There was a lot of activity in the NBA this week, and we're not just talking about the draft. Some of the NBA's big names and better teams were in on it.
Here's a quick look at the trades that went down and what they mean:
The Thinking: The Cavaliers get an aging O'Neal, with the hope that he can have a productive year playing alongside LeBron James. The only way this trade is a success is if the Cavaliers are the 2009-10 NBA champions. For the Suns, trading O'Neal means that they are beyond tinkering and are leaning toward turning over the personnel of a team that missed the playoffs last season.
For those of us hoping that the draft would bring some exciting developments, it has at least started with a relative bang. And for Minnesota fans, it has brought with it the "good" exciting, rather than the "oh, what's that funny feeling in my stomach, oh, it's vomit" exciting. You know, their usual kind.
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Many people consider the NCAA Tournament to be the biggest sporting event of the year, and that includes NBA players. In this hilarious video we catch up with Wizards star Caron Butler (UConn) as he has a very funny exchange with teammate Nick Young (USC) over their alma maters' chances. But just because you are a basketball player does not mean you are into the tournament, as Andray Blatche admits he is not into "Match Mardness." Also in this video we find out which Wizards player looks like President Obama and which one does not.
Washington tastes all flavors of bad. The Wizards will almost assuredly end the season among the three worst teams in the league; as such, the team is due at least a top-six pick, with the probability skewing toward Picks No. 2-4.
As Bullets Forever's Mike Prada identified a month ago, Washington also faces a devastating cap figure for 2009-10. Owner Abe Pollin isn't one of these brave billionaires who can afford a $100-million payrolls. So, the Wizards really need to cut at least $8 million of '09-10 salary. Once Thursday passes, the degree of difficulty will become much greater.
But based on reports, it seems instead of unloading expensive veteran Antawn Jamison or hot prom date Caron Butler, the team is considering trying to attach a bad contract to the high pick to slink under the tax while maintaining a talent base.
If Gilbert Arenas' continued medical issues with his knee weren't worrisome enough, losing Brendan Haywood for four to six months because of that pesky wrist injury he suffered in practice this week. The Washington Post's Ivan Carter reports that Haywood needs surgery to repair a torn wrist ligament; the recovery period will keep him out until at least February, and possibly the entire season. Meanwhile, Antawn Jamison has an injury that keeps most players out two months; Jamison, however, says he will be ready for opening night.
Haywood was a huge, undersung cause for Washington's improvement last season. Perhaps being unshackled from constant battle with Etan Thomas allowed the ease of mind to finally perform well. Maybe Haywood finally got it. Some would argue Haywood had a fluke year, and would have come crashing back down to Earth in '08-09. Whatever the case, we aren't going to find out.
It appears Thomas will get the starting nod, though Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee figure as options, according to the Post's Carter. Is it an opportunity for the Wizards to see what they have in the youth corps? Sure, but it's also enough to suggest Washington won't be making the playoffs this season unless someone unexpected comes through in a major, major way.
NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.
1. TrueHoop. Spending a day with NBA referees. Tons of great notes in here. 2. Palm Beach Post. Michael Beasley comes ... err, clean: "And when asked if he was hiding in the hotel room when security first entered Beasley answered, 'Honestly, I don't know.' I'm not sure our young protagonist understands what that word means. 3. Ball in Europe. Highlights from Josh Childress' first preseason game in Greece. 4. OregonLive. Nate McMillan wants to dampen the high expectations facing the Blazers. Good luck.
Dave Zirin gives us an update on Etan Thomas by way of Q&A at SLAMonline (via The Bog). Short story: A few months after open heart surgery, Etan has been working out in Florida and feels good. No timetable for his return yet, but it looks like it will happen before the season ends.
More interest-piquing from a blog point-of-view: Etan's battle with the Washington Post's Ivan Carter isn't over. If you'll remember, Thomas had beef with Carter because the reporter discussed the possibility Etan's heart condition could end his career, and also brought up Jason Collier's untimely death up in several stories. Thomas felt this sort of context or conjecture (depending on which side you're on) was out of line. No one apologized or made peace. And as evident by today's Q&A with Zirin, Thomas hasn't forgotten.
Now I know I'm not going to be one of his favorite people, and he is probably going to write something negative about me every time he gets a chance being that he was quite offended at the audacity of me criticizing his work, but that OK with me. I was offended by the way he covered my surgery, and felt that not only was it done irresponsibly but without an ounce of compassion or understanding for the gravity of the situation. When your profession causes you to lose sight of your human side, I think it should be called to your attention.
