The 3 p.m., March 15 trade deadline has come and gone as fast as your brackets will be busted by this weekend’s end. Most cats around the league can now breathe easy, knowing they haven’t been dealt and can focus on the remaining part of the schedule. Others, however, must deal with the reality they were shipped out like yesterday’s garbage. Either way, this a time for them to regroup and stop commenting on every rumor that appears on blogs and Twitter. Read More »

After six seasons in Oakland with the Golden State Warriors, some things have changed: Monta Ellis’ body art, four coaches and a couple of uniform sets.

Count Ellis’ role as a playmaker as one constant in those seasons.

The guard is many things when he’s on the court, and a share-the-rock model of efficiency is not one of them. You knew that, and efforts by Keith Smart and Mark Jackson to improve his defense didn’t have much of an effect (your turn, Scott Skiles). Trying to play well together with Stephen Curry had as many head-scratching moments as game-changing ones. Read More »

David Stern, if you’re reading, please give us seven more games of this. Lakers. Grizzlies. In one of those back-n-forth games that causes your life to stop in its tracks for like 45 minutes, the Lakers rode Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum to a double-OT 116-111 W in Memphis. Down the stretch, Bryant (34 points) was either making perfect decisions with the ball or Bynum (37 points, 16 rebounds, three missed shots) was powering it through the rim, all while the Grizzlies resorted to chucking up threes (We’re looking at you, Juice) at a rate not seen since J.R. Smith was sampling Chinese food … Read More »

The Milwaukee Bucks now have the most tatted, explosive backcourt in the NBA. Words broke a little while ago that the Bucks and Golden State Warriors have agreed to a monster trade centered on swapping Monta Ellis and Andrew Bogut and various other pieces. Read More »

There were rumors even before July 8, circling around the NBA like vultures at a kill. On that fateful day in the summer of 2010 when LeBron James announced he would be taking his talents to South Beach to team up with two other all-world stars, the conspiracy theories became full-on elephants. It was all there, out in the open. These guys decided on this months ago, years even, seemingly everyone thought. Now in the pursuit of the NBA’s next great available superstar, it appears the outcome may again be decided prematurely. While this time there are no conspiracy reports, there are sources saying Dwight Howard has already decided he will end up with the New Jersey Nets, one way or another. Read More »

As we get closer to the NBA trade deadline, the chances that Dwight Howard gets dealt are quickly shrinking. The best deal New Jersey can offer without Brook Lopez just isn’t enough for the Magic to give up hope. Howard himself is blocking a potential move to Chicago, with his reasoning being the weather, and not being the top dog. And as far as the Lakers, it all depends on who you talk to. Some say Howard doesn’t want to be there. Others think he could make it work. Then there’s this: in the past few hours, reports have surfaced saying Orlando is discussing a monster deal to get Howard some help. What star would be coming to Disney World? Monta Ellis. Read More »

Teams are scrambling to make moves to beat the March 15 trade deadline. GMs are on the phone longer and harder than Jerry Maguire trying to keep Rod Tidwell as a client. Guys around the league have this date marked in their calendars, wary about if they’ve got to pack their bags and families to relocate somewhere else.

Nowadays, there are a plethora of media outlets that cover 24-hour trade rumors, seven days a week. More than likely, cats will wind up finding out they were dealt via text, tweet, Facebook status update, or hashtag first instead of receiving the news by a simple, courteous phone call from their former squad. Read More »

Despite the trade rumors and the up-and-down team and the coaching changes and the people who think he only puts up numbers because he’s on a bad team, you can basically book Monta Ellis for 20 points, five assists and two steals a night. But what you can’t book him down for are 360 reverse layups because, you know, they basically never happen. Read More »

The Pacific Division’s second half is a tale of two teams from one city. No one is catching either the Clippers or Lakers as the rosters of the other three — Warriors, Kings, Suns — stand. If you’re trying to build a case in those teams’ defense, just stop.

This is what commissioner David Stern dreamed of in December when a trade of Chris Paul from New Orleans to the Lakers was rejected like a shot in Serge Ibaka’s airspace. That could have resulted in enough cap room to realize the owners’ great fear, Dwight Howard to the Lakers, and the run of titles in purple and gold to go with it. Read More »

After sitting out five games, and then taking the All-Star Game as an opportunity to chill, Derrick Rose is back. With 32 and nine on Tuesday night, and then after he sauteed Tony Parker for 29 points last night in Chicago’s 96-89 win, the back problems are a thing of the past. Parker looked like a pup trying to curtail Rose’s drives, and on the other end shot 5-for-16 in one of those performances where you can visibly see the difference between an MVP and an All-Star … Read More »