The Cavaliers have struggled since the departure of LeBron James, but management cannot be faulted for not trying to improve the team through all possible means. Less then two years after taking on Baron Davis’s salary in return for a draft pick, which ended up being the first pick, the Cavaliers have completed a multiplayer trade with the Grizzlies that reduces salary cap for the Grizzles and helps the Cavaliers improve little by little.

The Grizzlies have sent big man Marreese Speights, guard Wayne Ellington and guard Josh Selby to the Cavaliers for big man Jon Leuer. The Cavaliers will also receive a future first-round draft pick in the deal. The deal hinders the Grizzlies depth, but it had to be done to ensure that their stellar starting five remains intact.

The move slashes more then $6 million off the Grizzlies payroll, which places them under the luxury tax threshold. The Cavaliers had more than ten million in cap space so the move makes sense for both team’s future goals.

The Cavaliers continue to try to improve their team while adding as many draft picks as possible, while the Grizzlies continue to look for ways to reduce their salary cap both long and short term.

The Cavaliers will not get a lottery pick out of the deal like they did from the Clippers, but they acquired a solid shooter in Ellington, a productive big man in Speights and a guard with potential in Selby. The Grizzlies did what had to be done to ensure that they are able to retain the main pieces behind their fast start to this season.

There are a pair of games on ESPN tonight that are sure to impress. The humiliated Bulls, who lost to the Knicks at home last night, travel to Boston to play the Celtics. In the night cap, Blake Griffin and the Clippers travel to the mile high city to play Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets. Both should be good games, but the one I wanted to see was the Heat going up against the surprisingly 4-0 Hornets. It will be interesting to see how the Heat match up with quite possibly the best point guard in the league in Chris Paul.

So without further ado, here are my picks for each of the 12 games on the Friday night slate.

Bucks over Pacers
Scott Skiles is having a hard time getting their opponents to fear the deer in this early season. They’ve stumbled out of the gate at 1-4 and are facing Granger and the steady 2-2 Pacers. I like the Bucks to get the road win against another East team who is still trying to find their way. Indiana looks pretty good though with the improvement of Roy Hibbert and the arrival of Darren Collison.

Magic over Nets
Stan Van Gundy’s crew is fresh off a butt-wooping they put on the lowly Timberwolves in which they scored 78 points by halftime. They get this win at home tonight over a Nets team that is still figuring out who they are with all of the new pieces.

76ers over Cavaliers
This was a tough one, but I’m going with the home team. I’m still waiting to see what Evan Turner has to offer this team. I had high expectations for him, but with Andre Iguodala still in Philly, it will be tough to figure out where he fits in on this team. Still, I like them over the reeling Cavaliers, losers of three straight after their opening win over Boston. Antawn Jamison is likely out but Mo Williams will play and start for the first time this year.

Bobcats over Pistons
Will this be the game where the Pistons get their first win? I don’t think so. After stumbling out of the gate a bit, the 1-3 Bobcats eked out a win against the Nets on Wednesday. I look for them to keep it going against the hapless Pistons.

Wizards over Knicks
I like the wiz kid, John Wall, to lead them to victory over the three-point happy Knicks who coming off a big win in the Windy City last night. This is the type of up and down game Wall should thrive in tonight. Don’t be surprised if he does a lot of the things he did against the Sixers on Tuesday where he almost got a triple-double.

Celtics over Bulls
Boston’s not good on back-to-backs. That was made evident in their loss to Cleveland after beating the Heat. Going on two days rest and a grind-out win over the Bucks, I think the Celtics get the win at home in a tightly contested battle of two top teams in the East.

Hornets over Heat
The undefeated “Nawlins” Hornets are at home for the slightly hobbled LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Chris Paul will impose his will whoever is guarding him. Which begs the question: who will that be? It should be interesting. On the flip side, who accounts for James and Dwyane Wade?

Hawks over Timberwolves
The Wolves are just bad. They’ve given up at least 100 points in each of their four losses, including 129 and 128 to the Heat and Magic respectively. The Hawks are undefeated at 5-0. They’ll easily win this one despite not having Marvin Williams.

Suns over Grizzlies
Steve Nash and the boys are coming off a close home loss to the Spurs. I think their bench gets it done against the Grizz with Zach Randolph questionable to return to the lineup.

Clippers over Nuggets
In the ESPN night cap game, I like the Clippers upsetting the Nuggets on the road. They played well against the Thunder a few nights ago and I think they will play well enough together to get this win. The Nuggets continue to be without post presence with the absences of Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson. Griffin should be able to have a field day on the glass.

Warriors over Jazz
Golden State is a surprising 3-1 to start the season. They are at home for the Jazz, a team that just can’t win on the road. They do have an impressive road win against the Thunder, but they also got blown out by the Suns. Monta Ellis will continue his hot shooting streak in this one. I believe the Dubs get the upset win.

