Week 23 update...

Well, all is quiet in the JBL... I just got back from a 10 day holiday and not much changed in the JBL standings. Seoul and Bangkok are battling it out for 1st. Idaho is entrenched in 3rd. Arctic, French, and Chilliwack are battling for the final money spot. There is an interesting battle for 7th and 8th between 6 teams. Usually we don't make a big deal of this race - but since I'm in it and this is my Chronicles - I think I'll discuss it. 7th and 8th positions are important because it means 3 keepers. I would love to have 3 keepers as my team is loaded with cheap talent. Unfortunately, I don't have any healthy talent. I can't believe the number of injuries I've suffered in the 2nd half of this NBA season. I've lost man games to Eric Gordon, Luis Scola, Kevin Love, Andray Blatche, Tyson Chandler, Brandon Roy, Deron Williams, Samardo Samuels, Rudy Gay, Mickael Pietrus, and the list goes on... Maybe my 7 JBL titles have angered the JBL Gods and they are making me feel some pain. Or, this disastrous season could be summed up by a crummy draft, poor trades and shitty FA money management. One or the other. I can't decide. Currently, Golden is 11th but I am essentially playing with 9 guys due to injuries and not having any FA money. This long JBL season can't end soon enough for this injury-plagued Showers team. The only goal at this point is to protect Kevin Love for next season. If I can move up in the standings and protect some other players - that would be a bonus. My choices for additional keepers would come down to Rudy Gay, Dorell Wright, Eric Gordon, and Luis Scola. And if I don't make it and I have to throw all of those guys back - the other JBL teams will gobble them up next season. So, who is going to win the JBL title??? I think it's still up for grabs but I am certainly liking the looks of that Seoul team. He's opened up a pretty good lead but there is still time. I think Idaho is locked into 3rd place. He's not moving up - he's not going to be caught. He's going to pull off a 12th (last) to 3rd in consecutive years. Very impressive. Let's remember that Idaho wasn't able to protect any players from last season. So Tuna obviously prepared and drafted well and he will be playing for free next season as Golden will be paying his entry fee (lost the bet). Arctic looks like the favorite for 4th but French and Chilliwack are pressing him. This 4th place money spot will come down to the final night I think. For French, this is common place as he has finished 5th (just out of the money) several times. I look forward to seeing who claims the final money spot.

Last Week to Trade!!

Lots on my mind so I'm going with the old fashioned bullet points this evening...

