Rudy Gay is Heading West

It’s not even Christmas and we have our first blockbuster trade of the season. Rudy Gay everybody’s favorite NBA player is on his way to Sacramento. The Raptors receive expiring contracts and the stat sheet is back!!!!

                The Kings get Rudy Gay (two years left on contract), Aaron Gray (expiring contract) and Quincy Acy (two years). This trade is all about Rudy Gay. Vivek Ranadive is in his first season of owning the Kings and wanted to make a big deal to show the fans that he is an owner ready to win. This is definitely a win now move. Rudy Gay has taken a lot of shots with the Raptors so far this year .He has taken nearly 19 shots; that’s fifth in the league .Rudy is also shooting 39%. He takes a lot of bad shots and they don’t fall. With Gay going to the Kings there might be some problems with him and DeMarcus Cousins.  Cousins is the lead of this team and the number one focus on offense with Gay coming over that could create some problems when it comes down to the number of shots each player gets. Gay will be a starter for the Kings but who gets demoted to 6^th man? My guess is Derrick Williams. The Kings line-up should be, Thomas-McLemore-Gay-Thompson-Cousins. Isaiah Thomas has been tremendous this year as the 6^th man for the Kings. Thomas is averaging 17 points in 27minutes. The Players the Kings traded were part of the rotation so now the Kings will get a look at some different players. For example, JIMMER!, Ray McCallum and Aaron Gray will probably crack the rotation. It will be interesting to see how Gay fits in Sacramento and if the Kings can make a playoff push.

                The Raptors receive, Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, who are both restricted free agents this summer. They also receive, Chuck Hayes (two years left) and John Salmons. Salmons has two years left on his deal but he can be bought out after this year for only 1 mil. For the Raptors this deal was about dumping Gay’s contract and tanking. A positive for the Raptors in this deal is that Rudy is no longer hogging the ball. Derozan and Valanciunas can get more shots now. By acquiring Vasquez, it gives Toronto another point guard in case they decide to trade Kyle Lowry. The Raptors plan is to dump bad salaries and get draft picks. One part of that equation is done, but there’s still one more step.

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Life without Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose is out for the year after tearing his right meniscus. The Bulls chances of making the playoffs are obviously diminished. The Bulls now have an opportunity to clear some cap space. Luol Deng is in the last year of his deal and is about to turn thirty. It would be smart for the Bulls to trade Deng and receive younger players and/or draft picks. But this injury also affects the Bulls next year. Rose will need some time to get readjusted with the league. Next year is the final year of Carlos Boozers awful contract; the Bulls can amnesty him next year or trade him. Remember the Raptors were going to amnesty Andrea Bargnani but instead they traded him and got a first round pick instead. The Bulls need to trade Deng and Boozer and get younger players and more picks. If they follow this plan they will also have a lot of cap room and could put together a good squad in two years. The Bulls also have the Bobcats first round pick this year it is top 10 protected. If the Bulls can’t use it this year it turns into an unprotected pick in the 2016 draft. They already have a good young core with Jimmy Butler (PLEASE CUT YOUR HAIR) and Joakim Noah. The biggest question for the Bulls now is Derrick Rose. Will he return and if he does what kind of player will he be? You have to think his best days are behind him. Hopefully he can return and still be a star player.

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11/6 review

Toronto Raptors 90 Charlotte Bobcats 92

            This was a close game throughout and it came down to the last 30 seconds. The Bobcats were up two with 26 seconds left Dwayne Casey decided not to foul which was a moronic decision. Gerald Henderson took a three with time expiring on the shot clock he missed but by the time the Raptors got the rebound time on the game clock had expired. Note to Dwayne Casey rebounds take time! Rudy Gay led the Raptors with 20 points. For the Bobcats they’ve won games on back to back nights. Gerald Henderson added 23 points while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 14 points on 6 of 7 shots.

Chicago Bulls 80 Indiana Pacers 97

            The Pacers remain the only unbeaten team in the NBA. This was a close game for three quarters but the Pacers pulled away in the fourth on a 12-2 run led by Lance Stephenson who hit two threes in that stretch.  The Pacers bigs dominated the game they out rebounded the Bulls by 12 and held the Bulls to only 14 points in the paint. Paul George had 21 points but did not shoot well give credit to Luol Deng, but George got help from his power forwards West and Scola combined for 29 points. The Bulls shot 35% and Derrick Rose had another bad shooting night. Rose has to turn it around for the Bulls to succeed.

LA Clippers 90 Orlando Magic 98

            YOU CAN’T BEAT THE MAGIC AT HOME! The Magic have now beaten the Nets and Clippers at home. Tonight Nikola Vucevic dropped 30 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. The Clippers are supposed to be one of the deepest teams in the west but tonight their bench got out scored by 14. E’Twaun Moore was a +21 off the Magic bench and hit two big three’s late. The Clippers shot at 37.9% which led to them losing this game. The Clippers allowed 57 first half points and let the Magic shoot at 48.8%. The Clippers need to become a better defensive team if they want to contend in the west.

Washington Wizards 116 Philadelphia 76ERS 102

            The Wizards couldn’t be stopped from beyond the arc tonight shooting 18 of 33. Whenever you can make 18 three’s you have a good chance to win. John Wall led the Wizards with 24 points and hit five three’s. The 76ers played well they just played against that couldn’t miss tonight. Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes had 24 and 23 points respectfully.

Utah Jazz 87 Boston Celtics 97

            Well someone has to win right? These are two of many teams tanking hard for Andrew Wiggins and tonight the Jazz tanked harder! Gordon Hayward continued his hot play and had a game high 28 points.  The Jazz had an eight point second quarter whenever that happens it’s hard to win. The Jazz also hit only one three pointer. They’re a bad team they fall to 0-5 for the first time since the 1974 season. For the Celtics Brandon Bass had 20 points and first round pick Kelly Olynyk added 14 points.

New Orleans Pelicans 99 Memphis Grizzlies 84

The Grizzlies decided not to show up tonight and got burnt. They were out rebounded by 10 and didn’t play great defense. When the Grizzlies can’t defend they will not win, their offense is not good enough to go toe to toe with other teams.  Zach Randolph left the game after 7 minutes to be with his fiancé as she went into labor. The Pelicans had a good night Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans were all in double figures. Heck! Even Jason Smith was in double figures that when you know it’s a good night.

Cleveland Cavaliers 104 Milwaukee Bucks 109

            This was an even game throughout no one team dominated in any categories. The Cavs had a one point lead with one minute left. But then Kyrie Irving took over in a bad way he missed a layup, had a turnover and missed a game tying three. Irving did finish with a game high 29 points but couldn’t score the big basket. The Bucks were without Larry Sanders but not to worry OJ Mayo and Gary Neal stepped up and had a combined 51 points.

Golden State Warriors 106 Minnesota T-Wolves 93

            The Warriors shot 50% in this game and Klay Thompson scored 17 of his game high 30 points in the fourth. The Warriors had three guys score 20 or more including Thompson. Kevin Love had 25 points but missed 15 of his 25 shots. The Warriors are a streaky team and tonight they were on their game.

Phoenix Suns 96 San Antonio Spurs 99

The Spurs have been in a lot of close games this year but they find a way to win and they’re 4 and 1.  This was another close game where every category was close both teams shot around 50%. How did the Spurs win? It’s simple they have players who know how to win the Suns not too much.

Dallas Mavericks 93  OKC Thunder 107

It’s safe to say that Russell Westbrook is back! He had a great game scoring 22 points while shooting 50% he also looked very quick and had a nice dunk. The Thunder shot 54.4% Durant had 23 points as well. The Mavericks don’t have the makeup to be a good defensive team and tonight OKC exploited that. The Mavs couldn’t stop them and lost.

Can the Knicks Survive Without Tyson Chandler?

