In 2007 both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces with Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics, and what seemed to be a simple move to make their team stronger, the Celtics dramatically changed the NBA.  The Boston Celtics had arguably created the best starting line-up in the NBA, since the 1998 Bulls (remember this includes Rondo and Perkins) and the way they did it was like never before.

Most teams before had one or two strong players, and one of these was generally because one was drafted into the mix, like that of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James in Cleveland, but now a team was able to create its own all-star team, and they made it look easy.  The Boston Celtics went on to win the NBA title that year, and while they didn’t create any sort of legendary dynasty, like the Bulls in the 1990’s, they helped change the way teams went about creating their rosters.

Today we see teams like the Heat with Dwayne wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh, a line-up that is 3/5 the way to an eastern Conference All-Star game, and one that if I mentioned seven years ago, people would of laughed.  As the 2012 NBA Draft nears we see more an more teams then ever before making moves and trades in hope to build their very own “super-team”, whether it be the Nets trying to lure Dwight Howard along side Deron Williams, or the Knicks trying to get Steve Nash to an already failed attempt as a super team.

There is suddenly this perspective that the only way to win an NBA Championship is to create their very own All-Star team, which I feel in a lot of ways kind of ruins the NBA, its now like the ideas of role players is a  distant memory from the past, and realistically there are only a select few teams with that kind of money to create these teams.  Its no longer about a players skill and a teams chemistry like the past, its about what great players you can hopefully throw together and hope for the best.  I don’t even know what the need for a coach is for teams like the Heat, because their isn’t much strategy in “give Lebron the ball”, and if he isn’t open, “give it to Wade”.

The Heat are beginning to unravel at the seems and may be out of the NBA Playoffs soon. In the midst of last nights shellacking, Dwayne Wade began to take his frustration out on head coach Eric Spoelstra. Spoelstra’s been in a no win situation since this whole thing started: if his team wins he’ll get no credit and if they lose he’ll receive plenty of blame. If the Heat duck out to the Pacers in round two, Spoelstra will most likely be fired and Pat Riley will have to think about breaking this team up. And maybe it’s for the best.

We all know Dwight Howard is looking for a new home and the Magic are desperate to get something back for him. If the Heat were to offer Wade and Bosh, it would be impossible for the Magic to turn that down.

Combining Lebron and Howard would be putting together the two most athletically gifted players in the game (and possibly the two most athletically gifted human beings of all time). While this seems like a lot to give up for Howard, it would free up plenty of cap space for free agents such as Steve Nash and Jason Terry who have already expressed interest in joining the Heat.

The Heat are learning a hard lesson: that you can’t just combine talent and expect it to work. You must build a team to win. It’s why the Spurs are now the favorites and it’s why we may be looking at an entirely new Heat team next year.

For 75% of NBA teams the season is over and that means its time to look ahead to next season. 2012 free agency isn’t full of stars, but it is full of important players who could turn good teams into contenders and contenders into even more powerful contenders. Here’s a quick look at the top five from each position and where they could be headed:

1. PG- Deron Williams (player option), Steve Nash (unrestricted), Andre Miller (unrestricted), Jason Terry (unrestricted), Jameer Nelson (player option)

- It seems inevitable that Williams will end up in Dallas so the most coveted free agent point guard becomes Steve Nash. Nash has expressed interest in joining a contender and they’ll most likely be lining up at his door to offer him a contact. Miller is a nice consolation prize for whoever ends up not getting Nash. Terry will most likely demand the largest contact other then Williams because he still considers himself a top scorer. Nelson seems likely pick up his player option and stay in Orlando for one more year of the Dwightmare.

*Special Note: Many see Jeremy Lin’s name on the free agent list and assume he will leave the Knicks for a big contact, but thanks to The Gilbert Arenas Rule (that’s seriously what it’s called, and yes that makes two NBA rules that involve Arenas) he will most likely have to stay. The rule was created in 2005 and it prevents teams with restricted free agents that have been in the league for less then two years from being outbidded. If you want more details you can Google it, but the bottom line is he’ll be on the Knicks for one more year.

2. SG- Eric Gordon (restricted), O.J. Mayo (restricted), Ray Allen (unrestricted), J.R. Smith (player option), Louis Williams (player option)

- The free agent shooting guards are represented by many players who may have the ability, but haven’t had a chance to be a primary scorer. It’s possible Gordon gets a max offer from a desperate team like the Nets, but it depends on his health. Like Nash, Allen will be looking to join a contender on what will likely be a short deal. Smith, Mayo and Williams will most likely leave their respective teams for more money. They’ll all likely join sub par teams unless they’re willing to take a pay cut.

