NBA draft

On June 23 the NBA draft took place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. This is a list of the picks that were selected. Draft day trades are at the bottom.
Round 1
1. The Cleveland Cavaliers select Duke Guard, Kyrie Irving.
2. The Minnesota Timberwolves select Arizona Forward, Derrick Williams.
3. The Utah Jazz select Kentucky Forward/Center, Enes Kanter.
4. The Cleveland Cavaliers select Texas Forward, Tristan Thompson.
5. The Toronto Raptors select Lietuvos Rytas Center, Jonas Valanciunas.
6. The Washington Wizards select Partizan Forward, Jan Vesely.
7. The Sacramento Kings select Fuenlabrada Center, Bismack Biyombo.
8. The Detroit Pistons select Kentucky Guard, Brandon Knight.
9. The Charlotte Bobcats select Connecticut Guard, Kemba Walker.
10. The Milwaukee Bucks select BYU Guard, Jimmer Fredette.
11. The Golden State Warriors select Washington State Guard, Klay Thompson.
12. The Utah Jazz select Colorado Guard, Alec Burks.
13. The Phoenix Suns select Kansas Forward, Markieff Morris.
14. The Houston Rockets select Kansas Forward, Marcus Morris.
15. The Indiana Pacers select San Diego State Forward, Kawhi Leonard.
16. The Philadelphia 76ers select USC Forward/Center, Nikola Vucevic.
17. The New York Knicks select Georgia Tech Guard, Iman Shumpert.
18. The Washington Wizards select Florida State Forward, Chris Singleton.
19. The Charlotte Bobcats select Tennessee Forward, Tobias Harris.
20. The Minnesota Timberwolves select Benetton Treviso Forward/Center, Donatas Montijunas.
21. The Portland Trailblazers select Duke Guard, Nolan Smith.
22. The Denver Nuggets select Morehead State Forward, Kenneth Faried.
23. The Houston Rockets select Real Madrid Forward, Nikola Mirotic.
24. The Oklahoma City Thunder select Boston College Guard, Reggie Jackson.
25. The Boston Celtics select Providence Guard, Marshon Brooks.
26. The Dallas Mavericks select Texas Forward, Jordan Hamilton.
27. The New Jersey Nets select Purdue Forward, JaJuan Johnson.
28. The Chicago Bulls select Cleveland State Guard, Norris Cole.
29. The San Antonio select Texas Guard, Cory Joseph.
30. The Chicago Bulls select Marquette Forward, Jimmy Butler.
Second Round
31. The Miami Heat select Fenerbahce Ulker Guard/Forward, Bojan Bogdanovic.
32. The Cleveland Cavaliers select Richmond Forward, Justin Harper.
33. The Detroit Pistons select Duke Forward, Kyle Singler.
34. The Washington Wizards select Butler Guard, Shelvin Mack.
35. The Sacramento Kings select UCLA Forward, Tyler Honeycutt.
36. The New Jersey Nets select Maryland Forward/Center.
37. The Los Angeles Clippers select Georgia Forward, Trey Thompkins.
38. The Houston Rockets select Florida Forward, Chandler Parsons.
39. The Charlotte Bobcats select Tokyo Apache Forward/Center, Jeremy Tyler.
40. The Milwaukee Bucks select Wisconsin Forward, Jon Leuer.
41. The Los Angeles Lakers select Michigan Guard, Darius Morris.
42. The Indiana Pacers select Union Olimpja Forward, Davis Bertans.
43. The Chicago Bulls select UCLA Guard, Malcolm Lee.
44. The Golden State Warriors select Hofstra Guard, Charles Jenkins.
45. The New Orleans Hornets select Kentucky Center, Josh Harrellson.
46. The Los Angeles Lakers select Charleston Guard, Andrew Goudelock.
47. The Los Angeles Clippers select Georgia Guard, Travis Leslie.
48. The Atlanta Hawks select Oakland Center, Keith Benson.
49. The Memphis Grizzlies select Kansas Guard, Josh Selby.
50. The Philadelphia 76ers select Temple Forward, Lavoy Allen.
51. The Portland Trailblazers select Ohio State Guard, Jon Diebler.
52. The Detroit Pistons select Florida Forward/Center, Vernon Macklin.
53. The Orlando Magic select Kentucky Guard/Forward, DeAndre Liggins.
54. The Cleveland Cavaliers select Maccabi Tel Aviv Forward/Center, Milan Macvan.
55. The Boston Celtics select Purdue Guard, E'Twaun Moore.
56. The Los Angeles Lakers select Bakersfield Jam Forward/Center, Chukwudiebere Maduabum.
57. The Dallas Mavericks select Al Rayyan Forward, Tanguy Ngombo.
58. The Los Angeles Lakers select Gold Coast Blaze Forward/Center, Ater Majok.
59. The San Antonio Spurs select Albacomp Guard, Adam Hanga.
60. The Sacramento Kings select Washington Guard, Isaiah Thomas.
Trades