Lakers over Raptors
I don’t really have to explain this. Toronto is at the bottom of the East and L.A. is at the top of the West. It should be a blowout in a game where Kobe Bryant is done by the fourth quarter, maybe even sooner.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Now that the individual awards have been doled out, it’s time to look forward to overall team performances. There are a handful of teams in the league that are considered to be contenders for the title. But each year there are squads that fly under the radar or exceed expectations. Last year’s teams included the 50-win Thunder, the overachieving, Scott Skiles’ led Bucks and even the Grizzlies. This year could yield NBA fans more unexpected playoff berths from annual cellar dwellers. Let’s check out some of those squads.

The Sixers have been pretty busy this year. They have hired a new coach in the defense-oriented Doug Collins. They acquired the number two draft choice in Ohio State standout Evan Turner, who I believe could have went number one in the draft as well (I know… shocking!). They have also shipped Sam Dalembert to the Kings for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes. I like their chances to make a spirited run for the 7th or 8th seed in the East. They’ve got a promising core in Turner, Iguodala, Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Jrue Holiday. If only they knew what they were getting in Elton Brand they’d be set. It should be an interesting year for this bunch.

IF Chris Paul can stay happy and healthy and IF the newly acquired head coach in Monty Williams can successfully coach all of the new guys and IF all of the newcomers like Trevor Ariza can make a big enough impact, then the Hornets are in good shape. That is a lot of ifs, but I like their chances at sneaking into the playoffs. Paul is driven to succeed on whatever team he stars for, and it won’t be any different with the Hornets. Marcus Thornton is sure to improve on his surprising play from last year. The frontcourt tandem of David West and Emeka Okafor should continue to gobble up rebounds and produce effectively. A lot of people are claiming this team is dead in the water, but I like their chances to sneak in with the 8th seed in a suffocating Western conference. I don’t know about that Darren Collison trade though.

The Nets have done the best that could possibly do this offseason without landing LeBron James. Derrick Favors should be a nice, developing young talent for them this season with Troy Murphy likely getting the start. Brook Lopez will likely duplicate his production last season, as will Devin Harris. The difference is, they have more scoring options this time. Three-point shooters in Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, and Troy Murphy all should make them more of a threat on the offensive end. I love the hiring of Avery Johnson as coach. He was great as a player and a great coach for the Mavericks. Cuban shouldn’t have let him go in the first place. And let’s face it, the Nets were the best 12-win team in NBA history last year. They will surely win more games this year, especially if guys can stay healthy, which was one of their problems last year. In the top heavy East, the Nets have a great chance for the 8th seed. And who knows what’s going on these days with the Carmelo Anthony trade talks.

While there are other surprise eligible teams, I picked these three. The Clippers, Kings, and Rockets are others that have been pegged as such. I like the prospect of Blake Griffin, but don’t know if he can stay healthy. And there’s always the Baron Davis conundrum. The Kings have the 2010 ROY in Tyreke Evans and a young promising talent in DeMarcus Cousins, but we’ll have to see how that pans out. The Rockets are never easy to predict due to the fact that Yao Ming can never stay healthy, but Rick Adelman puts out a very competitive group on the court regardless.

We’ll see how it all pans out. This year should be a good one though for teams looking to cash in on their higher than usual expectations.

Stay tuned for my forecast on the 16 playoff teams.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

I read a satirically written article on Bleacher Report the other day about Kobe Bryant that pointed to all of the reasons people hated on Kobe Bryant. One of the many insults the author runs through includes the fact that if Kobe didn’t have Pau Gasol or Shaquille O’Neal, he would not have had five rings right now. His inability to coexist with Shaq led to the team’s separation and the end of something that could have been much bigger.

Kobe Bryant is the poster boy for the “alpha dog” moniker in the NBA. At least, he was. With time, he has learned that success in basketball cannot be had by an individual player. It takes a TEAM effort to win, a theory some people don’t seem to subscribe to with all of this “who’s the best player” talk.

Kobe’s worst years in the league came after Shaq left the Lakers. Kobe was a mess. Yes, he was the proverbial alpha dog during that period. But what happened? He had no supporting cast. A guy as proud and talented as Kobe wasn’t very accepting of the team because they weren’t clicking and they weren’t winning. He didn’t think his team could win. Those are the ingredients of an 81-point game. Those are also the ingredients of ill-advised and hasty trade demands. He almost became a Bull for those of you who forgot.

Once the Lakers were gift-wrapped Paul Gasol from the Grizzlies, they were considered instant championship contenders. Why? One, because they have Kobe, and two because they received a second top-tier talent to HELP the TEAM win. And the rest is history. Kobe will be the first one to point to the reason why he has had recent success.

