RK LAST WK
1 (1) BULLS 34-9
After losing to the Orlando Magic, Derrick Rose was quoted saying that he is tired of the Dwight Howard trade chatters, especially when it pertains to the Bulls. Personally, I think the Bulls would be a lot better if they were to trade Noah and Boozer to the Magic for Dwight and Hedo. I guess Derrick Rose feels he can win a championship all by himself, or at least he feels the Bulls current roster is good enough to compete for a title and though he may be right, I think they are one player away from winning the title.
2 (2) HEAT 31-9
Entering the season, the Heat had two holes to fill, the point guard and the center position. With the emergence of Mario Chalmers and the surprising play of rookie Norris Cole, the Heat may have settled the point guard issue for now. Unfortunately the Heat are getting absolutely nothing from their centers, which is why I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a trade. The dream scenario though would be for the Hornets to buyout Kaman, because he will almost certainly sign with the Heat.
3 (3) THUNDER 32-9
There have been reports that if the Thunder are willing to trade Serge Ibaka and James Hardin, the Magic would be willing to give up Dwight Howard. However, if I were the Thunder management, I would try to sent Kendrick Perkins instead of Hardin. I think a Durant-Westbrook-Howard-Hardin foursome would be good enough to win the NBA championship this season. Convincing Dwight to stay past this season will be the challenge, but winning the championship, or at least making it to the NBA Finals, will be enough to convince him to re-sign with the Thunder.
4 (8) MAGIC 27-15
From the looks of things, It wouldn't surprise me if Howard was still with the Orlando Magic on March 16. The team really believe they can convince Howard to re-sign, which is why I expect Orlando to make a splash before the trade deadline, but I don't think it will involve Howard.
5 (5) SPURS 26-13
The Spurs are going to stay pat and make one last run with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. If the team does make a trade, it will be on a minimum scale. Duncan and Jefferson are the Spurs top two trade baits, but Jefferson simply doesn't have quite the value to bring back any major player and Duncan - in the expiring year of his contract - will not be traded. Before the season,Tony Parker was the most likely candidate to be traded, but he has been the team's MVP, so It would really shock me to see him traded.
6 (6) LAKERS 25-16
If I were the Los Angeles Lakers, I would offer Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum to the Magic for Dwight, but I will make sure Hedo is not included. Rather, I would ask for Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson. At the very least, I would want to get Nelson and Howard. There is no way this current Lakers team can win the championship, so this is the time to make a move.
7 (9) GRIZZLIES 24-16
Nuggets head coach Lionel Hollins is my leading candidate for the NBA's Coach of the Year Award. The Grizzlies are the fourth seed in the West, which is amazing considering Zack Randolph - the Grizzlies best player - has been out all year. The Griz are not going to make a trade, their improvement will have to be in the form Zack Randolph, who is expected to rejoin the team later this this week.
8 (12) 76ERS 25-17
The Sixers are sporting a 3-game winning streak, because Evan Turner finally emerged into the player that Sixers were hoping for when they drafted him with the second pick last season. During the the winning streak, Evans averaged 22ppg and a whopping 12rpg on a massive 60 percent shooting. I believe his great play open the door for the team to trade either Jrue Holiday and/or Lou Williams. If I were the Sixers, I would package both Williams and Holiday for a scoring big, a position they desperately need help with. These would be options not in any particular order. The Lakers Gasol, the Hawks Josh Smith, or the Bucks Andrew Bogut.
9 (10) HAWKS 24-17
The Hawks are believe to be offering Josh Smith and Al Harford to the Magic for Dwight Howard, who is from Atlanta. Unfortunately I don't think the core of Joe Johnson, Jeff Teagues and Marvin Williams would be enough to keep Dwight Howard past this season, but the trade does make the Hawks better, especially since Harford - the Hawks starting center - is out for the rest of the season. Now if I were the Hawks, I would try to package Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and a draft pick for Dwight. I think once Harford returns next season, he could play his rightful position, which is power forward making it a lot easier for Howard to re-sign. I believe a core of Horford-Johnson-Howard led by a point guard like Jeff Teagues, would be better than any team that Howard has ever played with.
