NBA Mock Draft Rd 1 (Pt 1)

Now that the NBA Draft Lottery is complete and we are flying through the playoffs, we here at the FSB feel that it is time to start discussing the future of the NBA.  No we don't mean where LeBron will go, the major media outlets have that covered for us, we are talking about yet another Mock Draft!

Was- John Wall, PG                    Comparison: Athletic Jason Kidd

The Lucky Wizards will likely select John Wall with the first selection, and shift suspended guard to the shooting guard.Wall is the premiere player in this Draft.  He has premiere athleticism, court vision, passing, and speed from the point Guard position.  His athleticism and anticipation give him elite defensive potential.  He can get to the lane almost at will.  His jumpshot is inconsistent, and perhaps the talent at Kentucky allowed him to get by without improving it.  Still, I think he projects slightly better than Derrick Rose, as he is better in the half-court and on the defensive end than Rose was at a similar stage.

Phi- Evan Turner, SG Comparison: Brandon Roy

The Philadelphia 76ers,  were also fortunate to land a top pick after deciding to re-build late in the season.  While Holiday, Igoudala, and Turner would offer immense versatility together, none are much threats as perimeter shooters. I think they will likely weigh trading down with the Timberwolves, but will ultimately select Turner and put Andre Igoudala back on the trade block.  Turner compares to Brandon Roy, as both were talented players in systems where as the team’s best player, they were asked to handle the ball and make decisions.  Turner gets to the free throw line with his great handles and threatening pull-up jumper.  Turner is an average 3-point shooter.

NJ- Derrick Favors. PF Comparison: Carlos Boozer/ Shawn Kemp

The Nets, who had the greatest odds to reap the benefits of the top pick, fell down to 3^rd.  While this may ultimately remove them from the LeBron sweepstakes, Derrick Favors will be the easiest GM move, as they would not have to seek out a blockbuster trade.  Favors would team with Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Terrence Williams, and Courtney Lee to form a solid young core.  He is an prototypical power forward, with solid athleticism.  He is a solid rebounder, and shotblocker, as his long arms and explosive vertical make up for his average height.  He is a powerful finisher, and is improving on the offensive end.  He didn’t have great guard play at Tech, which may have impacted his stats.

Min- Derrick Cousins. C/PF Comparison: Al Jefferson/ Kendrick Perkins

The Timberwolves will likely push for a trade with 76ers for Evan Turner, who would fit in nicely in their backcourt with Johnny Flynn and Ramon Sessions.  If Minnesota, can not land Turner, Cousins will likely merit consideration.  Cousins would complement Kevin Love, and move Al Jefferson to a willing trade partner for a capable scoring wing.  Cousins has top tier skill, but there are many things that has NBA scouts questioning his selection.  First of all, he must continue to improve his athleticism and conditioning to succeed in the NBA.  Entering Kentucky, Cousins struggled running the floor and though he improved, he rotated often with fellow freshman Daniel Orton.  Though, in the time he was in, Cousins was the most efficient Collegiate player.  Cousins, also has a fiery temper and will allow his emotions to get the best of him.  He has committed many flagrant fouls, and gotten a way with some bush league tactics at times.  He will likely need a veteran mentor or coach to help control him.  If Cousins can put it together, he will be a top Center in the league.  

Sac- Wesley Johnson,SF Comparison: Caron Butler

Sacramento will likely hope that the Timberwolves, pass on Wes Johnson so they can select him.  The Kings fell to 5^th, though they had the 2^nd highest chance at the top pick.  By not securing Wall or Turner, Sacramento likely keeps Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans at the point guard, though he projects better as a shooting guard.  Wes Johnson, seem like the best available compliment for Evans, as he can extend the defense with his jumper, and guard other teams scorers, alleviating the pressure on Evans.  Wes Johnson, was an unheralded transfer from Iowa State before the season, but began it looking like a top 3 pick.  He possesses ideal athleticism and physical attributes which should translate on the defensive end, as we saw in Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 defense.  Though he saw the majority of his minutes as a 4, he has sweet jumper.  He likely projects as capable 2^nd scorer, but most continue to work on ball handling and creating his own shot.

GS- Greg Monroe, PF/C Comparison: Spencer Hawes 

The Warriors had a mediocre season and will need to improve to impress future owners.  With a sale impending, “Nellie-ball” will likely continue to be in effect, leading to more excitement, though not fruitful.  They will look to upgrade their forntline depth.  Greg Monroe is a fundamentally sound big man after 2 years in the Georgetown system.  He was highly recruited, but is only a fair athlete.  He would be suited in a system that can employ his finesse skills. 

Det- Cole Aldrich, C Comparison: Joel Pryzbilla / Roy Hibbert

After selecting versatile forwards in last draft, the Pistons should look to improve by adding a low post scoring threat.  The Pistons hope for Aldrich, but ultimately their decision hinges on who the Warriors select.  Cole Aldrich is very skilled Center with soft hands and good jumpshot.  He’s gritty and can rebound, block and pass.  While he isn’t great in transition, I think he can be good enough to play solid minutes.  He is a solid serviceable center, and doesn’t provide much upside.

LAC- Al Farouq Aminu, SF/PF Comparison: Josh Smith/ Julian Wright

The Clippers will likely address the SF position in the offseason.  They will look at re-signing Travis Outlaw, or working a sign-and-trade for Rudy Gay.  They can use this pick for depth and insurance, as there is no point guard of the future worth taking at this point.  Al Farouq Aminu is a very raw, athletic combo forward.  Ultimately, he likely will settle in as a stretch 4.   His explosive athleticism, motor and length project him as a top defender and capable rebounder.  He will have to continue to improve his ball-handling and shooting.

Utah (NYK)- Ekpe Udoh, PF Comparison: Jason Thompson

The Utah Jazz will focus on replacing impending free-agent Carlos Boozer.  The lack of front-court depth was exposed in the playoffs.  I think Greg Monroe, would be a better fit, but Udoh has great upside.  Ekpe Udoh has great upside.  This long-armed, athletic big man has great defensive potential and is a solid rebounder.  Given time, he can improve both his back to the basket and facing the basket offense.  He has decent enough handle and midrange game for a forward, and provides good work ethic.

Ind- Gordon Hayward, SF Comparison: Rashard Lewis

The Pacers are one of the most perplexing teams in the draft.  They really underachieved last year, and then passed on trading T.J. Ford, Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy, all of whom could have gotten greater return value than they are worth.  Indiana then went on a winning streak late in the season when they had nothing to play for, effectively taking them out of play for a elite upside talent in the draft.  Still, Danny Granger needs lots of help, and the best way will be to rebuild completely.  After drafting college starts Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush and Tyler Hansbrough in recent years, I gave them local star Gordon Hayward.  His versatility and scoring ability, will put him on the floor.  Gordon Hayward is lanky quick forward who was the best player on the Cinderella Butler team.  Hayward as a great skill set for his size.  He can shoot and create his own shot.  While he will need to add some muscle, he is a willing rebounder and passer.  He likely won’t be a great defender, but I appreciate his fearlessness going against Kyle Singler in a competitive NCAA title game.

NO- Daniel Orton , C Comparison: Brendan Haywood/ Andrew Bynum

New Orleans seems to be at a crossroads, as they will have to assemble enough pieces to appease star Chris Paul.  Paul was injured for half of this season, and was aptly replaced by rookie Darren Collison.  Collison and fellow rookie Marcus Thorton emerged as solid players after just their rookie season.  While that is good for the Hornets, they are  stuck with Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson’s contracts until the end of next season, and James Posey’s until 2012.  New Orleans will have to consider packaging Collison with a contract for some cap relief and talent.  In the draft, I would anticipate them looking for a capable center, such as Daniel Orton.  Daniel Orton is a bit of an enigma.  He has the talent to become a capable starter with NBA strength, and could be a good rebounder and shot-blocker.   Still in High school, his motor was questionable, and his limited minutes on a talented Kentucky team did nothing to dispel it.  If he can develop offense with his back to the basket, he would have all-star potential

Mem- Xavier Henry, SF/SG Comparison: Paul Pierce/Martell Webster

Memphis will need to replace impeding free agent SF Rudy Gay.   Gay will likely demand a close to maximum deal, and it will be interesting to see how much the Grizzlies will offer him.  Memphis will also need to continue to add depth, especially at the guard positions, if it desires to continue to push for a playoff spot.  Xavier Henry has an NBA ready body and can really shoot. While he started the college season hot, he deferred to the upperclassmen on a deep veteran Kansas team.   He will have to improve his ball handling

Tor- Ed Davis, PF Comparison: JJ Hickson

Toronto will likely have to address the loss of All-Star power forward Chris Bosh.  Bosh is a maximum deal player and can choose from markets in Houston, Miami, Chicago, New Yoark, as well as Toronto.  They will likely need a post player that can pick up for some of the defense inefficiencies of Andrea Bargnani.  They can also consider upgrading at point guard, as a shoot first point guard will likely fit in next to Hedo Turkogulu.  

Ed Davis is an athletic power forward with phenomenal upside.  He has been on the NBA radar for the past  2 years, but underachieved throughout his college career.  This has scouts convinced that Davis can not lead a team, but is more of a second fiddle.  He will need to get stronger, but he is a willing shotblocker and rebounder.

Hou- Donatas Motejunas, PF/C                                  Comparison: Andrea Bargnani

Houston had a tough year with Yao injured, and Tracy McGrady aging quickly.  The crafty Rockets

front office was able to move the disappoint McGrady, and 6^th man PF Carl Landry for SG Kevin Martin and PF Jordan Hill.  The Rockets additionally cleared enough cap room to sign a max free agent like Texas native Chris Bosh.  The Rockets will need to add some depth at center, and point guard if Kyle Lowry doesn’t re-sign.  Donatas Motejunas is a very talented offensive center. He can shoot from the perimeter, handle, and has a decent back to the basket game. He isn’t a great defensive player or rebounder.  He is a lefty that reminds scouts of Andrea Bargnani.  He could be an option to stash in Europe or in a reserve role.

Mil- Luke Babbit, SF Comparison: Omri Cassipi/ Linas Kleiza

Milwaukee really emerged looking a lot better around the core of Brandon Jennings, and Andrew Bogut.  The Bucks are a strong defensive team under Scott Skiles, and they could use a scorer at the forward position.  The Bucks will also have to re-sign John Salmons, or keep Michael Redd at the shooting guard.  Babbit is a very talented under-the radar player.  His smooth stroke and skill set are assets on the offensive side. Defensively, Babbit is a liability as he isn’t fast enough to keep up with a 3, not strong enough to play the 4.  

NBA Trade Deadline Recap (pt 2 of 2)

Memphis Grizzlies-

The Grizzlies picked up Ronnie Brewer for the price of a protected 2011 draft pick.  He should provide good depth for a team that leaves its starters in the longest.  This team was rumored to be in on some intriguing deals.  One was offering a trade of O.J. Mayo and Hasheem Thabeet for Monta Ellis. Luckily for them, this one did not go through.  The team should have instead considered trading Rudy Gay.  Gay will be a free-agent this summer and Memphis will likely be unable to match offers extended to him this summer, as he will likely be offered close to a maximum deal.  With players such as Tayshaun Prince on the market, the Grizzlies could have acquired a player that would fit their team as they continue to build on their momentum to the playoffs.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves traded Brain Cardinal for Darko Milicic. The only team with any success of getting production out of Darko was the Magic. If Coach Kurt Rambis and GM David Kahn are able to make the infamous bust into a formidable starting center, this could be a steal. As things stand, this is a low risk high reward trade.

New York Knicks-

The Knicks cleared $9.4 million off the 2010-11 payroll by sending Jared Jeffries and 2009 top pick Jordan Hill to the Rockets and sent Larry Hughes expiring contract to the Sacramento Kings.  In return, they got Sergio Rodriguez and Tracy McGrady.  Both should be good fits in Coach Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo system.  The Knicks also traded mercurial backup guard Nate Robinson to the Celtics for Eddie House, Bill Walker, and J.R. Giddens.  House has experience in D’Antoni’s offenses from his days in Phoenix, and Giddens and Walker are athletic enough to see some time as well. Though the deals, did not incrementally improve the Knicks, and sacrificed a good amount of their future with 2009 top 10 pick Jordan Hill, a swap of 2011 picks and a top-5 protected pick in 2012. GM Donnie Walsh did exactly what he wanted to do: Clear space and make a run at superstars LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Knicks potentially will have almost 32 million in cap space this off season, which should be enough to get a max contract and another contract very close to the max.

The big problem will happen if/when none of these superstar choose to join the Knicks this Summer. Should this occur, the Knicks will have to be very fiscally responsible in free agent spending. One should not forget the moves Scott Layden and Isaiah Thomas made in the previous decade like Alan Houston and the errors Joe Dumars made last year such as Stephon Marbury.  Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay, Amare Stoudemie, Carlos Boozer, and David Lee all should get nice deals, but none are worth max deals.  This situation will be worth monitoring this summer, but the Knicks can get 2 capable free agent stars

Portland Blazers-

The Blazers made the early speculated move of adding Marcus Camby for Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw.  It seems that they probably could have made this deal at any time, but waited for Andre Miller and Brandon Roy to mesh.  As we have stated earlier, this deal probably should have happened a couple months earlier, but the Blazers waited on some internal development.  Camby, a free agent at the end of the year, should be an option to return next year on a cheaper deal.

Philadelphia 76ers-

Jodie Meeks is a nice young prospect who really knows how to score. Still, Meeks is a little similar to Lou Williams, and Royal Ivey, whom they traded him for.  Francisco Elson won’t likely be a factor, then again Primoz Brezec wasn’t much of a factor either. The 76ers were unable to get involved in any major deals, which should be alarming, Their current roster is stuck in mediocrity.  While Sam Dalembert and Andre Igoudala were the most actively shopped names, I think Elton Brand should have also been shopped. The uptempo pace of the young 76ers doesn’t quite fit with the former Clipper and Duke star forward.  Teams like Charlotte, Toronto, Miami, Utah, or San Antonio could have used his services, as a frontcourt offensive threat.

Phoenix Suns-

The Phoenix Suns, in the opinion of most experts, are the biggest losers off the trade season.  The Suns had 1 very big asset in star Amare Stoudemire, and his expriring contract.  Assuming, that they would not be able to retain him, they marketed him very openly.  His expiring contract would have appealed to struggling luxury tax teams like the Hornets, Knicks and 76ers, while teams like Miami, Cleveland, and Spurs would have liked him to push for a Championship run.  The big flaw in the Suns plan is that they let it be widely known that they were openly shopping Stoudemire.  As much as players like Amare might say that trade talk doesn’t affect their performance, it certainly does, as the bigman struggled in the weeks leading up to the deadline.  The day before the deadline, the Suns front office informed Stoudemire, that they would not move him.  So why does this make them a loser? First, the past failures in negotiating talks of an extension and the open trade dialogue give the player an idea that they have a limited sense of his value.  Since the trade deadline, Amare Stoudemire has stepped his play up to a phenomenal level, because in part, he believes he is playing for a new contract.  This all but guarantees his exodus from Phoenix this summer. Phoenix will not get anything if and when the scenario occurs this summer, making them a big trade deadline loser.

Sacramento Kings-

The Kings were going nowhere and needed to find a way to get an asset for Kevin Martin, as he and rookie of the year front-runner Tyreke Evans didn’t mesh together. 

The fact that the Kings got cap relief in dealing the shooting guard with Sergio Rodriguez, and Hilton Armstrong.  Even better, acquiring Carl Landry and his very reasonable salary is a move in the right direction. He is perfect for Sacramento, adding to the tough mentality of the new-look Kings.  The 3 man frontcourt rotation of Thompson, Landry and Hawes should be effective for years to come.  The Kings could have dealt for Jose Calderon or added some more to the deal to acquire Nate Robinson, Chris Duhon or Kyle Lowry.  So while this is a good deal for the Kings, it is a glass half-empty deal in that they should have gotten involved more aggressively.  The Kings would have been better suited taking on Jared Jeffries' contract and reaping the benefits (Jordan Hill plus picks) that Houston got.  Sacramento, though they have about 16 million under the cap next summer and could be real players in the free-agent market,  likely will not be able to lure any big time free agents.  They can still land a guy like Randy Foye, Nate Robinson, Jordan Farmar, Steve Blake or Kyle Lowry to pair with Evans.

San Antonio Spurs-

The Spurs saved a little money by trading Theo Ratliff or a future 2^nd rounder.  They remain a puzzling team going in to next season.  They haven’t signed star 6^th man is still unsigned going in to next season, and seems rattled that the team has not extended him an offer.  Meanwhile, Richard Jefferson was brought in last Summer to add another young option to the aging Spurs, but he has struggled to find his role on the team.  San Antonio was in on talks with Amare Stoudemire and Corey Magette, but didn’t pull a trigger. More than likely, Jefferson opts-in on his contract and should be a trade candidate next year

 Utah Jazz-

Once the luxury-tax savings are factored in, the Jazz saved millions by moving Ronnie Brewer for a. potential future #1 pick.  The Jazz did get return, but I think it should be that this move may not have been the right one.  Though Wes Matthews and CJ Miles have emerged, Brewer was still a good prospect and their second best perimeter defender, though he has had a down year.  Given that his salary was less than that of CJ Miles and Kyle Korver it is interesting that he was moved. Maybe it was more than they thought he was worth.  However, this move has angered point guard Deron Williams, who said of the trade “I think if we’d make a trade it would be something a little different than that, You look at all the teams that are getting better around the West and we essentially get worse, if you ask me” and “That’s why I signed a three-year deal.”  The deal likely should have been a trade of impeding free agent Carlos Boozer, as the team has already decided Paul Milsap is their power forward of the future.  With Boozer’s impeding free agency, and Kirilenko’s big deal up at the end of summer 2011, the Jazz must make the team appealing to their star Williams.

NBA Trade Deadline Recap (pt 1 of 2)

Here is the FSB's recap of the moves which went down during the NBA trade deadline. Stay tuned for the second helping of this article to be online Tueseday 3/9!
Boston Celtics-

The Celtics traded Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, and Bill Walker for Nate Robinson. While Eddie House was a very clutch shooter at times, he is a defensive liability and is better off-ball rather than handling the point. The electric and mercurial Nate Robinson is not quite the shooter House is, but he can clearly score and excite a veteran team with his play off the bench. This will also allow Marquis Daniels a clearer role of the bench. The Celtics may end up regretting not trading Ray Allen, but he is the silent leader of the team often offering insight to Rondo, sacrificing numbers, and gently citing some problems. (Yes, we know KG is a vocal leader too). The Celts will need all the depth they can get against the Cavs, Magic and Hawks, and if they can stay healthy they should make a nice playoff run.


Charlotte Bobcats-
Under the leadership of Larry Brown and soon Michael Jordan also, the Bobcats are trying to push for their first playoff run. The team moved Flip Murray, Acie Law, and likely their 1st rounder this year for the underachieving Tyrus Thomas. Thomas, who was swapped draft day for LaMarcus Aldridge, has all-star athletic potential, but has yet to put in together. The Bobcats hope that Brown can tutor Thomas to become an effective forward, as they hope to keep the restricted free agent next year. So far, Thomas has proved them right in the 6 games since the trade increasing his points (13.3 from 8.8), rebounds (7.8 from 6.3), and blocks (3.2 from 1.7), as well as shooting percentages in just 4 minutes more a game.
The team nearly made a trade for T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush in exchange for D.J. Augustin, Gerald Henderson and Nazr Mohammed. While they would have added salary, Ford would have been a great backup and insurance if Raymond Felton leaves after the season, and Rush is more polished than Henderson. It seems that the Bobcats, were more willing to wait on D.J. Augustine’s sophomore slump, than to push for Ford.

Chicago Bulls-
The Bulls had a difficult dilemma going into the trade deadline:
1) stand pat and get eliminated in the 1st round;
2) add a player to become a contender
3) lose a player to clear cap for the summer
Moving John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas for expiring contracts accomplished the last option. The Bulls should be $18 million and $19 million under the cap this summer enough to pay a max free agent like Wade, LeBron or Bosh.
With a core group of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng as a supporting cast, the Bulls should have a very persuasive pitch.
The team also salvaged a protected first-round pick from Charlotte for Tyrus Thomas.
In the short term, Chicago added Ronald Murray, Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander, and Acie Law for young depth. Currently, they are in the playoff hunt. Despite being a worse team on paper. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team regress slightly and perhaps fall out of the playoff picture. Should Chicago sign a major free agent, (Bosh would be the most likely to leave his team), the team could consider trading Hinrich and/or Deng for stronger perimeter shooting to make them an up-and coming team in the East.


