Breaking Down Deadline Trades

The trade deadline has finally passed and not without several big moves, though none at the level of the Gasol-Shaq-Kidd blockbusters. Here's a rundown of the deals that went down in the last two days, going from the most important to the least.

Cleveland acquires Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak

In a three team, eleven player deal, the Cavaliers added Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith, Delonte West, and the Bulls 2009 2nd round pick, while giving up Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, Ira Newble, Cedric Simmons, and Shannon Brown. Gooden, Hughes, Simmons, and Brown went to Chicago, while Seattle got Marshall, Newble, and Adrian Griffin.

This is a major shake-up for the Cavaliers and has to be considered a win for GM Danny Ferry, though not an overwhelming one. Ironically, the biggest names in this deal are the least important. Wallace should still be an effective defender and shot-blocker, but it's hard to see him do much more than replace Gooden's production on the boards, while being far less effective on offense. However, his contract is terrible and this would be an awful acquisition without the unloading of Hughes' contract. Szczerbiak has put up solid numbers this year and should be a great fit alongside LeBron James, who should find him for plenty of open threes. Smith and West were nice pickups as well. Smith will provide a little low-post scoring and is a definite upgrade over Marshall, while West will knock down some threes and can play the 1 or the 2, giving the Cavs another shooter and more depth.

There are obvious downsides to this trade, the main one being that the Cavs gave up a ton of expiring contracts and had to take on 33 year old Wallace, who is having his worst season since 1999-2000 when he played for Orlando. Still, it's hard to fault Ferry when the only quality player he surrendered was Gooden. Hughes had played better of late, but it was clear that he was never going to live up to his contract in Cleveland, if at all. Wallace should also benefit from playing alongside LeBron, who should be able to feed him for some easy dunks and alley-oops.

The Cavs starting lineup should now include LeBron, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson (or possibly West), Szczerbiak, and Wallace. That gives LeBron a low-post scorer, a shot-blocker, and two guards who can light it up from the outside. Swapping Gooden for Wallace also gives the Cavs the option of playing a more up-tempo style when Ilgauskas hits the bench. An effective small lineup could include Gibson, West, Szczerbiak, LeBron, and Wallace, or LeBron and Ilgauskas could play the 4 and 5, spacing the floor with shooters. This move should significantly improve the Cavs and vault them into the Eastern Conference's elite.

For the Bulls, this was simply a way to unload Wallace's contract and create more minutes for Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Hughes and Gooden get, but it's hard to see them getting much action (Hughes in particular). Meanwhile the Sonics get expiring deals in Newble and Griffin, while saving a little money by dumping Szczerbiak. All in all this deal should improve the Cavs' chances in the playoffs significantly, while sparing the Bulls and Sonics of two bad contracts.

San Antonio acquires Kurt Thomas

Yesterday, shortly after the Jason Kidd trade went through, the Spurs sent Brent Barry, Francisco Elson, and a 2009 first round pick to Seattle for Kurt Thomas

This is a great move for the Spurs who dump the disappointing Elson and the expendable Barry, while getting Thomas, who should be a superb fit in San Antonio. Thomas is still a great post defender and his ability to knock down mid-range jumpers should play very well alongside Tim Duncan. While this does not make the Spurs any younger, they needed to make a move after the Gasol and Shaq trades to bolster their interior defense.

There has been talk (namely from Phil Jackson) that the Sonics did the Spurs a favor, considering their GM and coach are former Spurs' personnel, but ultimately the Sonics gain a late 1st round pick and lose a player whose main value (for a losing team) lay in his expiring contract. In Barry and Elson the Sonics get two players whose deals also expire at the end of the year, so as far as their long term prospects are concerned, they get a late first round pick for nothing. Hard to argue with that.

New Orleans acquires Bonzi Wells

The Hornets traded Bobby Jackson and Adam Haluska to the Rockets for Bonzi Wells and Mike James, while the Grizzlies acquire the rights to Marcus Vinicius, two other international prospects, and cash considerations.

This trade should help the Hornets by giving them some much-needed depth. Wells should be a far better fit in New Orleans than he was in Houston, where his poor shooting made him expendable. While Wells might be a lost cause, he can still rebound and provide a little inside scoring, plus he often seems to benefit from a change of scenery. James has struggled this season, but he might still be able to provide some offense off the bench, and he probably isn't a major downgrade from Jackson.

It's hard to see how this deal helps the Rockets, other than dumping the frustrating Wells. Bobby Jackson is a better shooter than James and should benefit from the open looks generated by Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, but other than that nothing is really gained, save a slightly higher second round draft pick (the Rockets will take the higher of the two teams' second round picks). This looks to be an attempt at addition by subtraction, as the departure of Wells will likely have a bigger impact than Jackson's arrival.

Houston acquires Gerald Green

The Rockets sent Kirk Snyder, a 2010 2nd round pick, and cash considerations to Minnesota for Gerald Green.

Both contracts expire at the end of the year, so the only real benefit for Minnesota is the 2nd round pick. As for the Rockets, they gain a 22 year old who is an explosive athlete and a capable three-point shooter. While he has a long way to go, he is still an intriguing prospect who was struggling to find playing time in Minnesota, especially with the return of Randy Foye. Unfortunately for Green, it's hard to see him having an extended stay in Houston. One has to think he'll get a few minutes, otherwise why make the trade at all, but playing time will be hard to come by.

Toronto acquires Primoz Brezec

The Raptors traded Juan Dixon to Detroit for Primoz Brezec.

Both players have expiring deals and probably won't see the floor often. The Raptors were a bit thin up front and Brezec at least gives them a measure of security should one of their big men go down. It's unlikely Dixon will get much playing time in Detroit, but he is shooting 43.6% from downtown, so he could see a few minutes here and there to spread the floor.

And finally, the most meaningless trade of the day...

Portland acquires Von Wafer

Yes, Von Wafer will be heading to Portland as the Blazers send Taurean Green to Denver.

The Nuggets did need another point guard, but I'm not sure Green was the one. He has only played in 8 games and registered 44 minutes this year, though maybe he'll spell Anthony Carter and Allen Iverson for a few minutes a game in Denver. Green is only a rookie and maybe there's some potential, but one has to wonder whether he'd be in the league at all had he not shared the court with Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Corey Brewer in Florida. Meanwhile, Wafer heads to the bench in Portland. He is only 22 and has performed well in the D-League, but it's unlikely the Portland re-signs him at the end of the year. One has to ask why this trade took place at all except as an excuse for Denver and Portland to get in on the trade deadline fun.

Kidd Trade Reeks of Panic

Despite Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse's best efforts, the Jason Kidd trade is now official. Like the phoenix, the deal rose from the ashes (with a little help from semi-retired Keith Van Horn). Like the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks hit the panic button in response to the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol.

While it's hard to see this trade being as detrimental to Dallas as the Shaq trade could be to Phoenix, it is a lateral move in the short term and a step backward in the long term. The Mavs should get an immediate boost from adding Kidd to their starting five, as the team had sputtered a bit going into the All-Star break, but that is mainly because he'll be replacing Eddie Jones or the now-infamous Devean George. The team's struggles had much more to do with injuries to Devin Harris and Josh Howard than the team's talent and chemistry.

Kidd will help the Mavs get some easier baskets with his passing and perhaps he can bring back some of that run-and-gun style the Mavs had under Don Nelson, but is the shake-up really necessary? Dallas is currently fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency (and they were even higher before Harris went down), despite placing 20th in assist ratio. This is because Dallas' offense relies mostly on isolation plays, for Dirk Nowitzki and Howard in particular, so the assists aren't really necessary. That's not to say that Kidd's passing won't be appreciated, but the team would have to significantly adjust its playing style to maximize Kidd's impact on the offense.

