NBA Trade Deadline 2013 Winners/Losers

With the passing of today's NBA Trade Deadline, we obviously have some immediate winners and losers. Let's take a look...

Winner: Houston Rockets

Congrats Houston, not only did you make the first trade, (you know, after your GM came out and said you will not make a trade) but you landed a stud rookie in Thomas Robinson for a bunch of trash. You have plenty of cap room for one big free agent this offseason, (possibly Josh Smith) along with the core of James Harden and Jeremy Lin. Well Done.

Loser: Sacramento Kings

When I think about rebuilding a franchise that is about to relocate to Seattle, I think about trading one of our best young players that is making rookie salary, and getting back a bunch of trash players that most likely won't be on the team in 2-3 years. Sorry Seattle, things don't look so good right now.

Winner: LA Clippers

Very impressed with the Clippers sticking to their guns and not trading Eric Bledsoe or Deandre Jordan. This team can compete and win a title as is (if they are healthy). They don't want to mortgage their future for 36 (37 in May) Kevin Garnett

Loser: Atlanta Hawks

Dumb mistake by the Hawks holding on to Josh Smith. He is walking away for a max contract from a contender this summer, and you got nothing to show for it. I'm not sure what you did to piss off the Bucks, but you may have crippled your franchise for years. Speaking of the Bucks..

Winner: Milwaukee Bucks

Kudos Milwaukee. No reason to trade for a rental when you aren't going to win anything this season anyway. Instead you trade a bunch of eh players for an expiring J.J. Redick that can come off the bench and give your second unit some scoring. Speaking of Redick....

Loser: J.J. Redick

There is nothing good coming out of being traded to Milwaukee.

Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder

Finally you were able to get rid of Eric Maynor, and you added Ronnie Brewer for essentially nothing (second round pick). Nothing flashy, but nothing stupid either.

Loser: LA Lakers

Here was your chance to trade Dwight Howard and get some pieces for your aging team. Here's the problem. You don't want to admit that it was a mistake signing him and rushing him back from injury. You could have avoiding all of the negative Howard talk, put the brat in his place, and maybe get some chips for trade next year or to build around. However in opposite news...

Winner: Boston Celtics

Keeping the band together as you have been playing well (1-3 in their last 4 games). Grabbing a legitimate guard to score off the bench that is self-proclaimed “better than Jordan.” And held on to all three pieces that could have helped you build for the future, the aforementioned Garnett, Paul Pierce running on fumes, and Rajon Rondo's torn ACL. Wait a minute....

Loser: Boston Celtics

This sucks. Danny Ainge can't call out Red Auerbach for not breaking up the original “Big 3” soon enough, and then pull this crap on deadline day. Garnett and Pierce's value next year diminishes with every game they play. I hope the decision to not make any moves today doesn't cripple the franchise for another 20 years.

Honorable Mention

New York Knicks – Loser (didn't get the big man help they need)

San Antonio Spurs – Winner (Keep depth)

Brooklyn Nets – Loser(Still have Kris Humphries)

Chicago Bulls – Loser (Still have Carlos Boozer)

Utah Jazz – Loser (Weren't able to get anything for Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap)

ap3
Thursday, February 21, 2012

He needed a six on the final hole to win the tournament, seven to go to a playoff. He blew a three shot lead on 18 in famous fashion. Then a few weeks later he filmed a commercial, re-playing the 18th hole at Carnoustie, this time with only his putter... he scored a six.

PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club Aug 8-11

The final chance to add a major notch to the belt in 2013.

The Barclays at Liberty National Facility Aug 22-25

This is the first tournament in the Fedex Cup playoffs. The field will rapidly dwindle from here on out, so anything can happen. Anyone can get hot and go on a run. It should be a fun ride and it all starts here.

The Tour Championship at East Lake Country Club Sept 19-22

And it ends here. The final PGA event of the year. The title of Tour Champion, Fedex Cup Champion and the $10M prize that goes with it will be on the line. So many story lines to follow here it's spectacular. Also following this tournament the PGA has a new schedule. One in which will not allow for an off season. I don't know if the players will like it. But the fans certainly should. The wraparound schedule will mean the 2014 season will start following this tournament.

The Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village Golf Club Oct 4-6

Similar to the Ryder Cup but it consists of the USA vs the World (not including Europe). Captains this year are Fred Couples and Nick Price.

Questions for the 2013 season

Can Tiger win a Major?

Like I said earlier, the next two weeks will tell us a lot, especially at Torrey Pines. We will be able to see how well together his game is after the offseason. Personally I think he is going to get at least one if not more. The field has obviously caught up to him, but he's still almost always in the mix. He just needs to get a good feel with the short stick on Sunday to finish these tournaments off. He hasn't done it the past couple years, 2013 will be back to normal for Tiger. In this guys opinion anyway.

Can Brandt Snedeker match his 2012?

The short answer no. The long answer is a bit more complicated. Snedeker was one of the best on the greens last year riding it to a Fedex Cup championship and a spot on the Ryder Cup team. After all that success his mind has to turn to winning a major. It should be interesting to see if he can play at the same level this year as last. It's not going to be easy, but he could win himself a major championship this year.

Will Rory live up to #1 status?

Absolutely he will. He is the favorite in any tournament he is in at this point. He struggled to start 2012 losing the worlds number 1 spot but quickly regained that and tore off a crazy run of strong play to finish out last year. He's the closest thing to dominant the sport has right now. He could be slated for a monster year, with multiple major victories.

Who will break out in 2013?

I believe we have only scratched the surface of Rickie Fowler. If we can only get him to grow a big thick mustache now and we can start calling him Rick Fowler. It just sounds funnier. But this kid is one hell of a golfer. He can do it all and has been around late in tournaments. He just couldn't really get over the hump. He did get one victory last year, but this year he's going to be mentioned a lot, watch out.

mlz
Saturday, January 12, 2013