Quote :

"Although sources say that the teams are still sorting out final details, this deal was described as "imminent" by multiple sources close to the process after negotiations moved to an advanced stage Tuesday night. The proposed swap -- salvaged from talks on a three-way trade with Portland that developed and fizzled quickly two weeks ago -- would require Dallas to send 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, the expiring contracts of center DeSagana Diop and swingman Devean George and guard Maurice Ager to New Jersey for Kidd and forward Malik Allen."

[Edited on February 13, 2008 at 2:46 PM. Reason : J Kidd]

2/13/2008 2:45:25 PM

If I was Dallas I wouldn't want to give up Harris...he is a solid young player

2/13/2008 3:04:01 PM

This has been a crazy season (and pre-season with the Celtics) for teams making moves. The Lakers definitely need to make their trade to have a chance at the Finals...but it seems like it has made everone else panic to make trades to "put them over the top."

Its similar to the Suns trade where I initially don't think its a good trade...but I can see where it can work out for them.

2/13/2008 3:08:42 PM

Its obviously all speculation, but I doubt the Suns would've made the Shaq deal if the Lakers hadn't gone out and gotten Gasol

2/13/2008 3:09:27 PM

Interesting to see how they'll deal with the all star rosters if the deal goes down before this weekend

Kidd was voted in as a starter in the East...does he still play for the East, come off the bench for the West, or miss out altogether?

And if he is added to the West roster, does the East get a 13th active player to even it up?

2/13/2008 3:30:00 PM

This makes the mavs a whole lot better this year, they didnt have to give up terry, howard, or Dirk

but they will not be good for the long haul kidd is old, harris was young

2/13/2008 3:38:55 PM

^^if he plays for the West, he should miss out all together, since Baron and Deron are having better seasons and they both got snubbed just cause Nash and Paul are having even BETTER seasons

2/13/2008 3:58:07 PM

I read a rumor saying Dwight Howard is going to put on lipstick and kiss the rim on a dunk

Impressive, but I got my money on 3-1 with Jamario Moon and his 2 feet behind the foul line dunk

2/13/2008 4:20:16 PM

i heard Howard was going to literally kiss the rim but hadn't heard about the lipstick thing

I'm looking forward to the skills competition...Kidd, Nash, Deron, CP3...they might not have the best 4 dunkers in the league in the dunk contest by a long shot, but they've arguably got the 4 best distributing PGs in the skills competition

2/13/2008 4:21:31 PM

no wade in the skills?

2/13/2008 4:27:09 PM

JASON KIDD
CHRIS PAUL
DERON WILLIAMS
DWAYNE WADE

no Nash

[Edited on February 13, 2008 at 4:29 PM. Reason : fixed]

[Edited on February 13, 2008 at 4:29 PM. Reason : those 4]

2/13/2008 4:27:54 PM

Nash is in 3 point tho

That field is stacked with him, Kobe, Peja, Rip, Gibson and my boy Kapono

2/13/2008 4:33:07 PM

yea that skills competition is going to be nice

2/13/2008 4:34:42 PM

I'll be putting my money on Peja

we always make a bunch of retarded bets on All Star Saturday night...we'll each take a couple players in each contest

2/13/2008 4:34:57 PM

let 'sheed get a late write in for the 3ball contest!!!

2/13/2008 4:36:16 PM

thank god monta ellis is on my fantasy team

2/13/2008 11:16:02 PM

thank god manu is on mine...dude went offfffff tonight

let's go suns...help the rockets out

2/13/2008 11:17:57 PM

Most exciting team in the NBA on a consistent basis... Monta is awesome even though he had a rough game when I was there Monday...

[Edited on February 13, 2008 at 11:27 PM. Reason : do i remember monta being the backup to paulus in the McD's AA game? or is that right?]

2/13/2008 11:25:18 PM

baron davis...GET THIS MAN IN THE ALL STAR GAME

you take a shot at paulus whenever you can don't you

[Edited on February 13, 2008 at 11:31 PM. Reason : ]

2/13/2008 11:30:22 PM

Agreed. He is straight up balla.

2/13/2008 11:31:15 PM

^^^ it appears paulus was on the east team and ellis was on the west

2/13/2008 11:32:14 PM

^^^ shot? That was a compliment.. really it was just a question. I don't even remember if they are in the same class but I thought I remembered Monta coming off the bench...

Damn, come on W's...

