.
I can never get tired of watching this...
December 24th, 2009: It's two and a half years later, and it is revealed that Arenas had stored unloaded firearms in his locker at the Verizon Centre (the Wizards home-court). In doing so, he not only violated NBA rules against bringing firearms into an arena, but also violated D.C. ordinances as well.
Almost exactly two years prior to that incident, Arenas is voted the best celebrity blogger by the 2007 Weblog Awards. He becomes the world's first blog superstar, and his hilarious and honest writings about life as an NBA superstar make him the most loved and approachable player in the league. He was the player's player, a fan of the game just like every fan that followed him.
Eight days after the story about Arenas having firearms in his locker, it is revealed on January 1, 2010, Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittenton had unloaded guns in the Wizards' locker room during a Christmas Eve argument regarding gambling debts. The D.C. Metropolitan Police and the U.S. Attorney's office began investigating, and on January 14, 2010, Arenas was charged with carrying a pistol without a license, a violation of Washington D.C.'s gun-control laws.
While the investigation is in process, Arenas continues to take matters lightly, and being famously photographed making finger-gun signs during Wizards pre-game warm-up.
Four years before this incident, while having a career-best season, Arenas begins to shout-out "Hibachi" every time he takes a jump shot. A "hibachi", according to Wikipedia, literally means "fire bowl", and its a traditional Japanese heating device. "In English, however, "hibachi" often refers to small cooking grills typically made of aluminium or cast iron, with the latter generally being of higher quality. Owing to their small size, hibachi grills are popular as a form of portable barbecue." The 6 foot Arenas was a little fire-bowl, ready to burn up anything that came in his way.
I'm jumping to the present now. David Stern, commissioner of the NBA, learns about "Hibachi's" shenanigans and decides to suspend him for the rest of the NBA season. He becomes set to miss 60 games in 2009-2010. The real kicker was this quote added by the commish: "Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game."
Ouch!
In February 2007, Gilbert's fans vote him in as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the 2007 All-Star Game, thus solidifying his position as one of the most popular players in the game. In July 2008, Gilbert Arenas makes his way to the Philippines, where he was damn near worshipped by the basketball-crazy fans.
Pulling a gun on Crittenton wasn't the first time that Arenas played a tasteless prank on a teammate. Go back in time a to 2005 and here comes the funniest and most shocking of recent locker room stories: Arenas actually took a shit in teammate Andray Blatche's shoes - and he got away with it!
March 26, 2010, four days ago, Arenas was convicted of his crimes. He was sentenced to 30 days in a halfway house and two years probation.
Now, let me take you waaay back. It is 2001, the night of the NBA draft, and the talented Mr. Arenas doesn't get picked by any team in the first round. Finally, with the 31st pick, the Golden State Warriors drafted him. With a vendetta against every other team that had overlooked him, Arenas went on a destructive streak, and by the time his second season in the NBA ended, he was named the league's Most Improved Player.
In 2006, now as part of the Wizards, he wasn't picked for the USA team for the FIBA World Championships, his talents and injuries cited as reasons for him to not fit into the team model. He followed the snub with a vengeance, destroying everyone else that came in his way again for the next season.
And in 2009, after only playing 15 regular season games in the last two years, and after being written off by everyone related to the game, Agent 0 started the first two months of the new season with notable performances such as a triple double against the Pacers and 45 points in a win against his former team, the Warriors.
I'm back in 2007 now. Back at the Royal Park Court. Back shooting three-pointers with a "Hibachi" shoutout, and back turning my back to celebrate the baskets even before they go in. My inspiration is Arenas, one of my favourite players, and certainly one of the most perplexing individuals in basketball. It's difficult to like him after all the foolishness and the mistakes, and it's difficult to hate someone like him with such an explosive talent and fan-friendly personality. Maybe that's the reason why he's one of my top five nominees of current NBA players that I would like to see visit India.
