In my beloved state of California, the government is broke. Back in July, out of cash, the state began paying its bills with IOUs: here's a certificate saying we owe you X dollars plus X% interest. But the vendors and whatnot didn't just hang on to the IOUs -- they needed cash! Yet national interest rates are so low that the IOUs actually became a decent investment vehicle, so some parties in California actually sought out the IOUs, and many banks, credit unions and even businesses accept them as readily as they would dollar bills. In a way, the IOUs have become a new form of currency.
Quentin Richardson has now been traded four times in seven weeks, the latest to Miami in exchange for Mark Blount. We definitely have a handle on Q's value -- no player has ever had their worth marked so finely. If you wanted to, you could figure out just how many DeSagana Diops or Etan Thomases you could for your Q. In a way, Quentin Richardson has become a new form of currency.
Miami has myriad concerns but only three real problems heading into 2008-09: the point guard position, fitting the team's three starter quality forwards together, and perimeter depth. The Heat remains damned on the PG tip until Mario Chalmers has an epiphany or the trade market ratchets up, and I count myself again the horde which finds the Shawn Marion-Michael Beasley-Udonis Haslem triumvirate more interesting than problematic. But depth ... with only James Jones, Dorell Wright, Daequan Cook and Yakhouba Diawara available behind Dwyane Wade and Marion at the swing positions. That's a little good but a whole lotta bad, at least on offense.
Now Jones is out at least three months after ripping a tendon in his wrist. That ensures Wright or Diawara will get some minutes; in the event of an injury or a Marion trade that doesn't send a quality wing back, this ensures substantial burn for both those guys as well as Cook, who appears to sit on the fringes of the NBA (which is where Diawara rightfully exists). Mention was made during the summer that Shaun Livingston could play some two-guard or small forward, but no one will say when he'll be ready for real NBA action.
Another blow to the bench brigade: Jamaal Magloire will be out until December at the earliest with a broken hand. As Erik Spoelstra resists Forwardpalooza, Mark Blount will be the starting center. Magloire's a zombie, but he's better than Joel Anthony and potentially better than Blount. Alonzo Mourning is working out in some secluded bunker or something, but he doesn't figure to get live until at least January.
This is all to say that Miami could be the shocker we all dream of, but it could also be a really bad team with nothing past Wade and a good forward rotation.
One of the more intriguing questions floating around basketblog circles this summer has concerned Miami's frontcourt rotation. Shawn Marion has taken up permanent residency on the trade block, but most rumors involving Matrix have died before going public. It really does look like Marion will be in Miami to start the year.
So with longtime Heat forward Udonis Haslem (the team's best defender over the past few years), No. 2 pick Michael Beasley (a popular R.O.Y. choice) and Marion (one of the better defenders in the league, and an explosive match for Dwyane Wade) all needing minutes ... what does Erik Spoelstra do? Barry Jackson of the Miami Heraldgets some hints from the rookie coach.
Spoelstra wants to use an undersized frontcourt of Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley and Shawn Marion "at times, but it will depend on the matchup. I don't know about [using it] in large doses. I feel comfortable with Udonis playing some minutes at" center. He said he hasn't decided whether to open games with a traditional center (Mark Blount or Jamaal Magloire) or the smaller lineup with Haslem at center.
If Haslem starts at power forward, Beasley would come off the bench, because Spoelstra said he sees Beasley as a power forward "right now." (He said he's undecided whether Beasley will start.) He's equally comfortable with Marion at either forward spot.
There you go. I see no practical reason not to roll with the small line-up: Marion is an elite rebounder at power forward, and would be a 25-30% better rebounder than any other small forward in the league assuming his performance maintains at age 30. Haslem is a stellar rebounding forward, and would be at the lower end of average as a center. Beasley projects to be an elite rebounder.
Unless someone taught Blount how to defend this summer, or Magloire sold his soul, there's no way Miami's small line takes something off the table, save maybe a prospective bench scoring boost Beasley could offer.