• it seems like there is a real lull in the JBL these days. Only Seoul, Bangkok, Golden and a few others are ever seen on the chat board. Kinda depressing.
• The battle for top spot is awesome. Seoul was up to 1170 last night and now is back in 2nd place tonight. Very cool to watch (especially if you're Seoul or Bangkok)
• This is the last week to make trades (Sunday, March 20th at midnight PST). I put Tyson Chandler on the block and not a single offer for him. Not even a Sonny Weems offer!!?? That would never happen in November.
• Idaho appears entrenched in 3rd place. No more chat board taunts about "look out Asians" or "da Pimps iz rizing". Nothing. I guess he's content with 3rd place dough.
• I often wonder, why in the last week when teams can make trades, that more teams aren't pro-active in trying to get "keepers" from other teams. For example, French is battling hard for 4th place. I would imagine he would love to make a deal that would give him the upper hand for his 1st ever money spot (I think it would be his 1st)....so why isn't someone tempting him with an offer for Stephen Curry? The young Warrior is arguably the top keeper out there and we're going to just let French protect him? Wouldn't it be worth our while to at least tempt French with a Deron Williams, Monta Ellis, Derrick Rose, or whatever type of player(s) he needs to get into the money?? Would French have to consider moving Curry if it was a no-brainer deal? The strategy for us would be to get Curry back in the auction so French doesn't get a $50 dollar player for $20 bucks. The temptation for French would be the money spot...but maybe a 4th place finish isn't worth it.
• Same theory would apply for a Kevin Love in Golden. Should other JBL teams really want me protecting this guy?
• I was quickly scanning the potential keepers from each team this morning and Arctic sure looks to be stocked for next season. I love the potential of Ibaka, K-Mart, DeRozan, Beasley, Tyreke and even someone like Al Horford (mini-Pau). Arctic has his pick of top notch keepers in my books. And when the season is over and I post my 1st edition of the off-season rankings - you can bet that Arctic will be in the running for #1 overall.
• I hate to harp on the Seoul vs. Bangkok battle but it really is getting entertaining. All year we have watched and listened to Rick tell us how great his team is/was and now we are seeing a suddenly red hot Seoul team coming on strong. Seoul has been the team of the week 7 out of the last 10 weeks. Everything he's touched this season has turned to gold. He got Al Jefferson and the guy became a monster. He signed Thornton and he goes off. It's all golden in Seoul.
• And I have to say that Golden can be proud for some of Bangkok's success this season (whether he's 1st or 2nd when it's over). Why? Well, because a lot of Bangkok's success comes from Golden castoffs or shrewd business maneuvers by Bangkok. Let's see - there's Aldridge, Collison, Deng, Hickson, Blair, and Korver - all spent time in Golden this season and all are going to finish in the money. Rick, you're welcome.
• I am about to head on holidays for 10 days starting on Thursday. Off to LA for 2 days (and a Lakers game) and then off on a 7 day Mexican cruise where I will put to the test the theory of "all you can eat". While I'm chilling on the deck in the sunshine I will be in full strategy mode of planning for next season. I'm always thinking. Always planning. Always testing theories and scenarios. Golden is planning on building a team around Kevin Love and maybe a couple of other guys...
• The Belgrade vs. Maui battle that I was anticipating appears to be fizzling before it really gets going. Maui has pulled about 100 points ahead and appears to be getting stronger (rebounds and blocks) while the Belgrade team is fading away. Maybe the Zombies can make a late charge. However, if they don't, the first order of business (if I was running the show) would be a name change!!!
• A quick scan of the standings and the JBL record book reveals that quite a few records could be broken this year.
• For example, it looks like French or Seoul could break the record for best 3PT% in a season. The record is 38.9% and both French and Seoul are right there.
• The record for best ATO is 1.941 by Juan de Fuca back in 2007. Well, that record is surely to be broken by Arctic as he has been over 2.000 for most of the season. The worst ATO on record is 1.337 by Brussels in 2009 - well, Maui could take that honour as he currently sits at 1.339.
• The worst block total ever was 396 by Pearl in 2006. Well, Belgrade will have the new record low as he has just 298 blocks so far.
• The previous best in FG% was 48.5%. Seoul will shatter that record as he's currently at 49.8% and has been at that level for quite some time.
• There are a few other categories where records could be broken and I'm interested to see how many records will be set through the 2010 JBL season.
• And if Seoul wins it all - could this Brothers team be brought into the equation of "Best JBL team" ever? The point total could be there. The late season domination could be there. And the records would speak for themselves. So, no matter who wins the 2010/11 JBL title - Bangkok or Seoul - I think they will have a case to be one of the greatest JBL teams of all time.
• My apologies again to Chilliwack for not including Marcin Gortat in the 'best big man' poll on the JBL site. He clearly should have been included over the likes of Ekpe Udoh. What was I thinking? Gortat has been a monster in PHX and is likely keeper material for Benny. He would be very solid in the middle if he protects Noah and Gortat. Nice combo indeed.
• I think I'm going to post a poll on potential keepers for teams - who has the best stable of potential players for next season. I will split the poll into groups based on the numbers of potential keepers. So, the top 4 spots can keep 4 guys and I believe there are potentially 6 teams that could finish in the money spots (Bangkok, Seoul, Idaho, Arctic, French, and Chilliwack). So, my poll question would be who has the best stable of potentially 4 keepers from those teams? Then I can do 5th to 8th who would get 3 keepers and so on...I think it would be interesting to hear what the JBL masses have to say as to who is looking good for next season and I would use this in my calculations for off-season rankings.
• I reviewed my 2010/11 off season ranks and was pretty good. I predicted a big year for Bangkok and look what he did. OK, so I was waaaaaay off when I predicted big things from Brussels but who knew. And Idaho has earned some respect for his ability to start a JBL team from scratch, no keepers, and build a 3rd place team. Well done Tuna.

OK fellas, that's all for now. I wonder if there will be any JBL trades this weekend? The league seems quiet and dead at the moment. Not a lot of chatter or trash talk. Sad.

He Said What?

As I go back-to-back for the 1st time in a couple of weeks...I'd just like to point out that my Golden squad will likely be in 9th by the end of the night. They are fading fast. The boys are riddled with injuries. Eric Gordon is out again. Chandler is still out. Gay is a couple of weeks away. Perkins is still not close. Can the Showers even challenge for a top 8 might be the real question? That answer will depend on when everyone gets healthy.

