Would San Jose make a good NBA expansion city?

                                             (Credit: Ben Parker/CardinalSportsReport.com) 

In December, I covered the San Jose Tipoff college basketball event held at SAP Center, home of the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Specifically, I was covering the Stanford/Oregon men's game for CardinalSportsReport.com. Oregon won the game rather comfortably, but as I was there, it naturally got me to thinking about the possibility of the NBA having an expansion franchise in San Jose. 

                                             (Credit: Robert Edwards/USA TODAY Sports) 

For a bit of context, the NBA has 30 teams at the moment. With the NFL having 32 teams, there are naturally questions about when the NBA will follow suit and expand to 32 as well. There are rumblings that expansion could be happening in the near future with Seattle and Las Vegas being the front runners to be the next two teams in line to get a team. 

However, there is a possibility the NBA goes a different direction and only adds a team in one of those two cities. I think Seattle is more of a lock than Las Vegas as the Supersonics were really popular in Seattle. There's a built in fanbase there and with the NHL having a team in the Seattle Kraken, there is now an arena that is up to the NBA's standards (Climate Pledge Arena). Key Arena became too old and obsolete for the NBA, resulting in the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City. There is a lot of momentum to get Seattle a team again and I think if the NBA had to choose between Seattle and Vegas, they'd choose Seattle. 

Las Vegas has never had a team before, so there isn't a built in fanbase there and the NBA doesn't feel the same need to owe anything to Vegas. Especially since they play the NBA Cup championship there as well as NBA Summer League. The NBA already has a bit of a Las Vegas presence through those two events anyways. 

If the NBA were to add a team in Seattle and some place other than Las Vegas, several different cities would enter the equation such as Vancouver (original home of the Memphis Grizzlies), Montreal, Austin, Kansas City, Buffalo, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Louisville, San Diego, Mexico City, and San Jose. 

While I think all of those cities can put forth a strong case for why they deserve an NBA franchise, for the purposes of this blog post, I want to specifically focus on San Jose since I just covered a basketball game at SAP Center, the logical home arena of a San Jose NBA franchise. The experience of seeing basketball at that arena is fresh on my mind. 

As a quick side note, most of my memories at SAP Center have been going to watch the now defunct ATP Tour tennis tournament that used to be played there. I've only been to one Sharks game in my life and the San Jose Tipoff was the first time I had seen basketball played there in person since Cal men's basketball played against Syracuse in the 2013 NCAA tournament (Syracuse defeated Cal 66-60). Most of my memories at SAP Center have been to watch tennis, so it was fun for me to experience basketball there once more. 

Note: On my tennis blog ATPGuy.com, I share more thoughts on why the SAP Open should return to San Jose. Click here to check that out. 

Overall, SAP Center is a perfectly fine venue for basketball. You can tell that it's more designed for hockey with the way the arena is shaped. In order to fit more people in, they added an extension of seats behind the basket. Those seats looked okay, but if they were to have an NBA team playing there, they'd likely want to figure out a way to make those seats better than what they had the fans at the San Jose Tipoff seating on. They weren't bad seats, but they would need to make that experience look a bit more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. As for the seats that were courtside, those looked good.  

There'd likely need to be some adjustments made and discussions had to make the basketball viewing experience a bit better, but aside from that, it would work out well for an NBA arena. It's a really nice arena and has a capacity of 18,543 for basketball without any obstructions. The Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz has a capacity of 18,306 for basketball while the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors has a capacity of 18,064 for basketball. The SAP Center capacity-wise is easily NBA level. No issues there at all. 

As for the city of San Jose itself, it's the third most popular city in California after Los Angeles and San Diego and the 13th most populous city in the United States with a population of just under one million people. It's the largest city in the Bay Area and San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland Combined Statistical Area. When you consider that, it's puzzling the Golden State Warriors didn't move down there when they decided to move from Oakland. The Warriors instead moved to San Francisco, which is where the Chase Center is located. 

When you look at the population of the city and the fact that it has an NBA level arena, the main hurdle to San Jose getting its own NBA team is the Golden State Warriors, who represent the entire Bay Area. At least they say they do (I'll get more into that momentarily). With the Warriors in nearby San Francisco and the Kings in Sacramento, which is about 90 minutes or so outside of Oakland, the NBA is highly unlikely to want to put a team in San Jose when there are other markets that don't have a team at all. They have two teams in Northern California and two teams in Southern California. One in the Bay Area, one in Sacramento, and two in Los Angeles. They can easily feel like they have California covered. 

That all said, I still think San Jose can make a strong case to have an NBA franchise despite the presence of the Warriors in San Francisco: 

The first point I would make is the Warriors I don't feel really represent San Jose. They say they're the Bay Area's team, but it's very clear that their marketing is geared towards San Francisco and Oakland. They have returned to San Francisco after a very long stay in Oakland and in truth really identify as more of an Oakland/San Francisco team. If you notice, they don't have any San Jose themed jerseys or logos. It's all "The City" for San Francisco and "The Town" for Oakland. Or just "Golden State", which represents the entire state of California. There is nothing for San Jose. The only true San Jose teams are the Sharks and the Earthquakes (MLS). 

Furthermore, while San Jose is close to San Francisco, it's also far away enough to be considered a different market. The two cities are 48.4 miles apart. That's further apart than the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are from each other (13.5 miles) and the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are from each other (5.7 miles). 

Not only that, the San Jose metro area also includes cities like Los Gatos, Campbell, and Morgan Hill that are even further away from San Francisco. Los Gatos is 51.5 miles away from San Francisco, Campbell is 51.3 miles away, and Morgan Hill is 69.2 miles away. These are places with money and households that likely would be interested in attending NBA games if an arena was closer to where they lived. A fanbase could easily be cultivated out of the San Jose metro area. 

To wrap this all up, while an NBA team in San Jose is unlikely to happen, I don't think it should be ruled out. A Battle of the Bay for the NBA would be pretty fun and by expanding into San Jose, the NBA would get access to a market that has money and influence. A market that I argue they aren't fully tapping into. 

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Tomahawk Tuesday: Are the Sacramento Kings championship contenders?