Alternate title: "Where Chris Quinn playing 48 minutes happens."
Technically speaking, the Raptors 96-54 win over the Heat last night will go down as an official NBA game, but there should be some kind of star next to it in the history books. Let's face it, the Heat aren't even trying to field a competitive team anymore. Pat Riley had just seven players dressed last night, including maybe two (Ricky Davis and Mark Blount) who even hard-core NBA fans could reasonably be expected to pick out of a lineup.
And guess what? It's only going to get worse: Udonis Haslem will undergo season-ending ankle surgery this Friday. Starting in his place last night was Earl Barron, who shot 1-10 from the field in 34 minutes. Replacing Dwyane Wade, who's already been pardoned from participating in this train wreck the rest of the year was Daequan Cook, who shot just 3-19. Not surprisingly, the team's 54 points on Wednesday marked a franchise low, as did their .256 field-goal percentage.
Shawn Marion ("sore back") and Jason Williams ("jammed thumb") also sat out with minor ailments -- what's the over/under on them being ruled out for the year? I'm going with five games.
The "good" news is that the NBA has awarded the Heat a waiver to sign a 16th player, which only means they'll be giving one more unrecognizable face a 10-day contract. That might make practice more competitive, but it'll do nothing for the actual game.
In the game which took 2-1/2 months to compete, Atlanta has defeated Miami in the 51.9-second redo scheduled for today. The conclusion was thoroughly exciting.
Miami had the ball first, but Mark Blount missed a turnaround jumper in the lane. Joe Johnson could have clinched it for the Hawks, but his bank shot rolled off the rim with 19 seconds to go.
Miami raced down court and called timeout to set up a play that could have forced a second overtime period -- more than 2 1/2 months after the first one began. The Heat managed to get the ball to Dwyane Wade, but he missed a desperation 3 from the corner with 1.5 seconds left.
NBA basketball! Yeah!
Pat Riley had like 80 days to plan for this "game," and he drew up a play for Mark Blount? His mind must really be on the draft.
B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.
Cup of Coffee Missed in all of this Jermaine O'Neal going somewhere else stuff floating around the NBA is that Danny Granger's having a pretty darn good season. His field goal percentage is down a little bit, but his averages across the board are all up (he's pulling in a block and a steal per game along with 18 points, six boards and two assists, roughly) yet he recorded only his third double double of the season, with 18 points and 10 rebounds. But here's the thing -- he's improving in the new year, averaging over 20 points per game with slightly increased numbers elsewhere. And he's still young too, folks, which means a big second half bump could be coming up soon. Trade for him now.
Hot Cakes Al Horford went for another big dub-dub against the Pistons last night with 12 points and 16 boards, plus a block, and is in line for a largo second half. Rookies can hit the wall, etc., but generally it's nicer to own young guys in the second half of the season. I think Horford ends up with a 10/10 average on the season, personally.
Mark Blount will absolutely not quit. He went for 22 in the last game and now 18 and 13 against Marcus Camby. W.T.F. He doesn't have a contract coming up, but he suddenly has a legit starting job, and odds are pretty good he wants to keep it. Continue starting him, but if you get a good offer, no reason not to sell.
B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.
Cup of Coffee One would think that if Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng were missing from the lineup, the Bulls would not beat the Warriors (much less anyone). Of course, one would also think that Chris Duhon would not score 34 points. He, in fact, did. He also, in fact, added nine assists. Oh, and three steals. The last two parts are totally legit, assuming Hinrich remains out and Duhon gets the PT (he will). The points though, are a career high and an abnormality likely based on facing off against the Warriors. Hinrich has missed three games with bruised ribs now and probably won't be rushed back immediately, but you want to be selling on Duhon regardless. If you can't find a buyer (which wouldn't be totally shocking) then certainly play him until Kirk returns.
Hot Cakes Dorrell Wright will not go quietly into the night. Presumably, he will lose run once Shawn Marion suits up and Udonis Haslem returns from his ankle issues. However, that's three straight games with double digit points (16 and 10 boards last night) and what do the Heat have to lose this season? Take a flier if he's out there.
Just a couple of ago, it seemed as if the only way the Heat could turn around their fortunes would be if they could somehow convinceShaquille O'Neal to retire, relieving them of the burden of paying him $40 million over the next two years and freeing up precious salary cap space. And yet, in the blink of an eye, Pat Riley was somehow able to convince Steve Kerr to roll the dice and take a shot.
Nobody could have predicted that, right? Actually, maybe we just weren't paying close attention. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel points out Riley has been pulling tricks like this for a few years now:
He made Brian Grant's contract disappear, when it appeared an impossible dream.
He made Eddie Jones' money vanish, when that appeared unfathomable.
He unloaded Antoine Walker the day after an NBA scout said no one could unload Walker. ... [In] his role as Heat president, he has made more money disappear than Enron.
To refresh your memory, Grant was was making about $13 million a year when he was traded to LA to get Shaq; Jones was making over $14 million a year when he was traded to the Grizzlies for James Posey and Jason Williams, key pieces in the Heat's 2006 title run; and Walker was making over $8.5 million when he was dumped to the Timberwolves in a package for Ricky Davis, who's filled in when Wade has been hurt, and Mark Blount, the new starting center.
Yes, Riley makes mistakes (he's the one who gave Grant, Walker and Shaq their huge contracts) but he's cleans up his messes better than anyone in the league.
This morning, Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald writes about how the Ricky Davis-Antoine Walker trade helps the Heat more next summer (when Davis' deal comes off the books) than it does for this upcoming campaign. It's a nice contrarian view to take... except it's almost assuredly wrong.
The trade will save Miami $2 million next year (the difference between Walker's contract and that of Mark Blount). Depending on what happens with Dorell Wright next summer (he'll be a restricted free agent), the Heat figure to be about $5 million under the cap. Had they not executed this trade, they'd be $3 million under the cap. These amounts of breathing room are useless in free agency. If you're under the cap, you can't use your salary cap exceptions... such as the mid-level, which is actually close to $6 million. (This is what happened to Orlando this summer when they renounced Darko's cap hold.) The Heat can sign a better free agent using the entire midlevel than it can being $5 million under the cap, in other words.(As properly noted in the comments, the Heat will have their exceptions regardless. The cap room still doesn't help get a good player in free agency, though.)
If Pat Riley pulls this off, he'll immediately salvage what had been an extremely disappointing offseason. For a guy set to make almost $19 million over this year and next (with team options totaling $20 million plus the next two years), Walker is a huge disappointment -- in addition to being expensive, he's aging and fat, the latter of which has landed him in Riley's doghouse on multiple occasions.
Walker's attitude is also a bit questionable, though it was kept in check on a roster that included Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. But on a young team like Minnesota? Yikes. You have to hope Kevin McHale rounds up the troops before Walker arrives and warns everyone not to pay any attention to him. Doleac and Simien are useful depth, I suppose, but their greatest value is the fact that their contracts expire after this year.
In my beloved state of California, the government is broke. Back in July, out of cash, the state began paying its bills with IOUs: here's a certificate saying we owe you X dollars plus X% interest. But the vendors and whatnot didn't just hang on to the IOUs -- they needed cash! Yet national interest rates are so low that the IOUs actually became a decent investment vehicle, so some parties in California actually sought out the IOUs, and many banks, credit unions and even businesses accept them as readily as they would dollar bills. In a way, the IOUs have become a new form of currency.
Miami has myriad concerns but only three real problems heading into 2008-09: the point guard position, fitting the team's three starter quality forwards together, and perimeter depth. The Heat remains damned on the PG tip until 
One of the more intriguing questions floating around basketblog circles this summer has concerned Miami's frontcourt rotation. 
Alternate title: "Where 
In the game which took 2-1/2 months to compete, 
B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. 
B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. 
Just a couple of ago, it seemed as if the only way the Heat could turn around their fortunes would be if they could 
This morning, Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald writes about how the 
