Three Players Lillard Should Have Replaced

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and James Harden, are just a few of the names that will headline this years' NBA All-Star Weekend in New York City. All of the NBA's brightest stars will be participating in many all-star events. Well most of them. The one name that has been left off the all-star roster is Portland Trailblazers point guard Damian Lillard. Once the All-Stars reserves had been announced, it was shocking to see Lillard’s 21.5ppg, 6.3rebs, and 1.4stl was not good enough to make the All-Star roster.

With all the players who were named this year to represent the Western Conference, there are a few players Lillard should have gotten the nod over.

Honorable Mention:

Russell Westbrook: There is not much that can be said about Thunder's guards Westbrook all-star nod. His numbers are better with 26.1ppg, 7.6reb, and 2.3, and have been the Thunders MVP throughout the first half of the season. When comparing Lillard to Westbrook it’s obvious why Westbrook has the all-star nod. However, having a winning team record should be a major factor when selecting players for an all-star. If the playoffs were to start today, for the first time since 2008, OKC would not qualify. The Thunder are 25-25 on the season, and are sitting in tenth place in the Western Conference.   

3. DeMarcus Cousins: After the surprise all-star snub, there was still some hope that Damian Lillard would still make the all-star roster, but as an injury replacement for Los Angles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. He was not voted in by the fans, he was not selected as a reserve by the coaches, and when it came down to selecting Bryant's replacement, commissioner Adam Silver picked Demarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings. Now, Cousins is having a great year across the broads with 23.7ppg, 12.5rebs, and 1.6blk, but with a team record of 17-31, Lillard should have gotten the nod for having a winning recorder. Yeah, the All-Star game is known for showcasing the best talent the leagues have to offer, but leading your team to the fourth best record (34-16) in the Western Conference should be enough to get the nod from the league's commissioner.                 

2. Tim Duncan: There isn't much that can be taken away from the greatest power forward to ever play. The five-time NBA champion, and two-time league MVP has been named an all-star 15-times during his hall-of-fame career. However, of all his selections, this is the first time someone should have made it over Duncan. His per-game averages of 14.5ppg, 10.2reb, and 3.1ast are pretty good for a 38 year old NBA veteran, but not enough for an all-star selection. 

1. Kevin Durant: Of all the players who were named all-stars this year, the 2014 league MVP deserve the nod the least. Yes, Kevin Durant is having a good season statistically with 25.2ppg, 4.1rebs, & 6.7rebs. And has had some great game this season like the 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting in 19 minutes against the Warriors, and leading OKC to a 109-102 victory against the Wizards, However, due to major injuries, Durant has only played in 21 of the Thunder's 45 games. And much like his teammate Russell Westbrook, Lillard should have been named an all-star by having a better team record, and has played in all 50 games for the Trailblazers.

Of all the greatest all-star snub in NBA History, Damian Lillard maybe the greatest snub ever. Hopefully next year Lillard would take his game to a different level, so that he can never be denied another all-star again.

Coming Back Together.

Ever since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined forces with Dwyane Wade in the summer of 2010, it is without a doubt that the Miami Heat has been the most publicized, yet most accomplished team in professional sports over the past four years.

Since the 2011 NBA season, no team in professional sports has had a higher winning percentage than the Heat. They have acquired the best regular season record with 224-88, earned the second longest winning streak with 27 wins in a row, and have won 16 of the last 18 postseason series played.

All while having arguably the most dominating athlete in all of professional sports, LeBron James, who has added two more M.V.P. honors to his career accomplishments since joining the Heat.

And despite only wining two of its four straight NBA Finals appearances, the Heat has become the first team since the 84-87 Boston Celtics(who also won two of four) to appear in four straight NBA Finals winning the previous two.

It seem like the Heat’s reign over the NBA and the professional sport world could last over the next few years when they were headed into this year’s NBA Finals with hopes of becoming the first team since the 00-02 Los Angeles Lakers to win three straight titles in a row.   

However, Sunday night, the Heat could not do anything but watch in despair as their hopes of winning their third straight championship fell into the hands of the San Antonio Spurs.

Many people had predicted that the Spurs could dethrone the two-time defending champions in this finals rematch, but no one could foreshadow the Spurs’ dominating performance they showcased in five quick games.  

After the lost, two bitter and heartbroken Heat stars’ Dwyane Wade and LeBron James sat side by side in a press conference after game 5 as they reflected on what was a disappointing NBA Finals series, while reminiscing on the Heat’s Big 3 era.

“It has been a hell of a ride these past four years,” Dwyane Wade said. “We been successful in a sense of what we tried to accomplish, and we did. We would have loved to been 4-0 in the finals, but it was not meant to be.

In the midst of the dealing with another, yet unwanted feeling of losing in the finals, reality sat in that this could be the last time fans will see Bosh, James, and Wade playing together on the same team.

For the first time since 2010, the Heat is facing a summer full of uncertainties, and immediately the rumors of Miami breaking up their Big 3 began.