[Edited on February 13, 2008 at 11:33 PM. Reason : ^ ah... monta was committed to MSU and is from Miss so I figured he was on East]

2/13/2008 11:32:55 PM

yea i was wondering why he would have been on the west but that's what the roster said

brandon rush appears on some rosters? injured and couldn't play?

[Edited on February 13, 2008 at 11:39 PM. Reason : ]

2/13/2008 11:38:39 PM

I'm thinking Nash will win the 3 pt shootout and Howard will win the dunk contest.

2/13/2008 11:56:43 PM

awesome game tonight. i can't wait for the playoffs.

2/13/2008 11:58:43 PM

Every game in the west between the top 10 teams will have a playoff type atmosphere for the rest of the year

Win or lose a game and you can move up or down 3 spots

2/14/2008 12:00:12 AM

great game. The Western Conference is just nuts, most exciting regular season NBA has been in a looooong time. I love it.

2/14/2008 12:04:18 AM

Butler out, Allen in on the East Squad

2/14/2008 12:14:18 AM

Allen..? WTF is Stern thinking?

2/14/2008 12:15:41 AM

He was one of the last 2 or 3 left out

Rasheed was more of a surprise than Allen to me

I think its a pretty good choice

Other than Jesus Shuttlesworth, I'd only argue for Turkoglu

[Edited on February 14, 2008 at 12:21 AM. Reason : Also Kobe is probly out for the 3 contest...so maybe Sheed or Allen will fill the void]

[Edited on February 14, 2008 at 12:25 AM. Reason : Also if Kobe's finger keeps him out of the actual game, here's hopping Boom Dizzle gets the call]

2/14/2008 12:19:20 AM

Allen hasn't played that well this season. He's there based on name recognition, IMO.

I would've gone with Turkoglu or Calderon or even Josh Smith to replace him. Heck, Marion plays for the East now. He's better than Allen too.

2/14/2008 12:25:32 AM

You have to read Gilbert's blog about Calderon...funny stuff

I'll admit, he's having a great year, but...

Quote :

"On the East side, I don’t know if there were any big snubs. I mean, some people wanted Jose Calderon. Jose Calderon? Who? Come on man, this is All-Star, people. When I’ve seen some of the names that are being thrown around on the ticker as snubs, it’s killing me. I understand Calderon has the best assist-turnover ratio in the league, but you know what’s funny? All back-up point guards have the best assist-turnover ratios. Screw it, Kevin Ollie should be an All-Star then! For like five or six years, Ollie was No. 1 in assist-turnover ratio! An All-Star is an All-Star! He’s playing at a high level. That means, if you take him off the team, that team should fall down if he’s that one guy. An All-Star means that he is dominating the game of basketball. It’s not even about numbers necessarily, it’s about dominating. I could probably say that Richard Jefferson got snubbed maybe Josh Smith too. His 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks puts him at No. 14. Richard Jefferson is No. 13. Turkoglu is No. 15. But, El Calderon? Come on. I’ve been loving the way he’s been playing for the last two years. When he first came into the league he was a little timid and scared to shoot the ball, but he’s taking over that team. But All-Star? He’s about 20 years away from being an All-Star. "

Quote :

"That’s going to be the coolest jersey ever though … that David West jersey for being a Western Conference All-Star … West on the front, West on the back. That’s going to be the bomb jersey. "

[Edited on February 14, 2008 at 12:32 AM. Reason : x]

2/14/2008 12:28:10 AM

rip hamilton for the sleeper 3 point winner

2/14/2008 12:28:26 AM

Allen isn't in on name recognition as much as they want to reward the Celtics for having such a great record by giving them as many all stars as possible. They do that every year with at least one team.

I wouldn't call Rip a sleeper if you look at his 3 pt percentages the last two years. I know what you mean, but I just want to make the point that the guy is a great 3 pt shooter despite the perception that he is just a mid range threat

2/14/2008 2:01:47 AM

^ we are on the same page

2/14/2008 2:59:09 AM

Mike Bibby to the Hawks:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3249180

Atlanta finally erases the horrible 2006 NBA draft blunder that is Sheldon Williams..
.. on another note, LeBron is really gonna be pissed at management now.. they are certainly not doing themselves any favors being that LeBron is a Free Agent pretty soon

2/16/2008 5:13:51 PM

What can Cleveland really do? They really can't do anything. They made some bad signings at the same time they picked up LeBron, and that's that. They don't have expiring contracts and they don't have anyone that's "valuable" to another team. LeBron will just have to wait til next year, when the Cavs can make some moves. If they don't do anything next year, I expect him to opt out and go somewhere else.

