Team Rankings for the Week Ron Artest Requested a Trade

1) Detroit- Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton have been awesome. The big loss to Utah hurts but you can’t win every game. They’re still the best team in the league right now so they’re on top.
2) San Antonio- In his resignation press conference, Stan Van Gundy said, regarding the Heat’s record that they struggled not because they were missing Shaq, but that they struggled because they were missing multiple key players. He went on to say that if the Spurs were without three of their big players he didn’t think they’d be as successful. Now is the time for the Spurs to prove SVG wrong. Manu’s hurt, Parker’s bruised and Duncan’s foot isn’t in great shape. The Spurs have a chance to show off some of that depth they acquired over the off-season.
3) LA Clippers- Elton Brand is the MVP of the season so far. Not only is he playing great ball, but the team is as well. Chris Kaman is hitting the glass and Quinton Ross has stepped up to help while Magette gets better. Wouldn’t it be fun to see a little trade with the Pacers? The Clippers should try to trade Magette for Artest and let Bulls fans muse about what could have been. Artest is good for the rest of the season if he can stay away from the crazy. He could be just what the Clippers need to be a legit contender.
4) Dallas- If the Mavs could have three things for Christmas they would be the following: consistent play from Dampier, a healthy Jerry Stackhouse and a healthy Josh Howard. Looks like they could get a healthy Howard by Christmas but may have to wait on the other two.
5) Phoenix- The Suns have lost their last two. They have three more on the road before they go home to face Seattle and Washington. Then they’re back on the road for five games and back home to play the Sixers, Heat and Spurs. If the Suns can stay strong through these games look for people to start talking about Steve Nash for MVP again. Any chance Amare is way ahead of schedule?
6) Memphis- This team looks good. Pau has “Pau”erful but he needs to hit the glass a lot harder. At seven feet tall he’s capable of averaging a double-double and as the face of the franchise, its time for him to come through like that. Gasol needs to step up to be a franchise player.

7) Milwaukee- Redd has been red hot. The Bucks are on a 3 game winning streak and don’t show any signs of slowing down. If they keep winning they could pull away from the Cavs and the Pacers as the second best team in the Central Division.
8) Cleveland- Lebron has been awesome but the rest of the team has been pretty average. Due to the complete lack of defense it might be a good to add Ron Artest, but only if they could get Tinsley in the deal too. Maybe a trade of Snow, Gooden, Luke Jackson and a pick for Artest and Tinsley. This could be just the trade the Cavs need to shake things up a little bit more.
9) Golden State- It seems like they’re treading water. They’ve won six of their last ten, but lost their last two. They have a solid roster, but it seems like its not more than solid. Chris Mullin has to find some way to get these guys to the next level. Maybe its time for a trade or a coaching change. Stan Van Gundy is ‘technically’ available now. Maybe Mullin should start making a few phone calls.
10) Minnesota- The Wolves currently have the third seed in the west. It looks like the team is starting to play up to Garnets level, but the fact remains that they’re just not that talented.
11) Indiana- Ron Artest doesn’t like Rick Carlisle. Joe Dumars didn’t like Rick Carlisle. The Pacers have been underachieving the last few years. Maybe trading Artest is the answer, but maybe replacing Carlisle is the real answer. He’s been making some really questionable moves with the starting lineup by starting guys like Austin Croshere and playing JO at center a lot. As much as they have been called contenders this season, something just doesn’t feel right with this Pacers squad. Maybe they can find some answers this week after they trade Artest. It’s funny though how far the Pacers have come with Ronny. Does anyone even remember when he and pat Riley got into it in Miami? Artest ended up flicking off the Heat bench, then running to center court to flick off the entire arena. That was back before he was real crazy.

12) Miami- The Heat are a little beaten up and have a new coach. They could really pull things together with a win against the Bulls. It would give them a chance to start the Riley era on a high note. Shaq is back and this should make a huge difference.
13) Chicago- The Bulls have been good on the road, but bad at home. They’re a little beaten up but could really pull things together with a win tonight against the Heat.
14) Philadelphia- Looks like things are finally starting to gel in the city of brotherly love. Webber was huge against the Wolves and really proved he could still play a little defense. If he can come up like that every night the Sixers are going to be in great shape.
15) LA Lakers- Kwame Brown was their answer. He was supposed to evolve into some semblance of a basketball player. Now Phil Jackson has picked up on Michael Jordan’s pet name for him. How long before he cries during a game? As good as Kobe has been, the Lakers aren’t going anywhere without some more help in the front.

