New Orleans had been in talks with Golden State, the LA Clippers, Boston Celtics and a few other teams for a Chris Paul deal.

Word has it that the Lakers now might also be able to pull a trigger on a deal with the Magic, ultimately exchanging all-star center Andrew Bynum, for Dwight Howard.

Stay tuned..

For the latest buzz, follow me on twitter!

Twitter and Facebook are buzzing about this deal, with most coming to the consensus that Oakland, as they are wont to do, is overpaying for a player with questions surrounding his ability and desire.  But if we examine this situation, that might not be true.

Impact of the Carson Palmer Trade on Oakland

Palmer is less than a year removed from playing all 16 games for the Bengals and throwing for nearly 4000 yards.  He did pile up 20 interceptions, but the rest of Cincinnati’s offense struggled too, with Chad Ochocinco’s sharp decline (831 yards, 4 TD) and Cedric Benson’s YPC dropping to just 3.5.

If Palmer is in shape ,he has a chance to play almost immediately in Oakland, and his supporting weapons will be much stronger than those he had in his final season with Cincinnati.  Darren McFadden and the Raiders’ punishing running game will allow Palmer some freedom to operate and give him underneath and screen options he never had with the likes of Rudi Johnson and Benson.  He has a group of emerging playmakers at wide receiver, including the much-maligned Darrius Heyward-Bey, who is quietly putting up a very solid season (17 catches, 296 yards last 3 games).  Throw versatile wideouts Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore in the mix and Palmer will have arguably his most talented supporting cast ever.

Another thing to consider is that Palmer in Cincinnati was never really the right fit.  Palmer admitted to disliking Ohio State and the fans of Ohio.  Now he will get to play just a couple of hours from his hometown of Fresno and a couple more from his alma mater USC.  His attitude should be sufficiently adjusted, given the opportunity he has to win and the comfort of playing back in California for the first time in almost a decade.

As long as the Raiders keep winning these fans will welcome Carson Palmer with open arms.

Lastly for the Raiders, this trade is a total Al Davis-style move.  Al specialized in landing castoffs and retreads and turning them into valuable players.  His track record waned the past few years, but clearly the Raiders’ resurgence of late was a product of Al’s vision.  The players who have gotten the Raiders back to respectability and on the brink of even more – McFadden, Ford, Sebastian Janikowski (a kicker taken in the first round?  Gasp!), Richard Seymour, among them – were considered poor moves by Davis until the recent bout of success.

With this success, the 2012 first round pick is likely to be later in the draft and not a top-ten like the Raiders have had so often in the past 10 years.  The 2013 pick will kick in based on performance incentives from Palmer, which is a win for Oakland as well, because if Palmer is playing well then it is likely the Raiders are winning.  The Raiders have a few holes to plug still (most glaringly at cornerback), but I think they plugged their biggest one with this trade.

Impact of the Carson Palmer Trade on Cincinnati

For Cincinnati this trade is a roaring success.  Palmer was collecting dust in his self-imposed exile, and worst of all (for him) rookie Andy Dalton has come on like wildfire and led the team to an unexpected 4-2 record.  Cincinnati needed to trade Palmer, but owner Mike Brown’s stubbornness was expected to eliminate the chance of that ever happening.

To Brown’s credit (or dumb luck), a team became just desperate enough to give up a treasure – first round picks – to acquire Palmer.  The Bengals can now focus on further rebuilding during a time when AFC North stalwarts Baltimore and Pittsburgh are showing signs of age and vulnerability.

The Bengals can now target a replacement for Benson or another wide receiver to go with standout rookie A.J. Green, which may become a necessity depending on the outcome Jerome Simpson’s marijuana trafficking situation.  This would provide the Bengals with a core of youth that can learn and gel together and truly build a sustained winner for years to come.

Rarely do trades like this work out well for both teams, but my initial thought is that this was a wise move on both sides.  Al Davis would be proud, the Raiders should be able to keep improving, and the Bengals are no longer in Palmer-limbo and can focus on further improving an already brilliant young cast of players.

