NBA Possible Trades

If the NBA ever gets underway this year, it will be an interesting and flustering season of trades, with another huge offseason of free agency about to hit 2012. 3 trades to keep an eye on developing this season.

Dwight Howard to the Bulls- Howard will be rumored to tons of teams this year, a la Carmelo last year. Howard and Rose would be a viscous alley hoop threat and be the key addition to help get past the Heat in the East. Asik, Gibson, Korver/ Brewer and picks would all be involved. Salary will be very hard for these two teams to make a deal, so definitely look for another team to get involved.

Rumors still are swirling about the Hawks trying to dump Josh Smith. Orlando may try to land him in an attempt to try and build around Howard or the Lakers may make a play in order to gain some young athletic ability to gear up for a championship run.

The Spurs desperately need to get younger and trading a corner stone like Tony Parker is something that may be happening soon. Trading Parker and either Richard Jefferson or Manu will leave the Spurs with enough cap room to pursue Chris Paul, someone who can really help Duncan out in the end of his career.

NBA Draft Day

Lots of activity and rumors are swirling around on D-day. Couple of thoughts:

• With the looming CBA lockout approaching, look for more European and International players to be picked so teams can keep cap space and store them in Europe for a couple of years.
• Trades: I think there will be one major deal that's get done, and i think it will probably include the Suns, Lakers, or the Spurs. The Lakers and Spurs are desperately trying to get a little younger and althetic on the wings. The Suns have tons of value in Arizona product D Williams, but the twolves taking on Nash seems unlikely. Gasol should be staying put also, but Odom should be a little worried.
• Barring a trade, the fun starts after the 2nd pick. The Jazz might trade out, or take Kanter or Knight.
• Players that are rising quick, Klay Thompson and Chris Singleton, who teams might trade up to get.
• AHHH Jimmer! I think a team will get tempted and take him in the lottery. I've also heard the Knicks might try to trade up and get him.
• Kenneth Faried, Kemba Walker, and Kawhi Leonard. Solid players that aren't generating alot of buzz. The latter two are top 10 picks.
• Here's some players that could go from early teens all the way to the mid 20's: Jimmer, Burks, Morris twins, Jordan Hamilton and Jonas Valanciunas. Jonas is projected top 5, but his contract in Europe may have teams take a pass on him.
• Finally, every pick except 1 has been rumored to have trade implications, so look for lots of chatter with each pick. 7-11 should be a really coveted spots as teams will try to add a Klay Thompson or Jimmer or an international big.

NBA Mock Draft 2.0

The order has been determined, and Cleveland comes out a big winner, getting the 1st and 4th picks. The number 1 selection seems certain, but it might get crazy for the rest of the lottery leading up to the June 23rd draft. Top 12 picks coming at you:

1 Cleveland- Kyrie Irving

2 Minnesota- Enes Kanter

3. Utah- Brandon Knight

4. Cleveland- Derrick Williams

5. Toronto- Jonas Valaciunas

6. Wizards- Chris Singleton

7. Sacramento- Kemba Walker

8. Detroit- Tristan Thompson

9. Charlotte- Marcus Morris

10. Milwaukee- Jimmer Fredette

11 Golden State- Kenneth Faired

12 Utah-Bismack Biyombo

Staying or Going?

With the NCAA tourney coming to a close, the NBA draft now comes into the picture. Underclassmen now make the decision whether to throw their name into the draft or stay in college for at least one more year.

Sullinger-He already said that he will be back for one more year, but will the lure of all those zeros make him back out of his comments? I think he sticks by his comments, and even with the loss of Deibler and Lighty, another top 10 recruiting class comes in to make OSU the early favorite in the Big 10

Barnes- He said before the start of this year he would likely stay 3 years, but his stock in the second half of the season has jumped higher than Rebecca Black and Mac Miller's popularity combined. If he comes out he's a lock for top 5.

Knight and Jones- The scary and ironic thing about this is Calipari will probably encourage them to go this year, just to make room for the #1 recruiting class in the nation. Now that they've reached the Final Four, Knight and Jones are lottery bound.

Mock NBA Draft

Heres a very early look to the top 15 picks in June:

1.Cavs- Kyrie Irving-Duke

2.Twolves- Harrison Barnes-UNC

3. Wizards- Derrick Willaims- Zona

4. Kings- Perry Jones-Baylor

5 Raptors- Terence Jones- Kentucky

6 Jazz- Enes Kanter-

7 Pistons- Jared Sullinger-OSU

8 Cavs- Jonas Valanciunas

9 Bucks- Jordan Hamilton-TEXAS

10 Bobcats- Kemba Walker-UCONN

11 Warriors-Kawhi Leonard-SDST

12 Rockets- John Henson-UNC

13 Jazz- Jimmer Fredette-BYU

14 Suns-Kenneth Faried-Moorehead St

Slam Dunk Contest

Here are 4 possible candidates for this year's dunk contest and highlights.

1. Derrick Rose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D9fNb8blGo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peMAk1NWZPc

2. DeMar DeRozan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNL_sWSmB4o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPZjOyHgrSA&feature=related

3. Blake Griffin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aspCHyeOLPQ

4. Russell Westbrook

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjaAMqiMEeU

comment on some players you would like to see in it.

2011 NBA Draft

Even with chilly December just beginning, it's never too early to check out some players who might be in the June draft.