He's suffered through a career of downs and each time, has answered them with succesful comebacks. It is long known that Arenas performs best when he plays with a vendetta. In about seven months, at the start of the 2010-11 season, he may have a chance to prove that again. Agent 0 is officially dead - Arenas has joined LeBron to be a #6 next season, but here's hoping that the on-court drive, the swagger, the cold-bloodedness remains the same.
Here's hoping that the Hibachi will be back on fire.
For some fans, the Trade Deadline the most exciting time of the NBA calender - more than the NBA draft, the All Star Game, even the Finals. The deadline passed yesterday (afternoon or late night, depending on your time zone), sending many old faces to new places. Here is my (not so humble) analysis of all the teams involved in deals leading up to the deadline...
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs were easily winners this past week, roping in Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and Deshawn "Souljah Boi" Stevenson to Dallas in exchange for injury-hampered Josh Howard (and his stash of herbs), Drew Gooden, James Singleton, and Quinton Ross. I'm a huge Butler fan and believe that he is one of the most underrated players in the league, capable of producing big on both sides of the floor. Playing in Washingon, several times in the shadow of both Hibachi and Jamison, often masked his true talents. A Dallas lineup of Kidd, Butler, Marion, Dirk, Dampier, with Terry, Haywood, Stevenson, and Najera off the bench makes them up to par with the Nuggets as the second best team in the West.
Washington Wizards
You've got to feel sorry for the Bullets, oh I mean, the Wizards. After losing their most talented and most retarded player Gilbert "Hibachi/Bang-Bang" Arenas to a season long suspension, they are in full rebuilding mode. They gave away their two remaining best players in Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison (to the Cavs), and are left with a core of Randy Foye, Zydrunas "Big Z" Ilgauskas, Mike Miller, Josh Howard, Fabricio Oberto, and the great upside of Al Thorton (from the Clippers). Don't expect the team to win many more games for the rest of the season, although the development of Foye and Thorton should be interesting. Hibachi isn't lasting past the offseason, either. Along with Howard, the Wiz also received Gooden, Ross, and Singleton from the Mavericks, although Gooden was later sent to the Clippers. Wizards also got a protected second round pick from the Kings in exchange for Dominic McGuire.
Los Angeles Clippers
The ill-fated, bullied younger brother of the Lakers haven't done much to improve their reputation as what Sports Illustrated magazine called "Worst Franchise in Sports History" ten years ago. Call it luck or call it bad management, the Clippers can't stop sucking. In the last few years alone, they get Baron Davis but lost Elton Brand. They choose gifted Blake Griffin with the first pick in the draft, but lose him to season ending injuries.
This week, the Clippers received Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, and cash from the Blazers, in exchange for their best defender Marcus Camby. They also waived Ricky Davis (he's still alive and jacking), and were involved in a three-way trade that sent away Al Thorton (Wizards) and Sebastian Telfair (Cavs) and received Drew Gooden. Now, I know Blake is a great backup for B-Diddy, and Outlaw is an improving player, but the Clippers keep on their lifelong plan of HEADING NOWWHERE. Like 45 other NBA teams, they are also clearing cap space for LeBron, Wade, Bosh, etc. Not gonna happen - not in Clipperland. Cross your fingers that Griffin isn't the next Olawakandi.
Portland Trailblazers
I like what the Blazers are up to. They have a great young core in Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldrige, Jerryd Bayless, Rudy Fernandez, and the injured (but potentially brilliant) Greg Oden. With vets Andre Miller and Juwan Howard, they are heading towards a good playoff run. The Blazers brought in Marcus Camby from the Clips in exchange for Outlaw and Blake - a good trade, given Camby's leadership and defensive qualities - although an injury prone team bringing in an injury prone player is usually a recipe for disaster. I have high hopes for this team, though...