• The Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, and the Sacramento Kings participated in a trade together. The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Beno Udrih from the Kings, and Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, and Tobias Harris from the Bobcats. The Sacramento Kings acquired John Salmons, and Jimmer Fredette from the Bucks. The Charlotte Bobcats acquired Corey Magette from the Bucks, and Bismack Biyombo from the Kings.
• The Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs participated in a trade together. The Pacers acquired George Hill. The Spurs acquired Kawhi Leonard, Davis Bertans, and Erazem Lorbek.
• The Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves participated in a trade together. The Rockets acquired Jonny Flynn, Donatas Montiejunas, a future second round pick, and cash. The Timberwolves acquired Brad Miller, Nikola Mirotic, and a future first round pick.
• The Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves participated in trade together. The Bulls acquired Nikola Mirotic. The Timberwolves acquired Norris Cole, Malcolm Lee, and cash.
• The New Jersey Nets and the Boston Celtics participated in a trade together. The Nets acquired Marshon Brooks. The Celtics acquired JaJuan Johnson and a future second round pick.
• The Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trailblazers, and Denver Nuggets participated in a trade together. The Mavericks acquired Rudy Fernandez, and Petteri Koponen from the Blazers. The Nuggets acquired Jordan Hamilton from the Mavericks, and Andre Miller and a future second round pick from the Blazers. The Blazers acquired Raymond Felton from the Nuggets, and Tanguy Ngombo from the Mavericks.
• The Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves participated in a trade together. The Miami Heat acquired Norris Cole. The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Bojan Bogdanovic, a future second round pick, and cash.
• The Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers participated in a trade together. The Orlando Magic acquired Justin Harper. The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired two future second round picks.
• The Golden State Warriors and the Charlotte Bobcats participated in a trade together. The Warriors acquired Jeremy Tyler. The Bobcats acquired cash.
• The New York Knicks and New Orleans Hornets participated in a trade together. The Knicks acquired Josh Harrellson and the Hornets acquired cash.

• The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers participated in a trade together. The Nuggets acquired Chukwudiebere Maduabum and the Lakers acquired a future second round pick.

These players in the draft can grow into good NBA players and even though there are some very NBA-ready players in the draft, rookie of the year will go to Ricky Rubio. The 5th overall pick in the 2009 draft is the most NBA-ready rookie having spent 6 years playing professionally in Spain. He is the most likely rookie to become an all-star or hall of famer. These players in the draft will probably become good players but I am afraid I have to go with Ricky Rubio on this one.

Orlando Magic-Dwight Howard

Orlando's star Center Dwight Howard has refused to sign a contract extension and will become a free agent this summer. He wants to win a title in Orlando but is willing to leave in order to win a title. The Magic need to build around Howard for now then mid-season trade him for multiple trade chips like the Denver Nuggets did when trading Carmelo Anthony to New York. They need to exploit the free agent market. The Magic need to keep Jason Richardson and sign a Power Forward like David West, Kenyon Martin or Glen Davis. The Magic also need to get a Small Forward because Hedo Turkoglu is nothing what he used to be. Josh Howard of the Washington Wizards would be good as well as the Detroit Pistons, Tayshaun Prince. once this has been done the Magic need use these players to their potential. If they can co-exist with Dwight Howard the Magic will be title contenders once again rather then pretenders. Although they will contend they will not win a title. This would make Dwight Howard leave and hopes of winning a title will be over. Dwight Howard must be traded. This trade would be between multiple teams. This kind of trade would have Dwight Howard leaving and multiple players moving between teams. A trade like this could imitate Denver's Carmelo Anthony trade. During the summer Orlando would have recreated a 5-seed 6-seed team with free agents and the add Dwight Howard it becomes a 2-seed 3-seed team. After the big trade Orlando would have much more depth and would be a 1-seed 2-seed team. This could attract 2012 free agents like Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, or Derrick Rose. If one of these players can play well while the other players playing the game the way they did before the Magic could then win a championship. The Magic have to ditch Howard or Orlando will become the next Cleveland.