3. SF- Gerald Wallace (player option), Nic Batum (restricted), Steve Novak (unrestricted), Grant Hill (unrestricted), Matt Barnes (unrestricted)

- Small Fowards are the weakest of the free agent position. Batum is an underrated player due for a large contact. He’s a restricted free agent and it seems likely that the Blazers will match whatever another team offers. Wallace has a player option and could stay with the Nets and possibly (and sadly) be the initial face of their Brooklyn franchise. Novak earned his place in the NBA this season by leading the league in three point shooting and should get multiple offers. Hill and Barnes are respected veterans who will most likely become bench players for contenders.

4. PF- Kevin Garnett (unrestricted), Tim Duncan (unrestricted), Brandon Bass (player option), Ryan Anderson (restricted), Kris Humphries (unrestricted)

- Power Forwards are the most intriguing of the free agent positions. The only one that is surely resigning is Duncan who will probably sign his last contract and retire with the Spurs. It’s hard to imagine Boston losing both Garnett and Bass so it’s likely that one will stay. They’ll probably attempt to sign Garnett first. Anderson is coming off a stellar season where he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award and will probably be leaving Orlando for a large deal. Humphries couldn’t find an offer he liked last year but now that he’s shed the Mrs. Kardashian tag, he should be sought after by many teams.

5. C- Roy Hibbert (restricted), Javale McGee (restricted), Brook Lopez (restricted), Spencer Hawes (unrestricted), Chris Kaman (unrestricted)

- With the center position rather thin right now, Hibbert becomes a rather coveted free agent. He’ll be sought after by more teams then any other free agent, but is restricted so the Pacers would have a chance to match any offer and most likely will. At the beginning of the season McGee was considered a raw talent better known for his mistakes. After being traded to Denver he has gotten his act together and turned himself into a legitimate center; its hard to imagine Denver letting him go. Lopez is coming off an injury ridden year and it seems unlikely he’ll leave the Nets. With the lack of centers there is certainly a market for both Hawes and Kaman and both will likely leave their teams.

Late in the season Steve Nash finally decided Marcin Gortat being the second best player on his team was unacceptable.

“Hopefully the opportunity falls upon me to play with a team that contends,” Nash told USA Today Sports as the 2011-2012 NBA regular season neared its end.

The Suns certainly won’t be contenders next year so Nash will almost certainly be leaving to play somewhere else. But where?

The most likely destination could be Orlando where the Magic have desperately looked for a partner to pair with Dwight Howard. If they’re smart they’ll do anything they can to avoid the circus of last season and that most likely means landing a big name player this summer.

There have been rumors that Nash would consider the Heat, but that would involve a large pay cut and make people hate the Heat more then they’re already hated. This scenario seems unlikely.

The best situation for Nash that I haven’t heard mentioned yet is (drumroll please…) the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks crave a leader like a fat kid craves cake. Again, this would involve Nash taking a large pay cut, but he’d be surrounded with loads of talent. The Hawks could finally make amends for passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams for Marvin Williams in the 2005 draft and Nash to Josh Smith would become the second best alley-oop combo in the league (behind CP3 and Blake). A starting line up of Nash, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Al Horford would be among the best in the East.

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

The 2010-2011 NBA season is finally upon us. After what seemed like the longest summer in recent memory with “The Decision” and everything else that transpired, it’s time to kick this thing off and see what’s what. There are three good games on the slate tonight. And yes, there is more than one game on tonight.

Let’s start with the highly anticipated regular season debut of the revamped Miami Heat facing off against the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about LeBron James and the Heat in general. It sickens me that ESPN has dedicated an entire section of their site to this team called the Heat Index. Oh well. The media is the media.

Heat vs. Celtics
I like the Celtics to win at home tonight. Dwyane Wade hasn’t played with this team yet. Plus Mike Miller’s absence will be evident. It will definitely be tough for the Celtics to contain the Big Three, but no one else on the team is a major threat. The Celtics look even better than last year with the additions of Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal as well as the return of Delonte West. Word is Shaq will be getting the start with Kendrick Perkins likely to be out until the All-Star break. Kevin Garnett and the crew are looking to stay healthy this year, something they struggled with last year at the tail end of the season.

