Kristaps Porzingis The Worst Trade Of The Year

Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Courtney Lee was just traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr, DeAndre Jordan, and Wes Mathews. The Knicks have officially made the worst trade of the season for many reasons. This trade has successfully put the franchise back years and no longer leaves them with an all-star on their roster. The Knicks have Knicks it up again.

The Knicks have successfully given Porzingis to LUKA DONCIC WHO IS ALREADY TAKING THE LEAGUE BY STORM! KP was talking very highly of Doncic before the draft and it was evident he wanted the Knicks to try to trade up to get him, but they made no real effort to try to bring in the 19 year old Euro League MVP. These two together are going to take the league by storm and no one will be able to guard this European Duo. Porzingis has already stated that he will sign the qualifying offer in the summer, making him on the team until 2020.

The Knicks have successfully put them back by years. KP is currently they only one on the roster who is an all-star caliber player. They also have traded one of their leading scorer this season in Tim Hardaway Jr, who is averaging 19.1 points per game. Courtney Lee is someone who I am glad they Knicks have finally traded, so he can finally start his career again. Lee has been buried on the bench and it will be nice to see him finally getting real minutes again.

Before the Knicks drafted Frank they had Dennis Smith eating lobster and it looked like it was guaranteed that they will draft Smith, but they passed on him. Now the Knicks can finally say they made up for passing on him in this trade and tell their fans they finally got him. Dennis Smith better become an all-star now since he was traded for KP. DeAndre Jordan and Wes Mathews are more for the Knicks to clear their salary cap because they are both free agents this year.

The Knicks made this trade pretty quickly to the Mavs pretty quickly. KP wanted to be traded just came out today with 6 teams, Mavs, Heat, Nets, Clippers, Spurs, and Raptors, all wanting apart of the trade talks. The Knicks didn't even really take offers from the other teams to see who they could've gotten. I refuse to believe this is the best option the Knicks could've gotten for the 23 year old 7 foot all-star.

This trade just means that the only hope in New York is that the Knicks can successfully get the first overall pick and draft Zion Williamson. They will have enough cap space now to sign two max contract guys, the only problem is how many people have they gotten the fans about. The Knicks were suppose to sign guys in the past like LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and many others, but none have ever came to New York. This offseason our best bets are Kemba Walker, from New York, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, or Jimmy Butler.

New York Knicks Disaster Season

The biggest disaster in the Eastern Conference since 2014 is the New York Knicks. On March 18th, 2014 the Knicks hired Phil Jackson to take over as the president of the team. His first move was to sign Lamar Odom, who at the time was dealing with a drug problem. Jackson successfully ruined the last year of Carmelo Anthony's prime and under Jackson's tenure the Knicks went 80-166 in three seasons. The Knicks have had two picks who have turned out to look promising in Kristaps Porzingis and Kevin Knox, but some who haven't panned out the way they hoped so far in Frank Ntilikina, who is extremely good defensively but hasn't figure it out offensively.

The Knicks have been the laughing stock of the league for sometime now and they can't even take right. The Knicks have been competing for a top 3 pick in the draft and the best they've done so far is 4th, with this year maybe looking different. Currently the Knicks have the worst record in the entire league, at 10-39, and have a chance to finally win the lottery. The last time the Knicks had the #1 overall pick was in 1985, it was Patrick Ewing. The Knicks haven't had the fortune of the lottery in a long time and this season the chance for Zion Williamson is growing everyday in New York.

The Knicks players aren't taking all of this losing well however. Enes Kanter keeps getting hit with DNPs and he is frustrated with the lack of time. He has even stated that he would prefer the Knicks to just trade him instead of keeping him around. Tim Hardaway has stated that all of this losing is "a tough pill to swallow." All of these guys are competitors and they want to win at the highest level possible, to tell someone who has won in every phase in their basketball career that they want them to lose is obviously going to affect them. Courtney Lee is currently not getting all of the minutes he wants but he is trying to stay as positive as he can. Lee is staying professional and waiting for his number to be called so he can prove that he can still play at a very high level.

Enes Kanter is having the most frustrating season of all the Knicks players. He is on a contract year and will be trying to negotiate a new deal. With him barley playing it will be hard for him to convince teams to pay him all of the money he deserves. Kanter also is a team player and one of the best teammates in the league. During the Knicks game against Washington, in London, Kanter watched that game from his couch in his jersey cheering the team on. It has also been a rough season politically. Kanter couldn't go the game against the Wizards in London due to the fact he is worried about being killed. Kanter is currently excited from his home country of Turkey because he has been very outspoken about the Turkish President. This has caused Kanter's father to be arrested and his family to publicly disown him. Kanter was benched for his 4th straight game against the Hornets on Monday and had the fans chanting to put him in. It was a home game for the Knicks and the fans wanted Kanter to come in and play. Enes is beloved by the fans of New York and his lack of playing is frustrating for all the fans to watch.

Frank Ntilikina even faced his own frustrations against the Knicks on Christmas Day. His mother flew all the way from France to watch her son play in his first ever Christmas Day game. Christmas Day is considered the beginning of the real NBA season because that is the time where teams decide to fully commit to tanking or to compete for the playoffs. Frank was apparently very frustrated with his lack of playing time saying with an edge "Did I know that I would not play?" Frank however knows he needs to be more confident in the offensive side of the ball and the fans are dying for him to become more confident. Frank is an excellent defender, even Kyrie Irving praising him after their first game against each other last year.

Kristaps Porzingis is a restricted free agent this offseason, instead of just giving him the max offer the Knicks have decided to match any offer he gets in the offseason. This would give New York extra cash to try to bring in a huge free agent to play with Kristaps, but it could ruin the relationship with him and come back to bite them down the road. Gordon Hayward is an example of this, Utah didn't give him a max offer years ago and then when he became an unrestricted free agent he decided to not resign with them, due to the fact they didn't give him a max offer.

The Knicks have put Tim Hardaway and Courtney Lee on the trading block, hoping to get some sort of future assets or do a salary dump with Hardaway's contract. Enes Kanter is heading down the buyout road with him growing more and more frustrated with lack of playing time. Even Trey Burke is on the trading block with the Knicks hoping to get a 2nd round pick for him. Every player on the team could be traded with the exception of Kristaps. Anthony Davis is in the Knicks trade targets and they are going to try to make a huge offer for him, including unprotected 1st round picks.

This Knicks season has became a complete disaster with the only end coming if they can pull off either Zion or Anthony Davis. New York fans haven't had much to root for in the past few years and hopefully that will change. The future could be bright in New York or it could just be another New York Knicks specialty of letting all the fans down.

Klay Thompson To The Lakers

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN - via an appearance on SportsCenter - Thompson would consider joining the Lakers if they were able to add disgruntled New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis through a trade, and if the Warriors didn't offer him max money as a free agent.
 
 At the start of the season, Thompson said that it would be "hard" to leave Golden State when discussing his upcoming free agency. But with recent with recent news of Anthony Davis wanting to come to the lakers his views have changed

Realistically they probably won’t offer him max money if they haven’t yet Klay Thompson is a premier player but even the Golden State Warriors know that he’s not worth that much money and he is on a team of All stars so it will be highly unlikely for them to give him a max deal. Even though he stated he would be a warrior for ever I think he might have to reconsider that statement definitely if the Lakers can offer him a good enough of contract to persuade him he’ll be finding a new home in California.

The Lakers could be a great place for him I believe him LeBron and Anthony Davis would make a great fit together and give the Lakers the boost that they need to become a complete team. Also he will be working with the his former assistant coach Luke Walton who knows exactly what to do with him and knows exactly what system he works well in. Then it would only be right if he played for them and follow in his dad footsteps who also was a former Laker and who is now a radio color commentator for them.

What happened to the lakers?

This NBA season is wacky thing now a days. Many teams can't compete for titles, so they try to get ready for next season success. The knicks, the cavs, and the suns are all hoping to get that number 1 draft pick. The raptors are doing everything there power to keep Kawhi Leonard. But L.A Has the weirdest storyline this year.