The Knicks will be without Tyson Chandler for 4-6 weeks. In my opinion Tyson Chandler is the most valuable player on this roster. His defense and rebounding is irreplaceable. With Chandler potentially missing 25 games the opposing teams will have lay-up lines versus the Knicks. The Knicks don’t have anyone to replace Chandler the only other center on this roster is Cole Aldrich and he won’t be playing because he stinks. That leaves the Knicks with three other options, Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin. All of these guys are power forwards and all have problems. Bargnani is an awful defender and rebounder if he plays center the other team is going to score at will at the rim. Also the Knicks are just better without Bargnani in 84 minutes with Bargnani ON the floor the Knicks are -38 with Bargnani OFF the floor the Knicks are +30 in 108 minutes. Amar’ e Stoudemire is on a minutes limit can he fill in for Chanlder? Not likely now the obvious thing to do is to extend his minutes, we’ve seen this with Amar’e before if you play him he will get hurt and quite frankly he’s not good anymore either. In last night’s game he played only 11 minutes and had 5 turnovers. Amar’e is a shell of his self and cannot be relied upon offensively or defensively. Keyon Martin is the best option for the Knicks but he is also on a minutes limit. The Knicks will have to extend Martin’s minutes at the risk of him breaking down if they want to save their season.  Let’s also remember the Knicks cut Ike Diogu and Josh Powel before season start you might see the Knicks pick of these guys up. Mike Woodson said today the Knicks starting lineup for Friday’s game will be Felton, Prigioni, Shumpert, Anthony and Bargnani.

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11/5 review

Miami Heat 104 Toronto Raptors 95

               Chris Bosh missed this game due to the birth of his daughter and the Heat missed Bosh early on. Jonas Valanciunas had his way with the Heat early scoring 10 first quarter points. The Raptors scored 42 points in the paint but they couldn’t stop the Heat in the paint allowing 48 points. Chris Anderson did a great job of stopping Valanciunas after his hot start. LeBron had a monster game he finished with 35 8 and 8. Dwyane Wade added 20 points and Ray Allen was a game high +21 and had 14 points.

Indiana Pacers 99 Detroit Pistons 91

               This was an ugly game in the first half the score was 41-38 Pistons. That included a nine point second quarter by the Pacers. But in the second half the Pacers started to hit their shots especially Paul George who finished with 31 points on 66% shooting. The Pacers finished the game shooting at 52% and 42.9% from three on 21 shots. The Pistons were cold the whole game shooting 38% and 20% from three on 25 shots. The Pistons lost this game because they couldn’t hit a shot. THE PACERS AND BULLS PLAY TOMORROW!!!

Charlotte Bobcats 102 New York Knicks 97

               This could end up being the worst night of the season for the Knicks. Not only did they get outworked at home by the Bobcats but Tyson Chandler left the game with a knee injury and it doesn’t sound good Chandler has a MRI on Wednesday. If Chandler is gone for a long period of time the Knicks will be in a lot trouble. For the game itself it was ugly for the Knicks they were out rebounded by 18. The Bobcats made 34 free throws compared to the Knicks 19. Amar’e Stoudemire was awful he had five turnovers in 11 minutes, he’s clearly not the player he once was and at this point he is a bad NBA player. Carmelo Anthony had 32 points but he wasn’t great either he was 10 of 28 from the field Melo might have been tired at the end of the game considering Mike Woodson had him log 44 MINUTES!!! That’s uncalled for this early in the season.  This is a good obviously a big win for the Cats they were without Al Jefferson but this is all about the Knicks and Mike Woodson’s refusal to use a small lineup. The Knicks are 16-1 when Felton and Prigioni start but Woodson refuses to start them.

Phoenix Suns 104 New Orleans Pelicans 98

               Don’t look now but the Suns are 3-1! This was a close game throughout but the Suns were able to pull it out. They shot 50% from the field while the Pelicans shot 43.5% every other stat was identical in this game. Eric Bledsoe had 25 points and shot 10 of 12 from the field. The Morris twins added 33 points for the Suns. Eric Gordon led the Pelicans with 20 points.

LA Lakers 104 Dallas Mavericks 123

               The Mavs led at the half 67-48 without Dirk Nowitzki scoring. This is the score you should expect when you have Mike D’Antoni as a coach. The Mavs shot 52% and outrebounded the Lakers by 15. Monta Ellis finished with a game high 30 points. There’s not much analyst needed for this game the Mavs are just better.

San Antonio Spurs 102 Denver Nuggets 94

               The Nuggets had control of this game until the fourth quarter where they were out scored 30 to 16. The Nuggets had 22 turnovers and couldn’t stop the Spurs in the paint 54 points in there. Tony Parker has a game high 24 points. This is about the Nuggets who just flat out went cold in the fourth they shot 3 for 18.

Houston Rockets 116 Portland Trail Blazers 101

               James Harden 33 points and Dwight Howard 29 points dominated. The Rockets shot at 54.7% and outrebounded the Blazers by 17. They also dominated the paint scoring 54 times down there. The Blazers made this game close in fourth they cut the lead to 5 then Patrick Beverley hit a three and the Rockets took it home from there.

Atlanta Hawks 105 Sacramento Kings 100

               The Hawks looked like they had an easy victory heading into the fourth they were up 87-72 the crowd was booing. But then all of a sudden the Kings started to play basketball and cut the lead to one with 2:46 left. The Kings had a chance to tie the game with 9 seconds left Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 26 points and took a three to tie it up but he came up short. Paul Millsap and Al Horford each had a double double for the Hawks.

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Nets crush the Jazz

Utah Jazz 88 Brooklyn Nets 104

               The Nets did what they were supposed to do blow out a team that wasn’t on their level. The Nets started the game on a 12-2 run and never looked back. The Nets ended the first quarter leading 28-18 and were shooting at 60% with 18 points in the paint. Brook Lopez was a beast he had 19 first half points and finished with 27 in only 25 minutes. The Nets ball movement was on point along with the defense. The Nets were up 54-38 at the half and shot the ball at 58%. When the third quarter was over the Nets were up 85-61 and the game was over. No Nets starter played in the 4^th quarter. The only thing that is good about the Utah Jazz is Gordon Hayward. Utah will regret not giving him a contract extension he’s going to get paid in offseason.  It’s hard to criticize the Nets after a game like this but they did give up 19 offensive rebounds, they have to lower that number. In the meaningless fourth quarter Mason Plumlee played well and had a nice ally-oop from Shaun Livingston. The Nets Play the Wizards on Friday night

Follow @threwthenet for everything NBA. And stay tune for the 11/5 review of all the games tonight

11/4 Review

Minnesota Timberwolves 92 Cleveland Cavaliers 93

               This was my first time watching a whole T-wolves game this year and they like to push the ball after a basket which resulted in 48 fast break points compared to the Cavaliers 8. Early on in the game Kevin Martin hit 4 three pointers 3 of those were from the left wing.  Unfortunately for the T-Wolves he was the only guy scoring for them. The Cavs had 31 first quarter points. In the second the Cavs hot shooting continued and the T-Wolves went ice cold. CJ Miles came off the bench and led the Cavs in scoring with 19 points. The Cavs shot 55% at the half. The T-wolves shot an awful 29% and were out rebounded by 16. Tristan Thompson added a double double. There has been a lot of talk about Thompson because he switched shooting hands over the offseason. It has worked well for him so far this year he’s averaged 13 points so far and is shooting at 78%.  The Cavs got some help from their bench tonight Bynum, Gee and Miles scored 38 points; the Cavs bench outscored the T-Wolves bench by 13.The T-wolves were down 16 with 4:48 left in the game, but that’s when they went on a 17-2 run all of it happened with Ricky Rubio on the bench. Rubio was 0 of 7 from the field. The T-wolves had a chance to win the game in the last seconds but JJ Barea lost the handle of his dribble and threw it to Love who had to take a contested three and he missed. If Barea hadn’t lost his dribble he might have had Derrick Williams for an open lay-up. The T-Wolves lost this game because of a poor first half and because they shot 5 of 28 from three. For the Cavs Anthony Bennett still hasn’t made a shot.

