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With a backcourt that is overcrowded, the Chicago Bulls will look to trade Kirk Hinrich this summer.

The Chicago Crowd

Right now, the Chicago Bulls have an abundance of good guards. Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, Thabo Sefolosha, Larry Hughes, and of course, Kirk Hinrich.

The Chicago Bulls also have two quality players at the small forward spot in Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng, which means that the 5 guards will have to share the 96 available backcourt minutes. That isn’t nearly enough.

Chosen One

Out of the five guards, the Chicago Bulls would prefer Kirk Hinrich. Then again, so would the other general managers around the league. Kirk Hinrich is simply the guard with the highest trade value on the team, and that’s why he’ll be the most likely one to go once trades start happening this summer.

Ben Gordon is a tremendously talented scorer. However, he’s hoping to sign a contract that will pay him $10 million annually. He’s not going to get a lot of buyers.

Larry Hughes has $26.5 million left on his contract. He also doesn’t have any upside left, which makes him quite unattractive to other teams.

That leaves Kirk Hinrich, who used to be a great defensive guard, as the top choice.

Part of a Package

The Chicago Bulls have a lot of talent. Plenty of good players. They’ll package some of their good players in hopes of landing a great player.

Kirk Hinrich will be the centerpiece of the trade package.

We’ve already covered how talented their backcourt is. The frontline isn’t too shabby either. Luol Deng, Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah all have pretty decent trade value right now.

Washington Bound?

There are mumblings down in Washington DC that the Wizards could possibly be looking to part ways with Gilbert Arenas.

The eccentric guard is as gifted of a player as any in the league, but he’s also coming off of an injury riddled season.

Plus, the Washington Wizards have been playing pretty well with a new found focus on defense. The team has been rumored to be seriously considering going towards the trend and finding a defensive guard to replace Gilbert Arenas.

Closing Thoughts

The Chicago Bulls are going to have to do something drastic because the current team that they have now is not built to win a championship.

After 2 decades with the franchise, Indiana Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh has decided to leave.

The Legacy

In all of his years in the front office, Donnie Walsh has never won the NBA Executive of the Year award.

He didn’t need to.

Donnie Walsh is widely recognized as one of the best front office executives in the NBA and perhaps all of sports. He makes intelligent decisions and takes risks whenever it’s necessary.

For instance, in 1987, the entire Indiana Pacers fan base had demanded that the team draft Steve Alford. The star of the University of Indiana was a local hero and many had hoped that he would continue his basketball career for the Indiana Pacers.

Donnie Walsh, though, had other ideas.

He instead chose to draft a skinny guard from UCLA named Reggie Miller. Yeah, the same Reggie Miller that would eventually become one of the best players to ever suit up for the Indiana Pacers.

Another shrewd move that Donnie Walsh orchestrated was trading veteran forward Dale Davis to the Portland Trail Blazers for a little used reserve named Jermaine O’Neal, who would go on to become the franchise player for the Indiana Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers also managed to pick up forward Ron Artest and center Brad Miller from the Chicago Bulls simply by trading guards Travis Best and Jalen Rose thanks to Donnie Walsh.

Bird’s House

With Donnie Walsh leaving the franchise, the Indiana Pacers are now under the complete command of Larry Bird.

For the last few months, Larry Bird had shared duties with Donnie Walsh in terms of running the team. That was by design because Donnie Walsh was grooming Larry Bird as his eventual replacement.

Larry Bird, a Hall of Fame player, now has an opportunity to prove to people that he can be a Hall of Fame executive.

I Love New York

The rumors have already begun swirling that Donnie Walsh has agreed to join the New York Knicks and try to save the sinking franchise.

As of right now, nothing is official yet, but it looks like team president and head coach Isiah Thomas will be on his way out of the Big Apple. New York Knicks fans and the New York media are all too happy to hold the door for him as he leaves.

With his history of success as an executive, Donnie Walsh will be a welcomed addition to the team.

Well, at least for a couple of months before the fans turn on him as well.

Closing Thoughts

It’s an end of an era in Indiana.

The Milwaukee Bucks have fired general manager Larry Harris.

Long Term

Larry Harris has been the general manager for the Milwaukee Bucks since 2003, but he’s been with the franchise for much longer than that.

In 1990, when his father Del Harris was the team’s head coach, Larry Harris worked as a scout and video coordinator for the team. That was approximately 18 years ago.

Milwaukee Bucks owner Senator Herb Kohl had a tough decision to make on a personal level. However, on a professional level, this move was a bit easier to make.

