Utah is making financial moves

Utah is trying to stay within their financial means and stay competitive at the same time. They traded Ronnie Brewer to Memphis for a future pick. ; They have depth at that position and can absorb the loss. ; Brewer is a restricted free agent and Utah may not be able to match any offers. ; So, they gain a pick for him now. ; Not bad I guess.

Memphis is trying to make the playoffs now and giving up a future pick for something now makes sense. ; Brewer will improve them and I think he was worth the first round pick. ; I don't know that he gets them there, but he will be better than what they could have drafted for.

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High Flyer of the Night: Michigan State's Durrell Summers

	High Flyer of the Night: Michigan State's Durrell Summers Not even Stanley Robinson can stand in the way of Michigan State's Durrell Summers as the Spartan takes it to the hole with authority.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:44283 110ratings
	Time:00:38	More inSports

Backcourt Battle: MSU vs. uconn

	Backcourt Battle: MSU vs. uconn Can Kalin Lucas and his teammates win the battle of the backcourt against AJ Price and the uconn Huskies. Jason Horowitz, Steve Lappas, and Tim Brando break down the matchups.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:41766 47ratings
	Time:05:21	More inSports

Grizzlies give Thabeet some time

The Memphis Grizzlies will be hopeful that the NBA D-League lives up to its name after they sent 2009 No 2 draft pick Hasheem Thabeet down to the North Dakota Wizards and made just a little bit of history in the process.

Thabeet, who was expected to be a fairly raw rookie anyway, has had little or no success since the Grizzlies drafted him out of Connecticut last summer, and he is the highest draft pick yet to be sent down to the Developmental League, the NBA’s own version of the minors.

The 7ft 3in giant, who has only really had any success as a shot-blocker and often looked lost out on the court against more seasoned professionals, will be working mainly on his shooting according to NBA Tips, after averaging less than three points per game.

Thabeet has been on court in 50 Memphis games this season, but only logged an average of 10 minutes, scoring in double figures just once against Phoenix in early January.

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New faces early dividends

Dallas Mavericks' new players played well last night, beating the top team in the east in Orlando Magic.

Caron Butler and Brenden Haywood combined for 73 minutes 16 rebounds and 31 points. ; A really good bigman and another scorer. ; Good Job Dallas.

Another top team fell to newcomers. ; Denver fell to Washington and their new lineup. ; No Arenas, no Jamison, no Butler, no problem. ; Josh Howard had 20 points in 23 minutes. More stunning was the 25 points the Wizards outscored the Nuggets in that 23 minutes. ; Also, Al Thornton (just acquired from the Clippers) had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 block shots in 31 minutes. Oh I can't wait until Ilgauskas joins the group. ;

Expect Thornton and Howard to play with a chip on their shoulders, showing the teams that didn't want them that they were wrong. The Wizards have players that are auditioning for the big free agent bucks. ; They are going to be competitive for the rest of the season.

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Welcome The Lakers pinky problem awesome rookies and other thoughts around the league

Welcome! ; This is my inaugural post on NBABasketballonline. ; I will not spend too much time initially on who I am, but will get into my thoughts and love for the NBA. ; In due course you should develop a clear indication of who I am and where I am coming from. ;

To make things clear right away though I am a Lakers fan. ; But beyond the Lakers I am a fan of the league. ; There exists no other medium where you can watch the most naturally gifted athletes battle night in and night out (well in the playoffs at least). ; The majority of my time is spent rooting for the Lake Show, but by no means does that mean I do not appreciate or any less fascinated with the supreme prowess of Tim Duncan or the fierce competitiveness of KG or the ridiculous all around offensive talents of Melo. ; I could comprise my entire initial blog with these adjective laden statements respecting the talents the NBA’s elite, but for our reading pleasure I will delve into more significant opinions I deem worth sharing with others. ;

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Greg Shaheen on Detroit Final Four

	Greg Shaheen on Detroit Final Four Senior Vice President of the NCAA, Greg Shaheen, talks with Jason Horowitz and Tim Brando about this year's Final Four being held in Detroit, Michigan.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:2422 2ratings
	Time:06:09	More inSports

Final Four: News and Notes 4/3

	Final Four: News and Notes 4/3 Gary Parrish joins Jason Horowitz at the Final Four to discuss the various coaching changes around college basketball including the situations in Arizona, Memphis and Georgia.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:90231 68ratings
	Time:04:18	More inSports

2009 Final Four Dunks of the Night

	2009 Final Four Dunks of the Night The Final Four teams showcased their athletic prowess in Detroit, throwing down some fearsome slams throughout the night. Watch some of the best ones here.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:19145 30ratings
	Time:01:05	More inSports

Humpday Huddle

I’ve been extremely busy lately so I haven’t had as much time to write, but I have wanted to weigh in on a few topics before the week is over and hopefully I can come through with a column for tomorrow. ; Let’s be random…

;

Did I hear that correctly? ; Appartently the Golden State Warriors turned down a trade that would have netted them O.J. Mayo and Nasheen Thabeet for Monta Ellis…craziness

;

There are a lot of interesting rumblings coming out of the 2010 Draft/Combine. ; Tim Tebow is working on changing his throwing motion. ; This is one of the more intriguing stories of the draft. ; It is easy to root for Tebow because of his faith and his character but I just don’t see him being an effective NFL quarterback. ; NFL defenses are too fast, too smart and too powerful for a guy who dominated the college ranks with those same traits. ; His passing ability is very suspect because of that long wind-up release. ; The transformation that he’s attempting will be very difficult as he has thrown with the same motion for the last 20 years. ; Some people try to compare Tebow to Vince Young, but VY has demonstrated the tools and ability to excel on the NFL level. ; Young does everything Tebow does, but way better. ; This should be an interesting development and I’m sure there are GMs and teams out there that can make this marriage work, but I would stay away from this guy for the most part.