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Follow me on Twitter @keithmullett

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Image credits: nflpassers.com, denverpost.com, footiewallpapers.com

The Warriors now have a new coach, and soon they may have a new star.

It began when the Warriors brought in all-time great Jerry West as a “team advisor”, but he is also said to be in a high power position concerning personnel moves and roster changes. With West being associated with the Warriors, you can already expect this Golden State franchise to began a full-fledged turnaround. I mean, this is the guy who encouraged the Lakers to a Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol trade, and they were actually able to pull it off.

Then yesterday news broke that ESPN NBA commentator Mark Jackson was hired as the team’s head coach. Not only is Jackson a smart, well-respected NBA figure, but he also was a solid point guard in his New York Knicks days. It’s assumed that a big reason he was brought in is to help the young Stephen Curry mature into an improved point guard.

And finally, ESPN’s  Rich Bucher is now reporting the Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers are discussing a trade that would send their young guard Monta Ellis to the Sixers in return for Andre Iguodala. Full details of the deal are not yet reported, but a deal is said to be in the works. Such a deal would allow Stephen Curry to blossom with Ellis no longer demanding much of the ball.

UPDATES:

• Reports indicating that the current deal would be a straight up trade with Monta, and Andre Iguodala. This is due to the similarities of the players’ contracts.
• If a trade were to happen, it should within the next 10 days.
• A delay would likely be caused due to the recent hiring of Mark Jackson. The team is awaiting input by him.

Stay tuned for more details, and follow me on twitter!

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Photo courtesy: Associated Press/Sulekha.com

This will not come as a surprise to many.

After a post-season that included 12 ppg, 9.7 rpg, and 1.8 apg, it became clear that Boozer hasn’t become what many thought he would: the Robin to Derrick Rose’s Batman.

Chicago could very well have realized that Taj Gibson has proven himself worthy of a starting job in Chicago, thus resulting in the preliminary thoughts of a Boozer trade.

It should also be noted that Boozer was reportedly deemed to suffer from ’turf toe’ this past season.

Expect the Bulls to look for a second scorer on the perimeter, and to sweeten the deal, expect a pick or two to be thrown in.

Potential teams the Bulls could look to deal with are the Warriors, Sixers, and possibly the Rockets.

Stay tuned for more news, and for up-to-the-second updates follow me on twitter!

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Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

But along with the Heat’s mega-offseason came another side story. The story of Carmelo Anthony and just where he’d end up.

The attention seems to be mainly focused on the Big Apple. You have Prokhorov fighting to the earth’s ends in order to secure Melo for the future Brooklyn Nets, and then you have Amar’e attempting to recruit Anthony to play alongside him in New York. Heck, I’ve even heard Charlotte and Houston mentioned in this crazy mix. It seems as if we are in the midst of a great game of tug-o-war.

But it is yet to be finalized where the Syracuse alum will end up. Will he land alongside Amar’e, and try and build another mega-team? Or will he take his talents to New Jersey and try to continue Prokhorov’s global agenda? I wish I knew the answer.

According to ESPN and other sources,  the New Jersey Nets seem to be the more likely destination for Carmelo. New Jersey’s management has been pushing hard and pressuring the Nuggets organization to make a move since day one, and since then the Nets have actually outlined the framework for a three-team deal.

The deal would send Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Quinton Ross, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Graham, Ben Uzoh, cash, and two first-round picks to the  Nuggets, while the Nets would acquire Carmelo, Chauncey Billups, Anthony  Carter, and swingman Richard Hamilton from the Pistons. The Pistons would obtain the expiring contract of Troy Murphy, and center Johan Petro in the deal.

In my mind, this isn’t a bad trade in any way, shape, or form.