While there are countless of speculations about whether or not the Heat Big 3 will split up, breaking up the trio seems  unlikely to consider, for a team that has been nothing but fantastic over the past four years.

If the trio of Bosh, James, and Wade stay together, their best possible option would be opting out of the last year of their contracts, and resigning for less money.

This move would give the Heat more flexibility for improving their roster by adding young and talented NBA players like Toronto Raptors’ star point guard Kyle Lowry, and Houston Rockets’ forward Chandler Parsons.

If the Heat are able to add better players around Bosh, James, and Wade, it’s without a doubt that their return to glory is far from over.

The trio has until the June 29 to decide whether they will opt out the last year of their contract and becoming a free agent for the summer of 2014.

While there is a possibility that the Heat’s trio will break up, those changes are very unlikely to happen.

And much like the Spurs, who suffered their own heartbreaking lost in the finals  last year; the Heat will have one thing on their minds intended for next season………REDEMPTION.

  

Bring the Melo to H-Town

In 2012 the Houston Rockets received Six Man of the Year James Harden in a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2013, the Rockets signed three times Defense Player of the Year Dwight Howard.

Now after declining young star Chandler Parsons' option, which will make him a restricted free agent this summer; the Rockets have made it very clear that they are on the hunt to acquire the 2013 NBA Scoring Champion Carmelo Anthony.

Since their disappointing first round exit to the Portland Trailblazers this post season, the Rockets have been in every off-season rumor possible as they try to acquire another all-star player in Houston.

From trades talks with the Boston Celtics for point guard Rajon Rondo, and even with Minnesota to trade for the unhappy timber wolf Kevin Love, clearly the Rockets are going all out to make their team better.   

However, according to multiple sources from around the league, the Rockets are willing to do everything in their power to get New York Knicks’ star Carmelo Anthony, even if signing him will come at a high price.  

Bringing Anthony to Houston is not an impossible task, but the deal would likely be done with a sign and trade with the Knicks. Which would mean, the Rockets would trade guard Jeremy Lin, center Omer Asik, and possibly some draft picks, but their biggest lost would be losing their third leading scorer, Chandler Parsons.  

By declining Parsons’ final year, it would give the Rockets more than enough money to sign Anthony. However, their biggest problem would not be whether or not they have enough money; it would be winning over other potential teams who are also on the hunt for Anthony like the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and even the Miami Heat.

This is not the first time the Rockets have tried to pursue Carmelo Anthony, he has been on the Rockets’ radar for some years now.

In 2008, the Rockets tried to trade, then all-star shooting guard Tracy McGrady to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Anthony, but the trade failed, and in 2011 when Anthony was trying to force his way out of Denver, the Rockets for Carmelo talks started up once more, but again they failed.    

Without a doubt, if the Rockets are able to sign the 11 year veteran who has scored over 19,000 points in his career, teaming Anthony with Dwight Howard and James Harden would make the Rockets an unstoppable force on offense next season, but it would not help improve the Rockets most common problem, defense.

Whether it’s Chicago, New York, Miami or Houston, it is all speculations for now where Carmelo Anthony will continue his career. Anthony has yet to fully opt out his last year with the Knicks, and has until June 23 to do so. However, regardless of what other teams will say to Anthony, the best option for Melo would be the Rockets. 

After years of being denied when trying to acquire Anthony before, maybe for the Rockets a third time would be a charm.

   

New "Big 3" in Boston?

As the NBA edge closer to its most anticipated off-season, no team in the league has been in the rumor mill more than the Boston Celtics and how they are trying to form their own big 3 by adding one of the league’s most outstanding scorers, while trying to add a bit of love.

According to multiple sources around the league, the Celtics have become front-runner to require the unhappy all-star forward Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This report comes just days after Love had been seen hanging out in Boston this past weekend. Doing Love’s unannounced trip, He ran into current Celtics all-star Rajon Rondo, who said in an ESPN interview Monday that he and Love only spoke to each other for about 39 second, and he did not make any sell pitch to recruit Love to Boston.

The Celtics are just one of a few teams that are on Love’s list for a possible destination to continue his NBA career. It’s without a doubt that if the Celtics can pull off a trade for Love, the move will put them in the mix with some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and a move to sign one of the top free agents this off-season, could make them even better.

Celtics also have their eyes set to sign all-star Carmelo Anthony in this summer’s free agency. Anthony, who had been traded to the Knick in 2011, will opt out his last year of his contract that will allow him to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Anthony said in an interview with ESPN, at this point in his career, he only cares about winning. So it seems like Anthony might make his next career move to a team which would give him the best chance of winning in the future.

If the Celtics are able to sign the 2013 NBA Scoring Champion, they would have to beat out some tough NBA contenders like the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers who are all hoping to lure Anthony away from the big apple.

If the Celtics are not able to make a move for Kevin Love, than the chances of them signing Anthony may become less likely. However, if the Celtics are able to trade for Love and sign Anthony this move would without a doubt make the Celtics true title contenders for years to come.