Golden State Warriors 110 Philadelphia 90

               I wanted to watch this game but I couldn’t… DAMN YOU COMCAST! Stephen Curry recorded his second career triple double. Andrea Iguodala hit a career high 7 threes which led to the Warriors hitting 15 threes. The 76ers only hit 5 threes and shot 20% from beyond the arc.

Boston Celtics 88 Memphis Grizzles 95

               This was a close game throughout both teams were basically even in every category. Early in the game I realized Avery Bradley was still running the point for the Celtics that resulted in him having a minus 13 in fact no Celtic starter was a plus. Bradley shouldn’t play point guard he’s not good at it he’s much better coming off screens and shooting mid-range jump shots. The best player for the Celtics tonight was Jared Sullinger he scored 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Marc Gasol is still the best center in the NBA if you watch him enough you just sit there and say wow it’s a treat to watch him play he went 14 and 8 tonight, but he should be more aggressive on the offensive end he had some good looks tonight and passed them up. SHOOT IT MARK! The Grizzlies got a huge boost from Jared Bayless tonight who scored all of his 15 points in the 4^th. Just a friendly message to Brad Stevens… FREE MARSHON!!!

Houston Rockets 118 LA Clippers 137

               This was an offense explosion for the Clippers who hit 15 threes and shot 52% on 94 shots. They had 12 more possessions then the Rockets and hit 8 more threes. Chris Paul added 17 assist. Omri Casspi was the leading scorer for the Rockets… and that’s all you need to know about the Rockets in this game. I don’t believe the Rockets are a title contender due to the lack of defense on the perimeter, that problem showed up today and the Rockets got burnt. If this team wants to contend they need to add a player at the trade deadline that can defend the perimeter and that can create his own shot. If the Clippers play like this every night they’ll be very tough to beat out west.

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10/30 review

With 14 games on tonight it was impossible for me to keep an eye on all them but I did my best.

Miami Heat 110 Philadelphia 76ers 114

UHHHHHH what happened here? The 76ers went on a 19-0 run to start the game!  And dropped 33 points in the first quarter. D-Wade didn’t play tonight so Rodger Mason JR started… But the story here isn’t about the Heat it’s about the 76ers who are suppose to be tanking. First round pick Michael Carter-Williams went nuts he finished with 22 points, 7 rebound, 12 assist and 9 steals. Evan Turner added 26 points Spencer Hawes had 24 points. THIS IS THE TRUE BIG THREE!! This will be the 6ers best moment of the year but MCW showed he can play against the best.

Boston Celtics 87 Toronto Raptors 93

               Nothing really special happened here Jeff Green had a nice game for the C’s. The Raptors out rebounded the Celtics by 15 and that’s your difference in the game.

Washington Wizards 102 Detroit Pistons 113

               The new look Pistons took the court and came away with a win. All five starters scored in double figures Greg Monroe led all Piston scorers with 24 points. For the Wizards their leading scorer was Trevor Ariza he hit six threes and finish with 28 points. John Wall and Bradley Beal had a horrible shooting night they went for a combined 14 for 39.

Milwaukee Bucks 83 New York Knicks 90

               The Knicks were on fire early and went into the break leading 56-31. Brandon Knight left the game in first quarter with a hamstring injury he did not return. Once the second half started the Bucks got back into it. They tied the game at one point but the Knicks defense came alive late and was too much for the Bucks. Tyson Chandler had a great game he was finishing around the rim and was denying Bucks around the rim. Andrea Bargnani who was a -11 didn’t shoot well and heard some boos from the crowd. The Bucks benched outscored the Knicks benched 54 to 20 that allowed them to get back into the game.

Charlotte Bobcats 83 Houston Rockets 96

               Dwight Howard made his Rocket debut and grabbed 26 rebounds along with 17 points. Harden led all scorers with 21 points. Jeremy Lin and Francisco Garcia added 35 points combined off the bench. For the Bobcats Welp… they don’t have the offense to compete with the top teams in the league it also doesn’t help that you were out rebounded by 17!

 

Orlando Magic 115 Minnesota 120

                       WELP!! Jason Maxiell started again and guess what he was a -9. I started watching this game with about a minute left so let’s start from there. The first thing I noticed was that Victor Oladipo was on the floor. He hit two big free throws with 12.5secs left to put the Magic up 3. Then Kevin Love hit a game tying three with 10.1secs left it was the same play the Wolves ran a few years ago to beat the Clippers on a buzz beater. So the Magic call a timeout and draw up a play or at least I think they did because out of the timeout they ran an Aaron Afflalo isolation… Of course he missed which lead to overtime. In overtime the Magic had some guy named Soloman Jones on the floor… In Overtime the Wolves heated up especially Kevin Martin he hit two big shots which led the T-wolves to victory.

Indiana Pacers 95 New Orleans Pelicans 90

                       The Pelicans went into the half up 14 points. Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday and Anthony Davis all finished with 20 or more points. They were up 9 late in the fourth but the Pacers started to hit their shots Paul George finished with 32 points and the Pacers finished with 12 blocks two straight games with blocks in double figures.

Atlanta Hawks 109 Dallas Mavericks 118                      

                       The Mavs shot 57 percent from the field! Monta Ellis scored 32 points and did it efficiently he only missed 6 shots. If Ellis plays smart he’s a good offensive player Dirk added 24 points. Jeff Teague scored 24 points for the Hawks but he was also a -24. All of the Hawks starters were negatives which is never good.

Memphis Grizzlies 94 San Antonio 101

                       The Highest scorer in this game had 15 points and it was by…TONY ALLEN! They guy who couldn’t hit a shot in the Western Conference Finals last year. The Spurs shot 52% from the field and 55% from three. If you do that there’s a great chance you win. Tim Duncan only played 17 minutes tonight Pop is already limiting his minutes.

OKC 101 Utah 98

                       We almost had another shocker here but the Thunder were about to pull it out Kevin Durant dropped 42 points. Durant didn’t shoot well but he made 22 free throws. The Jazz had one last chance to tie in the fourth but weren’t able to do it. Alec Burks led the Jazz with 24 points coming off the bench.

Portland Trail Blazers 91 Phoenix Suns 104

                       In the first half of this game it was all about Miles Plumlee he scored 16 first half points in his first ever NBA start. Four Suns starters scored 18 or more points. Portland couldn’t stop the suns which lead to them shooting 52%. For the Blazers Lillard and Aldridge scored a combined 60 points, but no one else was in double figures. Dragic  and Bledsoe both scored over 20 to guide the Suns to victory.

Denver Nuggets 88 Sacramento Kings 90

                       This was a close game throughout and came down to the final play. The Nuggets inbounded from under the King’s basket with 0.8 left and settled for a corner three which hit the side of the backboard… The Nuggets had a golden opportunity to tie it up after right before the inbound play but Ty Lawson missed a reverse lay-up. For the Kings Demarcus Cousins put in 30 points and added 14 rebounds. Late in the game he played great defense by blocking a Lawson lay-up and taking a charge. The Kings took the lead when Jason Thompson slammed home a put back that was missed by Cousins.

Los Angeles Lakers 94 Golden State Warriors 125

                       Well I guess the Xavier Henry Lakers aren’t for real. The Lakers couldn’t stop Klay Thompson who dropped 38 points on them. The Warriors starters were great tonight no one was below plus 15. When you’re hitting shots and the other team isn’t this is what happens.

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Nets lose on opening night

Brooklyn Nets 94 Cleveland Cavaliers 98

Well that was disappointing… In the game preview I said the Nets had to let anybody but Kyrie Irving beat them they followed that plan and lost. Irving only had 15 points while five other Cavaliers were in double figures. Anderson Varejao killed the Nets in the fourth; he hit jump shot after jump shot ANDERSON THAT’S NOT YOUR GAME STOP DOING THIS!!! Tristan Thompson killed the Nets with 18 points and 9 rebounds. The Cavs only hit five threes but they were big threes. Anthony Bennett made his NBA Debut and didn’t hit a shot from the field but he did sink two free throws he was also a game high plus 10.

