The Association

National TV Takes

by Brett Edwards

Just to get rid of the obnoxious post we had most recently, I thought I would give my takes on the two nationally televised ABC games we had on Sunday. In case your local affiliate screwed you, here's what went on:

- Pacers at Sixers: This was the third time this week the Sixers were featured on national television. The first time was against the Rockets, where they came back to get a 5 point win on the road. The second time was against the Wizards, where they managed to hold off Washington in a high scoring affair. In Sunday's game against the Pacers, they couldn't get their third straight. C-Webb had a bad game, shooting only 7-22 from the field, including letting the shot clock expire with the ball in his hands down the stretch, and missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Sixers really should have won this game, but allowed Steven Jackson to get an uncontested layup with 2 seconds left. Once again, let me remind you that the Pacers are winning without Jermaine O'Neal, and with both Jeff Foster and Scot Pollard in their starting lineup.

- Suns at Mavericks: The Mavs lead for most of this game, but much like the game against the Spurs earlier this week, Dallas' second half defense left something to be desired. The Mavs allowed 64 second half points at home to let the Suns snap their 16-game home winning streak. Somewhat disgustingly, the Mavs gave up 34 points in the 4th to the Suns, en route to getting outscored by 16 in the quarter to blow the game. The highlight was when Nash took best buddy Dirk to the rack and made a circus shot over his head and over Dirk for a key bucket with 43 seconds left to put the Suns up 4 and effectually seal the game. It should be noted that the Mavs were without Josh Howard and Keith Van Horn, but they had the 8-point lead to start the 4th at home and should have sealed the deal.

'Sheed Show Buries The Pacers

by Brett Edwards

Before we get to tonight's matchups, we MUST recognize the outstanding performance of Rasheed Wallace in last night's, um, "Rivalry Week" matchup against the Pacers.

The Pistons were struggling against the Pacers, holding only a 6-point lead early in the 4th quarter. Then 'Sheed did his thing. He hit 4 straight shots (3 of which were from downtown) in just over a minute and a half to blow the game wide open.

More classic 'Sheed: After Picking up a technical for allegedly throwing an elbow, he was quoted as saying "How can I throw an elbow at a guy when I'm catching the ball out of the net and throwing it," he asked. "That's bull in my book. It's felonious." Yes it was, but if that's what it takes to get you to drop 11 straight points on the opponent, please refs, keep 'em coming.

No Tridecaphobia Here

by Brett Edwards

Before we get to tonight's match-ups, there were 13 games last night, with plenty of items that warrant discussion. Here's a sampling of some of the events that caught our interest last night:

-The Mavs won their 10th straight game, coming from 10 down in the 4th quarter, and 3 down with 40 seconds left to beat the Grizz in Memphis. There was some D in Dallas, as they held Memphis to 13 points and 28% from the field in the 4th quarter. Predictably, Mark Cuban was excited.

-What happened to the Nuggets? After winning 11 of 13 games, including 7 straight, the hype machine was in full force, until they lost two nights in a row to the Clippers by a combined 51 points. Now they've lost 4 straight, and the wheels are coming off the Carmelo Campaign.

-It's worth mentioning that the Lakers got killed in Indiana by a squad that rolled out Scot Pollard and Jeff Foster in the starting lineup, and that featured substantial contributions from David Harrison and Danny Granger. The Lakers scored 79 points and lost by 26. It appears that unless Kobe scores 40+, L.A. is in for a long night.

- The President triple-doubled en route to the Cavs beating the Nets. LBJ was really on his game, and although he was only 8-21 from the field, he was smart enough to get to the line 12 times. As for the Nets, there was no way the wife beater was going to pull another game out of his ass like he did against Detroit the night before. In that game, J Kidd went for 23, 12, and 7, and made 5-8 3-pointers. Last night Kidd played more like he always does, which means 4-15 from the field and only 5 assists. O-ver-RAT-ed clap, clap, clap-clap-clap.

- It was Super Bowl night at The Palace, as many players from the Steelers rolled in and sat courtside. Combine this with the fact that the Pistons lost the night before, and that they were playing their new coach's former team, and the result was no surprise: an easy 14-point win for your 2005-06 Champs. I wonder if Big Ben hit the party scene again after the game?

Peja For Ron Is Back On

by Brett Edwards and Craig Kwasniewski

So the deal between the Kings and Pacers seems to be really happening this time, unlike yesterday's announcement which jumped the gun. Here's some analysis on the trade:

- Sacramento will probably be a decent team again, but for them this trade was probably two years too late. The Kings always lacked that defensive toughness during the Webber years. Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie were the only real defensive players. They never had that great one-on-one player, hence the awesome games that Kobe always seemed to have against the Kings.

