A Look Back at the Kevin Love Trade
By Jack Allen
The Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Philadelphia 76ers made a 3 way trade earlier this month. Minnesota received Anthony Bennett, Andrew Wiggins, Thaddeus Young and $6.3 Million. The 76ers received a 1st round pick, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Alexey Shved. And of course, Cleveland landed Kevin Love. Kevin Love for the last six years has been the face of the T-Wolves franchise, but now joins up with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in what the players are calling, “The Land.” Kevin Love has never played in a playoff game in his career and neither has Kyrie Irving. I can honestly say that I believe in LeBron and the Cavs starting five through the regular season to finish atop the Eastern Conference. When it comes to playoff time, will Kevin Love and the rest of the Cavaliers be ready? Due to lack of experience Im seeing a first round exit to possibly the Hawks, Knicks or the Nets. Each of those teams have playoff experience and aren’t projected to place at the top of the conference, but can compete with top teams.
As for the 76ers, I don’t think they are close to being a top team yet, and they’ll probably finish in the cellar similar to last season. They have a very bright future with young blue chip prospects such as Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, and their latest 1st rounder, Joel Embiid. The Sixers will probably have the opportunity to draft another top prospect and only then will they be ready for a possible playoff-birth in a year from now. Looking at this season though, it’s going to be a rough time for Sixers fans as they watch their team struggle through their schedule in a deep rebuild.
Finally, the T-Wolves. With a completely new look, I already think that they’ll contend to reach the playoffs. It would mark the first time since the 2003-04 season that the Timberwolves were in the playoffs, when they lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. They likely should make the playoffs this season, led by the young guns of Andrew Wiggins, Thaddeus Young, Anthony Bennett, and Zach LaVine, in addition to Ricky Rubio. With a motivated and passionate fan base, the team is primed for a return to playing basketball in late April into May. I’m predicting that Andrew Wiggins will win rookie of the year and will be the leader of the team. Not once had they made it to the playoffs with Love, but with the core that they have now, the Timberwolves will be good for a long time in the NBA. They should start off the next few years in the middle of the pack with early playoff exits, but two seasons down the road they’ll be definite title contenders if they can keep their core players. I’d say that the Timberwolves were the real winners of this trade but it should be fun to see how it plays out!
The rest of the NBA must watch out for the young core the T’Wolves have built. (From Left: Bennett, Wiggins, Young, LaVine) (Via Timberwolves)
Jack Allen is a writer for dabuzzza.com. He is a fan of the New York Mets, New York Islanders, New York Knicks, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, Queens Park Rangers, and West Virginia Mountaineer football and basketball. His favorite athletes are David Wright, John Tavares, Geno Smith, Allen Iverson and Charlie Austin. He is a very passionate and determined fan. You can follow him on twitter @JackAllen99.
LeBron Agrees to Deal with Cleveland Cavaliers
By Brett Malamud
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Kingdom is restored. LeBron James has agreed to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers. The move was made official on Lebron James’ Instagram today. The Akron native LeBron has some unfinished business to take care of, as he never won a title with Cleveland in the seven seasons that he was there. He will team up with a championship caliber lineup that includes Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins. It should be interesting to see how the fans treat LeBron. The way he turned on the Cavs four years ago will not be easily forgotten by the fans. But I still believe that they’ll welcome him back with open arms.
All in all, the Cavs are back. And they’ll be better than they ever were.
LeBron is back in Cleveland and will try to finish what he started.
Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy
The Three Major Questions Heading Into Tonight’s NBA Draft Plus Mock Draft 2014
By Nick Guy
- What will Cleveland do?
The choices seem to be down to three: Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins or Trade out. While nobody would ever imagine trading out of the first pick in a draft where there are such high ceiling players, we ARE talking about the Cavs. One rumor has the Orlando Magic offering the 4th and 12th picks plus scoring forward Aron Afflalo. If Cleveland is truly in love with Joel Embiid this might make some sense as they could try to add Embiid with the 4th pick and add a second lottery pick and a good player in return. On the other hand if Embiid’s injury problems are chronic and Wiggins or Parker turn out to be…well you know the rest. As for Parker, there are rumors swirling that he wants no part of Cleveland and would be much happier in Milwaukee. If I am the Cavs I would not listen to anyone or anything and just take the best player, pair him with Kyrie Irving and move on. In my eyes that would be Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins has the most upside of anyone in the draft and will be a future star in the league.
- Where will Joel Embiid land?