For the Nets they started out very well on offense they hit their first four shots. Once the first rounds of substitutions came in the offense production went down the ball movement stopped and it turned into the offense from last year where ISO JOE comes into play. The Nets haven’t learned yet if you play isolation basketball you will lose! Alan Anderson was a great role player in the preseason but tonight he was awful he took the most shots on the team tonight. Yes on a team with five all-stars Alan Anderson took the most shots. He was a -12 and was 1 of 6 from three. The Nets rebounding was not good tonight they were out rebounded by 11! Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans provided nothing off the bench tonight. Deron Williams played 22 minutes and not a single minute in the fourth he has the ankle injury. The Nets had Deron on minutes limit… That’s perfectly fine if he’s hurt he should be on a limit but the decision making behind this is just pitiful. If Deron’s on a minutes limit it should be constructed so OH I DON’T KNOW YOUR BEST PLAYER PLAYS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER!!  In that fourth Jason Terry heats up hit some threes and ties the game up for the Nets. Then they sat him down for Alan Anderson. Anderson is not a point guard has never played it. The decision to put Anderson in over Terry is curious. But it’s just one game but it’s obvious the Nets need a healthy Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko. The Nets now face the Heat on Friday.

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Nets Preview Game 1

 

    The Nets start the 2013-2014 season tonight in Cleveland versus the Cavaliers

For Net fans the wait is finally over we get to see Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce final play a game with Brooklyn across their chest! With Garnett the defense of the Nets will improve and the offense. New coach Jason Kidd is teaching a new offense that will bring lots of passing and will create ball movement like the Knicks had last year. For tonight the key is stopping Kyrie Irving he’s the only chance the Cavs have of staying in this game. The Nets should do what the Heat did last to Derrick Rose. Double team him on pick and rolls and force him to get rid of the ball. Brook Lopez should be getting the ball a lot tonight he has had good games vs the Cavs in his career including a 35 point game against them last year.  The Nets will be without Andrei Kirilenko whose battling back spasms.

For the Cavs they’ll be without Andrew Bynum and possibly Tyler Zeller. Anthony Bennett makes his NBA debut he was the first overall pick in the draft. If the Cavs want to win this game they need Anderson Varejo to shutdown Brook Lopez and as a team they need to take away the three point line from the Nets.

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10/30 preview

It’s October 30^th and it’s a huge NBA day with 14 games on tonight! I won’t be previewing the Nets vs. Cavs here, that’ll be in a separate piece

Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers

               The best vs. the worst, this will be an easy win for the Heat. IMPORTANT: when the 76ers aren’t on ESPN or TNT I don’t get the games due to TV restrictions or something like that. Don’t expect a lot of coverage on them. Hold back the tears I know it’s heartbreaking…

Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors

               It’s the debut of the new look Celtics! Without Rondo the Celtic’s offense will struggle. For the Raptors it’s the start of another long season. Look for DeRozan and Valanciunas to have good games.

Washington Wizards vs. Detroit Pistons

These are two teams that should make the playoffs in the East. Now the Pistons are thin at the point guard position with Jennings and Stuckey out. John Wall needs to take advantage for this and score. It’s also the debut of Otto Porter Jr., the third overall pick of the draft for the Wizards. The Pistons have an advantage because of the size in their front court, if the Wizards bigs get in foul trouble it’s going to be a long night for the Wizards.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks

               It’s the first game in the “transformed” Garden. The Knicks are without JR Smith, who’s serving his five game suspension.  Someone has to pick up the scoring for the Knicks bench. Tim Hardaway Jr. looked great in preseason. He should have a good chance if he can show he can play good basketball in these five games: he could find himself staying in the rotation. Mike Woodson hasn’t committed to starting five yet but he has hinted towards starting Metta World Peace. This is the right move. This allows Melo to play at the four and have a miss match against the other team’s power forward. Also, MWP defense is needed for this Knicks team. The Bucks will be without Ersan Ilyasova, he’s a big part to Bucks defense and offense. Will the Bucks go small at the power forward position? These are decisions first year coach Larry Drew will have to make.

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Houston Rockets

               It’s Dwight Howard’s debut!!! This game shouldn’t be close either but keep an eye on how the Rockets use Howard in their offense and how he and Harden work together. For the Bobcats, I’m looking at players like Kemba, MKG and Zeller.

Orlando Magic vs. Minnesota T-Wolves

               The Timberwolves finally have Rubio, Love and Pekovic on the floor together. Last year that trio combined to play 15 minutes. The Wolves have a shot to make the playoffs in the West, if they want to. The Jacque Vaughn start Andrew Nicholson! The Magic’s young players looked good last night, let’s see if they can do it again.

Indiana Pacers vs. New Orleans Pelicans

               The PELICANS HAVE ARRIVED!! They take the court with new uniforms and new players Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans! With Eric Gordon coming back from a knee injury it’ll be interesting to see how their minutes are spit up. Anthony Davis starts his second season. Hopefully he improved his game on the offensive side of the ball. The Pacers won last night but Roy Hibbert had to leave the game due to a knee injury. He is expected to play tonight. Make sure to watch this game it should be a good one.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Dallas Mavericks

               These two teams will be beating for a playoff seed in their respected conferences. Tonight’s game is interesting: will Millsap be able to defend Dirk? And, will Dalembert be able to defend Horford? This game will be won down low.

Game of the night Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs

               This is a rematch of the western conference finals. Of course the Spurs swept the Grizzlies. If the Spurs can stop the Grizzlies big they should have an easy win. The Grizzlies don’t have great three point shooting that hurt them last year and will hurt them this year.

OKC vs. Utah Jazz

               OKC will win by a lot. Look for Durant to have a huge game. For the Jazz just keep it close until the half and consider it a win.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns

               The Suns have an awful roster and will be lucky to win 15 games this year. The Blazers are close to contending for that 8^th seed in the West. Blazers should win. Look for Aldridge to have a big game since the Suns have no one to defend him.

Denver Nuggets vs. Sacramento Kings

               Congrats Sacramento you kept your basketball team! Too bad it’s the Kings… For the Kings, Ben McLemore make his NBA debut he had a great jumper in college hopefully it transfers to the NBA. The Nuggets will looking to run the floor tonight and should be successful in a win.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors

               So last night really happened.  Jordan Farmar went crazy and Xavier Henry actually played like a number four pick in the draft. Steve Nash wasn’t supposed to play tonight, but since he didn’t play a single minute in the fourth last night does Mike D’Antoni change his mind and let him play? For the Warriors they are coming off their best season in a long time. They signed Andrea Iguodala, he’ll be starting and that pushes Harrison Barnes to the bench. Look to see how Mark Jackson splits those minutes up. Be sure to always watch the Warriors because you’ll never know when Stephen Curry will catch fire.

Remember to follow @threwthenet for everything NBA

Opening night review

Day one of the NBA season is in the books. Let’s take a look at the results.

Orlando Magic 87 vs Indiana Pacers 97

               This was an ugly game both teams combined for 40 turnovers. Roy Hibbert was too much for Vucevic to handle. ANDREW NICHOLSON came in and was on fire he scored 18 points in the first half. He worked on his three point shot in the summer and it showed. He hit two corner threes. He should be starting for this team especially with Glenn Davis out instead Jason Maxiell is starting. GET JASON MAXIELL OFF THE COURT! He might be one of the worst players in the league right now. Nicholson was the team’s first round pick last year; it’s a no brainer to start him over Maxiell. Victor Oladipo made his debut and played well he got to the rim a couple of times and hit a three he finished with 11 points.

               The Pacers came out on fire starting with a 10-0 run. After that the offense hit a wall and couldn’t get going at a high pace until the end of the third quarter when Paul George hit a three at the horn. The Pacers then went on a 17-3 run to put the game out of reach. George finished with 24 points. Lance Stephenson had a great first quarter and added 19 points. The Pacers had a combine 18 block shots! A scary moment happened in this game for the Pacers late in the fourth quarter Roy Hibbert left the game with a knee injury; reports are that he’ll be okay. Hibbert finished with seven blocks in the game he also added 16 rebounds.