10 (7) CLIPPERS 23-16
The Clippers really missed Chauncey Billups and since his injury they have been an average team, at best. Just for conversation sake, I wonder how the Clippers would look if they traded Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to the Magic for Howard and Ryan Anderson? The Clippers would have a core of CP3-Howard-Anderson-Butler and in my opinion, would overtake the Oklahoma City Thunder as the best team in the Western Conference. The Clippers problem right now is that both Griffin and Jordan do not have consistent jump-shots, which often times make the team very predictable on offense. Ryan Anderson outside shooting would allow Howard to dominate the paint and "lob city" between CP3 and Howard will truly be in full effect.
11 (13) NUGGETS 23-19
Nuggets head coach George Karl made a comment earlier this season and I gather from that the Nuggets will not make a move before the deadline, at least not a significant one. He said rather than have a "big 3," he would much rather have 10 players that were the top ten in the league at their respective position. His concept is that if you have a top ten starting-five and a top ten bench, you should be able to compete with teams that have the new infamous "big 3."
12 (4) PACERS 23-16
The Pacers lost their last 4 games, but those losses has to be blamed solely on the schedule. Imagine a week in which you have to go up against the Bulls in Chicago and then come back home and play the Hawks. But then go right back on the road to play the Heat and Magic, that was what the Pacers had to deal with last week. The good news is backup point guard George Hill status was recently upgraded to day-to-day. Also, from what I hear, they are still in the running for Chris Kaman.
13 (14) CELTICS 21-19
The Celtics could go in many directions, but if I were them, I would just stay pat. I would not trade Paul Pierce and I certainly wouldn't trade Rondo. Obviously K.G and Allen contracts are coming off the books after this season, so those should be the only players the Celtics should consider trading. K.G makes too much, but Allen $10 million salary makes him the most likely Celtics to be move. If I were the Celtics, I would be trying to package him for a few First Round Draft picks.
14 (16) ROCKETS 22-20
I expect the Rockets to be very active over the next several day, because they could be in danger of missing the playoffs if they don't make a move. Currently, they are the eighth seed in the West and are only one game ahead of the Timberwolves. I believe the Rockets will try to revisit their previous trade for Pau Gasol, if not, expect them to go after the Hornets Chris Kaman. Regardless of what happens, a trade is almost enevitable.
15 (11) MAVERICKS 23-20
The Mavs are currently on a 3-game skid and losers of 8 of their last 10 games. Unfortunately don't expect anything to get done before the deadline if you are a Mavericks fan, because Mark Cuban - the Mavs owner - is set on trying to go after Dwight Howard and Deron Williams this summer, when they become free agents. At times the Mavericks have looked like they are ready to defend their title, but recently they've been looking more like a team that's going to get bounced out of the First Round of the playoffs.
16 (16) TIMBERWOLVES 21-21
My heart goes out to the Timberwolves rookie sensation, point guard Ricky Rubio, who is out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. Rubio had turned the Timberwolves into must-watch T.V. and the Wolves were in perfect position to make the playoffs. Currently the team is 1-game out of the playoffs, but without Rubio, I simply don't see the Wolves making the playoffs this season.
17 (19) TRAIL BLAZERS 20-21
The Trail Blazers have two options. One would be to blowup the team and the other would be to fire head coach Nate McMillan. Personally, I don't think McMillan is the problem, I think the real problem is that half of the roster wants him out and the other half could care less either way. The only problem with trying to trade is that most of the Blazers players are considered cancerous with very low trade value, which is why I think McMillan may be the first to go.
18 (18) SUNS 19-21
The Suns are sporting a 3-game winning streak and it's looking less likely that Steve Nash is going to be traded. The Suns are only 2-games out of the playoffs and with Houston and the Blazers slipping in the standing, the Suns might just try to make a run at making the playoffs.
19 (21) WARRIORS 17-21
GSW are extremely busy and are doing everything to pull the rabbit out of the hat. The latest rumor has the Warriors sending Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Ekpe Udoh to the Magic for Dwight Howard. That would be the greatest heist since the Heat landed their "big 3" if the Warriiors can pull trade with those players. Imagine being able to get Howard without given up Monte Ellis or David Lee? Wow! The Warriors tandem of Ellis-Lee-Howard, would be the second best trio in the entire league and they will definitely make the playoffs this season.