16) Denver- Camby for MVP? People have been whispering this but it doesn’t mean anything until the Nuggets win some more games. As good as Camby has been, he’s only been a little better than Carlos Boozer was in his last year with the Cavs. On the bright side, in two days the Nuggets can trade Earl Watson for a shooting guard. Maybe they can get Josh Smith or Childress from Atlanta or Q Richardson from New York.
17) New Jersey – Did they just forget to get a power forward? Jason Kidd is getting old so the window for this team is only a year or two longer. The Nets are so close to being a legit team, but they need some help inside. If they can figure out how to get it soon, they’re going to be in good shape, otherwise its time for the Nets to fade into the background.
18) Washington- Apparently three wasn’t a crowd. The Wizards are really missing Larry Hughes. Nobody is sure why Eddie Jordan won’t start Caron Butler. Maybe its because without Butler on the bench, there is no bench. Still, if starting Butts wins a few more games, they should do it.
19) Seattle- Anyone familiar with cartoons knows the sound that is made when something goes terribly wrong. Wha wha wha wha… Seriously, the Sonics need to figure this out. They’re wasting the best years of Ray Allen’s career.

20) Houston- The Mac is back so maybe the Rockets can turn it around. Maybe they should trade Stromile Swift for Earl Watson. That would seem to fill a need that both the Nuggets have and the Rockets have. Probably won’t happen, but its worth throwing the suggestion out there, just in case Carol Dawson is reading this. Another option would be to start Swift. Just throwing that out there in case Jeff Van Gundy is reading this.
21) Sacramento- Anyone familiar with cartoons knows the sound that is made when something goes terribly wrong. Wha wha wha wha… Seriously, why does it take the Kings 110 points to win a basketball game? Why is defense such a difficult concept for this team to grasp? Never has there been a franchise that seems to be so incapable of finding a roster that plays defense. It’s like when players come to Sacramento they just shut down that part of their game.
22) Boston- The Celtics don’t seem to have the firepower to win the Atlantic or grab the eighth seed in the playoffs. That being said it might be time for Ainge to make a move. Paul Pierce is one of the best trading assets in the league; he’s a star playing hard for a team that isn’t going anywhere. Actually Ricky Davis has kind of evolved in to this type of player too. If Ainge plays his cards right he could get the right package of draft picks and young players so that when his kids, Jefferson and West, are ready to play, they’ve got a roster surrounding them.
23) Utah- The Jazz beat the Pistons, which is good; they lost to a lot of other teams, which isn’t as good. AK47 doesn’t really have much happening on the offensive end of the court this season. Mehmet Okur has looked really good, but this team really just needs to get healthy. There’s too much talent on the roster, if it is healthy, for it not to be a winner. Utah fans just need to be patient, as does management.
24) NO/OK- The plan was to acquire Paul, loose some more, grab another star in the draft and then build around those two guys. As it turns out Chris Paul is really good, and really good at involving the rest of the team. This puts the Hornets a lot closer to ‘good’ than many thought. Maybe a trade of PJ Brown plus a pick for ‘unhappy star’ could be just the move these guys need to push them into the spotlight. Artest is available or they could probably acquire Pierce if they threw in Speedy Claxton. The point is, there are a number of moves that the Hornets could make to push themselves a lot farther than they would go with a late lottery pick.
25) Orlando- Grant Hill is supposed to come back tonight. If he’s healthy the Magic could win a few games. Dwight Howard has been nearly unstoppable. If they could put together a few wins while their big three are all healthy, the Magic could be in good shape to make the playoffs.
26) New York- Here’s a thought… Larry Brown could try coaching his player’s assets. As nice it is to talk about playing ‘the right way,’ its only talk if the team isn’t competitive. Channing Frye and Eddy Curry have been scoring very well in the paint. Why is it that with these two scorers doing their thing down low, the shooters aren’t benefiting? Q Richardson and Jamal Crawford should be lighting it up. Larry Brown needs to evolve and make this roster work because as it stands, the chances aren’t good that he’s going to too much of a different roster this season.
27) Portland- Just when it looked like Darius Miles was ready to ball, he hurts himself. Oh well, this wasn’t the year of the Blazer anyway. If they can develop the young guys this season, they’ll be good in a few years. It’s worrisome though how much Zach Randolph has been struggling. In the last 10 games he’s averaging 14.4ppg and 7.4rpg. These aren’t the kind of numbers you like to see from your franchise player.
28) Toronto- Recently Rob Babcock has said that he will trade his draft picks if it means getting players that significantly improve the Raptors chances of winning. That’s great if you’re on the cusp of being a contender. If you’re on the cusp of putting together a season that has the potential to win the draft lottery, maybe its not such a good idea. Unless they can acquire a guy that can put up 20-5-5 on a good team and get rid of Jalen Rose’s contract, they shouldn’t trade those picks.
29) Atlanta- Suddenly the Hawks seem to have a future that’s a little brighter. Sure they’ve only won 3 games, but they just trashed the Spurs. Sure they’re roster is made entirely of swingmen, but there are tons of teams looking to acquire swingmen and its almost time for the trading to ensue. What if the Hawks could do this…Trade Al Harrington and a Josh (Childress or Smith) for Ron Artest and then trade the other Josh for Earl Watson. That would open of the four spot for Marvin Williams to step up and start. Though a starting lineup of Watson, Johnson, Artest, Williams and ZaZa Pachulia isn’t going to make the playoffs, it is going to be a team that is good enough to attract some quality free-agent role players. If Atlanta could pick up three or four strong bench players in the off-season to put behind that lineup, they’re going to be real good in the not too distant future.