 

                                             (Credit: Kelley L. Cox/USA TODAY Sports) 

One of the feel good stories of this year's NBA season is the rise of the Sacramento Kings, who are currently 3rd in the Western Conference with a 40-27 record. Point guard De'Aaron Fox (25.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, & 6.3 assists) and power forward Domantas Sabonis (19.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, & 7.1 assists) are forming a really good one-two punch for this Kings team, doing nice job of scoring, facilitating, and rebounding. Both were named All-Stars this season and deservedly so. 

After years of trying to find the right formula and bring in the right pieces, first year head coach Mike Brown and the Kings seem to have finally figured it out and given the youth that is on their team, they appear to be a team that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. If there's any fanbase that has been patiently waiting for this kind of turnaround, it's Kings fans. They've watched a lot of subpar/frustrating basketball over the years, so you know they're happy to see their team finally come together like this. 

Looking at their team stats, where the Kings really are kicking butt is with their shooting percentages. They are second in the NBA with a 49.9% field goal percentage, ninth in the league with a 37.1% 3-point shooting percentage, and also ninth in the league with a 79.8% free throw shooting percentage. They're shooting very efficiently both inside and out, making them a tough team for opposing defenses to stop. 

As far as what's most accounted for the Kings' leap, I would say it's the addition of Sabonis, who they acquired from the Indiana Pacers around the trade deadline in 2022. Fox's production has actually been pretty consistent these past three seasons, but he needed someone to be the Robin to his Batman and Sabonis has been a perfect Robin. By having someone to help take the pressure off of him and be an effective presence in the post at an All-Star level, Fox finally has the kind of team around him that he needs. 

As far as whether or not the Kings are championship contenders, the main reason to think not is the fact that they haven't been to the playoffs since the 2005-06 season when they lost in the first round. That's back when Rick Adelman was still the head coach. His final season at the helm. Teams rarely win NBA championships in their first trip back to the playoffs and usually they have to go through some sort of growing pains by losing in the conference semis or something. 

That all said, they are on track to get a high seed in the playoffs and they historically have a great home court advantage in the playoffs. If they are able to hang on to their top three seed, I'd say I like their chances to win their first round series and then from there, we just gotta see how things shake out. But regardless, it's clear that this team is building something legit and that if they stay on their present course, we very well may see them reach the NBA Finals very soon even if it isn't this season. 

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Tomahawk Tuesday: How will the return of De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III affect the Sacramento Kings?

                                         (Credit: Getty Images) 

After both being out for an extended period of time due to injury, De'Aaron Fox (18.2 points & 7.0 assists) and Marvin Bagley III (13.0 points & 7.3 rebounds) are back for the Sacramento Kings. Tonight, the Kings lost on the road at Charlotte, but got solid production from their two young stars off the bench. Fox finishing with 19 points and 8 assists and Bagley finishing with 14 points and 7 rebounds.

At this moment, the Kings are 8th in the Western Conference standings with a 12-15 record. Considering that they are currently in the top eight despite having gone without Fox and Bagley for most of the season, the Kings should feel good about how their season has been going. It stands to reason that with them now back, the Kings shouldn't just be eying a playoff berth, they should be looking to climb up the Western Conference playoff ladder.

In addition to having Fox and Bagley back, the Kings also have the advantage of a favorable home schedule. Of their first 27 games, they've only played 11 games at home and will play two more road games at Indiana and at Memphis before returning home to face the Rockets on December 23rd. That means that of their first 29 games, 18 of those games will have been on the road. For them to navigate such a tough early schedule without Fox and Bagley is pretty impressive and should give them a lot of confidence.

That all said, climbing up the standings won't be easy for this young Kings team. The Suns, Trail Blazers, and Timberwolves are all nipping at their heels and it's not like the Jazz, Rockets, and Nuggets are just going to go belly-up. The Kings will have to earn it.

Over the next several weeks, we're going to find out what this Kings team is really made of. They've weathered a tough storm and now have two of their better players returning with a favorable home schedule. If they can't take advantage of what they have in front of them, this is going to be a really disappointing season in Sacramento.

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Saturday Slam: DeMarcus Cousins has really fallen from grace

At the end of the 2016-17 season, DeMarcus Cousins concluded a season in which he averaged 27.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in 72 total games played. He spent the bulk of that season with the Sacramento Kings but was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans to conclude the season. Since that year, everything has gone downhill for him in a rather shocking manner.

First, in the middle of the 2017-18 season, Cousins suffered a torn Achilles which limited his season to just 48 games. Prior to the injury, he was playing really good basketball, averaging 25.2 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. A torn Achilles is no joke, but an injury that one can come back from with the proper rehab. Still, no team wanted to take a chance on him until the Golden State Warriors scooped him up for close to nothing. He spent most of the 2018-19 season in street clothes, but was able to produce a little bit during the 30 games he played, averaging 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game before going down once again with a torn left quadriceps.

Already looking like he might be damaged goods, the Los Angeles Lakers threw their caution to the wind and decided to sign him this past July, hoping that he could get back to full strength. Instead, he tore his ACL in a preseason workout a little over a month later in mid-August, ruling him out for the entire 2019-20 season.

In the midst of all this injury misfortune, Cousins got married and even that didn't go as planned thanks to a leaked audio tape of him threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend over the phone for not allowing their son to come to his wedding. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued and now he's in the middle of an ugly legal dispute.

At just 29 years of age, Cousins' career seems to be over and what's crazy is that it wasn't that long ago that he was an NBA All-Star. We've seen guys drop off quickly, but rarely do we see guys drop off like this. It's like one day he's the best big man in the NBA and the next day he's having a hard time convincing teams to take a chance on him. Hopefully for him, he is able to find his second wind. If not, he better get ready for life after basketball.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: The Sacramento Kings are finally on the rise

                                         (Credit: SactownRoyalty.com-Kimani Okearah) 

With a 16-14 record, the Sacramento Kings are in the mix for a playoff spot, playing their best basketball since the days of Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and Peja Stojakovic. For the last couple of years, we've been sensing a possible turnaround for this team, but now we can officially say that the Kings are on the rise and back to being a relevant team.