Minnesota Timberwolves
Another sob story - the T-Wolves have been in rebuilding mode ever since that historic Garnett trade more than two years ago. Their only involvement in the trade deadline was sending Brian Cardinal (soon to be waived) to the Knicks for the 2nd pick of the illustious 2003 Draft Class. That pick happens to be Darko Milicic, one of the biggest busts in NBA history, and who will definately not last past this season. I don't know why I even wrote a paragraph on this news.
New York Knicks
I have never pretended to disguise my Knick bias on this blog. Ignoring scoffs and mocks, I've stuck with what SLAM Online have called the Decade's worst NBA team. Just as predicted, the Knicks made headlines on the deadline's 11th hour by picking up none other than Tracy McGrady. T-MAC is a Knick. Oh boy... But this is a good trade, I swear it. Knicks got to keep their best 6th man in Al Harrington, and only lost the rarely used rookie Jordan Hill, and the contractual headaches of overdramatic (and mostly useless) Larry Hughes and of the somewhat-defensive-specialist Jared Jefferies. Hill and Jefferies ended up with the Rockets and Hughes will be in Sacramento. Recovering from his injuries, McGrady has only featured in six games for the Rockets, averaging 3.2 ppg and even 1 assist per game. To new NBA fans, those numbers are laughable, but McGrady has the potential to be a much-more useful player, maybe not on the same All-NBA level as he was six or seven years ago, but still useful. Speaking of All-NBA level, here is a blast from the past. Watch as McGrady completes the most amazing half a minute in NBA history.
Knicks also received Sergio Rodriguez in this trade from the Kings, and considering that the team has had to live with retard Chris Duhon at the point, I'm actually excited about Rodriguez taking the starting spot. The Knicks will now have cleared enough cap space to sign two superstars on huge contracts this offseason. I know LeBron isn't leaving his winning ways, but the possibility of Wade, Bosh, Amar"""e, or even Joe Johnson coming to New York now look excellent. In other news, Knicks gave an inconsistent-point-guard-by-trade-but-not-talent Nate Robinson in return for an inconsitent-point-guard-by-trade-but-not-talent Eddie House from the Celtics. Knicks also received JR Giddens and Bill Walker (who has some upside) and lost Marcus Landry. Three-time slam dunk champion Nate's personality, courage, and scoring spurts will be missed in New York, and the only positive I can think here is that House's exceptional shooting skills and quick play will fit D'Antoni's system. Darko's gone to Minnesota, and Knicks lose nothing more than their possible Serbian fanbase. They get Brian Cardinal in return, but he won't last long.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Ah... the rich get richer! Cavs, who already hold the NBA's best record and were on a 13 game winning streak (until losing to the Nuggets earlier today), bolster their frontcourt by aquiring solid big man Antawn Jamison from the Wizards in exchange for Big Z. The Cavs spent a long time flirting with the Suns for Amar"""e, but finally decided to 'settle' for Jamison. Settle? I honestly believe that this was the best move for them. Instead of a system-changing, primadonna player like Amar"""e, they get the services of Jamison who can fit into an already established system without spoiling team chemistry. After the Lakers, I believe that this move makes the Cavs the definate second best team in the league. LeBron, Jamison, Shaq, Mo Williams, JJ Hickson, Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao, and a deep, deep bench have the Cavs looking scary.
The trade deadline also marks the reunion of LeBron and Sebastian Telfair (since their 2002 High-School SLAM cover), who came to the Cavs from the Clippers. The two have since gone opposite directions in their careers, but Bassy will make a good backup.
Milwaukee Bucks
Bucks traded Joe Alexander and Hakim Warrick to the Bulls for streaky scorer John Salmons and future picks. They also gave up Primoz Brezek, Royal Ivey, and a pick to the 76ers in return for Francisco Elson and Jodie Meeks. I have nothing else to say.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are another team in the sweepstakes 2010 free agent bonanza, hoping to provide help for the very talented Derrick Rose. Their 'big' trade was giving up unsettled Tyrus Thomas to the Bobcats in return for Flip Murray, Acie Law, and a first round draft pick. Bulls wanted T-Mac too, but the deal didn't work out. They aquired Joe Alexander and Hakim Warrick from the Bucks in exchange for John Salmons.