- Indiana is trading a (crazy) lockdown defender and consistent scorer, someone who hustles on every play no matter what the score. (This actually led to Ben Wallace choking Artest and starting the whole Palace brawl, but I digress). They are getting in return a soft Euro who only shoots from 25 feet and beyond, with no toughness and who hasn't yet translated the word "clutch" into Yugoslavian.

- I sense some chemistry problems for Sacramento. Look at their new lineup:
The bad luck charm: Abdur-Rahim
Mr. Honkey Hate: Wells
Team Dime: Bibby
Token White guy: Miller
and the King of all Crazies: Artest.

- By the way, Bibby gets no attention for his whole "Team Dime" thing, which is basically his posse that he rolls with. This group is so full of bad guys and criminals that in the picture half the guys are hiding their faces. The caption lists first names only, no doubt to protect the identities of the members who are regularly featured on America's Most Wanted. Will Artest be invited to join the "Team?" Time will tell.

Expect Artest to Disappear

by Craig Kwasniewski

So Artest nixed the Sactown trade. He supposedly informed both teams he did not want to go to the Kings.

First, Artest's mouth get himself into this whole mess, now he's calling the shots? This can't sit well with Pacer GM Donnie Walsh.

I feel Walsh may go Jimmy Conway on him. Soon we'll find Artest's posse members in trash cans, frozen solid or dead in Cadillacs. And Artest, nowhere to be found...

Seriously, just to call my shot here: I think Donnie Walsh goes Philadelphia Eagles on Artest and keeps him on the inactive list for the rest of the season. Just when Walsh finds a decent trade that gets an 80% return for Artest, the guy has the gall to nix the trade. Well Ron, you had your chance at freedom, now you'll be stuck sitting in the fourth row at NBA games. Just don't throw any cups of beer at any players.

Tru Warrior!!!

Artest To Sacramento For Peja - NOT

by Brett Edwards

We have previously discussed our contempt for the constant media blitz of Ron Artest trade rumors. So we were happy to hear today that a deal was in place to send Artest to Sacramento for soft shooter Stojakovic. We had our analysis ready, that Sacramento, once healthy, now looks like a solid playoff team, etc. Finally the drama would be over right?

Wrong. Unfortunately for us, Jim Gray decided to go Jack Haley on us and report a trade before it actually happened. Haley, former NBA player, Dennis Rodman groupie, and pseudo-journalist, reported last year that a deal was done sending a bunch of garbage Laker players to Utah for Carlos Boozer. That caused quite a stir here in L.A., and Haley caught a lot of heat from other local media types for that one.

Jim Gray probably won't get crucified the way Haley did, and that's fine with me. Any man who interviews Mike Tyson after Mike bit someone's ear off gets a free pass in my book. I just hope the next time we hear Artest's name the trade will actually be over with.

Stop the Artest Rumors!

by Craig Kwasniewski

Can we stop the endless Ron Artest trade speculation for now. There are at least one million of them out there. First he was going to New York, then Toronto, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Tokyo, Rapid City, San Quentin, Sacramento... We have no idea where the hell he's going. Even we at The Association have proposed a trade and responded to a rumor.

Take what happened here in Los Angeles for example... Peter Vecsey, in his semi-annual column in the NY Post said:

"Word from the wise in La-La Land: Phil Jackson strongly encouraged Jim Buss to include Andrew Bynum in a package proposal for Ron Artest, but the owner's son fervently negated the notion. Though everyone in the front office maintained shared aims last June, people in the know maintain Buss and assistant GM Ronnie Lester were instrumental in the drafting of 7-foot Bynum, whereas Jackson and GM Mitch Kupchak preferred Sean May and Danny Granger....Still, at least one cockeyed optimist within the organization remains convinced the Lakers somehow will bag Artest."

Basically he said that the Lakers are not willing to offer Andrew Bynum in a trade for Artest, against Phil Jackson's wishes. Also, some anonymous person with the Lakers is optimistic that Artest will end up with the Lakers. No real trade proposal mentioned in the article, no substantial trade rumor.

Suddenly, the news spread throughout Los Angeles sports media, "The Lakers are going to trade for Artest, Peter Vecsey reported it!!!"

Now you have every screamer/homer/honk at all three sports talk radio stations (three too many) dissecting the trade and predicting a championship within three years. Callers talking about how brilliant the move is or complaining about how bad Artest will be for the Lakers locker-room. Yet no trade has happened nor has there been any real offer.

Easy guys! Let's wait till something really happens. Until then, so who's going to sign Spreewell?