The reason for this turnaround is their combination of youth and depth. De'Aaron Fox (17.9 points & 7.3 assists), Buddy Hield (19.3 points & 5.0 rebounds), Willie Cauley-Stein (13.8 points & 8.2 rebounds), Marvin Bagley III (12.7 points & 6.1 rebounds), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (14.7 points) all form a very balanced scoring attack that can be difficult to guard. On top of that, they're all very young with Bogdanovic being the oldest of the bunch (2014 NBA Draft).

After years of ineptitude under the Maloof brothers, owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Vlade Divac are making smart decisions. They have a vision for this team and a strong sense of where they are heading. Head coach Dave Joerger is also doing a good job coaching this team, helping them grow and develop. This change in culture is exciting to see and the Sacramento faithful definitely deserve it.

They key for this young Kings team is to keep grinding and maintain a strong belief in what they can accomplish. De'Aaron Fox is blossoming into one of the best point guards in the NBA and he has the pieces around him to be successful. It's just a matter of them going through the maturation process that all up and coming teams have to go through.

I don't know if I see this team winning a playoff series this season or next, but it is definitely fun to have the Sacramento Kings relevant again. Those teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s proved that high level basketball can be played in California's capital. With some seasoning and growth, I don't doubt that the Kings will very soon return to that same level.

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NBALord.com Pacific Division Preview

I was debating about whether or not to preview the conferences as a whole or if I should do it the old school way by divisions. Since I wish the NBA placed more of a premium on divisions for the purpose of creating more rivalries, I'm going to preview the NBA season by divisions. Up first is the Pacific Division, home to the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns.

The Golden State Warriors are the defending NBA champions and are the odds on favorites to win it all again. Their core is back and on top of that they've added DeMarcus Cousins, who is coming back from a torn Achilles injury.

The bottom line with the Warriors is that so long as they stay healthy, they're going to be almost impossible to stop this year. They simply have too many weapons for any other team to deal with. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history, Kevin Durant is one of the best pure scorers in NBA history, and Draymond Green is one of the most underrated players in NBA history. When you then add a defensive specialist like Andre Iguodala and a supremely gifted big man like DeMarcus Cousins to the mix, you have a team that is virtually unstoppable.

The main thing to look for with this Warriors team is how Cousins fits in and how productive he can be coming back from such a serious injury. The good news is they don't really need him until May and June and if he becomes a headache in the locker room, they can always cut him. It's a low risk high reward move that could pay off handsomely.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a new lease on life after landing LeBron James in free agency. Joining James in Los Angeles is Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, Kyle Kuzma, and JaVale McGee. The Lakers may not be favored to win the NBA championship this year, but they have a very interesting squad nonetheless.

Personally, I believe the Lakers are going to be very good this year and have the chance to make a deep playoff run. If you have LeBron James on your team, you should never be counted out. LeBron has reached the NBA Finals with lesser talent around him, so they definitely should be feeling confident.

The major question mark is how the surrounding pieces will work together. Rondo, Stephenson, Beasley, and McGee make any team they're on more interesting by themselves. Together, they could form one of the most entertaining teams we've ever seen. Entertaining isn't always a good thing, though. What I'm particularly curious to see is what the Lakers' roster looks like after the trade deadline. I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple of these guys shipped out before the season comes to an end.

The Sacramento Kings are in rebuilding mode, but hopefully for them they finally have a core they can build around in De'Aaron Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Marvin Bagley III. Fox had a solid rookie year, averaging 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game and looks to have an even more impressive sophomore year. I think he'll prove to be a really good point guard in this league.

The big question is whether or not Bagley is the real deal. He looked like a men among boys in college and has the tools to be an elite player in the NBA. It is imperative for the Kings that he has a big year. If he does, the future will look bright. If he struggles and has an underwhelming season, the future will look murky.

The Los Angeles Clippers don't really appear to have an identity right now. Blake Griffin is in Detroit, Chris Paul is in Houston, and DeAndre Jordan is in Dallas. It's a totally new team led by Lou Williams, Avery Bradley, Patrick Beverley, and Tobias Harris. It's unclear what this team is with them as their new core. Rookie point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an intriguing talent and could prove to be the next star of this franchise, so it's not like the cupboard is totally barren here.

The change in direction was necessary, but not if it comes with lacking an identity. The Clippers need to find an identity this season if they want to feel good about this change in direction. Otherwise, they'll just go back to being the Clippers of old and that's definitely not a good thing.

DeAndre Ayton is looking like the real deal so far and with quality wings in Devin Booker and Josh Jackson alongside him, the Phoenix Suns finally have a team to be excited about. Actually, outside of the Warriors and Lakers, the Suns have more long term upside than anyone else in this division. The key for them is to keep these pieces together and get everyone to buy into their long term future. Locking in Devin Booker to a five-year, $158M extension helps a ton in that regard.

As far as this season is concerned, if the Suns can win 30+ games, that will indicate significant progress from last season's 21-61 record. They need to look at this as a retooling season and a chance for everyone to get comfortable with one another. If their core has fun playing together and is able to develop some chemistry, it will be a successful season in Phoenix.

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Skyhook Sunday: The Sacramento Kings have a brutal schedule early on

In order to make things easier on the players, the NBA regular season will begin a couple of weeks earlier than usual, tipping off on Tuesday, October 17. The league is doing this to reduce the amount of back-to-backs and give teams less of an excuse to rest their star players. Personally, I think this is a great move by the league. The rigors of the NBA schedule are very real. Starting the regular season a couple of weeks earlier is a simple and effective solution to improving the quality of basketball across the league.

While the decrease in back-to-backs and increased time for rest is a benefit to all 30 teams, that doesn't mean that all schedules are created equal. The Sacramento Kings for example will play 20 of their first 33 games away from the Golden 1 Center, making it about as brutal of a schedule as you could realistically have to begin an NBA season.

Of course, the benefit of this is that by getting 20 road games out of the way so early, the Kings will play 28 of their remaining 49 games at home, which is pretty nice. However, it will be tough for this young Kings team to weather the storm early on. Given the nature of this schedule, they could find themselves in a very deep hole by the end of December.