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Final Four: News and Notes 4/4

	Final Four: News and Notes 4/4 The coaching carousel is a hot topic during the Final Four, as vacancies at some of the nation's top programs remain unfilled. Gary Parrish and Jason Horowitz have more.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:1065 13ratings
	Time:04:41	More inSports

New York Knicks what the salary cap future holds

CLAAAANG!!! ; Another errant Knicks shot glances off the rim. ; The New York Knickerbockers have mastered the art of losing for the past 10 years. ; The only silver lining after this season is the possibility of signing two big name, “max contract” players. ; The Knicks traded away their upcoming draft pick (along with Jared Jeffries and others) to Houston, ;to free up more money for these players. ; Nothing is guaranteed, the Knicks aren’t necessarily getting anyone for their trouble. ;

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The losing that the Knicks have been doing is a relatively new experience for their head coach, Mike D’Antoni. ; D’Antoni came over from Phoenix, where he had an outstanding winning percentage, playoff appearances every year, and usually a late-season meeting with the San Antonio Spurs that ultimately would decide who would come out of the west. ; Before he coached Amare Stoudemire, Steve Nash and Shawn Marion to 60 wins a year. ; Now he leads Al Harrington and a band of inexperienced, below average knicks to likely two 30 win seasons. ;

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Lakers loom as Grizz road trip nears end

Although it is usually a highlight of Lakers-Grizzlies meetings, the Gasol Brothers will not face off tonight when Pau's Lakers host Marc's Grizzlies. ; Pau will miss tonight's game as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury, although by all accounts it seems to be completely healed. ; As with Allen Iverson's situation, though, with a hamstring you can never be too careful. ; Last season, Pau held a slight edge over his younger brother, averaging 16 ppg in the teams' four matchups, all Laker wins, while Marc averaged 13 ppg. ; However, Marc outscored Pau in each of the last two meetings, 17-13 and 14-12, respectively.

The Lakers may be somewhat fatigued as they enter tonight's game coming off consecutive overtime games against Oklahoma City and Houston. ; I wouldn't count on it, but if the Grizzlies can get off to another quick start and punish the Lakers physically with Zach Randolph and Marc, they could hang around. ; They just have to be consistent and efficient on offense. ; They absolutely must limit their turnovers because they are going to ;need all the extra ;possessions they can get.

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McGrady to NY helping the way for LeBron

New York unloaded a lot more money on Thursday in hopes of landing LeBron.

Here is what transpired: ;

New York gained: ; Tracy McGrady and PG Sergio Rodriguez

New York lossed: ; Jordan Hill, Jarred Jeffries and draft consideratoins in 2011 and 2012

Houston gained: ; Kevin Martin and C Hilton Armstrong and draft considerations from NY in 2011 and 2012 Jarred Jeffries and Jordan Hill

Houston lossed: ; Tracy McGrady Cal Landry and Joey Dorsey

Sacremento gained: ; Cal Landry, Joey Dorsey, Larry Hughes

Sacramento lossed: ; Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong

New York is taking a gamble, but a good one. ; What they got isn't working. ; They have a lot of contracts that are going to expire and unloaded more salary. ; So, they will have enough money to sign 2 free agents the maximum. ; LeBron James is the first choice. ; The other could be McGrady as he gets to audition for the big money for the next 30 games. ; That is smart for all parties involved. ; New York gets to see if McGrady is a fit. ; McGrady gets to prove how good he is. And, Houston is rid of his contract and got something out of it.

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Denny's: MSU vs. UConn Preview

	Denny's: MSU vs. UConn Preview The Michigan State Spartans essentially have home court advantage against the uconn Huskies. Jason Horowitz, Bill Raftery, and Steve Lappas discuss whether it will be enough for the Spartans to win.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:918 3ratings
	Time:05:33	More inSports

Denny's: Villanova vs. UNC Preview

	Denny's: Villanova vs. UNC Preview Jason Horowitz is joined by Bill Raftery and Steve Lappas as they preview the Villanova Wildcats taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:793 0ratings
	Time:06:27	More inSports

Grizzlies give Thabeet some time

The Memphis Grizzlies will be hopeful that the NBA D-League lives up to its name after they sent 2009 No 2 draft pick Hasheem Thabeet down to the North Dakota Wizards and made just a little bit of history in the process.

Thabeet, who was expected to be a fairly raw rookie anyway, has had little or no success since the Grizzlies drafted him out of Connecticut last summer, and he is the highest draft pick yet to be sent down to the Developmental League, the NBA’s own version of the minors.

The 7ft 3in giant, who has only really had any success as a shot-blocker and often looked lost out on the court against more seasoned professionals, will be working mainly on his shooting according to NBA Tips, after averaging less than three points per game.

Thabeet has been on court in 50 Memphis games this season, but only logged an average of 10 minutes, scoring in double figures just once against Phoenix in early January.

Continue reading "Grizzlies give Thabeet some time"

Final Four Coaches

	Final Four Coaches Bill Raftery and Steve Lappas join Jason Horowitz to discuss the coaching accomplishments of Jim Calhoun, Tom Izzo, Jay Wright and Roy Williams.	From:CBSNCAATourney Views:1098 4ratings
	Time:06:04	More inSports