(I would have NBA Trade Machine-d this ish, but it doesn't allow you to include cash or draft picks. Bummer. But without further ado...)

KNICKS GET:

PG Chris Paul

SF Matt Barnes

SF Hedo Turkoglu

Cash considerations (from Hornets)

HORNETS GET:

PG Chauncey Billups

SG/SF Landry Fields

PG/SG Toney Douglas

PF Ryan Anderson

Knicks' first-rounder in 2013

LAKERS GET:

C Dwight Howard

PF/C Daniel Orton

MAGIC GET:

PF Lamar Odom

C Andrew Bynum

SF Trevor Ariza

Lakers' first-rounder in 2012

WHY THE KNICKS WOULD DO IT: They get their Paul/Melo/Stoudemire foundation, amnesty Hedo to keep their payroll under the luxury tax (around $63-$64 million, so they could even afford a couple of veteran-minimum guys), and roll out a starting five of Paul-Barnes-Melo-Stoudemire-Turiaf, which has the potential to be even better than Chalmers-Wade-Lebron-Bosh-Anthony.

WHY THE HORNETS WOULD DO IT: Paul is pushing hard for New York, and the Hornets don't want to go through the same charade that Denver went through last year with Anthony (thus increasing their pressure to pull the trigger on a deal right away). They end up still getting a decent haul of young players; Douglas/Fields/Anderson is a potentially powerful trio, and with Chauncey/Jack at PG and Okafor/Anderson at center they could even be a playoff team AND a young rebuilding team in the same year. Worthy of note: Some cash has to go to the Knicks to offset the salaries they'll be taking on; as this trade would push New Orleans far under the salary cap (at about $50-$51 million), they would be the most likely to pass cash on to New York (about $7 million would be required, which incidentally would be the exact amount the Hornets could spare while still remaining under the cap).

WHY THE LAKERS WOULD DO IT: Kobe, Gasol, and Howard. Yikes. It'd be hard to imagine them losing the West anytime soon. They'd also save around $6 million in the trade, which'll be extremely valuable considering the new CBA and their current glut of high salaries.

WHY THE MAGIC WOULD DO IT: It sucks to lose Howard, but getting Bynum is almost the best compensation you can get. Add in the underrated (and underpaid) Odom, as well as the overpaid-but-potentially-valuable Ariza on a team in need of a swingman, as well as the fact that the deal actually saves Orlando $2 million and gets them a second first-rounder in 2012, and it makes sense from their angle as well. Also, a starting five of Nelson-Reddick-QRich-Odom-Bynum, if Andrew can actually stay healthy, could potentially make some noise in the East.

Fire at me in the comments!

I watched nearly all of our first two games against LMU and MTSU (angrily turned off the LMU game with three minutes to go, stopped watching the MTSU game when the online feed cut out with about 7-8 minutes left). From my vantage point (and I've watched a TON of basketball in my life, including nearly every UCLA game since 2004, so I think I have a frame of reference), our two biggest problems were 1) Zeke, and 2) Zeke again. The guy can't hit a shot to save his life, can't throw an entry pass to save his life, can't defend to save his life, etc etc etc. He was good last year, which is why this early rough patch is so baffling, but anyway: he seemed to be the biggest problem. Discouragingly, the next-biggest problem was "the rest of our guards." Nobody was jumping out on LMU or MTSU's perimeter shooters, which is how Anthony Ireland managed to torch us in the opener and how MTSU managed to hit on 90% on their threes in the second game. I didn't even see Powell's random scoring explosion in the second game because the feed had already cut out, so in the 65-70 or so minutes of basketball I've watched I haven't seen our guards do ONE thing right. They can't hit from outside, they can't defend, they can't drive-and-dish, they can't get the ball in to our bigs. When things get so bad that Jerime Anderson a) looks like a star, and b) has the entire fanbase clamoring for him to get more minutes, you know you're in trouble. Our guards have to be considered the biggest problem with the team.

That's why it's so strange that everyone seems to be blaming the Wear twins for all of our problems. Watching those first two games, I did notice that they struggled to control rebounds and (especially against MTSU) gave up some easy layups because they were late switching over on defense. But with our offense in complete shambles (no scoring or offensive help at all from the guards, none of our bigs being able to get the ball because our guards CAN'T EVEN THROW IT IN TO THEM), aren't they pretty valuable if they can continue draining those 15- and 18-footers? It would seem that, if they can spread the floor a little bit and demand attention from the other team's defense, that it might open up the inside for Smith/Reeves to actually be able to get the ball and score. And isn't it possible that, given time, they could learn to acclimate themselves to Howland's defensive scheme since they've only been playing it in real games for a week? (You can teach a guy how to play defense; it's much harder to teach him how to consistently make jumpers.)  I agree with the general consensus that they're not great on defense and need to have better ball control, but jeez, reading some of these threads it's like they're both Drago clones.

