Cavs Just Won The East (For The Next 5 Years)

At least.  

The worst kept secret in sports, Kevin Love is going to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Minnesota gets a great haul in return for a player who was going to walk at the end of the year.  They'll get the last two number one picks in the draft: Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins as well as a future 1st round pick.   Not bad at all. 

But the other 14 teams in the Eastern Conference just got boned.  They didn't even have time to celebrate the break up of the Miami Heat.  There's a new juggernaut in town.  

With Paul George's injury and Carmelo picking New York over Chicago, you can go ahead and PEN the Cavs into the Finals. Love and LeBron is going to be lethal.  

Starters:

PG Kyrie Irving

SG Dion Waiters

SF LeBron James

PF Kevin Love

C  Anderson Varejao

Bench:

Tristan Thompson

Mike Miller

James Jones

John Lucas III

Shawn Marion (potentially)

Joe Harris

Well the West should be close again...

When Andrew Wiggins Will Be Traded

Website Countdown Clock

Pick A Package For Kevin Love

Cleveland Cavaliers insider Bob Finnan is now reporting that the Cavs would include Andrew Wiggins in a possible deal for Timberwolves PF Kevin Love.  Well that's a game changer. They would appear to be the favorite now if the T-Wolves do what they say they won't, and trade the All-Star. 

Here's what the Top 3 Trade Offers could (realistically according to me) be. 

Don't worry about money for the purposes of this exercise.  Minnesota could toss in Kevin Martin or whatever else to make it work. We won't get into trade exceptions and non-guaranteed contracts here. 

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Anderson Varejao

That's the last TWO #1 overall picks and a double-double guy for a player who WILL leave in a year.  You have to do that if you're Flip Saunders.  Cleveland probably wouldn't want to give up Varejao, but Love is worth it. 

2. Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson, David Lee

They say now they won't deal Klay, but this could change. Curry and Love with pieces like Barnes and Bogut is intriguing as hell.  I'd prefer the Cavs package though. 

3. Boston Celtics

Marcus Smart, James Young, Jared Sullinger, Brandon Bass, 3 future first round picks

There is no Wiggins or Thompson in this group. (I do really like Smart.)  Minnesota says they want real dudes and not assets. They've missed the playoffs the last 10 years so that makes some sense. But this offer warrants a good long look. Two 1st rounders from this year, solid young big in Sully, an expiring deal in Bass AND multiple future 1st rounders (I'll let them figure out Clippers, Nets, Cavs, their own, whatever.)

C's package is nothing to sneeze at.  It's a lot to give up actually if you're Boston. But with an assurance that he'd stay, it's worth it. Rondo + Love in the East makes me a happy Celtics fan.  Fill in the rest accordingly.  

IF those are the deals on the table.  I'd look at it like this...

Cavs > Celtics > Warriors

And of course don't rule out mystery team!

The Love Saga continues...

Kevin Love Available

With the news that Minnesota Timberwolves F Kevin Love will hit free agency next off season and is not interested in an extension with the T-Wolves, a handful of teams have emerged as potential landing spots in a trade, including the Boston Celtics.

The Rockets, Warriors, Bulls, and Lakers also appear to be players in this as well.

In order to offer up the biggest trade package possible we'll assume that he signs long term with the team that acquires him.

What the Celtics have to offer:
1st round pick TBD (lottery tomorrow, check out countdown below), it will be #1, #2, #3, #5, #6, #7, or #8.
#17 this year
All of their future #1's
Clippers #1 next year
Nets #1 2016 & 2018

Jared Sullinger
Kelly Olynyk
Avery Bradley (RFA)
Brandon Bass
Salaries (Anthony, Bogans)


What is the 25 year old All-Star worth?

How many 1st rounders do you need to include?  I'd be ok giving up anything besides a top 2 this year (Parker or Wiggins).  Embiid may go in top 2 then I'd take the other at 3.

