Post by Orlando Magic on Dec 25, 2007 23:51:01 GMT -5
It truly 'tis the season of giving with the recent fury of trades around the league. Whether 'tis presents that have already been "opened" to the league or presents that will "opened" in time, the spirit of giving is alive in the air.
Newcomer GMs Denver and Sacramento have been among the most active with their respective blockbusters. Denver's acquisition of Bosh has propelled him and his team into playoff contention in the truly "Wild West" while Sacramento hopes to propel himself out of obscurity and into the limelight with T-Mac.
However, on the other side of the coin, the price of these superstars could be the real gift! The rich seem to be getting richer as Canada's #1 team recieved two of Denver's most lethal weapons in Martin and Melo.
My pick for the real winner here is New Jersey. The already solid combination of Okur, Howard and Harris just keeps growing with David West and Rip Hamilton. Once Harris returns from his minor injuries, there are few who will stand in Jersey's path to the Eastern conference title. Not to mention their extremely promising 08 1st round pick from Sacramento that projects to be a lock for the lottery.
Now, with the Christmas atmosphere still lingering, it appears that many more teams wish to get in on this giving.
Recent reports indicate that Amare is in the Holiday spirit as trade talks with Milwaukee are nearing completion that could send a combination of Okafor, Artest or Martin to the deserts in Phoenix. The Milwaukee GM mentioned in an exclusive interview that he was not happy with the performance of his team thus far and blamed some of the weakness on sporadic performances from some of his star players.
By the looks of things, Amare is already in the spirit himself as he reportedly asked Santa for a new winter coat. That could come in handy in the tundras of Milwaukee!
Another report out of Florida that should surprise no one indicates that the "Mad Scientist" could be at it again. As many predicted, the King's stay with the Magic may be nearing an end due to his lack-luster performances so far this season. Rumors are flying as to the eventual destination of James, with names like Garnett, Iguodala and Kobe thrown about. However, one of the more reliable sources shows that both the Denver and Orlando organizations have been in close contact since their acquisition of stud Chris Bosh and might be sending the Toronto superstar and young PG Jameer Nelson on a permanent Christmas vacation to Disneyworld with the Magic.
A final rumor circling the news wires recently has yet another blockbuster in the works for a certain Agent Zero. Although details from Washington have been very hushed, it appears that trade talks have been initiated with Cleveland, Utah and Memphis for several packages including such names as Tony Parker, Elton Brand, Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Pau Gasol. When asked about the new rumors surrounding his shortened stay in the nation's capital, Gilbert had this to say, "I nor my agent have been clued in to what has been happening in the front offices recently. Right now all I need to focus on is the next game, and the one after that and the one after that. I can't be bothered right now with that business. If they decide that dealing me is the best move for their franchise then that is unfortunate but also a reality of this game. You can never be sure where you might play on any given week and therefore all we can do as players is just play our game."
Well it is clear that despite the inevitable end of this very special day, the spirit of giving will continue to linger. It will be interesting to see how these all play out in the coming days but if one thing is for sure, some big names will still switch hands before 2008 is rung in.
Merry Christmas
Midway Monster - ESPN News