To help things out a little bit, the Kings tip off the season at home against the Houston Rockets on October 18 before going on a three-game road trip to Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix (October 20-23). What really stands out about the Kings' schedule isn't just the amount of road games but where those road games are being played. The Kings have four Eastern Conference road trips between October 31 and December 20:

The first road trip is to Indiana, Boston, and Detroit (October 31-November 4); the second is to New York, Washington, and Atlanta (November 11-November 15); the third is to Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New Orleans (December 1-December 8); and the fourth is to Minnesota, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn (December 14-December 20).

After all that, the Kings will take on San Antonio at home on the 23rd before traveling to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on the 26th. Starting December 27th, the Kings will finally get their first real home stand of the season, which will keep them in Sacramento through January 8 for six consecutive games.

There's no other word to describe this early schedule but "brutal."  I know that it all evens itself out over the course of 82 games, but having four road trips to the Eastern Conference region to start the season feels almost unfair. Had even just one of those road trips been converted to a home stand, I would feel different. But as it is presently constructed, it really does appear as though the Kings got a raw deal from the league.

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Tomahawk Tuesday: Are the Sacramento Kings finally turning the corner?

It's been a while since I've written a blog post about the Sacramento Kings, but due to all the moves that they've made, they've become a team worth writing about.

The Kings kicked off the summer by having a fabulous draft, landing Kentucky point guard De'Aaron Fox, North Carolina small forward Justin Jackson, Duke power forward Harry Giles, and Kansas point guard Frank Mason III. Fox is the headliner due to his comparisons to John Wall, but Jackson, Giles, and Mason are very promising rookies as well. After trading away DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans, the Kings were in need of getting some fresh young blood in their system and they couldn't have asked for a better draft to accomplish this goal.

In free agency, the Kings landed George Hill and Zach Randolph, giving them a very underrated point guard-power forward duo. Hill and Randolph are both very focused players that will bring a sense of professionalism and seriousness that has been missing from the Kings in recent years.

As a result of all these moves, the Kings have undergone a fairly radical transformation. Fox looks like their franchise player for the future, Jackson, Giles, and Mason look like solid role players, and both Hill and Randolph are veterans that can lead while the young bucks adjust to the rigors of the NBA. Their combination of youth and veteran leadership is very nice.

While I'm not sure if this Kings team will make the playoffs next season, they are definitely turning the corner. With a new arena and improved roster in place, the Kings finally have a product that the city of Sacramento can get behind. It's just a matter of giving it some time to fully develop.

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Saturday Slam: Breaking down the 2017 NBA Draft

                                         (Credit: Hoopshype.com) 

With the 2017 NBA Draft now in the books, it is time for me to provide my annual (starting this year) break down of the draft. I will break it down into three categories that will be listed below. If you missed the draft and want to see all 60 of the picks, click here.

Biggest Winners: When looking at the biggest winners of the 2017 NBA Draft, the first team that comes to mind is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded the #7 pick (Lauri Markkanen), Kris Dunn, and Zach LaVine to the Chicago Bulls for the #16 pick (Justin Patton) and Jimmy Butler. The Timberwolves have been in need of a veteran superstar for a while and they have found their man in Butler, who averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game last season.

Another winner is the Sacramento Kings, who landed De'Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, and Frank Mason III.  Fox has all the tools to be an elite level point guard in the NBA while the other three guys have the potential to become quality role players in the near future. The Kings need someone to build their team around and Fox appears ready to take on such a role.

Biggest Losers: The biggest loser in this draft is clearly the Brooklyn Nets, who would have had the #1 pick in the draft if it weren't for some boneheaded trade with the Boston Celtics. The Nets desperately need a franchise player and this would have been a great draft to find such a player. Instead, the best they could do is pick #22 (Jarrett Allen) and #57 (Aleksandar Vezenkov).

As far as players go, the biggest loser in the draft is clearly Arizona freshman point guard Kobi Simmons, who went undrafted. The feedback he got from the NBA Combine was that he wasn't ready for the NBA and rather than listening to the scouts and returning to school, he opted to stay in the draft and found himself without a team after the 60th pick. The Kobi Simmons story is a cautionary tale. If you leave before you are ready, the NBA won't do you a solid and draft you anyways. Simmons has since been picked up by the Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent.

Another player who shouldn't have come out is BYU sophomore center Eric Mika, who likewise went undrafted. Lots of people feel like Mika was forced to come out due to his age (22), but I don't think that's a good enough reason to declare for the draft. We've seen guys enter the NBA as rookies older than that and find success in the league. The bottom line for Mika is that he should have stayed in school for at least one more year and then declared after his junior year. He went out a year too early and it came back to hurt him.

Biggest Surprises: One major surprise is the fact that Nevada sophomore power forward Cam Oliver went undrafted. The dude draws comparisons to Kenneth Faried due to his freakish athleticism, size, strength, and all-around explosiveness. The dude dunks on 10-foot hoops like he's playing Nerf basketball. I'm very surprised nobody drafted him. He has since been picked up by the Houston Rockets as an undrafted free agent.

Another surprise is that the Golden State Warriors found a way to sneak into the draft. They landed the #38 pick and selected Oregon junior power forward Jordan Bell. Bell will greatly benefit from playing behind Draymond Green, who can show him how to be effective as an undersized power forward. This will wind up being a really good move by the Warriors if Bell lives up to his potential.

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Skyhook Sunday: The Sacramento Kings were dumb to trade DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans

                                         (Credit: Matthew Addie. Click here for source). 
                                       

After the NBA All-Star festivities wrapped up on Sunday, news broke that the Sacramento Kings have agreed to trade DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and two draft picks, one a 2017 first round pick and the other a 2017 second round pick. For my Saturday Slam piece, I mentioned five teams to keep an eye on at the trade deadline and the Kings were one of the those teams due to all the DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors. Despite insisting that they weren't looking to trade Cousins, Vlade Divac and company decided that in the end, it was in their best interest to move on from the "Boogie" Cousins era. 

For the Pelicans, this is a fantastic move. They have been in need of some sort of blockbuster move to keep Anthony Davis in New Orleans and landing a guy like DeMarcus Cousins definitely qualifies as such a move. Cousins is not even in his prime yet, already averaging 27.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game at just 26 years of age. As for Anthony Davis, he is averaging 27.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. 