But would you have to give a 1st this and maybe next plus Sullinger?  Still worth it.  Give them the worse pick between yours and the LAC next year.

Rondo + Love is good.  But they still need someone else to contend for a title.  Carmelo?  Pipe dream but why not dream big?

Going to be quite a month.

Kevin Love Stats

Top 20 NBA Players By Position

All-Star weekend is in the books and now all eyes turn to the March 15th Trade Deadline. Why not put together a list of the Top 20 Players By Position? All “Rankings” are always very debatable, and this is certainly no different. What makes one player better than another? A lot of it comes down to individual opinion. Also these rankings are based on what I expect for the rest of THIS season. Age, contracts, etc. have no value here. Simply I would want the guy ranked #1 over the guy slotted #2 and so on for the rest of the year. And for the “tweeners” I made the executive decision and placed the player in just one position.

Point Guards:

1. Derrick Rose, Bulls
2. Chris Paul, Clippers
3. Deron Williams, Nets
4. Russell Westbrook, Thunder
5. Rajon Rondo, Celtics
6, Tony Parker, Spurs
7. Steve Nash, Suns
8. Stephen Curry, Warriors
9. Kyle Lowry, Rockets
10. Brandon Jennings, Bucks
11. Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves
12. Tyreke Evans, Kings
13. John Wall, Wizards
14. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers
15. Jeremy Lin, Knicks
16. Ty Lawson, Nuggets
17. Lou Williams, 76ers
18. Jeff Teague, Hawks
19. Mike Conley, Grizzlies
20. Raymond Felton, Trail Blazers

Right out of the gate you can see how difficult this task really is. The Top 3 is pretty much a lock, but after that? I’m not even that confident in Westbrook, although he has played extremely well as of late. I don’t like his shot selection or when he takes the game over and forgets he has Durant on his team. I have John Wall real low on my list knowing he could storm up the rankings at any time. He needs to not turn the ball over, plus he’s leading a terrible team. Lin? I think he is ranked just fine at 15… for now.

Shooting Guards:

1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers
2. Dwyane Wade, Heat
3. Joe Johnson, Hawks
4. Manu Ginobili, Spurs (injured)
5. Monta Ellis, Warriors
6. James Harden, Thunder
7. Eric Gordon, Hornets
8. Wesley Matthews, Trail Blazers
9. Kevin Martin, Rockets
10. Jason Terry, Mavericks
11. Jamal Crawford, Trail Blazers
12. Ray Allen, Celtics
13. Rodney Stuckey, Pistons
14. Paul George, Pacers
15. Arron Afflalo, Nuggets
16. DeMar DeRozan, Raptors
17. O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
18. Tony Allen, Grizzlies
19. Nick Young, Wizards
20. Anthony Morrow, Nets

Not a power house group right here. After the dominate Top 2 we see quite a drop off. Don’t love Joe Johnson at 3. Stuckey may be a point guard, but with Brandon Knight starting alongside him he’s been playing a lot of SG, and he actually lit up the C’s a couple weeks back.

Small Forward:

1. LeBron James, Heat
2. Kevin Durant, Thunder
3. Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
4. Paul Pierce, Celtics
5. Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
6. Gerald Wallace, Trail Blazers
7. Andre Iguodala, 76ers
8. Luol Deng, Bulls
9. Shawn Marion, Mavericks
10. Danny Granger, Pacers
11. Caron Butler, Clippers
12. Danilo Gallinari, Nuggets
13. Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
14. Nicolas Batum, Trail Blazers
15. Michael Beasley, Timberwolves
16. Jared Dudley, Suns
17. Carlos Delfino, Bucks
18. Hedo Turkoglu, Magic
19. Dorell Wright, Warriors
20. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs

I know that our own Brian Robb is going to be disappointed with my ranking of Luol Deng (8th). I understand his value, but I’ve just never been impressed by him. He certainly helps the Bulls a great deal, and does a lot of different things well. But he’s not elite.

