HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Eddie Johnson

101 Comments »

1. Luke Gibbons Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 9:24 am

   I believe the Hornets trade may prove to be the most decisive as this give them legitimate scoring off the bench in James & Wells. Wells will also give them added defensive toughness and a much needed low post scorer. I also like the Cleveland trade as the have got better in every department, Big Ben will hopefully be the Big Ben of old and Wally will thrive off LeBron. Now Cavs lets see you play with these pieces…. Great column once again Eddie!
   Luke

2. Chris W Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 9:30 am

   Dude we beat detriot last yr without larry and now we got better interior defense aswell as more shooters and u say we cant beat detriot?? boston is an unknown but the cavs have the pistons number thats for sure…

3. Jams Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 9:32 am

   I think you are almost spot on with this article Eddie. The only thing I don’t agree with is I reckon the Cavs will beat the Pistons if they meet again and they would have a shot against the Celts. They would still get blown away by whoever comes out of the West.

   PS. I bet a lot of champagne was popped open in Cleveland when they heard Larry Hughes was getting shipped out! YEEEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!

4. Anthony Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 9:33 am

   Well Eddie, I agree with everything you stated. The Cavs now have that “banger” inside to thwart off quick guards that get in the lane, ala Tony Parker in the finals last year. LeBron is now surrounded with shooters. The Cavs now have three players shooting over 40% from behind the arc. However, I feel your comments about not being able to matchup defensively against Boston and Detroit are a little off. Firstly, Delonte West is a more than capable defender. Also, Sasha Pavlovic, though shooting poorly prior to his injury, is turning out to be a solid defender as well. Sasha has the size and athleticism to give players trouble, unless you missed the Cavs-Nets series last season when VC was virtually shutdown. Just my thoughts.

5. Siz33 Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 9:36 am

   Eddie,

   I never thought I’d see the day where someone basically says ‘now that you have Wally Szczerbiak, you’re automatically the most physical team in the league’. I know that’s not what was meant, but that’s how it looks on paper. Amusing.

   The Bulls have been underrated in their incompetence since Jordan retired. Imagine if they could have held onto Brad Miller, Elton Brand, Ron Artest, and then throw in there Deng, Gordon, Nocioni, and Hinrich. I forget who they gave up or didn’t resign for whom or what picks, etc…but they seemed to let a lot of good ones get away. With the exception of Eddy Curry.

   So Eddie, who is coming out of the West? I can’t stand behind anyone…New Orleans is too young and not battle tested enough; San Antonio has 3 integral crunchtime players who are washed up (Horry, Bowen and Finley) and just got rid of a good 3 point shooter; who knows how the Suns will do with Shaq; The Mavs can’t guard anybody still; where is Bynum, and will he be the same after the injury; Houston will have their annual collapse/injury; everyone knows the Nuggets won’t go anywhere past the second round…would this perhaps be the Jazz’s year? Does it all depend on seeding? This is going to be one of the most unpredictable playoff run that I can remember.

   And, will the Western rep for the Finals be so tired from playing 3 quality series that they’ll just run out of gas when they finally get to face the East?

6. Gaber Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 9:42 am

   Eddie , I think that Bulls are in a lot better position than in 1999

7. Todd Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 10:00 am

   Eddie, unlike these other posers…umm I mean posters, I fully agree with your summations. The Cavs did just get better, but they can not match up with Detroit or Boston. For those that said they have Detroit’s number, you have to be kidding me! They pulled out a six game series after having an easy road to the Conference finals last year, in no way does that mean they have Detroit’s number. Especially given that this year the Detroit bench is as strong as they have had since the 2004 Championship team. Detroit is 1-0 against Cleveland this year and has a great hatred for this team so don’t expect to get anything from the Stones’ but them Going to Work on the Cavs. When you guys can make it to the Conference Finals five years in a row, win a ‘Ship, go to the NBA Finals 2 times, and win 50 games a year for 6 years in a row (this year is a given) then we can talk about Cleveland taking over in the Central but until then…

8. a nets fan Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 10:28 am

   you are talking about beating boston and detroit but don’t sleep on other teams, now they don’t have the players to shut down guys like carter also hassel, diop,and boone are solid players that can help us down the stretch. another thing is the nets have harris and jefferson, plus nenad who is coming along nicely after the injury. there are more too, look at the hawks they can’t gaurd joe or mike, and smoith might shut lebron down. don’t give them a free pass because there is still orlando and they are battiling injuries in anderson v and danel gibson, and a couple of others are day to day. don’t forget big z’s past either. sorry about the spelling

9. a nets fan Said,

   February 22, 2008 @ 10:29 am

   you are talking about beating boston and detroit but don’t sleep on other teams, now they don’t have the players to shut down guys like carter also hassel, diop,and boone are solid players that can help us down the stretch. another thing is the nets have harris and jefferson, plus nenad who is coming along nicely after the injury. there are more too, look at the hawks they can’t gaurd joe or mike, and smith might shut lebron down. don’t give them a free pass because there is still orlando and they are battiling injuries in anderson v and danel gibson, and a couple of others are day to day. don’t forget big z’s past either. sorry about the spelling

10. CLE Born and Raised Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 10:49 am

    I definitely agree with what Anthony said and some of Eddie’s points. Cleveland can match up with anyone in my partial opinion. I think West will prove more valuable than Hughes was. He is quicker and a better shooter. He is better suited for guarding opposing PG’s and has great size for the PG position. The Cavs are inded better and have already beaten the Celtics 2 out of 3 times (the lone loss came without LBJ). What can’t be understated is the leadership of Big Ben and Smith (and even Wally comes to play every night). The Cavs have had a bad culture for some years of playing to the level of the competition, which will probably change now.

    BTW: I was right with you Eddie on JJ a few years ago. I knew the Suns couldn’t pay him, Nash, Amare (the next year), Marion, and Kurt Thomas big money and have a decent team when their owner said they wanted to cut back on their tax hit.

11. Jman Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 10:55 am

    I don’t understand why you think this trade hasn’t made the Cavs the biggest threat in the East. I’m all the way for the Celtics b/c of KG, but this trade just seemed to make the Cavs a stacked team. They now have a deep front line with Ilgauskas and Wallce, and back ups of Vareajo and Smith. I think it’ll probably take a few games and many practices to see which starting line up with thrive the most, but still. This roster looks great on paper. Wallace, Smith, James, Pavlovic, West starting with Big Z, Vareajo, Szczerbiak,Brown , Gibson. And if someone gets hurt they still have Damon jones, Dwayne Jonesand Snow on the bench. Thats deep.My Celtics the new big 3, a sloppy center and a thriving point guard. As for the bench…eh. No consistency. It’s really going to be up to the 3 to figure out how to make the offense work better. Detroit is big every year now. Their starting line up is the best in the league, and their bench has enough versatile players to swap out 2 or 3 starters at different positions. BUT just as Jams said, no matter who wins the East, they’re probably gonna get swept again by the West. Spurs, Lakers, Suns, Rockets, and even the Hornets. Once again the West is just too stacked. Anyways, Cleveland will make alot of noise and will make it to the Eastern Conf. Finals, but won’t go all the way. Boston or Detriot will take them out first.

12. Chuck Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 11:05 am

    What has Paxson done with this team?

    Your right Eddie: it is almost a decade since jordan left and they have gotten nowhere.

    Paxson should have jumped on the Kobe request when he and Lakers management/owner were still hot (way before the season started). He could have gotten Kobe for Deng and players. He tried to dick the Lakers because he figured time was on his side and the Bulls had all the leverage. Hind site is 20/20, but that is his job to bring in talent.

    Now, we find Deng and Gordon will be very good players, but they will not be great.

    Fire Paxson.

13. Sean Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 11:14 am

    What about how teams have to match up against the cavs why dont pepole see that side boston has no1 to gaurd big z down low period, lebron….well no1 can gaurd him and wally and pavlovic can both shoot the three and drive gibson is wet from behind the arc we still got damon jones.. lebron has hurt double and triple teams before now its even worse if they try that and sorry delonte west can knock that shot down as well… Big Ben will just improve their rebounding which they already do a good job of… whos going to grab more boards than a front court of Wallace, Big Z, Varaejo , and Joe Smith… especially in the east?? Cavs were going to win the east even b4 the trade… like i predicted last year and will do it again…

14. Don D. Crump Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 12:08 pm

    Eddie you will be eating your words after the playoffs. The detroit pistons beaten the cavs in the the playoffs is over. I can’t wait til you see that Boston can’t and will not be us in a seven game series. Playoffs is a half court/defensive basketball game. You and charles will have egg on your face. Saying how in the hell did they make it back to the eastern conference championship game/or finals. See eddie just cause you played the game don’t mean you understand what your looking at when watching the game. You will see! Talk to you late May playa

15. Dylan Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 12:23 pm

    Chris W - ‘Bron said it himself: Detroit beat themselves.

    I’m with Eddie and don’t see them getting past BOS or DET *unless* we see some more creative officiating this year.