Is Embiid’s injury bad timing or good timing? Depends who you ask. I would say bad timing for Joel Embiid but maybe lucky timing for the Cavs? As the draft banter has progressed in the last month or so all I kept hearing was Embiid was going first to the Cavs who were drooling at his potential. My thoughts? Always take the best player which to me means Andrew Wiggins 1st, Jabari Parker 2nd and Joel Embiid 3rd. I wondered if Cavs management had been stuck in a cave for the past 30 years and never heard the stories of Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan or Greg Oden and Kevin Durant? Is it possible they would pass on Wiggins and Parker to pick the injury prone big man with potential? Bad timing for Philly who at pick number 3 had to be giddy in thinking the Cavs would leave them Wiggins or Parker. How lucky can Cleveland be? First they come all the way up to win the lottery and snag the 1st pick and then an injury might actually force them to take the best player? WOW!! With that said, please understand that this is not to denigrate Joel Embiid who is an exceptional prospect. Just not the top prospect. So where does he land? I think the highest spot he could go is 3rd. The 76ers will choose between Embiid and Dante Exum or possibly maneuver within the top 6 or 7 with someone who will take a shot at Embiid. I don’t think he will last past Boston at number 6 and the teams most involved seem to be the 76ers, Celtics, Lakers and Magic.
Look for Joel Embiid to go in that 3-6 range in tonight’s NBA Draft (Via USA Today)
- How will LeBron and Melo’s free agency impact the draft?
When you are chasing free agents of this magnitude there are always two things to remember. First, the more cap room you have the better off you are and second, only one team gets them and the rest are left in limbo. So what does this mean for the draft? Teams will look to couple expiring deals with draft picks to create room for marquee names. The Lakers have already offered #7 with Steve Nash’s contract to suitors. The Bulls are looking to offload their 2 first rounders with Carlos Boozer to fit a max guy. Houston, Miami and OKC are all looking at moving out of the bottom of the first round and into the top of the second round where contracts are not guaranteed. The NBA draft has become a chess board where cap space has become more valuable than a mid level prospect. Expect to see at least a half dozen and potentially more first round picks move tonight. All the movement will be designed to free up valuable space and the beneficiaries of that could be teams like Philly, Utah, Detroit, Phoenix, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Those are the key teams that will have the maneuverability to add a player with an expiring contract without trading one away plus get a sweetener in return. Should be a very interesting night.
And now Mock Draft 2014
I will not include trades but I expect at least 6 or 7 and maybe as many as 10 or 12 before the night is over.
1. CLEVELAND- Andrew Wiggins-Kansas
2. MILWAUKEE- Jabari Parker-Duke
3. PHILADELPHIA- Dante Exum-Australia
4. ORLANDO- Joel Embiid- Kansas
5. UTAH- Noah Vonleh-Indiana
6. BOSTON- Doug McDermott-Creighton
7. LA LAKERS- Marcus Smart-Oklahoma State
8. SACRAMENTO- Aaron Gordon- Arizona
9.CHARLOTTE- Nik Stauskas-Michigan
10.PHILADELPHIA-Julius Randle-Kentucky
11. DENVER- James Young-Kentucky
12. ORLANDO-Elfrid Payton-Louisiana Lafayette
13. MINNESOTA- Rodney Hood- Duke
14. PHOENIX- Dario Saric- Croatia
15. ATLANTA- Zach Lavine-UCLA
16. CHICAGO- Gary Harris- Michigan St
17. BOSTON-Jusuf Nurkic- Bosnia
18. PHILADELPHIA- Kyle Anderson –UCLA
19. CHICAGO-Adreian Payne- Michigan State
20. TORONTO- Tyler Ennis- Syracuse
21. OKLAHOMA CITY- Jerami Grant- Syracuse
22. MEMPHIS- Shabazz Napier- UCONN
23. UTAH- Mitch McGary- Michigan
24.CHARLOTTE- TJ Warren-NC State
25.HOUSTON- Jordan Adams-UCLA
26. MIAMI- Patric Young- Florida
27. PHOENIX- KJ McDaniels-Clemson
28. LA CLIPPERS- PJ Hairston_ Texas Legends
29. OKLAHOMA CITY- Cleanthony Early- Wichita State
30. SAN ANTONIO-Clint Capela- Switzerland
Carmelo Opts Out of Contract to ‘Explore his Options’
By Brett Malamud
Reports surfaced last night that Carmelo Anthony has informed the New York Knicks that he will opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent. This morning it became a reality. Melo’s agent Leon Rose announced this morning that Anthony will become an unrestricted free agent this July. “Carmelo loves being a Knick, he loves the city and he loves the fans,” Rose said. “At this stage of his career, he just wants to explore his options.” The Knicks have recently communicated to Anthony their desire for him to opt in to his final year of his contract. Since his introductory press conference, Knicks President Phil Jackson has privately and publicly expressed interest in keeping Carmelo Anthony, and newly hired coach Derek Fisher has said the same of their top player.