I was reading a website recently and I saw a quote from Byron Scott about Samardo Samuels. You know Mr. Samuels? He's the guy who just became relevant this season after Antawn Jamison went down with injury. So the quote (paraphrased) was essentially that Samuels has more talent than Kevin Love and Love just has more experience. Say what?

So I immediately checked to see what kind of night Samuels had. I was thinking a 20 and 15 monster. Nope. 13 and 6 in 32 minutes. Hmmmm. I'm not seeing this comparison. Isn't Love the guy who is now at 51 consecutive double-doubles? Yet some guy named Samuels, who plays on a shitty Cavs team is a better player? If he was a decent player - wouldn't he have been playing all year? It's not like he's behind Gasol, Odom, and Bynum. It was only Jamison and Hickson. And if he was so good - why didn't he get in the rotation when Varejao went down with injury?? Why did it take Byron Scott 60+ games to find the next Kevin Love??

What's the next quote from Byron going to be? That he believes the Cavs could still make the playoffs? That Cleveland will be fine without Lebron? That he actually has the talent to win?
Come on Byron! It's guys like you who set these guys up for complete failure! I mean comparing Samuels to Kevin Love is like saying the ugliest chick in the bar is just the same as the hottest girl because they both have tits and a pagima. The expectations now on Samuels is huge! High expectations can destroy players. Look at Anthony Randolph! Just let the kid play.

I'm watching the Mavs vs. T-Wolves right now. Not a bad game actually. The Wolves are playing the Mavs tough too. And I have to say, Minnesota fans are the whitest crowd I have ever seen at a basketball game! Seriously, I'm scanning the crowd and there are no black people in attendance. I'm watching the Dirk v. Love matchup. A couple of great big men going at it. Love has a quiet game going and he sits at 21 and 15. He's very subtle at how he gets his boards. You don't think of him as being 'exciting' but he's a great rebounder that's for sure. I also like the way Luke Ridnour plays - the Golden squad misses him. And he was a favorite of mine when he was running the point for the Sonics too. Cool hand Luke.

With all the recent talk of the Phoenix Coyotes moving to Winnipeg and the Sac Kings moving to Anaheim - it got me thinking of which team I would love to see re-locate back to Seattle (assuming they ever get a team again). I'm not really considering a Vancouver relocation at this point because we didn't have the history. For me, growing up, it was all about the Sonics and their I-5 rivalry with the Blazers. I loved them. And for me, one of the greatest sports memories I have is watching the final Sonics game they played at the Key Arena. They played against the Mavericks and Durant (a rookie) hit the game winner. The Arena was rocking the "Save our Sonics" chant. GP was in the house! It was an amazing experience. And if the Sonics ever return to the NBA, I want to be there on opening night. So, which team would I want to see move there? Sacramento? New Orleans? Memphis? Charlotte? Those would probably be the 4 most obvious choices these days. I guess it would depend on the talent on the team at the time but I think Sacramento could be on their way to building something quite intriguing with the Tyreke/Cousins combo. I think Chris Paul will be gone from New Orleans by the time Seattle gets a team. Memphis has some potential but as long as Michael Heisley's in charge - they have no shot. And Charlotte? I guess they would be a long shot to move out west. Anyways, it would be very interesting to think about if Seattle can get a new arena built...

Bangkok vs. Seoul

Well, we're into March now and it really does appear to be a 2 team race. Those Bangkok Fighters, who have led since day one and the 2-time defending champs Seoul Brothers really appear to be the only 2 teams who can win the title.

No disrespect meant to Idaho, French, or Arctic but it just doesn't seem like they have the horses to get it down this season.

As I type this, Bangkok has the lead with 1114 points and Seoul is right behind him at 1104. What's so exciting about this title race is the number of areas that each of these teams can gain or lose points over the coming weeks.

3PT% - Seoul is battling French and Bangkok is holding of MBB and Maui. Seoul is maxed out currently in this category but could lose 13 points while Bangkok needs to keep hitting 3's as he has a couple of teams on his tail.

ATO - Bangkok and Brussels are duking it out while Seoul slowly reels in Juan de Fuca. Both teams have a chance to gain points in this category.

BLK - Bangkok is maxed out while he a bunch of other JBL teams are right on his heels. Maui is close but keeps running into injury problems while Seoul is just 4 blocks behind Maui and just 1 blocks behind Bangkok. This will be an interesting race!

