Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
Here are five moves that might not have gotten a lot of attention but were very solid nonetheless:
--Raptors get Marco Belinelli from Warriors for Devean George, cash: Belinelli may not be a starter in the NBA, but he can be a rotation guy. And it just so happens the Raptors are pretty much bereft of two guards. That alone should get Belinelli on the court, and from there he'll certainly help at various junctures. As for George, who knows if he'll be healthy and who knows if he'll be able to crack the Warriors' rotation if he is.
OAKLAND -- Signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers turned out to be a pretty easy decision for Leon Powe. Sure, LeBron James had something to do with it, and so did Shaquille O'Neal, not to mention the realistic possibility of winning an NBA title.
But a lot of it came down to peace of mind, and it's obvious that the Cavaliers' willingness to trust Powe when it came to his left knee and its rehabilitation was a big factor in the signing.
Powe is coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee and is targeting a February return. Powe's been down the rehab road before -- two other times, in fact -- so his estimate is likely pretty solid. It's a timetable the Cavs are fine with.
Celtics forward Leon Powe tore his ACL in Game 2 of Boston's playoff series against the Bulls. A hard-working fellow who, in two seasons, had put himself in position to get a decent contract in restricted free agency, Powe had suffered another in a long line of amazing disappointments. Powe grew up in a broken family, spending time in foster care. His mom died while he was in high school. He tore his ACL twice, once in high school and once at Cal.
Every challenge life has thrown out Powe has been defeated. This latest ACL tear has killed his chance of getting a big lucrative contract this summer. Even worse, it might leave Powe completely unsigned -- completely unemployed -- as the Celtics have decided to not make Powe a qualifying offer.
It's hard to blame the Toronto Raptors for taking a 7-footer with 3-point range and the ability to play three positions. That's what Andrea Bargnani presented as the No. 1 pick. There was no clear-cut top choice. The 2006 NBA Draft was filled with unproven early entries, a couple of seasoned seniors and raw big men looking for a big payday.
So the Raptors took the player they thought had the best upside. Hey, the NBA Draft is about development these days, right? Nobody in this supposed weak draft was supposed to be an All-Star anyway, right? No one told that to Brandon Roy, who was passed up by five teams and traded by another. Finally, the Portland Trail Blazers, still ringing from a reputation of bad guys, car racers and dog fighters, had a franchise player in their hands, and he was from nearby Seattle.
Leon Powe was diagnosed with a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee earlier today. The injury will obviously sideline him for the rest of the playoffs and into next season. There's never a good time for a player to suffer a serious injury, but when you think about, this quite possibly might have been the worst time for Powe to go down.
From the team's perspective, Kevin Garnett's injury has already left the rotation incredibly thin up front, and statistically speaking, Powe's (17.2 PER) was the most productive big man off the bench. And from Powe's perspective, the injury all but guarantees that he'll miss out on scoring the first big contract of his career.
Believe it or not, Boston's 62-win season this year might be even more impressive than their 66-win campaign a year ago, especially when you consider the world champs had a target on their back the entire season and Kevin Garnett played a mere 57 games. The Bulls, meanwhile, made the jump from winning the lottery to getting back into the playoffs despite losing Luol Deng for the last two months of the season. The Celtics are favored, and for good reason, but Chicago's athletic young core will make the champs work for every inch.
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.
LeBron James' triple-double streak ended at three, keeping Michael Jordan's modern-era streak record (seven) safe. LeBron, however, knows a few different methods in which to peel a potato. Usually, it's the Swiss Army knife -- carving off the skin with a variety of tools, each one at the ready for immediate use and abuse.
Friday night in Sacramento, LeBron decided to use a hachet. With his Cavaliers down 14 to the Worst Team in the League, LBJ scored 16 points in the fourth and six points in overtime to get Cleveland the victory and by extension the Central Division crown. The Chosen One finished with 51 points and nine assists.
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.
Kobe Bryant reads the New York Times Magazine, and dangit! Shane Battier ... why do you have to diss Kobe in public? Michael Lewis' February love letter to Daryl Morey and Battier talked about how the Rockets make KB inefficient. With Ron Artest also on board, things look bleak for the Laker superhero ... right?
KB scored 37 points on 14-of-23 shooting (.609 FG%) in Houston last night. Lakers win. Whoops! Maybe such stories are best reserved for the offseason, when Kobe can get distracted by shiny things (like gold medals).
If you watched game two of the 2008 NBA Finals, you know what Leon Powe is all about. That's right, HUSTLE. My man is relentless out there, diving for lose balls, blocking shots, fighting for tip ins, and slamming it home on opposing player's faces. He's what most people like to call a hardhat guy.
But there are some real skills to go along with that hustle. I mean, according to John Hollinger's PER projections, Powe projects to be one of the top 25 most efficient players in the league (ahead of guys like Steve Nash, Jose Calderon, and Deron Williams).
I am not entirely sure that asking "what strikes you most about that game?" to Phil Jackson after watching the Lakers come up short in a weird comeback attempt during Game 2 of the NBA Finals was such a smart idea. Unless you were a reporter looking for a quote where Phil laced into the officiating.
'I'm more struck by the fact that Leon Powe gets more foul shots than our whole team does in (Powe's) 14 minutes of play,' Jackson said, even mispronouncing the Celtic forward's name to add insult to his 13-10 free throw edge. 'That's ridiculous
'You can't play from a deficit like that; that we had in that half, 19-2 in the first half. I've never seen a game like that in all these years I've coached in the Finals. Unbelievable.'
See that? Two pot shots in one set of quotes. First he takes a dig at Powe and then he points out just how many freaking years he has been an NBA Finals coach. So you know. Officials, fans, David Stern, Doc. Just in case you didn't realize.
Phil certainly has a point though -- 38 to 10 in terms of free throws is bad enough. But when one player, specifically the guy that made the biggest difference in the game, gets more free throws (13) than your entire team in 14 and a half minutes, well, that's absurd. Thirteen free throws in 14 minutes is ridiculous enough by itself without needing that extra boost.
Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?
OAKLAND -- Signing with the 
Celtics forward 
FanHouse fixes a decade of draft-day blunders in 
FanHouse previews the 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." 
NBA FanHouse walks through the 
I am not entirely sure that asking "what strikes you most about that game?" to 