Power Forward:

1. Kevin Love, Timberwolves
2. Blake Griffin, Clippers
3. LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers
4. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
5. Zach Randolph, Grizzlies (injured)
6. Pau Gasol, Lakers
7. Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
8. Chris Bosh, Heat
9. DeMarcus Cousins, Kings
10. Paul Millsap, Jazz
11. Kevin Garnett, Celtics
12. David Lee, Warriors
13. Josh Smith, Hawks
14. Luis Scola, Rockets
15. Serge Ibaka, Thunder
16. Greg Monroe, Pistons
17. Ryan Anderson, Magic
18. Carlos Boozer, Bulls
19. Kris Humphries, Nets
20. Antawn Jamison, Cavaliers

Real tough Top 20 right here. Perhaps the deepest position in the league, PG has a lot of elite talent, but check out 1-20 here, plus I’m sure I forget/left out a few solid guys. Most nights I believe Aldridge is better than Griffin, but then when it came time to fill out the list, I just couldn’t do it. Randolph hasn’t played all season. When he comes back, I expect him to be a Top 5 talent. You may think Cousins is ranked a little generously. I love this guy. He may be an immature head case, but he can play!

Center:

1. Dwight Howard, Magic
2. Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
3. Andrew Bynum, Lakers
4. Tim Duncan, Spurs
5. Tyson Chandler, Knicks
6. Al Horford, Hawks (injured)
7. Andrew Bogut, Bucks (injured)
8. Joakim Noah, Bulls
9. Al Hibbert, Pacers
10. Al Jefferson, Jazz
11. DeAndre Jordan, Clippers
12. Nene, Nuggets (injured)
13. Anderson Varajao, Cavaliers
14. Kendrick Perkins, Thunder
15. Marcin Gortat, Suns
16. Marcus Camby, Trail Blazers
17. JaVale McGee, Wizards
18. Samuel Dalembert, Rockets
19. Brendan Haywood, Mavericks
20. Tiago Splitter, Spurs

Definitely the league’s weakest position as these are the 20 best. Not too many crunch time players on this list. How many command a double team? The days of Olajuwon, Shaq, Robinson, Ewing, Mourning, and Mutombo are long gone. I know what you’re thinking, No Jermaine? He was 21.

-Keefe

What If They Stayed In School?

Before the 2006 draft the League and the Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement (this is not a post on the upcoming CBA, don’t worry), and part of the agreement stated that high school players could no longer be drafted. They must wait at least until 1 year after their high school class graduation and they need to be 19 years old.

Let’s play a hypothetical and say that they changed the rule, forcing players to stay 4 years in college. (It would be a terrible rule, in fact I don’t like the restriction of keeping high school players out as it is now, but that’s another article all together.)

The 2011 NCAA tournament brackets were announced yesterday, and I’m sure it will be an entertaining few weeks with upsets, great performances, and memorable moments. But can you imagine what it would it be like had players not been allowed to leave school early for the NBA? Here is a quick look at all the teams that saw players skip out for pro ball. (Something tells me the seeding would be different and there would drastic changes to the 68 team field.)

ACC:

Florida State – Soloman Alabi, Ryan Reid

Georgia Tech – Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal

North Carolina – Ed Davis

North Carolina State – J.J. Hickson

Virginia – Sylven Landesberg

Wake Forest – James Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu

Big 10:

Indiana – Eric Gordon

Michigan – Manny Harris

Ohio State – Kosta Koufos, B.J. Mullens, Evan Turner

Big 12:

Baylor – Ekpe Udoh

Iowa State – Craig Brackins

Kansas – Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry

Kansas State – Michael Beasley, Bill Walker

Oklahoma – Blake Griffin, Tiny Gallon, Willie Warren

Oklahoma State – James Anderson

Texas – Avery Bradley

Big East:

