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NBA Trade Deadline Sees Flurry of Deals

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:31:19 +0000

Filed under: Bobcats, Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Jazz, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Rockets, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Rumors, Thunder, NBA Transactions

PLANET LOVETRON, NBA UNIVERSE -- Woe to those NBA fans who own an authentic or replica jersey or T-shirt of one of the following players:

Gerald Wallace, Dante Cunningham, Joel Przybilla, Aaron Brooks, Goran Dragic, Nazr Mohammed, D.J. White, Morris Peterson, Shane Battier, Hasheem Thabeet, Semih Erden, Luke Harangody, Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Baron Davis, Marquis Daniels, Jamario Moon and Mo Williams.

Those men, including draft picks and canvas sacks of cash were traded in copious amounts at one of the most active NBA trade deadlines in memory. Fans, meanwhile, will need to find cash to buy new merchandise or risk being ridiculed for being ironic in wearing an out-of-date jersey.

One day after the Utah Jazz and New Jersey Nets left jaws agape when the Jazz sent All-Star point guard Deron Williams to the Nets for point guard Devin Harris, rookie forward Derrick Favors, two first round picks and dough, the Celtics stunned many when they sent starting center Perkins and bench energizer Robinson to Oklahoma City for forward Green and center Kristic.

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The Works: The Clippers Come Around Again

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 08:58:51 +0000

by Bethlehem Shoals and Eric Freeman

Filed under: Celtics, Clippers, Suns, NBA Fans, The Works

Today in The Works: everything you ever wanted to know about players' eating habits and the Suns take a field trip.

But first, the cosmic significance of the Clippers.

We Are All Clippers Fans

The Clippers are a weird team, to say the least. By general consensus, it's the worst organization in basketball, and likely the worst in all of pro sports. There must be real Clippers fans, though I suspect some of them are motivated just by dislike of the Lakers, or of tickets at the Staples Center when Kobe Bryant is playing. For the rest of this, though, this team is a laughingstock, with a consummate scumbag writing the checks, that every once in a while -- almost by accident -- spits out a squad that really captures our collective fancy.

There was the hectic, flashy, and ultimately doomed Clippers of Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, Darius Miles, and Quentin Richardson; nor are they the Brand, Sam Cassell, Chris Kaman, Corey Maggette assemblage the found its way into the 2005-06 playoffs and, supposedly, vindicated the long-suffering fan-base, that great underclass of Southern California basketball. Now, we are in the middle of the third Clippers awakening, another moment when a franchise that, almost since its inception, had been a punchline. Or maybe it was born under a bad sign, stolen from Buffalo when two owners traded rosters and the Braves franchise was easiest to pry free.

The Clipper curse has been about individuals: Bill Walton, walking wounded during his time in San Diego; Danny Manning, blowing out his knee and destroying such sweet promise. In fact, it's been a general malaise. It could be the fall stars, it could be Sterling. Whatever the cause, this franchise has long been death in a handbag. And then, in the 21st century, it started to squirm, to periodically show life. Sometimes, the Clippers matter, and we all perk up. This is one of those moments.

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Nine Trade Demands the NBA Survived

Fanhouse NBA Blog - suns — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:45:34 +0000

by Bethlehem Shoals

Filed under: 76ers, Bucks, Celtics, Grizzlies, Hornets, Knicks, Lakers, Rockets, Suns, NBA Rumors, NBA Transactions

Indignity! Slaughter! Fall of Rome! Faces of Death! If you thought LeBron James destroyed the NBA by over-dramatizing his free agency, get ready for the real glimpse into Hades: Chris Paul, franchise point guard, possibly wanting a trade two years before his deal is up.

Yes, we know. Paul met with the Hornets brass and came out saying that he was staying put. Maybe that's because he didn't feel like paying the hefty fine that comes with publicly announcing your intention to force the trade. Or maybe dude just had a mighty change of heart. Regardless, the fact remains that Chris Paul gets to decide what happens in this situation.

Wait, how is this possible? Isn't he under contract? Doesn't he make millions, and thus would be an unforgivable ingrate if he walks out now? He wouldn't dare sit out, would he? No, because there's all types of precedent for this.

Chris Paul is not the first player to consider forcing a trade. It's like he's being punished for being one of the best to do it -- and one from a small market who has bonded so much with his adopted city. Again, though, what little memory we have. Paul's situation will not destroy the NBA. It's the way business has always been done. And last I checked, the NBA was only mildly demolished by each of these brazen, and illegal, transactions.

If this is a question of sabotaging the public trust by using phantom leverage and turning heel, well, they should outlaw the mini-max deal that Paul (like James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Deron Williams) signed. Otherwise, there's always the possibility that a player can leave after three seasons of the deal like James, and the implication that -- gasp -- he might decide sooner that things just aren't working out.

There's a contract there, sure, but trading disgruntled stars is part of the rhythm of the league. Major upheavals, no doubt, but all were eventually absorbed and assimilated by the larger organic organism. Like dumping tons of oil into the ocean. It's not supposed to happen but eventually, we'll all get over it.

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Nash’s ‘Old White Guy’ Shot Leads Suns Past Clippers

Brett Pollakoff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:03:00 +0000

Filed under: Clippers, Suns

LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers held a seven-point lead over the Suns with about nine minutes remaining in their home opener, in a game that was the season opener for Phoenix.

But Steve Nash made sure that his Suns left with the victory, by scoring 15 of his team's 24 fourth quarter points, including the game-winner in a thrilling 109-107 contest at Staples Center.

The shot that Nash hit to win it came on a tough drive against Baron Davis, who was tightly guarding Nash behind the three-point line, with the game tied and 11.9 seconds left on the clock. Nash made a stop-and-go move, but with Davis all over him, he had no choice but to take the ball to the rack, and finish beautifully with his left hand to carry his team to a 1-0 start on the season.

"Well, I went to the old 'white guy in the YMCA' shot," Nash said. "And I was lucky to make something happen."

Nash took the shot earlier than he wanted to, and actually left the Clippers plenty of time -- 5.5 seconds -- to tie or win the game with a shot of their own. But he and Alvin Gentry talked about it in the timeout before the play, and both understood that it might be necessary to take the shot early if the opportunity were to arise.

"Nash said 'if I get by him initially, I might have to go early, because if I back it up and he gets into me, it would be hard for me to get by him a second time,' " Gentry said. "So he said 'I might have to shoot it early, and if I get by him, I have to go.' "

Talk about a veteran player and an experienced coach knowing the situation -- that's almost exactly how things played out.

"Baron was playing me so tight, and I wanted to take the last shot, but he was playing me too tight, and once I got a little step on him, I had to take it," Nash said. "It was a little early, but when I got to the paint I kept going when I saw a little daylight."

As far as winning the game with a left-handed shot, Nash admitted it's something he hasn't done or even thought about in quite some time.

"It's been a while, you know, I don't play much basketball in the summer, so the left has been a little dormant," Nash said. "I made a few with the right earlier in the game and in the preseason, but luckily it woke up for me."

The Clippers did have a final crack at it, but a long three-point attempt from Eric Gordon wasn't close -- thanks to Amar'e Stoudemire stepping out to contest -- and the Suns came away with the win. And since Phoenix isn't a team that's exactly known for their defense, you can bet the part about the game ending with them holding defensively didn't go unnoticed by their head coach.

"Nobody's talking about it, but we won the game with a defensive stop, okay?" Gentry said. "That, in itself right there, is progress."

Nash's 'Old White Guy' Shot Leads Suns Past Clippers originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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