Cleveland Cavs-

The Cavs have been the best team in the East, mostly due to the play of LeBron. However, the team needed to take this trade deadline to show to the impeding free agent that the Cavs would be formidable in the years to come. By adding another good second fiddle in Antawn Jamison, they hope to do just that. The Cavs traded big Zydruas Ilgauskus and their 1st round pick for the “stretch 4.” While they were unable to land Amare Stoudemire in trade, Antawn Jamison fits more of what the Cavs schematically would like to do. Jamison, though not as young and talented, spaces the floor better and is much more focused defensively. The Cavs also didn’t have to trade young forward J.J. Hickson, whom the Cavs seem very optimistic of his upside. Big Z is also being bought out and seems likely to return to Cleveland. While this move may help the Cavs in the playoffs, they did add 2yrs/28 mil dollars in payroll for a 33 year old veteran. If by some chance LeBron does leave, Cleveland may be stuck.

Dallas Mavs-
Mark Cuban and the Mavs added payroll and talent by acquiring Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood for Josh Howard and Drew Gooden. The deal seems to revolve around the issues of Brendan Haywood’s ability to match-up with the premiere bigs in the West and Howard’s off court issues. Offensively, Caron Butler and Josh Howard are similar, though Butler is better offensively he is more of a small forward, while Howard is better defensively and a more natural swingman. It seems that the Mavs know that their window is closing, and would rather have Caron’s consistency than Howard’s streakiness and distractions in their attempts to challenge Denver and the Lakers. Haywood has been quietly improving this year and has been a very viable starting center, enabling Dampier to come off the bench. The Mavs also were fortunate that they did not have to trade J.J. Barea or Rodrigue Beabois.


Houston Rockets-
The Rockets were the biggest winners of the NBA Trade deadline this year. Before the deadline, they openly marketed Tracy McGrady, knowing that a team would be desperate to take on his talent and expiring contract. Unable to entice the Knicks or 76ers initially, they began discussions with the Sacramento Kings. After agreeing in principle to a deal, the Knicks frantically joined in surrendering 2009 top 10 pick Jordan Hill, a swap of 2011 picks and a top-5 protected pick in 2012 for the Rocket’s to take Jared Jeffries salary next year. The Rockets still got the shooting guard they wanted in Kevin Martin, and though they gave up effective 6th man Carl Landry, got a bounty of picks and prospects in return. They look better both in the long-term and the short-term. While I really am amazed at what the Rockets were able to get back, I think they probably should have offered Luis Scola and/or Kyle Lowry to the Kings as both scenarios would have likely helped both teams more short-term.

Milwaukee Bucks-

The Bucks made an interesting deal with an in-division rival. These types of trades rarely occur, because you never want to help one of your primary foes. In this case, the Bucks were able to add a solid starter in John Salmons for the athletic Hakim Warrick and the athletic bust Joe Alexander. The Bucks receive a replacement for injured Michael Redd, for the rest of the year, and maybe next, in the rare case Redd opts out for a long-term deal. They also receive the option of swapping picks with the Bulls should the Bulls pick outside of the top 10 this year. Salmons will ease some of the offensive pressure from the emerging combo of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut, and the Bucks are 6-1 since the trade.

