Top 10: Players Traded in '08

I have to say that so far in the year of 2008, I have never seen so many all-star and hall of fame caliber talents traded in one year. The NBA Trade Deadline was one of the most craziest time periods in NBA history. The months of June and July in baseball saw a lot of surprise teams and players make moves. And the NFL saw two of the best players in the league get moved to different conferences.

Let's take a look at the Top 10 Players Traded in the year 2008 so far!

(This list is based on the credentials each player had at the time of the trade)

10. Paul Gasol -- Memphis Grizzlies --> Los Angeles Lakers

09. Mike Bibby -- Sacramento Kings --> Atlanta Hawks

08. Ron Artest -- Sacramento Kings --> Houston Rockets

07. CC Sabathia -- Cleveland Indians --> Milwaukee Brewers

06. Jason Kidd -- New Jersey Nets --> Dallas Mavericks

05. Jason Taylor -- Miami Dolphis --> Washington Redskins

04. Ken Griffey Jr. -- Cincinnati Reds --> Chicago White Sox

03. Shaq O'Neal -- Miami Heat --> Phoenix Suns

02. Manny Ramirez -- Boston Red Sox --> Los Angeles Dodgers

01. Brett Favre -- Green Bay Packers --> New York Jets

Honorable Mentions: Ben Wallace (Chi-->Cle), Jason Bay (Pitt-->Bos), Rich Harden (Oak-->CHC), Jeremy Shockey (NYG-->N.O.)

NBA Finals Preview!

LAKERS VS CELTICS

So, I am going to take a break from my 4-part series for a moment to take a look into the NBA Finals which kicks off tonight! As I am sure everyone knows by now, the Finals wil pit the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers with Boston having the home-court advantage in a 2-3-2 format.

After doing some research, it appears a lot of the so-called experts are predicting the Lakers to win in either 5 or 6 games. Did I miss something? Did the Celtics not have the best record in all of basketball this past season? Sure, they have played 5 more playoff games than the Lakers and absolutely did the Atlanta Hawks make the Celtics look pretty damn vulnerable. But if you want to compare previous playoff matchups, I would have the say the Lakers had a bit of an easier task than did the Celtics. The Nuggets play absolutely ZERO defense, and seemingly backed their way into the playoffs. Let's be serious, the Jazz were never a legitimate contender in the West and failed to offer any real offensive threat. The Lakers did make the Spurs look like anything but a defending champion to their credit.

Let's take a brief look, position by position at the matchups going into Game 1...

POINT GUARD:
Derek Fisher v. Rajon Rondo
Fisher definitely provides the experience and the clutch shooting, while Rondo provides explosiveness and has impressed a lot of people by how much he has improved his game through out the season. However, I think Fisher with the Finals experience will be the better player in the series. Advantage: Fisher

SHOOTING GUARD:
Kobe Bryant v. Ray Allen
Well Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league right now, basically enough said. Ray Allen is a classic sniper and when his shot is on, he's one of the best shooters of all time from beyond the arc. The problem is IF Allen is on, and even then Kobe is not the league MVP for nothing.
Advantage: Bryant

SMALL FORWARD:
Vladimir Radmonavic v. Paul Pierce
Radmonavic is an outside shooter, who should not be more than a 3-point specialist off the bench role player, does not offer much for the Lakers. Pierce aka "The Truth", has undoubtably been the emotional leaders of the Boston Three Party and the Celtics. Pierce provides great defense and seems to be the go to guy when the game is on the line for the Celtics.
Advantage: Pierce

POWER FORWARD:
Lamar Odom v. Kevin Garnett
I do believe that Odom is one of the most underrated players in the NBA, and could basically be labeled as the X Factor for the Lakers. Odom can provide 20 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists on any given night with some sound defense. Garnett is much the same in that he provides everything for the Celtics and that also includes top flight defense and a presence that scares many from coming through the paint.
Advantage: Garnett

CENTER:
Pau Gasol v. Kendrick Perkins
Gasol was arguably the biggest steal of the season and has been the perfect compliment to MVP Kobe Bryant. Kendrick Perkins has improved by leaps and bounds this year and has given the Celtics exactly what they needed from a young player like him. Gasol will prove to be one of the key players in the series.
Advantage: Gasol


After breaking down the series position by position, it would appear the Lakers have the edge, not to mention when you factor coaching and Phil Jackson versus Doc Rivers. I think it terms of a bench, the group of Turiaf, Farmar, Vujacic, and Walton compare similarily to Posey, Brown, Big Baby and Cassell. I will have to also note that the Celtics bench does have some Finals experience to help compensate for the lack of experience from the big three.


FINALS PREDICTION: CELTICS IN 7.

Why 7 games? Well I think this has been one of the most entertaining and best NBA seasons in a while and I figure why not end the season on a classic historical 7 game matchup, with the Celts prevailing (And yes I was not sipping the green kool-aid early on).


Who do ya got in the Finals? Comment Below.

NBA Trade Deadline

Well well well, I do apologize for the lag in posts, to many things going on right now, but no excuses and play like a champ!