Chicago Bulls 95 vs Miami Heat 107

               This was a defensive game in the first quarter with both teams combining for 32 points. The Heat doubled Rose on his pick and rolls causing him to turn it over or pass it. In the first quarter Deng and Butler both got in foul trouble and that would come back to hunt the Bulls. Then the second quarter happened the Heat started to hit everything they dropped 37 points in the second and the Bulls couldn’t keep up. The Bulls were 11 for 47 from outside the restricted area. The Bulls couldn’t stop Lebron due to the foul trouble of Deng and Butler.

               For the Heat it was a struggle early to hit a shot but in the second quarter everything started to fall and the Heat never looked back. The bench of the Heat played fantastic Battier, Cole and Allen combined for 36 points. Both Heat point guards were great and out played Rose. Lebron didn’t have a great scoring game only 18 points but he had 8 assists.  The Heat as a team had 26 assist, the Heat are able to get so many assist and easy baskets due to the great floor spacing and passing no team in the league does it better. The Heat face the 76ers tomorrow night make sure you hide the children.

Los Angeles Clippers 103 vs Los Angeles Lakers 116

               WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!?!?!? The Lakers bench went Bonkers in the fourth quarter to the point where Mike D’Antoni didn’t even need his starters and they trailed by four starting the fourth. Early on in the game JJ Redick and Pau Gasol stole the show by trading shots. In the second quarter the Clippers started to run and attack the paint. But the Lakers stayed in the game. The Lakers hit 14 three pointers in the game and they were sunk by some guys by the names of Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry. Blake Griffen had a whole offseason to improve his free throws and he went 3-10 tonight Good Job Blake! You’ll be seeing a lot of hack a Griffin this year. Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill had big games for the Lakers tonight. Gasol did a good job defending Blake and Pau added 13 rebounds. In the fourth quarter Jordan Hill was the only big on the floor for the Lakers and he came up big. He had 6 offensive rebounds to give the Lakers a lot of second chance points.  The Lakers bench caught fire in this game they scored 76 points!!! Jordan Farmar forgot he was Jordan Farmar and went nuts in the fourth. I don’t think the Lakers will keep this up it might have been a one night thing. I do have concerns about the Clippers. I’m not a believer in Deandre Jordan or Blake Griffin. If you want to be a title contender your starting shooting guard and small forward can’t be JJ Redick and Jared Dudley.

Follow @threwthenet for everything NBA

10/29 Preview

The NBA Tips-off today!!! There are only three games tonight so let’s take a quick look at them.

Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers

               For the Magic it’s the start of another long season. They’re up against one of the best in the east. Victor Oladipo makes his NBA debut tonight.  He’s going up against one of the best defenses in the league. There’s a good chance he’ll struggle tonight, but it should be fun to watch him.

               The one thing to look for on the Pacers side is the second unit. They beefed up their bench this offseason to take some of the workload off the starters. In other Pacers news, Danny Granger is going to miss the first three weeks of the season with a calf injury. You have to wonder if Granger will be 100% this year after missing all of last year.

Match-ups

               There are two match-ups in this game to watch. The first is Paul George and Tobias Harris. Paul George is one of the best wing defenders in the league and he’ll be matched up against the Magic’s best scorer. Harris averaged 17 points last year with the Magic without much of a jump shot. Let’s see if he can score vs. George.

The second match-up is Roy Hibbert vs. Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic averaged a double double last year. Hibbert became a top five center last year; he’s one of the best defenders at the center position. If the Pacers shut down these two players they should cruse to victory.

Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat

               This is a rematch of the 2^nd round of the playoffs from last year. It’s also the return of Derrick Rose!

               For the Bulls this is about showing they’re a major threat to the Heat in East. After watching Derrick Rose in preseason, it’s safe to say that he’s back to the Rose of old. If Rose can play good the Bulls have a chance of beating the Heat tonight and in dethroning the champions in the playoffs.

               The Heat will be receiving their championship rings and starting their quest for a three peat. Keep an eye on how the Heat defend Derrick Rose and the pick and roll. The Heat are one of the best at defending the pick and roll, but it’s a little different when Rose is the point guard. If the game is close in the final two minutes will we see LeBron guarding Rose?

               Match-ups

               Luol Deng vs. LeBron James. Whoever is defending LeBron, it’s about limiting him because you can’t shut him down. If Deng keeps James in check, the Bulls will have a chance to win this game.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

               The Battle of LA was already won in the offseason by the Clippers, and this game won’t be much different.

               The new look Clippers debut on national television. The Clippers offense is revamped and is going to want to put the league on notice. The Lakers defense might end up being one of the worst in league. Expect lots of scoring tonight from the Clippers

               Outside of Gasol, who is going to score for the Lakers? Steve Nash can’t be relied upon at his age to score especially in this game when he should put all of his energy on guarding Chris Paul. Nick Young time!!!

Match-up

               There is one big match up in this game, The Lakers defense vs. the Clippers three point shooters. The Lakers defenders have to stay at the three point line vs. the Clippers if they want any chance to compete in this game.

 

Enjoy the first night of the NBA season and remember to follow @threwthenet on twitter for everything NBA.

Suns and Wizards trade

The NBA season is five days away and we already have a big trade on our hands with the Washington Wizards and the Phoenix Suns. You’d never thought you’d see a big trade with these two…

               The Wizards receive: Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall.

               The Suns receive: Emeka Okafor and the Wizards first round pick in 2014. This pick is protected through number 12.

               My first thoughts when hearing about this trade were, THERE GOES MY DEPTH CHART FOR THE WIZARDS IN THE PREVIEW!!! But for the Wizards this makes a lot of sense. Gortat and Nene will be a good four and five. Offensively they both score a majority of their points around the rim that could lead to some issues with spacing. With Gortat that means less time on the floor for Jan Vesley, this is a plus for the Wizards. The Wizards also added Shannon Brown.  Brown can heat up at any time and could provide scoring off the bench. Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall won’t see a lot of time on the floor they were just throw in’s. This trade will help the Wizards chances of making the playoffs. Gortat and Brown are both on expiring deals as well.

The Suns

               They trade for Emeka Okafor who’s going to miss the start of the season with a herniated disk in his back. Okafor has a huge expiring contract. This trade is all about the Suns tanking and trying to get Andrew Wiggins. With an opening at center for the Suns look for their first round draft pick Alex Len to get a lot of playing time. Speaking of first round draft picks, the Suns now have four first round picks in the 2014 draft. The 2014 draft is projected to be one of the deepest drafts ever.

               Overall this trade seems like a win for both teams. Remember to follow @Threwthenet for all things NBA.

Eastern Conference Preview

The NBA season is right around the corner so it’s time to take a look at the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference has four powerhouse teams including the two time defending champions, The Miami Heat. It also has one very good team, The Knicks, and a whole lot of middle of the pack teams. There are two very bad teams, The Magic and The Bobcats. The East also has the 76ers, I can’t think of a word that describes this team. Let’s take a look at how I see the East panning out.

1st seed Indiana Pacers: Yes, I think this team will finish with the best record in the East. They finished third last year and have improved their roster.

Depth Chart:

PG: George Hill, CJ Waston

SG: Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Orlando Johnson

SF: Danny Granger, Chris Copeland

PF: David West, Luis Scola, Soloman Hill

C: Roy “Jello-shot” Hibbert, Ian Mahinmi

Depth

You look at this team and you see a very good starting five and a very good bench. With Danny Granger coming back it strengthens the starting lineup and makes the bench stronger with Lance Stephenson becoming the sixth man. Last year the Pacers bench included DJ Augustin, Gerald Green and Tyler Hansbrough. The Pacers are built for an 82 game season.