Larry Harris simply was unable to amaze anyone with his moves over the years.

The Moves

As the team’s general manager, Larry Harris was able to resign franchise guard Michael Redd to a contract extension. However, not a lot of people give Larry Harris a ton of credit for this because he had to fork out a 6 year, $90 million deal to get it done. The Cleveland Cavaliers were basically the only other team that had a shot with Michael Redd, but they couldn’t offer the same amount of money.

Center Dan Gadzuric was able to win himself a 6 year, $36 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. He hasn’t been able to earn himself a starting spot, and the franchise has spent draft picks and money on other frontline players.

Forward Bobby Simmons won the Most Improved Award when he was playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. That was enough to get $47 million dollars from the Milwaukee Bucks. At the time, everyone bashed team owner Donald Sterling for not spending money to keep his players, but after seeing Bobby Simmons failing to make a splash for the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s hard to blame him now.

Larry Harris has also made moves to acquire forward Charlie Villanueva and center Jamaal Magloire, but neither move really improved the team.

He was able to draft center Andrew Bogut and forward Yi Jianlian, but it’s too soon to really determine how well those moves have worked out.

Potential Replacements

Three names have already popped up as replacements for Larry Harris in Milwaukee.

Former head coach Doug Collins is a candidate to become the new general. He has been a head coach for the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Washington Wizards.

Rick Sund, the former general manager for the Seattle Sonics, is another name that has been tossed in the hat.

There’s a lot of question marks with the Indiana Pacers and their front office. Team CEO Donnie Walsh has been rumored to be leaving the team, and the Milwaukee Bucks are a potential landing spot for him.

Left Hanging

With the team expected to name a new general manager within the coming weeks, head coach Larry Krystkowiak is fully aware that his job will be on the line.

Most new executives prefer bringing in their own head coach. Larry Krystkowiak has been in the business long enough to know this.

Plus, Larry Krystkowiak hasn’t particularly impressed anyone with his record. Since being named the head coach, he has lost 30 more games than he has won.

He’s a talented coach, though, so he should end up on someone’s bench next year if he’s not retained by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Closing Thoughts

The move was expected. However, the timing of the move wasn’t. We thought they were at least going to wait until the end of the season.

Pau Gasol is a great player, but he does have a weakness that could be exploited during the playoffs.

The Weakness is Weakness

On Sunday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Pau Gasol came away with the win, but the rest of the league (particularly the playoff bound teams) got a reminder as to how to disrupt the big Spaniard’s game.

His final numbers for the game were pretty impressive. Pau Gasol scored 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and had 5 assists. Those are numbers that most players in the league would love to have.

However, basketball is more than just stats.

The game showed how to effective play against Pau Gasol on defense. You have to use your strength and move the big man from his comfortable spots on the floor. You have to physically wear him down in order to take away his consistency.

Erick Dampier isn’t a lot of things, but he is strong. On Sunday, he used his strength to make Pau Gasol uncomfortable.

Tough Challenges

When you browse through the teams that will potentially be in the playoffs, a few of them have guys on the roster that could cause some problems for Pau Gasol.

The team that is directly ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers in the standings is the San Antonio Spurs. Their combination of Kurt Thomas and Tim Duncan has to be a cause of concern.

Kurt Thomas, despite weighing only 235 pounds, is one of the strongest defenders in the league. He’ll definitely use his physicality against Pau Gasol.

Offensively, the San Antonio Spurs will look to have Tim Duncan wearing down Pau Gasol by forcing him to play defense. The team will also look to attack Andrew Bynum as well to get him into foul trouble. If Andrew Bynum isn’t in the lineup, then Pau Gasol is forced to guard Tim Duncan.

The Boston Celtics have PJ Brown and Kendrick Perkins, the Detroit Pistons have an army of big men, the Orlando Magic has Dwight Howard, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have Ben Wallace.

Granted, Pau Gasol isn’t going to be dominated by all of these guys. We’re just saying that these guys have the potential to cause problems for him if they play him physically.

Adjustments

Everyone knows that basketball is a game of adjustments.

It’s a human chess game where you counter a good move with another good move. In basketball terms, if a defense figures out how to stop you, then you change things up to continue scoring.

Pau Gasol is a finesse player. Most European big men are finesse players. That’s nothing new.

On nights where the defense is getting physical with Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers can adjust by having the 7′0″, 260 center use that finesse of his.