Well the NBA Trade Deadline has passed and these past few weeks have been out of control in terms of the caliber of players that are being moved. Let's get a grading on the moves!

12/29: Utah traded Gordan Giriceck to Philadelphia for Kyle Korver

Well considering the fact that this was not technically a deadline deal, the Jazz are a ridiculous 19 and 3! The Jazz went from a playoff bubble spot to a solid 4 seed in the insane Western Conference right now. With one of the best point guards in the league now (yes, presently) Deron Williams and low post presence of all-star Carlos Boozer, and all the role players you could want this gave Utah the spot up 3 point threat they desperatly needed. The Sixers get an expiring contract at about 5 mil, which are always valuable in the NBA.

Utah Grade: B+
Sixers Grade: B

02/01: Memphis trades Pau Gasol, '10 2nd round pick to Lakers for Aaron Mckie, Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown and 2 1st round picks.

What?! Where did this trade come from?! And how did the Lakers STEAL Gasol from the Grizz?? Let's be honest they gave up two first round picks that will be in the 20's, no doubt, and the Lakers already have the young talent they need in Bynum, Farmar and Ariza to compliment Odom, Gasol, Fisher, and oh yes Kobe Bryant. The Lakers are 7 and 1 since the trade and are in a dead lock with the Suns for first in the division. Analysts are salivating over the thoughts of a frontline of Odom, Gasol, and Bynum. The key for the Lakers is the health of Bynum and Kobe, but as far as the trade...stunning.

Lakers Grade: A
Grizzlies Grade: D-

02/06: Phoenix trades Marcus Banks and Shawn Marion to Miami for Shaquille O'Neal

Some may say this was in reaction to rival Lakers move, some may say it wasn't. I say that this came out of nowhere as well and who knew that Shaq was on the trading block and that it was possible to move him because of his contract. Despite several people doubting this move, I do indeed like it. The Suns the past few years have had virtually the same team and it has not gotten them to the Finals. With Nash not getting any younger, I like the very risky move. Shaq could find new motivation and once he gets adapted to the system, it could be an entertaining squad to watch. I don't wanna hear that the Suns are a running team and Shaq will slow them down, because when was the last time you saw a 5 man fast break? Someone needs to rebound and outlet the ball, right? I also love this trade for Miami as well. I would take Wade and Marion as a duo any day with the odds on top 5 pick in the lottery this year. Even if Marion opts out, the Heat will have saved a ton of money on the Shaq deal.

Heat Grade: A
Suns Grade: B

02/16: Sacramento trades Mike Bibby to Atlanta for Shelden Williams, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson, Lorenzen Wright and a 2nd round pick

Wow, the Atlanta Hawks in the playoff mix for the first time in a while make a move that will almost certainly get them into the playoffs. As long as Mike Bibby stays healthy, a lineup of Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford sounds pretty good to me with Acie Law IV and Josh Childress off the bench. The Kings did not really receive much back other than the former number 5 pick Williams, who has been a bust so far. Maybe a change of scenary can revive his career?

Hawks Grade: B
Kings Grade: C

02/19: Dallas trades Devin Harris, Trenton Hassell, Keith Van Horn, Maurice Ager, DeSagna Diop, 2 Picks, and Cash to New Jersey for Jason Kidd, Antoine Wright, and Malik Allen

I think this is a solid move for New Jersey as long as they keep overhauling the team and going for a youth movement. Richard Jefferson can still play, but I would look to move Vince Carter. The Nets have some talented young guys in Marcus Williams, Devin Harris, Shawn Williams, and Josh Boone. For Dallas, that was definitely a reaction to what has taken place in the West so far and they decided to give up a good amount of players for ex-Mav J. Kidd. This move is definitely for the present and while I think it will help the Mavs in the regular season, but in the postseason going against bigs like Duncan, Shaq, and Bynum, they may struggle.

Mavs Grade: B
Nets Grade: B+

02/21/08: 11 Player Trade ~ Cleveland receives Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith, and Wally Szczerbiack. Chicago receives Shannon Brown, Cedric Simmons, Larry Hughes, and Drew Gooden. Seattle receives Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall, and Adrian Griffin.

Wow, what a way to end the trading season in the NBA than going out with an 11-players, 3-team deal gigantic deal. LBJ was upset because the Cavs missed out on Bibby and Kidd, but Cavs GM Danny Ferry was able to give Lebron a sniper from the outside (Wally), a young spot up shooting point guard (Delonte), a defensive role player with experience (Big Ben), and a role playing big man who can contribute (Joe Smith). I think it was a solid move for the Cavs and elevates them to Celtic/Piston land in the East. I am not really sure what the Bulls are doing now with a surplus at the guard position, Hughes/Gordon/Deng/Heinrich/Duhon/Thabo. I guess they are preparing for either Deng or Gordon to leave this offseason? For the Sonics, it's simple, they are looking for expiring contracts and salary dumps.

Cavaliers Grade: A-
Bulls Grade: C+
Sonics Grade: N/A

Well there you have it. And of course Yao goes down for the season in the West to make things even more wild.

...til next time

-E