Together, Davis and Cousins could form one of the most dangerous front courts the NBA has ever seen, elevating the Pelicans into championship contender status. As far as this season is concerned, the Pelicans are suddenly the favorites to get the #8 spot in the Western Conference and could give the Warriors a good scare in the first round. 

In regards to the Kings, I'm having a hard time buying this move. I understand that rebuilding is a necessary process that all teams have to go through at some point. It's just part of the natural cycle of the NBA. But the Kings seem to be hitting the reset button way too prematurely. Right when they move into a new arena that keeps them in Sacramento for good the Kings decide to trade away their franchise player. I understand that DeMarcus Cousins has had his ups and downs, but the man still puts up 27.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Those are hall of fame type of numbers.

 If you have a guy who is putting up those kinds of numbers at just 26 years of age, you better have a really good reason to trade him in order to sell me on it. Simply saying you weren't going anywhere with him won't cut it. You better have a good reason and as this trade is constituted, I really can't buy it for the Kings. None of the guys they got back are guys who they can build around for the future and they aren't guaranteed to get a super high draft pick, either. If the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins because they were convinced that he wouldn't stay in Sacramento, that's fine, but that doesn't mean you trade him for Ring Dings and a Pepsi. If you are going to trade him for Ring Dings and a Pepsi, you might as well keep him for the duration of his contract (through 2018) and see what you can accomplish with him. Maybe you can get better and make things work out. 

What the Kings are getting back for Cousins is nothing to write home about. Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans, and Buddy Hield are solid players, but not anything that you can build around. Buddy Hield is just a rookie so it's possible he becomes something, but I still don't see him becoming an all-star or anything of that nature. The bottom line is the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins for essentially nothing and what I find to be so stupid about that is that there is no way they can convince me that was the best offer they could have gotten for him. Surely there was some team that could have offered a more promising young talent than Buddy Hield and offered a better overall package. 

The bottom line is that the Kings wanted DeMarcus Cousins out of town as soon as possible and while they very well may have good reasons for that, at the very least they have to make sure they get back something good given his high value. As of right now, the Kings just set themselves back at least five years and maybe more. The Kings have gone from possibly making the playoffs for the first time in the DeMarcus Cousins era to heading straight back to the lottery with no definitive plan of as to who next face of the franchise will be. This was a dumb move by the Kings and unless they have something else up their sleeves that I just don't see, they'll regret this move for years to come. 

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Saturday Slam: Five teams that might make a move at the NBA trade deadline

With the NBA trade deadline approaching on the 23rd of February at 3:00 PM EST, I thought it would be good to provide some sort of breakdown of what to expect. Lots of moves are bound to happen, but there are five teams to keep an eye on.

#1. New York Knicks (23-34): The New York Knicks have been rumored to have Carmelo Anthony on the trading block. I addressed this topic earlier in the season and came to the conclusion that trading Carmelo Anthony would not be a smart decision. That being said, the Knicks rarely make smart decisions, which means that they may trade Carmelo Anthony anyways. The biggest obstacle to making a trade happen is Anthony's $24.6M contract that increases to $26.2M in 2017 and $27.9M in 2018 before he hits free agency in 2019. I have a hard time believing that some team will be willing to take on his contract, but if some general manager really believes adding Anthony will make his franchise a championship contender, then a trade could happen.

#2. Boston Celtics (37-20): The Boston Celtics are another team that has been discussed as a possible team to make a trade before the deadline. If the Celtics weren't 2nd in the Eastern Conference standings, I would say odds are good they make a move to better position themselves for the playoffs, but so long as this nucleus of Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford, Jae Crowder, and Avery Bradley delivers like they are, I see no reason for them to make a trade. That being said, if an unbelievable offer presents itself, Danny Ainge very well may roll the dice. 

#3. Sacramento Kings (24-33): The Sacramento Kings remain right in the mix for the #8 spot in the Western Conference playoffs, which makes it hard to figure what they'll do at the trade deadline. There has been discussion of them moving DeMarcus Cousins at the trade deadline as well as Rudy Gay. The Kings have publicly expressed support for DeMarcus Cousins, but if some team is willing to sell the farm to get him, the Kings just may entertain such an offer and make a surprise move at the deadline. As for Rudy Gay, the fact that he tore his Achilles makes him harder to move, but some team may still be interested in his services. He is scheduled to be a go for training camp next season, which ups his value.

It is important to note that DeMarcus Cousins won't be an unrestricted free agent until 2018 while Rudy Gay has a player option on his contract which allows him to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer if he so chooses. If the Kings feel confident that Rudy Gay will exercise his option, then they may be more aggressive in looking to trade him.

#4. Brooklyn Nets (9-47): The Brooklyn Nets are garbage while Brook Lopez continues to put up solid numbers (20.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game). Brook Lopez hits unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018, but the Nets might be smart to move him given that his value is high. I would not be the least bit surprised to see Brook Lopez moved before the trade deadline. The Nets are going nowhere and really have no point in having him eat up salary cap space while they continue to spiral downwards into obscurity.

#5. Philadelphia 76ers (21-35): The Philadelphia 76ers have a logjam in the front court with Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, and Jahlil Okafor. All three are really promising young big men and there's no need to hang on to all three for the long term.  Joel Embiid will almost certainly stay, but it's Okafor and Noel whose names have bubbled up in trade rumors. What the 76ers do at the trade deadline will definitely be something to watch for.

Note: On Thursday, I will post a trade deadline tracker of sorts on here. Definitely check that out to stay on top of what happens at the deadline. 

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Tomahawk Tuesday: The Sacramento Kings could be on the verge of blowing everything up

The Sacramento Kings continue to be one of the weirdest teams in the NBA. They have a spanking new arena in downtown Sacramento that is absolutely incredible and yet amid all the joys that come with that, there are reports of them being willing to trade just about everyone on their roster, it feels like. During the past week and a half, I have heard Willie Cauley-Stein, Omri Casspi, Rudy Gay, and even DeMarcus Cousins mentioned in trade rumors, which if you are doing in the math is nearly one-third of their roster. In the cases of Willie Cauley-Stein, Omri Casspi, and Rudy Gay, it appears to be a situation where all three guys want to get the hell out of Sacramento and get a fresh start elsewhere. As for DeMarcus Cousins, this too might be the case, but I have to say that he does seem to be enjoying his time as a prominent figure in the Sacramento community.