New Players

The Pacers revamped their bench, if they want to become a one seed these pieces need to work and not turn out like last year’s bench. They added CJ Waston as the backup point guard, a spot held by DJ Augustin last year. CJ played 19 minutes a game last year with the Nets and averaged 6.8 points which is a full two points better than DJ 2 assist had a 13.90 PER, That PER is almost a full 3 points better than DJ’s.  CJ brings much better defense than DJ and also shoots a better three ball.  CJ was at 41% last year compared to DJ’s 36%. Chris Copeland is a better option at small forward than Gerald Green. Copeland shot the three at 48% last year!!! He needs to work on his defense but his floor spacing will help out Luis Scola and open up the lane for Lance Stephenson. Speaking of Luis Scola, he replaces Tyler Hansbrough. Scola played 10 more minutes than Hansbrough last year.  Scola scored 5.8 more points and averaged two more rebounds. Scola is a good scorer which gives the Pacers second unit an offensive boost.

 

Danny Granger

            Danny Granger missed most of last season with a knee injury which showed us the greatness of Paul George. Now the Pacers need another guy to beat the Heat and Danny Granger is that guy. Now the question is can he mesh with the starting unit? If he can, the Pacers become an elite team, if not he can always be the sixth man or they could always trade, which is unlikely but he is in the final year of his contract.

 Second seed Miami Heat

            The Heat come in the favorites to win the title, you might ask then why are they ranked second, the answer is simple. The Heat do not care about the regular season, they’re going to get bored during the season and lose some games.

            Depth Chart

PG: Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole

SG: Dwayne Wade, Ray Allen

SF: LeBron James, Shane Battier, Michael Beasley, James Jones

PF: Udonis Haslem, Rashard Lewis, Jarvis Varnado

C: Chris Bosh, Chris Anderson, Greg Oden, Joel Anthony

Depth

            Looking at this Heat team you realize that they are thin at some positions. Power forward is not great but they’ll slide Lebron over to Power Forward and everything is okay. My only concern with the team during the regular season is Shane Battier and Ray Allen. Those legs have a lot of miles on them and at this point of their careers it will be tough to see them both play over seventy games. The Heat just need a top three seed and once the playoffs come they’ll be just fine.

Low Risk and High Reward?

            With the Heats cap situation it left them with no money to sign any good free agents. So what did the Heat do? They signed Greg Oden and Michael Beasley. Oden of course is the former number one pick from Ohio State. He could never stay on a NBA floor due to injuries. He’s working out with the Heat and has a good chance to make the roster. His contract is for one million dollars. If Oden can play like his old self and play in upwards of fifty games and be ready when the playoffs come around, The Heat would have made one of the best free agent signings of the summer. Michael Beasley has a few problems. He’s always in trouble with the law and because of that he never sees time on the floor. So with him going back to South Beach with his off the court problems should be fun! That being said, when Michael Beasley is on the floor and is under control he’s actually not a bad scorer. Good around the rim, he’s an okay jump shooter but on The Heat he should have some good opportunities to score off the double teams on LeBron. It’s unlikely that both of these players will find themselves and have a good season for the Heat but if one does it’s just another weapon for the defending champs.

Dwayne Wade

            Dwayne Wade is actually a concern for me. He started to breakdown in the finals last year. He’s only 31 but his body has taken a lot of bumps and he hasn’t played in over 70 games in each of the last two seasons. I think The Heat will limit him and try to save him for the playoffs, his minutes could drop a little bit, and maybe he could even sit out a few more games than he usually would. Or he’ll be okay and light it up and play like Wade always does. But his health is a concern.

Third Seed Chicago Bulls

            Of course this all depends on the knee of Derrick Rose. But even without Rose, this team made it to the second round of the playoffs. That just shows the greatness of Tom Thibodeau one of the best coaches in the league.

Depth Chart

PG: Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Marquis Teague

SG: Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy

SF: Luol Deng, Toney Snell

PF: Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson, Malcolm Thomas, Erik Murphy

C: Joakim Noah, Nazr Mohammed

Depth

            You look at the Bulls roster and you notice a good starting five and a decent bench. Dunleavy is a good shooter, Gibson is a good back up big and Kirk Hinrich might be one of the best back up point guards in the league. If the Bulls first round draft pick, Tony Snell can provide good minutes for the Bulls, it could provide rest for Luol Deng who has played a lot of minutes over the last five years. Thibodeau is known for having a small rotation and playing his starters big minutes, that shouldn’t change much this year.

 

 

Dunleavy

            Dunleavy is the new addition to the Bulls; he’s replacing Marco Benilnelli who was a key piece for the Bulls when they went up against the Nets in Brooklyn. Let’s compare these two players.

Marco Belinelli: 25.8 mins 9.6ppg 35.7 3P% 10.45 PER

Mike Dunleavy: 25.9 mins 10.5ppg 42.8 3P% 13.64 PER Dunleavy also provides better defense.

This looks like a solid replacement for the Bulls if he can repeat his 2013 season.

Luol Deng

            In 2009-2010 Deng played 37.9mins in 70 games

            In 2010-2011 39.1mins in 82 games

            2011-2012 39.4mins in 54 games

            2012-2013 38.7mins in 75 games

            What does this mean? Deng could come into the season worn out or could wear down in the middle of the season, the Bulls need to cut his minutes down or they could miss him for the playoffs, playing Butler at the three and Dunleavy at the two could save his legs. Let’s not forget he’s in the final year of his contract, it’s unlikely but the Bulls could shop him if Butler continues to improve.

Fourth Seed Brooklyn Nets

            Nothing to see here on to number five.  OH WAIT!  Billy King pulled off the trade of the offseason trading for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry. They resigned Andray Blatche and signed the best contract of the offseason; they signed Andrei Kirilenko for 3.1 million dollars. They also have new coach in Jason Kidd.

Depth Chart

PG: Deron Williams, Shaun Livingston, Tyshawn Taylor

SG: Joe Johnson, Jason Terry, Alan Anderson

SF: Paul Pierce, Andrei Kirlenko, TOKO LOCO Shengelia

PF: Kevin Garnett, Reggie Evans, Mirza Teletovic

C: Brook Lopez, Andray Blatche, Mason Plumlee

Depth

            Yeah this team is deep and is one of the deepest in the league.  Should be fun to see how the minutes for each player pans out.

New Coach

            Jason Kidd has gone from a NBA player to NBA coach to part owner of a NBA team in about 4 months. Kidd says he wants more ball movement with this Net team, PLEASE!  If you watched the Nets last year it was basically one on one basketball. Kidd faces one problem already with Kevin Garnett. Kidd has said he wants to sit Garnett on back to back games, KG doesn’t agree with this. KG should be on board with this plan.  After all, last year Kidd was an old player who needed his minutes restricted. He knows what KG is going through.

Defense!

            The Nets were 18^th in Defense last year. Now with KG and AK47 here expect them to jump into the top ten. Lawrence Frank, the former Nets coach and former defensive coordinator for the Boston Celtics are on the Nets bench as Kidd’s lead assistant coach. He will help make the Nets defense better.

Fifth Seed New York Knicks

            The Knicks won their first playoff series in forever and what did they do? Fire their GM! The Knicks roster has potential to be good and has potential to be bad. I can see it going both ways but I think they’ll be just fine.

Depth Chart

PG: Raymond Felton, Pablo Prigioni, Beno Udrih

SG: Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr

SF: Carmelo Anthony, Ron Artest, CJ Leslie

PF: Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kenyon Martin

C: Tyson Chandler, Cole Aldrich

Injuries

            You can’t talk about the Knicks without talking injuries. JR Smith is coming off “minor” knee surgery. Can the Knicks get more than 15 games out of Stoudemire? Is Carmelo’s shoulder completely healthy? Can Bargnani play more than 60 games? These are questions we need to find answers too. Well we all know Stoudemire won’t be playing a full 82 games and he will get hurt at some point this year, the question is when?