The perimeter players can also provide some help for Pau Gasol on offense as well. The Los Angeles Lakers can utilize a lot of cuts by the guards to help out Pau Gasol against the opposing big men. He’s gifted enough of a passer to make it where his defender has to stay focused in case a perimeter player breaks through the paint.

Having Pau Gasol playing some pick and roll offense also utilizes his strengths as a finesse player as well.

Closing Thoughts

Pau Gasol is going to have to figure out how to adjust in order to help the Los Angeles Lakers win another NBA championship.

The long awaited release of Sam Cassell has finally happened, and he’s just a few hours away from signing with the Boston Celtics.

Free At Last

All eyes have been on the Los Angeles Clippers these past few weeks.

First, fans were waiting to see if they would trade veteran guard Sam Cassell to a contending team before the trade deadline. Everyone watched as guard Jason Kidd moved from New Jersey to Dallas, forward Shawn Marion moved from Phoenix to Miami, center Pau Gasol moved from Memphis to Los Angeles, and center Shaquille O’Neal moved from Miami to Phoenix. Even forward Kurt Thomas was on the move as he left Seattle for San Antonio.

The trade deadline came and went, and Sam Cassell was still with the Los Angeles Clippers.

On Thursday, Sam Cassell was finally waived by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Cassell and the Celtics

The moment the Boston Celtics acquired guard Ray Allen and forward Kevin Garnett, fans began salivating at the thought of the powerful trio that they would form with forward Paul Pierce. After the initial luster wore off, fans of the Boston Celtics began looking at the remaining two starting spots.

All eyes then shifted to guard Rajon Rondo.

Critics were afraid that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the all-star trio. Many felt that the Boston Celtics needed someone with more experience to run the team. Well, we’re more than half way through the season, and Rajon Rondo has been running a team that currently sits atop the Eastern Conference. Not too shabby.

Fans were satisfied with his play, but they still wanted a veteran to be added just in case.

Well, by the end of the weekend, that veteran will be Sam Cassell.

The Other Trio

Mention the Boston Celtics to any basketball fan, and they’ll be able to tell you about Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett.

Now, mention the Boston Celtics to a hardcore fan, and they’ll tell you more about the “other” trio. The bench trio of Sam Cassell, forward James Posey, and center PJ Brown.

Between the three of them, there is 36 years of experience. The knowledge and experience that they would bring to the team will more than exceed their actual contributions on the floor.

Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins struggling? No problem. Insert Sam Cassell and PJ Brown. Need more defense than what Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are providing? Insert James Posey.

Familiar Faces

It shouldn’t take too long for Sam Cassell to adjust to his new team.

He’s already played with Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. He’s also played with Ray Allen in Milwaukee.

Plus, Sam Cassell will have plenty of time to watch and observe his new teammates because he’s scheduled to be utilized as a backup for Rajon Rondo.

Closing Thoughts

The Boston Celtics have greatly improved their chances of making it to the NBA Finals this year by adding veterans to their bench.

The Boston Celtics added some more size to their bench by signing veteran PJ Brown.

Sweepstakes Winner

While he may not be as hyped as Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal, the acquisition of PJ Brown should give the Boston Celtics interior game more of a boost.

By adding the 6′11″, 250 pound center to the bench, the Boston Celtics have improved their rebounding and defense. Once he gets into NBA shape again, PJ Brown should be able to provide relief for forward Kevin Garnett and center Kendrick Perkins.

Even though he’s not a perennial all-star big man, there’s a reason why PJ Brown’s name kept popping up throughout the year. Every time a contending team’s interior depth was questioned, PJ Brown’s name was almost always mentioned as a possible solution.

The Rotation

Once he’s ready to be a regular part of the rotation, PJ Brown shoud get plenty of minutes.

Right now, the starters are Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Kevin Garnett is playing 34.2 minutes a game while Kendrick Perkins is playing 24.2 minutes a game.

That leaves approximately 38 minutes available for the reserves.

PJ Brown should be able to handle about 20 minutes a game off the bench. The other 18 minutes can be split up between Brian Scalabrine, Glen Davis, Leon Powe, and Scott Pollard.

Taking the Pressure Off

Another advantage of having PJ Brown is that the team doesn’t have to rely solely on Kevin Garnett to guard the opposing team’s big men.

Two of the teams that the Boston Celtics will have to go through are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons.

Kevin Garnett is going to have his hands full trying to defend the ultra versatile forward Rasheed Wallace. He’s also going to have trouble defending center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, especially since he likes to score down low. PJ Brown can help out with both of those guys.