What I want to address is whether moving any of these players makes sense. Personally, I don't think it really matters what happens to Willie Cauley-Stein, Omri Casspi, or Rudy Gay. Those guys, even Rudy Gay, are complementary pieces around the franchise player in DeMarcus Cousins, who is currently averaging 27.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. The Kings could trade any of those guys and they would still more or less have their same identity, which is a team built around DeMarcus Cousins.

As for trading DeMarcus Cousins is concerned, this would be a big deal and does matter. Before the Sacramento Kings say sayonara to the man known as "Boogie", they better be sure moving him is really the right move. You don't just give away a 27 and 10 guy without giving it some serious thought. Especially when that guy is just 26 years old and has not yet reached his prime. Love him or hate him, DeMarcus Cousins delivers the goods night in and night out and has proven himself to be one of the best big men in the NBA. I know he gets criticized for his poor attitude and inability to lead, but I really think it's unfair to criticize him in these areas when he hasn't had a team around him to lead.

                                        (Credit: GAMEFACE-PHOTOS. Click here for source) 
                                   

To be more clear, DeMarcus Cousins' inability to "lead" the Sacramento Kings to the playoffs can't be put on his attitude or lack of commitment since the teams he's played on have not been very good. He's more or less been the only player Kings fans could get excited about since the days of Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, and Vlade Divac. He's been the only guy to give them any sort of hope at becoming relevant and competitive again. Ben McLemore hasn't been able to be that guy, Jimmer Fredette sure as hell wasn't that guy, and Rudy Gay was a nice addition, but not a guy who they could rely on to be the cornerstone of a championship contending team.

In addition to not having the right players, the Kings until this season have had all sorts of coaching problems. Most notably the addition of George Karl, who hated DeMarcus Cousins from the moment he set foot in Sacramento. Karl never gave Cousins a chance to lead or be "the man" on the Kings and Cousins suffered as a result. George Karl continued to pin it as a "George Karl vs. DeMarcus Cousins" kinda thing as if they were dueling each other as opposed to working with each other. DeMarcus Cousins has been mistreated by the Sacramento Kings for far too long and now that he finally has a competent head coach in Dave Joerger the Kings are starting to seriously consider moving him? It's time for him to move on? Get real.

The only time it's time to move on is if you've led your team to a championship and your team is now over the hill or you went as far as you could and reached your maximum potential. Neither is the case with DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento. In his case, the Kings haven't reached their max potential due to incompetent moves on their end. They've drafted the wrong supporting cast players around him, they've traded away the wrong people, and hired coaches that don't know how to work with him. DeMarcus Cousins hasn't been the problem in Sacramento, the Kings have been.

What's evidence of the Kings' dysfunction is the fact that they are the verge of blowing everything up before figuring out where they want to go. If the Kings sincerely believe that it is time for them to move on from DeMarcus Cousins, I suppose that's fine, but if they do, they better have a game plan of what to do next. Guys like DeMarcus Cousins don't grow on trees and if you trade him, you better be certain you are getting something very promising in return. Otherwise, you might as well keep him, continue to build around him, and actually get him the pieces that he needs in order to be successful. I personally believe that DeMarcus Cousins can be a legit franchise player in the NBA and I see no good reason to think that he can't be that guy in Sacramento provided the Kings get him the help he needs.

On a separate, but still Sacramento Kings related note, I got the chance to visit the Golden 1 Center, the Kings' new arena on Monday night on media assignment for GoldenBearReport.com, Cal's Rivals.com site.  It was a lot of fun to be a member of the media in an NBA arena. What I can say about my experience at the Golden 1 Center from an NBA standpoint is that it is truly a beautiful arena with an absolutely incredible screen above the court. The Kings definitely built themselves a state-of-the-art arena in downtown Sacramento. I was very impressed with the layout of the arena from the press room to the court itself. Excellent arena and an absolutely amazing place to watch a game. 

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Wednesday Windmill: George Karl is the most overrated coach in NBA history

                                            (Credit: Keith Allison. Click here for source) 

     When people talk about the best coaches in the NBA, George Karl is a guy who frequently comes up in discussion. He is viewed as a miracle worker of sorts; a guy who turns lemons into lemonade and helps struggling teams find success without having to blow everything up. When there's a team looking for a new head coach, George Karl is often thrown into the mix if he isn't already coaching some other forlorn cast of misfits. From 2005-2013, he coached the Denver Nuggets and currently is coaching the Sacramento Kings, who hired him because they believed he would give them the direction they needed.

     While George Karl has been an NBA Coach of the Year (2013) and coached a team to the NBA Finals (1995-96 Seattle Super Sonics), he has by and large not done anything more than just hang around for a really long time. He has a regular season record of 1173-821 (58.8%) but has struggled in the playoffs with a record of 80-105 (43.2%).

     While his trip to the NBA Finals with the Seattle Super Sonics in 1996 was a great achievement, his inability to guide the 63-19 Sonics past the 42-40 Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 1994 NBA playoffs was flat out embarrassing. It was the first time an 8 seed had upset a 1 seed in the NBA playoffs since the NBA adopted the 16-team format in 1984. How he didn't guide that Sonics team to the NBA Finals is something that I'll never understand and the fact that he only managed to come out of the Western Conference once with a Gary Payton/Shawn Kemp duo is rather pathetic.

     When given one of the most talented duos in NBA history, George Karl underachieved big time and that is something that not enough people talk about. Maybe it's because George Karl is a nice person and nobody wants to talk ill of him. While I'm sure he's a swell guy off the court, his coaching hasn't been anything to write home about if you really look at it under the microscope. He has just one trip to the NBA Finals and literally nothing else to write home about.

     He stunk it up with the Cavaliers and Warriors in the 1980s, underachieved with the Sonics in the 1990s, had one good season with the Bucks in 2000-01 in which they reached the Eastern Conference Finals, and did some solid work with the Denver Nuggets, helping them reach the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009.

