Memphis Grizzlies star Rudy Gay’s partially separated shoulder injury has not gotten any better after a fierce rehabilitation attempt, and will require season ending surgery, according to Yahoo! Sports.

With only 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Grizzlies hold a slim 2-game lead over the surging Kyle Lowry and the Houston Rockets. Phoenix trails by 2.5 games, while Utah is currently 3 games behind.

Steve Nash might be able to get his team into the playoffs on his will alone, so do not bet against the Suns trying to squeak in right at season’s end.

Rudy Gay is the marquee player for the Memphis Grizzlies. He is unquestionably the franchise player with a knack for being the Grizzlies go to man in clutch situations. The cool and collected killer who nails impossible clutch shots for his team has a max deal worth $82 million over 5 years. Basically, the man is hard to replace, anyway you slice and dice it.

His 19-plus points per game will be sorely missed as bodies grow more tired, and games have more importance over the next 11 games.

Now that Gay is officially ruled out for the season, we must wonder if the Grizzlies will continue to play strong to finish off the season,  or instead falter into the offseason knowing they have no chance of Gay returning to the court if in fact the do hold on to the 8th playoff seed in the Western Conference.

Sure the Grizzlies did good in adding Shane Battier, Leon Powe, and Darrell Arthur has emerging as a solid bench player. They are not close to supplanting Rudy Gay even though they do provide toughness, rebounding scoring, and three point shooting. Could it be enough?

WIth Kyle Lowry playing basketball like he has just escaped from the NBA Jam video game, collecting triple-doubles, and shooting the rock as flames come off the ball, it might be very difficult for the Grizzlies to hang on to their 8th seed without Gay in the lineup.

The Rockets have won their last 4 games in a row, and their next game is against the Golden State Warriors at home, then they hit the road to battle the Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, and close the month out in Philadelphia. The way Houston is playing, it is hard to imagine them not finishing their next 4 games going 3-1.

Things do get a bit more rough for the Rockets in April, facing the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets, and Dallas Mavericks.

However, with coaches like Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle probably planning to rest their stars in preparation for the playoffs, the Rockets might pull off some more victories against these top level squads.

The Grizzlies are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and have won their last 2, but they head to Boston on Wednesday, and follow that up in Chicago against the Bulls on Friday. Memphis will close the week out at home against San Antonio.

The Tim Duncan-less Spurs seems will put international stud Tiago Splitter in the middle to combat Gasol, so this is no easy win for the Grizzlies either. The Grizzlies face the Warriors to close out their March schedule. so at worst, they could finish off 2-2, or 1-3. It is too hard to imagine the Grizzlies taking down the Celtics or the Bulls on the road.

April seems much lighter for the Grizzlies as they will face off against the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers twice. They also face Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings at home, and head to Portland to play the Trailblazers.

The Grizzlies look good in April as they have 5 games against teams with losing records, opposed to 3 against playoff contenders. If any team is a candidate to play the spoiler for the Grizzlies look for Sacramento and the Clippers led by Blake Griffin to do just that.

The Houston Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey has a reputation for making headlines whilst the trade deadline is looming. Possessing a beauty of a trading chip, such as the large expiring contract of the uber-brittle Yao Ming,  it was  easy to believe a major blockbuster deal with a team seeking expiring contracts would happen.

Morey instead opted for minor scale trades. Most notable is how Houston ditched the unidimensional Aaron Brooks to the Suns for Goran Dragic, a younger and more capable team player with some serious upside.

Don’t take it from me, take it from Steve Nash:

“Just landed in the T Dot and found out we traded my good friend Goran Dragic,” Nash wrote. “Great teammate and person. Has a chance to be great.”

Dragic is younger (Dragic 24, Brooks 26), and has been mentored by Steve Nash over the past 2.5 seasons.

At this point in his career Brooks is a known commodity: a three point shooter/scorer who does not think pass first.  Which, when playing the point,  is never accommodating to a team dynamic.

Once the Rockets established that Kyle Lowry, a more physical and defensive presence than Brooks (and also far more durable) would remain the starter, moving Brooks became paramount.  Brooks had a growing disruptive attitude, stemming from a lack of minutes, and was being disruptive.