2/16/2008 5:18:07 PM

Damn, just saw the hawks play the bobcats on wednesday and I'll see them play Sacto next Friday.

Now I don't get to see Bibby play either time.

2/16/2008 5:23:17 PM

Why the NBA haters can suck a dick:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080219

Quote :

" If you love the league, if you care about it at all, then you're more excited about these next four months than you've been about anything since Michael, Larry and Magic were playing. Forget about the fact the West is so impossibly wide-open, or the juicy possibility of a Lakers-Celtics Finals (imagine seeing those uniforms on the same court in June again???), or the risky trades that lifted the "No Balls Association" tag and had everyone buzzing. Have you noticed what the new generation of All-Stars has in common? What's not to like about LeBron James? Dwyane Wade? Chris Bosh? Chris Paul? Deron Williams? Brandon Roy? Dwight Howard? Throw in Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Gilbert Arenas, Monta Ellis and Al Horford, and you're talking about an entire team of likable and gifted stars under the age of 25. There isn't a bad apple in the bunch. From a historical standpoint, LeBron has a chance to be one of the best 10 players ever. Howard has a chance to be one of the best big men ever. And Paul has a chance to surpass Isiah Thomas as the greatest 6-footer ever. Think about what a boost this has been for the NBA. Following MJ's first retirement in 1993, the ensuing 12 years were a gnarly stretch of wasted talent and wasted time. There were too many unlikable stars, too much crotch grabbing and chest thumping, too much sneering and posturing, too many rookies who weren't ready, too much expansion, too many "superstars" mailing it in for $15-20 million a year, too many injuries, too little scoring and too much defense. Many of the league's greatest players just didn't resonate with casual fans, personified by the fact so many fans were turned off by Allen Iverson, only one of the fiercest competitors in sports. You need luck with this stuff, and the NBA definitely had some luck lately, peaking with LeBron's progress as a competitor and person -- unquestionably the most important thing that happened to the league since Jordan's ascent. He's a killer now. He gets it. He plays hard on both ends. He doesn't take nights off. He takes over at the right times. He has a flair for the moment, as we saw with that game-changing dunk Sunday night. As one NBA higher-up whispered to me last weekend, "People still think we have an image problem, I just don't get it. Do they even watch us? Do they see the caliber of the guys we have now?" That's the issue gnawing at everyone working for the league right now. The NFL has considerably more thugs, Major League Baseball has a steroids scandal that basically has tainted the past 15 years of games, yet somehow the NBA is still perceived as the league with an image problem? For god's sake, if the NBA can't put that tag to rest this year, of all years, then it's never happening, and we'll have to accept there are deeper issues at work here."

I'll only argue that the NFL might be a better league just because its the NFL and everyone loves football more than basketball. But favoritism aside...the NBA fucking rocks right now.

2/19/2008 2:48:08 PM

for some reason when i've brought up the points in the last 2 paragraphs to the NBA haters here on thewolfweb, they still dont get it

i'd say its some kind of slightly racist thing but then i'd be called a racist for saying that

2/19/2008 5:21:45 PM

It is a race issue but it's not racist.

Quote :

"As one NBA higher-up whispered to me last weekend, "People still think we have an image problem, I just don't get it. Do they even watch us? Do they see the caliber of the guys we have now?""

The only answer I have for this is that they stopped watching 5 years ago. The game has changed a ton in a relatively short time, but people that haven't watched don't know or care.

[Edited on February 19, 2008 at 5:28 PM. Reason : .]

2/19/2008 5:25:38 PM

if its a race issue thats turning people off to the league, how is that not racist?

maybe i dont have the right grasp of the differences in those two words

2/19/2008 5:28:32 PM

Its a culture issue that stems from a race issue

Everyone things any black player in the NBA is like Allen Iverson or Stephen Jackson

We were talking about the NBA at work the other day and some idiot said Emeka Okafor was "too thuggish" for his liking.

I mean seriously...

2/19/2008 5:28:35 PM

^^It's a game that appeals more towards a different crowd now (think of the music played). White people used to see parts Lambeer, Bird, Ainge, etc. in themselves. They don't relate to Kirilenko, Nash, Nowitski, etc. I wouldn't say it's racist-it's just not appealing to most white people anymore.

