Real Deal

He's expiring after this season, while Prince is owned almost $22 million over the next three years (including this year)...and not as important, but he could help Brandon Knight, as a mentor.

Beasley tore Ron Artest up tonight...just sad to see. And once Dwight went out, we lost the game. Gasol is incredibly bad defending the basket, and at that point, I knew we were done.

KB with eight assists already. This is the weirdest shit I've ever seen.

LA would have to win 50 games or better for him to even be seriously considered, I'm sure...and that means they'd have to go 30-7 to close out the year. I don't think any team in the league has done that this year. The Thunder were 29-8 after 37 games...but yeah, that's a huge improvement.

You'd like to think those comments will be worth the fine, but they won't be. Nothing will change.

I don't know. I'm torn. Dwight and Gasol just can't play together, sadly...and when Gasol is in there by himself, he actually facilitates. So we're going to pull Dwight OR Gasol away from the rim when they play together...and they still get to, just not as often now. Earl Clark has been doing great, also. Had 20/12 last night. The only bad thing about Gasol not starting is that he doesn't have Dwight behind him, keeping his man in check on the defensive end...and the Gasol/Jamison duo are AWFUL on that end of the floor.

Now that Gay is on board... Rudy Gay Kyle Lowry DeMar DeRozan Jonas Valanciunas (isn't he returning soon?) Andrea Bargnani? They are currently 16-29, but now that Rondo is out, Boston (the 8th seed, at 21-23) is eventually going to struggle, and Philly is currently 18-26. Andrew Bynum's return may ruin it, though...not sure. I guess it depends on how he impacts the game, and if they can develop chemistry. Philly is struggling big time, can't score and their defense has dropped off quite a bit, so you have to expect a big man as talented as Drew can come in and change that. Who knows if he'll ever play, though.

Yeah, I completely forgot that Calderon expires this summer.

There's the deal, Toronto. Memphis trades Rudy Gay (to TOR) Hamed Haddadi (to TOR) Toronto trades Ed Davis (smh) (to MEM) Jose Calderon (to DET) Detroit trades Tayshaun Prince (to MEM) Austin Daye (to MEM)

Wait...for Calderon? I don't get this trade, really.

Hmm...

Are you happy, Wali?

Really hard to say which team would be better for him. In Cleveland, he'll have a more significant role, but will get paid four times as much. Closer to home. In Miami, he'll have a lesser role, but will be paid league minimum. Better chance to win a ring. Playing a bigger role could be a bad thing for him...but having a bigger paycheck is huge for an injury-prone player.

How this is not a done deal yet is beyond me, honestly. It's going to happen.

Andrew Bogut has played just five games for the Warriors all season long. Brandon Rush fell to injury, and is done for the year, after just two games. Currently, they stand at #5 in the West, with a 28-17 record. 1) Spurs (36-11) 2) Thunder (34-11) 3) Clippers (33-13) 4) Grizzlies (29-15) 5) Warriors (28-17) Is it safe to say that these Warriors could have been strong contenders to win the Pacific Division this season, if they had Bogut and Rush for the other 40 games?

The Pacers are currently 26-19, 5th seed in the East...playing incredible defense (possibly top ten of all-time when looking at oppFG%), but bottom three in offense this season (at this time, 29th in offensive rating). While Granger has been a good defender most of his career, and he can give you 20 on any given night, he hasn't played a single game this year for the Pacers, AND some believe he's even on the decline (don't look now, but Granger is actually less than three months away from turning 30 years old). Will Granger's return hurt this team more than help it, with his inconsistent shooting and the belief that he's the most valuable player on this team? Is it possible that his return to the lineup will shake Paul George, killing his confidence as this team's go-to guy? If so, would you stick Granger on the block, and what would you like to get back?

Right now, Josh Smith is taking nearly 16 FGA/G for the Atlanta Hawks. Basically, he's their primary scoring option. He claims he's a max player...but there's doubt that he will get that kind of money from the Hawks, yet, no doubt he could get it from SOMEONE. Meanwhile, rumor has it that Atlanta is having difficulty connecting with Smith this season, and with a suspension already handed out and a supposed front office meeting with Smith in the works, it's hard to say the Hawks and Smith will want to stick together. Who needs a Josh Smith trade more: the Hawks, to get out from under the drama and to move on from him being their primary scorer, OR Josh Smith...to land on a team where he doesn't have that big of a role, giving him more room to be a defensive standout and to be fed the ball, and/or possibly heading to a place that will offer him near the amount of money he's seeking?

You currently have the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. You have youth that can be considered assets. That's about it. Where do you go from here? Do you trade the pick? Put everyone on the block? Walk into the front office and clean house? -------- I'd go ahead and draft Ben McLemore #1, and consider Gerald Henderson expendable. I'd dangle him out there, along with Sessions, Gordon and Biyombo (whatever, doesn't matter) to try and bring in a defensive big man...not necessarily an elite defender, but a pretty good post defender and decent scorer, even if it meant the team taking back salary and trading a future first. At #14 (assuming the Blazers stay out of the lottery, that pic belongs to CHA), I'd select a big that could be a scoring option down the road...maybe even a stretch four, like James McAdoo. Then, I'd take my bigs, McLemore, MKG, and Walker, and tell them to go rake in the fans. Sell tickets. C - defensive big PF - James McAdoo SF - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist SG - Ben McLemore PG - Kemba Walker You're basically stacking together a college team, but why not, at this point? What if the Bobcats made an attempt to land Pau Gasol, and then wanted to draft a defensive PF/C?

This should be fun. Three requirements: 1) All players must have at least 30 games as a starter under their belt this season. 2) No two players can be from the same team. 3) Make an attempt to create a team that looks good on paper, individually, but also one that you just know wouldn't be able to play together. Here's a link to help you out (30+ games as a starter): http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&type=totals&per_minute_base=36&lg_id=NBA&is_playoffs=N&year_min=2013&year_max=2013&franch_id=&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&height_min=0&height_max=99&birth_country_is=Y&birth_country=&is_active=&is_hof=&is_as=&as_comp=gt&as_val=&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&qual=&c1stat=gs&c1comp=gt&c1val=30&c2stat=&c2comp=gt&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=gt&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&c5stat=&c5comp=gt&c6mult=1.0&c6stat=&order_by=player&order_by_asc=Y I'll go ahead and post mine. C - DeMarcus Cousins PF - Josh Smith SF - Rudy Gay SG - Monta Ellis PG - Russell Westbrook Coach - Tom Thibodeau I'd love to see these guys play together for an entire 82-game season. They would be crazy on the break, but I'd want to see how they'd configure their half-court offense.

If you're Boston, are you going to play the season out and take whatever you can? Will you secretly begin tanking the season? Do you stick some of your starters (or everyone) on the block, to bring in other players (possibly a PG) and hope for a few upsets in the playoffs?

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20130130_LAL@PHO

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20130130_NO@UTA

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20130130_HOU@DEN

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20130130_CHA@SA

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20130130_MIA@BKN