Lowry’s has been effective when left open to the tune of .358 from three point range, gets to the free throw line, finishes in the lane, and ensures the entire roster is involved on offense. Brooks would constantly be pounded and could not handle the punishment inside.

In a competitive sport like basketball it makes complete sense that Brooks would be disgruntled after being relegated to a reserve role after his breakout 2009-10 season in which he received the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, but I find it shameful that he would remain professional and try to work his way back into the lineup.

Upon discovering that former All Star center Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season with yet another injury, the Houston Rockets have officially closed the book on the Yao Ming Era and have begun shopping his expiring contract around the league.

This move all comes in light of the fact that the Rockets have played well without Yao. With Yao and Aaron Brooks both sidelined, the Rockets still managed to succeed and win with a surprise breakout year from Kyle Lowry, whom played nothing less than brilliant as the starting point guard, leading Houston to a respectable 15-15 record.

It seems like the Rockets’ roster is packed with players whom can step it up on any given night. Shane Battier is always good for back breaking threes, but on certain nights you will get a gem performance from the likes of Chuck Hayes, Chase Budinger, or old man Brad Miller will put his savvy veteran game on display.

If the Rockets can dispose of Yao’s contract and get something, say another center, or better yet someone young and talented, in return the Rockets should dump Yao as soon as possible.

In Houston it is clearly time to end the old, and replenish the roster with more young talent.

At this point, Yao is on the outside looking in, looking for some hope.

The Rockets have been rumored to be in discussions with Sacramento, but that is bunk because Daryl Morey asked for DeMarcus Cousins in the swap, which has proven to be an automatic deal breaker.

Perhaps if Houston includes Aaron Brooks in the deal they could sway Sacramento into a deal. Brooks is undersized but  a valued shooter who can put up huge offensive lines in addition to provide deep threat scoring.

Kyle Lowry has proven to Houston he can indeed shoot during games and is a stronger defender than Brooks. Lowry has more size than Brooks, and he strengthens the Rockets defensive presence because he can defend the leagues bigger point guards,whereas Brooks clearly weakens the team. Selling Brooks high is not a bad idea since Lowry has proven his worth.

Regardless of where Yao is traded, the odds are he will never play again in the NBA. Yao is a proud man and will do everything to prepare himself for a comeback, wherever that might be, but in reality he possesses peanut brittle for bones and there’s just no way he can come back without being another year slower and removed from the game.

It was reported today that the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Jersey Nets have agreed on a three-way deal sending Sasha Vujacic and a first round draft pick to New Jersey, 2009 #11 overall fist round pick Terrance Williams to New Jersey, and Joe Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The New Jersey Nets have secured 5 first round picks now, and can offer Denver a much more enticing trade offer for Carmelo Anthony than the New York Knicks. It remains to be seen if Carmelo will bite in terms of an extension if the deal happens, but Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov will likely step in for the hard sell.

Even if the Nets give up a couple first round draft picks, Derrick Favors, and the expiring contract of Troy Murphy, the Nets will still have soem decent pieces in place to build around Carmelo: Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, and a handful of first round picks to fill in the gaps.

Even if the Melo trade doesn’t come to fruition for New Jersey, look for someone to take Murphy’s expiring deal, and the Nets will have options moving forward with a wealth of first round picks.

It will only be a matter of time before head coach Avery Johnson places Sasha Vujacic in his doghouse. If an ultra-laid-back Phil Jackson cannot find a use for him, how can a high-stung coach like Johnson put his services to use?

No get no ring for riding the pine in New Jersey Sasha..

Sure Vujacic hits threes, but his self serving nickname “The Machine” is better amended and rebranded as “the Foul Machine” based on how he plays. The guy is a head case who sincerely believes he has never committed a foul. Perhaps he will replace Troy Murphy’s role as the player at the end of the bench.

So Vujacic’s role will remain the same, he will just have to learn to embrace losing while being unable to do anything about it. Fun times for Sasha. At least he gets to marry Maria Sharapova.

Terrance Williams has a new lease on life joining the Houston Rockets. He will have a chance to develop his game under Rick Adelman, one of the more savvy coaches in the league with a reputation for squeezing the most out of his talent. Williams possesses the tools but seems to be lacking focus at this stage in his career.