 The weird thing is that Lebron joined the lakers and it seems like he hasn't played much game. This season the lakers seem to only have trade talks and injuries. What direction is the lakers going? My answer is that Magic seemed to really believed that Paul George was coming with Lebron to LA. But because he didnt the Lakers went to look for anyone.

The young core is a process. The young core is considered Lanzo ball, Klye Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and the newest Ivica Zubac. We The question was weather to see if they trade the young core or keep them. Many people have many people have many opinions on the core but it looks like they are gone. The upside to keeping them would have been to keep them and see them has hometown heroes who stay with the them there whole career. The down side was the team would waste Lebron talent on teaching young kids how to play better. The Lakers got Lebron to win big now. The young core really needed to step up but they didn't. We all knew that one or two would go but now all them will properly get traded off.

The overall picture of the team is so scattered that I could not point in any one direction other then to say they are trying hard to find the sidekick to Lebron. magic should put his vision out to the lag
kers fans so they know what they could expect. Because trades are not a garintee. many things can block a trade. there should be a better plan so the fans can get the hype train going. They want, need it, and will fight for it on social media. The problem is they don't know what to fight for.

Anthony Davis Drama

Whenever a top 5 player in the league is about to be traded there is bound to be a bunch of drama to come along with it. Davis had asked for a trade this morning, according to Woj, and the drama is starting to begin.

Jrue Holiday is currently the Pelicans 2nd best player, who is also good friends with Anthony Davis. Holiday said that 90 percent of the reason why he decided to stay was because of Davis. They have both been on the Pelicans since 2013 and have grown a strong friendship. Holiday is currently on a 5 year $127 million contract that he signed in the summer of 2017. Davis even told Holiday and a few other teammates a couple of days ago that he wants to be traded out of New Orleans. The Pelicans might have to trade Holiday to if Davis is traded. Holiday is a very talented player who shouldn't have his prime wasted with rebuilding years.

The Pelicans have issued a statement to the NBA that they want the league to strictly enforce the tampering rules while looking for a trade partner with Davis. The Pelicans don't want to have tampering happen and have Davis tell them he will only resign with one team. If this comes out that he will only resign with one team then it'll devalue his trade value. Instead of getting a young core of players and picks the Pelicans could be faced with mid-level players. Teams could tamper with Davis and convince him that his only chance to win a championship is with them. However, Davis does expect to finish the Pelicans.

This drama is growing into other organizations to, as the Celtics are now facing more turmoil in their own office. It has came out that Boston is not a top target for Davis, the team was hoping to trade for Davis after this season. They also are now worried that Kyrie Irving will not sign as there is a growing uncertainty on whether he will resign or not next season. The Celtic's season is currently below their expectations and everything that could go wrong is starting to go wrong for the team.

The NBA is currently also doing an investigation against Davis as an "on-the-record request for a trade by an agent or a player" is a worthy of a fine, according to Woj. The NBA spokesmen announced that today and it could be in direct correlation with the Pelicans issuing the tampering rules.

Davis is a top 5 player in the league and every team should take a chance on him. Even the Bulls could have a shot at resigning him since he is from Chicago. However, this process of trading him will be a long drama filled one, as it is with every high profiled level athlete in the game. Whoever Davis ends up with will automatically be in talks for possibly a run at the championship.

Anthony Davis Wants Out So Where Does He Go

Woj has just reported that Anthony Davis will not sign an extension with the Pelicans and he wants out. The Pelicans have only made the playoffs twice so far in Davis's career. Davis wants to be traded to a team where he can compete to be a winner and have a chance to win a championship. Anthony Davis is only 25 years old and is averaging 29.3 points per game and 13.3 rebounds per game, every team should take a chance at this once in a generational type of power forward.

The trade rumors are already heating up for Davis, with the most obvious being the Lakers. According to the LA Times the Lakers have to start the trade by offering Lonzo, Kuzma, Ivica Zubac and a first round pick. This would be a huge offer for the Pelicans and they would have to consider the trade in front of them. The Pelicans should try to bring in Josh Hart in the trade to, he is a Summer League MVP and has improved greatly in his 2nd year. 

The Knicks are trying to do an aggressive trade for Davis. According to Windhorst he thinks New York would be one of the only teams that Anthony Davis would resign to. The Knicks are going to offer unprotected 1st round pick in their package. The Knicks could silently become a dark-horse in the Anthony Davis lottery.

Boston Celtics have been interesting in acquiring Davis for a while now, but they can not offer a trade for Davis this season because of Irving. The rule is called the Rose Rule (after Derrick Rose the first player to sign the deal), if two players sign the Designated Player Rookie Extension, which both Davis and Irving have, then you can not have two players on the same team who have signed that extension. The Celtics will have to wait for the summer when Irving can decline his player option and resign with the Celtics, then Davis can be traded over to Boston. 

The Sixers have a chance to make what could be the greatest backcourt duo in the history of the NBA. Imagine trying to score when Embiid and Davis are in the paint, you just can't. Embiid is averaging 2 blocks a game, and Davis is averaging 2.6 blocks a game. The opposing teams would have an extremely difficult time scoring, especially when Butler is on the perimeter locking everyone down. The Sixers would have to trade Simmons in this trade, but ultimately it would be better. Embiid and Davis both can shoot and post, which means the floor will become less clogged in the paint. The Sixers could become the scariest team in the Eastern Conference and could become the best defensive team in the league.

I believe the Trailblazer should offer some type of package for Davis to try to give Lillard help. They could offer Cj McCollum and a first round pick to try to get Davis, This trade isn't as great as the others but it could be intriguing. McMcollum is averaging 20.8 point per game and could have a chance to average 26 if he's on a team of his own. This could be a long shot but they need to find help for Lillard to give him a legitimately shot at a championship.

The Pelicans are in a situation now where they need to trade their franchise player, and they need to somehow win the trade. If the Pelicans don't win the trade they could be forced to relocate the team entirely. This trade is going to change the landscape of the NBA as a generational type power-forward is going to be on the move. The Pelicans need to act now as the trades are hot instead of waiting on a trade and the value of him will go down, like the Butler trade where the Timberwolves could've gotten 4 first round picks. 

Victor Oladipo Injury Update

On January 24th Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo suffered a right knee injury during the second quarter against the Toronto Raptors . Oladipo was racing back to defend a transition break and collapsed as he closed on Pascal Siakam.

The severity was evident almost immediately as trainers draped a towel over the leg and players from both teams surrounded Oladipo while he was down. No replays were shown on the video screen that stretches from free-throw line to free-throw line, and fans began chanting Oladipo's name. Later that night the Pacers staff sent out and injury update to say that Oladipo was going to get an MRI in the morning they told everyone it was a Right knee injury. Results came in that Thursday and we found out that he ruptured quadriceps tendon in his right knee. It's the same injury that effectively ended Charles Barkley's career when he was with Houston in 1999.

This devastating injury puts him out for the rest of the year we don’t know how long it would take him to recover from this the doctors said it would of been better if he tore his ACL then ruptured his quadricep tendon. The doctors also mentioned how shocked they are of him even suffering from such a rare injury. The doctors also said “generally people who have quadriceps tendon ruptures are older folks. For whatever reason, with people younger than 40, the patellar tendon, which is below the kneecap, is the the more likely of the two to sustain an injury. That's the compelling thing about Oladipo's injury. He's a young man in the prime of his athletic career. He's just not in the normal range where we see a lot of these injuries”.

    Hearing that is really concerning for his and his teams future, Oladipo had been averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.9 minutes this season now that he’s gone their playoff chances are most likely going to end as well. The Pacers with Oladipo were the third seed in the east let’s see if the pacers can pick up the slack as a team and learn how to adapt without there leading contributor.

All-Star game snub

The NBA All-Star game is one for the fans. That's what the NBA has claimed for years. The feeling has changed in the last couple years. The rules changing all the time it feels like more power goes to the league and others. The week is no longer a weekend for fans but the NBA promotion of who they want the media to take serious.