2011 NBA Mock Draft

On June 23, the 2011 NBA draft will take place in Newark, New Jersey. This is my mock draft of the 2011 NBA draft.
First Round
1. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the first pick in the draft and will likely pick Duke Point Guard, Kyrie Irving. Baron Davis is 32 years old and and way past his prime so getting him in the starting lineup should not be too hard.
2. The Minnesota Timberwolves already have a young Point Guard in Ricky Rubio and will not be looking for another one. They are likely to pick Arizona Small Forward Derrick Williams.
3. The Utah Jazz are in need of a point guard and a center. They have the 3rd pick and the 12th pick. Utah is probably going to pick a center with their 3rd pick. They will pick Kentucky Center, Enes Kanter.
4. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the 4th pick in the draft and will probably pick Benetton Treviso Power Forward, Donatas Motiejunas. Antawn Jamison had a bad season and is aging. He need to be replaced
5. The Toronto Raptors have the 5th pick in the draft and will likely pick Kentucky Point Guard, Brandon Knight.
6. The Washington Wizards have the 6th pick in the draft and will likely pick San Diego State Small Forward, Kawhi Leonard. The Washington Wizards have John Wall, Jordan Crawford, and Nick Young so they do not need a Guard they need a Small Forward.
7. The Sacramento Kings have the 7th pick in the draft. They need a Point Guard because Tyreke Evans is a Shooting Guard not a Point Guard. They will likely pick Colorado Point Guard, Alec Burks.
8. The Detroit Pistons have the 8th pick in the draft and will likely pick UConn Point Guard, Kemba Walker.
9. The Charlotte Bobcats have the 9th pick in the draft and will likely pick Lietuvos Rytas Center, Jonas Valanciunas. Kwame Walker is the starting Center for the Bobcats and he is a horrible player. They need a Center to replace him.
10. The Milwaukee Bucks have the 10th pick in the draft and will likely pick Partizan Belgrade Forward, Jan Vesely.
11. The Golden State Warriors have the 11th pick in the draft and will likely pick Kansas Forward, Marcus Morris. Golden State has Guards Stephen Curry, and Monta Ellis. They need a forward.
12. The Utah Jazz have the 12th pick in the draft and need a Point Guard to replace Deron Williams. They will likely pick BYU Point Guard Jimmer Fredette.
13. The Phoenix Suns have the 13th pick in the draft and will likely pick Kansas Power Forward Markieef Morris. The Suns need a Point Guard to replace veteran Steve Nash and a Power Forward. The Suns will probably not be able to get a good Point Guard but should be able to get a Power Forward.
14. The Houston Rockets have the 14th pick in the draft and will likely pick Tennessee Forward, Tobias Harris.
15. The Indiana Pacers have the 15th pick in the draft and will likely pick Texas Power Forward Tristan Thompson.
16. The Philadelphia 76ers have the 16th pick in the draft and will likely pick Fuenlabrada Center, Bismack Biyombo. They need a center and will probably pick Biyombo.
17. The New York Knicks have the 17th pick in the draft and will likely pick UCLA Guard/Forward, Tyler Honeycutt. New York needs trade chips and a bench.
18. The Washington Wizards have the 18th pick in the draft and will likely pick Florida State Forward, Chris Singleton.
19. The Charlotte Bobcats have the 19th pick in the draft and will likely pick Washington State Guard, Klay Thompson.
20. The Minnesota Timberwolves have the 20th pick in the draft and will likely pick Texas Guard/Forward, Jordan Hamilton.
21. The Portland Trailblazers have the 21st pick in the draft and will likely pick Michigan Guard, Darius Morris.
22. The Denver Nuggets have the 22nd pick in the draft and will likely pick Providence Guard, Marshon Brooks.
23. The Houston Rockets have the 23rd pick in the draft and will likely pick Union Olimpija Forward, Davis Bertans.
24. The Oklahoma City Thunder have the 24th pick in the draft and will likely pick Duke Forward, Kyle Singler.