30) Charlotte- The Bobcats just keep loosing. They’ve lost 7 straight and 8 of the last 10. Oh well, they’re only a second year team. It might be a good idea for Bernie Bickerstaff to call up some other GM’s and offer some trades that are so absurd they just might happen. This could put together a passable team so that they could make some noise in the free-agent market next season. How about Sean May for Ron Artest? What about Gerald Wallace for Peja (Wouldn’t that be ironic)? Go ahead, dear reader, pick your own. It’s like choose your own adventure. On the bright side, Brevin Knight is still awesome so they could acquire some real help if they traded him. Plus trading Knight would open up the starting point-gurad slot for Raymond Felton to step into. Adding talent and developing the talent you already have? Thats so crazy it just might work!

Time for the Wolves to Show Their Teeth

Has anyone noticed that any team in the Central Division would be the top team in the Northwest Division? As of today that is the case, and it will remain this way for the rest of the season unless the either Kenyon Martin recovers from his injuries or the Timberwolves figure out some way to put a team behind Kevin Garnett. Since the biggest issues in Denver are injury related it hardly seems worthwhile to elucidate their hardships. On the other hand, the Wolves problems are far more roster related and are, therefore, much more fun to discuss. While trading Garnett is certainly one solution, trading a superstar almost never works out for the teams involved. Excluding the Rasheed Wallace trade, when was the last time that either team in a superstar trade won a championship? Think of this Wolves team like the Sixers when Sir Charles was in his final years with the team. In 1992, the team was faced with the prospect of either miraculously finding a team that could play with Barkley or trading him and finding players that could help them in the future. Ultimately Barkley was traded to the Suns and neither team has won a championship since then. It is not necessary for the Wolves to make a similar mistake. Through intelligent roster management and on the court play, Minnesota can go from being a one-horse team, to a team with a legit shot at winning a championship.

As prolific as he was as a player, it might be time for the Timberwolves to part ways with Kevin McHale the GM. It isn’t necessary that the moves he’s made have been bad; they just haven’t been good. Adding Michael Owolokandi seemed like a good idea at the time; he had been mired in Clipper-land and was ready to step out and play. The Wolves actually won the sweepstakes to get him. Adding Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell didn’t seem like bad moves either. Trading Marbury and Terrell Brandon also seemed to make sense at the time. One can even overlook the Joe Smith debacle because he was a productive player for the Wolves when he was on the team. All that being said, with the exception of 2004, the Wolves have not been a playoff factor; and that’s with Kevin “perennial MVP candidate” Garnett leading the way. It is time for Wolves ownership to ask, “How many unproductive moves can a guy make before we have to replace him?” They should start asking that question soon because its not too late for the Wolves since they have the best player in the game, they just need to figure out how to surround him with even the littlest bit of talent. Garnett’s face has become that of the franchise and they must reward him for his hard work.

