FanNation | SteelCurtain5875's Blog | This Week in the NBA: February 17-24

Before we get to this week in the NBA, a few All Star thoughts.

Thank God for Dwight Howard. The dunk contest was always one of the most fun events of the weekend, but, recently, it has become a shadow of its' former self. Not only did his Superman antics impress the crowd, but also his spirit of creativity seems to be spreading to other participants, like Gerald Green with his "cupcake dunk". Howard is the first player in years to have some real fun with the contest, which is necessary because of how many types of dunks have already been done. Hopefully, Dwight will be a fixture on the list of invitees for a long time to come.

This was the first All Star weekend in a long time to feature a game that actually would hold viewers' attention. Normally, my attention drifts from the game by about the third quarter, when the players stop playing defense (if they even played it to start) and the constant ally oops start to become stale. This time, it seems as if at least 75% of the players actually cared about the game! The East seemed genuinely angry about last year's defeat, especially guys like Jason Kidd, who had to sit out with injuries last year, and King James., the eventual MVP. It made for a decent game, with even a stirring comeback by the West in the fourth, before James' game sealing dunk.

After every All Star game, no matter how good the game, it seems as if there still questions to be asked. Like why can't the game switch to a US vs. International format? Or, who was the real MVP of the game? But I have a question for the players: why all the alley oops? I get that it's the All Star game and that you want to have fun, but please just take it down a notch. Part of the fun of the alley oop is the suprise-the huge shockwave it sends through the crowd when the perfect pass meets a great dunk. So, after the 15th time you've done it, the thrill is gone. Either that, or we've seen you attempt about 25 others, and fail, and we just want you to get on with it already. So, please All Stars (I'm looking at you Kobe and D-Wade) think before you oop next time.

Now, onto this week in the NBA:

The Big Story

Crazy Trades in the NBA

Once again, the big news in the league this week centered around a couple big trades. The most notable was the return of Jason Kidd to Dallas, but the move of Ben Wallace, Wally Sczerbiak and others to Cleveland also made news. The Kidd trade is the lastest in several big trades among the Western powers. The Mavs gave PG Devin Harris, C DeSagana Diop, G/F Trenton Hassell, retired F Keith Van Horn, G Maurice Ager, first round picks in 2008 and 2010 and 3 million dollars cash. In return, they received the future HOF PG Jason Kidd, F Malik Allen and G Antoine Wright. From my view, as a Mavs fan, I'm not nearly as down on this trade as many are. Losing Harris is bad, but, as the last two playoffs have proved, Dirk Nowitzki just is not cut out to be the leader everyone depends on. He can do it for some stretches of time, as we saw in the path to the Finals in 2005, but at the end of the day, he plays better when he's not "the man". Kidd has been there before, but he's never had a supporting cast nearly as good as the one he inherits now. Not only can Kidd be an effective scorer and rebounder, but his playmaking ability is something this team hasn't had since Steve Nash was in town. His presence can even jar the Mavs out of their previously slow, half court offense, and get them to start running more. The loss of Diop is the only thing that majorly concerns me, as the Mavs lose their best defensive big man, and are forced to start Erick Dampier. However, this is not the crisis that some have painted it as. The Mavs have a lot of options to compensate for Diop's loss. When Dampier has to sit, Allen or Juwan Howard can come in at center, or Bass can come in to defend the best big man, something he is able to do with his size and defensive ability. At the end of the day, what this trade means is the Mavs risked their future for the present. They believed that what they have now, combined with Kidd's playmaking ability will be enough for a title within the next couple years. They have a good chance to do so, considering they feature four dynamic offensive players in Kidd, Nowitzki, Terry and Howard with a solid bench with the likes of Stackhouse, Bass, Barea, Allen and George, on a team that plays excellent defense. The West certainly does not lack for talent, so we will jsut have to see.

The Kidd trade is ony half of the story, however. The deadline deals sending Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith to the Cavs from the Bulls and Sonics as well as the deal sending Mike James and Bonzi Wells to the Hornets from the Rockets are also worth mentioning. The Cleveland deal has been lauded as finally giving LeBron some help to compete for the title, but the parts they got don't seem to fit the Cavs needs. While the Cavs surely did not have to give up much to get these players, only losing F Drew Gooden, G Larry Hughes, F Ira Newble, F Donyell Marshall as well as little used F Cedric Simmons and G Shannon Brown, but they did not really get back what they needed. Wallace's defensive presence is a minor upgrade over Gooden's , while his rebounding ability is only a minor upgrade, and he is actually a downgrade offensively. However, this is a puzzling acquisition because the Cavs have consistently been one of the best defensive and rebounding teams in the East, which are Wallace's main strengths. Szczerbiak is exactly what they needed; a shooter who can take pressure off LeBron, that also has playoff experience. James' best quality is his ability to get to the basket and it will surely be refreshing for him to drive to the hoop, pass out of a double team and have his teammate hit the open shot, a sequence of events unheard of in Cleveland beforehand. However, West and Smith provide more of the same. West is a mediocre swingman and Smith is a decent rebounding and post presence. They didn't lose much, but they didn't gain much either.

Now to the Rockets-Hornets trade. The Rockets gave Bonzi Wells and Mike James in exchange for Bobby Jackson and Adam Haluska. This trade suprised me not so much from Houston's end, who wanted to get out from under James' large contract and wanted to move the troubled Wells, but more from New Orleans' perspective. The Hornets lead the Western Conference and seem to have found the right mix of youth and experience. Now they inject Wells, who was supposed to be the key bench player for the Rockets two years ago, but clashed with then coach Jeff Van Gundy and has had issues with current coach Rick Adelman. How his inclusion will affect the team's chemistry is yet to be seen, but it would appear that Wells' talent does not outweigh the potential locker room problems his presence could cause. The trade could even be viewed as a desperation move in response to the flurry of recent Western activity, which could ultimately cost the team. Regardless of the results, the big trades seen in the NBA this last week were some of the biggest in recent memory, and have been the talk of the league all week.

The Big time Player

LeBron James

James is no stranger to big time performances, but his efforts this week have really legitimized his MVP candidacy. LeBron has recorded two triple doubles in his last three games with 26 points, 11 assists, and 13 rebounds versus Houston, 31 points, 12 assists and 14 rebounds at Indiana, as well as a gutty victory against Washington in which the Cavs dressed only eight players and he totaled 33 points, 8 assists and 15 rebounds as well as the game clinching free throws. With Kevin Garnett out the last few games, and just returning from injury, LeBron has begun to assume the lead as MVP candidate and this big week certainly helps his cause.

The Big Game

LA. Lakers 130 Phoenix Suns 124, Wednesday February 20, 2008

This game of the week was not a difficult choice by any means. The game had everything: great storylines in Shaq's debut as a Sun and the always interesting Shaq vs. Kobe rivalry, two of the best teams in the Western conference squaring off, and phenomenal play by the stars, with Kobe Bryant scoring 41 points and Amare Stoudemire adding 37 points and 15 rebounds. Shaq looked a little rusty in the first quarter, but did decently by the end of the game, with 15 points and 9 rebounds total. However, it was the Lakers' big man, Pau Gasol, that really stole the show. Gasol scored 29 points and looked completely comfortable in the offense, frequently blowing past O'Neal and Stoudemire for easy layups. This was an extremely fast paced and entertaining game, and was certainly the game of the week.

Playoff Picture

If the regular season were to end today, here's how the playoffs would look in each conference:

East:

1. Boston

2. Detroit

3. Orlando

4. Cleveland

5. Toronto

6. Washington

7. New Jersey

8. Philadelphia

West: