FanHouse JamalCrawford

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 Deal: Phoenix sends Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, a second-round pick in 2010 and cash.

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.

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Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

One of the factors leading to the lack of respect Chris Paul receives from some quarters is that his numbers often look muted. Sure, 22 points, 11 assists and three steals a game looks lovely. But it doesn't get mentioned with the gaudy numbers of Wade or Kobe. Paul's Q rating comes from his leadership and playmaking, not his stat line. That's criminal! His stat line is amazing.

New Orleans plays slow -- No. 28 in the league in possessions per game. This serves to dampen Paul's numbers. As such, when the Hornets (are forced to) play quicker, Paul puts up ridiculous numbers. Like 43 points, nine assists and three steals.

NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.



[via TrueHoop]

Ah, it's that magical time of the season.

When the stars of lottery teams shut it down.

Stephen Jackson is shutting it down because of a nagging toe injury. If there's one guy you can't fault for calling it a season, it's Jackson. He's battled through injuries, through an embarrassing season, through the complete lack of a plan formulated by the franchise heads. And with the playoffs long ago a dream, there's just not much point in pushing what is probably a pretty painful injury any further.

But what are the long term goals of this club anyway? And how does this affect Jackson's future?

The Warriors swapped Al Harrington for Jamal Crawford earlier this season mostly because Don Nelson and Harrington couldn't get along. Now, Nelson wants Crawford to leave, telling the guard in a recent team meeting that if he doesn't grab hold of his own destiny by opting out at the end of the season then the Warriors will make every effort to trade him.

Matt Watson noted Friday that Don Nelson planned on sitting a few healthy Warriors veterans in order to clear some minutes for the team's youngsters. Friday night's home game against the Bobcats constituted the first use of the tactic, with Jamal Crawford sitting down.

How'd it go? The Warriors lost by three. Crawford's replacement, second-year player C.J. Watson, shot poorly and turned the ball over three times. Fans have complained about the apparent tanking. And Crawford's agent, Aaron Goodwin, is not one bit pleased.

Jamal Crawford will be a spectator tonight, watching from the bench as the Warriors host the Bobcats. Is he injured? Not at all. Suspended? Hardly. Instead, he's the victim one of Don Nelson's whims.

Despite the fact that Golden State's backcourt is already short-handed -- Monta Ellis (ankle) has already missed one game and will likely miss several more -- Nelson decided that tonight is a good time to begin randomly benching veterans in order to give younger players more playing time. C.J. Watson is expected to start, and Anthony Morrow and Marco Bellinelli should see a few more minutes, as well.

It's pretty easy to feel bad for the city of Cleveland. None of their sports teams can manage to win anything, and everyone seems to believe that LeBron James is headed to New York in 2010. So that's why, when he debuts a new line of Nike shoes called the "LeBron VI Big Apple" on the night the Cavs play the Knicks, you kind of have to chuckle at the general paranoid aura floating out of the city that rocks! (Via Nike Press Release)

The Zoom LeBron VI performance basketball shoe represents the essence of LeBron James: team, toughness, passion and vision. James worked with Nike designer Ken Link to create a shoe that meets his performance needs and the needs of players with a powerful, dynamic style of play.

[...]The shoe's collar has been engineered with a wider opening so it's easier to slip on and wear while maintaining a full-length fit feel. On the collar, graffiti art highlights LeBron's mantras-passion, family, winning, fearless and vision.

So, yeah, pride. Family. Passion. New York!

From the perspective of Cleveland and New Jersey, the Knicks went from Jean Grey to Dark Phoenix today. But we won't know if the Great Contract Sell-off of 2008 actually worked for roughly 586 days, so let's focus on the present: the weirdest team in the league just got more gonzo. Don Nelson already starts four two-guards, and now he's acquired Jamal Crawford. Does the trade make you tingle, Nellie?

"I'm stoked, is what I am."

Once Monta Ellis returns and Crawford suits up (the Warriors expect him to be ready Tuesday), I expect you'll be able to describe six of the top seven Warriors in minutes per game as two-guards. Corey Maggette currently mans the power forward position. Stephen Jackson has been alternately running point and sitting at small forward. Anthony Morrow has gotten two starts at the two-guard (with another expected tonight), and Kelenna Azubuike has been alongside him for more than a week.

In the Matt Steinmetz Examiner piece linked above, Nelson notes that Crawford will likely start at the one for now and will share the associated duties with Ellis. Crawford, Ellis, Jackson and Maggette figure to be your starters, with Morrow and Azubuike ready to jump in before the first true power forward or center (Brandan Wright and Ronny Turiaf are each under 18 minutes per game).

Nellieball is getting even more bizarre before our eyes. Andris Biedrins, I hope to ready to keep on rebounding.

H/T: Golden State of Mind

So at long last, Al Harrington is on a proverbial train to New York City to join Mike D'Antoni's gonzo attack. Is it a good deal for the 'Bockers? Well, that depends on the source. Newsday reports Jamal Crawford, the best Knick guard, is the return piece for Golden State. The New York Post's Peter Vescey, on the other hand, has sources who indicate the Warriors have accepted only Malik Rose, a bench-warming expiring contract, in return. (Mutoni reminds us of the last Vescey-reported trade, which never happened.)

But really, it's a strong deal for the Knicks regardless of the piece. Jetting away Rose is better news for this year's win-loss tally -- without Crawford, D'Antoni might really have to play Stephon Marbury! -- but losing Crawford helps in the summer of 2010. Some have suggested Jam might opt out of his final two years and $19.3 million when his early termination option arrives this summer. Fat flippin' chance. If Ben Gordon can't make $10-12 million in this market, Jam Crawford ain't doing it.

A Harrington-Crawford swap gets Donnie Walsh theoretically within reach of a 2010 max contract for a player with 7-8 years of experience (that covers LeBron, Wade, Bosh and Amare). That doesn't account for New York's next two years worth of draft picks or David Lee, so clearly there's a bit more paring left. But if this is indeed the deal, there's no overwhelming need to cut Zach Randolph free any longer. The Knicks can be 2010 players with him.

UPDATE: Rarely wrong Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that it's Crawford.