Defensively there is a little upside to adding Kidd in that his size allows the Mavs to match up better when they play Kidd and Jason Terry together. Harris struggled at times when assigned to bigger guards, so Kidd may be an improvement on that front. Okay, so maybe Kidd can contain Baron Davis, but who's going to slow down Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, and Chris Paul? Not 35-year old Kidd, that's for sure.

And that brings up another crucial point. At 35, how many productive years does Kidd have left? It's hard to see him completely falling apart in the next year or two simply because he doesn't rely on athleticism to make plays, but he's certainly not getting any better. As it is, Harris has a better Player Efficiency Rating this year, and he is only 24. Common sense would say that he'll continue to improve, while Kidd will decline, thus making this a potentially disastrous deal for the Mavs in the long run.

And don't even talk to me about triple-doubles and Kidd's amazing rebounding ability. Kidd's rebounding is a product of the Nets' system and their incompetent big men. Think about it. The Nets have started Jason Collins, Nenad Krstic, Malik Allen, Josh Boone, and Sean Williams this season. Boone is the only one of these players to average more than six rebounds a game. Meanwhile, the Nets' wing players don't get a lot of defensive rebounds because their role is to start the fastbreak after a missed shot, rather than crash the boards. These factors leave tons of easy defensive rebounds for Kidd and that's why he has 8.1 RPG. While he is having his best defensive rebounding season ever, a better indicator of his rebounding ability is his work on the offensive glass. He is actually having his worst offensive rebounding season to date, pulling down only 1.1 offensive boards a game, and while he is the top total rebounder amongst NBA guards, he is 11th in offensive boards. That sounds pretty impressive until you consider that Kidd plays 37 minutes a game, making him far less efficient than the likes of Kelenna Azubuike (1.3 OREB, 21.7 MPG), Maurice Evans (1.3 OREB, 21.1 MPG), Adrian Griffin (0.9 OREB, 10.1 MPG), and even Devean George (0.8 OREB, 15.0 MPG). I admit this was a bit of a tangent, but rest assured that Jason Kidd will not significantly improve the Mavs' rebounding.

So far I've analyzed the trade as if it was a Kidd-Harris swap, but the Mavs also gave up DeSagana Diop in the deal. What's the logic in trading DeSagana Diop, arguably your best defensive big man, in response to the Lakers and Suns adding big men? Who comes off the bench when Erick Dampier inevitably fouls out or is simply ineffective? Brandon Bass? Malik Allen? Juwan Howard? Obviously Diop was included to make the salaries match up and to make the deal more appealing to the Nets, but in the short term the Mavs may miss Diop more than Harris.

The rest of the players in the deal are fairly insignificant. Trenton Hassell is semi-useful as a defensive specialist and useless when you already have defensive stoppers in Josh Howard and Eddie Jones. He might help the Nets a bit. Maurice Ager has the potential to be a decent player and might get a chance to develop in New Jersey. Keith Van Horn may not even play, let alone help the Nets in the playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Mavs also receive Antoine Wright and the aforementioned Malik Allen. Wright is a young, athletic defensive specialist and he'll more than make up for the loss of Hassell and Allen gives the Mavs a little size, though he won't quite replace Diop's defense.

It's hard to see this trade paying great dividends for Dallas. Maybe a rejuvenated Kidd can lead the team to the promised land, but wasn't Nowitzki in the Finals just two years ago? Why is it that he's suddenly incapable of leading a playoff team? He doesn't deserve all the blame for the catastrophic Golden State upset. Sure, he struggled, but he wasn't the only one.

On New Jersey's end, this is a great deal. They unload Kidd and receive Harris and some cap room. Harris and Diop could improve the team and help them make the playoffs, but if not, it's no big loss as the team is going to rebuild anyway. Rod Thorn's next step will be trading Vince Carter, though he'll have a much harder time finding takers. Rumor has it the Knicks are interested (and really, who else would be?), so we'll see what Thorn has up his sleeve.

Regardless of how this impacts the standings, it will make for an exciting remainder of the season, and it will likely spark a few more trades as the Western Conference powers continue to bulk up for the stretch run.

Shaq Heads West

In what has to be the most confusing trade of the season, if not the decade, the Suns have acquired Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. Shaq will give the Suns the most imposing frontcourt in the league, but there are many questions as to how what kind of fit Shaq will be in the Suns fast-paced offense. It's hard to picture him running up the court with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire.

O'Neal should make the Suns far more dangerous in their halfcourt sets, though one has to wonder whether he'll get in the way of Stoudemire. A few years ago, Shaq would have been able to draw double-teams and space the floor for the Suns' shooters, but with the way he has struggled this season, posting career-lows in points and rebounds, no one is going to leave Nash or Leandro Barbosa alone on the perimeter to swarm Shaq.

This move could also be disastrous for the Suns defense, as the Suns may have provided the answer to the question "What defense could possibly be worse than one with Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry?" According to Ric Bucher, the Suns believe Shaq will help them out defensively, but what is the logic behind that? Sure, Shaq's size should help him keep opposing big men out of the paint, but who are these big men exactly that rely so strictly on size that Shaq is going to lock them down? Maybe he can slow down Andrew Bynum and Tyson Chandler, but it's hard to see him shutting down big men who have reliable mid-range games, such as Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, and Carlos Boozer. He'll also be a major liability in transition defense. Meanwhile, Amare Stoudemire was already a very poor defender. Maybe he'll benefit from defending power forwards, but it's hard to see the Suns having any sort of effective post defense with the two of them on the floor.

The biggest problem with this move is the loss of Marion. Marion was an ideal fit for the Suns. He was able to defend the power forward position (plus just about every other position, if needed) while creating mismatches on offense with his quickness, athleticism, and shooting ability. By all accounts Marion was struggling to get along with Stoudemire and chemistry issues forced this trade, but if Marion was such a troublemaker, it sure didn't show up in the standings. It should be noted that Banks will also be missed (to a far lesser degree) as he had provided Nash with a little much-needed rest and aside from Nash he was the only point guard on the team. Now Barbosa will have to take up point guard duties when Nash is on the bench, or in case of an injury. If such an injury occurs, it will be up to Barbosa, and then likely Grant Hill and Boris Diaw, to run the offense. That could spell trouble.

There is no question that Shaq will be very motivated to make this trade pay off for Phoenix. He'll do his best to prove his doubters wrong, especially when he's competing in the same division as Kobe Bryant. Maybe the Diesel has something left in the tank after all.

This should be a decent move for the Heat, who get out from under Shaq's massive contract. Whether Marion can make the Heat any better this year is a moot point. His contract expires after next season, which will make him an extremely valuable trading chip next year if Miami decides that he and Dwyane Wade aren't a suitable 1-2 punch.

Regardless of how it turns out for the Suns, David Stern has to be smiling about this trade. After the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol, the Suns upped the ante by acquiring the self-proclaimed MDE (Most Dominant Ever), and rumors are swirling that Jason Kidd could be heading to the Mavs next. There is no doubt that a Suns-Lakers playoff series would draw huge ratings and rightly so (though the ratings for Sunday's Lakers-Heat game will suffer).

The stakes have all risen dramatically now that Shaq is heading back to the Western Conference. Now the pressure is on Mike D'Antoni to make it work. If he can keep the Suns playing at the same level with Shaq on board, he deserves Coach of the Year. If not, Steve Kerr could be looking for work at season's end.

Lakers Land Pau Gasol

The Chicago Bulls must be kicking themselves now. After failed bids to trade for Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, the Bulls can only watch as the two team up after a trade that should propel the Lakers into the Western Conference's elite.

