First, a positive note. As many readers know, our apartment was robbed in late June. When we received the police report, in the victim's section, my build was listed as "heavy". The NBA playoffs had just ended, and lots of late night pizza and beer had gotten the best of me. At the same time, I was finishing up my graduate program and was not exercising. Since then, I have made a real effort to get to the gym regularly and eat better......
Last week, I was driving on Tremont Street. It was the afternoon, so the road was jam packed and things were moving slowly. Then, a bicycle swung around my car, caught his handlebar on the front of the car and fell. Everything was fine, but a police report was written nonetheless. Once again I appear in the victims section, but this time my build is given as "medium". That, followers, is progress.
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I was surprised and excited to wake up this morning and see that Tyson Chandler was headed back to New Orleans after failing his physical in Oklahoma City. I'm still feeling a little confused. So, I think the best way to work this out is to work through my feelings before and after this news.
First, my anger over the original trade has been growing since I originally read it, and I need to get it out:
This trade crushed me, and frankly I still don't understand it. Tyson Chandler is 7 foot 1, is extremely explosive, and is one of the best post defenders in the NBA. Could the Hornets really be in such dire economic circumstances that it is worth moving a guy like that simply to avoid paying the luxury tax? Because, in the long term, this all seems ass-backwards to me.
Like most of the country, I was completely captivated by the Hornets in the playoffs last season. I had taken every advantage to see them whenever they played on national tv, but the opportunity to watch them every game in the post-season was fantastic. Chris Paul's offensive wizardry, Chandler's explosive finishes of Paul's feeds, and David West's offensive consistency all made this team incredibly exciting to watch. I won't pretend to have been excited about Peja Stojakovic, but he was there.....
........I can't even think of something funny to write here.
Anyways, this team was must-see tv in the playoffs. I can specifically remember leaving Fenway Park early so that I'd be to Gillian's in time to order a Jalapeno cheeseburger, and be ready to eat in time for the tipoff of game 1 against the Spurs. You could feel the energy in the arena whenever they played at home.
Now, this has been a down year because of injuries to major frontcourt players. However, this team is currently twelve games above .500, they are in fifth place in the West, and they just laid an asswhooping on Orlando last night. If Chandler is able to get healthy (which seems likely, since he's missed time with a sprained ankle), then we could all be in store for another electric playoff run. That's how you bring fans in. You need to build their trust over time.
Now, I'm all for clearing cap space when your team sucks. But, doing it when you have a contender is inexcusable. Even if Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox were able to come in and contribute, they'd be off the books after this season. Who the fuck is going to come see them then? This is just horrible on so many levels, and it seems incredibly shortsighted. These are tough economic times for everyone, but you have to field a winner to get something back.
There, that feels better. I've been waiting to get that out.
So, now we know that the trade is off. I was happy for a second, thinking that some higher power had stepped in on behalf of all NBA fans. But then, I transitioned to dismay. Chandler has not played in over a month because of his ankle, and if this physical revealed serious damage, then this would mean that the dream is dead and we would all be doomed to see Chris Paul's rare abilities underutilized in the playoffs. However, the latest report states that the trade was rejected because of concerns about Chandler's left big toe, which was operated on in April of 2007. In the report, the Thunder team doctor (who was the one operating on Chandler's toe) told Chandler "I have no doubt you can play on it. I'm just saying it could take a turn for the worse if you come down on somebody's foot or hyperextend it or something."
Well, that sounds like a go to me. So, for the time being, we're all just waiting on Chandler's ankle to heal and looking forward to another epic Hornets playoff run. Thank you, basketball gods.
Now, the Kings were a team that actually did need to shed salary. On the surface, the Bulls don't really seem like a team that could take on more. John Salmons is having a great year, but that backcourt is already incredibly expensive (they have to move Kirk Hinrich). Brad Miller is a great fit for Chicago. He will give a huge defensive boost, and will also allow the offense to function much more smoothly.
Finally, as we look as Chicago's cap situation, we see that Miller and Larry Hughes (26 million combined) will give the Bulls quite a bit of cap room heading into the most anticipated summer of free agency in history.
To be honest, I couldn't care less about this Chicago trade. I'm going to spend today holding my breath hoping that Cleveland doesn't pull anything off. I've heard some scary names thrown out in the last 24 hours......
The Tony Allen injury was a tough pill to swallow. Most of the reports indicate that he should be back in time for the post-season, but I feel like his basketball IQ (already lacking) is going to drop substantially in the mean time. Between now and then, the Celtics are pretty thin on the perimeter. I hear rumors about Raja Bell yesterday, but there's no way the Cs have the resources for that. Celticsblog seems optimistic about the team's chances of bringing in Marbury and Joe Smith after the deadline. That would be phenomenal. However, I don't like the sense of panic that I'm feeling from the fanbase right now. I think we will be able to bring in some help. However, if nothing happens, this is still a very good team. The reason there aren't any resources available to move is because WE ALREADY HAVE PAUL PIERCE, KEVIN GARNETT, AND RAY ALLEN!
Look, the Celtics did not play good basketball in the playoffs last season until the Pistons series. If the current team does that, they will not repeat. However, this team can beat anybody when they're on. I do think help will arrive, and I expect TA to be back and filling the defensive void that James Posey left. However, if these things don't happen, then this is just going to require a leap of faith on our part. What fan wouldn't kill for this team? Regardless of what happens, I feel good about this roster heading into the playoffs.
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