Cincinnati – Lance Stephenson

DePaul – Dar Tucker

Georgetown – Greg Monroe

Louisville – Samardo Samuels

Pittsburgh – DeJuan Blair

South Florida – Dominique Jones

Syracuse – Donta Greene, Jonny Flynn, Wesley Johnson

West Virginia – Devin Ebanks

Pac-10:

Arizona – Jerryd Bayliss

Arizona State – James Harden

UCLA – Kevin Love, Jrue Holiday

USC – O.J. Mayo, DeMar DeRozan, Davon Jefferson

SEC:

Florida – Nick Calathes

Kentucky – John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton

LSU – Anthony Randolph

Ole Miss – Terrico White

Mid-Majors:

Memphis – Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, Elliot Williams

Gonzaga – Austin Daye

St. Mary’s – Patty Mills

Butler – Gordon Hayward

Xavier – Jordan Crawford

Fresno State – Paul George

Nevada – Luke Babbitt, Armon Johnson

New Mexico – Darington Hobson

UTEP – Derrick Caracter

VCU – Larry Sanders

Marshall – Hassan Whiteside

That is a total of 65 players who still would have been eligible for college basketball this season. The talent is just off the charts. This year’s All-American teams have yet to be announced, but this is how they could have looked…

Keefe’s Hypothetical 2011 All-American Team

1^st Team

Derrick Rose, Memphis

Kevin Love, UCLA

Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Eric Gordon, Indiana

John Wall, Kentucky

2^nd Team

Michael Beasley, Kansas State

O.J. Mayo, USC

DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky

DeJuan Blair, Pitt

Jerryd Bayliss, Arizona

3^rd Team

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse

James Harden, Arizona State

DeMar DeRozan, USC

Tyreke Evans, Memphis

J.J. Hickson, North Carolina State

(Compare that list to this year’s likely All-Americans: Jimmer Fredette, BYU; Nolan Smith, Duke; Derrick Williams, Arizona; JaJuan Johnson, Purdue; Jared Sullinger, Ohio State; Kemba Walker, UConn… Do any of those guys crack the list?)

Conference Player of the Year:

ACC: J.J. Hickson, N.C. State

Atlantic 10: Jordon Crawford, Xavier

Big 10: Eric Gordon, Indiana

Big 12: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Big East: DeJuan Blair, Pitt

Conf. USA: Derrick Rose, Memphis

Horizon: Gordon Hayward, Butler

Mountain West: Jimmer Fredette, BYU

PAC-10: Kevin Love, UCLA

SEC: John Wall, Kentucky

WAC: Paul George, Fresno St.

West Coast: Austin Daye, Gonzaga

By my count 11/12 of the best conferences in the country would have had different player of the year had they all been forced to stay.

How about the competition for NCAA Player of the Year? My pick is Rose, but it’s scary to think what kind of numbers Love and Griffin (all 3 were NBA All-Stars this year) would put up against college kids.

Also you see John Calipari’s finger prints all over this hypothetical. Chances are Tyreke Evans wouldn’t have gone to Memphis if Derrick Rose was still there for three years. I’m not going to try and guess where he would go, but that’s a big reason I got Evans all the way down at 3^rd Team status. Would Coach Cal leave that backcourt for Kentucky?

Three of the four 1 seeds in this year’s tournament (Ohio State, Kansas, and Pitt) all would have even deeper teams. The #1 overall Buckeyes could add Evan Turner as well as big men Kosta Koufos and B.J. Mullens to their roster. Kansas is stronger with Xavier Henry and Cole Aldrich, while Pitt is all the more dangerous with DeJuan Blair. Interestingly, Duke seems to have gone back to the way they were pre Corey Maggette, William Avery, Elton Brand, Luol Deng, and don’t have as many 1 or 2 and done players as they once did. Their best players (Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler) decided to return for their senior year after already winning a title.

Memphis, Kentucky, Syracuse, UCLA, USC, and Kansas State all would have likely battled for 1 seeds; I bet Duke ends up as a 4 or 5 this season.

Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Indiana, Arizona State, and Nevada would likely have all made the tournament this year instead of finishing outside the 68 team field.

Top 8 Seeds this year:

1. Ohio State
2. Kansas
3. Pitt
4. Duke
5. Notre Dame
6. North Carolina
7. San Diego State
8. Florida

Top 8 “What If” Seeds

1. Memphis
2. UCLA
3. Oklahoma
4. Kentucky
5. Kansas
6. USC
7. Kansas State
8. Ohio State

It’s difficult to really predict and understand what college basketball would look like with all these players still in the game. Someone like O.J. Mayo, who has already gone from a starter to a reserve in the NBA and seen his points per game average drop each season in the league (18.5, 17.5, 11.8), could be a senior at Southern Cal this year. I personally think if he was still there we’d be talking about a guy putting up 25+ points, 8 assists a game and it’d be must see TV when the Trojans face Kevin Love, Jrue Holiday and the UCLA Bruins.

Look at the jump Kemba Walker from UConn has made in 3 seasons. He went from 8.9 points per game to 14.6, to 23.5 this year. There were rumors swirling that he would go pro after his freshmen and sophomore seasons. You think we’d know his name had he done that? Imagine if some of these other players listed above, who left after their 1^st or 2^nd college season elected to stay, how many points per game would they average?

Again I’m not blaming anyone for leaving school, if you’re going to get drafted in the 1^st round and make millions of dollars, no one can blame you. My only point in comparing a player to Kemba Walker is you can see the jump they can make in school. Is 30 points per game too much for Eric Gordon or Jerryd Bayliss? 35?

ESPN interviewed Walker, Jimmer Fredette, and Nolan Smith yesterday after the brackets were announced. They were picked because they are 3 of if not the 3 best players in the country. If everyone stayed in school are they in the Top 15? 20? How tough a job would ESPN have had trying select just 3 players to talk to between Love, Rose, Griffin, Gordon, Mayo, Wall, Beasley etc.?

In the end it’s just a fun “What If” game that will never be/ should never be the reality in college basketball. Enjoy the tournament this year like you do every March, but try not to drive yourself crazy envisioning Bill Walker and Michael Beasley in a Wildcats uniform when watching Kansas State play. Or O.J. Mayo during USC’s games… or Kevin Love for UCLA… or Derrick Rose for Memphis… or John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins for Kentucky… or…

-Keefe

NBA All-Star Reserves Revealed

A record tying 4 Celtics were named as reserves for the Eastern Conference All-Star team tonight. The C's and Miami Heat combine for 7 of the 12 roster spots in the East. Here are the squads starting with the newly announced subs...

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Ray Allen, Celtics
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Kevin Garnett, Celtics
Al Horford, Hawks
Joe Johnson, Hawks
Chris Bosh, Heat

Starters: Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Tim Duncan, Spurs
Manu Ginobili, Spurs
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Blake Griffin, Clippers
Deron Williams, Jazz
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

Starters: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Yao Ming*

These were the All-Stars I picked last week with two exceptions. I had Danny Granger over Joe Johnson in the East. Johnson is the smarter pick as he is on a far superior team, and that is clearly important in the East as all 12 All-Stars are on the Top 6 teams. Johnson has picked it up after a slow start while Granger's Pacers are struggling big time.

Meanwhile I also had Kevin Love as an All-Star for the West, and that can still hold true. David Stern has not selected his replacement for the injured Yao Ming yet. There is a deep pool of snubs in the West including Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph, and Lamar Odom, just for big guys. Also All-Star worthy were/are Monta Ellis, Steve Nash, and Tony Parker.

I'll be rooting for Kevin Love who leads the NBA in rebounding with 15+ to go along with 21+ points a night.

-Keefe


Coming soon Besse and I will make our pick for the Super Bowl, game MVP, and plenty of other exciting props that will make you want to reactivate your online account.