Clearly the Grizzlies were simply ready to move on, as they took considerably less talent than any of the Bulls' offers would have provided. All Memphis received was Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, Javaris Crittenton, the rights to Pau's brother Marc, and two future first round picks. Brown appears to be a lost cause and his only value lies in his expiring contract. The same can be said for McKie, who is unofficially retired. Crittenton is an intriguing prospect and Marc Gasol could be a solid pro down the road, while the draft picks figure to be in the mid-to-high 20s.

On Memphis' side, the main benefit is the newly acquired cap space. They could well be the only team this off-season that can offer a max contract, so perhaps Elton Brand or Gilbert Arenas is in their future. Of course, it's hard to see why a superstar such as Brand would come to Memphis. There hardly seems to be enough talent there to make the Grizzlies winners, even with such an addition. The draft could impact that, however, as the Grizzlies could make another run for the league's worst record. It's hard to imagine Memphis making the playoffs with a core of Elton Brand, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, Hakim Warrick, and Juan Carlos Navarro, but perhaps adding a Michael Beasley or Eric Gordon would be enough to make them dangerous, or at least to convince a high-profile free agent that they could be playoff-bound.

The Grizzlies will likely take a lot of heat for this move, but it was a good one. All that cap space should be put to good use this off-season, and while they might have been able to secure a better prospect in a deal with the Bulls last season (Tyrus Thomas, for example), the cap space would have gone to waste in a poor free agent class. Besides, it was clear that Gasol was not the answer for this team, as their 13-33 record indicates. It was one thing when the team played terribly when he was hurt, but for them to show no significant improvement with a healthy Gasol means it was a good idea to show him the door. The rest of the season will be a tough one to be a Grizzlies fan, save the comic relief of a frontcourt featuring Kwame Brown AND Darko Milicic.

For the Lakers, the expectations could not be higher. With this trade, they make the leap to the NBA's top tier. Gasol should be an excellent fit in the triangle offense, with his low-post skills and his passing. While he may struggle to shake the "soft" label, his contributions on the offensive end should easily make up for any defensive shortcomings. With Kobe, Lamar Odom, and Gasol, the Lakers will be very tough to defend and the return of Andrew Bynum could make them a devastating force. What's more, the Lakers have a number of three-point gunners to surround their scorers. Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Vlad Radmanovic, heck, maybe even Coby Karl should be able to take advantage of the open looks provided by the Lakers new fearsome foursome.

What must have the rest of the league complaining to the league office is that the Lakers were able to acquire Gasol without giving up any key components to this year's team. Brown won't be missed and Crittenton was the odd-man out in a crowded backcourt anyway. The Lakers still have exceptional depth. Their bench will include Jordon Farmar, Trevor Ariza, Walton, Radmanovic, Vujacic, and Ronny Turiaf.

One of the biggest advantages to this move is the versatility the Lakers now possess. The starting lineup (upon Bynum's return) will feature three players 6-10 or taller and their depth will allow them to rotate in players to match up with any team in the league.

The only potential downside is the impact this move could have on defense and chemistry. It's unlikely that Gasol will create chemistry issues, as he had been clamoring for a trade to a winning team for some time now, but one does have to wonder if he'll be frustrated seeing the ball in Kobe's hands so much after being the #1 option for so long. Defense could be a bigger issue, however. According to 82games.com, the Grizzlies allowed 3.7 more points per 100 possessions when Gasol was on the floor this season. The Lakers also allowed more points when Bynum was on the floor. Granted, that statistic is slightly flawed because opposing teams had their top players on the floor when Gasol and Bynum were in the game and it should be noted that both players more than made up for any defensive deficiencies with their offensive output. That said, both Gasol and Bynum were primarily defending the center position. Gasol might not have been a major liability when he was defending opposing centers, but can he stay with quicker power forwards? It's hard to imagine the Lakers struggling to defend the post like the Knicks with Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry in the paint, but nonetheless it could be an issue.

All in all, it was an outstanding trade for the Lakers and it will make the Western Conference that much more interesting. How long until Jason Kidd joins the fray?

Mitchell Report All-Star Team

With the newly released (and highly criticized) Mitchell Report, I've decided the only appropriate way to cover it is to make an All-Star team out of the players cited as steroid users. I've also included statistics from a supposedly steroid-influenced season.

Catcher
Todd Hundley
1996 stats: .259 average, 41 HRs, 112 RBIs
First Base
Jason Giambi
2002 stats: .342 average, 41 HRs, 122 RBIs
Second Base
Brian Roberts (note that Roberts only was said to have injected himself once or twice during 2003, hence the fairly "human" numbers)
2003 stats: .270 average, 5 HRs, 41 RBIs, 29 SBs
Third Base
Ken Caminiti (I'm using his MVP season since he admitted to using steroids throughout his career)
1996 stats: .326 average, 40 HRs, 130 RBIs, NL MVP
Shortstop
Miguel Tejada
2003 stats: .278 average, 27 HRs, 106 RBIs
Left Field
Barry Bonds
2001 stats: .328 average, 73 HRs, 137 RBIs, NL MVP
Center Field
Jose Canseco
1998 stats: .237 average, 46 HRs, 107 RBIs, 29 SBs
Right Field
Gary Sheffield
2003 stats: .330 average, 39 HRs, 132 RBIs, 18 SBs
Designated Hitter
Mo Vaughn
2002 stats: .259, 26 HRs, 72 RBIs
Bench
Lenny Dykstra
David Justice
Rafael Palmeiro
Gary Matthews Jr.
Paul LoDuca

Starting Pitchers
Roger Clemens
1998 stats: 20-6, 2.65 ERA, 271 Ks, Cy Young Award
Kevin Brown
2003 stats: 14-9, 2.39 ERA, 185 Ks
Andy Pettitte
2003 stats: 21-8, 4.02 ERA, 180 Ks
Denny Neagle
2000 stats: 15-9, 4.52 ERA, 146 Ks
Paul Byrd
2005 stats: 12-11, 3.74 ERA, 102 Ks
Closer
Eric Gagne
2004 stats: 45 saves, 2.19 ERA, 114 Ks
Relief Pitchers
Mike Stanton
2003 stats: 5 saves, 4.57 ERA, 24 Ks
Brendan Donnelly
2004 stats: 3.00 ERA, 56 Ks
Ron Villone
2004 stats: 4.08 ERA, 86 Ks
Derrick Turnbow
2005 stats: 39 saves, 1.74 ERA, 64 Ks
Jason Grimsley
2001 stats: 3.02 ERA, 61 Ks

Not a bad team. Let's see how the lineup would look:

1 2B Brian Roberts
2 CF Jose Canseco
3 LF Barry Bonds
4 3B Ken Caminiti
5 1B Jason Giambi
6 RF Gary Sheffield
7 C Todd Hundley
8 SS Miguel Tejada
9 DH Mo Vaughn

That's a murderer's row if I've ever seen one, and just imagine if I had included Vaughn or Roberts in their good seasons. So what's the moral here? That steroids work?

Honestly, there is no moral. But then what does the Mitchell Report really accomplish other than throwing some players under the bus? Maybe it will lead to more stringent testing, but for now it's just created a media frenzy. I'm just glad I could join in the fun.

Thoughts From Week 12

Steelers 3, Dolphins 0: The Swamp Bowl had to make for one of the ugliest games in NFL history. My favorite moment had to come in the third quarter when a punted ball stuck in the mud and the players just stared at it for a moment, in utter bewilderment. Amazingly the weather managed to be more entertaining than Ricky Williams brief and ill-fated comeback. That injury was perhaps the best thing that could've happened to Williams who now has a legitimate excuse not to play football. Now he can toke up to his heart's delight.

