duncan228
02-15-2010, 12:53 AM
Beyond All-Star Weekend: Setting Up the Second Half and Beyond (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-beyondallstarweekend&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
DALLAS — There was a foot of snow that delayed flights and kept some would-be All-Star attendees out. There was labor trouble bubbling below the surface, and finally emerging into full view. There was a major trade and another seemingly on tap. There was a record-setting hoops crowd (108,713 fans piled into Cowboys Stadium), and, ultimately, there was an All-Star Game, with the East winning, 141-139 and Dwyane Wade taking home MVP honors. For this weekend, as commissioner David Stern said, “North Texas is the capital of the basketball world,” and, it was certainly an eventful few days.
As we head into the second half of the season, the past weekend could have a big impact on the coming week, the coming months and the coming years. Here’s how:
The Mavericks dropped the first trade domino. And it was a doozy, bringing two key pieces — small forward Caron Butler and center Brendan Haywood — to Dallas (with guard DeShawn Stevenson) for swingman Josh Howard and three spare parts. The move came well ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline and for Washington marks the beginning of its rebuilding program in the wake of the suspensions of guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.
For the Mavs, the deal is a last-stab effort to bring a championship to the team during the Dirk Nowitzki era.
“Caron is a guy we have liked for a long time,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said. “And to get Brendan Haywood, too, and DeShawn Stevenson, we feel like we upgraded across the board.”
Amare Stoudemire is on the brink of leaving Phoenix. In the week before the break, the Suns seemed to be leaning toward keeping Stoudemire. But throughout All-Star weekend, the Suns and Cavaliers moved closer toward a swap that would make Cleveland — already the best team in the league — even more formidable, by putting Stoudemire at power forward.
The Suns would apparently receive precious little for Stoudemire in a deal with Cleveland, getting the expiring contract of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and power forward J.J. Hickson, who averages 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. But other teams hoping to acquire Stoudemire (Miami and Philadelphia, among others) were weighing the possibility of upping their offers.
The union and league drew their lines in the sand. The current collective-bargaining agreement runs through the 2010-11 season, and talks on a new deal have begun in earnest. As is typical in the early stages of a negotiation, there have been sky-is-falling rhetoric from both sides, with the league forecasting $400 million in losses this season and the union claiming that the owners’ first proposal could lead to a so-called “nuclear option” — decertification of the union. “It’s negotiating 101,” Stern said with a smile.
Kobe Bryant is rested. Bryant has been dealing with a range of injuries, especially a broken finger that he admits will remain broken for the rest of the year. He’s also been getting treatment on his ankle. He missed the Lakers’ last three games before the break. “Getting a few days off for him will help a lot,” teammate Pau Gasol said. “He’s been playing through a lot of things that other guys would not play through.” The Lakers enter the second half 41-13, on a three-game winning streak and with five of their next seven games coming at home.
The East’s sleeping giants are feeling some urgency. While Cleveland has been running away with the top seed in the East, the Magic and Celtics have been trying to figure out what ails them. Boston has been wrestling with the possibility of a Ray Allen trade, while Orlando simply has been trying to regain its focus.
The Celtics are in an especially precarious position, having seen their lead over Toronto whittled to four games in the Atlantic, and with a tough four-game Western trip on tap. For Boston’s Paul Pierce, the key for the Celtics may be just getting the past weekend off.
“I think it definitely could help, brush off that first half, we were disappointed, really disappointed with the way we played to finish off that first half,” Pierce said. “But we always look at the season in the three parts: You have the first half, the second half and the playoffs. So this is a chance to refresh ourselves.”
SportingNews
DALLAS — There was a foot of snow that delayed flights and kept some would-be All-Star attendees out. There was labor trouble bubbling below the surface, and finally emerging into full view. There was a major trade and another seemingly on tap. There was a record-setting hoops crowd (108,713 fans piled into Cowboys Stadium), and, ultimately, there was an All-Star Game, with the East winning, 141-139 and Dwyane Wade taking home MVP honors. For this weekend, as commissioner David Stern said, “North Texas is the capital of the basketball world,” and, it was certainly an eventful few days.
As we head into the second half of the season, the past weekend could have a big impact on the coming week, the coming months and the coming years. Here’s how:
The Mavericks dropped the first trade domino. And it was a doozy, bringing two key pieces — small forward Caron Butler and center Brendan Haywood — to Dallas (with guard DeShawn Stevenson) for swingman Josh Howard and three spare parts. The move came well ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline and for Washington marks the beginning of its rebuilding program in the wake of the suspensions of guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton.
For the Mavs, the deal is a last-stab effort to bring a championship to the team during the Dirk Nowitzki era.
“Caron is a guy we have liked for a long time,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said. “And to get Brendan Haywood, too, and DeShawn Stevenson, we feel like we upgraded across the board.”
Amare Stoudemire is on the brink of leaving Phoenix. In the week before the break, the Suns seemed to be leaning toward keeping Stoudemire. But throughout All-Star weekend, the Suns and Cavaliers moved closer toward a swap that would make Cleveland — already the best team in the league — even more formidable, by putting Stoudemire at power forward.
The Suns would apparently receive precious little for Stoudemire in a deal with Cleveland, getting the expiring contract of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and power forward J.J. Hickson, who averages 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds. But other teams hoping to acquire Stoudemire (Miami and Philadelphia, among others) were weighing the possibility of upping their offers.
The union and league drew their lines in the sand. The current collective-bargaining agreement runs through the 2010-11 season, and talks on a new deal have begun in earnest. As is typical in the early stages of a negotiation, there have been sky-is-falling rhetoric from both sides, with the league forecasting $400 million in losses this season and the union claiming that the owners’ first proposal could lead to a so-called “nuclear option” — decertification of the union. “It’s negotiating 101,” Stern said with a smile.
Kobe Bryant is rested. Bryant has been dealing with a range of injuries, especially a broken finger that he admits will remain broken for the rest of the year. He’s also been getting treatment on his ankle. He missed the Lakers’ last three games before the break. “Getting a few days off for him will help a lot,” teammate Pau Gasol said. “He’s been playing through a lot of things that other guys would not play through.” The Lakers enter the second half 41-13, on a three-game winning streak and with five of their next seven games coming at home.
The East’s sleeping giants are feeling some urgency. While Cleveland has been running away with the top seed in the East, the Magic and Celtics have been trying to figure out what ails them. Boston has been wrestling with the possibility of a Ray Allen trade, while Orlando simply has been trying to regain its focus.
The Celtics are in an especially precarious position, having seen their lead over Toronto whittled to four games in the Atlantic, and with a tough four-game Western trip on tap. For Boston’s Paul Pierce, the key for the Celtics may be just getting the past weekend off.
“I think it definitely could help, brush off that first half, we were disappointed, really disappointed with the way we played to finish off that first half,” Pierce said. “But we always look at the season in the three parts: You have the first half, the second half and the playoffs. So this is a chance to refresh ourselves.”