FanHouse Rashad McCants

Let's get right to it. We asked for your Twitter questions and we got them. Now for some answers:

albert_kim: Is Rashad McCants going to be a good fit in Houston?
I don't think Rashad McCants is necessarily a good fit for any team. We're talking about a colossal headcase here. However, if he's going to be effective for any team it would likely be a team with established veterans, an established style of play and a veteran head coach who is pretty good at dealing with players such as McCants.

To that extent, the Rockets might be less worse of a fit for McCants than many other teams. Coach Rick Adelman is one of the best when it comes to handling players who aren't easy to coach, whether it be Rod Strickland from back in the day or Ron Artest recently.

So what's the word from Nuggets guard J.R. Smith on his seven-game suspension to start the season?

Well, actually there isn't one yet.

"The team said I'm not allowed to speak to nobody yet,'' Smith said Thursday, saying team officials have told him not to talk to the press until media day Sept. 25.

Smith was asked, though, if he at least wanted to make a comment on whether the suspension, handed down Aug. 28, was fair.

"You're trying to get me fined,'' Smith said.

Free-agent time should be like Christmas for these under-30 former first-round picks. If they had played better, stayed healthy or fulfilled their potential, they would be cashing in on new contracts or contract extensions. Instead they are fighting for their NBA lives, afterthoughts in free-agent time, hoping to find one interested team for another opportunity to stay in the league.

The alternative might be Europe or perhaps even the NBDL. With each NBA team holding on tight to free-agent dollars because of the economy and the 2010 free-agent class, contracts -- especially lucrative ones -- will be difficult to procure. So while names such as Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Trevor Ariza and Hedo Turkoglu will fill the offseason newswires, these 10 players will be searching for work in virtual obscurity.

Here is the list and their stories:

The 3 PM ET trade deadline in the NBA has come and gone, and while there were plenty of big names rumored to be on the move, few teams actually had the guts to pull the trigger. There were plenty of deals made, however, including one that might have one Eastern Conference team feeling like it's back in the title conversation. A wrap-up of today's events after the jump.

Perhaps "Cupcakes!" could be the new "Onions!", Mr. Raftery? Gerald Green -- and the following dunk -- make me think it's a pretty good idea. (Quality's a touch grainy but it's a pretty nice throwdown.)



It's this sort of business -- getting down with the up-funk and what not -- that make Green such a frustrating player to watch. In the less than full-on NBA Summer League, he can dominate. But his attitude and off court time reading Rashad McCants' poetry have combined to keep him -- so far! -- from actually exploiting his potential. We can only dream.

Via Odenized

With Rashad McCants trade rumors swirling around the Timberwolves message boards, it appears that Ol Shaddy is doing nothing to boost his trade value. Amid the Timberwolves' 92-86 loss to the Houston Rockets, McCants had a bit of a freakout toward the end of the first half. According to Britt Robson's immaculate Three-pointer blog:

With 4:37 left in the second period, Rashad McCants was whistled for a charge on one of those calls that could have legitimately gone either way. But McCants was pissed and complained to the officials as the Wolves called timeout. After this extended harangue, Wittman caught Shaddy's attention as he was headed toward the bench and harshly told him to get over to the sideline. McCants angrily threw his hand up in Wittman's direction, turned his head away and yelled something on the order of "get f***ed" as he went and sat down...

...When Houston subsequently called timeout, he stalked to the bench in high dudgeon, yelling and screaming, presumably at the injustice of not getting the ball. Dressed in street clothes, Theo Ratliff came over first and tried to console him, or at least get him to pipe down...Finally, Wittman turned to his right, glowered at McCants, and hollared, either "get out of here" or "get the f**k out of here," but in any case, the way McCants's shoulders kept moving, I assume he kept talking, until Wittman finally hollered again, "Shut up!" and then started to work on the upcoming play.

McCants has been a player who has been misunderstood throughout his career, often seen as a malcontent and garnering comparisons to everyone from J.R. Rider to Ron Artest. It's a shame that his mental tics seem to cloud his immense talent and that small episodes like this continue to taint the reputation of an otherwise great guy and teammate. Hopefully one day Shaddy will put it all together for the Wolves, or better yet he'll be dealt elsewhere to serve his ideal role as a Vinnie Johnson instant-offense type of guy on a contender.

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Cup of Coffee
Jamario Moon appears to be, dare I say ... on the rise again? Ahh. I kill me. Sorry. Anyway, Moon scored 11 points with five boards plus a block and steal each last night and is now seeing a whopping 38.6 minutes per game through January. Yes, it is early, but it sure seems like the Raptors do not want to let his talents ... wane on the bench? Okay, okay, I'm done. Seriously though, if he got dropped go add him. Or better yet, just trade for him. He's a roto-gold mine with his block and steal numbers, he hustles every night, and you get to care about your team. That's important sometimes.

Hot Cakes
J.R. Smith sighting last night -- the gunner scored 21 points for his first plus-twomp game since November 30, and only his third of the season. He did it in 28 minutes, which means he still has yet to crack 30 on the season; his fantasy value has been limited as a three point specialist but with Nene Hilario likely out for an extended period of time following the removal of a testicular tumor and Kenyon Martin dealing with a staph infection, Smith could start seeing some minutes. Make a move for him now before the competition figures out what's going on.

So, this LeBron James guy, he is some kinda good huh? You probably want to think about starting him. I hate giving obvious unnecessary fantasy analysis, but when a guy throws up a 51/8/9 line, you gotta give a shoutout.