25. The Boston Celtics have the 25th pick in the draft and will likely pick Tokyo Apache Center, Jeremy Tyler.
26. The Dallas Meavericks have the 26th pick in the draft and will likely pick Georgia Forward, Trey Thompkins.
27. The New Jersey Nets have the 27th pick in the draft and will likely pick Richmond Forward, Justin Harper.
28. The Chicago Bulls have the 28th pick in the draft and will likely pick Butler Guard, Shelvin Mack.
29. The San Antonio Spurs have the 29th pick in the draft and will likely pick Morehead State Forward, Kenneth Faried.
30. The Chicago Bulls have the 30th pick in the draft and will likely pick Purdue Forward, JaJuan Johnson.
Second Round
31. The Miami Heat have the 31st pick in the draft and will likely pick Kansas Guard, Josh Selby.
32. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the 32nd pick in the draft and will likely pick Cleveland State Guard, Norris Cole.
33. The Detroit Pistons have the 33rd pick in the draft and will likely pick Maryland Forward, Jordan Williams.
34. The Washington Wizards have the 34th pick in the draft and will likely pick Estudiantes Center, Lucas Nogueira.
35. The Sacramento Kings have the 35th pick in the draft and will likely pick Florida Forward, Chandler Parsons.
36. The New Jersey Nets have the 36th pick in the draft and will likely pick Duke Guard, Nolan Smith.
37. The Los Angeles Clippers have the 37th pick in the draft and will likely pick UCLA Guard, Malcolm Lee.
38. The Detroit Pistons have the 38th pick in the draft and will likely pick USC Center, Nikola Vucevic.
39. The Charlotte Bobcats have the 39th pick in the draft and will likely pick Wisconsin Forward, Jon Leuer .
40. The Milwaukee Bucks have the 40th pick in the draft and will likely pick Boston College Guard, Reggie Jackson.
41. The Los Angeles Lakers have the 41st pick in the draft and will likely pick Texas Guard, Cory Joseph.
42. The Indiana Pacers have the 42nd pick in the draft and will likely pick Charleston Guard, Andrew Goudelock.
43. The Chicago Bulls have the 43rd pick in the draft and will likely pick Chalon Forward, Joffrey Lauvergne.
44. The Golden State Warriors have the 44th pick in the draft and will likely pick St. Louis Forward, Willis Reed.
45. The New Orleans Hornets have the 45th pick in the draft and will likely pick Purdue Guard, E'twaun Moore.
46. The Los Angeles Lakers have the 46th pick in the draft and will likely pick Real Madrid Forward, Nikola Mirotic.
47. The Los Angeles Clippers have the 47th pick in the draft and will likely pick Illinois Forward, Jereme Richmond.
48. The Atlanta Hawks have the 48th pick in the draft and will likely pick Southern Miss. Forward, Gary Flowers.
49. The Memphis Grizzlies have the 49th pick in the draft and will likely pick Mississippi State Guard/Forward, Ravern Johnson.
50. The Philadelphia 76ers have the 50th pick in the draft and will likely pick Oakland Center, Keith Benson.
51. The Portland Trailblazers have the 51st pick in the draft and will likely pick San Diego State Forward, Malcolm Thomas.
52. The Denver Nuggets have the 52nd pick in the draft and will likely pick Georgia Tech Guard, Iman Shumcert.
53. The Orlando Magic have the 53rd pick in the draft and will likely pick Ratiopharm Ulm Forward, Robin Benzing.
54. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the 54th pick in the draft and will likely pick Syracuse Forward, Rick Jackson.
55. The Boston Celtics have the 55th pick in the draft and will likely pick Ohio State Guard, David Lighty.
56. The Los Angeles Lakers have the 56th pick in the draft and will likely pick Tennessee Guard/Forward, Scotty Hopson.
57. The Dallas Mavericks have the 57th pick in the draft and will likely pick Georgia Guard/Forward, Travis Leslie.
58. The Los Angeles Lakers have the 58th pick in the draft and will likely pick Fresno State Forward/Center, Greg Smith.
59. The San Antonio Spurs have the 59th pick in the draft and will likely pick Baylor Guard, LaceDarius Dunn.
60. The Sacramento Kings have the 60th pick in the draft and will likely pick George Mason Guard, Cam Long.