     As far as his time with the Sacramento Kings is concerned, that has been a disaster. He has been on a crusade to derail the career of DeMarcus Cousins and take down anybody who is against him. He hasn't made the Kings any better. As a matter of fact, he's made them worse and even more chaotic than they were before he got there. He has embarrassed himself during his time in Sacramento and has made many people believe that he is no longer fit to coach in the NBA.

     But, what's perhaps most puzzling to me is the fact that it has taken this long for people to finally question George Karl. Granted, Sacramento has been a mess unlike anything that George Karl has experienced, but considering his overall resume, one would think that the Sacramento Kings would have looked elsewhere for a coach to turn their team around. One would also think that the Denver Nuggets wouldn't have held on to him for as long as they did.

     If the Oakland Raiders are committed to failure, then George Karl is committed to mediocrity. He finds ways to be mediocre or average as opposed to being great. His teams don't succeed like everybody thinks they do. In truth, they do ok at best and at worst blow up like a fat stick of dynamite.

     George Karl gets mentioned as one of the best coaches in NBA history, but if you really look at it, he shouldn't be mentioned as an all-time great. He's hung around for a long time and found a way to keep getting hired. That in and of itself is impressive, but that doesn't mean he's a great basketball coach. It just means he's great at getting hired and convincing teams he has what it takes to right the ship. He very well may be the best coach in NBA history at getting hired after getting fired, but beyond that, he's nothing more than mediocre.

Wednesday Windmill: DeMarcus Cousins isn't getting enough respect

     Kings center DeMarcus Cousins is one of the best big men in the NBA if not the best. He's averaging 25.9 points per game, 11.1 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He's also shooting 33.9% from three-point range on 3.8 three-point shot attempts per game, which means he's averaging 1.3 three-point field goals per game. That's not too shabby.

     Sadly, "Boogie" Cousins isn't yet getting the level of respect that he deserves. At least not from the fans. The fact that Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia (10.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and .4 blocks) has way more all-star votes than him isn't funny. It's sad and embarrassing. If there's any reason for why fans should not vote for all-star starters, the fact that Zaza Pachulia is carrying more weight in the polls than DeMarcus Cousins is a pretty compelling piece of data.

     So, with all of that being true, one has to now ask why this is the case. There are two major reasons for why DeMarcus Cousins isn't getting the amount of respect he deserves. The first reason is that he plays in a small market and the second reason is that over the course of his career, he has been a bit of a drama queen.

     Fans don't care to vote for players who they have no respect for and since DeMarcus Cousins over the years has brought a lot of negative attention on himself, the negative attention is all that the casual fan outside of Sacramento knows about him. They don't look up his numbers and see all the amazing work he's doing on the court. They don't know that he makes more than 1 three-point shot per game, etc. They don't know that because they hardly ever see him play. The fact of the matter is that if DeMarcus Cousins played in a large market like Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago, he would have a lot more respect around the league from fans.

     As far as the mainstream basketball analysts are concerned, the ones on TNT and ESPN, those guys know how good DeMarcus Cousins is, but even they have their doubts due to his lack of an ability to lead his team into the playoffs. They know the numbers he's putting up, but they question his leadership. This I think is a more fair criticism to have of DeMarcus Cousins. His numbers are great, but can he lead a team deep into the playoffs?

     I think the answer to that question is only time will tell, but with the way he's playing, there's not a good reason to really think he can't. Leading a team deep into the playoffs requires experience and having a team around you that is capable of doing serious damage. DeMarcus Cousins hasn't yet had that, but it's finally starting to come together.

     I'm confident that in time, DeMarcus Cousins' numbers will translate to playoff success and that the Sacramento Kings will once again be a force in the Western Conference. It may take a couple more seasons, but so long as DeMarcus Cousins continues to deliver like he does, the Kings will be competitive for a very long time.

Daily Dunks: 7/20-7/26

                                                   (Credit: Andy Melton. Click here for source)

     Here is my Daily Dunks page for July 20, 2015 through July 26, 2015. Throughout the week this page will be updated with news from across the NBA until a new Daily Dunks page is created for the following week.

Monday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Celtics have signed second round pick forward Jordan Mickey (Click here for details).

#2. The Ty Lawson trade to the Rockets became official (Click here for details).

#3. The Nuggets waived guard  Pablo Prigioni, whom they acquired from the Rockets in the Ty Lawson deal (Click here for details).

#4. The Pistons signed second round pick guard  Darrun Hilliard (Click here for details).

#5. The Spurs officially re-signed guard Manu Ginobili (Click here for details).

#6. The Pistons officially signed Reggie Jackson to his extension (Click here for details).

#7. The Pistons officially re-signed center Joel Anthony (Click here for details).

#8. The Pelicans officially re-signed forward Luke Babbitt (Click here for details).

#9. The Nets made a bunch of promotions in their basketball operations department (Click here for details).

#10. Shaquille O'Neal and Scottie Pippen got into a fight on Instagram (Click here for details).

#11.  Forward John Jenkins signed a three-year deal with the Mavericks (Click here for details).

#12. Forward Quincy Acy re-signed with the Kings on a two-year deal that includes a player option (Click here for details).

#13. Ty Lawson's contract with the Rockets has been restructured such that the final year of his contract is unguaranteed (Click here for details).

#14. Monta Ellis has finally signed with the Pacers (Click here for details).

#15. 76ers center Joel Embiid re-broke the navicular bone in his right foot (Click here for details).

#16. Undrafted rookie forward Duje Dukan from Wisconsin has agreed to a deal with the Kings (Click here for details).

#17. Free agent center Jarrid Famous has agreed to a one-year partially guaranteed deal with the Mavericks (Click here for details).

#18. Guard Keith Appling has agreed to a two-year partially guaranteed deal with the Magic (Click here for details).

#19. Undrafted Louisiana Tech forward Michael Kyser signed a one-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Raptors (Click here for details).

Monday's NBA Summer League scores: 

Spurs 93 Suns 90. Spurs win the Las Vegas Summer League title with former WNBA player Becky Hammon as their coach (Click here for details).

Tuesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. Danilo Gallinari and the Nuggets agreed on a two-year, $34M extension (Click here for details).

#2. Richard Jefferson is signing with the Cavaliers (Click here for details).