But since that deal came onto the table, Denver’s organization has begun to give the deal some trouble as  Nuggets GM Ujiri has wanted to get rid of the expiring contract of Al Harrington and send him to Jersey. The Nets have backed off of the deal a little bit, and talks have since then slowed down.

Might I remind, this was a day after the talks seem to be nearly finalized.

As for New York, it has been said that they want to be thrown in on a package which would include a first-round pick and a combination of Wilson Chandler, Dannilo Galinari, and Anthony Randolph. The offer isn’t a bad one, but Denver can certainly obtain more from New Jersey in any deal.

New York has since then talked about a three-way trade with Memphis which would send OJ Mayo to the Nuggets. Both Mayo and the Nuggets organization, however, have no interest in such a trade.

So as you can see, we are at a stand still.

It is clear that Carmelo wants out of Denver, and sources claim Carmelo has said his ultimate dream would be to play in New York, but the issue is that Denver wants a better offer, and the Knicks might not be able to offer Denver what they want.

So does New Jersey land Carmelo? Well according to Anthony himself, he hasn’t thought of any extension with the Nets, and it seems more and more likely that he is flat out saying, “Send me to New York!”

Sources claim Amar’e has been in contact with Carmelo, and both seem to be interested in joining up.

Is there a way New York can bring in a third team to sweeten the deal, or will the game of tug-o-war continue?

Hopefully things will end soon, but luckily for you I’ll keep you updated! Be sure to follow me on Twitter as well!

Recently updates news:

According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, the Knicks are planning to trade Anthony Randolph within the next two weeks, for a first-round pick. The pick would indeed be in any Carmelo trade with the New York.

The Detroit Pistons, whom would acquire Troy Murphy in the proposed three-way deal with Denver and New Jersey, is said to already have been entertaining offers for Murphy, even thought he is still a member of the Nets.

Donnie Walsh is said to have met with Leon Rose (the agent of Carmelo Anthony) on Friday night.

The Pistons bench Richard Hamilton, as trade rumors continue to swirl.

Carmelo, Pokhorov, and Nets part owner Jay-Z, are expected to meet next week in an attempt to secure Carmelo for the long-term, via contract extension (if a trade were done).

So to get to the point, the deadline is under 60 hours away, and one of the league’s best big man is about to be moved, and I can tell you it’ll be at least to two destiniations:

• Front-runner Cleveland
• or passenger seat Miami

With much talk and confusion breaking loose, there needs to be someone to clear things up.

Ta-da, here I am! And here is what  has been going on as of late with Amar’e, Cleveland and Miami.

Cleveland is without a doubt the front-runner. It is being said that Cleveland is offering Zydrunas Ilgauskas, JJ Hickson, and possibly a draft pick(s)/ and another small player (Danny Green, Jawad Williams).

So why hasn’t anything happened?

“The ball is in Phoenix’s court. The Suns are mulling whether the financial relief provided by Ilgauskas’s $12 million contract and the young and talented Hickson are enough for them to part with Stoudemire, ” according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

Such a deal would help the Suns not only financially (they are $5 million over the luxury tax), but it would bring them a great young talent in JJ Hickson.

“The natural trade that makes sense here would be Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson for Stoudemire. The Suns could also ask for draft picks, as the Cavs own their full slate of first-round picks in the future. The Cavs and Suns talked about Hickson in the O’Neal deal, but the Cavs wanted to keep him. So the Suns have a history of interest in Hickson. They also considered drafting him in 2008 but took Robin Lopez instead,”  according to Cavs beat writer, Brian Windhorst.

Well now the Suns can get their man, and the Cavs can potentially obtain their difference maker. Not only is Stoudemire a monster in the paint, but he has two things the Cavs strongly need in another forward other than #23, a greatly developed mid-range jump shot, and an excellent pick & roll game.

Let’s not get TOO ahead of ourselves…

Cleveland may be the front-runner, but they have Philly, and Miami trailing not too far behind. Both Philadelphia and Miami have players that they could give up,which woul entice a much more “basketball” orientated deal for the Suns (something the Cavs have little of).