There will be other rookies because an undrafted player could be signed as a free agent. Ricky Rubio is going to Minnesota and is definitely going to be rookie of the year. There are probably going to be trades among teams.

Boston Celtics-The Future

The Boston Celtics are getting old. They lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Miami Heat, a much younger team. Right now Ray Allen is 35, Kevin Garnett is 35, and Paul Pierce is 33. This season was to be the last playoff run for Boston before they rebuild their team. Danny Ainge the GM of the Celtics wanted to rebuild this season and traded Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. He should have kept the team together for 1 more year. Now that this year is over and has been wasted here is the starting lineup for the future championship Celtics. Rajon Rondo is probably going to be filling the Point Guard position for a few years. He is young, plays defense well, can drive into the paint and is the ball distributor of Boston. Some people think that a Rondo for Westbrook trade could work and that a Rondo for Paul trade could work but why do it. Rondo already runs the offense and is great at defense. Rajon Rondo will be the starting Point Guard. Ray Allen is the best 3point shooter of all time. He is also good at defense. Ray Allen should be traded. Ray Allen's replacement would be Kevin Martin of the Houston Rockets. Martin puts up good numbers averaging 23 points per game. Another player that could work is Monta Ellis. He puts up good numbers averaging 24 points per game and is younger with only 25 years of age compared to Martin's 28 years of age. His big problem is that he always wants to shoot. He has bad shot selection so even though he could win a championship in Boston Kevin Martin would be a better choice. Paul Pierce is 33 and is still playing well but he will need a replacement at some point. Danny Ainge addressed this issue with Jeff Green. Jeff Green is a young small forward who started for the Thunder. He has a lot of potential. Paul Pierce could also be replaced by Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony, and Danny Granger. The only problem with these players is that by the time Paul Pierce gets replaced they will be the age of Paul Pierce when the big 3 first started so they would only have 4 years before they pass their prime. Because of this I doubt that Jeff Green will wait for 8 years for his turn to start. Kevin Garnett is nowhere close to what he once was offensively but the defense is still there. He is the anchor to Boston's defense but he has to go. Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets would be a good replacement. He averages 18 points and 9 rebounds per game but he is 31. Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers is 28 and gets the rebounds. He is pretty good at defense but he only averages 9 points per game. David West and Carlos Boozer could work and they are 30 and 29 and Boston is going to want someone if possible much younger. Kevin Love and Al Horford would work but with Ricky Rubio going to the Timberwolves and the Hawks being a legitimate playoff team they are likely to get contract extensions. The power forward position is going to be hard to fill and unless Love or Horford come it will likely be the weak link in Boston. The center position is currently the weak link of Boston with 32 year old Jermaine O'Neal as the starter. Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies no longer lives in his older brother Pau Gasol's shadow. He had a spectacular performance during the playoffs. He averaged 11 rebounds per game along with 15 points per game. Memphis is going to look to sign another contract with him this summer and Boston will have to pay a lot of money to him but it will pay off. Tyson Chandler would be good only problem is that he won the title with Dallas and will probably sign another contract. Andrew Bogut of the Milwaukee Bucks is great at defense and led the league in blocks per game this season. He wants to go to the playoffs and will be able to do so in Boston. He would fill the gap that Perkins left. The most likely and the best starting lineup for Boston's next era is Rajon Rondo at Point Guard, Kevin Martin at Shooting Guard, Jeff Green at Small Forward, David West at Power Forward, and Andrew Bogut at Center. This may change in the future since Boston owns the Cleveland Cavaliers 2012 first round pick and Minnesota may continue to suck.