#3. The Pacers officially re-signed Rodney Stuckey (Click here for details).

#4. The Pelicans have agreed to a one-year deal with Kendrick Perkins for the veteran's minimum (Click here for details).

#5. Rockets shooting guard James Harden won the MVP at the Player's Awards (Click here for details).

#6. After 17 years in the NBA, Nazr Mohammad is thinking about retirement (Click here for details).

#7. Clippers forward Blake Griffin has come to DeAndre Jordan's defense (Click here for details).

#8. The Pacers are going to wear Hickory High uniforms to commemorate the movie Hoosiers (Click here for details).

#9. Adrian Wojarowski has signed a four-year deal to stay with Yahoo! (Click here for details).

#10. The Magic and Raptors will face each other in London in 2016 on January 14 (Click here for details).

Tuesday's WNBA Final Scores: 

Mystics 76 Shock 69. Stars 80 Fever 62.Sky 97 Dream 92. Liberty 81 Storm 77. Sparks 70 Mercury 65.

Wednesday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. After being waived by the Nuggets, point guard Pablo Prigioni signed a one-year deal with the Clippers (Click here for details).

#2. The Kings signed Seth Curry to a two-year deal (Click here for details).

#3. The Pistons have signed Stanley Johnson to his rookie contract (Click here for details).

#4. Stephen Jackson (Yes, that Stephen Jackson) has retired (Click here for details).

#5. LeBron James' company has signed with Warner Bros. Space Jam 2 is a possibility (Click here for details).

#6. Adam Silver is thinking about not giving division winning teams a guaranteed playoff spot (Click here for details).

#7. Wizards forward Jared Dudley is out 3-4 months after undergoing back surgery (Click here for details).

#8. Bill Simmons is joining HBO (Click here for details).

#9. Former Alabama swingman Levi Randolph will join the Celtics for training camp (Click here for details).

#10. The Spurs signed point guard Jimmer Fredette and shooting guard Jonathon Simmons to training camp deals (Click here for details).

Wednesday's WNBA Final scores: 

Sun 78 Lynx 77. Liberty 59 Sparks 53. Liberty forward Tina Charles had 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Thursday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Kings officially signed Caron Butler (Click here for details).

#2. The Mavericks signed forward Maurice Ndour to a training camp deal (Click here for details).

#3.The Pistons signed forward Adonis Thomas (Click here for details).

#4. The Cavaliers traded forward Rakeem Christmas to the Pacers (Click here for details).

#5. Rakeem Christmas' deal with the Pacers is a 4 year, $4.5M deal with the first two years guaranteed (Click here for details).

#6. James Jones re-signed with the Cavaliers on a one-year deal worth the veteran's minimum (Click here for details).

#7. Chris Copeland signed a one-year contract with the Bucks (Click here for details).

#8. The Hawks signed Lamar Patterson and Terran Petteway to training camp deals (Click here for details).

#9. The Warriors pulled center Ognjen Kuzmic's qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent (Click here for details).

#10. The Jazz plan to make changes to their logo (Click here for details).

Friday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. A lawsuit trying to prevent the Sacramento Kings' arena from being built has been rejected (Click here for details).

#2. The Trail Blazers signed guard Phil Pressey and forward Cliff Alexander (Click here for details).

#3. Carmelo Anthony reportedly may join the Team USA mini-camp in August (Click here for details).

#4. The Wizards are unlikely to trade Nene before the season starts (Click here for details).

#5. Harrison Barnes says he hopes to stay with the Warriors long-term (Click here for details).

#6. Bucks forward Chris Copeland says he is ok after his stabbing (Click here for details).

#7. Phil Jackson has some criticisms for NBA players from Duke (Click here for details).

#8. Nick Young expects to not be traded from the Lakers. At least for a while (Click here for details).

#9. Wesley Saunders, an undrafted guard out of Harvard, has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with the Knicks (Click here for details).

#10. The mayor of Atlanta is willing to contribute public money for the new Hawks arena (Click here for details).

Saturday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Kings have offered Peja Stojakovic a full-time front office position (Click here for details).

#2. Samuel Dalembert has a signed a one-year deal with the Mavericks (Click here for details).

#3. Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving's health is improving (Click here for details).

#4. 76ers rookie center Jahlil Okafor sees himself as a cornerstone of the franchise and is ready to dominate (Click here for details).

#5. Becky Hammon is gaining some traction as a head coaching candidate (Click here for details).

#6. Glenn Robinson III has agreed to a three-year deal with the Pacers (Click here for details).

#7. Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis turned down an invite to join "Dancing With The Stars" (Click here for details).

#8. Former Arizona forward Brandon Ashley has signed a partially guaranteed multi-year deal with the Mavericks (Click here for details).

#9. The Knicks signed power forward Darion Atkins to a partially guaranteed deal (Click here for details).

#10. Kings VP of basketball operations Vlade Divac dislikes analytics and has ceased contact with Dean Oliver, a guy in the organization who loves analytics (Click here for details).

Saturday's WNBA All-Star results: 

West 117 East 112: Final. Lynx forward Maya Moore won MVP with 30 points.

Sunday's NBA Daily Dunks: 

#1. The Heat traded point guard Shabazz Napier to the Magic for a future protected second round pick (Click here for details).

#2. The Cavaliers traded Mike Miller and Brenden Haywood to the Trail Blazers for cap space and trade exceptions (Click here for details).

#3. The Kings fired analytics guru Dean Oliver (Click here for details).

#4. Damian Lillard says he will likely not participate in the Team USA minicamp (Click here for details).

#5. Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry will participate in the Team USA minicamp (Click here for details).

#6. Dwyane Wade is launching his own brand of wine in China (Click here for details).

#7. Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts says he has no hard feelings towards LaMarcus Aldridge (Click here for details).

#8. The Spurs signed center Yassou Ndoye to a non-guaranteed training camp deal (Click here for details).

#9. The Mavericks signed forward Jamil Wilson to a partially guaranteed contract (Click here for details).

#10. The Celtics signed guard Corey Walden to a non-guaranteed training camp deal (Click here for details).


---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord and like my Facebook page NBA Lord Nation for NBA news