The all star game has many fun events and set ups. One of them is picking NBA starting line up with From fan voting. The reason why this is important is the fans get to see the players they wish to see play for sure in the all-star game because the nest step is to have the coaches pick the bench for the teams to have players who are doing well. They could get a chance to prove they are equally good has the starters. A couple years ago the league had to change the rules because the country of Georgia voted Zaza Pachcuila in the game has an starter. The coaches would have never voted him in and bigger names would have been left out. This is one way countries would get there players in the when the the league would keep them out. The new system is the fans get half the vote, and the media and players get the other half. The issue steams with players this year who have become fan favorites. This year Derrick Rose and Luka Doncic were in the top 3 in voting the west with some of the highest fan votes above many other more well known players.

The the line ups were acounced and neither Luka or Derrick was on the list. The likely hood is that neither will be in the game either because Luka is rookie and Rose is considered a burnout by the league and cant promote him well because they dont know how too. The league goal is to put there stars in this event so that they can sell even better. But it is my humble opinion that the voting strongly repesents the fans wants. Derrick has always been a fan favorite from the day he was drafted. Luka is known has the best rookie by miles in his class and has a strong European fan base and American. I will have to say Luka and Derrick got robbed from a chance to be in the game, they will most likely not be in the game at all.

Markelle Fultz Returns

As of right now there is still no time table when Markellle Fultz will return. But apparently he is making good progress, Fultz has now rejoined with the Philadelphia 76ers full time. Fultz plans on continuing his physical therapy and hopes to return before the end of this season. The probability of him being able to return so soon is highly unlikely. So while there is no guarantee of Fultz being able to contribute this season. Depth remains the 76ers biggest problem this season. If Fultz can come back this season he would be a remarkable upgrade from T.J McConnell. 

   Prior to his thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis, Fultz averaged 8.2 points and 3.1 assists per game. He’s shooting 41.9 percent from the field, including a 28.6 percent three-point clip on minimal volume. In the games leading up to his hiatus, Fultz began avoiding the arc entirely. Also those were the stats even with the unorthodox jumper. So picture of we can actually get him healthy. 

Fultz should find relief in physical therapy, but there are valid reasons for skepticism regarding the diagnosis. There are even greater reasons for skepticism regarding Fultz’s ability to return at 100 percent. If Fultz is healthy and confident, Fultz will  drastically change the Sixers’ trajectory now and long-term. He’s still a cost-controlled asset through 2021 if the Sixers are willing to shell out over $10 million to keep him. 

Fultz has a lot of potential to make an impact into the second unit if he comes back completely healthy. I feel as if he’s been out so long and dealing with this shoulder people forgot what a remarkable player he is and how bright his future is in the league. I also feel as if we all forgot how he’s the youngest player in NBA history to drop a triple-double. Hopefully they are right about his progression and we can see him on the court at least by the end of the season. But if he is still having issues I would still recommend a sports psychologist.

Memphis Grizzlies Season Is In Flames

The Memphis Grizzlies season is currently in flames, literally. The Grizzlies currently have one of the most interesting seasons that no one is truly talking about. They are in the beginning process of a complete rebuild and are about to trade the last of the Grit and Grind Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are currently looking for suitors to take Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, for the first time ever.  

On Tuesday Grizzlies owner Robert Pera, informed Conley and Gasol that they are actively listening to trade offers for both of them. Gasol was interviewed about these trade talks and said "“I don’t understand why Mike is in those talks either. Mike is one heck of a player, and we’re going to need good players moving forward. I don’t understand why Mike is in this.” Gasol is clearly confused about these trade rumors with Conley. Conley played his entire career there, since being drafted in 2007. The Grizzlies even payed Conley the super-max of 5-year $153 million, which helps signify to the player that the team is intending to keep them. Even though we have seen one team so far trade their super-max player, ex. LA Clippers with Blake Griffin, this felt different. Conley was the first player to receive this deal and at the time he was the highest paid player in NBA history. This sent a message to the league that the Grizzlies are committed to Conley and you can't have him.

Marc Gasol will to be the next player out the door, with this being no surprise at all. In the month of November Gasol was being talked about as an all-star averaging 19.5ppg and 10.3 rebound. These stats had the Grizzlies going into the season not wanting to trade Conley or Gasol, but wanting to have a chance in the playoffs. Unfortunately Gasol has only had a decrease in stats, with in December he averaged 13.1ppg and 7.1rpg, and in January so far he's averaging 12.3ppg and 8.1rpg. Gasol had been dropping in points and his plus/minus in January is currently at -15.9. When Gasol is on the court the Grizzlies are being outscored by almost 16 points!!! It's time for the Grizzlies to consider trading Gasol.

When you trade Gasol you won't ever get the proper return value on him since his stats have decreased significantly. Since you will be traded half of your best players on your team, that leaves he Grizzlies with no choice but to trade Conley.

The Grizzlies were in a situation where they needed to decide on a playoff run or to trade their two franchise players. The decision at the beginning of the year was to make a playoff push, but now the decision is to restart the franchise. The Grizzlies have currently lost their last 13 out of 14 games, with no end of this losing streak in sight.  The Grizzlies are currently 14th in the Western Conference. There was an electrical fire in their locker room and this was the perfect metaphor for their season. The Grizzlies are currently on fire with them trying to move into the future by getting rid of their past.

Drake Curse?

Everyone knows famous people jump on a bandwagons. Many people hope all that they have as many fans on their sides. The problem comes is when superstition kicks in. Many fans take two actions and put them together. Thus the Drake Curse came to be.

Drake is Hiphop ICON who is famous for Love and R&B songs. Very famous for trying to plug himself into sports.He became an ambassador to the Raptors in 2013. The hope was that he would bring more butts to the games and sell more tickets. It safe to say that it worked for the team because he would bring about five percent of the tourism. So many good things can come from having a famous person on your side when it comes to dollars.

what happens when the person seems to bring more bad then when it comes to wins. Drake has had some resent misfires that may be seen has a bad luck. He was very public about a fight between Conor McGeger vs Kabib and sided with Conor. Not only did Conor lost but it was a really bad lose that most people don't come back from. Just that alone wouldn't bring that bad luck stigma. The next one was Alabama national title game was the one that made it popular. They were the favorite in the game by far. In fact rooting for them was a common thought for many people. But not only did Alabama lose but again a really bad lose that the common person has.

The question must be asked if Drake a curse. Yes people normally don't affect the outcome of games. But the fact that the teams he publicly supported start losing big time. Hopefully for him the Rams don't get destroyed in the Superbowl because if that happens, this will put him there. So no team would want his support.

Carmelo Anthony's Next Team

Carmelo Anthony is finally free to continue and finish his career on his own stance. Carmelo has been traded to the Bulls today, for only cash consideration. The Rockets wanted to get the trade finalized today so they wouldn't have to release 10-day contract James Nunnally. The office was closed, so Nunnally got released. Currently the rules are that the league will make a trade official on a holiday, but they have to be notified by 6 p.m. the prior business day. Now that Melo is finally free where would he go?

According to Woj, the Lakers are interested in a roster spot, if it doesn't mean they have to release a player too sign him. Melo and LeBron have had a long friendship, that dates back to high school, we all know LeBron's voice carries more weight than the average players to. LeBron also has liked a photo on instagram to bring in Melo, so why not bring him in? Without LeBron, the Lakers have struggled greatly, winning only a few games and dropping in the playoffs. With Melo the Lakers would have another scoring option and someone who can help lead them to a few wins without LeBron.

Another team would be the Pelicans, they haven't had a small forward who averaged over 13 point a game since James Ennis in 2015-16, and he only played 9 games. That team needs another scorer, Davis needs more help and Melo is the best option for them. Melo could come in and become a reliable 3rd option for them. Melo could come in off the bench and provide firepower for when Jrue and Davis are off the floor.

The Trailblazers have been after Melo since 2017. Portland has a huge problem with bench points, they only average 27.6 points per game and are currently ranked 27th in the league. The Trailblazers have had a problem with only Lillard and McCollum being the only scoring options, with Melo they would finally have another scoring option and take off some of the pressure off them.

The surprise team that could take a chance on Melo would be the Hornets. The Hornets have no real 2nd option, currently it is Jeremy Lamb who averages 15.1 points per game then it's Malik Monk who averages 10.2 points per game. Kemba needs help but the Hornets have no assets to trade and no money to sign a big name free agent. Melo would be a real second option for them and on a cheap deal, he could finally be the help that Kemba desperately needs.

Carmelo Anthony is a 10-time All-Star and is one of the great of his generation. Melo is still averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebound this year, the Rockets were having a hard time integrating Melo into their system. I'm certain that Melo is still a relatable option and still can average 16-18 points if he is needed to. Someone should and will take a chance on Melo, the only question is who?

DeMarcus Cousins Finally Returns

DeMarcus Cousins has finally returned, which means the NBA season is over. The Warriors officially have 5 all-stars, first time since the 1975-76 Boston Celtics. That Boston Celtics team went on to go 54-28 and won the finals in 6 games. The Warriors have won 3 of the last 4 NBA championships with the 5 one on its way. If the Warriors win this year, they will become the 6th team ever to win 3 championships in a row.

Cousins made his return against the Clippers on Friday, the arena was mainly Warriors fan to help welcome Cousin's return. DeMarcus Cousins started his first game back, he played 15 minutes and got 14 points, 6 rebounds, and made 3 3-pointers. This is huge because Green has become a huge liability from 3point, shooting at 25.6%, this has caused some problems for the Warriors. Without Green being a factor from 3point land, teams have sagged off Green and made the Warriors easier to guard. With Cousins back the floor will spread even more, and gives the Warriors more spacing and more options from long-range. The Warriors also set a lot of screens for Curry, Durant, and Klay, with Cousins being 6'11", tall he will help set more picks for these guys and get them even more open than before. Cousins will help bring the Warriors to the next step and become one of the most dominate teams we will ever see in our lifetime.

On the court Cousins had a tremendous effect, he was tied for 2nd highest +/- on the team, with 21. This means with Cousins on the floor, the Warriors outscored the Clippers by 21 points, he only played 15 minutes. Cousins also fouled out during the game, and he got a standing ovation from his team and the crowd.

After the game, Cousins had a postgame interview where he said that "Felt like a kid on Christmas. It's been a long journey. This is probably one of the best days of my life." DeMarcus is happy and that should terrify the league. Throughout his career, he has had attitude problems which have prevented him from reaching his full potential as a teammate. His team even loves him, with Curry and Thompson dumping Gatorade all over Cousins, after the game. With Cousins excited, and his teammates loving him, it will be easy for the Warriors to integrate Cousins into their system and become the most dominate team in the league.

Like it or not the Warriors are going to win again, even though you might try to talk yourself into another team. The Warriors have been the most dominate team we've seen since 2015, and one of the most dominating teams we will ever see in our life. They have 5 Allstars, who are all eager to play together and are ready to take over the league. This Warriors team has potential to become the greatest team of all time. Cousins is still not even at mid-season form and when he reaches it, it's impossible to know how dominating the Warriors are going to be. So grab a seat and enjoy watching one of the best teams of all time, love them or hate them they don't care they are going to win a championship.

All star break: Does it really matter?

Every year the NBA season has events we look forward too. One of those are being the all-star game. the most enjoyable and fun times for players and fans alike.for years the event has nothing but excitement. But this year it feels different. the main three reasons why are inconsistent formats, trade deadline, and top players involvement.

The league has always tried to enhance the formant of the all-star game. the issue is that every year there is a major change that makes it impossible to fully support the event weekend as a whole. Just this year i was having a hard time voting for the players in the game itself. Where all the players are on a list and there is no different in east and west players. This makes voting very difficult because you have to go back forth to get exactly what 10 players you want to vote for. Also the system that allows  double vote on certain days just makes it feel less real. for the event itself the contest always always makes minor changes. The game last year was voted for by team captains and this year it hasn't made clear why we went to system. It feels like a popular contest and friends. Not all great players are friends. The problem is the change every year to things that feel like they don't know what they are doing.

The trade deadline is a new problem. Most players and higher ups wont attend the game because they are trying to make trade. The deadline was moved two weeks back so players don't traded in the game itself. Also the game could have a massive amount of tampering where players can talk to GMs and  try to convince them to join them or get them traded to their team. The trade deadline will have long lasting effects on how people view the game. Because the deadline will have a an affect on who makes it and who doesn't. The game requires 15 east players and 15 west players. It is very possible that some players don't make it because of trades that happen.

We go to see the best of the best play in all kinds of sports. The all-star game is the same because we want to see there best. The problem is we don't see there best. Even the best just trey it has a warm up in the events. There is no real competition in the games until the last minuets or final rounds of the events. I am not saying i want to 100 percent but Little bit of effort could go along way. When some participates in an event they do it for some cause they choose. If they win they win money for that cause. It looks really bad when they barley pay attention in an event that they are and the cause isn't getting your best on live TV.

Overall the league doesn't know what they are doing for the all-star game or it feels like that.The league should make a more considerable effort in making it a fun even where players can show off but be safe. It hasnt done that in the last couple years and it shows.

The Shooter Your Team Needs To Take A Chance On

There's a player in NBA/G-League who currently has never really received a real shot in the NBA but in the G-League has proven he's NBA talent. He is shooting at 40.5% from 3 point land and is averaging 24.5 ppg during his 8 game run in the G-League. His name is Malachi Richardson. He was drafted 22nd in the 2016 NBA draft and since he's been in the league he was never given a real shot. He played for the Kings, which we all know up until the last 2 years has been a disaster of a team, then he was traded to the Raptors where he is buried in the bench. In his 3 year career, Richardson has only played 68 games and is averaging only 2.8 shots per game. With these statistics in the G-League I don't see why a team who needs shooter, like the Thunder or Pelicans, wouldn't try to trade for Richardson and finally give him a real shot in the league. Richardson was a knockdown shooter in college, with Syracuse, shooting 35% from 3 point. Malachi was so good with Syracuse, he lead the Orange to a Final Four performance. Syracuse was a complete Cinderella story where they started off 10th in their conference. Richardson was hitting big shot after big shot for Syracuse that year. Richardson is perhaps one of the best shooters in the league who isn't given a legitimate shot in the NBA. If I was a gm who needed a shooter on their team, I would personally give Richardson a shot.

Demarcus Cousins Returns!

Golden State Warriors center Demarcus Cousins will be making his season debut Friday on the road against the the Los Angeles Clippers. He could of returned Wednesday which would of been against his old team but he didn’t want to give the reporters a story and make his return more bigger than it seems or make it to a rivaly or bad blood between them he strictly wanted to make it about his return. It’s been almost a year since his Achilles tear he suffered last year. Cousins at first was supposed to return sooner after he got cleared from the doctors but he wanted to continue going to rehab so he wouldn’t have minimal limited minutes on his return. How many minutes Cousins will be playing is still unknown head coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr, has not acknowledged Cousins minute limit for Friday. Cousins teammates have high expectations for his return they feel as if he will contribute tremendously to their team and bring great effort. But they know he’s been out for a while so they realize he will be a little rusty at first. Cousins teammate Kevin Durant had some words about Cousins he said “ He’s been out for a long time and for him to regain his rhythm, we are definitely going to assist him on that. It may take a couple games for us to figure it out. I’m excited to see the process of integrating Cousins into the lineup and playing a lot of minutes. I guess he’ll be on a minute restriction. I don’t know how that works, but once he starts upping his minutes, I’m excited about that, and I think he will be in a good flow”. Cousins and his teammates are exited for his return Cousins expressed to the media that he just really can’t wait to get back on the court and play the game he lives in his exact words “ he misses the hell out of it and going to come out and play with joy”. I can’t wait to see his return and how the warriors integrate him in their system. I feel as if he will be a key weapon to them when it’s playoff time and will be a great fit in their system.

Kyrie Irving Controversy Is Must Watch TV

On the last play of the Celtics game against the Magic, Gordon Hayward passed the ball to Tatum for a buzzer beating miss from mid-range. Kyrie Irving immediately starting yelling at Hayward about the play. Apparently Kyrie wanted to have the ball go to Al Horford, so he can set a pick for Irving to hand him the ball and get the last shot. It's a great play to do, expect for the fact that there was only 2.9 seconds left one the clock. According to Adam Himmelsbach, after the game Kyrie was just sitting at his locker, just looking forward. He didn't even shower yet, while most of the other players on the team were dressed and already have left.

Kyrie was interviewed about the up-and-down season the Celtics are having currently, he said that "the young guys don't know what it takes to be a championship-level team. And if they think it is hard now, what do they think it will be like when we're trying to get to the finals?' Irving's voice should carry more weight than others in the locker room, due to him being the superstar player, but the question is if the Celtic players are sick of him? Last season without Irving and Hayward the young Celtic's team made it within a few minutes of the finals, and now this year they are currently 5th in the East with a record of 26-18. Some of the Celtic's young players have to be saying to themselves that he's getting annoying, they did great without him last season, but this season they are doing way below expectations.

Some of the younger players are taking Irving's comments better than others. Jaylen Brown was asked about Irvings comments the next game against the Nets, he said "we gotta be more accountable as a group. It's not one guy's fault, it's not young guys, old guys faults, it's everybody. There's been a lot of speculation about whether or not this was a jab at Irving. I believe it was a huge jab at him, Irving should've keep the comments within the team but there's a bigger issue here.

THE CELTICS ARE SLOWLY FALLING APART! Now everyone on the team isn't fighting but there's more and more fights everyday. This season the Celtics were playing the Heat on national tv, and Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris had to separated due to a heated argument during a timeout. Everyone isn't happy with their reduced roles on the team and everyone isn't happy with each other. I suggest the Celtics trade Brown this season because he seems to be the most visibly upset. He has already thrown jabs at Kyrie and got into a heated fight with Morris, it's almost like he's forcing his way out of Boston.

After the Celtics lost to the Magic, Irving actually called LeBron to apologize. He was apologizing for being young and not seeing the bigger photo.LeBron was reportedly at dinner with Kevin Love during the phone call, how crazy is that! LeBron and Kyrie both have the same issue now, both are trying to lead young players and teams into the playoffs. They will probably grow into a strong friendship, maybe we will see a LeBron, Kyrie banana boat photo.

Kyrie just wants to win, Bill Simmons has said that people in the Celtics organization said that Irving has matched the intensity of Kevin Garnett. Irving just wants to win, he is a championships caliber player and has hit one of the biggest shots in finals history. Irving knows how to win, the only problem he faces is how to be a leader. If he can successfully become a leader, there is not telling where the Celtics could go this season.

Luka: Shining the light

I know this isn't a surprise. A story that every one is saying. What would i say that is different that ESPN or Fox hasn't said. Luka Doncic has been the best rookie in the league by far. Dominating the race with great gmae after great game.

Luka came from the euro leagues like many others. So many had there doubts about another euro player coming and underachieving. Luka however  has shown that he deserved to be the number one pick over Trea Yonug and Deandre Ayton. They have played well yes but Luka has just been wonders. He leads his team to many great games will being clutch in many moments to keep his team in the game. Averages 20.2 points a games and rising with each game he plays. His last game he made 26 points 5 assist and 6 rebounds in a close game vs the Warriors.

He shows long term that he can compete in his with the greats. In his first year as a player, he is shown great skill and intelligence. In the last couple years most rookies come in with great potential but many flaws. For most of them, they take one to two years to maker any real impact. Besides the 50-50 good and bad games. Luka has shown be like a true star always competing in every game he plays now. I would say he is the future but i would be wrong. To say that would mean he wouldn't compete for the three years. I believe with the right team he could be a true star player who is in the MVP race for the next ten years without a doubt.

Overall Luka will win Rookie of the year without a doubt but most impotently he is his team leader. his growth will come in decisions making and how he will adopt to hard situation. He is very much the a treat in any real game. The real test for him will be the making the playoff and seeing how far he will get. Not many rookies could say that or are ready for that responsible.

Cavaliers Under-minding The Warriors Will Change The Draft

Recently the Cleveland Cavaliers have signed and released ex-Warrior Patrick McCaw, but the outcome of this decision could cost them a draft pick. McCaw recently signed a two-year 5 million dollar contract, The Warriors had the option to match the contract but chose not to. If the Warriors chose to keep McCaw they would've been forced with a luxury tax of an additional 11.3 million dollars, bringing the luxury tax to a grand total of 61.3 million dollars. McCaw was released by the Cavs just 3 days after signing to them.

The Warriors have filed an investigation against the NBA, saying an illegal deal was done. The allegations are that the Cavs have signed McCaw as a favor or just to get back at the Warriors for the last few years finals. If found out that the Cavs actually did do this deal, then they would be found in violation against the league rules.

If found guilty, the Cavs could potentially be faced with a heavy fine and a lose of a 1st round draft pick. If they do lose their 1st round pick than Cleveland's entire season would be a huge waste. They are clearly tanking with the worst record in the NBA and currently are tied with have the best odds of landing the 1st overall pick. If the NBA does take away their pick then what should the Cavs do?

Kevin Love is currently hurt, with no timetable for return. Without their best player on the Cavs they are forced to tank the season and go for a chance at Zion, the only problem is that now they might not have a chance for him. The Cavs might as well go all in on Sexton and develop him and try to win games. They need to make moves to help them win now and try to excite the fans for the future.

Sexton has a lot of potential, with even the rookie voting Sexton the rookie of the year before the season began. Sexton is the future of the Cavs and they need to embrace it. They need to have Love come back and have Sexton and Love become a great duo in the Eastern Conference trying to win as many games as possible.

What this means for the rest of the teams that are tanking is that everyones odds for the 1st overall pick goes up. Teams like Phoenix, New York, and Chicago will commit even harder to tanking, with other teams starting to tank instead of trying to win a few games now. The tank wars will be in full effect with everyone trying to get a chance at Zion if the odds increase for all the teams if the Cavs lose their pick.

Does thunder only strike once?

As we watch the Oklahoma City Thunder this season we see the improvements in their team as a whole and team chemistry. As you watch them you notice how much of an improvement their team has had on both sides of the ball. The Thunders defense is considered one of the best in the league this season and on offense, Westbrook finally got out of his stat chasing phase and has let superstar Paul George operate more on offense who by the way is having a career year this year. Then you have Steven Adams who is considered one of the best two-way centers in the league, also on offense they have been rotating the ball opening up more people for shots and spreading the floor everywhere inside the paint.Yes, I said spread the floor inside the paint

Even with the teams improvements there is still more room for improvement like always. The Thunder suffer tremendously from  shooting outside the paint they are the worst team in the NBA from deep. Well almost the most they are just right above the Atlanta Hawks who average 33.5% outside the paint and the Thunder are just right above them averaging 34.3% from outside the paint.





 But the Hawks have taken more jumpers than them beyond the arc and have the third highest 3point to mid-range in the league which is 4.3. The Thunder ratio is 1.9 which is the 10th lowest in the league so the Hawks shots are more effective, and the Thunder is ranked 24th in the league for effective shots. Even though the Thunder suffer from shooting outside the paint they hide it well with their ability to get to the basket and score and grab rebounds they rank second in offensives rebounds percentage. They also have lessened their turnovers which also gives them the ability to hide their outside the paint situation. I feel as if this can only hold up so long and will be there downfall when it comes to playoff time and their opponents exploits their flaws.

The New Basketball Kings Of LA

Los Angeles has been known as Lakers territory since 1960, with The Clippers always being the "little brother" to them. The Clipper's have had their own moment with Lob City, where they were clearly the better team. Recently The Lakers have taken back the city of Los Angeles with the signing of LeBron James, but do they truly have the brighter future?