Pacers Goal Should Change

by Brett Edwards

This billboard advertising the Pacers season to fans in Indiana is now an ironic slap in the face to them. Funny that the team's marketing people went with the unity angle before the season started, and now the team is as divided as ever.

Self-proclaimed team leader Jermaine O'Neal missed last night's game, and the team dropped 115 points on Seattle at home. Granted, SEA has been awful this season, and their retread coach paid for it today. But this Pacers situation can't help but remind me of the whole Owens/McNabb thing with the Philadelphia Eagles this season. Owens was cut from the team, but half the team ended up going to his birthday party a couple of weeks later, and there was a very loud silence in the team's lack of support for McNabb as their leader. With O'Neal out, the team plays out of their mind.

Maybe O'Neal should be traded instead of Artest. It's been 22 days since the trade has been in the works, and it hasn't happened yet probably because the Pacers are unwilling to get screwed just to get rid of Artest. If they instead put Jermaine on the block, they could get much closer to equal value, and possibly solve the team unity issues.

Either way, they better make a decision fast if they hope to salvage the season and potentially challenge Detroit and Miami for the East title. And if the deal includes Devean George, they can kiss this season goodbye.

Artest To The Lakers Rumor

by Brett Edwards

Saw this story from Pro Basketball News claiming the Pacers are close to trading Ron Artest to the Lakers basically for Devean George. Also, the Raptors would be involved as the third team, and would end up with Austin Croshere and the Lakers would get Jalen Rose as well.

As someone who has watched Devean George play his entire career with the Lakers, a huge problem comes to mind: HE SUCKS. No, really. He sucks. For his career, he averages 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist per game (382 games played), and shoots 39% from the field. These numbers don't begin to tell the tales of all of the boneheaded plays George has made throughout his career, including many ill-advised shots, horrible turnovers, and generally poor defense. Ask any Laker fan, and they'll confirm how bad he is.

Donnie Walsh, Pacers GM, recently said about 20 of the 30 NBA teams had called to inquire about trading for Artest. You mean to tell me this is the best he can do? I seriously doubt it. Walsh is one of the top 5 GMs in the league, and I find it very hard to believe this is the offer that makes the most sense for the Pacers. Hey, if somehow it happens, great. I would love to have a title contender back in L.A. I miss going to the playoffs and Finals every year. I just don't see it.

3 Reasons Why Dallas Should Get Artest

by Craig Kwasniewski

Ron Artest sits on the trading block as Indiana Pacer GM Donnie Walsh looks for the right offer. The Dallas Mavericks can and should make THAT offer. Here's three reasons why Dallas NEEDS Ron Artest:

Strengthen Defense: So Avery Johnson is trying to change the Mavs into a better defensive team. Based on Kobe Bryant's 62 point outburst a few days ago, he's got a lot of work to do. Unfortunately for Johnson, Dallas's roster is not made up of any defense-first players. By acquiring Artest, Dallas gains one of the best defensive forwards in the game. Do you actually think he'd let Kobe drop 62 points on him in a game? Artest would have knocked Kobe on his ass on every drive, keeping him out of the paint.

Toughen Up Dallas: Let's be honest here, Dallas is NOT an intimidating team. Nobody fears an up-tempo team that is led by a Euro. It didn't work in Sacramento and it's not working in Dallas. Artest will bring that Eastern Conference toughness that Dallas needs. The guy is a bruising power forward in a swingman's body. Just ask Michael Jordan. While training for his comeback with D.C., Jordan cracked two ribs after Artest elbowed him. And Jordan is Artest's idol!

Tighten Up the Rotation: A few weeks ago, I was impressed with Dallas's depth. They literally run two-deep at every position. Today, they have too many bodies and not enough minutes. With the sensitive NBA athlete today, players can only be so patient about minutes and shots before the in-house grumbling affects wins and losses. By offering Jerry Stackhouse, Marquis Daniels and DeSagana Diop for Artest and Austin Croshere (the salaries match up), Dallas is basically reducing their ten man rotation to a playoff-ready eight man rotation. The starting line-up looks like this:

G - Jason Terry
G - Josh Howard
F - Ron Artest
F - Dirk Nowitzki
C - Eric Dampier

With Devin Harris, Adrian Griffin and Keith Van Horn coming off the bench.

Why does this deal work? It works because Dallas gets the tough/defensive minded player they need in Artest and Indiana gets a scorer familiar with Rick Carlisle's system (Stackhouse), and youthful talent (Daniels and Diop). Plus, Indiana is dealing Artest out of their conference and to a contender. Is Dallas taking a risk by acquiring Artest? Sure, but Dallas has enough depth in talent to take a chance and dump him if it doesn't work. As any gambler knows, the only way to win big is to bet big. All parties win with this deal.