Patriots 31, Eagles 28: Who would've thought that the only team other than the Colts to put up a fight against the Patriots would be the Eagles? The Eagles had some favorable match-ups, especially in the secondary. If anyone could stay with Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth, it's Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. Wes Welker killed Philadelphia, but one has to think the Eagles would have won that game if they had a competent nickel back (sorry Joselio Hanson). Also working in their favor was the fact that the Eagles' biggest weakness (run defense) coincided with the Patriots' biggest weakness (rushing offense). That said, this was the perfect storm for the Patriots to lose a game and the Eagles fell just short. No one remaining on New England's schedule appears to have the right mix of players to follow the Eagles' blueprint.

Meanwhile, despite his three interceptions, does anyone doubt that the Eagles are better off with A.J. Feeley than Donovan McNabb? It's not because of McNabb as much as the way Andy Reid calls the game when McNabb starts. He gets the Eagles playing a pass-happy offense and seems to forget that Brian Westbrook is his best player. With Feeley in, as with Garcia last year, the Eagles run a more balanced attack and it is far more effective. McNabb will still start when he is fully healthy, but this game proved on national TV that the Eagles should go a different direction.

Chargers 32, Ravens 14: Despite another quiet game from LaDanian Tomlinson (at least by his standards), the Chargers dominated this one. When Philip Rivers isn't suffering from Philip Rivers disease (symptoms include the inability to perceive linebackers), he's a pretty good quarterback, though he got a lot of help from Antonio Gates on Sunday. More notable is the way that Baltimore's defense continues to get embarrassed. The Chargers have a good offense, but it's very clear that the Ravens D has lost several steps this year. Seeing as their offense was never much to speak of, Brian Billick has to be on his way out.

Bears 37, Broncos 34: WHY DO TEAMS KICK TO DEVIN HESTER?? Sorry, I know everyone's been asking that all year, but if I don't say it I won't be allowed to write sports anymore. Actually, I understand why teams kick to him. Punting the ball out of bounds and squibbing every kick off gives the Bears great field position and even Rex Grossman can find his way down the field on occasion. What I don't get is why teams don't just punt the ball really high. I understand it would still give the Bears good field position, but it's easier to control where the ball lands if you kick it high, than if you aim for the sideline. Plus, keeping the ball in the field of play makes a fumble all the more likely. Force Hester to fair catch it. Kick-offs are trickier, but there must be a way to slow him down. Maybe put a smaller and faster group of players on the kick-off team. At least change something up.

49ers 37, Cardinals 31: Impressive win by San Francisco, or at least an exciting one. If anyone was going to fumble in the end zone in overtime, it was going to be Kurt Warner. Who else could throw for nearly 500 yards and still lose to one of the worst teams in the league? But I think the real question is whether the 49ers can accumulate 37 points in the rest of the season. I don't like their odds.

Jaguars 36, Bills 14: No one takes the Jaguars too seriously, but they've been a very good team with David Garrard behind center. Garrard has yet to throw an interception and the tandem of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew is as good as it gets. If their defense can improve and stay healthy, they could be very dangerous. Despite the Week 7 blowout, they have a legitimate chance to upset the Colts this week.

Saints 31, Panthers 6: The Panthers should be able to win their match-up with the 49ers. If nothing else, they've shown that they can beat equally terrible teams. Meanwhile, why isn't Reggie Bush involved in special teams? We know he's a capable return man and we also know he's an inept running back. He was out-gained by Pierre Thomas. Need I say more?

Vikings 41, Giants 17: Hard to believe the Giants have lost 2 of their last 3 and Eli Manning looked like Rex Grossman in a blowout loss to the Vikings. Oh wait, the Giants do this every year. Expect a loss to the Bears this week and a loss to the Eagles in Week 14 (provided McNabb isn't 100% yet. After Feeley nearly beat the Patriots, something tells me McNabb's injury will linger). In fact, would anyone be shocked if the Giants lost the rest of their games? The easiest match-up is Week 16 at Buffalo, and the Bills nearly beat the Cowboys at home earlier in the year. They won't go down easy.

Browns 27, Texans 17: Apparently the Browns have the look of a playoff team this year. Well that's great, but so did last year's Jets. That didn't translate into playoff success or a competitive team this season. Can't wait until the off-season when they have to choose between Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.

Speaking of Quinn, I saw his Subway commercial for the first time this weekend. Loved it. The announcer says that Quinn will deliver Subway to a lucky fan every Sunday, to which Quinn responds "Wait, I'm kind of busy on Sundays." That's right, Brady. That clipboard won't hold itself.

Bengals 35, Titans 6: Well, I understand half of this score. The Bengals offense (Chad Johnson in particular) was due to have a monster game, as they hadn't scored 30 points since Week 7, but how did the Titans only muster 6 points? Granted, Vince Young is terrible, but how does Tennessee only rush for 61 yards when the Bengals don't have any linebackers?

Colts 31, Falcons 13: Finally, the Colts returned to their old selves. Peyton Manning couldn't stay that bad, even with all their injuries. Aside from this week's match-up versus Jacksonville, the Colts should have it easy the rest of the way. Can't we just fast-forward to the Patriots-Colts Super Bowl -- I mean AFC Championship Game?

Cowboys 34, Jets 3: Too bad the Jets couldn't carry over momentum from their upset of the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Cowboys should enjoy it while they can. Nothing's coming easy against the Packers next week. For that matter, the rest of the season is fairly tough for Dallas, as they also play Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington.

Packers 37, Lions 26: I really like Green Bay's chances against Dallas this week. Dallas' biggest weakness is their pass defense and the Packers can't run the ball anyway. Plus, Green Bay's impressive linebacker corps and their physical corners should be able to slow down Dallas' offense. I can't wait to watch -- oh wait, NFL Network. Well I can't wait to...read about it afterward.

Phillies Acquire Brad Lidge

The Phillies struck first in the Orlando GM meetings when they traded Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, and Mike Costanzo to the Astros for Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett. It feels like the Phillies gave up a lot in this trade, as Costanzo was one of their top prospects (though that's not saying much with the Phillies' farm system) and Bourn looked very promising in limited playing time, but the trade should significantly upgrade the Phillies' pitching. Lidge has not been the same dominant closer ever since Albert Pujols took him deep in the 2005 NLCS, but in the second half of last year he seemed to settle down and looked a lot like his old self.

Even if Lidge never returns to his pre-Pujols form, he should be an improvement on Brett Myers. With Myers, it was feast or famine. Either he had his best stuff and he would dominate the opposition, or he would self-destruct. In the end, he posted a 2.87 ERA as a reliever and converted 21 saves in 24 chances, which is very respectable, but the Phillies badly needed starting pitching and this was the best way to acquire it. With Curt Schilling re-signing with the Red Sox, there is not likely to be anyone worthwhile available on the free agent market. If anything, the Phillies would have wound up overpaying for a mediocre pitcher, as they did with Adam Eaton last year. Lidge only has one year left on his contract, so if he does not work out as a closer, they can let him go after one season, send Myers back to the 'pen, and improve the rotation either with minor leaguers (perhaps Scott Mathieson will be ready) or through free agency (it can't be that bad two years in a row).

One thing to keep an eye on is whether Andy Pettitte becomes available. With Joe Torre out in New York, Pettitte could very well follow him out the door and he would be great fit for the Phillies. Their rotation would be Cole Hamels, Pettitte, Myers, Moyer, and Kendrick, which would potentially be among the best in the NL and if nothing else it would be a substantial upgrade from the likes of Eaton, Kyle Lohse, and J.D. Durbin. With the Phillies' offense, even a slight pitching upgrade, could be enough to put them over the edge and retake the NL East. The Phillies would probably have to overpay for Pettitte, but as his age it's hard to imagine him wanting a very long deal, so what's one year and $16 million if the Phillies believe it can buy them a pennant?