1. Jared Sullinger-Ohio St.-PF- This super frosh has Buckeye fans thinking he could be the next Greg Oden or better. He resembles almost like a Kevin Love, but its doubtful that he is one and done this year.
2. Kyrie Irving-Duke-PG- Irving has taken the country by storm, and it is quite possible he bolts for the Association. Since the NBA is a point guard league, he would be projected to be a top 5 pick right now, if not better.
3. Perry Jones-Baylor-PF- A huge kid with crazy hops, Jones has the chance to go top 3. He reminds me of Tyrus Thomas, which may not be the comparison he wants.
4. Kemba Walker-UConn-PG- The junior really lit it up in Maui, and he also helped his stock. Walker is the highest rated upperclassmen in this draft.
5. Enes Kanter-C- Formerly Kentucky- Kanter was ruled ineligible by the NCAA in the fall. That won't stop Kanter from going high in the draft. Think Demarcus Cousins with a mid range jumper.
6. Terrence Jones-PF-Kentucky- Jones has really stepped in with the absence of Kanter, and he has also really improved his stock. He could be top ten or early Lottery.
7. Harrisn Barnes-SF-UNC- Barnes's stock has plummeted from the beginning of the season. But with an NBA built body and still plenty of season to go, he is projected top 5.
8. Chris Singleton-PF-FSU- The Seminole blocked shots like crazy against Ohio St with NBA scouts in the stands. He has been compared to Al Harrington.

NBA Season Preview

Here are 3 headlines to follow this year, plus award predictions and playoff picks.

Headlines:

1. Can Miami share the ball?- Chemistry is the only thing keeping this team from the finals, as The Big Three need to learn to share the ball and trust each other in order for them to reach their goal.

2. Can anyone play with the Lakers in the West?- The Mavs, Rockets, Thunder, and Jazz have the best shot to challenge Kobe + company, but still look for them to reach their third consecutive finals.

3. How will the big free agents fair this season?- Besides Bosh and Lebron, Boozer and Stoudemire try to help their new teams go far in the playoffs, while Joe Johnson, Dirk Nowitzki, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce try to keep their teams' wining ways intact.

Coach of year- Scott Skiles-Bucks

Rookie of year-John Wall-Wizards

Most Improved-Eric Gordon-Clippers

6th Man-Jamal Crawford-Hawks

Defensive player-Dwight Howard-Magic

MVP-Kevin Durant-Thunder

East conference Finals- Celtics vs Heat

West- Jazz vs Lakers

Finals- Celtics vs Lakers

Champs-Celtics in 7

Team USA

There are 22 players in USA summer camp competing for 12 roster spots for the FIBA World Championships in Turkey this September. Here are my 12 players to make the team:

Guard-

Rondo

Rose

Billups

Evans

Westbrook

Foward-

Durant

Odom

Wallace

Gay

Bigs-

Love

Lopez

McGee

CP3 Trade

Chris Paul has requested a meeting with the Hornets, which is when he will probably request a trade. Here are 4 trade possibilities:

NY gets: Chris Paul

NO gets: Wilson Chandler, Anthony Randolph, 2011 draft pick

Por gets: Chris Paul, James Posey

NO gets: Dante Cunningham, Jered Bayless, Joel Przybilla, and Rudy Fernandez

ORL gets: Paul, Posey

NO gets: Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson

Mavs get:Posey, Paul

NO gets: Caron Butler, J.J. Barea, and Alexis Ajinca

I think he spends the 2010-2011 with the Hornets, but next off season will be wild.

Bulls Future

Even though the Bulls struck out this year for the big free agents, they still moved in the right direction. They added a very solid post player in Boozer, who will go along well with Joakim Noah and help develop Taj Gibson. They went out and added shooters,( Korver, Redick) which they desperately needed. They should try to bring back Brad Miller for some veteran leadership and try add 1 more guard(Nate Robinson or Shannon Brown would be a good fit)

Moving forward, they have positioned themselves to be players once again in the 2011 free agency pool. They will have to sign Noah to an extension,( and possible Rose) but still should be able to offer a max contract. Carmelo Anthony has a good shot to be out on the market and he would be the perfect fit for the Bulls. If that doesn't work out, Rashard Lewis could be available from Orlando, but it would likely cost the Bulls at least Taj Gibson and a draft pick. The Bulls still have one more summer to get it right.

Free Agency

Now that the Free Agency frenzy is pretty much over, lets go over some of the highlights.

• Obviously, the big winner was the Miami Heat. Adding 3 major superstars to your team makes you an instant Championship contender. People should stop talking about of how it won't work, like who should take the last shot or run the team. All 3 are professionals and will do what it takes to win. Give the last shot to the hottest hand during that game and/or whoever has the mismatch. Give the Heat another solid guard( have been linked to Mike Miller and Derek Fisher) and some big bodies to defend the paint, and a championship can be within reach in Year One.
• The Bulls did not come out with any of the top free agents, but i do feel they improved immensely. Boozer will be solid next to Noah, and they added shooters to go along with Rose at the point. What I also like is that they still have enough money left over to offer a max contract to someone next year. Do I smell Carmelo here?
• My winners of free agency besides the Heat are the Knicks and Suns. The Knicks grabbed a superstar in Amare and got a solid player in Raymond Felton at point. Plus, look for them to be aggressive next year during free agency. I felt the Suns replaced Stodemire fine by reataining Channing Frye and signing Hakim Warrick form the Bulls. Look for them to compete again in the West.