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The Cleveland Cavaliers, reportedly, would trade center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and power forward J.J. Hickson to the Phoenix Suns for all-star power forward Amare Stoudemire, but other teams might be involved in the drama. But reports that the five-time All-Star Stoudemire could be headed to Cleveland have led other clubs to spice up their offers to Phoenix, according to sources. The Suns are mulling over whether the financial relief provided by Ilgauskas' contract (they'll likely waive Ilgauskas after the trade) and the young and talented Hickson are enough for them to part with an impact player like Stoudemire. And the Cavaliers have to be fairly certain that Stoudemire would be willing to re-sign with them before giving up the fast-improving Hickson. However, according to sources, Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala, appears to be the Suns' top choice. While Stoudemire has good relationships with LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal, some close to Stoudemire believe Miami is his first choice. The Heat have pursued Stoudemire hard but has no one on its roster (besides Dwyane Wade) that interests Phoenix. That includes Michael Beasley. So it would take a three-team deal for Stoudemire to be traded to the Heat.
Well looking at this field I did have Curry and Billups in the finals but Pierce? He embarrassed himself last time. But Paul Pierce last night became the first Celtic to win the 3-point Shootout since Larry Bird took the first two titles in 1986 and ’87. Pierce (20 points) outshot Stephen Curry (17) and Chauncey Billups (14). Pierce wanted to make up for a poor performance in the 3-point competition in 2002, when he scored only 8 points. Pierce used gamesmanship to disrupt the rhythm of his opponents. Pierce knocked a ball off the rack and pulled the velcro on one of Curry’s shoes when Curry had a chance to surpass Pierce in the final round. I was not impressed just upset when he claims to be one of the best shooters in Celtic history. But I guess you win 1 ring you can say that....
Nate Robinson is the NBA's first three-time slam dunk champion, and that's enough for him. Robinson barely won another title, garnering 51 percent of the fan vote to hold off Toronto rookie DeMar DeRozan. This was not the dunk contest I was looking forward to with all four contestants. Charlotte's Gerald Wallace and Shannon Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated after the first round. They should have been eliminated from even participating. Gerald Wallace does that weak dunk for his first attempt and Shannon Brown (who hops are CrAzY) does nothing spectacular. I did not expect this to be a joke. Creativity for these guys were just not there. You would think people would give them ideas to do. Then again the rule of not using props hinder them too. All the Lakers made sure we knew that Shannon was going to bring it. Wallace should not even got the 70sumthing that he received. Reggie Miller stated best that maybe there should be a website “DontLetShannonDunk.com”. If this contest did not include either Shannon or Wallace, we may not be talking today about how it was the worst dunk contest of all time. I could not agree anymore. But congrats to Nate.
The Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks have now completed a swap of Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden and two other players. The trade dramatically changes the look of the Wizards. Haywood was the longest-tenured Wizard and final link to the Michael Jordan era and Stevenson was a starter on two playoff teams. But a person with knowledge of team's thinking said there could be more changes on the way before the trade deadline. The move impressed Kobe Bryant enough to declare the Mavs legitimate competition for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavs probably could have sent Howard to Golden State for Stephen Jackson earlier this season. That would have been an immediate upgrade but yhey ended up getting Butler, a similar high-scoring player with an all-around game with only one season remaining on his contract, and a defensive-minded big man with an expiring contract in Haywood. In the end they were were patient, too and it paid off.
During the All-Star break, the previous generation's stars actually showed up and tried to popularize the sport. If the players then had been like the players now, I doubt the league would have ever gotten off the ground. It sounds harsh, but we will see what happens when labor troubles boil up. The big names didn't show up Saturday night in Dallas because they might lose to a relative unknown. Who knows what a slump that might cause in sneaker sales? Somehow, Dominique Wilkins made the Basketball Hall of Fame despite losing the dunk contest to Spud Webb in 1986. I always used to enjoy the NBA All-Star Weekend, but the last few years I feel like why am I watching. The actual game has been good the past few years but Saturday events need to change or change of people. The dunk contest is dead and boring. All the dunks that can be done have been done and for you to tell them that they can't use props is ridiculous. And them adding the game of HORSE I commend but it got boring after a while. I've had more exciting backyard games of HORSE than that. All I am saying is that it is called All-Star Weekend for a reason. Your All-Stars are suppose to participate not let all these rookies do all the work because nobody knows them yet and are not interested in them. Players just look at All-Star Weekend now as a time to get a break and recover for a few days.
the Knicks got bad news on the Tracy McGrady front. Now that the Mavericks and Wizards pulled off a deal that would include Caron Butler and Maverick Josh Howard. Butler was supposed to be the most vital piece in a Knicks' three-way trade between the Wizards and Rockets in which McGrady would get to New York. Knicks would like to see if McGrady is someone to consider re-signing in July. At least they'd have a fallback candidate if McGrady excels and they are unable to land one of the top free agents, LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. McGrady once was considered in those players' class before microfracture surgery on his left knee last year.
Amar'e Stoudemire talks about trade rumors:
NBA commissioner David Stern expects the Charlotte Bobcats to be sold within 60 days. He's just not ready to say if Michael Jordan will be the buyer. At his news conference Saturday on the eve of the All-Star game, Stern said if Jordan was the buyer "that would be a good thing." Jordan is currently a minority investor in the Bobcats but majority owner Bob Johnson has given Jordan control of the basketball operations. Johnson is the first black majority owner of a major professional sports team, but has lost tens of millions and is looking to sell. Jordan has first refusal on any sale, but it's unclear if the Hall of Famer has an ownership group in place. Former Houston Rockets executive George Postolos has also inquired about the Bobcats.
Lions haven't had a playmaking running back since Barry Sanders up and left town before the 1999 season. they probably will bring another running back to camp with Kevin Smith's future in doubt. If the CBA agreements are not met, running backs like Ronnie Brown, Mike Bell, Jerome Harrison, Darren Sproles, LenDale White, and Jerious Norwood will be restricted free agents, not unrestricted free agents, making them harder to pursue. With no agreement, the unrestricted pool of running backs dwindles to players with six or more years of experience. Those players would include LaDamian Tomlinson, Willie Parker, Leon Washington, and Chester Taylor. Lions fans would love to see an experienced back enter the fray in the Lions backfield, but players like Tomlinson, Parker and Taylor don't make much sense for the Lions. The Lions aren't a player or two away from being competitive. They are five or six players away, and that could take two or three more years. By that time, those backs will be facing retirement. The Lions should make a play for one of the veteran restricted free agents running backs. But if the price proves too high, the Lions will be smart and continue to build through the draft.
NFL will change for the 2010 off-season. Last fall, the 32 team owners exercised their option to opt out of the current CBA, which has moved to the players' favor as a result of changes won by the players union in the last extension of the agreement in 2006. The CBA has built-in provisions to govern the league in the event of the salary cap being abolished. Then union believes the owners will lock out the players in 2011 and force them to agree to a new bargaining agreement more favorable to the owners. If the players don't fold, everyone expects the league to shut down until a new agreement is reached. There would be no "replacement games" as in 1987 because it would be unlawful for the owners to do so. In '87, the players went on strike. For the upcoming season, there is no salary cap and no minimum, also. Teams can pay as much or as little as they want.