So...did I miss something from those first two games? From my POV, it looked like our guards were the biggest problem, and that while the Wears were definitely taking things off the table, they were definitely also bringing things to the table as well. Why the overall dismissal of them?

Over the past two years (including one game this year), the greatest college basketball program of all time has seen its team go 37-30 (.552 winning percentage), with losses to Cal State Fullerton (at home), University of Portland (by 27), Long Beach State, Mississippi State (by 18), Montana (again, at home), and Loyola Marymount (technically at "home"). The team has gone 1-3 against $uc, with one of the losses coming by 21 points.

They have gone 1-2 in Pac-10 Tournament play, losing their elimination games by 13 (in 2010, to the best team in the conference) and 17 (in 2011, to one of the worst teams in the conference) despite the games being played basically in their backyard.

They have made one NCAA Tournament appearance, losing convincingly in the Round of 32. Since 2006, the team has lost eight non-seniors to the NBA draft: sophomore Jordan Farmar in 2006 (justifiably; he was the best player on a team that nearly won the championship); junior Arron Afflalo in 2007 (again defensible, as Afflalo was the best player on a Final Four team); sophomore Russell Westbrook in 2008 (still valid, as Westbrook went in the top 4); freshman Kevin Love in 2008 (understandable as Love went fifth); junior Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in 2008 (completely puzzling; LRMAM was hampered by injuries several times during 2008 and was the fifth-best starter on his own team, and staying for his senior season would have likely catapulted him to the first round in 2009); freshman Jrue Holiday in 2009 (indefensible; Holiday had a subpar season and would have been his team's best player in 2010); sophomore Tyler Honeycutt in 2011 (semi-defensible, as Honeycutt was projected to go in the mid-to-late first round; of course, he ended up sliding to the early second); and junior Malcolm Lee in 2011 (baffling, as Lee was still incredibly raw, projected as a mid-second round pick, and desparately needed another year of college experience). 

So, if you're keeping track, about half of those non-senior early entrees were questionable at best and completely confusing at worst. In addition, the team has lost several potentially good players via transfer due to (usually) lack of playing time: forward Chace Stanback to UNLV in 2008 (averaged an 11-6 as a sophomore in 2009-10 and then a 13-6 on 48% shooting, 36% from three, 80% from the free throw line in 2010-11); forward Drew Gordon to New Mexico in 2009 (averaged a 13-11 on 53% shooting in 2010-11); and forward Mike Moser to UNLV in 2010 (had 16 points and 20 rebounds in his first game in 2011-12), with forward Reeves Nelson now emerging as a likely candidate to leave at the present (Nelson in 2010-11: 14-9, 57% shooting, considered by many to be the team's leader). 

Almost all of these transfers could have been averted; in 2009-10, the team inexplicably gave major minutes to ineffective forward Nikola Dragovic, which dragged down the team's performance and resulted in reduced minutes for Gordon, Moser, and Nelson. The amazing thing is, the team emerged from the 2008 recruiting season with the #1 class in the nation, boasting two five-star recruits (Holiday and center J'Mison Morgan) and three four-star recruits (point guard Jerime Anderson, Lee, and Gordon), and followed that up with another strong class in 2009 (five-star recruit Honeycutt, plus four-star recruits Moser, center Anthony Stover, and forwards Nelson and Brendan Lane). 

All of that talent, all of those prized players...and still, the laundry list of embarrassments mentioned up top. For the greatest basketball program in the country, one that has more tradition and glory and championships than any other, and former alums constantly waxing poetic about the program publically, that is absolutely and completely indefensible. The man running the show during these last two-plus embarrassing years? Ben Howland. So after that 600-word introduction about his recent failings, the question must be begged: why does this man still have a job?

You're not supposed to answer a question with another question, but this situation requires you to do so: How much leeway do you give a coach after he gives you three great years? Answer after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/12/white-sox-shopping-carlos-quentin.html

We could use a good right-handed bat in the lineup. Quentin had an MVP-caliber season in 2008, then followed it up with a bad 2009...but then rebounded somewhat in 2010, posting an .821 OPS along with 26 homers and 87 RBIs. He'd provide some sock and plate discipline for our lineup. White Sox are looking for bullpen help; maybe try a Broxton swap?