NBA Preview: Pacific Division

(Teams listed in order of projected finish)

Phoenix Suns: There were concerns coming into last year about how the lineup would mesh, with Amare Stoudemire returning to play a full season for the first time since 2004-05. By the end of the year, the only ones who were concerned were the Suns' opponents. Stoudemire averaged 20.4 PPG and 9.6 RPG and was named to the All-NBA First Team. Steve Nash was unable to claim a third straight MVP, but joined Stoudemire on the First Team and posted excellent numbers. Shawn Marion's numbers were slightly down, but that was likely due to Stoudemire's return. The biggest surprise was Leandro Barbosa, who had his best season yet, scoring 18.1 PPG. All this, plus contributions from Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, and Kurt Thomas landed the Suns the #2 seed in the West. Many thought this would be the year the Suns finally win it all, but those hopes were dashed when the league suspended Stoudemire and Diaw for Game 6 of the second round series against San Antonio. The Suns lost the game and the series and many still claim that the suspensions cost Phoenix the title.

Fair or not, the Suns had failed yet again to bring home a title and as a result the Suns made a few moves to bolster their chances for this year. Phoenix increased its depth when they signed Grant Hill, who will likely start at small forward, pushing Diaw out of the lineup. Hill, for once, is coming off a healthy season, in which he scored 14.4 PPG for the Magic, but his injury history has to be very concerning, especially considering the rapid pace of the Suns' offense. Even if he is healthy, it's debatable whether or not he's a good fit for the Suns. Hill will help on defense, but whatever he provides will, at best, off-set the loss of Kurt Thomas, who was dealt to Seattle to keep Phoenix from going over the salary cap. Replacing Thomas will be Brian Skinner, who is a decent defender, but won't figure much into the team's plans, save as an injury replacement. The Suns also added Alando Tucker and D.J. Strawberry through the draft.

The Suns bring back most of their core, which should be as good as ever. Nash, Marion, and Stoudemire will lead Phoenix to another division title, but that's not good enough anymore. The Suns have to at least reach the Finals for the season to be considered a success. Can Hill put them over the top? His poor outside shooting seems less than ideal for the Suns' offense and he is clearly not the playmaker he used to me. As I've written in a previous article, it's hard to see Hill improving the Suns. Same goes for Tucker and Strawberry. Both are capable defenders, but neither is a good shooter. Also notable is the fact that the Suns still lack a reliable back-up point guard. They added Marcus Banks last season hoping he could play 10-15 minutes a game to spell Nash, but he played so poorly that he fell out of the rotation entirely. Once again, Nash will be forced to play about 35 minutes a game at a very fast pace. One has to wonder whether he'll wear down by the end of the year, as he's now 33. The loss of Thomas could also prove costly, as he was far and away their best post defender. If Skinner can't hold his own against the likes of Tim Duncan and Yao Ming, the Suns will be also-rans yet again.

Golden State Warriors: After a mediocre start to the year, a mid-season trade sparked the Warriors to a late-season run culminating in the 8 seed and an upset of the regular season champion Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors made this run behind the stellar play of Baron Davis, who led the team in scoring (20.1 PPG) and assists (8.1 APG). Davis was aided by Jason Richardson and second-year guard Monta Ellis, who enjoyed a breakout season. As mentioned, the mid-season trade that acquired Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington (among others) served as a catalyst, completing Don Nelson's small-ball lineup. All these players are both very athletic and effective from three-point range, making the Warriors very tough to guard, while giving them perhaps the most exciting brand of basketball in the league. This, plus a long absence from the playoffs, gave Golden State an intense home crowd, which proved to be a big advantage, particularly in the playoffs.

In the off-season, the Warriors surprised many fans by dealing Richardson to Charlotte in a draft day trade for Brandan Wright. Wright is an excellent athlete, but he is very raw and may not contribute right away. There was speculation that they acquired Wright with hopes of trading him to Milwaukee for Yi, but such a deal never came to fruition. Golden State also came away from the draft with Marco Belinelli and Stephane Lasme. Lasme is undersized, but was one of the best shot-blockers in college basketball last year, so there's a chance he'll be useful.

Belinelli is very intriguing and may be expected to make up for a lot of Richardson's production. Some are down on Belinelli because of his poor shooting percentage from last year, but his percentages dropped because he was trying to score from a lot of different angles, instead of settling for jump shots. In other words, he was diversifying his game. In the NBA, where he won't be expected to be a star right off the bat, he should settle back into his old ways and give the Warriors another outside threat. Of course, it will take more than Belinelli for the Warriors to repeat last year's success. More than anything else, they will be counting on Davis to stay healthy. He's their best player and their leader and the team will go only as far as he can take them. Expect a low playoff seed if he's healthy.

Los Angeles Lakers: Once again Kobe Bryant put up excellent numbers for the Lakers, but they had very little to show for it. Bryant's statistics (31.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 5.4 APG) were outstanding, but the Lakers only finished with 42 wins on the year, giving them the 7 seed in the West. In the playoffs, they were unable to match the thrilling series of the 2006 playoffs in which they took Phoenix to seven games. Rather, the Suns handled them in five games without much trouble. It's hard to fault Kobe for this because of how little talent he had around him. Lamar Odom had a fine year, but missed a lot of time to injuries. After that, Luke Walton (who also missed 20+ games) and Smush Parker were the only scorers to average double figures. The Lakers got little production from their big men, as Kwame Brown struggled and Andrew Bynum was clearly not ready for the spotlight.

It was another confusing off-season for the Lakers. There was (and still is) a great deal of talk regarding Kobe's future with the team. Through all that GM Mitch Kupchak tried to improve Kobe's supporting cast. In the draft, he selected Javaris Crittenton, Sun Yue, and Marc Gasol. Crittenton should develop into a good point guard, but he's only had one year at college and probably won't be ready for major minutes as a rookie. Plus, the Lakers took a point guard in the first round last year, in Jordan Farmar. As for Yue and Gasol, neither will play in the NBA this year. These moves make it seem as if Kupchak is building a team for the future, rather than try to take advantage of Kobe's best years and go for a title. And yet, Kupchak also added Derek Fisher, who should step in as the starting point guard, replacing the departed Parker.

Fisher should help the Lakers with his defense and shooting, as well as his familiarity with Phil Jackson's triangle offense. That said, it's hard to see how he makes the Lakers any better than the 7 seed they were last year. The only way for the Lakers to get significantly better is for Bynum to take a huge step forward. If he can develop into one of the league's better centers, the Lakers might be able to achieve a 5 or 6 seed, but that's a lot to ask of a 20 year old and it's far more likely that the Lakers will be on the cusp of a playoff spot and quite possibly on the outside looking in.

Sacramento Kings: Last season was a frustrating one for Sacramento, as they witnessed a struggle for control of the team between Mike Bibby and Ron Artest that eclipsed an outstanding season from the up-and-coming Kevin Martin. The 24-year old Martin averaged 20.2 PPG in his 3rd season and has the look of a future All-Star. Unfortunately, no one else on the Kings played near his level. Artest and Bibby both had solid scoring numbers, but Bibby's assists were down as he had a career-low 4.7 APG. Of course, the biggest problems came from the frontcourt. None of the Kings big men were able to score with any consistency. Corliss Williamson was the only King who played in the majority of the team's games and shot over 50% from the field. Defense was also an issue for the Kings frontcourt, which included Williamson, Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Kenny Thomas.

Attempting to shore up their frontcourt woes, the Kings drafted Spencer Hawes and then signed Mikki Moore. Hawes was the most offensively-skilled center in the draft, but he is already injured and is not much of an athlete. The player he's most often compared to is Brad Miller, so it's hard to see him helping Sacramento much even if he is healthy. Meanwhile, Moore had a nice season in New Jersey, but his season is a direct result of playing alongside Jason Kidd. Not to mention, Moore is skinny and won't do much in the way of low-post defense. Sacramento made yet another questionable move in hiring Reggie Theus as their new head coach. Theus is popular in Sacramento, but he's had little coaching experience and has never been a head coach at the NBA level.