The Lakers have their young-core they are proud of with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma. On paper this core seems like they would be a very good future, but I truly believe that they are overrated. Lonzo Ball is only 21 years old with a lot of potential, but the main concern with him is his aggressiveness. Ball's aggressiveness is spotty at best. On January 2nd Ball only shot 4 shots against the Thunder, while on January 7th he shot the ball 15 times. With this type of inconsistency we don't truly know what Lonzo we are getting night in and night out. Lonzo Ball needs to pick up his aggressiveness in order tor each his full potential, if not he'll become a bust. With year 2 and year 3, Ingram has only gone up by .4 points per game, averaging only 16.5. When coming into the league Ingram was thought of as a Kevin Durant-type scorer, who could tear a team up. So far Ingram has not lived up to his expectations at all. The next of the core is Kyle Kuzma, who is an extremely good scorer however he isn't consistent enough. Kuzma is averaging 18.2 points and is the best player of this core. Kuzma might not have the same name as Ball and Ingram, but when he came into the league, Kuzma quickly made a name for himself.

The Next Laker on this list is LeBron James, who is already 34 years old and not getting any younger.  He recently just signed a 4-year deal with the Lakers, which means they have him till he's 38. LeBron is one of the greatest players of all time, but how much does he truly have left in his tank? On Christmas Day against the Warriors, LeBron suffered an injury to his groin and still isn't back. I hate to wish injury on any player every and wouldn't ever want to see it, especially to someone as polarizing and an icon like how LeBron is, but this could be a sign that going to 8 straight times is finally catching up to him. During these 8 years, LeBron played on Team USA, lead the league in minutes per game last year, and played the entire season last year. Father Time catches up to all of us from Kobe Bryant to Peyton Manning, this could be the beginning of the end for LeBron.

On the other hand, The Los Angeles Clippers seem to be rising. They have a new owner, Steve Ballmer, who is working with Doc Rivers to change the culture. Now we don't have to go into detail about what happened with the old owner, but I think everyone can agree that bringing in a new owner was a great move. When Doc Rivers got to LA he had all the banners, and retired Laker's jerseys covered up, as a way to make his players feel as if they aren't living in the shadow of the Lakers. Ballmer is currently looking into moving the team to Inglewood, to help the Clippers move out of the shadow of the Lakers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is looking like a great pickup for the Clippers. He is absolutely knock down from the mid-range, every time he shoots from mid-range it feels like it's going in. Even Kevin Durant said that Shai was the best rookie he played up against last year, a cosign from a finals MVP I feel it's a huge deal. Last Season the honor went to Donovan Mitchell, who went on to be Runner up Rookie of the Year.

The Clippers are going to get Kwahi Leonard, like it or not this is what will happen. Woj said that the Clippers are sending officials to every Raptor's game, home or away, to try to bring him in. Kwahi hates the cold to and it was reported that during the Allstar break in Toronto a few years ago, Kwahi didn't leave his room because of the Temperature. Kwahi wants to come home to LA and doesn't want to live in LeBron's shadow, so the Clippers is where he will take over the town. A product of Los Angeles will help win the city over for sure.

The Clippers are the team of the future in Los Angeles, they have built a tough team with a tough identity. The Clippers already were 1st in the West at one point this season already, that is without Kwahi who will come to LA next year. The Lakers are mainly hyped up players who aren't living up to expectations, and are currently struggling to fight for the playoffs, currently 8th, without LeBron. The Clippers however are currently 4th in the Western Conference with no sight of slowing down. The City of Los Angeles better watch out for the new powerhouse in the NBA.

What if: The Thunder stayed to together?

In the year 2012, The rockets were able to trade for their future star James Harden. With this trade the rockets were able to form a team around him and fight in the west. On the other hand the Thunder decided to move on from James Harden for 4.5 million. The owner did not want go over the luxury cap and pay taxes. Later on Kevin Durant would leave to make his mark on Warriors. The last key factor that left the team was Serge Ibaka being trade to the raptors. The only member of the four core players is westbrook. But what if They did the opposite actions were taken to preserver the team?

The first effect I believe that would need to change is James Harden either taking less or the thunder paying all he wants.I believe he would still leave after the contract ends so for this to work the thunder would have to pay him. the pros of Harden is having three great scorers on one team. Also i believe he would've have finally started full time. The ball would have to be passed around a bit but Harden has shown he is more then willing to pass when he needs too. Also the thunder natural play maker was James. The finals they lost to the heat was very hard but one key factor for the heat was to make sure Harden off his game. the reason was very simple Keven and Russel could make lots of buckets but James was the x-factor. If he scored then they would need the big three to score equally well. Also they would have been to many more finials and the Warriors  team we have now would have never been so strong. harden would have been able to fight off the offensives power that the Warriors held over the thunder when they came back from 3-1 lead against the thunder. Plus the experience off the many years would have made battle ready. The pure talent of the team would have epic like what we see with the Warriors.

The second act that I think would have been Avoid is that Kevin would have been a team with championship already. The team would have at least one and they would have the top ten talent in there starting line up. the term winning cures all comes to mind. When your winning you would sacrifices more for more victory. They would no needing to feel like your loosing because the front office likes one player over another. James would counter balance all that because it would be another impotent voice. The team would be crazy to just listen to one player of a big three made from the daft. The Thunder would have been a power house with all players. This would have also changed the big three in the Miami Heat. The heat would have had at least one more finals with this this team and potently lost. also the spurs would have been more challenged and Tim would have one less ring.

The final piece is Ibaka. He may not be the most talent on offense but he is the defense you need in clutch game. He would have been the Draymont Green or Chirs Bosh role down the line. the problem that thunder had in real life is the third option was never truly there. the thunder would have solved it and Serge wouldn't have had to try to become a offense player taking him out of his game. The overall chemistry would work because the roles would fit him so well. The team with Serge could cover all bases with not trading him.

Overall this maybe situation is a crazy idea on paper because you would have to fight contracts and such. But if you look at how the league plays the game, the thunder would've been the best of both words fast paced with scoring  and big down low with other players they had. the real reason this amazing is because all the three members are in fact top 5 in the league right now. The league was changed by the warriors but the league could have changed it to a whole new way. teams would still try to push for the daft harder. Again this is a what if, the legend will always be there because once you see the picture of all three of them in the same Jersey at the same time. it will hard to believe that this happened and people will wonder what happened.

Donovan Mitchell Needs Help In Utah

Last season rookie sensation, Donovan Mitchell, became a household name to basketball fans across the world. In his rookie year, Mitchell managed to become a starter, over Rodney Hood, and help lead The Jazz to the playoffs. In the playoffs Mitchell was incredible, averaging 24.4 point per game, even leading The Jazz to 2nd round in the western conference playoffs. Donovan Mitchell lead the Jazz to an impressive 1st round win over the Thunder, who had Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony. Mitchell lead the Jazz in scoring 4 out of the 6 games, where game 6 Mitchell went on a mission scoring 38 points. Donovan was putting the league on notice for his impressive play.

Donovan placed 2nd in the rookie of the year, coming up short to Ben Simmons. Mitchell was the 13th pick in the 2017 draft. He was selected by the Denver Nuggets who immediately turned around and traded him for the 24th pick (Tyler Lydon) and Trey Lyles. Mitchell's breakout game his rookie year came December 1st, against the Pelicans, where he dropped 41 points. This is a huge accomplishment as he was the first rookie to drop 40 points in a game since Blake Griffin in 2011, and it was the most points put up by a Utah Jazz Rookie. Mitchell also passed Karl Malone as the most 20+ point in franchise history, and passed Damian Lillard for most 3 pointers by a rookie. In regular terms, Mitchell was a one of a kind rookie, the Jazz found themselves a superstar.

In his sophomore season, Mitchell's stats have gone down in almost every category. You can blame this on the famous sophomore slump that some players go through, but I would blame it on the talent they paired Mitchell with. Rudy Gobert is a very good defensive player, who a lot of people had in their talks for the preseason MVP predictions for 2018. The main problem I had with Rudy is that he isn't a player who you can give the ball and say make something happen for me. Rudy is a very excellent player who is great to have on your team. He should be your best defender, but for today's game scoring is very important. The Jazz need to give Mitchell more help offensively.

During the buyout period, where a lot of good players will be bought out, the Jazz should be in talks with the players. The 76ers last season brought in Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, who played huge roles in the playoffs for them. The Jazz need to do something like this to give Donovan More options to help make the offense easier for him.