Los Angeles Clippers-
The Clippers made a couple interesting moves in the trade deadline. First, they got two nice assets in Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw with accompanying cash. Blake is a solid fringe starter in the NBA, and should be a nice backup for Baron Davis. While Outlaw has the tools to become a star in the league but lacks the consistent necessary focus. The Clippers then dealt point guard Sebastian Telfair and small forward Al Thorton to the Wizards for power forward Drew Gooden. This move seems questionable in that Al Thorton is a nice young complimentary piece to the core of Kaman, Griffin, Gordon, and Davis, against Gooden who is a short-term fill-in for injured rookie Blake Griffin. The Clippers as a result have Rasual Butler and Travis Outlaw at the small forward, both have expiring deals after the season. As a result of the trade deadline, the Clippers were able to clear enough cap space to make a run at an elite free agent this summer, such as LeBron James. They should be an enticing option for free agents with that solid young core, but I doubt that owner Donald Sterling could entice LeBron to play for him. I think the more likely scenario is that they re-sign Travis Outlaw and/or make a run at Rudy Gay, both could be overpaid for a team that wants to make a free agent splash

NBA Trade Deadline: Northwest Division

With the greatest summer in NBA Free agency half a season away, the trade deadline looms as potentially the most active one in history.  Here’s what to look for:

Denver Nuggets-

The Nuggets are the third best team in the Western Conference and will likely finish the season in roughly that range.  They lack any true needs, but could add another good post defender to go against Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol.  They have shown interest in Jeff Foster, but they have no real pieces that they can move. Kenyon Martin and Nene have less than desirable contracts, and the rest of the bunch wouldn’t amount to much in a trade.  If a player is bought out, look for the Nuggets to make a move.  

Minnesota Timberwolves-

The Timberwolves have the 2^nd worst record, next to the lowly Nets.  The Wolves have a lot of expiring contracts, however I don’t think that they will be able to convince many free agents to join in on the rebuilding.  The Wolves might be wise to move some expiring contracts for some additional talented pieces, the Pistons and Knicks have some contracts that need to be traded, and might be willing to trade capable players to do so.

Oklahomo City Zombie Sonics-

The Zombie Sonics are the resurgent team of 09-10. With a core of young stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and fellow young complements in Jeff Green and James Harden, the Thunder can look to make a playoff push.  The Thunder should look to add a defensive enforcer or athlete that can play with his back to the basket in the frontcourt to complement face up bigs Green and Nenad Kristic.  I doubt that any would be available but it might be worth asking about some talents that are said to be available at the right price. (Amare Stoudemire, David Lee, Al Jefferson, Brendan Haywood)

Portland Trailblazers-

The Blazers were the trendy pick heading into the season.  They had a resurgent 08-09 campaign clinching the 4^th seed in the West, without the services of the heralded Greg Oden. However, injuries have sidelined Small Forwards Travis Outlaw, Rudy Fernandez, and Nicolas Batum for extended periods of time and have knocked out starting Center Oden and his backup Joel Pryzbilla for the remainder of the regular season. The depleted Blazers have been starting old timer Juwan Howard and been backing him up with power forwards Jeff Pendegraph and Dante Cunningham.  While all have played very well, I have strong doubts about their ability to maintain their play and health over the course of the season.  Free agent signing Andre Miller hasn’t meshed with the team, which could make him movable. While Outlaw and the other PG Steve Blake have expiring contracts which can be moved, along with the expiring contract owed to Darius Miles.  The Blazers have expressed a desire to not add any long term payroll, but might be willing to if the right piece became available (Caron Buter, Tayshaun Prince).  The Blazers are left with options of Marcus Camby, Jeff Foster and Brendan Haywood.  Haywood would make the most sense short term, while the others make more sense in the long run.

Utah Jazz-

The Jazz are a team that could be very different with a trade in place.  As it stands now, the Jazz are the 8^th seed in the Western Conference.  Although they would put up a good show, they do not have the firepower to take on the best teams in the conference.  This would mean that they could add another part to make them a viable threat in the playoffs.  However, they have Carlos Boozer on their team who would be an attractive trade value for another contending team. They are now faced with an interesting dilemma of getting return for a player that will leave after the season or keep him and trade for a similar player to make a playoff push.  I think a trade for the Zombie Sonics Etan Thomas and Nick Collison, would put the team in good position for free agency in 2011, when Andre Kirilenko’s contract expires.  Bill Simmons suggests trading Kirilenko, Kyle Korver, cash, and New York’s 1^st rounder for Kevin Martin and Kenny Thomas. I think this might be a little too farfetched for the Jazz. These next years of formative building around Deron Williams will be interesting. Stay tuned to the Franchise Sports Blog for continued coverage of the NBA Trade Deadline with updates to be released shortly!