If Williams can get his mind right, and adjust to the Rockets system, he has the potential to make this deal continue to make Darryl Morey’s genius as a GM grow.

Aaron Brooks of the Houston Rockets has been on the record stating he will likely miss four to six weeks of action due to a severely sprained ankle. This could be very bad for the 1-5 Rockets who are now facing a potentially devastating amount of time without their “most improved player” from last year now sidelined.

4-6 weeks fellas...

Kyle Lowry figures to step in and assume the majority of the minutes at the point while Brooks recovers, but with the Rockets thin at the Point, things are looking grim in Houston. However, Lowry is also recovering from injury at the moment, so it is uncertain what impact he might have.

Brooks was building on his breakout season and was posting 16.4 points and 5.4 assists per game.

Ishmael Smith will be thrust into prime time NBA action, ready or not, and try to help the Rockets stay afloat. Smith had 6 assists November 7th against Minnesota, another team thin at the point (even more ridiculous when you take consider how many PGs David Kahn drafted and signing Luke Ridnour), but Smith only connected on 3-11 shots, and is shooting .250 from the field for the season.

Houston looks to be facing grim times ahead if they can’t figure out a way to win without Brooks.

Mark Stein of ESPN and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports have both mentioned breaking news via their twitter feeds that a deal has been made involving Tracy McGrady and Kevin Martin.

According to the twitter reports, the three-team deal has Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries, Hilton Armstrong, and Jordan Hill heading to Houston. Additionally, New York agrees to swap first-round picks in 2011 and gives Houston their first-round pick in 2012. The 2011 pick is Top-1 protected and 2012 is Top-5 protected.

Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodrigez will be sent to New York.

Carl Landry, and Joey Dorsey, and Larry Hughes end up heading to the Sacramento Kings.

McGrady will likely seek a buyout. (Credit: picapp.com)

A important question remaining unanswered is the level to which T Mac can play at. For the season McGrady was limited to 6 games with averages of 7:35 minutes and 3.2 points. The Knicks better hope T Mac has gotten remarkably improved during his time off.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey is legendary for crafting this deal. Obtaining Kevin Martin is huge for the Rockets, almost more so than the dumping of McGrady’s insanely large contract.

In addition,  Houston acquires New York’s draft picks, which project to vital lottery picks.

One door closes, a much nicer door opens. (Credit: picapp.com)

Kevin Martin has the opportunity to revamp the Rockets offense, and will no longer compete with Tyreke Evans for the ball. He must be extremely happy.

He gives a tough defensive team a scorer capable of 20 or more points a night. With the Rockets currently ranked 9th in the Western Conference, Martin is the type of player that can create separation from Memphis and New Orleans and into the 8th playoff spot.

Kevin Martin had this to say to Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears:

• “I’m definitely excited for a new opportunity with my old coach. That’s the funny part.”
• “Sacramento gave me an opportunity. I was a late first round pick. I could have been playing overseas.”
• Let the young guys develop. I appreciate them letting me go to a playoff caliber team at this time of my career.”

Martin will likely go ballistic offensively in Houston with his old coach, Rich Adelman, who is fully knowledgeable on how to utilize his talents.

Trade talks involving Tracy McGrady heading to the New York Knicks have been thrust into overdrive today.

The deal, according to a report on Yahoo, is a blockbuster including McGrady, Joey Dorsey, and Brian Cook being shipped to the Big Apple in exchange for Jared Jefferies, 2009 draftl pick Jordan Hill, and possibly Al Harrington. Larry Hughes is also being mentioned, as well as a plethora of future draft pick considerations.

Can McGrady return to the Eastern Conference elite? (Credit: picapp.com)

McGrady and his $23 Million expiring contract represents a glimmering spark of hope for Donnie Walsh to purge his roster of the  aftermath of Isiah Thomas’ atrocious tenure as a General Manager.

Acquiring McGrady allows the Knicks to evaluate T Mac to determine if he has anything left in the tank.

Regardless of McGrady’s abilities, the Knicks get to maneuver tons of salary cap space to go after LeBron James and the amazing class of 2010 free agents.

With New York faltering out of playoff contention and currently ranked 11th, they will likely  give McGrady the opportunity to play, which is something Houston was not interested in doing.