Philadephia 76ers
Sixers get Franciso Elson and Jodie Meeks from the Bucks in exchange for Primoz Brezek, Royal Ivey, and a pick. Whatever.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies only lost a future first round pick to get defensive specialist Ronnie Brewer from the Jazz. Brewer is a great player who will complement a talented but offensive-minded roster of OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, etc. This is a team with great upside - good trade for the Grizz.
Utah Jazz
The excuse for the Jazz to give up Brewer to the Grizzlies is that his position is already filled with players such as Korver, CJ Miles, and Wesley Matthews. But I think they traded away the wrong player. I've watched Brewer play and he's one of the best/under-appreciated perimeter defenders in the league, who could've made a big difference in any long playoff series.
Charlotte Bobcats
I think Bobcats made a good move in strenghtening their frontcourt with Tyrus Thomas from the Bulls, in exchange for Flip Murray, Acie Law and future first-round draft pick. They also got the still alive Theo Ratliff from the Spurs for a second-round draft pick, who is slow but will fit well in Larry Brown's system at Charlotte.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs gave up Theo Ratliff for a second round draft pick from Charlotte. With Ratliff gone, rookie DeJuan Blair should see more playing time in San Antonio.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings were busy on deadline day, being part of the big move of sending T-Mac to the Knicks (from Houstan) and sending Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong to the Rockets and Sergio Rodriguez to the Knicks. Kings got improving big man Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from the Rockets and the contract of Larry Hughes from the Knicks. Not much to say for the Kings here. Martin, a near all-star in the past, has been recovering from injuries, and by the time he did return, he never quite fit in with the team that is now based around Rookie of the Year favourite Tyreke Evans. He's a great player, but for financial reasons, I see why they had to let him go. Talent-wise, they got the short end of the stick though.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets made amongst the best moves the past week. The Rockets gave up Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, and McGrady to receive Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong from Kings and Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries from Knicks. The main story here is the loss of T-Mac and the gain of K-Mart, aka Kevin Martin. The Rockets have already over-achieved this season (28-25 record, 9th in the West) with a no-star blue-collar team like the '04 Pistons. K-Mart will be their biggest 'star', but his humble personality and hard working reputation should fit in well with the Rockets' winning team chemistry. His talents will surely help propel them to a place in the playoffs. In return, they lost the valuable contract (and useless production) of McGrady. Great move. I wanna reiterate how much I love the Rockets soster and philosophy. In an interview given to SLAMOnline recently, Rockets owner Daryl Morey joked that their whole team should be given a SLAM cover. Although said in jest, it's a valid request. The team comprising of otherwise "average" players like Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Trevor Ariza, David Anderson, Chase Budinger, Kyle Lowry, and now Kevin Martin, Hilton Armstrong, Jordan Hill, and Jared Jefferies will only add to their winning ways. Much credit goes to coach Rick Adelman too for making this team work without the services of Yao Ming and T-Mac (mostly) all season.
Boston Celtics
A late, late trade for Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry from New York in exchange for Eddie House, JR Giddens, and Bill Walker. "KryptoNate" will provide the offensive energy off the bench that Boston has been severly lacking, but I don't think he's the ideal fit to the puzzle for a team that is one of the top five in the league contending for a title. He can dunk, though, if given enough chances.
Knicks have shown faint interest in the Rockets' Tracy McGrady aka T-Mac aka China All-Star #1 for a while, but now, the interest is actually converting into actual trade scenarios. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Knicks could lose Al Harrington as part of a three team trade that would send McGrady to New York:
The centerpieces of the trade would include the Washington Wizards shipping forward Caron Butler(notes) and center Brendan Haywood(notes) to the Rockets. The Knicks would send Al Harrington(notes) to the Wizards. For the Wizards’ part, they would still need another player, as well as a draft pick and cash to make this a workable scenario, sources said.