FG% - Seoul is maxed out and will set a JBL record with his FG% total this season. Bangkok is chasing another 13 points as he is just 0.1% behind Idaho. Those 13 points would be huge for Bangkok.

PTS - Bangkok is 1st while Seoul and Idaho are battling it out for 2nd in scoring. This would be a monster 20 points for Seoul is he could pull ahead of Idaho. On paper, it looks like Idaho should be able to stay ahead of Seoul - but you just never know.

STL - Bangkok is again setting records in this category while Seoul appears to be comfortable in this category. Not much movement expected here.

REB - Seoul is in 1st place in this category while Bangkok is in 3rd. I guess there's a chance of Bangkok catching Arctic in rebounds but that would take some help from the JBL Gods I think.

So who is going to win the 20th JBL title? To be honest, I don't know yet. Lots can still happen. Guys will still suffer injuries. Certain players could be rested down the stretch. And some players will be shut down entirely as their seasons start to mean nothing. I know it's almost week 20 - but it's too soon to predict a winner.

As for my Golden squad - they stink.
I am barely hanging onto 8th place (and my dream of 3 keepers).
At the moment, it looks like my Gay Love combo could be all that I am able to bring back.
However, if I am able to hang onto 8th then it would become very interesting as who the other keeper I would bring back will be. The options again?

Dorell Wright - he has faded terribly over the last month and is starting to look less and less like a monster bargain.

Eric Gordon - despite my current frustration over his recent wrist injuries - he would still be a top 10 scorer for under $30 bucks.

Kendrick Perkins - although he hasn't played a game yet in OKC he appears to be the perfect fit for that franchise (should be the Sonics!). He's the big tough mean shot-blocking defender that they have been missing. For just $7 bucks he could be a 10/10/2 type of center. And, for 2 years in a row now, the Golden squad has REALLY struggled with the centre position.

Luis Scola - the under-appreciated big man is still averaging 18 and 8 but he does it soooo quietly I'm still not sure he would go for more than $30 bucks next season.

So, like trying to predict a JBL winner, I'm just not able to pick which one of those potential keepers would fill the 3rd spot if I had to decide right now. Tough call.

And after my dispersal draft idea was posted to the JBL site - do you know how many guys emailed me their feedback??? None. Not one. Zilch. Zip. Notta. Nobody. Not one guy had any input about this proposed wrinkle. Oh well. I guess we'll just carry on this offseason...

I have to admit I am excited about the 2011/12 JBL draft already. I have already started to put together some new tracking data sheets in attempt to try and improve my draft night. As you recall, I only spent $221 bucks this past year. Was it the beer? Was it Vegas? Was it a combination? Or was it poor management on my part?? Maybe a little of everything factored in. And I certainly don't want it to happen again. This 2010/11 season will be my worst in maybe 8 or 9 years and I want the Golden squad to get back on track next season. So, I am preparing already by looking at guys numbers and who would fit best with the potential keepers I could bring back.

Oh, and also, if the NBA doesn't reach an agreement and the players are locked out - you can bet your ass that we will still be hosting a JBL draft. The JBL will be drafting - and the NBA will know that they need to play because of the dedicated JBL'ers who want them to play. Oh yes, we will be drafting - regardless of what happens this summer.

Curse You Aaron Brooks

Aaron Brooks will be the death of me this season. I've had him so long now that my mind is clouded with his potential. I've held onto him waiting for him to find his shot. But sadly, he has yet to find it. I was holding out hope that he would be traded to a new team at the deadline where he could start and get some playing time. But sadly, no, he was traded to Phoenix to back up one of the greatest PG's ever. Yet, for some reason, I hold onto him. And yet, for some reason, I start him still in my sad lineup known as the Showers. Why? Because, I am tied to him now. I have invested more than half a season in him and I know how the JBL Gods work. As soon as I drop him - he takes off, starts scoring 15ppg off the PHX bench and I look like an idiot. In the meantime, I continue to play him and he continues to suck - and still I look like the idiot. I can't win.

Even tonight, as my roster sits at 17 players and I struggle to decide which scrub to drop....I keep coming back to Brooks. Statistically it's not even close. Brooks' stats are horrible. He has no business being on a Fantasy team, let alone in the starting lineup. So why am I finding it so hard to drop him? Even since I started typing this blog - hinting at the thought of releasing Brooks - he just made 3 shots in a row!! You see, NBA players do know what's going on in the JBL!