A reporter-player feud isn't unique (a former King manhandled the Sacramento Bee's beat writer in the 90s; high comedy... unless you were the beat writer), but it's not good for anyone in D.C. That Thomas isn't too weakened to fight (his best asset as a player), that is good news.
The Wizards are off to an 0-3 start, their worst since they were the Bullets back in 1992. A big reason for this slow start is their terrible team shooting, especially that of their superstar Gilbert Arenas. The team set a single-game record for futility in three-point shooting against Boston, and through three games, Gilbert is shooting just six percent (1-17) from behind the arc.
It appears that Gilbert is still being bothered by the knee injury that cut his season short last year. After last night's loss to Orlando, Gilbert was limping around and said the knee wasn't feeling right:
Gilbert Arenas winced while he walked across the locker room with a bit of a hitch in his step.
"It's stiff," Arenas said after the knee slowed him on a 10-point night. "It feels like a 5-pound weight is on it."
He said there's a buildup of fluid in the knee, and he might get it drained before the Wizards play next, at New Jersey on Thursday night.
This obviously does not bode well for the Wizards' hopes this season. The team is already without Etan Thomas, the one player they had that attempted to play interior defense, and now they're looking at their top scorer being at less than a hundred percent. If Gilbert's knee continues to be an issue, it's going to be a very long season in D.C., and one that results in nothing more than a trip to the NBA's draft lottery.
You don't always hear about an athlete in the prime of his career needing open-heart surgery, but that's what Etan Thomasunderwent last week. Fortunately, everything went well. From Dave Zirin, one of Thomas' friends as well as a writer for Sports Illustrated:
The post-surgery news is very good. Despite a 4½-hour operation that required his sternum to be cracked open, Thomas is in good health and better spirits. A return to the court by season's end is a possibility.
A return by the end of the season? That's just amazing. Fred Hoiberg underwent heart surgery as a 32-year-old in June 2005 to receive a pacemaker, but after briefly flirting with the idea of returning, he eventually left his playing career to join the Timberwolves front office. To think that Thomas could have his chest cracked open and then actually return to the court months later is as mind-boggling as it is fantastic.
If you're not overly familiar with the kind of person Thomas is, Zirin's article is worth reading in it's entirety. Thomas is one of the rare professional athletes who is very comfortable using his fame as a platform for his personal beliefs, and his creativity and intelligence shine through in just about all that he touches. (via TrueHoop)
Those scourgish worries about Etan Thomas' heart have a cause attached now: A leaky aortic valve, which will be fixed by docs tomorrow, according to the Washington Post's Ivan Carter (via Bullets Forever). The surgery isn't life-threatening, and in fact a current NBA player (Ronnie Turiaf) has gone from diagnosis to the hardwood recently.
Early reports suggest Etan will be forced to sit out the season. All thoughts are of course on the operating table in hopes Thomas will get through everything OK. But you have to also start thinking about how this affects the Wizards.Brendan Haywood obviously wins the starting center role by default. Andray Blatche, Darius Songaila and Sexy Oleksiy Pecherov will fill in as backups (which is kind-of insane, but whatever). I think the team could clearly use another rotation-level big body, because heaven forbid Haywood go down with an ailment.
The Wizards' problem last year was defense, and a big part of that was interior defense. When you have the league's worst defense, you can have the best offense and still be average. And Washington doesn't have the best offense. If Pecherov or Blatche don't turn into elite defenders, folks will score even easier than usual on this team. And the Wizards will lose. That's not important now, of course -- and I honestly feel dirty writing about it all as a guy prepares to get his chest sliced upon. My apologies then, and Godspeed to Etan.
There was a lot of activity in the NBA this week, and we're not just talking about the draft. Some of the NBA's big names and better teams were in on it.
For those of us hoping that the draft would bring some exciting developments, it has at least started with a relative bang. And for Minnesota fans, it has brought with it the "good" exciting, rather than the "oh, what's that funny feeling in my stomach, oh, it's vomit" exciting. You know, their usual kind. 
Many people consider the NCAA Tournament to be the biggest sporting event of the year, and that includes NBA players. In this hilarious video we catch up with Wizards star 
Washington tastes all flavors of bad. The Wizards will almost assuredly end the season among the three worst teams in the league; as such, the team is due at least a top-six pick, with the probability skewing toward Picks No. 2-4.
If 
Dave Zirin gives us an update on 
The Wizards are off to an 0-3 start, their worst since they were the Bullets back in 1992. A big reason for this slow start is their terrible team shooting, especially that of their superstar 
You don't always hear about an athlete in the prime of his career needing open-heart surgery, but that's what 
Those 
