Dwight Howard Trade Talks

So by now you've heard (and read) the latest trade scenario of Dwight Howard to the Atlanta Hawks. Joe Johnson and Al Horford for Dwight wouldn't be that bad a get for Orlando given how young and talented Al Horford is and the fact that Orlando has yet to use their amnesty clause (Could be used on Johnson and his 124m albatross of a contract). Putting that aside, this would be a HUGE get for Atlanta. They have clearly peaked with the team they have currently assembled and it doesn't look like any player on their roster is going to make the leap to "superstar" anytime soon (if at all). Given the talent of Josh Smith (and his friendship with Dwight) and the emergence of Jeff Teague at PG, adding a super-duper-star like Dwight Howard will put them in a position to make a couple smart moves that will result in them being a championship contender. I get that Hawk fans love Horford and that he's young and could continue to develop into a special player, but he will NOT be Dwight Howard at any point and Joe Johnson clearly isn't in the future plans for Atlanta. Dwight is from Atlanta and would be quite content being the reason the Hawks become a relevant title contender once again. If Otis Smith is serious about wanting players and not draft picks for Dwight, I don't see how you are going to get a better package than Horford and Joe Johnson outside of Pau and Andrew Bynum.

For the record I still see him ending up in L.A., but I'm obligated to at least acknowledge the latest "As the Dwight Howard turns" rumors..

Paul Pierce will start

Doc announced that Paul Pierce will start in the game tonight. (Source: ESPN)

This is huge news for the Celtics who are desperate for their 1st win of the season. They are home to a much maligned Detroit squad that cannot seem to get out of their own way. I would be surprised if the C's don't pull it out tonight. Detroit struggles on offense and having to go up against Boston's defense is not the cure for that. Also, with Pierce back on offense, they will have their best pure scorer out there to handle the load on offense. Boston is favored by 10 tonight, I'd say it's a near lock they surpass that and blow Detroit out.

Prediction: 102-81

Is 95m not enough for you?

Derrick Rose expected to sign a deal that will approach 250 million dollars with Adidas in the coming days. It'll be over the course of 10 years (25 per annum) and will essentially be a life-time shoe-deal. (Source: ESPN.com)

Unbelievable. Derrick Rose will be the new face of Adidas going forward to compete with Nike and their arsenal of athletes. On one hand I want to say congratulations and pat D-Rose on the back, but on the other hand, it's hard to congratulate anyone who just made 350 million in a matter of weeks. Kudos on the deal, though, D-Rose. Now you can finally pay back the guy who took your SAT's for you!

Nightly Recap: 12/29/11

Day 5 in the NBA brings us game winners, a battle of undefeated's, and a showdown between two iconic basketball franchises.

Kevin Durant > Vince Carter

I talked about this last night in my rapid reaction, but what a great game that was between OKC and Dallas last night. Kevin Durant goes off for 30 while Dirk goes for 29. The defending champs fall to 0-3 and look to be in real trouble here. OKC on the other hand, looks as legit as people had predicted all season. KD continues to be the front-runner for MVP and despite losing the turnover battle in dramatic fashion in this game (26-12), OKC continues to be the front-runner for the west.

There ain't no D in NYC

New York had every chance to win this game. I won't mention the refs much in this blog, but NY had 41 FT attempts to LA's 22. That is a massive difference and anyone watching the game knows it wasn't because NY was more physical in the low-post. The Lakers shot 82% in the 2nd qtr, 72% in the 1st half and 52% in the game while the Knicks - consistently - shot 32% throughout the game. New York looked frenetic on offense and Amar'e had 23% of his shots blocked. That is a staggering stat. If the Knicks settle down on offense and control the game on that side of the ball, the defense will improve (not into a top 10 defense, but improve enough), and they'll have a chance to make a run. Nice stat I saw on twitter from this game: Knicks haven't beaten the Lakers since Feb of '07.