The question is, will McGrady actually be able to play? Is he capable of still playing?

He has missed a lot of time, and allegedly is in Chicago training hard and regaining strength with legendary trainer Tim Grover.

At the very least, New York fans can have something to cheer about: Donnie Walsh successfully dumping out Isiah’s trash.

We are now only weeks away from the NBA trade deadline. Rumors are circulating, and the buzzing trade chatter is heavily amassing.

Some teams will be mortgaging young talent in order to take on expiring contracts in hopes of clearing cap space for the free agency fiasco in 2010.

Other teams will be looking to capitalize, and claim talent while dumping salaries. Other teams, realizing that their season is all but lost, will break up rosters that have not been able to achieve what management had originally envisioned.

Here are the teams with the most to lose/gain from the fiasco.

Portland Trail Blazers

Who can fill in for Oden/Pryzbilla for Portland? (Credit:picapp.com)

The Trail Blazers obviously need help in the paint. They have had the fortune of Brandon Roy willing his team to wins, but it is unlikely he can carry them all year. Juwan Howard’s body, at age 37, will likely not be able to secure the center position for the rest of the year before wear and tear takes its toll. The saying “You can’t teach height” must be racing through Kevin Pritchard’s head as he diligently investigates potential acquisitions to help the Blazers in the middle.

The Blazers have a wealth of depth in the backcourt, and a plethora of athletic, defensive-minded young forwards. The issue is Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden have contracts running past next season, so the Blazers brass must consider the adverse effects of another long term contract vs. salary cap space.

Sacramento Kings

Will Martin mesh with Tyreke? (Credit: picapp.com)

Kevin Martin might return to the floor as early as Friday after missing the last 32 games after suffering a fractured left wrist. He has been practicing, and now coach Paul Westphal has a blessing of a dilemma in discovering if Martin and super rookie Tyreke Evans will be able to coexist in the backcourt.

There is zero chance Tyreke Evans is dealt anywhere. If there are any hiccups between the two stars having any negative impact upon team chemistry, look for Martin to be shipped out immediately. Look for Martin to be sought after by teams with inadequacies at the shooting guard position. Phoenix and Dallas immediately come to mind. Both teams are looking for a chance at contention this season, and would be willing to trade prospects and draft picks in order to land Martin’s scoring skills.

Toronto Raptors

I hear the weather is always nice in Los Angeles. (Credit:picapp.com)

Chris Bosh rumors are surfacing aplenty, with recent chatter mentioning Bosh heading to Los Angeles in exchange for Andrew Bynum. This deal would be a huge gamble for the Lakers, but Bosh puts L.A. over the top in the Western Conference.

It is hard to imagine Bosh signing elsewhere after winning an NBA Championship and tasting the Los Angeles lifestyle. He might even put his All Star promotional video production skills to use and land himself work during the off season.

Bynum would find himself in Toronto as a focal point of a rebuilding franchise with Hedo Turkoglu, Andrea Bargnani, and Jose Calderon. Bosh is a weak interior defender, so adding Bynum would give the Raptors a long-term defensive solution. Bynum tends to disappear when Pau Gasol is playing, so in terms of his career thriving, this could be a dream come true.

Chicago Bulls

Does anyone want Hinrich? (Credit: picapp.com)

You would have to be living under a rock to not know the Bulls are trying to unload Kirk Hinrich. Everyone and anyone knows this, to the point of detriment to his trade value. Hinrich is a solid defender, outside shooter, and an all around decent NBA player. The problem is Hinrich has 2 years remaining on his contract after this season, worth $17 million.

Also not boding well on his value is the fact that he is shooting a career-low 37% from the field and 71% from the line this season. When your specialty is shooting, and you are not shooting well, it is hard to retain trade value. The Bulls have indicated that everyone on the roster except Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to be available, as long as Hinrich’s name is included potential deals.

Houston Rockets

Iggy could do this for the Rockets, instead of against them. (Credit: picapp.com)

The Tracy McGrady saga is difficult as he has the largest contract in the league ($23,239,561). This is the ultimate situation for teams looking to dump contracts and create salary cap space for the free agency fiasco of July 2010.

