I don’t think what I am about to say violates the “no-trade-spec” rule, I would just like to dip my pinky on the Brand situation…

Elton Brand is being paid 15.3m this year and some 16.4m next year. This is big time money for a big time player. Brand is an excellent fundamental guy to have and we all know he is the poor man’s version of Tim Duncan.

However, unlike Duncan, he is no 1st option and being paid superstar money warrants that you should be. Ok he is the Clip’s 1st option and they have had relative success but my point is, if Brand is not assured of bigger money and financial security for the next 5 or 6 years, there is no reason for him to opt out esp that he has not played a single game this season.

Assuming he does, it will be for a guarantee that his new team, it being the Clippers itself, will be signing him the MAX for 5-6 years.

Assuming the Lakers do nab him through a sign-and-trade, it would almost mean that the Clippers SHOULD consider rebuilding AGAIN. This does not hold too well for LA’s illegitimate son (sorry John R.) since they too need starpower to keep themselves afloat.

At the other end, there is one player that is almost 100% to opt out IMO. That player is Corey Maggette. He too will seek that 8-figure pay and seek star attention.

However, there would be more sense to it if the Clips balk at 10-11m per to their best player this year since Corey has actual BEEF with his coach – Dunleavy Sr. He will therefore use this as a motivation to earn the dough and a little convincing or two, he’s out of the Clippers for good.

If it matters though, Chris Kaman is starting to earn his 10m. Having Brand and Kaman earn 50% of your yearly cap space with NO PG doesn’t bid too well. Well, as Kurt said, there is an eternity of basketball left to play so we’ll have to sit back and watch…

And Jones, I’m not as comfortable with Odom as you seem to be, but the point that he has stepped it up in the playoffs when the team needed him the last could years can’t be denied. And he does put up good numbers most nights. You’re right, it’s going to be hard to get anyone as useful as he is (although I’d throw his name out there a little to see who nibbles).

Lamar is a deceptive player. When he’s on the floor, he looks like he’s doing nothing…but just watch how bad this team misses him when he’s out. He does make a difference.

Also, Lamar does bring it come playoff time. He has shown that he has the ability to shut down a player, as he did Shawn Marion. Most of the season he coasts on defense, but when he’s focused, he has defensive capabilities.

Honestly, I think Kidd is just what Lamar needs. It would be great to see him thrive as a third option. Heck, it’d be pretty fun seeing Bynum catching good lobs for a change. If the Lakers acquire Kidd, the Suns better hope they don’t face the Lakers in the playoffs. They are done.

I think, however, that Dallas is a better match up for us than PHX is, just because Kobe seems to own Dallas.

The current West landscape has intrigued me more than Bynum’s development. I’m a “bigger picture” kind of guy and so this is something I have been keeping track of. But I must admit “Baby Monster” makes me wet my pants.

Taking the GSW-Dal series into consideration, there are lessons to be learned in this year’s upcoming post-season. Let us remember that Dallas was too cocky to admit that Nellie ball actually bothered them. If I remember it correctly, they had 17 losses all season and four of them came from GS. Its quite clear who got the best of who here.

This season, Everyone at FBG or almost every intermediate NBA fan placed Utah and Houston as the 2nd tier teams with LA and Denver being the “no margin of error”. As we have discussed plentily, the West’s 8th is the only one up for grabs…

But of course we predicted the Bulls to win the East too didn’t we?

What drives me nuts is the fact that something along the West is a hidden agenda of darkhorsing.

Ok I’m being eccentric on my terms but this is my point – Houston is in danger of missing it. Because we essentially have 9 teams playing for 8 spots. For purposes of discussion and clarity:

Top-tier:
Phoenix
San Antonio
Dallas

2nd tier:
Utah
Houston

3rd tier:
LA Lakers
Denver

Spoilers:
Golden State
New Orleans

Both New Orleans and Golden State are playing better than Utah and Houston. Of course that could still change considering we are still at 1/3 of the season but it could also grow as a trend. Remember, there is absolutely 1 thing that math and science cannot predict – LUCK.

In the current landscape, I am seeing an ironic trend that intrigues me.

San Antonio owns Phoenix
Phoenix owns Dallas
Dallas owns San Antonio

Now, assuming Houston picks up its pieces and puts them together for a mid-late run and makes seed #6-8, this is where it gets interesting. I see the Texas Triangle this way:

Houston owns San Antonio.
Dallas owns Houston.

Therefore, the defending champs should be worried that the Rockets are in the bottom half. They are probably the only team in the West along with Dallas who has the Spurs’ number.

SO if the seeds go like this:

1 Phoenix vs 8 Golden State
4 Denver vs LA Lakers
2 San Antonio vs 7 Houston
3 Dallas vs 6 New Orleans or Utah

Phoenix wins it but they have to play at full gear. LA has Denver’s number and so the 2nd round is not a pipe.

Dallas will get the better of either team that makes the 6th seed in my projection, but the Spurs will be in for a bumpy ride if this projection happened. They will face a “revenge-minded” team in Houston on the 1st round. They might still win it but I can guarantee it won’t be easy. Dallas then awaits the defending champs and you know they are the Spurs biggest thorn. They will reminisce about 2006 when Dallas beat them in game7 at the SBC center.

What then does this leave us?
Phoenix vs LA
Dallas vs San Antonio

Both SA and PHX will have expended so much energy squeaking past the 1st round that they might be in for a surprise in the 2nd. We have the Suns number this year and the best they could do to us is tie up.

Sorry for the loOoOong post, just my 2 cents.

PS. Didn’t I predict a meltdown for either Dallas or Houston? Houston just did, Dallas is next.