Donovan Mitchell should be used in a more of a facilitator type role, currently he is averaging 3.4 assists per game, Quinn Snyder (Head Coach) should help with this. Quinn Snyder is an extremely good coach, who was one of the runner-ups for coach of the year last season, he should help expand Mitchell's game to become more an elite passer. If Mitchell can become a more elite passer it will make his game easier. When the defender has to worry about the pass as well as him scoring, it will make Mitchell virtually unguardable.

Mitchell is an extremely good young player, who everyone needs to pump the brakes on worrying. He will figure it out and if the Jazz can help him become a more complete player it will help make him more of an elite player. Mitchell's potential extremely high, The Jazz should do everything in their power to not waste it. They need to get him a better second option he can learn more from, instead of Gobert, who I believe can be your 3rd option on a championship team. Donovan Mitchell should ultimately try to adapt his game to become a Hardenesk type role, even if he can't become as elite as Harden it'll help his team become more successful in today's game.

James Harden: The True MVP

James Harden has been in the talks for MVP for the last 2 to 3 seasons. Every year we discuss who should take the title of Most Valuable Player every year but only few names are ever thought of automatically. Harden have shown great skill and leadership proving his worth, but there is a question to be asked if that is enough. I believe the main three reasons are team record, individual stats in season, and is he the leader of the the team..

James Harden teams are normally very great records.To be MVP your team will need to fight for a good spot on the list. Most MVP candidate come from at least the top three teams in there conference. The only exception is Russel Westbrook who was 8th overall in the conference. You might be asking why I believe Harden team record is a good case. harden the year before got the number one seat in the conference and the year before he was at the bottom. But look one year more back and you the second seed. Currently the rockets are fifth in the west but if history is any indicator then you will see them at least in third place. He leads his team to great regular seasons records. He already won one last year and more ready then ever to win another.

Individual stats are key factor to ever be considered a MVP. It is hard to argue that James Harden has shown improvement since last season. He is averaging three point more then last season while maintaining the Field goal percentage. Not only that but he has made history in this season alone. he has joined the ranks of Jordan and Kobe on making 40 points in a game for many nights in a row. he did it for five games. not only that but on top of that he is getting his team mates involved in the offence while he going crazy. his offence is clicking at all cylinders while his defense is improving with two steals a game. His stats are above the line of regular and is great.

The last one is leadership. Is James Harden being a leader? The answer is yes by a mile. The rockets rely on him for scoring in major moments that matter. Also this season the Rockets are missing two of there key players. Chris Paul and Eric Gordan are two major keys for the rockets success. Without them, Harden has taken the responsibility of the scoring for wins. if you look at what he is doing has a head of the Rocket controlling momentum and flow. If James is on they are on, No question James is a leader that leads the team.

The reason why James Harden is the MVP to this point is simple. He has did everything to keep his team in the playoff picture and doing it on historic scale. He has fought to so chris and Eric can come back and give james a helping hand. James Harden is the true MVP.

This Week On Keeping Up With Jimmy Butler

NBA all-star Jimmy Butler has had ran to a problem with the Sixers coach Brett Brown. Butler feels as if he’s not being utilized right and that his role on the team isn’t big enough. This isn’t Butlers first time having a problem with a team on his previous teams he has had multiple problems with coaches and players. On the Bulls, he had problems with their young players, and with the Timberwolves he had problems with the young superstars on their team (Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins) and the whole coaching staff, that he also verbally challenged. But unlike his previous teams, Jimmy Butler claims are shown to be true. If you watch Jimmy Butler, he’s know for scoring in pick and rolls and isolation play. But the Sixers run their offense through the high post instead of pick and rolls and that goes against Butlers style of play. By them running it through the high post Butler touches go down and it doesn’t let him play his game well, which would support Butlers claim. Even though it obvious that Butlers claims are right some people would say he went about it the wrong way and overstepped his boundaries as a player. Coach Brown needs to straighten out Butler, but Brown feels otherwise he said "I didn’t feel like any of that crosses the line and if it did it would of been dealt with quickly."  Coach Brown knows how much Butler cares about the team and how much he cares about winning and what a competitor Butler is. Brown is trying his best to work Butler in the offense he went later on to say "My Job is to make this work this is my job when you come into a situation with Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and JJ Redick, it always doesn’t equal immediate sorts of pleasure or Immediate comfort." Which is true it takes time to add a fourth star in the mix of things so soon. I believe coach brown will find a solution to get everyone on the same page. But in the mean time I feel Butler will find a way to adapt and find meaning in his role. Coach Brown will surely work night and day fit Butler in the offense. The great player he is needs to adapt to his role and find the meaning of his role and recognize the importance in his role and carry it out to the fullest until changes can be made.

Anthony Davis Trade Will Relocate The Pelicans

Anthony Davis is by all accounts is a top 5 NBA player who any franchise would be more than pleased to build a team around. The New Orlean Pelicans struck gold in 2012 when they landed with the 1st overall pick, who they used on Davis. So far the tenure with Davis has been poor with them only making the playoffs twice in Anthony Davis's 6 years in the league. In 2015 The Pelicans got Swept by the Warriors to send them home in the first round, while in 2018 they had more success. In the first round they swept the Trailblazers, but in the second round they were sent home in 5 games to the Warriors. The common notion around the league is that Anthony Davis will be traded, the problem is that if this does happen then The Pelicans will have to move out of New Orleans.

Currently the Pelicans are one of the teams who are losing money every season. On average the Pelicans have 15,620 fans in attendance, which currently has them ranked at 25th in the league. New Orleans is on the fringe of being last place in the league in attendance, when they have a top 5 player in the league. In 2018, Forbes released an article where they estimated the value of all the teams in the league, with The Pelicans coming in last place. They have the least value out of all the teams, even when the league owned the Pelicans they made it a mission to find someone who will keep the team in New Orleans. It took the league two years to sell it to Tom Benson, who unfortunately died in March 2018. The Pelicans are now owned by his wife, Gayle Benson, who is a business women. She understands that sports is a business and will want to make some money off the team, most likely. If The Pelicans are starting to become a blackhole, money-wise, then it would make no financial sense to keep the team in New Orleans.

Anthony Davis wants a better team around him to help him become a contender and help his legacy. The common rumor is that Davis will go to LA to join LeBron because in September, Davis signed with LeBron's agency, Klutch Sports. Davis will be best remembered if he goes to a team of his own or if he stays in New Orleans. All of LeBron's teammates get highly criticized and the common phrase is that if you win it's all because of LeBron and if you lose it's all your fault. Davis will have his legacy potentially hurt, like how Love did. Love before he was traded was considered one of the best, if not the best, power forwards in the league at the time. He was a double-double machine, who could hit a 3 pointer and was considered the face of the Timberwolves. Now Love has turned into a shell of himself, reputation-wise, he was highly coveted and now it's debated on whether or not he's an all-star. Anthony Davis could potentially turn into this if he doesn't help out James win a title. 

If the Pelican's trade Anthony Davis they also face the issue of potentially moving the team. With The Pelican's being dead last, to almost last place in every financial category the franchise is really only selling anything because of Davis. Without Davis, the team would be faced with the issue of relocating due to a huge drop in sales. The jersey sales would even dramatically drop, as of last season Davis was the 15th highest selling jersey in the league. 

New Orleans is mainly a football town, with the Saints being the kings of the town. In 2018, The Saints had the 8th highest average attendance, with 73,051 fans in attendance. On average, The Saints are averaging 57,431 more fans per game than The Pelicans. With this problem, fighting for your own town's attendance, you'd have to consider moving if your franchise player is dealt away.

However, The Pelicans do have a huge advantage over the competition with the supermax extension. The Pelicans can offer Davis $266,633,018 while any other team can offer Davis $252,316,701, that's a $14,316,317 decision Davis could be faced with. The Pelicans can also take a play out of the Clippers playbook and give Davis a "jersey retirement," just like how the Clippers did with Blake Griffin. They can pitch to Davis that he can become the greatest player in Pelican's History and be their Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Michael Jordan.