Defense

            The Knicks defense last year wasn’t good and is there any way it gets better? I don’t see how with Bargnani at power forward that’s not helping. Melo won’t commit to defense and Tyson Chandler took a step back last year. Ron Artest will help for late game situations. I think the Knicks defense will be about the same as it was last year.

The Three Ball

            Last year the Knicks set a NBA record for most threes made in a season. Now that won’t happen again for two reasons. One, Ron Artest still thinks he can shot - RON YOU CAN’T!  34% last year, but the Knicks got Andrea Bargnani, he shoots the three, no he doesn’t, over the last two years he’s shot 29.6% and 30.9%. The Knicks need to score besides the three ball but can they?

Sixth Seed Detroit Pistons

            This could be the most exciting team to watch in the league, I mean Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith are on the same team! I saw this team play in Brooklyn the other day, even though it was preseason, I came away impressed. They’re a big team but are athletic.  They will create match problems for other teams.

Depth Chart

PG:  Brandon Jennings, Will Bynum, Peyton Siva

SG: Chauncey Billups, Rodney Stuckey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SF: Josh Smith, Kyle Singler, Luigi Datome

PF: Greg Monreo, Charlie Vilanueva, Tony Mitchell

C: Andre Drummond, Jonas Jerebko, Josh Harrellson

Depth

            Looking at this team they have a nice five and the bench isn’t bad either. When they take one of their bigs out they can slide Smith to power forward and bring in Singler who can shoot from beyond the arc.

Can it work?

            There are a lot of personalities on this team, Smith and Jennings both like having the ball, Monroe and Drummond both work great in the post, so how will it work?  Every player is going to have to sacrifice their stats for wins. At first I think they’ll struggle but at some point in December or January, they’ll find it. Let’s just hope Josh Smith stops taking the three. Floor spacing will be a big issue and it should be fun to see how new coach, Maurice Cheeks does.

Matchup Problems

            The Pistons have a roster that will create problems for other teams. You can say they’re too big but Josh Smith is a good defender and should be able to handle himself against the other small forwards in the league.  If Smith uses his size on the offensive end, The Pistons will be a tough team to stop.

Expiring Contracts

            The Pistons have two expiring contracts in Charlie Villanueva and Rodney Stuckey. The Pistons could use another three point shooter off the bench; look for Villanueva to be traded. I don’t think Stuckey gets traded unless Caldwell-Pope looks really good.

Seventh Seed Washington Wizards

             They did it! They’re going to the playoffs! Washington has built through the draft with Wall and Beal and has some veterans in the front court. Now if you read my free agency preview you know I think the Wizards messed up by not going after Paul Millsap in a sign and trade with the Jazz.

Depth Chart

PG: John Wall, Eric Maynor, Garrett Temple

SG: Bradley Beal, Chris Singleton, Glen Rice Jr.

SF: Martell Webster, Otto Porter Jr., Trevor Ariza

PF: Nene, Trevor Booker, Al Harrington, Jan Vesley

C: Emeka Okafor, Kevin Seraphin

Depth

            The Wizards aren’t deep at all and if they want to become a playoff team they need to improve that depth, luckily they have two big expiring contracts in Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza. Hopefully for Washington they can swing a deal to get a little deep and propel them into the playoffs.

John Wall

            John Wall got paid this offseason now it’s time for him to put up numbers and when John Wall was on the floor last year the Wizards were one game under .500.  If he plays like he did last year in his limited time the Wizards will make the playoffs and Wall could become an All-star.

Front Court

            When your front court is Webster, Nene and Okafor it’s hard to be good.  Luckily for the Wizards they play in the East where being good isn’t cool. They can survive with this unit. Hopefully Otto Porter Jr. can show something and take the starting job from Webster. If they can swing Okafor for something it’s a plus. Hopefully the Wizards can make this year a good one and finally make the playoffs.

Eighth Seed Atlanta Hawks

            The Hawks were a six seed last year somehow and they lost Josh Smith and replaced him with Paul Millsap. Last year Lou Williams missed half the year with a knee injury. Look Lou to have a bounce back season. This team might take a step back but should still be in the playoffs. If things go wrong they’ll make some trades, if things go right they’ll stand pat and watch the season happen.

Depth Chart

PG: Jeff Teague, Dennis Schroder, Shelvin Mack

SG: Lou Williams, John Jenkins, Jared Cunningham

SF: Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll

PF: Paul Millsap, Elton Brand, Mike Scott

C: Al Horford, Gustavo Ayon, Pero Antic

 The Plan

             Danny Ferry what are you doing? I thought you were supposed to bottom out and build through the draft? Maybe last year trade Josh Smith before the trade deadline and get some picks instead he walks for nothing and now the Hawks are a middle of the pack team like they’ve been the last seven year. Middle of the pack is the worst place to be in the NBA, you want to be very good or very bad.

Millsap vs. Smith

            If the Hawks are going to make it back to the playoffs they need Millsap to do what Josh Smith did.

Millsap: 30mins 14ppg 7rpg 19.89PER

Smith: 35mins 17ppg 8rpg 17.82 PER

Horford

            With Josh Smith gone Al Horford will be asked to pick up the scoring, this is his team now. He needs to show the franchise that he is ready to become the face of the team. Last year he went 17 and 10. Twenty and 10 shouldn’t be out of the question for Horford.

Ninth Seed Cleveland Cavaliers

            We keep hearing that the Cavs are ready to make the playoffs this year. I don’t believe that, in order for them to make the playoffs they need a healthy Andrew Bynum and well, that probably won’t happen.

Depth Chart

PG: Kyrie Irving, Jarrett Jack, Matthew Dellavedova

SG: Dion Waiters, CJ Miles, Carrick Felix

SF: Earl Clark, Alonzo Gee, Sergey Karasev

PF: Tristan Thompson, Anthony Bennett,

C: Andrew Bynum, Anderson Varejao, Tyler Zeller

The Plan

            The Cavs believe they have a team that can contend for the playoffs. Their whole plan is to look attractive for LeBron in free agency. And if they get word that LeBron is staying will they make a run at Rudy Gay at the trade deadline?

Andrew Bynum

            This was a good move for the Cavs because it’s a low risk high reward type deal. If he stays healthy the Cavs would have him for a bargain but it’s unlikely he can stay healthy.

Trades

            The Cavs have very good contract to trade in Anderson Varejao, he makes 9 million and is in the final year of his contract. If the Cavs aren’t contending, a team that is contending would take on Varejao’s contract as a rental.

            Tenth Seed Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks lost their starting point guard and shooting guard in the offseason in Jennings and Ellis. These two were exciting but provided bad defense and bad shot selection.

 

Depth Chart

PG: Brandon Knight, Luke Ridnour, Nate Wolters

SG: OJ Mayo, Gray Neal, Giannis Antetokounmpo

SF: Caron crazy eyes Butler, Khris Middleton, Stephen Graham

PF:  Ersan Ilyasova, John Henson, Ekpe Udoh

C:  Larry Sanders, Zaza Pachulia, Miroslav Raduljica

 Can they mesh?

Can this team work? Well last year’s team worked and many thought they wouldn’t.  I think this team can work; the only problem is they’re just not good.

Trades?

If the season starts to fail Caron Butler could be a trading chip. He’s in the final year of his contract and is making 8 million; a contending team that needs depth at the small forward position will definitely call the Bucks.

Eleventh Seed Toronto Raptors

The Goal for the Raptors this year is simple, stink and trade Rudy Gay and possibly Kyle Lowry. That provides cap relief and they could get a good draft picks

Depth Chart

PG: Kyle Lowry, DJ Augustin, Dwight Buycks

SG: DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross,

SF: Rudy Gay, Landry Fields, Steve Novak

PF: Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough, Quincy Acy, Austin Daye

C: Jonas Valanciunas, Aaron Gray

Trades

The Raptors got a new GM and he’s looking to rebuild. We already saw Andrea Bargnani’s contract get traded, and he somehow got a first round draft pick in return! Rudy Gay is next. The question is, where is he heading? It won’t be a contending team that picks him up. It will be one of the bottom level teams looking to make a splash and energize a fan base.