Miami has stated that everyone other than Wade, including Beasley, is available. But the issue with Miami is, is that they might not have the right contracts, and Phoenix isn’t too thrilled on the thought of picking up Beasley. Phoenix has also stated that they do not want to take on the horrible contract of Jermaine O’neal either. But Miami continues to try and find ways to being in STAT.

On the other hand, Philly has the one player Phoenix wants VERY bad, in Andre Iguodala. It has been reported that the Suns would ask for Iguodala, Dalembert and possibly a pick or two, in return for Amar’e and J-Rich.

Other than that, its being said that the Cavs have the best shot, and it just might be due to the fact that GM’s Ferry and Kerr were teammates and are great friends. But don’t be suprised if Cleveland needs to bring in a third team, in order to sweeten the deal for the Suns.

There were also other reports by News Herald, that Amar’e DID NOT want to come to Cleveland.

Since then, both Cavs beat writer Brian Windhorst and Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wajnarowski have shot down such comments, and said the exact opposite by both stating that Stoudemire is fine with playing in Cleveland.

Need more sauce? Hear some great info from Broussard & Windhorst:

Amar’e Talk

So again, any deal with Cleveland would include JJ, Ilgauskas and possibly Wally (Cleveland owns his bird rights).

But there is always the speculation of the Shaq/Amar’e project:

“Of course, LeBron James is in the picture as a playmaker, but O’Neal and Stoudemire had Steve Nash, one of the greatest playmakers of this era, to help in Phoenix. So all of this could be simple posturing and due diligence from the Cavs. They’d have to be convinced the two could work together and that they would have a good chance of re-signing Stoudemire to go forward with it, ” according to Windhorst.

also…

…there’s fear among some members of the Cavs’ organization that, while Stoudemire would be a good long term pairing with LeBron, incorporating him on the floor with Shaq might present too difficult of an adjustment for the rest of the season…, according to CBSSports.com

Well, Amar’e has tweeted on this stating:

“I play very well w/Shaq. I averaged more pts last year WITH him & played better D. You guys can stop saying we don’t play well together.”

So obviously Amar’e has shut down two things, one being that he would not like to play in Cleveland (false). And two, being that he and Shaq can co-exist.

According to ESPN, the Cavaliers feel that if such a deal were to be final, they will have secured LeBron past this summer. The organization also feels that they have all of the capability to also re-sign Amar’e for this summer and beyond.

Brought to you by the Nike Air Max LeBron VII St.Vincent St.Mary Away Edition, courtesy of my friends at Nikelebron.net!

Photo courtesy: Yahoo! Sports

1328 Strikeouts

Japan’s Central League MVP

That’s Kenshin Kawakami, the pitcher who’s drawn the interest of 7 big league ball clubs, including the Minnesota Twins.

Wait a second, the Twins?

One could certainly make the argument that a team can never have enough arms, but with Liriano, Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, Perkins, and the possibility of a Humber, Swarzak, or Duensing sighting, the Twins seem to be relatively full in the bullpen, especially when it’s been so obvious that they need the help at 3B.

Here’s what Kenshin Kawakami does for the Twins: He opens up the door to deal pitching. The Twins have the option of reopening negotiations to grab an Adrian Beltre or J.J. Hardy type player that otherwise would be too costly. With Kawakami, the Twins have another arm to ante up with the Brewers or Mariners. Using Kawakami as trade bait himself, or possibly being more willing to send a Scott Baker away in order to get a J.J. Hardy, the Twins would certainly have more trade options.

And if no deal was made, we start our season with a devastatingly deep rotation including Liriano, Baker, Slowey, Kawakami, and Blackburn, enough to excite any fan. The Twins could go with a very deep rotation or a much more potent offense, either way it would invigorate some life back into this club after a very slow offseason.

Let’s just hope this doesn’t turn into a bidding war.