As of now the Celtics’ talks to bring all-stars Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony to their franchise are all speculation at the moment, but it would be fun to see what moves the Celtics would make this off-season.

And if the Celtics are able to team Rajon Rondo with Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony to create the NBA’s next Big 3 in Boston, then banner number 18 for Lucky the Leprechaun may come sooner than many expected.

Where is the Love

As the NBA gets closer to its off-season, there are many possible moves that would shake up the league.

Forget about if the Heat are able to keep their “Big 3” and who would lure all-star Carmelo Anthony away from New York, this year’s potential off-season move is all about love.

Kevin Love has spent the past six seasons as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ franchise player and has established himself as one of the best big men in the game today.

In just 364 career games, the 6-11 power forward has averaged 19.2PPG, and 12.2RPG while shooting and impressing 45% from the field over his young NBA career.

Love’s numbers have put him in elite company with some of the best players in the game, but his glamorous numbers has not helped improve the struggling Timberwolves’ winning percentage over the past few seasons.

 Throughout Love's career with the Timberwolves, Love has yet to experience the NBA postseason with the Timberwolves’ whose last playoff berth came in 2004.

Since drafting Love back in 2008, the overall record for Minnesota in six seasons has been a dreadful 153-323.

According to multiple sources around the league, Love as made it clear that after next season; the three-time all-star will not resign with the Timberwolves, which is not a big surprise.

Now, the best option for the Timberwolves is to trade Love before the 2015 trade deadline next season and try to acquire some asset other than losing their franchise player for nothing in the off-season.

With so many teams trying to pursue Love this off-season, the “Kevin Love Sweepstakes” has already begun and the love is felt all over the league.

Many teams around the association who are in the “Kevin Love Sweepstakes” are potential NBA title contenders like the Bulls, Rockets, and Warriors who are at the top of the list to make a hard push to require Love in an off-season trade this summer.

Other teams that are in the hunt for Love are non-playoffs teams like the Cavaliers, Celtics and Kings, who believe that trading for Love will make them become playoff teams for the future.

The biggest question for teams who are looking to require Love all share the same shared problem. Whichever team is willing to trade for Love is taking a huge risk without his assurance that he will sign a long turn deal to remain with the team.

One team that is taking the risk on Love is the Los Angeles Lakers, who dealt with a similar situation once before with Dwight Howard. After trading for Howard in the summer of 2012, he left the Lakers this past off-season to sign a four year deal with the Houston Rockets.

However, the one advantage that the Lakers may have in favor to assure that Love will resign is that he is a native of Los Angeles and playing for the Lakers Love will be returning back home.

As of now it is not clear whether or not the Timberwolves are open to trading Love before the start of next season or before the trade deadline, but one thing is clear, whichever team win the “Kevin Love Sweepstakes” will become elite title contenders for years to come.

Pacers in Trouble

The Indiana Pacers were in good hands late during the fourth quarter with the possibility of going up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday night.

Late the fourth quarter, the Pacers had the game and the lead in their hands till Dwyane Wade and LeBron James went on fourth quarter rally which brought the Miami Heat back to even up the series at one a piece. 

Now, the Pacers are heading back to south beach with a strong possibility to lose home court advantage, and with speculations surrounding their all-star forward Paul George could miss Game 3; the Pacers could be in a trouble.

If the Heat are able to win Saturday night game’s, they would have a 2-1 series lead and take home court advantage from the Pacers which would be a devastating blow for the top seeded Pacers. 

All season, the Pacers have preached that having home court advantage is the missing ingredient to finally beat the two-time defending champs, and it is easy to see why.

Ever since the Heat’s Big Three era, they have been nothing but spectacular on their home floor. Since the 2011 playoffs, the Heat has assembled an impressing 35-6 home record, and the chances of a team beating the Heat after they have taken home court advantage away from their opponents is little to none. 

This is not a good sign for the Pacers.

If the Pacers want to continue to have home court in their favor, then game 3 is a must win. However, they may have to do it without their star Paul George. 

Paul George goes after a ball from LeBron James.

During the fourth quarter of game 2, George suffered a concussion after Dwyane Wade’s knee collided with the back of George’s head while scrambling for a loose ball midway through the fourth quarter.

In an interview after the game according to ESPN, George stated that he blacked out momentarily and for four to five minutes his vision was blurry.

The Pacers have two more days before their game Saturday night, which is good news for George and his Pacers. However, depending on the level of his concussion, this type of injury can take more than a few days (in some cases weeks) to fully recover.

If the Pacers are forced to play game 3 and possibly game 4 in Miami without their leading scorer Paul George, it very likely that the Heat will go back to Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a 3-1 lead. 

As of now the status of Paul George is unclear whether he would miss game 3, but what is clear, whatever team pulls out the victory will have a one game lead in the series, and move a step closer to the NBA Finals.