So, I have the week to try and figure out what to do with this scrub-filled roster of mine. I need Guards in a bad way. Mine are horrible.

Also today, I was offered a trade from Seoul - Blatche and Tyson Chandler for Elton Brand. With a thin roster like mine I practically accepted this deal in a minute (once I'd seen it). I am struggling big time at the center position (again) with Biedrins and Hawes not cutting it. So, adding Chandler is a nice piece. And getting Blatche in also helps my depth. Losing Brand hurts as I was strongly considering him as a keeper for next season. However, if Golden has anything right now - its potential keepers for next season - so moving Brand is OK as I need to improve my roster if I want to get a top 8 position in the final standings. Right now, top 8 is looking pretty sketchy as I have fallen into the 500's.

So, with this recent trade my top 2 keepers are still the same - Rudy Gay and Kevin Love. Here are the other candidates for the Golden squad (provided I get a top 8 spot). I like the potential of all 4 of these guys to partner them with my Gay Love.

- Dorell Wright for $15

- Luis Scola for $23

- Eric Gordon for $28

- Kendrick Perkins for $7 (a new possibility with his trade to OKC)

Dorell would be Gay-light.

Scola is just the solid 19 and 8 that I have discussed many times before.

Gordon is a top 10 scorer and gets to play with Blake.

Perkins could be the 10/10 and 2 blocks guy that OKC has been longing for.

So, we'll see what happens. For now, I need some guys to get healthy (EG, Gay, and now Scola are injured). If I can get the last 4 weeks of the season with these guys in my lineup, I think I'll be able to secure a top 8 finish.

My forwards and Centers (if everyone was healthy) would be Love, Gay, Scola, Blatche, Wright, Perkins, Chandler....and throw in EG and Deron in the back court and that should be a good enough squad for top 8. The problem currently is my roster includes Brooks, Rudy, Green, James Johnson, Biedrins and others....UGLY.

Anyways, I see Aaron Brooks put up 8pts and 4assists in limited minutes tonight. And look at that - he shot 2/3 from downtown. Unreal. I guess I'll have to hold onto him for another day or two.

JBL Battles and 2012 Idea....

God I hate my team. I'm stuck in 7th. I'm going nowhere. It's barely worth even logging onto the JBL site to see what my nightly stats are. The only reasons to check are to see that I'm still in the top 8 and I will be able to protect 3 players and the other reason is to see how the battles between other teams are going. Because I am very interested in this title run between Bangkok, Seoul and Idaho.

I can say that I've already put some time into the 2011 JBL Draft and trying to figure out the best combination of 3 players that I could protect. It appears that the 3rd member of Gay Love changes nightly as Brand goes off (20 and 17) and Wright fizzles. Then another night, someone else plays well and I start to consider them. So, at least I have something to do. I guess I should be preparing for the upcoming MLB Draft....well, no, not really. I am the Pearl Necklaces of the baseball pool. I draft a squad, sign a couple of FA's during the year, make a couple of bad trades and then come June's NBA draft I'm preparing for the JBL again. So...my warning to all those JBL'ers that are in the baseball pool - make sure if you want a guy that he doesn't end up in Kirby's Puckett because he could be there a long time.

There are some other interesting battles in the standings that I am interested in as well...

• The battle for 4th between French, Arctic and Chilliwack. Benny's got a long way to go but his roster is looking impressive these days.
• The battle for 8th is actually quite interesting too. Now, normally you never think an 8th place race would be that way - but in the JBL - 8th place is the difference between 2 keepers and 3 keepers. And currently we have 4 teams in the hunt. Yuma, Juan, MBB, and Brussels all have a shot at the top 8. And, if you include my Golden squad, essentially we have 5 teams battling for 2 very important spots. Why are they important spots? Well, lets look at the potential keepers on these teams

Golden - Gay, Love, Scola, Brand, Gordon, Perkins, Beaubois

Yuma - Conley, Nash, Pierce

MBB - Fields, Batum, Stoudamire

Juan - Afflalo, Cousins, K-Mart, Hibbert

Brussels - Holiday, Lawson, Lowry, Young, Gallinari, Z-Bo, Udoh

So, as you can see, all teams have something at stake - that extra keeper could be very helpful to a lot of teams in the chase.