Undefeated No More

Denver is knocked off the list of undefeated teams, leaving just 6 undefeated teams remaining (would have been 5 if not for KD's ridiculous trey from long-distance). Don't let the final score fool you, though. This game was tied at 98 with just under 6 minutes remaining. Portland closed them out with a nice run by Crawford, Wes Matthews, and Ray Felton. One aspect where Portland outdid Denver consistently was rebounding (out rebounding them 50-30 in the game) I cannot imagine how good the Blazers would be with a healthy Roy and Oden. Batum still has room to grow (lot of Portland writers feel he isn't nearly as good as he could be) and the signing of Kurt Thomas gives Camby a much needed rest at crucial spots in the game without sacrificing too much skill. Jamal Crawford, however, is going to be one of the best additions to any team this off-season. He can flat out change a game when coming off the bench (either extending a lead or closing a deficit with both 2nd units in). Portland looks like it could be merging into a real contender/threat to OKC.

Notes:

• Houston gets their 1st win of the year against division foe San Antonio behind a great effort from their backcourt
• 13 players got minutes for Houston; a trend I'm noticing for a lot of teams; coaches still don't know the rotation they want to go with and are experimenting a ton.
• Dwight Howard scored 16 pts and had 24 rebounds against NJ who continued to score again, shooting 37% for the game and scoring a mere 78 points
• Derrick Rose, who wasn't having all that great a game, was Derrick Rose down the stretch and put away Sacramento on the road.
• Rip Hamilton had his best game in a Chicago uniform, scoring 16 points on 7-15 shooting.
• Noah has had a slow start to the year (only 7 ppg and 7 rpg)
• CJ Wilson had 9 assists in 18 minutes
• Dirk was perfect on his FT's and has now missed only 1 all season (v. Miami in the opening game of the year)

Follow me on Twitter: NickJBurrows

Rapid Reaction: Mavs 102 @ Thunder 104

KD 4 3!

How impressive is Kevin Durant. He over-pursues Dirk on that final play for the Mavericks allowing Vince to play hero (at least for a few seconds), but rebounds to nail an incredibly tough 3-point shot from well beyond the 3-point line as the game clock expired. He also posted his 4th consecutive 30+ point game and now is averaging 31.7 ppg this year, tops in the NBA.

Vince plays hero

For about 1 minute he was the most hated man in OKC and the most beloved man in Dallas. Then Kevin Durant was Kevin Durant.

Westbrook struggles but comes up big late

Russell Westbrook didn't play all that well. He had 7 turnovers to 4 assists, only got to the stripe 3 times and had a +/- of -5. He did come back late in the final 2 minutes to help OKC come away with their 4th win of the season.

Sloppy OKC; Hot OKC

OKC had 26 turnovers; 6 by KD, 6 by Perk, and 7 by Westbrook, however they shot nearly 60% as a team which allowed them to win despite being out shot 90-63. Let me say that again. After being out shot NINTEY to SIXTY-THREE. Yikes..

Odom Struggles Again

Lamar Odom continues to struggle adjusting to the Dallas Mavericks. Now 14 points 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block combined in all three games. He also looks lost on offense on most possessions. This is a big reason as to why Dallas is 0-3 out of the gate. Once he gets his game going, Dallas will start chalking up W's.

The NBA is BACK!

I cannot say this enough. Games like this are why I love the NBA. Highly competitive game, chippy, big shots being made (never forget the 3 by Jason Terry that made that Vince 3 matter), and a fantastic finish. Gotta love the NBA!

FA Signing: Phoenix Suns

The Suns announced the signing of Michael Redd today to a 1-year deal (assuming vet min). The Suns have struggled to score the basketball and Redd will provide instant offense off the bench with his 3 point shot. Given his multiple knee surgeries and the fact that, well, he just didn't play it well before, defense will be an issue. Offense, no defense, sounds like Suns basketball! What a fit!