    Few things me happier than seeing Benedict Wallace built back up to get BOUNCED again in the playoffs. …unless it’s Kobe.

    Not hatin’. I just don’t like clowns.

16. Jim Houghton Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 12:28 pm

    The Cavs must have felt tremendous pressure to “do something” by trading 6 players, all contributors. What they got in return may amount to less. They didn’t need an aging Ben Wallace, as they already had solid interior defense/rebounding with Ilgauskas, Gooden, & Varejao. They did need a point guard, but Delonte West is only the 3rd best the Sonics had to offer. The one piece that might really help is Wally Szerbiak, an instant offense type who can take some of the scoring pressure off Lebron.

17. Michael Bennett Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 12:30 pm

    First, yes, I agree about the Bulls — they’re a mess now/again, and it’s very sad. But, this is absolutely perfect for the Cavs. The one point you made that I disagree with is when you wrote that:

    “I don’t think so and mainly because they still don’t match up defensively with Boston and Detroit. Larry Hughes, whom I also wrote about as a desperate signing by the Cavaliers a few years ago, was their best perimeter defender and now they will be hard pressed to guard a Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combo and a Chauncey Billups-Rip Hamilton duo as well.”

    Their interior defense is #1 in the league now. They have the biggest/baddest front line in basketball. Most don’t like to admit it, but LeBron has turned into one of the league’s best defenders. He accepts the challenge of guarding the other team’s best perimeter player every game, and ALWAYS at the end of the game when players like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen or Rip Hamilton will turn it up.

    I’ve always given Z a lot of heat over the years, but finally, he gets to play a true Center position, and get clean touches. Before, the Cavs were throwing the ball into Drew Gooden and watching him try to bring it out FROM the post and dribble penetrate. He was a show boat that was inconsistent. Now, having Ben Wallace on offense to set screens and offensive rebound will free Z up. Plus, (and this is something a lot of people forget) Big Ben is still very athletic — he’ll take some tip-ins and olley-oops from LeBron when his defender lags on his. Just wait.

    I think this trade makes the Cavs the best team in the East… because of defense, and mostly getting rid of an albatross like Larry Hughes. With Larry Hughes, it was always wondering if he would play well, how many horrible shots would he take, would he be lazy on defense, all of these questions every night. Now, they’ve surrounded LeBron with hard working strong vets that allow him to be him. He’ll come close to a triple double every night. The Cavs will plow through teams in the East, and match teams in the West.

    BEST TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE AFTER THE DUST HAS SETTLED:

    1) Phoenix Suns - Shaq people. Shaq.
    2) Los Angeles Lakers - I HATE to admit this, but they… are… awesome. And, they’re not even playing with the guy who made them awesome (Bynum — not Kobe).
    3) Cleveland Cavaliers - LeBron and Big Ben. A perfect match.
    4) Boston Celtics - They’re an All-Star team now that KG is back.
    5) New Orleans Hornets - Deep, deep, deep. CP3 is a bad man.
    6) Dallas Mavericks - The will shine in the Playoffs.
    7) Utah Jazz - Playing like they should be playing with that much talent aka Okur playing like Okur should. Orlando Magic - In the Playoffs, they will now beat old, slow teams like…
    9) Detroit Pistons - Old news, and…
    10) San Antonio Spurs - Older news.

18. Alex Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:12 pm

    I have doubts about this trade.

    I mean, the Cavs decided for a big change, acquiring a 33yo center, a 32yo PF and a 31yo guard. Doesn’t seem like they have a lot of time to try to gel here, considering Z is 33 as well. Not much to say about Big Ben, he is tough, he’ll block, take rebounds, intimidate and do all the usual, nasty stuff he does, even if athletically he is declining, and, along with Z, Varejao and Joe Smith, will make for a good front court. They’ll be hard to play against, at least in the East.

    Wally is a great shooter but a weak defender (and a bit of a troublemaker in the locker room?), and I agree with Eddie, who is gonna defend now they don’t have Hughes any more against perimeter guards? Pavlovic? Come on… this will be a serious problem, comes PO time.
    Delonte is yet another tough player, who puts his heart on the field. He is definitely more of an assistman than Gibson and will be a solid backup, but probably not much more.

    I think the Cavs will need some time to adjust, considering how much they changed and the kind of game they’re going to play (all intensity and toughness), and time is definitely not on their side now. They were probably aware they wouldn’t make it past 2nd round as they were, and decided to change cards. Maybe next year this move will pay some dividends, but I’ll be surprised if they clicked in time to be a threat in this year’s playoffs. And, even if next here they indeed become a better team, their window to win a title will be pretty small.

19. Frank Blackwell Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:23 pm

    Eddie Johnson,

    I think you and Michael Bennet are both suffering from Nostalgic NBA Syndrome.

    It goes something like this. You romanticize how a player played 5 years ago and emotionally and intellectually forget how the player has been performing for the last year or so. One can be forgiven for this, because we are truly fans of the players and want them to do well and encourage them to do so.

    One has to face facts. If Bill Russell went out and played basketball today, I don’t think anyone would think that he was worth $15 to $20 million per year. Why? Because his time is done. Face it, basketball is a young man’s game.

    How are Shaq and Ben Wallace going to sip from the fountain of youth to return to a form five years removed? The answer is they won’t. What you are getting now in both individuals are basketball players whose time is done. But the paychecks will continue.

20. Nic Cartee Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:33 pm

    Mr. Bennett,

    I am an NBA a fan. I watch NBA TV all day and check nba.com, hoopshype, and realgm.com every time I sit at the computer. I do follow the cavs, I watch every gut wrenching game. From the ugly losses to the ugly wins, and NEVER. NEVER, NEVER has LeBron ever been considered even a “good” defender. I love my cavs, and LeBron is finally taking his right to the best player in the league, but LeBron will be doing no shutting down. He is an able defender, but come on. Most everything else was pretty good, but don’t be caught hattin on the Spurs and Pistons. I believe the cavs and celtics could take the pistons, but orlando is too unproven. As much as I hate to give them props (especially after the way the treated the king and the cavs), the spurs are the team to beat until a west team puts them out.

    Good article Eddie, and I don’t want this to sound like just a bias opinion, but don’t count out the cavs. The pistons almost lost out to them two years ago and did crumble against them last year (for some unexplainable reason), so why wouldn’t it happen again this year?

21. bran Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:40 pm

    Ive had enuff of blogs, ppl act like they know everything, i know eddies a former player and we’re fans, dont mean he knows it all tho. Still not enuff to beat boston or the pistons? point was already made, they dominated the pistons in the playoffs and they will DEFFINALTLY do it again with 4 KEY editions, wally is the shooter they needed, with verteran presence. Ben is a rugged player kind of like andy but better shot blocker and has been in the playoffs multiple times and in very big games, and knows shaq. knows kg, knows rasheed, its not going to be to tough for him to play solid d on all 3 of the opposing teams bigs, delonte west? do u remember him in boston, almost racking up triple doubles.. now he has lebron and Z to feed, and takes the pressure of gibson to be a playmaker also. Im sorry everyone who disagress, but i have a feeling this team will blow up and start dominating teams once they get familiar. I cant believe some of the stuff i read in this article came from a former nba player tho.

22. Markus Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:40 pm

    Hey Eddie, allow me to be the first to apologize… You called it and I think many of us were just excited by the fact that Chicago signed anyone…period! We saw the writing on the wall once Skiles and wallace clashed for the first time. Honestly, I think from that point on, Chi-town was cooked. I really like the Larry Hughes signing! I think that Hinrich, Hughes, Nocioni,Gooden, Noah may actually put the bulls back in the playoff picture. I think Hughes is going to go back to avg 15-20 ppg due to the fact that he now has shooters around him. I’m also intrigued by the Noah/Gooden front court! Time will tell…

23. Markus Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:42 pm

    What??? If you’ve ever read anything Lebron has said…you’ll know that even he mentioned the fact that the cavs DID NOT BEAT THE PISTONS! He said the PISTONS BEAT THE PISTONS. He knew it was a fluke! Get your facts straight before saying anything!!

24. Rashidi Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:43 pm

    “3) Cleveland Cavaliers - LeBron and Big Ben. A perfect match.”

    Sorry, I couldn’t help but laugh. That’s like saying Dennis Rodman was the perfect match for MJ, not Scottie Pippen.

    Big Ben at this stage of his career isn’t bringing anything that Anderson Varejao wasn’t, he is basically the older, even worse offensively version. While we’re here, Szczerbiak isn’t bringing anything that Larry Hughes (durability issues) and Aleksandar Pavlovic (shooting) weren’t bringing either. Yes Wally is a better shooter but Pavlovic is better at everything else, defense, slashing, rebounding, you name it.

    Both Varejao and Pavlovic are hurt right now so I can understand the band-aid mentality as Wallace/Wally should be able to step into those player’s roles with ease, however once both come back, there is going to be a minutes crunch and the team loses most of it’s versatility as their backups are near-identical to the starters.

    Smith is essentially Gooden on offense and makes up for any rebounding deficiency with his bball IQ (and in theory, Wallace might actually start boarding now, but I doubt it).