As everyone is well aware, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh are all on the same team now after being the number one option on their previous teams. One of the many questions that they have received is “who will get the ball in crunch time” or “how will your egos coexist with each other?” Look, these guys are buddies. They will have no problem stepping aside and letting the other have the limelight. In the end, who cares if James, Wade, Bosh, or even Mike Miller gets the ball in crunch time? As Coach Herm Edwards uttered the infamous phrase: “You play to win the game.” It’s as simple as that. If you don’t go into it with that kind of mindset, then you won’t get much accomplished. These guys joined forces to win. That’s what they care about most. I’m pretty sure they aren’t that torn apart about leaving their teams for greener pastures. Did James and Bosh give up and bail on their teams? Yes. Do they have a greater opportunity to win now as opposed to where they were? Absolutely. And it’s all because they want to win and they went after the greatest chance to do so. James had a great team in Cleveland. By all accounts, he could have won there had he stuck around in my opinion. Bosh had a mediocre team in Toronto. He couldn’t have won there, so he left.

Amare Stoudemire was in a great situation with a Hall of Fame point guard in Steve Nash, but he fled to the Knicks, partly because he wanted to be the alpha dog. There’s that pesky phrase again. When three guys forfeit their position as the featured guy on a team and join together (i.e. James, Wade, and Bosh), they form a force to be reckoned with. When one guy leaves a successful team to join another not so successful one to get more money and to be a go-to guy (i.e. Stoudemire), then you get a team in flux that won’t win many games. I applaud James and Bosh’s decision to play with one another. They will be sacrificing point production, but they will be gaining so much more. It’s a no-brainer.

I struggle to understand the people who criticize Bosh and especially James for not staying loyal to their teams and trying to win a title by themselves. I’m all for the loyalty part, but these guys aren’t trying to “win one by themselves.” It’s a team game!

How many elite talents in the NBA have won a title without another elite talent? None! Not one! Let’s look at the past champions: the Lakers (Bryant and Gasol; Bryant and Shaq), Celtics (Garnett, Pierce, and Allen), Heat (Wade and Shaq), Spurs (Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker), Pistons (…their whole starting lineup!), Bulls (Jordan and Pippen), Rockets (Olajuwon, Smith, and Drexler). Do you see what I’m getting at? Not only do you need more than one elite athlete, but you need a cohesive unit that complements each other’s game. That’s one of the main reasons why “Miami Thrice” came to fruition. Shortly after Lebron made is ill-conceived “Decision,” people were already asking if the Heat were now favorites to win it all. Well, at that point there were only four guys committed and under contract for the team (James, Wade, Bosh, and Mario Chalmers)! I don’t think they had much of a shot with players on the roster, but that’s just me.

Next time you question Lebron’s or Kobe’s motives, understand what they are striving towards. Understand their competitive drive. Understand their hunger for success. Understand, ultimately, their desire to put to death the “alpha dog.”

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

If the Grizzlies already have an idea of what Zach Randolph is worth in the future, they aren’t saying.

So team owner Michael Heisley had no reaction to Randolph’s recent assertion that he’s worthy of a contract extension similar to the three-year, $57 million deal that former Griz Pau Gasol signed with the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season.

However, Heisley agreed with his All-Star forward on at least one point: Randolph should remain in a Grizzlies uniform beyond the 2010-11 season when his current deal expires.

“I have every intention of talking to him,” Heisley said. “Whether or not we get something done I can’t say. I think he has found a home. He’s perfect for Memphis. And Memphis is perfect for him. I hope we can work something out.”

Randolph told AOL Fanhouse on Monday that a starting point for potential contract negotiations should be in line with what Gasol received.

Click here to read the full article – By Ronald Tillery of http://www.commercialappeal.com

Their 10-point fourth-quarter lead squandered, Marc Gasol had a feeling the Grizzlies would regroup.

O.J. Mayo scored 28 points, Zach Randolph had six of his 23 points in overtime and the Grizzlies beat the Washington Wizards 116-111 on Monday night.

Gasol finished with 20, and his two free throws with 9.5 seconds extended the Memphis lead to 115-111, assuring the Grizzlies of their fourth straight home win.

“We have faith in each other,” Gasol said. “We know everybody can make plays. We did kind of run a little out of gas. But we won. In the end, that’s all that matters.”

Randolph made two free throws with 0.3 seconds left in regulation, sending the game to overtime tied at 102.

“That one stung,” Wizards guard Randy Foye (11 points) said of the play leading to the foul. “We had no time on the clock and up by two. We stopped the initial play, and Zach Randolph went to the basket and got fouled. This one is going to be hard to swallow.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has shot down the idea that Allen Iverson is mulling retirement as he takes an indefinite leave of absence for a personal matter.

Frustration stemming from his reserve role combined with the stress related to a recent family issue has caused Iverson to consider hanging up his jersey for good, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis reported Monday morning.

But Heisley said there was no indication of such consideration by the 34-year-old guard, and the owner told the newspaper that “if he was going to retire, he’d tell me first.”

Iverson returned to his home in Atlanta late last week with Heisley’s permission.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Memphis Grizzlies Sports Memorabilia
and other Memphis Grizzlies Gifts and Collectibles