With the All-Star break behind us, some things I see surprise me....others not so much.


I am surprised that the Denver Nuggets have played as well as they have without Carmelo Anthony. I figured they would struggle to score, but the pu-pu platter of Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin, and J.R. Smith has picked up the slack. I'm particularly surprised with Billups. Everytime I start shoveling dirt on him, he resurrects himself and proves me wrong. I know I've said it before, but as long as Billups doesn't channel his inner Iverson at playoff time, the Nuggets will challenge the Lakers to win the West.

I'm surprised that Shaquille O'Neal has played as well as he has for the last month. I will stop short of saying that he looks like the Shaq of old. The Shaq of old couldn't share slacks with Andre the Giant, like this version of Shaq can. But Shaq is doing a lot more for the Cavs than I ever thought he would.

I'm very surprised that the Sacramento Kings have played so poorly with Kevin Martin back from injury. The problem is obvious and clear. Moving rookie phenom Tyreke Evans from a wing to point guard is a tactical error. Evans can be a star in this league at a wing. Just because he can play the point capably does not mean its best for him or for the team to have him there. Head coach Paul Westphal will get this solved. The Kings have a very bright future ahead of them.

I'm not surprised that the Bulls have righted the ship. The trade deadline will be a very interesting time for them. If they want to add two big players in free agency in the offseason, they need to rid themselves of Kirk Hinrich and John Salmons. There should be a market for both players. However, with the way they've turned things around, do they want to remove two important rotation players for a return that probably will not be equal present basketball value. If they were guaranteed to bring in Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, or Joe Johnson, its a no brainer. But the cap space doesn't mean all that much if you can't get star players to sign on.

Speaking of cap space not meaning all that much if you can't get people to sign on, I am thouroughly surprised that Knick GM Donnie Walsh has reportedly refused to throw Jordan Hill or Toney Douglas into a deal that would shed Jared Jeffries contract. The only player on his roster he should be reluctant to deal is Danilo Gallinari. Hill was a mistake and Donnie turns the pick into a productive one by using the player to create more cap space. However, Donnie should come up short of trading those first rounders the Rockets keep liberally asking for. If he does part with even one, he becomes Isiah Thomas with grey hair and a nicotine habit.

I am not surprised that the Wizards are tanking their season. GM Ernie Grunfeld made a monumental mistake by trading last year's first round pick for Mike Miller and Randy Foye. Ernie has been a very good GM over the years, but this butcher job he's done on the Wizards should be the end of the road for him. And although having players turn the locker room into the OK corral is not exactly Ernie's fault, at one point or another he needs to be held responsible for the character of the players he has brought in.

I am also not surprised that the Mavericks traded Josh Howard to Washington. Howard brought some negative attention onto the Mavericks last offseason with some careless remarks about his intimate relationship with marijuana. And then when he returned from injury, he did not fit in basketball wise with their revamped roster. Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood will do wonders for the Mavs. They will allow the Mavs to match up with anyone if they play big or small.

I will be very surprised if someone besides Jeff Van Gundy or Rick Pitino coaches the Nets next year. Despite the mocking of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the Nets job is actually a very attractive job. The Nets will most likely be playing in a 2 year old building in Newark next year and will do much better attendance wise just based on location. There is a move to Brooklyn on the horizon in a yet to be built state of the art facility. They have a brand new Russian billionaire owner who has a reputation for being ultra competitive and being willing to spend money. The Nets are guaranteed a top 3 pick in next year's draft with a 25% chance to win the John Wall sweepstakes. They have a legitimate building block in 7 foot center Brook Lopez. And they have a boatload of cap space. For Van Gundy, it will be an opportunity to get back on the sidelines in the New York metropolitan area with a generous owner. Frankly, there's no where to go but up. For Pitino, the appeal is similar but with an added bonus. Pitino gets to leave Louisville and the sloppy scandal he created for his family. Furthermore, Little Ricky gets out of dodge before it becomes thouroughly apparent that Kentucky coach John Calipari is beating his backside recruiting wise. Pitino's denials sound alarmingly like Nick Saban's did when he was with the Miami Dolphins as he vehemently denied interest in the Alabama job.

I am very surprised that the Cavaliers are pursuing Amare Stoudemire so aggressively. Last time I checked, Shaq was their starting center and lets face it, the Shaq-Stoudemire pairing was an abject failure for Phoenix last year. As readers of thiis space know all too well, I am a big fan of Stoudemire's game. But the Cavs would be quite smart not to put the two of these guys together. Matter of fact, it would not surprise me if Stoudemire is brought in, Shaq and his monstrous.....expiring contract are moved out of Cleveland. (to Indiana with a first rounder for Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster) What did you think... I as going to make another fat joke about Shaq??

I will be very surprised if Celtic general manager Danny Ainge doesn't do something. The window is closing fast for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics are tied to Pierce and Garnett for big money for the next two years. They are a team in desperate need for some young blood. Ray Allen has a lot of value because of his expriring contract. There have been a lot of rumors about Allen going to Sacramento for a Kevin Martin package, but I'm not sure if that is worth it for Boston. What could be interesting is if the Celtics and Philadelphia could get together on a Allen-Andre Igoudala trade. A deal like Igoudala and Samule Dalembert for Allen, Kendrick Perkins and a first rounder would work under the cap and satisfy everyone. Not sure if the Celtics would part with Perkins, but its truly the kind of shakeup they need.


I will be surprised if Kirk Hinrich isn't pursued by the Lakers come Thursday's trade deadline. As rich as his contract is for what he does, he's a unique player and L.A. is a contender who cannot resist. Something tells me he's going to be wearing Laker purple. As expensive as it is, it fills the Lakers last remaining whole. Two expiring contracts like Adam Morrison and the washed up Derek Fisher would work under the cap mand would offer the Bulls the salary relief they desire. The toughest obstacle will be Philosophical Phil parting with his karmic security blanket.

Be back next week to sort out deadline results. Giddyap. Y'all be cool.