I shouldn't have said race issue, I should have said culture. I don't think any one would argue that the culture of the game has changed. I personally don't think it's a bad thing, but I can understand that some people don't like it.

^hahahaha, damn, are you serious?

Quote :

"“This guy is a blue chip prospect and it would be ignorant to say otherwise,” he said. “However, we do have a couple issues we need to address with Emeka regarding his relationship with his future teammates. How is a guy with a 3.75 GPA going to get along with a bunch of dipshit NBA players? Is he going to go out and get a large, ugly tattoo written in Chinese? He seems a bit too smart for that. Will his jaw drop at the site of a Hummer or Escalade or some other gaudy, ostentatious vanity-mobile? Will he attempt to record a rap album? Frankly, I don’t see him doing any of these things, which may cause him to be ostracized from the rest of his teammates. Hell, I’m not even sure if he’ll punch his chest after making a slam dunk with his team down by 30 points.”"

[Edited on February 19, 2008 at 5:42 PM. Reason : /]

2/19/2008 5:33:27 PM

It is a race issue. Though Allen Iverson may have had some type of negative impact because fans thought he was a thug because he acted black....or maybe he was a thug.

Football has as many black stars but not only does each player have less of an impact on the game, teams are marketed more than individuals and they have helmets on at all times. The same reason Jordan, Nash, Shaq, Lebron, Kobe and Carmelo are big stars is the same reason that people (whether intentional or not) will have a racist bias against the league.

But the article is true: I am way way way way excited about the next few months. I miss teh days when TNT had two or three games a week instead of just one. I like their coverage and broadcast team as well as kenny smith, barkley, EJ all much better.

2/19/2008 6:33:52 PM

Quote :

"Following MJ's first retirement in 1993, the ensuing 12 years were a gnarly stretch of wasted talent and wasted time. There were too many unlikable stars, too much crotch grabbing and chest thumping, too much sneering and posturing, too many rookies who weren't ready, too much expansion, too many "superstars" mailing it in for $15-20 million a year, too many injuries, too little scoring and too much defense."

This is what I meant about losing a large part of the fan base regarding the culture of the game. A lot of people who haven't cared about the game in 10 years aren't going to care about it now.

2/19/2008 6:43:41 PM

i came here to post "w00t" for the rockets having the longest active win streak in the league

but i'll join the conversation

if you are a basketball fan and don't like allen iverson, you are a racist, an idiot or both.

off the court, sure the guy may have had some bumps in his life and likes rap musics

but who gives a fuck?

on the court he is everything you would want in a player. he is often the littlest guy in the court and still throws his body into the lane like he was 6'10", 300 lbs. kg might be the only one who you can really say gives more effort and is more intense out there. iverson frequently is near the top of the league in minutes played, and really doesnt get hurt that much. nash, meanwhile, is only 2 years older, plays fewer minutes and yet he is mr tough guy. i dont see how you can like basketball and not like iverson. but i guess that is just my opinion.

simmons hints at the race question in that column but doesnt dive into it:

Quote :

" For god's sake, if the NBA can't put that tag to rest this year, of all years, then it's never happening, and we'll have to accept there are deeper issues at work here. (Well, one deeper issue. And you know what it is.)"

2/19/2008 10:45:05 PM

Quote :

"i came here to post "w00t" for the rockets having the longest active win streak in the league"

!!!

and iverson is and always has been a favorite player of mine

2/19/2008 10:50:08 PM

yea, i mean i dont necessarily expect people to LOVE him b/c of team loyalties and such, but i dont see how you can knock the guy based on what he does ON the court, which (as long as he isnt out pacman jones'ing or michael vick'ing) is all that should matter really.

i mean, WE TALKING ABOUT "PERSONAL LIVES???" "PERSONAL LIVES??" NOT NO GAME, BUT "PERSONAL LIVES????????"

2/19/2008 10:54:16 PM

for real if his cornrows and neck tats were covered by a helmet he'd be a star

also Camby has 9 blocks versus the Celtics with 10:29 to go in the 4th

Iverson just hit a top of the key jumper to put them up 90-88

NBA League Pass ftw

[Edited on February 19, 2008 at 11:08 PM. Reason : channel 957]

2/19/2008 11:04:14 PM