20 (20) JAZZ 19-21
The Jazz are seriously shopping Devin Harris, but I doubt they will get fair value for him. I expect them to move him for future draft picks, because his trade value is very low right now. He could really help a contending team, but don't expect the Jazz to trade him to a contender, because good teams usually have terrible picks and the Jazz would be looking to get a lottery pick, or two for Harris.
21 (22) BUCKS 17-24
The Bucks are 3-2 over their last 5 games and Ersan Ilyasova has been the main reason for their recent success. His numbers have been off the charts, especially his shooting percentage. Over the last 5-games Ilyasova averaged 23.6ppg and 10rpg, while shooting 62-69.2-91.3 as in field-goal, 3-point and free-throw percentage. I expect a lotof teams to call the Bucks over the next few day to inquire about Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings.
22 (23) CAVALIERS 16-23
Five straight losses by the Knicks have allowed the Cavs to climb up in the standing and they are now only a game behind the Knicks for the eighth and final playoffs seed in the East. I still don't expect the Cavs to make the playoffs so making a trade is highly unlikely. The Cavs have made it known that they are not trading Varejao, but Jamison and his $15 million expiring contract may be available. Don't expect the Cavs to trade Jamison for players, because they've made it clear that they don't want to take on additional salaries, but if they could get a lottery pick or two, they would pull the trigger in a heartbeat!
23 (15) KNICKS 18-23
The hype surrounding Jeremy Lin is slowly dwindling and his 16.4 points on 15.2 shot attempts over the last 5-games has not been enough to get it done. Melo's 20.4ppg on .391 percent shooting hasn't helped the cause either. This is the same team that the Knicks Baron Davis predicted would win the championship this season. I would definitely be trying to trade for Dwight Howard if I were them. I think a Chandler-Stoudemire for Howard-Anderson trade, make the Knicks a championship contender this season.
24 (27) PISTONS 15-26
The Pistons are sporting a 3-game winning streak and it came against the Lakers, Hawks and the Toronto Raptors, which was very impressive. The Pistons are now only 3-games behind the Knicks for the final playoffs spot in the East. I don't see the Pistons making any significant trades before the deadline, but it wouldn't surprise me if Joe Dumars - the Pistons G.M. makes a move.
25 (26) NETS 14-28
Even though X-Rays came back negative, the Nets decided to rest Brook Lopez for 3-weeks. Lopez is listed day-to-day, so he's very capable of playing, but I think the Nets want to make sure Lopez is completely healthy in order to hopefully trade him for Dwight Howard. I believe if Howard gets traded, it would be to the Nets in a three or four team trade.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (24) KINGS 14-27
The Kings have a nice young core and now that the city of Sacramento finally approved the new arena, the Kings future sure looks bright. I expect this team to be a playoff team by the 2013-14 season.
27 (24) RAPTORS 13-28
The Raptors are going to stay pat, unless someone wows them with a trade that they simply can't pass up and that is just not going to happen. The Raptors are going trough the rebuilding process, so I don't foresee any major changes before the deadline.
28 (28) HORNETS 10-31
The Hornets are in the process of collecting drafts picks and not players, so I expect two things to happen within the next week. One, they might trade Kaman to the Timberwolves or a team that might yield them a lottery pick, or they might just buyout Kaman's contract and allow him to be a free agent. If I were a betting man, my money would be that Kaman gets traded by the deadline.
29 (29) WIZARDS 9-30
The Wizards are believe to be shopping JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche, but McGee is probably the only player that has any real trade value. If it does happen, the Sixers are Warriors would be in play for his services. Even if McGee doesn't get traded, I definitely expect the Wizards to be very active before the trade deadline.
30 (30) BOBCATS 5-34
I definitely expect the Bobcats to make a trade, but it won't be to improve the team this year, rather it would be to add more First Round draft picks. Jordan probably realizes that this season is pretty much over for the Bobcats, so there's absolutely no reason to try to improve the team this season. Boris Diaw and Tyrus Thomas are the two players most likely to get traded by the Bobcats.
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