Unfortunately for Theus, he's in for a rude awakening. This Kings team has the same flaws as last year and may actually be worse. Bibby figured to decline further this season, but we won't know how much for a while because he's already injured. Artest is still a good player, when his head's on straight and Martin is outstanding, but defenses will be able to focus on him with Bibby out. The Kings will be one of the bottomfeeders of the West unless their big men actually play like big men.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers failed to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season, as locker room turmoil and Sam Cassell's age caught up to them. Elton Brand had another fine season, but he lacked the support he had received in the Clippers' playoff run of 2005-06. Corey Maggette was effective, despite constant efforts to trade him, but the rest of the team was unremarkable. Cassell's scoring dropped off significantly and Tim Thomas (predictably) failed to live up to the high expectations set by his 2006 playoff performance with the Suns. Chris Kaman actually played worse than the year before and Shaun Livingston made Clippers fans question whether he'll ever be healthy.

Amazingly, Corey Maggette remains on the roster. They've been shopping him for years, but to no effect. As for the moves they DID make, the Clippers signed Ruben Patterson and drafted Al Thornton. Patterson is unlikely to repeat his impressive work in Milwaukee, but the Clippers got him fairly cheap, so there's little risk involved. Thornton had an excellent senior season and should be able to provide an immediate impact, but there are serious questions about his upside because of his age (23).

The Clippers will have to hope Thornton lives up to the hype because they will be without Brand for the beginning of the season. Much like last year's Grizzlies (barring major improvement from Livingston and Kaman), this should effectively end the Clippers season before it begins.

NBA Preview: Southwest Division

(Teams listed in order of projected finish)

Houston Rockets: The Rockets managed to stay healthy for a change last year and made the playoffs after a one-year absence. Yao Ming missed 34 games, but was outstanding when healthy, and Tracy McGrady had another strong season. Shane Battier provided good defense and stellar three-point shooting, giving the Rockets some stability on the wing alongside McGrady. Luther Head and, to a lesser degree, Rafer Alston chipped in with their outside shooting, which strained opposing defenses that tried double-teaming McGrady and Yao. While Battier quickly found a niche, the team's two other significant additions were ineffective or absent. Bonzi Wells never fell in line with Jeff Van Gundy and only played in 28 games, while Greek import Vassilis Spanoulis struggled early and never cracked the rotation. The Rockets certainly could have used Wells' rebounding in the playoffs, when they were out-muscled by Carlos Boozer and the Jazz, who defeated Houston in seven games.

That spelled the end for Van Gundy, who was replaced by former Kings coach Rick Adelman. While Adelman has never been known for his playoff success, he is known as a far better offensive coach than Van Gundy. Adelman should be able to infuse some life into Houston's offense and he should benefit from the defense instilled in the team by Van Gundy. Meanwhile, the Rockets made some additions to their roster that should vastly improve their depth. After suffering through another season with Juwan Howard as their power forward, the Rockets dealt the disappointing Spanoulis to the Spurs for Luis Scola, who was generally considered to be the best basketball player not in the NBA. They also got Jackie Butler in the deal; a young big man with some upside. As for Howard, he was dealt to Minnesota for Mike James, who ought to benefit from a limited role following a down year in 2006-07. As if that wasn't enough, the Rockets also signed Steve Francis and drafted Aaron Brooks. They also added to their depth at power forward by taking Carl Landry in the second round.

The Rockets were a dangerous team last year and now, with all their additions, they should be among the league's elite. There are serious concerns about whether McGrady and Yao can stay healthy, but it should be easier as there should be less pressure on them to carry the scoring load. Adelman should make the offense play at a faster pace, which, if nothing else, should be more pleasant to watch. The coaching change will also help in that it should get Wells on the same page as the rest of the team. Wells had a nice season (and a great playoff series) in 2005-06, playing for Adelman's Kings and he should give the Rockets some more rebounding and inside scoring. Scola is a strong rebounder and has a decent mid-range jump shot, which should play very well alongside Yao. Even if he doesn't live up to his hype, he can't be much worse than Howard. Meanwhile, Adelman will have a ton of options at guard, where he'll now have McGrady, Alston, Head, James, Francis, and Brooks at his disposal. That may turn out to be a bit too many options, as it's hard to see how Adelman can get all these players consistent minutes (likely leaving Brooks the odd man out). Still, the Rockets have excellent depth and versatility, which is a recipe for success. They have never been better suited to handle injuries to their two superstars. As a result, the Rockets should make a run for the West's top seed in the playoffs, though playing 3 games apiece against Dallas and San Antonio might drop them to #2 in the conference.

Dallas Mavericks: After blowing a 2-0 lead in the 2006 Finals to the Miami Heat, the Mavs resisted temptation to blow the team up, and with good reason. They already had a very solid core, with a good mixture of youth and veteran talent. It certainly looked like the right decision in the regular season, when Dallas won 67 games, giving them the best record in the league. Dirk Nowitski and Josh Howard had All-Star seasons and Dirk wound up winning the MVP. Yet it all fell apart in the playoffs when they were defeated by the upstart Golden State Warriors. The Warriors had plagued the Mavs all season, thanks to favorable matchups and Don Nelson's knowledge of the Mavs, his former team. The Warriors were able to win because Dallas lacked consistent low-post scoring, which allowed the smaller, faster Warriors to force Dallas into settling for contested jumpers, while Golden State bombed away from outside on offense.

Once again, there was talk that owner Mark Cuban would tear the team apart after the frustrating defeat, but again he refrained. While Dallas didn't make any major moves in the off-season, they made a few minor ones that should pay dividends. Dallas signed Eddie Jones, who should find his way into the rotation. While he's not the player he used to be, he still has a decent shot and is a capable defender. Dallas also dealt Greg Buckner to Minnesota for Trenton Hassell, who should be the defensive stopper they had once hoped Buckner would be. In the draft, the Mavs selected Nick Fazekas, whose shooting should get him some playing time. Other than that, it's the same team that won 67 games last year. There's little reason to think Dallas will be any worse, except that they will be under pressure to perform. Cuban stood by this off-season, but if Dallas doesn't reach the Finals (or maybe the Conference Finals) there will almost certainly be major changes.

San Antonio Spurs: In a typical Spurs season, Tim Duncan and Co. chugged along, putting up a great record under the radar, as analysts focused on Phoenix's run-and-gun offense and Dallas' run at 70 wins. The Spurs finished with 58 wins, which was good for a #3 seed. Tim Duncan was superb, again, but the attention went to Tony Parker who averaged a career-high 18.6 PPG (plus made wedding plans with Eva Longoria). The Spurs were much healthier than they had been in recent years, likely aided by the fact that neither Duncan nor Manu Ginobili took part in international competition in the off-season. San Antonio had as much depth as any team in the league and was also extremely versatile. This paid off in the playoffs as they were able to beat teams with different styles of play, whether it was Phoenix's speed, Utah's size, or Cleveland's...well, never mind. The Cavaliers couldn't put up much resistance, as the Spurs swept the Finals and won their third title in five years.

No one can blame the Spurs for standing pat in the off-season, after winning the title, but the Spurs did make a few minor moves that could pay off. The most significant was the signing of Ime Udoka, who played for Portland last year. Udoka won't get much attention, but he is an excellent perimeter defender who can hit corner 3s. Sound familiar? True, Udoka is basically a Bruce Bowen clone, but Bowen is now 37 and the Spurs did well to find someone who can spell him or take over in the event of an injury. Through the draft, San Antonio added Tiago Splitter and Marcus Williams. Splitter will spend some more time overseas, but should be a big help when he makes the jump to the NBA. Williams probably won't get much playing time, but he's only 20 and might develop into a role player in the next few years.