Miami Heat-LeBron James

Last summer LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach to make 1 of Miami's big 3. At first it was hard for Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh to co-exist. Many people considered that Chris Bosh should be traded since was least soring big with 16 points per game compared to James's 26 and Wade's 25. Late in the season and in the playoffs they were able to play well together and won games. The Boston Celtics were taken down in the second round by Miami. Miami then took down the Chicago Bulls. In the NBA finals the Miami Heat Big 3 were unable to play well together. Chris Bosh proved that he is a member of the Big 3 and Dwayne Wade was spectacular. The only problem was LeBron James. In game 4 LeBron only had 8 points while ended up losing by 3. In game 5 LeBron had 17 points and they lost by 12 points. Some say the Big 3 can not co-exist but maybe that is not the problem. Maybe LeBron can not co-exist with success. I do not mean individual success, I mean team success. In 2007 LeBron's Cavaliers lost in the finals 0-4 to Tim Duncan's Spurs. Some say that LeBron is the next Michael Jordan. I do not think so because Michael Jordan did not struggle with a jump shot or lose in the finals twice. Jordan won 6 championships and lost in 1 final. LeBron James struggled with his jump shot and has now lost in 2 finals. LeBron James is considered to be the star and the key player for Miami. LeBron James should not be because of tendency to lose in pressure situations in the playoffs. LeBron James is a good player but he is a little overrated. He is still an all-star he is just not as big. DeShawn Stevenson of the Dallas Mavericks was right about him. After all Stevenson must have been a little mad because LeBron James flopped a lot of times he was guarding him in the finals. This caused him to get on the free throw line not that it matters anymore since Dallas is Champions.If any Big 3 member is to be traded I say that it is LeBron James. Early in the season the Miami Heat were criticized for having weak links in Point Guard and Center positions. Joel Anthony should stay as starting Center so the just leaves Point Guard. Even though Mario Chalmers had done well in the playoffs he is still not the superstar I am sure he will develop into. LeBron James could be traded to the Nets for Deron Williams or to the Hornets for Chris Paul. I think that the Miami Heat can win a championship without making any big trades especially since Joel Anthony and Mario Chalmers continue to develop but if anyone is going to go it is LeBron. LeBron had little pieces build a championship in 2007 but he had them all in 2011. Maybe he should take lessons from the best player in the world Dirk Nowitzki.

Mavs win it all!!

Last night the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA title. They beat the Miami Heat 105-95 in game 6. Dirk Nowitzki struggled shooting just 9 for 27 field goals but still able to put up 21 points and 11 rebounds. After the game there were tears were shed from someone other then LeBron. Dirk Nowitzki went to the locker room early because he was crying of happiness. LeBron cried again after losing a regular season game to the Chicago Bulls. Dirk Nowitzki later came back to hoist up Dallas's first NBA championship trophy and the NBA finals MVP trophy. 5 years ago this happened in Dallas but with Dwayne Wade hoisting up the trophy and receiving finals MVP. Now only two players on Dallas were around after their finals loss. Those players are Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki. After their finals loss Jason Terry got a tattoo of the NBA championship trophy on his arm as promise that one day he would win it all. Now that he has he plans on tattooing the date next to it. Jason Terry scored 27 points off the bench and was the Tmobile player of the game. When Nowitzki was missing Terry was scoring.  This summer Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, Caron Butler, Brian Cardinal, Peja Stojakovic, DeShawn Stevenson, will be free agents. You should expect them all to resign for a few more years. Jason Kidd has 1 more year left on his contract. Something that surprised me was that he wants to stay for 3 more years. He will be 39 this next season and if he stays as long as he wants to he will be 41 when he retires. I thought that now that Jason Kidd has finally won a championship after losing in the finals with New Jersey twice he would retire at the top. Maybe he wants more money, maybe he wants another title, or maybe he just loves the game. No matter what the reason we will be seeing more of Jason Kidd. Mark Cuban the owner of the Dallas Mavericks does not want to give rings. He thinks that rings are too old school and he plans on giving out something else to his players. While the Mavericks should have the same squad next year do not expect them to win again. Their team is filled with veterans who have fallen short before and now that they have done it the pressure to do it before retirement has been taken away. Expect the Mavs to be much more relaxed next season.

Ricky Rubio joining Kevin Love in Minnesota

Ricky Rubio is finally going to the Timberwolves. The big question is what difference does it make. What is Minnesota's record going to be? Is Rubio a bust? Many thought so when Rubio ditched Minnesota for Barcelona but I do not think so. David Kahn the GM of the Timberwolves knew that Rubio would spend a few more years in Spain when he drafted him with the 5th pick in the 2009 draft. In the 2009 draft Rubio was the 1st prospect instead of Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, and James Harden. Blake Griffin came back from injury to become an all-star his rookie year. Ricky Rubio is also coming back from injury. Ricky Rubio's rookie year will be one where all the other rookies have little potential so the next Steve Nash should be able to get rookie of the year easily. Ricky Rubio will do well by himself but what about his team? Rubio should be able to lead (instead of Kevin Love) the T-Wolves to the playoffs in Rubio's rookie season. Minnesota will not be able to contend until Rubio's second year and that is considering Love sticks around and that they use their young trade chips in Jonny Flynn, Michael Beasley, and Wesley Johnson to their advantage. After all I am sure that a Beasley, Johnson trade could get Danny Granger from the Pacers. Ricky Rubio is a future superstar who can make Minnesota a dangerous team.