• I'm also watching the Maui squad quite closely as the Ribs are on the barbeque, I mean rise. mmmm, Ribs. Maui has put together a big team and has potential to move up in rebounds, steals, blocks, and 3PT%. Can he get in the hunt for 8th? Maybe. Just maybe.
• And yes, I'm watching Belgrade to see if he can close the gap on Maui. There are 6 weeks left and he's been better with the addition of Boozer and Monroe (I think Monroe as outplayed Love by himself this week!!). All that being said, I don't think the Zombies are going to make it.

Listening to the Mike & Mike on ESPN this week talk about NBA contraction gave me a potential idea for future JBL seasons. They were talking about what the NBA would do if say New Orleans was contracted. Who would get Chris Paul? Who would get David West? And so on....

This discussion got me thinking about a potential wrinkle to the JBL...hear me out.

What if the last place team's players became available for protection on July 1st?

Let's use this year as a potential example.

So, Belgrade finishes in last place (hypothetically) - which means he can protect no one off his roster. However, what if other JBL teams were allowed to pick up players off his roster??

Belgrade did his best to grab some keepers and try to move up but fails...so, on July 1st, his roster is essentially "contracted" and other JBL teams are allowed to acquire his players (if they so choose). I was thinking in reverse order of standings...

So, in this example, let's say Maui finished 12th. That would give him the 1st pick (if he wanted) to grab a player for protection. Let's play this out...

12. Maui - selects Greg Monroe $2

11. Brussels - maybe Tim likes his set of keepers and he decides to "PASS"

10. Juan de Fuca - selects Carlos Boozer $30

9. MBB - Bobby loves Lakers and selects Andrew Bynum $15

and so on....

My suggestion would be 1 round of picks only.

Of course, just because MBB acquires Bynum in this 'dispersal draft' doesn't mean he HAS to protect him - just that he has the option. We would still reduce rosters on July 1st (max 10), Sept 1st (max 6) and Oct 1st (maximum allowed per team) and teams would still have to comply with roster limits after the draft (ie. MBB's roster is at 10 players on July 1st, then we do the dispersal draft and he selects Bynum; he would have to release another player to stay at 10 guys)

So, part of the penalty of finishing last is the 13th place team doesn't get any keepers but also that the rest of the JBL could 'poach' good keepers from that team.

So while Belgrade is loading up on potential keepers he would also have to wary that if he doesn't get out of the basement that other teams could pick up these keepers.

What do you guys think of the idea?

It's just adding another off season wrinkle that would keep us JBL'ing in July (a time when usually no one is looking at the JBL stats - except Golden and Seoul)

What are the negatives? Would this prevent teams in 13th or 12th from making deals?

I'm just throwing the idea out there...I need you guys to tell me what you think.

And I'm not proposing we start this after this season...it would be after next season.

Cheers,

John

NBA Trade Deadline and More...

Wow, what a busy day in the NBA!

Lots of trades and moves...some good for the JBL Fantasy owners and some I'm sure won't go over well in the JBL circles...

Let's quickly jump around the NBA and JBL...

Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta. I've always liked Kirk and his game. I got to see him up close in Chicago in 2009 and I like the way he plays. He's an upgrade for sure on an aging Mike Bibby. Atlanta had to do something to try and solidify their PG spot. Belgrade gets the benefits of this deal and boy oh boy is he going to need all the help he can get. The Zombies are now 120 points behind the surging Maui squad.

The Celtics shocked the NBA world by trading Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. Why did they do this? Well, I'm guessing it's because they didn't think they'd have the money to pay Perk this summer. And Jeff Green is a solid player (and now likely 6th man for the C's). OKC gets the big man in the middle they have coveted for so long now. Ibaka becomes the starter along with KD and Perk. Nazr Mohammed is also in OKC now so the Thunder have KD, Ibaka, Perkins, Nazr, Collison, and Aldrich to match up with the Lakers bigs. I like the deal for Perkins (as long as his knee is healthy). Remember last year when the Thunder thought they acquired Tyson Chandler only to see him fail his physical. I'm assuming Perks knee is OK and he should be ready to go next week. He seems like the perfect fit for OKC. As for Jeff Green, he goes from starter and 40 mpg to a backup in Boston but likely still to get 25-30 minutes.