Heard that from Kevin Harlan on TNT just now. If that's not the ultimate show of respect, I don't know what is.

(Just in case anyone forgot, here's RW's stat line for the series: 21.8 ppg, 55% FG, 91% FT, 5.3 apg, 6.5 rpg. Talk about filling up the stat sheet. There's not a doubt in my mind that we're witnessing another Bruin-in-the-NBA legend in the making.)

I have no real rooting interest in the NFL, despite the fact that that makes me seem un-American. Sure, I play fantasy football and watch the Super Bowl and crack Brett Favre jokes and what not, but I don't really have a favorite team. College football, minus the postseason system, has always been more appealing to me. Plain and simple.

But now? I have a reason to follow the NFL: the Seattle Seahawks. Rooting for them to lose, that is.

I already kind of disliked them when they "just" had Lofa Tatupu and Lawrence Jackson. Then they hired Cheatey. Then they traded for Lendale White. Then I checked their roster and found that they had Mike Freaking Williams of all people, as well as less-hateable-but-still-Trojies Anthony McCoy and Tom Malone. Basically, Cheatey's re-building his Trojan Empire in the NFL, and he's doing it within the Seattle Seahawk organization.

So what's the move here? Watch every Seattle Seahawk game on television and root for them to lose in the most agonizing way possible. I want them to go 0-16 this year with every single loss coming on a last-second Cal-Stanford play (or barring that, a red-zone interception by a backup linebacker off a deflection just to give Cheatey some 'Nam-like flashbacks). I want to go their November 28th home game against the Chiefs just to watch Jarrad Page throw Lendale for losses in the backfield like a rag doll. I want to watch their November 21st game against New Orleans just for the sheer irony of Reggie Bush playing against all his former teammates in a "who can be the biggest SUC-to-the-NFL bust?" contest. And if by some horrible, horrible chance the Seahawks make it to the playoffs, I want to watch some high-seeded team absolutely obliterate them and embarrass Cheatey and his Empire with the whole country watching.

Finally, an NFL season with a new wrinkle. I'm excited.

EDIT: Yes, I know that Reggie Carter signed with the Seahawks as a non-drafted free agent. But you just know that Cheatey's going to find an excuse to cut him before the opening week, probably due to his participation in 13-9. So that's that.

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Here is link to the official 2010 NCAA Tournament bracket on ESPN:

LINK

Now, yes, I know; watching the NCAA Tournament without our Bruins is going to be tough. But, really..."I'm not even going to watch because UCLA's not in"? Yeah I know, we're all UCLA fans first, but we're also sports fans in general, and not watching the NCAA Tournament means depriving ourselves of one of the great sports fan rituals of the year. Personally, here's how I'm going to make the tournament exciting for myself:

- Root like hell for Montana (#14 seed) in Round 1; sister graduated from there last June.

- Either root for Florida to get completely decimated (we're talking like a 45-point blowout) or come up on the short end of an all-time miracle finish (75-foot buzzer-beater for a one-point BYU win, maybe?).

- Root for Notre Dame to reach the Final Four. Even if you hate the Irish, I mean, come on; almost no school has as rich of a sports tradition as ND, and have they had ANY moments of happiness sports-wise in the last 10 years?

- Root for Cal to upset Duke and reach the Sweet Sixteen. I know a lot of people here don't like Cal, but after this Pac-10 season don't we need SOME conference pride? And it's not like we'd be rooting for Cal to beat 1990 Loyola Marymount here; we're talking about 2010 Duke. So yeah, go Bears at least for the time being.

- Root for any and all teams against Kentucky and the cheating ways of John Cal.

- Enjoy all the usual things about March Madness: gluing my eyes to the TV when a 16 seed comes within 4 points of a 1 seed, jumping on a 15 seed's bandwagon in the final two minutes even if it would destroy my bracket, hardly breathing in the final 10 seconds of a one-point game, etc etc etc. There's nothing quite like the NCAA Tourney experience, and I love it.

For the final time: yes, it sucks that UCLA will not be participating this year. But you know what? We'll be back, and very soon; I still trust Howland, and believe that the Jerime/Lee/Honeycutt/Nelson/Smith quintet has enough talent to bring us back to the postseason next year. For now, though, it's just time to enjoy one of the simple pleasures of being a sports fan, for me anyway.

So who are you guys rooting for? Let's discuss!