The problem with the Wolves isn’t necessarily their first eight guys. While Garnett, Kandiman, Wally Szczerbiak, Eddie Griffin, Troy Hudson, Marko Jaric, Trenton Hassell and Rashad McCants are underperforming, it’s the Wolves lack of depth that hurts them. Their bench is just not strong enough to be a team that only puts one star player on the floor. The Wolves can either upgrade their roster by trying to acquire another star, or by strengthening their bench with players that compliment Garnett. But what if, there was some way to do both? What if the Wolves could just drop another player in to start and make a difference while at the same time adding enough depth to the team to make a championship run possible? As far-fetched as that may sound, it is possible.

McHale’s worst move was trading a first round pick and Sam Cassell (in a contract year) for Marko Jaric. This move not only cost them a still productive, albeit hobbled slightly, player as well as a draft pick for Jaric, who is no better than Cassell. While there are some moves that go down as bad or lopsided, this one is one that will go down as one of the worst possible moves a team could make. Rather than entering the season with two substantial expiring contracts, in Olowokandi’s and Cassell’s, they only enter with one. This move limits their off-season flexibility and has cost them a draft pick. It is loosing the pick to acquire a player that is at the same talent level as the one traded that hurts the most. This was a truly atrocious move, but recovery is still possible. Jaric is a legit starting point-guard on most teams, including this one. As bad as Kandi has been, he’s still as good a center as a lot of teams have in this league. Garnett obviously isn’t going anywhere so it is the swing positions that are the issue on the roster. You can start Hassell, a lock down defender who models his game after that of Bruce Bowen, if you have another player on the floor that can make up for his offensive shortcomings. That player was supposed to be Wally Szczerbiak, but at 14.8 points a game, he’s not making up for anyone. The key to the Wolves success is to somehow revamp these two positions.

While trading Szczerbiak isn’t a necessity, since he could get back to all-star form, it is a necessity for this plan. It looks like the Orlando Magic might be willing to part with Steve Francis for the right package, and as odd as it may sound, the Wolves might have the right package. If they offer Szczerbiak, McCants and Owolokandi for Francis and Stacey Augmon, they might be able to pry Francis from the Magic. This would give the Magic quite a few big expiring contacts (since Kandi’s would add one to Kevlin Cato’s and Tony Battie’s) as well as another shooter to free up the inside for Dwight Howard. McCants is also an interesting prospect with tons of potential and could join with Jameer Nelson to become the backcourt of the future for the Magic. This trade would give the Wolves a legit second star in Francis. The move would allow Jaric to play some shooting guard and Hassell to play small forward. This is only one step, since it would leave the Wolves without a lot of depth in the front. The next step is to trade Troy Hudson to a team that is desperate for a point guard. The Lakers could really benefit from his leadership and playmaking abilities. A trade of Hudson for Chris Mihm could make a lot of sense for both teams. The same qualities that would make him appealing to the Lakers would also make him a Larry Brown favorite. A trade for Jerome James could be totally realistic. Hudson and James have almost the same contract. James, while not being a “good” NBA center, could be every bit as productive as Olowokandi. This would give the Wolves a much better shot at wining with their starting-lineup.

But how, you ask, do these trades solve the Wolves bench problem? Somewhere right now Latrell Sprewell’s children are crying out to their daddy for food that he can’t afford to bring them. At this point it seems that only Miami and Minnesota can help get Spree enough money to satiate those youthful cries. Sure he was a cancer, sure he’s slowed a step, but the fact remains that Spree can flat out play. He has two or three years in him and if the Wolves offer him two years at a little bit more than he’s worth, he would almost have to take it at this point. He and Garnett get along and, as they did in 2004, could lead this squad to victory. Locking up Spree would be the Wolves final move to bolster them for success. This would give them a roster of:

PG- Steve Francis SG-Latrell Sprewell SF- Trent Hassell
PF- Kevin Garnett C- Jerome James
Bench- Marko Jaric, Stacey Augmon, Eddie Griffin, Richie Frahm, Anthony Carter, Ronald Dupree and Mark “Mad Dog” Madsen.

While this roster isn’t a lock to win a championship, it certainly has a much better chance of accomplishing this than the current roster does. The moves necessary to create this roster are all within reason and would make any GM look very smart. It gives the Wolves the depth as well as the star power that they need to succeed. The times have come for Wolves ownership to step up and aggressively try to acquire a solid roster to support Garnett. While they did it once, it is imperative that they continue to do it. If Garnett is secretly asking for a trade, maybe the Wolves should reward him and make these ones.