It may seem a bit odd to pick the defending champs to finish third in the division, but A) the Southwest is no ordinary division, and B) the Spurs don't play for the regular season. Not to say San Antonio is going to go the Shaq route and slack off until the playoffs, but Popovich is smart enough to know that it's not worth exhausting his players for a few extra regular season wins when the Spurs are a lock for the playoffs anyway. The Spurs are still the team to beat when the playoffs arrive. Once again, Duncan and Ginobili should be well-rested, which was a key to last season's success. Age is a moderate concern, as all the Spurs' best players, save Tony Parker, are 30 or older, but the Spurs are so deep that it shouldn't be a major issue. Even with all the other storylines out there, don't sleep on the Spurs. This could be the year they repeat.

New Orleans Hornets: A phenomenal rookie season from Chris Paul combined with the off-sesaon additions of Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler had many picking the Hornets to reach the playoffs, even in the loaded Southwest Division. Paul had another fine season, with 17 PPG and 8.8 APG, but missed 17 games due to injury. This was a common theme for the Hornets, as David West and Bobby Jackson also missed considerable time, not to mention Stojakovic who only played in 13 games. The Hornets still finished with 39 wins, which is respectable considering their poor health. Part of this success was due to Chandler, who had a breakout year, averaging 12.4 RPG. That said, it was hardly the progress the team had hoped for.

In a fairly uneventful off-season, New Orleans biggest move was replacing Desmond Mason with Morris Peterson. While Mason's high-flying act was entertaining alongside Paul, his poor shooting only made the Stojakovic injury more painful. Peterson is a stellar three-point shooter and he and Stojakovic will really stretch opposing defenses. Through the draft, the Hornets added Julian Wright and Adam Haluska. Wright is a good ball-handler who can score around the basket, but his shooting might actually be worse than that of Mason. Of course, he won't play as many minutes as Mason did, so it should be less of an issue. Haluska is unlikely to see the court much, though if he does he should knock down a few jumpers.

The Hornets might have found a way into the playoffs last year, were it not for all the injuries, so it's very reasonable to expect a low seed this year. That said, these injuries may not have been flukes. Stojakovic is now 30 and has only had one season when he played more than 75 games in his career (though he had never missed such a large part of a season before), so this could be an emerging trend for him. Paul is another likely candidate to suffer from injuries consistently because of his size and style of play. It's very difficult for small guards to stay healthy, especially those who rely on scoring in the paint and at the free throw line, and one has to wonder how the 6'0" 175 lb. Paul will hold up, not just this year, but in his career. And don't bring up Allen Iverson. He's the exception that proves the rule. If they can stay healthy, the Hornets could reach as high as a 7 seed, but expect them to just miss again.

Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis' 2006-07 season was doomed from the start, as Pau Gasol missed the beginning of the year due to an off-season injury. By the time he got back, the team was in the dumps and Gasol was leading the league in trade rumors. Adding to the frustration was an injury to Kyle Lowry, leaving the Grizzlies with a combination of Chucky Atkins and Damon Stoudamire at point guard. While Atkins had a decent year, this would have been a great chance to get Lowry some action and see what they really had. They were able to get a good look at another rookie, Rudy Gay, who averaged 10.8 PPG and showed flashes of his excellent potential. Mike Miller and Hakim Warrick also had productive seasons, but they didn't mean much in the win column, as Memphis finished with the worst record in the league.

Bad luck in the lottery landed them the fourth overall pick, which they used to select Mike Conley Jr. While it may spell the end for Lowry, the Grizzlies got the best point guard in the draft in Conley. Memphis also acquired Juan Carlos Navarro, after letting Atkins depart via free agency. Navarro was one of the best guards in Europe and, more importantly, he is a good friend of Gasol's, who was questioning the team's direction and had expressed the desire to leave before this move. Another key addition was that of Darko Milicic to a three-year deal, who, despite his disappointing career thus far, still has a great deal of upside. If Darko has a breakout season during the three-year period, he'll give the Grizzlies a very formidable frontcourt. If not, they can let him go and won't have suffered much, as these are rebuilding seasons anyway.

While Memphis won't be as bad as last season, they'll still be a lottery team, barring a monster season from Gasol. Adding Conley and Navarro, plus having a healthy Lowry, will improve their guard play, and Gay can be expected to improve in his sophomore year. Other than that, it's hard to see anyone on the Grizzlies take a major step forward (unless Darko finally lives up to his supposed potential). One also has to wonder if Gasol will finally be traded. Even with Navarro on board, he's 27 and may want to play for a contender, rather than wait for his young teammates to develop. Memphis might want to consider such a move, as it would give them more assets for the future, plus would likely result in other top five draft pick.

NBA Preview: Northwest Division

(Teams listed in order of projected finish)

Utah Jazz: The Jazz were a bit of a surprise last year, as they went 51-31 and won their division for the first time since the days of John Stockton and Karl Malone. Carlos Boozer led the way, averaging 20.9 PPG and 11.7 RPG and managing to stay healthy for the most part. He played in 74 games; only 10 less than he played in his last two seasons combined. Boozer's inside presence made scoring easier for the rest of the team. Mehmet Okur shot a career high 38.4% from three-point range, while pouring in 17.6 PPG, and Deron Williams had an outstanding sophomore season, with 16.2 PPG and 9.3 APG. Derek Fisher provided some scoring and very good defense and he and Matt Harpring averaged double digits in scoring. Second round pick Paul Millsap provided a spark off the bench with his energy and rebounding. All these factors made up for poor play from Andrei Kirilenko, whose numbers were down across the board. First round pick Ronnie Brewer also struggled and left the Jazz with few options at shooting guard. Still, the Jazz were able to get to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated handily by the San Antonio Spurs. It should be noted that they had an easy road to the Conference Finals. They played a tough seven game series against Houston, which hasn't won a playoff series since Hakeem Olajuwon was their center, then they faced the upstart Warriors, who were over-matched by Utah's size.

Despite countless rumors about Kirilenko's future with the team, the Jazz didn't make any major moves in the off-season. The biggest change was the departure of Fisher, who was replaced by Ronnie Price and Jason Hart. Price and Hart will fight for the chance to back up Williams, as many of Fisher's minutes will likely go to Brewer and this year's first round pick, Morris Almond. Almond, a shooting guard out of Rice, was drafted primarily for his shooting ability; an area where the Jazz were sorely lacking last year.

This year's Jazz should be very similar to last year's edition. They will miss Fisher's defense and veteran leadership, but Brewer and Almond should be able to fill the void and provide better scoring. Williams can only be expected to improve, as he develops into one of the league's top point guards. Boozer and Okur should post similar numbers to last year's, though one has to wonder whether Boozer can stay healthy again. The X-factor on this team is Kirilenko, who supposedly has worked out his issues with Sloan. The problem with Kirilenko is not his mood, rather it's the way Sloan has been using him. Kirilenko has had his strongest seasons when he's been utilized in the paint on offense. It helps him on defense because he can roam and block shots, but it's particularly important on offense. Boozer's presence turns Kirilenko into a perimeter player, which takes him out of the game as a scorer and leads to his frustration. If Sloan can find ways to work Kirilenko back into the offense, and thus energize him on defense, the Jazz could take a step forward, but if not, they're not going to be able to match up with the West's elite teams.