The teams falling into this category are: the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Chicago Bulls. Of these teams, Philadelphia has the best package to offer Houston in terms of immediate roster help.

Philadelphia could package Andre Iguodala with Samuel Dalembert in exchange for McGrady. This is the most logical deal for the Rockets who are without Yao Ming for the season (if not longer) and in need of a center who can rebound and block shots.

Iguodala is an immediate impact player for the Rockets. This deal could put the Rockets into contention this season. The Rockets can assign Ariza, Battier, or Iggy on any teams top offensive threat. Adding Iggy to the offensive attack of Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry will make life hell for opponents during the 4^th quarter.

]]> http://protectthepaint.com/2010/01/13/nba-trade-talk-chris-bosh-andrew-bynum-tracy-mcgrady-and-more/feed/ 0 http://protectthepaint.com/2009/12/28/tracy-mcgrady-is-done-in-houston/ http://protectthepaint.com/2009/12/28/tracy-mcgrady-is-done-in-houston/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:29:20 +0000 Adam Sedie http://protectthepaint.com/?p=3452

Tracy McGrady is the odd man out in Houston. Houston has found a way to win without him, scrapping through hard fought bouts on a nightly basis to the tune of a respectable 18-12 record. Head coach Rick Adelman does not want to disrupt the chemistry and hard work the Rockets are displaying without McGrady.

Who can blame Adelman? It is commonly known in sports that if you are on a roll, you stick with what is working. Unfortunately for McGrady, that does not include him being a part of the Rockets future. Mike D’Antoni has also followed this trend in New York with Nate Robinson.

Someone get me outta here! (Credit: picapp.com)

McGrady’s frustration stems from his stunted playing time and has escalated to his departure from the team. He has left the Rockets and returned home. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo has reported that T Mac will head to Chicago and continue his training with legendary trainer Tim Grover of Attack Athletics.

Considering McGrady is the highest paid player in the NBA but netting 7-8 minutes of game time, his frustration comes as little surprise. Once considered a top-tier player, two years worth of knee injuries and a microfracture surgery, there are murmurs within the Rockets organization that he is capable of being nothing more than a role player.

What McGrady has going for him is that he is the highest expiring contract in the NBA.  This has appeal for teams looking to sign marquee names next year. This remains possible but will likely not occur until the February 18^th trade deadline.

The hindrance for any team in the NBA trying to acquire McGrady is that to make a trade possible, the suitor team would have to give up far too much. Realistically, McGrady’s large contract paints a clear differential between clearing cap space and mortgaging the future.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey has amassed a solid roster to help combat the lack of Yao and T Mac. His cunning eye for talent and savvy for acquisitions might find a trade that another team cannot resist.

So what happens next? Does McGrady accept a buyout, become a free agent, and try to land himself on a contender for a massive pay cut? Sadly it seems that a buyout for less than his contract worth might be the best chance McGrady has to get on the floor this season.

As the deadline approaches, and teams begin to break things up, McGrady should hear his name in trade rumors. Until then, McGrady should continue to work on his game and strength training conditioning for the foreseeable future.

Trevor Ariza of the Houston Rockets celebrated his ring ceremony with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night.

He overcame a woeful shooting night (2 for 12 from the field) by contributing a solid all around game of 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks helping the Rockets defeat the Lakers 101 to 91.

Ariza got his ring and then did his thing. (Credit: yahoo.com)

Ariza and company have already been turning heads this season by playing far above what was to be expected of them. Without Yao and McGrady, Ariza has instantly seized the light as Houston’s go to guy.

Alongside Aaron Brooks, Houston has two young and reliable building blocks.

Brooks and Ariza are cornerstones of the new school Houston. (Credit: picapp.com)

Everyone already knew Ariza is a defensive stalwart, and although his shooting last night might make you think otherwise, he is blooming into a complete player.

He is off to a 40% FG shooting percentage, but over his career he is 46%, and as he becomes more accustomed to shooting in volume, he should catch back up to his normal rates.

Ariza got his ring, and beat his old team.

I tip my hat to the Houston brass. They got rid of the problematic Ron Artest while managing to add younger players to offset the loss of the league’s best center. In doing so, the Rockets are still capable of competing to win this year.