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Just like that, two blockbuster trades go down.

First, the Lakers blow everyone away by dealing arguably their two worst players on the active roster in Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton for, who? None other than Pau Gasol, former All-Star Pau Gasol. Who saw that one coming? Nobody.

Lakers fans everywhere rejoiced even before they heard the part of the deal that sent Gasol to LA. "We're trading Kwame!?" I said, excited, without even knowing where he was headed. Then, ecstatic, "you got to be kidding me!"

Gasol brings the Lakers a legitimate big man who has the finesse to play on the outside. At 7'0", he'll be the twin tower to Andrew Bynum when the young kid returns, but he is comfortable enough playing outside of the key to give the kid some space on the block. But the real gem of this deal is its timing. Bynum's out. The Lakers need someone, anyone not named Kwame, on the block for the next several weeks. Enter Pau. I love it.

Then, last night, I think I wasn't alone when I say I dismissed the rumor of Shaq heading to the Suns as "not gonna happen." But, waking up this morning to find it a "done deal" pending a physical, I was astonished.

Some have suggested that this is a retalitory move by Phoenix. They were scared of the new and improved Lake Show. Isn't that awesome?

Whether that's really true, who knows? But, Marion had been rumored to be out for a while, just no one (this blogger included) thought any deal would go down. Shaq's Heat have been miserable, and while Phoenix leads the West at the moment, it was unclear whether locker room chemistry would last into the playoffs. So Steve Kerr pulled the trigger.

Shaq brings the Suns a beast down low, but this isn't the same Shaq that won NBA Championships in LA or Miami. This is a slow, methodical Shaq--perfectly contrary to the run'n'gun system of the Suns. Is that OK?

It could be. The Suns can run and run and run, and Shaq can stay back on defense. 2 on 1 breaks don't require the Diesel to run the floor. But, when the Suns are forced into the half-court set, they'll be fortunate to have 7'1", 320 (330? 340? more?) down low to bang.

Does it help the Suns in sum? Unclear. With Marion, they risked a player who would walk at the end of the year, being that he was already unhappy. With that, Kerr saw the opportunity to bring in a beast, and give the Suns a shot to win now. Some say Shaq's already has his last run at the title, but it would seem clear that if he hasn't already had it, he doesn't have much time left.

I like the move. It's worth a shot. The Suns are the perennial overachieving regular season team and the perennial underachieving post-season team. Maybe some Shaq can help.

That is, if Pau, Kobe, and the new look Lakers don't get in the way.

Labels: basketball, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, miami heat, NBA, Pau Gasol, phoenix suns, shaq

NBA All-Star reserves were announced, completing the teams' rosters before the February 17 East-West matchup.

That brings the obvious questions: who doesn't deserve to be there that will be, and who deserves to be there that won't be?

First, I'm glad the fans got one thing right. They voted in Dwight Howard as the Eastern Conference starting center over Shaquille O'neal. Shaq's made this game 14-straight times until this year, including a few times where he definitely didn't deserve it, most notably last year. I like Shaq, but when you're past your prime, you can't just ride your fan-base into the game when you're playing awfully. I'm also thrilled to see a guy like Caron Butler make the East squad.

So, who doesn't deserve to be there? For the East, the glaring mistake seems to be Dwyane Wade. I like the player, I think he's good. But, other than good looks and high numbers, his team is doing miserably, which speaks nothing about his stardom. Is he a good player? Absolutely, but he's not doing the things he needs to be this season to be an All-Star.

Some are claiming Ray Allen as the biggest East snub, but I'm going to disagree. We all know it was Kevin Garnett who has transformed the Celtics, and while Allen's been a nice role playing shooter and scorer, he's no All-Star this season.

My Eastern conference pick is little known Jose Calderon, who has stepped in as a solid contributor in Toronto after the injury of T.J. Ford. Averaging 12 points and 9 assists on the season, Calderon is playing big in the minutes he gets, leading the Raptors into a battle for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Moving West, the story becomes more difficult. There are so many talented players that I think every player on the team has a case to be made. It's also nice to see lesser known guys like David West and Brandon Roy be honored.

Unfortunately, that leads to a long list of snubs, which includes at the top of the list Baron Davis, Manu Ginobili, and Deron Williams. They just had to draw a line somewhere. But, other than the obvious ones, how about Chris Kaman, who has broke out in a big way with Elton Brand out with injury in Clipperville? How about Kevin Martin, Sacramento's little guy who can score like a machine? How about Al Jefferson, the giant in Minnesota now that Garnett is gone who is tearing up boxscores nightly?

I guess I've answered my own question. These 3 guys all play for miserable teams. In that sense, the NBA seems to have gotten it right, but it's still fun to argue that these guys' performances could make them deserve to be there.

Labels: all-star, basketball, Dwight Howard, Kevdog, NBA, shaq, sunbs