    Delonte West is the sleeper in this deal because he is similar to a player they had in Gibson, but he is far more versatile and not just a 3pt bomber. West is better defensively than Gibson and could be the new starter in Cleveland. Or he could even start alongside him, cuz if Wally Sczerbiak is matching up against SGs it’s gonna get ugly no matter how vintage Big Ben gets.

25. alex chan Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:46 pm

    basketball is aweeeesome.

26. Armaro Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:48 pm

    I have a feeling ESPN thinking is what makes people think that the cavs aren’t going to win the East. Before this trade, we basically had the same team that beat Detroit last year and they really haven’t done anything major to improve themselves. Until you beat Lebron James in the playoffs, the Cavs are the favorites.

    On a side note, it’s silly to view perimeter defense as the important factor for “matching up” with Boston or Detroit. Do you even watch basketball?

27. Rashidi Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:51 pm

    LOL, Cavs over Celtics, take your shades off man…

    Anyway, this move, LIKE ALL NBA TRADES, was made for more reasons than “getting better”. While the trade doesn’t do much for the Cavs right now, they have essentially written Varejao and Pavlovic’s tickets out of town come the offseason. Both are reasonably priced and should be able to be packaged with expiring contracts like Eric Snow and Damon Jones. While we’re here, Wally and Smith will have expiring contracts the following summer too, which gives Cleveland plenty of trade assets to acquire SOMETHING substantial before LeBron opts out in two years.

    As of right now this is an audition period for both Gibson and West because they both will be free agents this summer. Both look good as backups but I wouldn’t want either entrenched as my long-term starter. The Cavs will probably only keep one of these guys (unless West excels at SG), which effectively makes Delonte”Boobie Insurance” in case someone blows him away with a contract.

28. Christina G. Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 1:55 pm

    I believe no team in the West OR East can beat the Detroit Pistons because… Pistons starting line-up are incredible. PLUS they have the best bench players in the NBA. Cavaliers beat Detroit last year for one reason and one reason only… BEN WALLACE. He was not that amazing. Scoring a avarage of 9.5 points a game. The Pistons now have three all stars. But really five! All the starters on the Pistons score at least fifteen points per game. Detroit beat the Boston Celtics. Boston Celtics beat the Pistons. We beat the cavs everytime we played them. Labron is all by hiself. No one helps him. It would be better if he just left. But now they want to make all thses trades witch is unbelivable. DETROIT PISTONS…. no-one else.

29. Keith Seigel Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 2:03 pm

    Eddie,

    I have to agree with you regarding the Celtics vs. Caveliers. The Celtics in my opinion just have far too many weapons for most teams in the league, other then the Lakers, who are equally gifted with talent at all positions…especially when Big Bynum get healthy and returns.

    However…to list the Pistons as a team that stands in the way of the Caveliers chances of getting to the finals just reeks of Diarhea farts. I mean…this Pistons team needs to regroup in the locker room after each quarter to change their “Depends” out of fear of leaking diapers. This is an old team that had their confidence crushed last year by a young, less talented Caveliers team, which has done the right thing by implementing another pure shooter in Wally, a solid, multidimensional guard with Delonte West, and a physical brute in Wallace. They did also add Smith to provide a solid guy to come in off the bench, or start and to play quality minutes while Lebron handles most of the load.

    Celtics/Cavs
    Lakers/Suns

    Lastly…

30. 25straight Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 2:12 pm

    ‘Creative Officating’, is that what Detroit is now blaming? The series goes 5 if not for ‘creative officiating’ swallowing their whistles at the end of game 2. 82games.com did a statistical analyisis of play style vs free throws. The player getting the most benefit from the refs by a wide margin was none other than Billups. 3rd was Wade. LeBron was not in the top 5 or even the top 10. So cry about reffing when your team has a legitimate beef (like the Suns last year).

    Pistons should have won as they have more talent but Wallace loses his cool, Billups buys his own help and dominants the ball at the end of games, Hamilton get tired in the 4Q, Flip Sanders is a joke, and LeBron is the best player in the game (Kobe is the only cometition with Paul moving up the ranks).

    Not sure if they will make the same mistakes so I can’t say the Cavs will beat them again.

31. BullsNut Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 2:41 pm

    Bulls have a better chance in playoffs against celtics and pistons than the cavs do (if Bulls are fortunate enough to make playoffs).

    I really hope the Bulls make playoffs and have to face either the pistons or celtics. It will be an entertaining one.

32. Matt Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 3:00 pm

    “Bulls have a better chance in playoffs against celtics and pistons than the cavs do (if Bulls are fortunate enough to make playoffs).”

    Um… Yikes.

    Not saying that you won’t get some more offense from Hughes and Gooden, but that’s a bit of a stretch.

33. Rashidi Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 3:10 pm

    Also, I suppose it’s not fair for me to laugh at your list without posting mine.

    1. Spurs: Banged up and still winning, Ginobili is easily the league’s most underrated player.
    2. Hornets: Chris Paul gets my MVP vote and it will be a shame if he doesn’t win it as he has a team most people pegged for 9th-10th in 1st place. New Orleans is very improved and he has flat out owned opposing PGs he has matched up against. He nearly had Pts/Reb/Stl triple doubles against Nash and Kidd (and gave Nash a pts/ast/turnovers triple-dbl)
    3. Celtics: They have been the league’s best team because of their defense. I think durability will play a factor here, they are too reliant on the health of their stars, and they didn’t add anybody at the deadline. But they have a ticket to the Finals all but punched right now as long as nothing goes bad.
    4. Lakers: At the moment at least, because I still don’t think Odom/Gasol/Bynum is going to click very well.
    5. Rockets: Yeah, I’m serious. Remember when they were below .500 and Portland was gonna beat them out of a playoff spot? They’re four games out of first place now,and only a game behind Dallas and Utah. They’ve won 14 of their last 15 games. They are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and they are finally playing as good as we expected them to. Swapping Bonzi for Jackson doesn’t hurt because it improves the PG situation (James was bad with a worse contract) and Head has been doing well as the backup SG.
    6. Suns: Still good even if Shaq doesn’t pan out. Although as TNT put it last night, they can’t guard ANYBODY which probably means another playoff exit.
    7. Mavericks: Everyone benefits from playing with Kidd. Losing DeSagana Diop (of all people) does not break this team. There will be similar players available via waivers over the next week. Maybe the Knick will buyout Jerome James…
    8. Jazz: They are probably the 2nd best offensive team in the league, the only thing that could hold them back is their frontline defense. Boozer and Okur combine for only 0.93 bpg, and their shotblocking is the worst of any playoff team in either conference.
    9. Pistons: The bench has been solid this year and slighty improved replacing Murray (not playing) with Dixon.
    10. Nuggets: They have Melo, AI, and Camby. Problem is they also have K-Mart and A-Cart.

    Shame on you for putting more than two east teams in your top 10. The Cavs wouldn’t even be in the playoffs if they played in the west.

    11. Warriors: Unfortunately might be squeezed out of playoffs despite a record good enough for third in the eastern conference. That should sum up why Cleveland and Orlando don’t belong in the top 10.

    12. Magic: If only the playoffs were in November.

    13. Raptors: Raise your hand if you knew they were shooting 42% from 3pt range? The Suns are only at 38%. The Bulls are shooting 42% from the field, forget 3pt range.

    14. Cavaliers: The ultimate addition by subtraction - how many Bulls fans think they can catch the Cavs now that Big Ben is their big problem? It’s only an 8.5 game defecit Bulls fans. The Cavs were shooting .439 from the field BEFORE picking up offensively putrid Benny the Ex-Bull.

    15. Kings: Good when healthy. Martin and Artest are stars. Udrih, Salmons, Garcia are experiencing breakout years and Udrih hasn’t been any worse than Bibby. The stars were just all banged up at the same time which is why they have their record and are out of the playoff race. Portland’s overachieving is over, otherwise they’d fill this slot.

    16. Blazers
    17. Wizards (higher depending on Arenas).
    18. Nets
    19. Sixers
    20. Bulls
    21. Hawks
    22. Bucks
    23. Bobcats
    24. Pacers
    25. Clippers (depends on whether Brand plays, and whether Cassell is boughtout)
    26. Heat (assuming they at least start winning SOME games with Marion…)
    27. Knicks
    28. Wolves
    29. Grizzlies
    30. Sonics

34. Michael Bennett Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 3:28 pm

    Man, you’re an idiot, Rashidi.

35. Onur Tuncaboylu Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 3:55 pm

    Michael Bennett you’re more idiot than Rashidi.
    Chicago was old news and won 6th ring in 1998.

36. Brian Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 4:02 pm

    If anyone know anthing about basketball this trade has put the Cavs into the finals. They now have the deepest rotation in basketball and finally Lebron can get a little rest before the playoff season starts. I can’t believe how some people are saying Ben isn’t the player that he was… that is obvious the issue is that he doesn’t have to be. With the rotation of the frontline Lebron doesn’t have to worry about rebounding and can just focus on being a playmaker for his teamates. The Cavs will win the east and don’t be suprise if they take the ultimate prize.

37. Deshaun Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 4:35 pm

    Cavs aren’t going to do anythning until Lebron gets a sidekick ( Michael Redd made a bad choice signing with Milwaukee) and a point guard. (Not Delonte West, they should have tried to get Kyle Lowry or someone else.)

38. Hammond Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 4:53 pm

    Ben Wallace is not the same player he used to be. His stats have declined steadily for five years. That’s half a decade of slippage. All of the people who dream about the Big Ben of 2004 suddenly re-emerging are not dealing with reality. Name me one star from the past whose stats declined for five years and then magically jumped back up to pre-decline numbers… It just doesn’t happen. It’s the same with Shaq. Teams no longer have to readjust their entire defensive schemes to deal with Shaq. He’ll maybe get his 13-14 points a game being guarded by the likes of Okur, Bogut, etc. Not a big deal. How is it the Spurs are “old news” but the Suns, who are now older than ever with Nash, Hill, and Shaq, are not? At this point, New Orleans with two new bench guys and Chris Anderson likely to rejoin have youth and a little bit of depth and in my opinion have passed the Suns. Shaq might have scared Tyson Chandler 2 or 3 years ago, but that’s ancient history now.

    The Bulls have mismanaged their team to an absurd degree. They could be starting LeMarcus Aldridge and Chandler right now if they were better at evaluating talent. Instead they will start Noah/Gooden? or Noah/Thomas? That tandem might be a tad better than Tiago Splitter and Ian Mahinmi, two young draft picks that the Spurs have waiting in the wings…

    Finally, let’s all remember that it was the basketball genius Michael Bennett who bravely declared at the beginning of this season that THE BULLS would win the 2008 NBA championship! Same guy that called the Spurs old last year, just before they SWEPT LeBron and the Cavs. He’s very good at calling others idiots, but his idiocy speaks for itself.

39. TJ Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 5:01 pm

    Good stuff Eddie. I agree completely, while Cleveland may have slightly improved their roster (although I’m a bit skeptical to say it was for sure an “improvement”), Detroit and Boston are both far better teams than Cleveland. Ferry didn’t exactly get the “help” LeBron was probably hoping, but with those bad contracts and no young talent to offer, he did the best he could do.

    People will argue Cleveland is better based on what they did to Detroit in the playoffs, but it’s clear to see that Detroit has improved dearly by getting rid of a liabilities like Chris Webber & Carlos Delfino and implementing young, talented guys like Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson into their rotation.

    Plus, with all of Detroit’s starters averaging less minutes than they have in the last 5 seasons, this team will be fresh and rejuvinated come playoff time.

    Boston requires no explaniation. There isn’t going to be a hungrier team in the league come playoff time, and they’re not going to let LeBron single handedly torch them. LeBron still doesn’t have any help, and this is still a “one man team” as far as I’m concerned.

40. Richard Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 5:09 pm

    Eddie,

    I’m with you all the way but as far as helping the Spurs, well, I guess you’re right. (lol) I am still in awe at what Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale work out together for old times sake. (wink) That being said Memphis just gave Gasol away so me being a fan of the Spurs, living in Alabama, I was hoping against hope the Kings would have been as generous to the Spurs by giving them Artest for nothing just as the Grizzlies did for the Lakers. Perhaps, helping out former employee and former Laker Jerry West in some kind of way.

    The thing about the Cavs and Pistons that is interesting to me is with a hobbled Hughes last year in the playoff, the Cavs managed to beat the favored Pistons, yes the have a deeper bench but who’s to say the Pistons will hold it together during the course of these playoffs when 2 years in a row the have post season letdowns. I thought they’d be pumped after taken the Spurs to 7 in 2005 yet 2 years in a row they seem to melt.

    Garnett and the Celts, well we’ll have to see. That abdominal injury may come to play soon or not. The jury is still out on that but I hope he stays healthy enough to finish this seasons’ run til the end.

    P.S. Eddie I watched you during All Star Weekend and boy you are rusty. What the HELL!! You set that shoot out back a few years with that performance buddy. You also lost to David Robinson & Tim Duncan I know you are kicking yourself for losing to the Spurs again, another Sun goes down. (I had to blast you with that E J, keep up the good work)

41. David Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 6:16 pm

    MB…you win the Academy Award for best suck up to an NBA star…congrats. Keep calling the Spurs old and let them fly under the radar. Let’s see: unless you picked the Spurs last year, Miami the year before, the Spurs before that, Detroit before that…well you;re just hoping and guessing like the rest of us. Have fun with it and don’t take yourself so seriously.
    Hammond, you are right about Splitter and Mahinmi. Splitter is tearing them up in Spain and Ian isn’t doing bad in Austin (Ian is actually a friend). Let’s see just how old the Spurs are next year, without givinp any of the big three.

42. a nets fan Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 6:30 pm

    hammond
    big ben will be considerably better with a seven footer on his side. he showed great flashbacks to what he did a few years back when he was played along side gray because they had to put a body on gray and he was able to work his defender one on one for the rebound also he will not be so out matched at power forward because there is only a few quality players of seven feet that have a partner who is as tall and any good.

43. Fred Towes Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 6:42 pm

    From the Houston Rockets’ vantage point, I don’t gather the basketball logic, nor the economic benefit, of the Jasckson-Wells trade. Aside re-uniting Rick Adelman with one of his personal favorites, what does this transaction accomplish for a team (and/or a franchise) that is currently enjoying a double-digit winning streak? Thanks for the insight & feedback my Chi-town brother, Eddie J., and all other hoop-hypes as well.

44. Rashidi Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 7:04 pm

    “I’m with you all the way but as far as helping the Spurs, well, I guess you’re right. (lol) I am still in awe at what Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale work out together for old times sake.”

    Let’s be reasonable, GMs might have favored trading partners, but they all have to do what they feel is best for the team. Al Jefferson is a great piece to build around. Telfair has been developing and is still very young. Ryan Gomes has been a solid starter. If you can name me any trade scenarios where the Wolves would have gotten back a player of Jefferson’s youth and talent (nevermind the other guys they picked up) then maybe you’d have a point. But as it stands, the Celtics gave far more up for KG than the Lakers gave up for Gasol, the Mavs gave up for Kidd, the Hawks gave up for Bibby, or even what the Suns gave up for Shaq (or from their perspective, what the Heat gave up for Shawn Marion).

45. Hammond Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 7:32 pm

    Nets fan– first of all, my condolences on having to root for the Nets.

    I have nothing against Big Ben. In his prime, he was an undersized center who outrebounded guys that usually had at least 3 or 4 inches on him. I always liked his game. But he is simply not that guy anymore. He’s not going to lead the league in rebounding like he once did– those days are gone forever. And since his strengths have diminished sharply, his shortcomings are more in the forefront. He is a post player whose FG% is 37% this year. That would be a terrible FG% even if he was a 5′11″ point guard who never got near the basket. His FT% this year is 42%, so it’s dangerous to have him on the court near the end of a close game. Look at his career totals on nba.com: points/rebounds/blocks have all been declning for years now, even when he had rasheed next to him, and now he’s older and Big Z ain’t better than Rasheed.

46. Rashidi Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 8:18 pm

    What’s wrong with liking the Nets? They have had exciting players over the years. Even after Carter is traded the Nets still have Harris, RJ, and Sean Williams.

47. Krynn Said,

    February 22, 2008 @ 8:57 pm

    Eddie,

    I agree with the things you said in this article except for the Cavs won’t be able to beat detriot. What makes detriot better than last year when they got beat? From what I can see, the Cavs will only miss Gooden’s interior scoring but I guess Ilgauskas stepping up, a little contribution by J. Smith, and additional pressure by Big Ben on the Sheed will more than make up for that. I don’t think that Detriot has found a solution to a LBJ when he wants to score. Kindly enlighten me on this one…..

    To make my thought simple:

    Rip + Big Shot = LBJ so if the Cavs have gone better how is Detriot better not to get beat again?

    Not a Cavs fan but many of my friends are…. need some input

48. Hammond Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 12:31 am

    Combined age of different teams’ big three:

    Dallas: Dirk, 29; Howard, 27; Kidd, 34. total= 90

    Spurs: Duncan, 31; Manu, 30; Parker, 25. total= 86

    Suns: Nash, 34; Amare, 25; Shaq, 35. total= 94

49. Melvin Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 6:29 am

    I always find the Bulls getting karma……. not agree that they won’t beat great teams on post… Remember they have super lebron…

50. frank Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 6:34 am

    eddie,

    i’m 50-50 with you on this eddie.

    i think the cavs match up well with the celts. the cavs now have a defender who could stifle(that doesn’t necessarily mean stop) garnett in ben wallace. although he may not be the same defender he was with the pistons, he’ll do just fine. especially with help side d from big z. this also gives them the flexibility to move ben to the center spot and bring in either varejao or smith. those four definitely have the advantage over garnett, big baby, and kendrick perkins.

    on the perimeter, the cavs could play decent enough team defense to make ray and pierce work for their shots. i would rather put the celtics faith in wide open shots from the likes of rajon rondo, eddie house or james posey.

    offensively for the cavs, just give lebron the ball. enough said.

    as for the pistons… whoever used the argument of last year’s cavs team beating last year’s pistons team is forgetting that the pistons are also a different team than the cavs beat last year. they have not only the strongest starting 5 in the nba but arguably the deepest and most well rounded bench. they go at least 10 deep and all 10 can play.

    my only concern for either team is coaching. flip has shown on a yearly basis that he hinders his teams best talents by not making adjustments throughout the game. and mike brown is too busy watching lebron put on one of the nba’s single best season to realize that he’s actually getting paid to sit there.

    that’s why my money is still on the lakers or the spurs. both coached by arguably the 2 greatest coaches of all time.

51. tim Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 10:38 am

    I’m not convinced this makes Cleveland an elite team but they’re definately much better now…

    Wallace is grabbing the headlines but he’s not the key to this deal. He’s a good backup big man. No one in Cleveland is annointing him the savior.

    Hughes didn’t shut down Detroit’s guards last year, Snow and Pavs did. They’re both back and West is a good defender too. West of course is a more natural PG than Hughes and a better shooter making him a better fit than LeBron.

    Joe Smith is more productive, and certainly more consistent than Gooden. His help defense is better and he’s got a little more range which makes him a better fit with LeBron.

    So (for the Cavaliers) Smith & West > Gooden & Hughes. Then on top of that they get what ever Wallace offers as their forth big man and a bench shooter (Pavs will start because of his defense) in Wally.

52. bballer Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 11:44 am

    what was ben gordon thinking? come this summer chitown will not even offer gordon anything and will let him walk away. with the emergence of sefolosha as the starting 2 and the pick up of hughes who can replace gordon as a backup, why will chitown keep gordon. let him walk, secure deng and move on. chitown will make the playoffs again and with tweaking, they will become better. the real problem is, who is the leader of the team. aside from noah, i can’t see anyone else who will whip guys into shape. isn’t that ironic? chi won’t be a contender until 2010 when the team matures.

53. bballer Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 12:45 pm

    cleveland only needs a defensive sg in the mold of bowen, udoka or even mopete. a guy who can score 9ppg and cover the opposing teams best wing player. that will allow devin brown to move to the bench with wally z. if they draft their future starting c in 08, the cavs should be a contender even with gibson or west being their pg’s. the guys coming off the bench for the cavs or any contender is equally as important as the starters. it is hard enough to stop the starters. if you can get a small and a big avg 9ppg, with the potential for either one of them scoring 20, that makes the difference b/w a contender and a championship team. you just need 2 guys off the bench to get hot in order to deflate your opponent. wally z is one. varajao/joe smith can be the other.

    boston will lose to either detroit or cleveland for this reason alone. plus, garnett refuses to score from the post. he is just an intense, defensive version of nowitzki. the game against phx friday night clearly showed boston’s limitations. no easy, low post scoring. whereas phx - tonnes of it.

54. BUCK Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 1:27 pm

    Man, everyone has something to say and all they are , are guesses. Nobody knows how anyone is going to fit,play, or what their desire is for the game. I’m a Cavs fan and I’m always hoping for the best, but I try to be real about it. That being said, I think it comes down to coaching now. The Cavs have a D-Leg coach trying to be a head coach. Are the Cavs better today than yesterday? Depends on what you are looking for. I think they were looking for players who will bring the same thing every night. Ben doesn’t have to be the Ben of old, just bring what you got every night and LaBron can work with it. The same for the other players who came in the trade. So I’m hoping they got better, but only time will tell. This bring me back to my point of coaching. Brown trys, but he is in over his head. How many times do the Cavs stand around with no movement and watch LaBron (coaching)? How many times has LaBron won games at the end and all that Brown can say is “WOW”(coaching)? How many games did the Cavs start 2 guards shooting 30% (coaching)? Why was Shannon Brown not playing, then starting, than not playing at all again(coaching)? Defensive coach!! Slowing the game down doesn’t make you a defensive coach. Walking the ball up and keeping the score down,doesn’t make you a defensive coach. Giving up the baseline and letting small guards get 15 to 20 points inside tells a diff story. It’s hard for a coach to win games, but very easy for them to lost them. Sometimes no matter what the team looks like on paper, sometimes it comes down to what you do with the things you have.

55. Seandacracker Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 4:36 pm

    Eddie johnson is off his rocker. tell me how wally Szczerbiak is going to bring any physicality to that team, he’s by far one of the softest, worst defenders in the game. Daniel Gibson is a better shooter then Szczerbiak, and he’s a better defender. The key to the deal is Delonte West, not because he’s a playmaker, cause he’s not, but because he’s a great defender at the point and can shoot well enough to get 15 every night. Wallace isn’t gonna get better, so don’t hold your breath. the order on quality of player is
    1Delonte West
    2joe smith
    3Ben Wallace
    4Wally Szczerbiak

56. Mark Said,

    February 23, 2008 @ 9:03 pm

    Eddie,
    As a lifetime Cavs fan, I was pleased when this trade went down. While I agree with you that the Cavs perimeiter defense took a hit with the loss of Hughes & Newble, their interior defense improved dramaticaly with the additions of Wallace and Smith. For those of you who do not watch the Cavs on a regular basis, you should understand that for the last 25 years the general conception around the league was that the Cavs were a “soft” team. With Z & Gooden, they were extermely soft in the middle of their defense which allowed Tony Parker (of off the dribble guards) to drive down the lane through the “matador” defense the Cavs would display. As a former player you can understand that one of the most difficult things for a defensive-minded coach to do is teach non-defensive players to play defense which Mike Brown was able to do for the most part. The Cavs were never a strong shooting team and the Cavs definitely improved that with this trade. Now when LeBron drives the lane and kicks the ball out, he now has people who can hit the open shot. I think that Hughes and Wallace were victims of the teams they played for. Hughes “slashing” style was never a fit for the Cavs “jumpshot” offense and Wallace was better in Detroit’s half-court system than in Chicago’s transition style. I think the Cavs, while not a finished project, will be a much better team. As for not being better than Boston and Detroit, we’ll see in the playoffs.

57. 25straight Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 12:22 am

    Hey rashidi are you the same person who does the roster updates for the 2K basketball games for the last 5 years or so? If so thanks for all the hard work. Also you do have a great amount of knowledge. My question is why the chip on your shoulder about LeBron? I admit I hope for failure for players who get all the press prior to doing anything, but LeBron has lived up to the billing. The nightly clips on ESPN do not do the man justice. Watching him play 82 games a year. Watching him reluctantly become a ball hog because no one on the team can be trusted to see the play open up, catch the ball, or make the open 18 footer. He is so much smarter than his teammates - even in all-star and Olympic games. Watching him learn that defense is important maybe even more so. He has to pace himself with this team. The CAVS are lost without him. He only really can afford to play all out 15-20 minutes a game. Those minutes are special. He is one of the 20 greatest ever already and I would personally believe he’ll be known as one of the 5 greatest ever. So lighten up on him in the updates and blogs. Sure there are holes - FT%, TO, jumper - but they are quickly being plugged just like Jordan plugged his holes. Enjoy the show.

58. Rashidi Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 5:22 am

    “Hey rashidi are you the same person who does the roster updates for the 2K basketball games for the last 5 years or so?”

    Yep, that’s me. I should finally have a 2k8 roster out around March 1st.

    “My question is why the chip on your shoulder about LeBron?”

    I think I used to have somewhat of a chip due to his hype, but that ended around the time Wade started getting his due props. However lately I haven’t had much bad to say, he has improved his defense considerably.

    The problem with Cleveland is the players he’s surrounded by. I went into work today and people were asking me what I thought of the trade, telling me that the Cavs won’t have chemistry now, etc.

59. Rashidi Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 5:31 am

    “what was ben gordon thinking? come this summer chitown will not even offer gordon anything and will let him walk away.”

    They will deal him in a sign and trade, which is the only way are going to get fair value for him rather than trading him for peanuts because he’s on his rookie contract.

    “why will chitown keep gordon.”

    I can see them trading Thabo instead because Hughes is basically the player Thabo aspires to potentially be.

    bballer Said,
    February 23, 2008 @ 12:45 pm

    you just need 2 guys off the bench to get hot in order to deflate your opponent. wally z is one. varajao/joe smith can be the other.

    “boston will lose to either detroit or cleveland for this reason alone.”

    Uh, if you are listing Anderson Varejao and Joe Smith as “guys to get hot off the bench” then there is no reason why James Posey, Eddie House, or even Leon Powe should not count for Boston.

    “plus, garnett refuses to score from the post. he is just an intense, defensive version of nowitzki.”

    Except Garnett is unstoppable in the high post. He is deadly from there and unlike Nowitzki, he is great at setting his teammates up for easy scores. You seriously think the Celtics would lose to the Cavs because of bench scoring? Who would you take, KG/Pierce/Allen or LeBron/Wally/Ilgauskas? It’s no contest bro.
    the game against phx friday night clearly showed boston’s limitations. no easy, low post scoring. whereas phx - tonnes of it.

    BUCK Said,
    February 23, 2008 @ 1:27 pm

    Man, everyone has something to say and all they are , are guesses. Nobody knows how anyone is going to fit,play, or what their desire is for the game. I’m a Cavs fan and I’m always hoping for the best, but I try to be real about it. That being said, I think it comes down to coaching now. The Cavs have a D-Leg coach trying to be a head coach. Are the Cavs better today than yesterday? Depends on what you are looking for. I think they were looking for players who will bring the same thing every night. Ben doesn’t have to be the Ben of old, just bring what you got every night and LaBron can work with it. The same for the other players who came in the trade. So I’m hoping they got better, but only time will tell. This bring me back to my point of coaching. Brown trys, but he is in over his head. How many times do the Cavs stand around with no movement and watch LaBron (coaching)? How many times has LaBron won games at the end and all that Brown can say is “WOW”(coaching)? How many games did the Cavs start 2 guards shooting 30% (coaching)? Why was Shannon Brown not playing, then starting, than not playing at all again(coaching)? Defensive coach!! Slowing the game down doesn’t make you a defensive coach. Walking the ball up and keeping the score down,doesn’t make you a defensive coach. Giving up the baseline and letting small guards get 15 to 20 points inside tells a diff story. It’s hard for a coach to win games, but very easy for them to lost them. Sometimes no matter what the team looks like on paper, sometimes it comes down to what you do with the things you have.

60. dj hott Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 10:25 am

    CLEVELAND

    G-D.GIBSON G-D.JONES
    G-ZERBIAK G-D.WEST
    F-LBJ F-pAVLOVIC
    F-B.WALLACE F-J.SMITH
    C-ILGAUSKUS C-VIERAJO

    THEY AIGHT

    SUNS AND LAKERS ARE WHATS UP

61. Roger Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 10:29 am

    & admitted Cavs fan..I couldn’t be more pleased with the recent trade acquiring Ben Wallace,Wally Sczerbiak,Delonte West & Joe Smith! Ben Wallace now has the perfect compliments to his talents rebounding,blocking shots & putbacks..any scoring he does will be just added gravy to a eastern conference championship mix. OMG..don’t tell me that you can no longer afford the luxury of double & sometimes triple covering Lebron James..Cleveland now has perimeter shooters with Sczerbiak,Gibson,Jones,West & Ilgauskas..icing on the cake try going to the hole for lay-ups while big Ben & wild thing are in the game..come on people..get on the band wagon while there’s still room! Clevelands only problem now is beating the western conference champion..in the Finals!

62. Roger Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 10:44 am

    Food for thought for those who think that the Cavs can’t beat the pistons..Lebron James beat Detroit in game 5 virtually by himself in one of the greatest individual performances that I’ve ever seen in 25 yrs of watching NBA basketball. NOW..he has Wallace,Smith,West & Sczerbiak..nuff said!

63. Roger Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 1:18 pm

    I have to give props to my man Micheal Bennett..you have a great understanding of exactly what the new acquisitions in Cleveland have done. It will be fun watching everyone else come to the same realization as we repeat as eastern conference champions!

64. gym Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 3:16 pm

    Why do you need to pick sides with Oklahoma City. Seattle loves it SONICS and have supported them. The owners and previous owners got in the position they are in due to bad player choices and poor business desions. Yes our current GM is making good decisons and finally giving Seattle ther team that it deserves. We have supported the SONICS (including yourself) for 41 years and deserve better. The rest of the NBA better take note as your team may be next. If the NBA continues to move to smaller markets it will be nothing but a high priced CBA. I can count on one hand the number of people outside of Oklahoma that will want to wear a number 35 Oklahoma City Kevin Durant jersey. I

65. Mark Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 3:35 pm

    Buck,
    I agree with you about Mike Brown. I think even if everything goes as well with the players who the Cavs received, it will be Mike Brown’s coaching that will determine if he uses the right players at the right time. I’ve never been a fan of his and the team has won “in spite” of him. Time will tell if this trade is a good one or not. But I’m pleased with the fact that they did SOMETHING!

66. McDaddy11 Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 4:46 pm

    PHOENIX WILL NEVER WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, THEME SONG NEVER MY LOVE! JUST GIVE IT UP, THERES NO CHANCE YOU WILL WIN IT THIS OR NEXT, OR NEXT 5 SEASONS, TRADE THEM ALL, AND SING ALONG NEVER MY LOVE!

67. Rashidi Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 5:28 pm

    “Cleveland now has perimeter shooters with Sczerbiak,Gibson,Jones,West & Ilgauskas..”

    They already had that in Hughes, Gibson, Jones, Pavlovic, Marshall, Gooden, and Ilgauskas. The group you mention is not markedly better.

68. Melvin Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 8:05 pm

    What Eddie means is that Hughes is not a better perimeter player than Sczerbiak…
    http://basketballnonsense.blogspot.com/

69. dj hott Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 8:09 pm

    EDDIE
    PHOENIX JUST SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN GASOL , BUT HOPEFULLY THE SUNS WILL WORK OUT, THEY DID BEAT THE CELTICS, THEN GOT MOSHED BY THE PISTONS.
    LA IS A GREAT TEAM, AND ARE STILL WITHOUT BYNUM AND ARIZA

    DETROIT IS GREAT, THE SPURS HAVE SOMETHING TO PROVE, THE LAKERS ARE HUNGRY,AND THE SUNS DONT WONT TO LOOK DUMB,
    THE CELTICS NEED A VETERAN PG, BUT HAVE THE BEST RECORD
    THE MAVS THINK A KIDD IS ENOUGH FOR A GROWN MANS GAME
    THE MAVS COULD NOW TRADE KIDD ,DAMPIER,FAZEKAS,,AND 2ND RD PICK FOR YAO&R.ALSTON

    09 MAVS

    G-J.TERRY G-R.ALSTON G-BAREA
    G-J.STACKHOUSE G-E.JONES GF-A.WRIGHT
    F-J.HOWARD F-D.GEORGE
    F-D.NOWITZKI FBASS
    C-YAO C-M.ALLEN

    ROCKETS DRAFT ROY HIBBERT

    G-J.KIDD G-B.JACKSON G-A.BROOKS
    G-T.MCGRADY G-L.HEAD F-S.NOVAK
    F-S.BATTIER F-C.HAYES
    F-SCOLA F-FAZEKAS
    C-DAMPIER C-HIBBERT

    YAO AND DIRK WITH HOWARD AT THE 3
    THAT IS THE SICKES FRONTCOURT IN YEARS
    MAKE IT HAPPEN CUBAN

70. Armaro Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 8:45 pm

    The new era has begun.

    Three top players injured + 4 completely new players + Lebron James = Win.

    For those of you who seem to be dead set on Cleveland being a non-factor, what makes you so confident in the retread Pistons or the high-riding Boston team? I’d be willing to bet you are the same people last year who didn’t think the Cavs would get out of the second round. The Celtics have little playoff experience as a unit and the Pistons are no better than they were last year.

    Give it some time and I think you’ll be suprised with what the Cavs bring when they are healthy. Z, Wallace and Varejao are easily all Top 10 players in the area of offensive rebounding. When you give our newly deep line-up multiple shots at the basket…it’s gonna be rough.

    Until you beat Lebron James and Co. in the playoffs..you’re irrelavent.

    Oh…and yeah….Lebron James is better this year than last year. Let’s not forget that.

71. Sloan Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 9:19 pm

    How is it that people keep posting opinions that are no more than cliches repeated from sources that are just plain wrong? Last year people called the Spurs “old” and “slow” and said they couldn’t keep up with the small-ball Suns. Obviously, Suns’ management didn’t agree with that opinion, because they have since added Grant Hill and Shaq, who are both 35 years old. Now I guess Suns’ fans will say they can’t be beat because of their great experience and size. No one with a shred of objectivity would dream of calling a baskcourt of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili slow or old– it makes no sense. And Duncan is 31, Oberto 32. The combined age of the Spur starters is 158 years. The combined age of Sun starters is 160. If you plug in Ginobili in place of Finley (he plays more minutes), The spur number is 154. These are facts, not the subjective opinions of a biased fan.
    It’s interesting to note that that the list compiled by one poster here which listed the “old news” Pistons and Spurs as the number 9 and 10 teams in the league was immediately followed by the Spurs beating the Hornets (his #5 team) and the Pistons whipping the Suns (his # 1 team). The same applies to Detroit. Their starting point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and center are all younger than the Suns’ starters at the same positions. The combined age of their starters is 154, which again is younger then that of the Suns. If any team is “old news” in the NBA, it’s the Phoenix Suns, who have entirely abandoned their approach of the past few years in a desperate attempt to replicate the success of the Spurs and Pistons.

72. dj hott Said,

    February 24, 2008 @ 10:01 pm

    ben wallace, virajo,&joe smith
    equal or are better than mcdyess&amir

    ilgauskus-is about the same as rasheed

    lebron is much better than tayshaun

    wally zerbiak&pavlovic are too less than hamilton

    and billups has a advantage over daniel gibson&d.west

    it will be interesting

    and chicago trys to draft robin lopez or hibbert

73. frank Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 8:11 am

    dj… really????

    what gm in their right mind would ever trade away yao?

    did you go to the matt millen school of sports management and talent assessment?

    the latter is based on your judgment that z is the same as sheed. at his best, sheed is one of the top 5 big men in the game and has been for the last decade, with the blazers and the pistons. z lacks lateral movement and mobility.

    i’ll put any money that if the cavs face the pistons in the playoffs, sheed will average a double double and the pistons win in 6.

74. yung romie Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 1:01 pm

    like jorden lebron needed some help and now he got its no were but up
    chapionship here we go

75. Rashidi Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 1:07 pm

    Well Frank, I’ll put my money that he won’t, cuz Sheed ain’t gonna grab 10 boards a game in the playoffs. You can ask for my paypal account in about 3 months.

76. Chad Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 1:22 pm

    The Cavs wont win enough and will never see the finals again, part of the reason is because they had no business being there.

    Lebron Starting forward for New York in 2 years.

77. Armaro Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 1:56 pm

    Not quite sure why my comment was taken off the comments section but it didn’t have any profanity or anything of the like. I guess any type of dissenting opinion (i.e. the cavs DON’T suck) is just removed. You can’t remove the Cavs drubbing of the pistons in 6 last year and you won’t be able to remove the Cavs drubbing of them again this year.
    Boston won’t even make it out of the second round. Watch.

78. Hersey Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 2:32 pm

    Cleveland will have to face Detroit or Boston in the second round. Does anyone seriously believe this team can beat one or both of those teams with three new starters? I’m doubting it. Cleveland is more versatile but LeBron may have to channel Jordan, Bird and Magic to beat Detroit again. Detroit is the best in the league right now.

79. jolo Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 3:01 pm

    pistons will go to the finals no doubt… cavs just threw away gooden and hughes.. they dont need big ben in their front court anyways… szerbiak is the only plus for the cavs… pistons are hungry this year, season standing will prove that… theyl go all the way… give lebron 2 to 3 years more before he could win a c’ship… celtics are good for sure, buut theyl onl go either the 2nd round or conference finals…

80. JA Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 4:26 pm

    Ur assumptions are as good as anybody’s…I just happen to disagree with yours…you can assume nothing until we face each team at least twice..and since the end of the season is near..that may not happen…we traded inconsistency and players who don’t play for 4 players who will produce so how can you assume that we can’t beat detroit or boston? We got to the friggin finals with Lebron alone (with the exception of Boobie and Z maybe) so adding just one person to help makes the possibilties endless

81. Mr. Joe Said,

    February 25, 2008 @ 4:42 pm

    Wow. This here’s a long list of ignorance by folks outside of Cleveland. MYTH: Wallace was brought in to be Lebron’s #2. No. He was the most important part of the trade publicly, but privately it was about dumping a malcontent (Hughes) and a retard (Gooden). The Cavs now have a guy who knows how to play defense and will be motivated by being on a championship contender. MYTH: Wallace is going to play center. REALLY? Did he play center for the Pistons? If you think so, you don’t pay attention. He’s in no way a pure center, and as you saw Sunday night, he started at PF. We signed two PFs. Both of them are good. MYTH: It’s all about winning now for the Cavs. Hee hee. As some pointed out, the Cavs now have more flexibility in the next few years than they did before the trade. About $29 million in expiring contracts next year.

    And I can’t believe some of you said the Cavs lost 6 contributing players. They lost 2 inconsistent but contributing players and gained 4 consistent, contributing players. If you think Shannon Brown “contributed,” then I have no way to argue with your ignorance.

82. Pepe Said,

    February 26, 2008 @ 7:54 am

    Everybody give me a break. Eddie this is your second messed-up article after claiming how great it was for the Suns to get the injury-plagued Shaq. Why the hell do you expect veterans like Shaq and Big Ben, already years beyond their true value, to be a great replacement for young players and even the right addition on the way to a title. Not to say that players like these 2 don’t even add any true leadership because they always lacked it and they simply don’t even have that motivation no more. I’m saying that this Bulls-Cavs trade is the second dummest trade in recent years just after that Matrix-Shaq one. The Cavs incredibly threw away Gooden and Hughes for a player like this and - just like in case of Shaq - I’m pretty sure he’ll end up being waived in 2 or 3 seasons and both the Suns and the Cavs will have to start looking for some truly valuable players, just what they should have done now instead of these absurd moves.
    I also don’t think the Bulls have gotten so bad now, I see a HUGE difference between the Bulls now and that after-MJ selection of league garbage back in 1999.
    The only thing that I believe you’re right about - the Cavs are no match for the Pistons. However, I’d not be so certain about the Celts, the NBA is continually proving one statement to be very accurate: NOTHING that happens in the NBA during the regular season really matters. Come playoff time, I believe we’ll all see a different story with the Celtics, plus we should all hope the “big three” will stay clear of injuries, otherwise they simply won’t even make it through the opening round.

83. CFatz Said,

    February 26, 2008 @ 9:10 am

    Hi Eddie,

    PJ Carlesimo did indeed give Popovich a sweetheart deal. It is an open secret that these things are transacted all the time. It’s the reason no one want to trade with the Knicks, Isiah has made so many enemies around the league that he is nobody’s “sweetheart”. It’s the reason McHale sent KG to Boston where his old friend Danny Ainge is GM and it is the reason Phoenix took Shaq from Miami for In exchange for Shawn Marion.

    CF

84. alejandro Said,

    February 26, 2008 @ 11:49 am

    bulls choked.

    they were over rated.

85. d-man Said,

    February 26, 2008 @ 12:46 pm

    You guys are retarded, i don’t understand why nobody here wants to admit it but these additions are amazing for the team, we basically traded larry hughes, drew gooden, and ira newble for ben wallace, wally, delonte, and joe smith, who cares about shannon brown and cedric simmons. Also don’t forget that we have both mvps from the rookie/sophmore game and the all-star game on our team. we beat boston 2 out of 3 times losing once without lebron…..they have no experience really and are going to get crushed by the cavs in a seven game series…..and who cares if lebron says that detroit beat themselves he wouldn’t say anything bad about a team if his life depended on it…the fact is that we should of swept the pistons it wasn’t even close……you guys really need to get off of the celtics/pistons, best team in the league bandwagon, cuz the fact is the cavs will beat either one of em in the playoffs,

86. dj hott Said,

    February 27, 2008 @ 12:20 am

    FRANK I WOULDNT TRADE YAO, WHOM MAY I MENTION IS HURT NOW,
    BUT THEIR ARE SOME DUMB A** GMS, LIKE WHO GAVE AWAY GASOL?
    AND MCHALE FOR LOOSING KG, BUT HOUSTON HASNT GOT OUT THE 1ST RD, WITH 2 SUPERSTAR PERRINIAL PLAYERS, LAKERS ARE READY THIS YEAR, AND WAIT TILL BYNUM AND ARIZA GET BACK,

    AND IN COLLEGE I THINK MY SUPRISE TEAM IS GONZAGA- TO MAKE THE ELITE 8
    G-PARGO 6′2 QUICK PENETRATOR
    G-BOULDIN 6′5 COMBO GREAT SHOOTER
    F-A.DAYE 6′10 TOP 5 PICK IN 09
    F-M.DOWNS6′8
    F-SOME FRESHMEN 6′8 STARTER
    F-PENDERGRAPH 6′9
    C-J. HOOVELT 6′11-NOT ON DRUGS THIS YEAR(LOL)
    YAO&TMAC DONT MIX SOME REASON

87. Michael Kukich Said,

    February 27, 2008 @ 2:08 am

    I’m only curious why you would think Wallace will be productive playing with “Z”? Wallace had his best years playing alongside forward Rasheed Wallace, who tended to drift to the perimeter but could shut down his man defensively. Being a Suns fan I liked Drew Gooden but didn’t pay close enough attention to his play to understand why they would trade him for such an expensive and one-dimensional under-sized big like Wallace. It seemed like Gooden was a good match for either “Z” or Varejao.

    It seems you would have to be overly optimistic, like Phoenix is with Shaq, that Wallace will revert to his better days by playing with Cleveland. Personally I don’t see it, just like I’m afraid that Shaq will not be able to do enough positive things the way coach D’Antoni envisions to put Phoenix over the Lakers or Spurs. Neither Wallace or Shaq have a shot and both are extremely poor foul shooters. About the only thing Wallace has over Shaq is that he can still jump. Shaq does not have any lift or explosiveness off the blocks and thus far is struggling to alter his game to fit what D’Antoni is trying to get him to do. I know its only been three games but Shaq can’t even remember that he needs to take the ball out after made shots let alone setting high picks for Nash BEFORE running down to the blocks. We have 26 more games to see if they can make it work.

    I also don’t understand the infatuation with Szcerbiak. Yes he can shoot but that is about all he can do. He is very heavy for a SF, 245# and it shows when he tries to stay with his man and he definately is not athletic enough to play SG’s. So where does he and James play at? At 6″-7″ he is too short to play PF. So your defensive got a little worse with Szcerbiak on the floor. I understand Hughes was a bad fit and that is addition by subtraction. I think Delonte West was a good pick-up.

    I also like Joe Smith who will be more productive at PF than Wallace will be. So overall I only see an improvement at PG with West taking over for Hughes. So taking on Wallace’s salary instead of keeping the cheaper Hughes doesn’t seem to make much sense.

88. Pepe Said,

    February 28, 2008 @ 5:02 am

    You couldn’t write it any better Michael, that’s just what I keep saying all the time. There’s just one thing I’d love to add - I liked Eddie much better when he took the effort to respond to our posts, now it seems he doesn’t even care about writing solid columns, like he did before.

89. Al Said,

    February 28, 2008 @ 10:54 am

    1st and foremost the Shaq trade which will help the Suns to a certain extent will definitely after the dust clears will be a mistake. Shawn Marion needed to be traded but the Suns could have recieved Charlie V and possibly another banger like Dan Gadzuric. 2nd the Cavs got better with veterans who have like a 2yr window at the most. Joe Smith is good Ben Wallace is good but breaking down physically which was his main strength but Wally Z is injury prone but a good shooter none of them except for Delonte West who has the occasional mental lapse on the court could eventually raise his game to the next level with experience and time. With all of that it should get them out of the 2nd round …yep jus the 2nd round Boston when healthy and with PJ Brown will definitely outgun Cleveland and the Pistons when focused(keyword) are built to beat anyone. Cleveland has a decent bench but still lack one thing perimeter defense to hang with the likes of BOS DET heck even the Toronto Raptors healthy will give them a run for there money and ummm Orlando is stuff too. But no one is Trip’n because When sheed pays attention he’s top 3 big men in the league. I’m a Laker fan born and bred but I think that the Pistons have an awesome squad Boston Has an Awesome squad and SA, NewOrL, PHO and my LakeShow will be heard in the playoffs and Im not putting my squad up on lofty goals right now they just have to get healthy and play there game get in the playoffs and when the last game they play and were str8 and maybe all these Cali hate’n fools will finally swallow a large glass of crow and keep quiet because this is the best NBA regular season in the last 20 years. And it all started when Golden State beat Dallas last year!

90. Al Said,

    February 28, 2008 @ 10:57 am

    Pepe and Michael I totally agree you both.

91. Rashidi Said,

    February 28, 2008 @ 11:40 am

    “I also don’t understand the infatuation with Szcerbiak. Yes he can shoot but that is about all he can do.”

    If you look closer, his game is very similar when compared to a certain blogger.

92. Mars Said,

    February 28, 2008 @ 1:12 pm

    Well I dont see the point of the trade.. you give up a rebounder and a guy that can score a little in gooden.. you give up larry hughes that can score and defend.. for what, a over paid wallace that is only good as a piston, big deal they got west and szcerbiak…oooooo

    this reminds me of the raptors when they had a starting 5 of , mark jackson, vince carter, corlis williamson, charles oakley and antonia davis.. terrible

    they gave up to much.. now they have no offence.. these GM’S get star struck.. they see the championship ring on ben wallaces finger..but really dont do enough research..

93. Omar Aberilla Said,

    February 29, 2008 @ 5:13 am

    The problem with today’s stars is how they demand for trades to upgrade their team, at least that’s their opinion. It’s a shame that some GMs follow suit just to please the franchise player and hopes that he (beloved star) re-signs. Not only are they not doing their job, but they are setting up their foreseeable firing. Mitch Kupchak has been praised recently for his deaf ears on Kobe’s egging with regard to the supposed Kidd for Bynum deal.

    Lebron has been blessed to have the right mix to complement his talent. People have been hard on Larry Hughes, but he happens to be an underappreciated player who, had he been healthy, would have helped the Cavs big time in the finals last year. I look forward to seeing him thrive for the Bulls in the same manner that he did for the Wizards. Cleveland’s going to miss his perimeter defense. Right now, there’s definitely going to be chemistry issues for the Cavs; with more than your needed dose of scorer’s mentality players in the roster. Wally wants his, so does West. If only they shared the same passion at the defensive end. Delonte West is a no better playmaker than Hughes was for the Cavs or Gibson is. He’s a scorer/slasher and they already had that with Hughes, plus defensive ability to boot. Also, the key among the newcomers is, who’s going to want to accept and embrace a minimal role, whater that may be knowing that everything revolves around LBJ, except for Ben Wallace who throughout his career doesn’t mind taking the backseat. Wally hasn’t been your ideal locker room guy as well, often complaining on minutes and touches more than focusing on how to win (presuming what has been written about him in the papers is accurate). Gooden has been instrumental to the Cavs’ success. Joe Smith is a good addition however, not at the expense of dismantling a TEAM. And how’s he going to react to shortened playing time after a productive stint with the Bulls. Gooden and Hughes have been character guys for the Cavs, not to mention solid contributors.

    Detroit is still the team to beat. I left out the Celtics on purpose. Should the Cavs fail, it was the King’s order.

94. Brad Said,

    March 4, 2008 @ 11:13 am

    So now that all you fools posted and placed the Pistons 9th, 10th, last in the league, Semi-Pro… no, they’re really a junior high team. Meanwhile, that was a pretty impressive win Cleveland had… against MEMPHIS. Now that we have a little perspective… Eddie is spot on. Detroit is BLOWING people out of the gym. Detroit just went 3-1 on a western road trip and smacking all those teams you got ranked above the Pistons. Detroit is rejuvenated with Amir, Stuckey, Maxiell, Dixon, Hermann, Afflalo… and now Theo Rattliff coming off the bench. Fact is last year was probably the worst team Detroit has fielded in the last 5 years… this year it’s their best. Detroit is on Pace with win 60+ games and they’re doing it by playing their starters the lowest amount of minutes during that time span. You should be very afraid when the bench comes in. Boston is the only team in the East that can hang with Detroit.

95. Michael Bennett Said,

    March 4, 2008 @ 11:34 am

    Eddie — THIS is the best article I’ve read in years:

    http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba_experts/post/Why-Kobe-Bryant-is-not-your-MVP?urn=nba,69681

    Read and learn.

96. Michael Kukich Said,

    March 4, 2008 @ 8:09 pm

    “Boston is the only team in the East that can hang with Detroit.”

    You think? Way to state the obvious! The East, where at least three teams with LOSING records will make the playoffs? Don’t put yourself out there! LMFAO! A fool calling other people fools, now thats the funniest post that I’ve seen in a long time! Theo Ratliff? Who cares? He has played in 10 games this year! LOL! He played in 2 games the year before! OH, no! Detroit signed Theo Ratliff! LMFAO!

97. Brad Said,

    March 5, 2008 @ 5:30 pm

    hey Mikey… Cleveland sucks, Detroit will play LA in the finals. Beyond that… suck my balls.

98. Michael Kukich Said,

    March 5, 2008 @ 8:42 pm

    “hey Mikey… Cleveland sucks, Detroit will play LA in the finals. Beyond that… suck my balls.”

    Hey Brad, who cares? I’m not a Cleveland fan nor am I into guys the way you seem to be! LMFAO! Magic and Isiaah kissing before tip-off must have turned you on! No wonder you are looking for another L.A.-Detroit series! I hope you and your “boys” enjoy each other’s company! LMFAO!

99. Kirk Said,

    March 7, 2008 @ 1:49 pm

    Looking at how things have gone since the all star break, it looks like rashidi’s top ten list is far more accurate than michael bennett’s. today on nbs.com, in the power rankings section, one writer brings up the topic of golden state and denver passing phoenix as a real possibility, with the result being the suns would actually miss the playoffs entirely. one thing is sure– at least one very good western team will miss the playoffs from the this group: Warriors, Nuggets, Suns, Mavs, Rockets.

100. Michael Bennett Said,

     March 8, 2008 @ 5:04 pm

     Eddie — Since everyone in the country is talking about the Kobe vs. LeBron MVP race, can you please write your next article about YOU ADMITTING (FINALLY) THAT LEBRON IS BETTER THAN KOBE AND WHY…?

101. Michael Kukich Said,

     March 9, 2008 @ 10:33 pm

     I don’t know if you can actually say Lebron is better, its a tough call, but I think Kobe gets the nod for MVP this year for two reason’s; 1) Its a make-up award for Kobe, he has been MVP worthy longer but for reasons that I will only describe as Kobe being somewhat unlikable, now seems to have changed to him actually being likable, 2) The Lakers are going to have a much better season this year than the Cavaliers which will only showcase Kobe as a likeable player even further and for the first time as a winner as the sole superstar of the Lakers.

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