Closing Thoughts

This move is along the same line as the San Antonio Spurs signing Kurt Thomas. Nice subtle move that can help win a championship.

The Dallas Mavericks have added more size to their team by signing former all-star center Jamaal Magloire.

Center of Attention

Jamaal Magloire has been on three teams for the past three years. His minutes and his numbers have been disgustingly low this season.

The former first round draft pick from the University of Kentucky had fallen out of the rotation in New Jersey. Jamaal Magloire played in only 24 games and averaged approximately 10 minutes a game.

It got to the point where the New Jersey Nets actually released him after they were unable to move him during the trade deadline.

Yet, Jamaal Magloire still received quite a bit of attention once he became available.

Contenders like the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns expressed some interest in acquiring the 6′11″, 260 pound big man in hopes of adding more depth to their benches.

In the end, though, Jamaal Magloire chose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks.

Motivating Magloire

As of late, it has been obvious that something hasn’t been right with Jamaal Magloire. His motivation just hasn’t been there.

Since leaving the New Orleans Hornets, Jamaal Magloire had a solid year for the Milwaukee Bucks. He then went over to the Portland Trail Blazers and had a decent year. Things hit rock bottom when he joined the New Jersey Nets.

According to Jason Kidd, effort isn’t the problem. He recently stated that for a guy that doesn’t get to play, Jamaal Magloire works just as hard as anyone else.

Perhaps going to a contender like the Dallas Mavericks will revitalize Jamaal Magloire. Winning fixes a lot of things, and the franchise is hoping that it will fix whatever is wrong with the big man.

In the Rotation

Unlike the situation in New Jersey, Jamaal Magloire will be in the rotation for the Dallas Mavericks.

Dirk Nowitzki has one of the four power rotation spots covered. Erick Dampier will take up half the minutes at the center spot.

That leaves about 36 minutes up for grabs. Jamaal Magloire will battle Brandon Bass, Juwan Howard, and Malik Allen for those minutes.

If he can come anywhere near his playing level when he was an all-star, Jamaal Magloire should be able to secure about 20-25 of those minutes.

If Jamaal Magloire can somehow provide the team with 10 points and 8 rebounds a game, then the Dallas Mavericks can compete with any team in the league.

Closing Thoughts

This is a good low risk, high rewards type of signing.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is injured and will miss the rest of the 2007-2008 season.

Something Is Afoot

The Houston Rockets have been on a 12 game winning streak, and it looked like nothing was going to be able to stop them.

Well, something from within may be a stop to the entire thing. Yao Ming has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot.

The medical team is urging him to get surgery done to fix it. There’s also a method to heal the wound without surgery, but it’ll take the same amount of time to recover.

It’s probably best for the long term for Yao Ming to have the surgery done.

Big Shoes

Yao Ming was having a fantastic season this year.

The 7′6″ center was averaging 22 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2 blocks a game. He was also playing a career high 37.2 minutes a game.

Unless Hakeem Olajuwon has rediscovered his youth, the Houston Rockets aren’t going to be able to sign someone to fill those shoes. Actually, when one browses over the list of available players, it might not be too bad of an idea to give the Dream a call.

Stepping Up

The Houston Rockets have basically lost any chance they had at winning the NBA championship this year.

However, it be a huge mistake for the team to tank the season. That could do more long term damage than anything, especially on a team that has 8 guys with less than 3 years of experience.

In order for the team to stay competitive, though, the remaining front court players need to step up.

Forward Luis Scola has stepped up as of late. Ever since being promoted to the starting lineup, he has produced 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. The team has also been undefeated since the promotion. With more touches available and less help on the boards, Luis Scola now has a chance to up his numbers to 15 points and 8 rebounds a game.

Carl Landry, a 6′9″, 250 forward from Purdue, will be asked to play an addition 5-10 minutes a game now. He’s been pulling down an impressive 5 rebounds a game despite playing only 15 minutes a game.

Steve Novak is 6′10″, and that’s about it. He hasn’t been able to stay on the floor for more than 20 minutes a game. If there was ever a time for him to step up, now would be good. The Houston Rockets aren’t expecting much from him.

The undersized Chuck Hayes is a crowd favorite. He’s going to have to get back on track. If he can play as well as he did in December, then the Houston Rockets should still be able to compete.

Closing Thoughts

The Western Conference is just too deep to think the Houston Rockets can do any damage in the playoffs without Yao Ming. They might be able to steal a first round upset if the opponents underestimates them, but that’s the best case scenario right now.