The Rockets have been peddling McGrady’s expiring contract of $23 million since exiling him in late December.
McGrady has played a shade below 35 minutes the entire season! He's featured in six games for the Rockets, he has averaged a scintillating 3.2 ppg and even 1 assist per game. So obviously, the Knicks would want to trade away one of their leading scorers in Harrington to obtain him.
Sounds like an awful deal right? Actually, I don't think so. Although he has been effective, Harrington is dispensable. His stats can be fairly easily replaced by giving more minutes to any of the other jackers rusting away on the Knick bench. McGrady is a shade of the superstar he was earlier in the decade, when along with Vince Carter, Kobe, and Iverson, he was probably the deadliest perimeter threat in the league. But I still feel that if he figures things out, gets back some swag, he can be of some use. Otherwise, there is always an expiring 23 million dollars at the end of the season that never hurt anybody.
I feel that the Rockets will be the obvious winners in this trade. Butler is one of the most hardest working and underrated players in the league, and will take this overachieving team to greater heights. The glow of Yao-love from China would also make him a starter in the 2011 all star game.
More news for NBA and basketball fans in India... I guess the NBA wasn't satisfied with just sending Deke here: Late last night, the NBA launched NBA.com/India, a website catered towards the Indian audience. According to an article released on The Times of India website last night, the website "... will offer a comprehensive fan experience including live games, video highlights, select Hindi content, player blogs and original columns from two India-based NBA journalists". So, what does this mean? Initially, a bit of hoopla, some excitement, etc. But all that real NBA fans are really interested in are more live games broadcasted here. Two a week doesn't even start to whet our appetites... I like to compare the "coming of the NBA" to the outrageously over-the-top coming of the English Premier League (EPL - football to the uninitiated, soccer to the American) to India: not only do ESPN/STAR Sports show five or six EPL games a week, they also have several talk shows, magazine shows, and highlight shows talking about the EPL matches in great depth. These shows are regularly directed at the Asian/Indian audience which make them even more fun to watch for the football fan here. The EPL was always on its way here - teams are Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea easily have large audiences in India, and players like the (now departed) Christiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas, etc, etc, etc, give our audiences icons to look up to. But its not like the NBA has a lack of potential icons - as a matter of fact, it is literally TEEMING with it. You could play like LeBron or Kobe, like Wade or Dwight, or Chris Paul or Kevin Garnett or Duncan if you're old school. There are flashy dunks, no-look passes, game winners, and if you're yet older school, there's Iverson or Shaq (I cringe and feel pre-historic as I say that: Shaq and AI are OLD SCHOOL?) NBA.com/India opens with a welcome message from our friendly neighbourhood NBA commissioner David Stern telling India fans how awesome the website is/how awesome us Indian fans are. Great. We are told about all the coolness the website will pack, but what really interests me are the Live Online Game Webcasts every Thursday, starting with Wizards @ Kings day after tommorow. At this point, I mentally shouted out a little "Hibachi" to myself. Here is Mr. Stern's welcoming welcome:
Another feature will be the Point-Counterpoint Blog, kept by two of my favourite NBA PG's, Steve 'Stee' Nash and Baron 'I'll forever make Andrei Kirilenko's descendents shiver' Davis. I know, information overload, isn't it? The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) had this to say (source: Techwhack): “There is a great appetite for basketball across India and the sites will offer Indian fans the opportunity to learn more about the NBA and basketball in India. Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in India.” That it is, and in typical NBA.com style, we can expect a lot of fluffy, everything-about-the-NBA-is-awesome reporting from the India site, but hey, it's a start. The NBA has appointed two featured India bloggers: Experienced DNA sports journalist Ayam Memon and Hindustan Times correspondent Sahil Sharma. Here's to hoping that their efforts help the game blossom here. Additionally, the NBA has also launched a mobile site for India: m.nba.com/india which will also have news, scores, standings, etc...
What do you feel about the NBA India? Share your thoughts here...