 

Masai Ujiri

That’s the name of the Raptors new GM. He of course was the GM in Denver when they traded Carmelo Anthony, Masai did very well in that trade and he’ll be wheeling and dealing north of the boarder.

Youth

Cheer up Canada it’s not all bad for the Raptors. They still have good young players in DeRozan, Ross, Johnston and Valanciunas. If those four can improve from their good season last year the Raptors could be close to a low playoff seeding in the coming years.

Twelfth seed Boston Celtics

What an offseason for the Celtics, you lose Garnett, Pierce and Doc River. You gain Gerald Wallace (it was hard to write his name without picturing a missed layup) and Kris Humphries. Unfortunately, there’s still one more shoe to drop. And that Rondo, how many games will he play before he’s traded? The Celtics also got a new coach in Brad Stevens.

Depth Chart

PG: Rajon Rondo, Phil Pressey

SG: Avery Bradley, Courtney Lee, MarShon Brooks, Jordan Crawford

SF: Jeff Green, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans

PF: Brandon Bass, Jared Sullinger, Kris Humphries

C: Kelly Olynyk, Vito Faverani

Rondo and trades

Rondo won’t be ready for the start of the season but whenever he is ready he won’t be in Boston for long. He will be traded and the Celtics will have gone into full rebuilding mode. When Rondo is traded the Celtics will get a good package back in return to help build towards the future. Another player that the Celtics could trade is everybody’s favorite Kardashian, Kris. For the record I believed in Kris Humphries when the Nets were still in New Jersey.  Hump put up back to back seasons with a double double. He’s in the last year of his contract where he’s due to make 12 million dollars. If Hump can get close to a double double average he’ll find his way to a contending team.

Youth

The Celtics do have some good young players on this team. Avery Bradley is okay; he needs to work on offense and should NEVER play point guard again. MarShon Brooks has shown the ability to score at will and to give up points at will. Jeff Green has shown greatness but not enough consistency. If he has a great season he might be traded as well if the Celtics get the right price for him. Sullinger looked pretty good before his back gave out on him last year. Coming out of college with a bad back he will have a bad reputation about his back unless he plays a full season. The Celtics have two rookies in Olynyk and Faverani, now I’ve only seen them in preseason and on the offensive end and they have been good. The Celtics have some youth on this team; hopefully they can play well and grow as a team.

Thirteenth Seed Orlando Magic

The Magic are a young team that has been built through the draft and trades. They still have a few bad contracts. This team will not be good this year they’ll end up with a top seven pick.

Depth Chart

PG: Jameer Nelson, E’Twaun Moore, Ronnie Price

SG: Arron Afflalo, Victor Oladipo, Doron Lamb

SF: Tobias Harris, Maurice Harkless, Hedo Turkoglu (YOUR STILL ON THIS TEAM!!)

PF: Andrew Nicholson, Jason Maxiell, Glen Davis

C: Nikola Vucevic, Kyle O’Quinn, Mickell Gladness

Youth

The Magic actually have good young players!! When Tobias Harris came over in the JJ Reddick deal he tore it up with the Magic he scored 17 ppg and 8.5 rpg!! He actually did that. He’s not good at shooting threes or shooting at all at that, but he gets to the rim and scores. Moe Harkless was drafted by Philly and was dealt in the Dwight Howard trade. He’s not much of a shooter either but he needs to show some improvement this year for the Magic. Andrew Nicholson was the first round pick of the Magic in 2012. He only went 8 and 3 in his rookie year. He only started 28 games that should change this year. He should start every game and the Magic need to see what they have. Now onto my favorite member of the Orlando Magic, Nikola Vucevic. Last year he started 77 games and averaged a double 13ppg and 12rpg. If he can change that 13 to 15 the Magic might have their center of the future.

Trades

The Magic have Hedo Turkoglu’s huge expiring contract. He’s due to make 12 million dollars this year but only 6 million is guaranteed the other six is guaranteed on January 10^th. The Magic will try to use him as an asset. If he isn’t moved he will most likely be cut before the 6 million dollar deadline. Jameer Nelson is another player who could be traded on the Magic. He has two years left at close to 18 million. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get the boot.

OlADIPO!!!!

Victor Oladipo was the best player in this draft and was the most NBA ready player in this year’s draft. He is going to be an elite defender and a good scorer. Just one thing, DON’T LET HIM RUN THE POINT!!! Let him do his thing at the two if that means he has to come off the bench then let it be. Just don’t let him run the point.

Fourteenth Seed Charlotte Bobcats

Oh no I have to write about the Bobcats… This is one bad organization Michael Jordan has ruined this team. The greatest player in Bobcat history is Gerald Wallace… That’s all you need to know about the Charlotte Bobcats.

Depth Chart

PG: Kemba Walker, Ramon Sessions Jannero Pargo

SG: Gerald Henderson, Ben Gordon

SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Jeffery Taylor, James Southerland

PF: Cody Zeller, Josh McRoberts, Anthony Tolliver, Jeff Adrien

C: Al Jefferson, Bismack Biyombo, Brandon Haywood

Show Me Something!

Kemba Walker has been good so far in his NBA career, but with this team he needs to score at least 20 points a game; Kemba get me 20! Michael Kidd-Gilchrist can you please hit a jump shot? If you can’t show improvement in that department this year be prepared to be and 9^th man on a team that comes in just to play defense. Cody Zeller, I don’t know how you were drafted this high. The only thing I remember about him in college is seeing him getting thrown around in the paint. When it was announced that the Bobcats drafted Zeller, Bobcat fans started to boo and leave the teams draft party. Zeller has to show the fan base that he’s a good player. And then there’s Bismack Biyombo. He doesn’t have to show me anything. We all know he’s not an NBA player. Good job Michael Jordan!

Al Jefferson

Big Al followed the money and ended up in Charlotte. Big Al is going to put up points in Charlotte! And who knows, maybe he and Kemba Walker can develop a nice pick and roll. I don’t have a problem with the Bobcats giving Big Al this money. They aren’t going anywhere so why not spend some money?

Trades

The Bobcats don’t have many pieces to trade. Ben Gordon is in the final year of his contract. Wait for it…..he’s making 13 MILLION this year!! BEN GORDON 13 MILLION!!! Now some team that contending that’s looking for a good three point shooter will gladly scope him up. Ramon Sessions is in the last year of his contract and I don’t think the Bobcats will get anything back for him. However, somewhere Laker fans are saying Ramon Sessions is still the answer.

The Fifteenth Seed Philadelphia 76ers

This is the worst team I’ve ever seen in my life. It came out that Nerlens Noel won’t play this season as he recovers from ACL surgery. If this team wins 10 games they should throw a parade in Philly.

Depth Chart (I’m scared to write this)

PG: Michael Carter Williams, Tony Wroten, Darius Morris

SG: James Anderson (wait what?), Jason Richardson, Vander Blue

SF: Evan Turner, Royce White

PF: Thaddeus Young, Arnett Moultrie, Tim Ohlbrecht

C: Spencer Hawes, Nerlens Noel, Lavoy Allen, Kwame Brown

Andrew Wiggins

The 76ers are tanking so hard for Andrew Wiggins. If the 76ers can get Wiggins it’s a successful season, if not, they’ll do it over again next year.

Trades

Spencer Hawes is in the last year of his contract. Maybe he gets traded to a contending team looking for a back-up big man. Evan Turner is in the last year of his contract. He was the second overall pick in the 2010 draft. He hasn’t lived up to his potential and his run in Philly looks to be over. Maybe some team will trade for him.

MCW

Last year while watching some Syracuse games I came away impressed with Michael Carter Williams. But when he announced he was coming into the draft I was very disappointed. I thought he could have used another year or two in college. Now I think MCW first two years in the NBA will be disappointing. But at some point I think he will become a very good NBA point guard.

That’s all for the eastern conference. Follow @threwthenet on twitter for Nets and NBA news and for more pieces.