Suns vs. Blazers
Aside from the two games on TNT tonight, we have Steve Nash and his crew against Brandon Roy and his medical staff. I felt bad for the Blazers last year with all of the injuries they had to endure. They can be a legitimate contender in the West this year IF they can stay healthy. Suspect number is and has been one Greg Oden. He’s played 82 total games in three years. When healthy, he can contribute significantly to this team. They put up a fight in the playoffs last year against the team they are facing tonight. The Suns Western Conference playoff days are certainly behind them with the departure of Amare Stoudemire. They will need Nash to play out of his mind and beyond his age (again) as well as a career resurrection out of Hedo Turkoglu to compete again in the cluttered West. I like the Blazers to win this one at home. Their size (assuming nobody gets hurt in the game) will be too much for the undersized run and gun Suns.

Rockets vs. Lakers
Opening night closes with the champion Lakers hosting the Houston Rockets. The Lakers will get their rings (well, except for Ron Artest) and banner to start the night, then will take the court to begin their title defense against a Rockets squad that is getting back a healthy Yao Ming. I haven’t seen Yao play in so long, I kind of forget his playing style. It will be fun to see him back on the hardwood once more. I’m also interested in seeing how new pieces Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, Theo Ratliff, and even Derrick Caracter fair in their first game as a Laker. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Kobe Bryant plays on achy knees. He said he’s only at about 60-70 percent to start the year. Tonight will be a hard fought, close game in which I think the Lakers win by one to three points. The Rockets have a chance to make noise in the West as well with a healthy squad.

The season is finally upon us. I’m excited to get it going. I’m excited to hear more words of wisdom from Charles Barkley. He’s such a nut-job. My Spurs don’t play until tomorrow, so tonight’s games will have to suffice for now. Who do you think wins tonight? What are you excited for the most this season? And please, keep the Heat and Laker championship comments to a minimum please!

Posted by Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

Losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals was the worst nightmare for Phoenix Suns fans. It added another playoff series lost to the last ten years or so. And more importantly, this could have been their last chance.

Many looked disappointed that the Suns fell short yet again. But, Amare Stoudemire looked more relieved than disappointed. Like many others in the upcoming free agent class, Stoudemire is looking forward to cashing in and making millions of dollars, while choosing a destination. If he leaves, there goes any glimpse of hope of Steve Nash winning a title for the Suns.

Without Amare, it would not leave the Suns with too much. Aside from Nash, they would still have many solid, nice, complimentary players. But they could kiss any hope of coming close to the NBA Finals goodbye.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Phoenix Suns finally broke away from the methodical style of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Boy, did they break away.

Jason Richardson scored 29 points, Grant Hill made 10-of-11 shots for 20, and the Suns routed the Blazers 119-90 Tuesday night to emphatically tie the first-round playoff series 1-1.

“The game just went by fast,” Portland’s Andre Miller said. “They hit us with the transition game. That’s what they’ve been doing all year.”
When the mercurial Richardson has a night like this, his team almost always wins. Phoenix is 27-4 this season when he scores at least 20.

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

Once considered long shots to even make the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns are entering the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

The Suns looked much more like a contender than the “overachiever” label they’ve carried throughout the season in a 100-86 win at Utah on Wednesday, locking up the third seed in the West while sending the Jazz tumbling to fifth.

Phoenix will host No. 6 seed Portland on Sunday in the first round of the playoffs.

“It was a great way to finish the regular season — for a team that was picked by many to be on the outside looking into the playoffs or at the bottom of the playoff list,” said Steve Nash, who had 11 assists in just three quarters. “To finish third in the West is rewarding. And most importantly we’re playing well and heading into the playoffs fairly good.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of http://www.eastvalleytribune.com

Kobe Bryant used harsh language to describe how badly the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns twice in Los Angeles earlier this season.

“And they returned the favor,” he said.

Boy did they.

The Suns reserves outscored their counterparts 52-31 to help Phoenix rout the reigning NBA champions 118-103 on Monday night.

Amare Stoudemire scored 26 points and Jared Dudley matched his career best with 19 for the Suns.

Bryant had 34 points but sat out the final 7:50 when the game was deemed out of reach by coach Phil Jackson.

“I wasn’t comfortable with my starters or my bench,” Jackson said. “I didn’t like either group. Guys didn’t play right. We had the inside game going for us, yet we just didn’t attack.”

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