Baron Davis is off to Cleveland and Mo Williams is off to throw lob passes to Blake Griffin. If I didn't hate Baron so much this trade would make total sense. Baron didn't like being 2nd fiddle to anyone let alone 3rd fiddle to EG and Blake in LA. Now, he could be the #1 option in Cleveland if he wanted to - but I have a strong feeling his knee is suddenly going to become very sore. And for Mo - he never looked comfortable earlier this season trying to be the #1 guy - and he ends up going to the perfect situation in LAC. Another guy who is currently injured but I'm thinking he drinks some magic water and is now back sooner than expected. Mo's stock rising and if Baron plays - his point totals could go up but you watch those %'s drop faster than a hooker on the King George.

Aaron Brooks is off to PHX for Goran Dragic. This was an absolute must trade for the Rockets. Brooks is the reigning MIP from last season; Golden's nemesis; and he had to go. Houston got a solid backup in Dragic and a lottery protected 1st rounder. All Houston needed was a backup for Lowry - which they got. Lowry's stock goes way up as he won't have to worry about losing his starting gig. Brooks now becomes the 1st guard off the bench in PHX. He's small, quick, doesn't play any defense and loves to jack 3's (and miss them). That is perfect for PHX. I guess his stock goes up, but really, it couldn't be much lower than it currently is.

Gerald Wallace is off to PDX. Portland gives up Cunningham, Pryzbilla, and two 1st rounders I think. G-Wall will be loved by the Portland faithful that love hustle, energy and defense. Unfortunately, I don't think Crash is going to be the 15 and 8 guy anymore - although it's possible. Will the Blazers start him and slide Batum to the bench? Or will they bring Wallace off the bench? Or, will the start Wallace at PF and slide Aldridge to Center?? I like that idea and if that's the case then Wallace's value remains high and LA12's value skyrockets as he will become Center eligible. I'm a big Blazer fan so I hope this works out for them. They needed another 'star' now that B-Roy is done as a player. Another big fantasy winner in this deal was Juan's recent FA - Gerald Henderson. Apparently they are going to run him 30-35 minutes per night. Nice timing on that signing Juan de Fuca.

Shane Battier heads to Houston for Hasheem Thabeet. Am I rushing out to add Thabeet? Ummm, no. I don't get this deal at all for Houston. I guess they are hoping that Hakeem can teach Thabeet a thing or two down the road so he can become serviceable. The big winner in this deal is probably Chase Budinger. He is the likely starter now and could be a big time 3-point threat for the Rockets. Battier in Memphis will be probably start over Allen or Young and should put up similar numbers. This trade could have a big impact for Seoul and his quest for the 3-peat.

Another deal that almost happened was Mayo to Indy for McRoberts and a 1st rounder. This would have had big impact on 3 players...Mayo would have been the starter in Indy and probably their 2nd best scorer instantly. McRoberts would have gone from starter to bench fodder in Memphis and Golden signee Tyler Hansborough would have been the starter. Darn it. I'm sure Brussels would have liked to seen Mayo in Indy too.

Another rumor is that Troy Murphy is going to sign in Boston to man the middle now that they traded all their healthy big men away. This would be another huge coup for Brussels as his hoarding of potentially talented fantasy players is starting to pan out. Murphy, while not a shot blocker, could be a double-double guy and hit some 3's. We'll see where Murph ends up.

In other JBL news, all this talk and anticipation of who will be Golden's 3rd keeper next season made me realize that the Golden squad really isn't that secure in the top 8 based on the recent standings. I'm only up 80 points on the 9th place squad tonight and I realize that my 12 man unit is not that impressive these days. So, for now, I'm going to focus on Gay Love and if I can make it a 3-some - all the better. God, this stuff doesn't get old.

As I type this I see that the Bangkok lead is just 10 points over Seoul. There are a couple of areas that should be of concern to the Kok. His 3-point shooting is falling and Maui is coming on hard in this category. And also, Seoul is just 0.2% behind French for 1st place in 3PT shooting. Also, Idaho's scoring continues to be strong and the lead is just 150ish points right now. This will come down to the wire and Idaho appears to be in the mix. Maybe I should have given the youngster a little more credit - the Pimps are not dead yet.

The fight for 4th appears to be French vs. Arctic but don't count out those Offs just yet. They are only 100 points back.

So - there we have it. Another NBA trade deadline has come and gone. Lots of moves and lots of potential FA's are now relevant again after these trades. I expect to see some action this weekend as some of the following are sure to be snatched up: Toney Douglas, Chase Budinger, Anthony Parker, Gary Neal, Brandon Rush, Eric Bledsoe and others.

Have a good weekend guys. Enjoy the -10 weather.