Anthony Davis can easily go down as the greatest Pelican of all-time, if the Pelicans can find a way to keep him. If The Pelicans don't act now and build a contender around Davis, New Orleans could potentially lose their professional basketball team. The Anthony Davis being traded story isn't just a story about a player being traded, but a story about how New Orleans could lose their team.

Ben Simmons: No Jumper

In the world of basket ball many things change. The one aspect that has become paramount is the jump shoot. Curry changed the mind set of the three ball how teams feel the need to use it. With this in mind most super stars players that we praise have a jump shoot of some kind. That brings me to Ben Simmons and his lack of a jump shoot.

Ben Simmons was the number 1 pick in the daft. A very skilled young player with a future with lots of upside. He is considered the next LeBron of the next generations. The only problem is he doesn't shoot. I don't know if he cant, I don't if he wont, but he doesn't. The jump shot is so important to open the lane for slashers and space for big men. To fully be the best Point Forward for his teammates he will to shoot beyond 15 feet from the basket. Ben is a teammate of the best big man in the league Joel Embiid. He would be better if Ben could create more space. He plays point forward for offense but defense can shag off him if they need to and keep the paint tight for his drives and his big men post ups.

If Ben Simmons could get a jumper he would be able to create. They would become a dangerous team because of the overwhelming  talent next to him. My worry is that he doesn't develop a jumper and loses his edge. For example, Diwght Howard was a great young big once upon a time. Later reports came out that he was already dominate and didn't need to improve his offensives game. Having three hall of famers teaching him how to shot free throws but never getting better in game. Ben is going down that dark road as well. he didn't play his first year because of injuries. then came back played well enough to win rookie of the year. Even after all this, His longest jump shot came in December 2018 game. It was 22 foot jumper trying to beat the shot clock from reaching zero.

He needs a jump shot soon. When he was in collage no even tried to defend him in big games. When playoffs hit the mistakes you make in the regular season will be at an eleven. You need to be at your best. With such a weakness he will at best a liability in the fourth quarters in any impotent game.

Kwahi Leonard And DeMary DeRozan Play Against Their Former Teams

With the 15th pick in 2011 Nba draft the San Antonio Spurs would select Kwahi Leonard. Leonard would become a huge factor in the 2013-2014 title run and even become the Finals MVP. He would become the Spurs future, with expectations being that he would replace the rein of Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker, but things didn't turn out as the Spurs planned. Kwahi Leonard was faced with a right quadricep injury and that's where things turned. Kwahi didn't trust the team doctors diagnosis and sat out most of the year, including not showing up to the playoff games. Kwahi didn't even sit on the bench or even show up to the arena, he was absent.

Kwahi Leonard is about to play at home against the Spurs for the first time this season and it will be interesting. While Danny Green will definitely be given a warm reception, with cheers and a tribute video, the question is what type of reception will Kwahi receive? While Leonard did help win the city a championship and grew up in front of the city, he did very questionable things. Kwahi wasn't heard from the entire year, which caused the media to have a complete frenzy with the story, and then the team held a players-only meeting where they reportable asked Kwahi to play. This meeting was very tense and emotional, after this meeting Leonard didn't play again this season. Even Tony Parker came out during the season to comment on Kwahi's injury. Tony said that his injury was "a hundred times worst" than Kwahi's. This just showed that not even his own teammates had his back.

Michelle Beadle, Espn Analysis and Avid Spurs Fan, went on Get Up! to show her frustrations for Kwahi and the frustrations of the entire fan based. Beadle said that he is coming off as an "obnoxious diva" which is fair for how it was being perceived. Last season Spurs fans have seem to have enough of Kwahi and just wanted him out of there. The Spurs are typically a high class organization who doesn't put up with childish games. I feel as if Kwahi will get a mixed reception from the crowd, with half of them booing and half of them cheering. The Spurs will definitely give him a tribute video, as Kwahi did help Gregg Popovich's 5th Nba Title.

The story being overlooked however is that this will be DeRozan's first game against the Raptors. DeRozan will definitely bring his A game and go prove to the whole team why they should've kept him around. DeRozan spent the first 9 years of his career in Toronto, and has been spending this entire season talking about how he felt betrayed by them. With DeRozan I feel as if the bigger game, for him, will be on February 22nd, when the Raptors are home. That will be DeMar's homecoming and his revenge game on them.

The Misdiagnosis Of A Potential All-Star Markelle Fultz

Markelle Fultz’s has been diagnosed with Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) and with a quick google search it says it results in him having pain in the shoulder or neck sometimes the upper arm with numbness and tingling in your hand. Sixers said that they will have Fultz start physical therapy immediately that sounds like great news to tell the fans his manager and the media but is that really his prognosis? Their medical staff for the Sixers organization has been wrong over and over again, so what’s the difference this time? Fultz went to New York due to the recurring errors of his medical staff. his prognosis might sound believable but as once again I think they are wrong. I feel as if they are going about diagnosis all wrong they keep on trying to find a medical solution but I think it is more of a mental issue that he is dealing with. He lost ability to play the game unconsciously now, which is causing him to have a hitch in his shot and making himself conscious about all his motions, for an example his free throw shot. A free throw shot is supposed to be one fluent motion, but with Fultz he shoots like he has a mental blockage that is stopping him from that. When he shoots his free throw, instead of shooting and releasing unconsciously, he has to think about every step and each motion from the start of the free throw all the way down to the release so each part of his shot is it’s own separate motion. His symptoms reminds me of the old Mets baseball player, Mackey Sasser, who lost his ability to throw the baseball unconsciously. He used to have to quadruple pump before he could even get the baseball out his hand it got so bad for him he used to have to walk the ball to the pitcher which unfortunately caused him to lose his job. He went to every doctor, just as Fultz, but nothing worked he didn’t find a cure to his problem till it was too late and they found out that he had a mental issue and they seen that a sports psychologist was the answer to his issue the whole time they seen that there was nothing physically wrong with him and it was all in his head in Sasser words “he just had a lot things built up in side they just taught him how to release it and free his mind.” Which concludes me to think that maybe Fultz seeing a sports psychologist might be the best option for him he has already tried all the doctors from his staff which at this point they saying nothing is wrong with you and the doctors in New York who gave him this new diagnosis which if you look more into physical therapy barley helps with the recovery process of Thoracic outlet syndrome and obviously we have seen that no other methods or rehabs have worked so maybe he should go with a different approach and try to work with a sports psychologist and see if they can help I feel as if this is his best option and if he wants to save his career and continue to play he loves I would truly recommend it.

James Jones Needs To Be Fired From The Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have been in rebuild mode forever, it feels like, with them tanking every year to stockpile young assets to become a team of the future.  They fired their last GM, Ryan McDonough, 9 days before the season began, they let Ryan go through the entire offseason with them just to fire him. The last time the Suns made the playoffs was in 2010, with them on the brink of leaving Phoenix if a new stadium isn't built, the Suns need a new plan of attack now. James Jones has taken over as the GM and he did one of the dumbest moves in the NBA this season.

The first overall pick this year was DeAndre Ayton who presumably had the most upside in the 2018 draft. The 7'1 center out of Arizona was compared to the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMarcus Cousins. He's a very promising player to align with the rising superstar, Devin Booker. The biggest question with Ayton was his defense, which is normal for a big man at 20 year old to have.

To begin the season, the backup center on the roster was Tyson Chandler. Chandler is known for being the anchor of the championship Dallas Mavericks team, 2 time 2nd all defense NBA first team, 1 time all NBA defensive first team, and the defense player of the year in 2012 with the Knicks. Chandler would be the most ideal mentor for a young player who struggles on defense to learn from. Instead of this idea working out for the Suns and having Chandler teach Ayton, James Jones bought out Chandler.

Jones did this move as a "solid" for LeBron, a league source told ESPN. If this is true Jones needs to be fired from the Suns organization immediately. He isn't acting in the best interest of the team, but rather as the best interest of a friend. The Phoenix Suns have the players for future in Ayton and Booker, now they need to learn how to start winning and Chandler would've been a perfect teacher for Ayton to learn how to win.