Denver Nuggets: Already one of the fastest teams in the league last year, the Nuggets made a bid to get even faster, sending Andre Miller and others to Philadelphia for Allen Iverson. The Nuggets hoped that Iverson, combined with Carmelo Anthony, would give them enough star-power to break into the top tier of Western Conference teams. However, the team played worse after the trade and were ousted by the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs after securing the 6th seed. The loss of Miller left Denver without a pure point guard until they dealt for Steve Blake, but even then the team struggled to find a winning formula. Iverson should not receive all the blame, as he was on his own for the first several games after the trade, as Anthony served a suspension for involvement in a fight at Madison Square Garden. Even when the two superstars did get to play together, they didn't have much time to develop chemistry before the playoffs. Outside of their two scorers, Denver's most valuable asset was their size. Marcus Camby and Nene gave them one of the top frontcourts in the league. Their biggest weakness was their three-point shooting, or lack thereof. J.R. Smith was their best shooter, but it was difficult to work him into the lineup, with Iverson and Blake as the starting guards and Anthony at small forward.

Rather than overpay for Blake, the Nuggets opted to let him go and replaced him with Chucky Atkins. While Atkins lacks Blake's passing ability, he is a better shooter and should benefit from the open looks generated by Iverson and Anthony. The only other move of note was the trade that sent Reggie Evans to Philadelphia for Steven Hunter and Bobby Jones. Evans is an outstanding rebounder, but with Camby and Nene, plus Kenyon Martin coming back, Evans was expendable. Hunter is a solid backup center who excelled in Phoenix's fast-paced offense. He'll block a shot here and there and get a few dunks, but he probably won't log more than 10 minutes a game. At least, not until Camby, Nene, or Martin suffers an injury.

It's hard to know just how good the Nuggets can be, and clearly they don't know, based on their quiet off-season. Their defense will be a liability, as Nene is the only good defender in the starting lineup. (Yes, I know Camby won Defensive Player of the Year, but all that award signifies is he got a lot of rebounds and blocked shots. His man-to-man defense is average at best. That's why he didn't guard Tim Duncan in the playoffs.) For Denver, the best defense is a good offense, as they'll have to do their best to run their opposition out of the gym. Anthony is one of the best pure scorers in the league and Iverson is still one of the better ones (though one has to wonder when he'll finally break down), but the team would have done well to add more shooting. If Iverson and Anthony can figure out how to work off of each other and exploit defenses, then the Nuggets could take the division from Utah. More likely they will be a 6 or 7 seed once again.

Seattle Supersonics: The Sonics hoped they could shake off a disappointing 2005-06 season and revert to their form of three years ago, when they won 52 games and the division. Poor defense, rebounding, and several key injuries made sure that this would not occur. Both Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis averaged over 20 PPG, but neither was able to play more than 60 games. This left Seattle with relatively little on offense, relying on Chris Wilcox and Luke Ridnour. Even when Allen and Lewis were healthy, their scoring was offset by their lackluster defense. Meanwhile, Seattle's centers did not develop as they had hoped. Robert Swift showed signs in the pre-season, but suffered a season-ending injury before the regular season began, and Johan Petro and Mouhamed Sene were ineffective.

A 51-loss season, plus securing the second overall draft pick caused the Sonics to overhaul their roster, starting on draft night when the Sonics selected Kevin Durant, then turned around and dealt Allen to Boston for the fifth overall pick (Jeff Green), Delonte West, and Wally Szczerbiak. The drafting of Durant led to Lewis' departure, which is not a major loss considering Lewis' absurdly large contract and the fact that the Sonics had already resigned themselves to rebuilding. Seattle also traded for veteran Kurt Thomas, who will provide some rebounding and defense in the paint, which Seattle has lacked in recent years. More important is Thomas' expiring contract, which will give the Sonics more cap room at the end of the year, or a valuable trading chip as the trade deadline approaches. Seattle also made a coaching change, hiring P.J. Carlesimo who had served as an assistant with the Spurs for the last several years.

While this team is a few years away from being competitive, Seattle has an interesting group of young players. Durant is by far the most intriguing and all eyes will be on him to see how he develops. He is by far the most likely candidate to win Rookie of the Year (especially after Greg Oden's season-ending injury) and should be able to step right in and put up impressive scoring numbers. Green is another interesting prospect, whose game should translate better to the NBA than it did at Georgetown. West will get the chance to prove he can start every day at shooting guard, and he could be another key youngster for the Sonics. Don't expect many wins from this team, but they (or at least Durant) should be fun to watch.

Portland Trailblazers: Coming off a dismal 21-win season, the Blazers struggled, but appeared to have a bright future. Zach Randolph emerged as one of the best low-post scorers in the league, averaging 23.6 PPG and 10.1 RPG, Brandon Roy won Rookie of the Year, and LaMarcus Aldridge also had a promising rookie campaign. Even with those performances, the Blazers were too young and lacked the talent to be competitive and they landed in the lottery yet again. Their fortunes were transformed when they won the lottery and prepared to draft their next great big man.

The Blazers took Greg Oden with their first pick, then promptly traded Randolph to the Knicks for Channing Frye and Steve Francis. Francis was immediately bought out, but Frye has a little upside and would have been a good fit next to Oden. That said, the Blazers gave up a great talent in Randolph and got very little in return. Oden and Randolph might have had trouble playing together, but it's hard to believe that the Blazers couldn't get more for him (say, from Chicago). Portland added four players in the draft after Oden: Rudy Fernandez, Josh McRoberts, Petteri Koponen, and Taurean Green. Fernandez will remain in Europe for another year, but should help the Blazers upon arrival. Koponen will also stay abroad for now. McRoberts was a nice pick in the second round, but Green isn't likely to get much playing time, as the Blazers already have a lot of young guards. Portland also added Steve Blake to a now-crowded backcourt, and they acquired James Jones from Phoenix.

While there was talk of the playoffs in Portland after they won the draft lottery, these hopes were dashed when Oden was forced to undergo microfracture surgery. There's no telling whether he'll ever be the same, but the Blazers will have to carry on this season and hope for the best. They can still count on improvement from last year's rookies and they can use this season to get a sense of what the rest of their young players are worth. That said, Portland doesn't have much hope of contention this year and they are likely looking at another top 5 draft pick. The one potential silver lining to the Oden injury is that it could land Portland another future All-Star to play alongside their already impressive nucleus, but the franchise's future hinges on Oden's recovery.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Minnesota missed the playoffs for the second straight year, which ultimately spelled the end of the Kevin Garnett era. Garnett had a good season, though not one of his best, likely due to frustration. Randy Foye had an impressive rookie season once he began to get regular playing time and another rookie, Craig Smith proved to be a good energy player. Ricky Davis and Mark Blount were decent on offense, but lackadaisical on defense. Their biggest off-season addition, Mike James, turned out to be a bust. All in all it was a disappointing effort for the Timberwolves and it was clear that they were making the transition into rebuilding mode.

At 31, Garnett wanted no part of rebuilding and he was subsequently dealt to Boston for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and two first round draft picks. Minnesota also added Corey Brewer and Chris Richard through the draft. Later in the off-season, they traded Davis and Blount to Miami for Antonio Walker, Michael Doleac, and Wayne Simien. None of the players from that deal figure to play a prominent role in Minnesota's rebuilding efforts, but clearing the roster of Davis and Blount will give Minnesota's young players more minutes.

It's hard to know who will win the Garnett trade in the long run, but it does leave Minnesota with a number of intriguing young players. Foye should continue to develop into a good all-around combo guard, Jefferson is already one of the best young post players in the league, Gomes and Smith are both good energy players with some versatility, Green is a superb athlete with a great three-point shot, and Brewer is a defensive stopper with the potential to be a good scorer. If all, or at least a few, of these players develop as expected, the Timberwolves should have a very formidable core in a few years, especially considering they should have another top 5 draft pick this year. It's going to be a long season in Minnesota, but down the road they could be much better off without Garnett. Kevin McHale better hope that's the case or he'll be out of a job.