The Miami Heat attempted to trade for New York Knicks center Eddy Curry before the trading deadline.

The Trade

Exact details haven’t been released yet, but the deal was believed to have included the Miami Heat, the New Jersey Nets, and the New York Knicks.

New Jersey Nets guard Vince Carter was to be shipped to the New York Knicks. Eddy Curry would have been shipped down to the Miami Heat. Expiring contracts from the Miami Heat would have been sent to the New Jersey Nets.

Riley Research

Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley contacted the Chicago Bulls to gather more information on Eddy Curry. It is believed that Pat Riley contacted the Chicago Bulls as opposed to the New York Knicks so they can get more of an unbiased opinion.

Obviously, the Miami Heat inquired about Eddy Curry’s medical history as well.

Shaq’s Sub

While Eddy Curry will never reach the same level of greatness as center Shaquille O’Neal has, he is still solid enough to be able to match the former LSU star’s production in the last year or two.

Eddy Curry would have paired up with forward Udonis Haslem in the starting lineup. Udonis Haslem would have been a much better fit for Eddy Curry than Zach Randolph. He focuses more on rebounding and defense than Zach Randolph ever has.

Riley Rejects

After much deliberation, Pat Riley decided to stand pat.

He decided to keep his expiring contracts to gain some room under the salary cap. Pat Riley is also going to wait to see how Shawn Marion pans out.

Closing Thoughts

It’s best for the Miami Heat and New York Knicks that this deal didn’t happen.

The New York Knicks would have been stuck with another high paid player who doesn’t contribute to the team. The Miami Heat would have been stuck with another center who lacks motivation.

After Thursday’s frenzy of trades, LeBron James has come away with a brand new supporting cast.

On the Perimeter

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, everything starts and stops with LeBron James. He’s going to be an MVP candidate for at least the next ten years of his career. The 6′8″, 240 pound forward is also capable of carrying the entire franchise on his shoulders.

With every passing game, Daniel Gibson is establishing himself more and more as a good sidekick for LeBron James. Everyone knows that when you play with an offensive juggernaut like King James, you’re going to be left wide open on more than a few occasions. Daniel Gibson has been shooting an impressive 48% from the three point line.

Sasha Pavlovic provides some quality backup minutes at both wing spots.

Thanks a crowded backcourt in Seattle, Delonte West’s numbers aren’t all that impressive. However, the talent is there. He’s a nice combo guard that can handle the ball and shoot it as well. Plus, he’s still young and developing.

If there’s one thing that you need to know about Wally Szczerbiak, it’s that he can shoot and score. The Cleveland Cavaliers have forever been looking for a sidekick for LeBron James since the moment they drafted him. Wally Szczerbiak might not be the perfect complement, but his outside shooting should make life just a little bit easier for LeBron James.

Offensively, this is going to be a great rotation. They’re going to be able to do a lot of damage. The new additions are also going to help LeBron James be that much more devastating on offense.

It would have been nice for the team to have a defensive stopper in the rotation, but a general manager can only do so much each year.

In the Paint

Former defensive player of the year, Ben Wallace takes over as the focal point of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defense. He needs to find that spark that made him one of the best shot blocker and rebounder in league history. The perimeter players aren’t going to be shutting down too many opponents, so it’s vital that Ben Wallace steps up.

There’s a good chance that Anderson Varejao’s energy could light a fire under Ben Wallace again. The guy does a lot of the dirty work on defense, and his energy allows him to produce on offense. Whenever the Cleveland Cavaliers need to shut down opposing big men, these two guys will more than likely be on the floor together.

Former first overall draft pick Joe Smith is another energy guy that does a lot of the little things. The veteran can also step outside and hit the midrange jumper consistently.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas can score well enough in the low post to draw double teams. Of course, it’s going to be harder to double team him now that the rotation consists of so many outside shooters. He’s not a defensive stopper by any means, but that won’t be as much of an issue with Joe Smith, Anderson Varejao, and Ben Wallace by his side.

This group has the potential to be one of the best big men rotations in the league. Offensively, they’re set with Zydrunas Ilgauskas scoring inside. Joe Smith and Anderson Varejao can also chip in with some garbage man points as well.

Defensively is where this group can dominate games. If they can mesh well enough by playoff time, they can cause fits for just about any big man in the league.

Closing Thoughts

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ balance and depth puts them on an even playing level with the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons.