10 Things (Part 1)

It's been awhile, hope everyone enjoyed your Christmas, back to business, two parts this time, here you go:

10) Broken Kingdom: Losers of their last 7 games and 21 of their last 23, the Sacramento Kings are headed in the worst direction possible at the worst possible time. Being a Warrior fan my whole life and a Laker fan during my childhood, I hate the Kings, but it's pretty sad to see where this franchise is heading. In my opinion they were probably the best team in the early 2000s to never win a championship thanks to Shaq and Kobe. Since Rick Adelman left and the CWeb era ended, the franchise has declined immensely. The Maloof brothers have tried to move the team to Las Vegas, they've tried to get a new arena built in Sacramento, they've had four new coaches, and none of those things have worked. Last season in Paul Westphal's first season as head coach, the team's record was third worst in the league, but things seemed to be turning around. They had the rookie of the year in Tyreke Evans, another good draft pick in Omri Casspi, and they drafted a promising DeMarcus Cousins this offseason. However, everything is falling apart this season. Tyreke is going through a sophomore slump, the role players are terrible, and Cousins's reputation as being uncoachable is showing. It's only a matter of time before Westphal gets the axe, and so does long-time GM, Geoff Petrie. The cow bells have stopped ringing for a long time in Sacramento. A new era thought to be promising has proven false, and once again it's time to rebuild.

9) Those Darn Injuries: This NBA season has been pretty great. Plenty of storylines, most of the teams expected to play well have lived up to expectations, and individual play from the league's stars have been satisfactory. There is one problem this season though, and that is injuries. Too many players and key contributors to their teams have been plagued by the injury bug, way too many! The list of injuries amounting significant time out include these notable names: John Wall, Mehmet Okur, Aaron Brooks, Andris Biedrins, Greg Oden & Brandon Roy, Brandon Jennings, Mike Miller & Udonis Haslem, Andrew Bynum, Carlos Boozer, Chris Kaman, Yao Ming, Vince Carter, Rajon Rondo, Joakim Noah, etc. I know injuries happen all the time, but this year it has occurred way too often to important players. As a basketball fan I would love to see all teams at full strength, and I cross my fingers hoping no other significant injuries occur this year, please, absolutely please no Shaun Livingston's.

8) Change of Cards: Last week, a pretty big trade went down in the league. A change was necessary in Orlando, but as for the players the Magic gave up and received in return, I'm not too sure it will be enough to put them over the top. The ultimate goal for GM Otis Smith is win now and keep Dwight in Orlando past 2012, but is Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Gilbert Arenas enough? I think J-Rich fits in the best because he can shoot the 3, spread the floor, and he's a better defender than Vince Carter. Turkoglu is back in a system he once flourished in, but he is two years older now. The biggest name in the trade is Gil and if Orlando thinks he's that perimeter sidekick Dwight needs, I beg to differ. Hibachi was pretty much a cancer to the Wizards and not too many teams were even willing to trade for him. In his first 4 games, he's shot 11-40 from the field, and the Magic have only played him around 24 minutes a game off the bench? I'm not sure what Stan Van Gundy has planned the rest of the season for Gil's role, but at the same time with this new team they've recently ended the Spurs's 10-game win streak and the Celtics's 14-game win streak so they look good so far.

As for the other two teams involved in the trades, I think they will benefit in the long-run. The Wizards get Rashard Lewis's contract which is still better than Arenas's and they're on their way to rebuilding correctly. All they need is John Wall to get healthy now. For the Suns, I don't know what direction they're headed in. They can still be a playoff team, yet they seem like they want to rebuild. Vince Carter is... well I don't like Vince Carter, he's lazy and selfish in my opinion, but he only has one year left on his contract. Mickael Pietrus will fill the 3-point shooting void left by J-Rich, and Marcin Gortat, I believe is the biggest acquisition for the team. With legitimate playing time, I think the "Polish Hammer" can prove himself to be a quality starting center in the NBA. Overall these trades benefit all sides, but for the Magic it's a big gamble, but is it worth the risk? We will find out in May.

7) Where Will Melo Go?: As trade talks heat up for the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, I actually don't think the question is where will Carmelo go, but when will Carmelo go. Carmelo has been a class-act this year, playing hard despite not wanting to be in Denver, he's addressed the front office and worked with them to get a trade, and the Nuggets are trying their hardest to get the best value they can for their disgruntled star. The Nets are actually the only team with legitimate trade pieces to offer the Nuggets, but a three-team deal for other complimentary players to go with Melo needs to be worked out in order for him to sign a contract extension and be satisfied in Jersey. As for New York, where Melo would actually like to go, they don't really have much to offer. The best offer I can think of for the Knicks would be Eddy Curry's expiring contract, Wilson Chandler or Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Anthony Randolph, and future draft picks if the Knicks have any (they seem to always trade them away). The Bulls and Bobcats are the drakhorses, and there are rumors of many teams interested in renting Melo's services for half a season, no extension necessary.

All I know is once Melo is traded, then the fun begins. It means the Nuggets will probably rebuild and they have a lot of valuable players that can help many playoff contenders. The Bulls need a shooting guard and they're interested in J.R. Smith . Kenyon Martin's contract is expiring and teams would definitely be interested in his half-year service, and lastly Chauncey Billups could be an excellent pick-up for a team with title aspirations and in need of a point gurad, or maybe the Lakers?? Chauncey has admitted that he would love to retire a Nugget, but he has also admitted he doesn't want to play for a rebuilding franchise to end his career. If Carmelo is traded to New Jersey with Andre Miller and Devin Harris heads to Denver, Ty Lawson is still on the roster as well and he is currently playing well, therefore Chauncey would no longer be needed. The Lakers would be a perfect fit and they would not need to offer much. My proposed trade would be Steve Blake, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown, and perhaps a future draft pick for Chauncey, Gary Forbes, and Shelden Williams or Renaldo Balkman. If this were to happen I would be delighted, but for now we wait for Melo's trade to put the wheels in motion.

6) Raymond's Revenge: Please try and focus on the man in the back of the picture, not number 1. That is Mr. Raymond Felton and he is playing the best basketball of his life this season. Last time, I spoke about the Knicks and their returned relevance, I kind of brushed off Felton as a success this season because he is a product of Mike D'Antoni's system, but I am wrong. Sorry Ray. I'm actually not the only person who has written him off since his time in the league. His previous seasons have been sub-par and when you're the fifth pick in the same draft class as Chris Paul and Deron Williams and considered one of the best point guards to ever come out of North Carolina, 13 & 6 is not enough. Before he played his first game in the blue and orange, analysts were already writing him off and talking about Tony Parker in 2011 or Chris Paul in 2012. This season however, Ray has turned it around (18 & 9) and it seems like he is thriving in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, New York City. He just fits the knit and grit of the city and many say he plays like a "New York City" point guard though he is not from NY. Ray has silenced the critics, including myself, and he and Amare Stoudemire make the Knicks one of the most fun teams to watch this season. The man is an all-star this season and he will certainly lead his team into the playoffs and maybe deep into it if Melo joins. For now, the spotlight is shining on Raymond Felton and he is putting on a show.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow... Thanks for reading.