Could Carmelo Anthony be joining forces with Derrick Rose? (Via ChiCitySportsFan)
But Anthony didn’t listen and come July 1st, he could be on his way out of the Big Apple and on his way to the Windy City. That’s right, the Chicago Bulls. The idea of playing with Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose is a dreamland for Carmelo. Melo recently said, “The most important thing right now is winning.” Sound familiar? Sounds to me like the man who left his hometown to take his talents to South Beach. It was reported yesterday that Carmelo was already researching places to live in and around the Chicago area. If I’m the Knicks, I’m worried but not panicked. Who’s going to lead the team next year if Melo bolts? You’re telling me that Iman Shumpert, Tyson Chandler, and Tim Hardaway Jr. going to lead the Knicks to the playoffs? No way! As of this morning there are rumblings that Jackson may flip Shumpert for a late first round pick in Thursday’s draft. But there’s no room for panicking. In fact, with Carmelo gone, the Knicks will have a lot of cap room come 2015 and you can bet they’ll be knocking on Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo’s doors. Then of course there’s the Knicks fan’s ultimate fantasy of Kevin Durant dropping the only team he’s ever played for to go to the bright lights of Broadway in 2016. The recent Knicks hire of his good friend Derek Fisher has added some spark to that rumor, but who knows if Fisher will even still be coaching the Knicks in 2016.
As a Syracuse basketball fan, Carmelo has been my favorite NBA player and I’ll be sad to see him go. However, the move will allow Phil Jackson to start fresh with a team that’ll struggle this upcoming season (of course not having any draft picks won’t help), and a boatload of cap room in the next few seasons. So as a Knicks fan, if Chicago is what Melo really wants, all I can say is good riddance.
Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy
The Ultimate Guide for Following Sports on Twitter
By Greg Kantor
Twitter is a social networking website that allows you to create posts in the form of ‘tweets’. These tweets are short bursts (140 or less characters) of information that can literally be about anything. With regards to sports, Twitter has completely revolutionized sports reporting: breaking news about every major sport is posted instantly, and often before other media outlets (ESPN, newspapers, blogs etc.) can get the information out to the public.
Obviously, Twitter is an amazing tool for all types of sports fans, but the key is knowing how to get the most out of your Twitter account, and that’s where this guide will come in. This guide will give you the best sports accounts to follow and general tips to enhance your overall experience.
Must-Follow Accounts For Sports Fans
Disclaimer: the accounts are listed in no particular order.
Non-Athletes:
- Elias Sports Bureau (@EliasSports): Your go-to account for all the interesting and weird statistics about any sport
- Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell): ESPN sports business reporter; provides a fantastic look at sports from an unique angle
- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): ESPN NFL insider; reports exclusively on breaking news and rumors about all NFL teams
- Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN): ESPN the Magazine senior baseball writer; more than just news and rumors, Buster posts a daily insider blog that is free for all to read
- ESPN Stats and Info (@ESPNStatsInfo): ESPN’s twist on the Elias account; tends to tweet more general statistics
- Deadspin (@Deadspin): sports news, but often with a lot of humor
- Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay): owner of the Indianapolis Colts; gives insight into the life of an owner, but with a comedic twist
- Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie): TSN hockey insider; tweets breaking news and rumors about the NHL
- MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors): official account for their website (MlbTradeRumors.com); reports on all types of baseball information, not just trades
- Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA): NBA columnist for Yahoo; tweets breaking news and rumors about the NBA
- Chris Mortensen (@mortreport): ESPN senior NFL analyst; tweets breaking news and rumors about the NFL
- Onion Sports Network (@OnionSports): a satirical look at all things sports from The Onion
- Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS): CBSsports.com baseball writer; tweets breaking news and rumors about the MLB
- Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR): Public Relations Director for the Mets; behind the scenes look at the life of a PR guy; expert at butt-tweeting (follow to find out..)
- Erin Andrews (@ErinAndrews): Fox Sports Broadcaster; tweets all things college football, including interviews with top athletes
- J.A. Adande (@jadande): ESPN NBA writer; tweets exclusively about the NBA, but also responds to fans
- FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs): the best account for sabermetrics and the MLB (think: Moneyball)
- Eric Stangel (@EricStangel): Executive Producer/Writer for The Late Show; tweets about sports humorously, as well as the perils of rooting for the Chargers
- Peter King (@SI_PeterKing): SI senior writer; tweet about breaking news and rumors in the NFL
- Robert Raiola, CPA (@SportsTaxMan): gives an interesting look at sports, strictly from a monetary standpoint (salaries, taxes etc.)
(Staff addition: We of course cannot forget one of the funniest team accounts out there. The marketing guys over at the Los Angeles Kings organization have had some pretty good tweets over the years on their account (@LAKings). The funniest one perhaps came at the end game five of the 2013 Western Conference Finals. After losing in double overtime to the Chicago Blackhawks and officially being eliminated, the guys who run the Kings twitter account went straight to punchlines. The best being towards the then-recently eliminated Pittsburgh Penguins)
Athletes:
- Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco): former MLB player; now tweets about his crazy life post-baseball
- Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32): pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks; constantly provides great, funny tweets about the life of a MLB player
- Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson): former boxer;tweets about his family and post-boxing endeavors
- Chad Johnson (@Ochocinco): wide receiver in the NFL, currently a free agent; tweets about his life outside of football; always interacts with fans
- Kevin Love (@kevinlove): power forward/center for the Minnesota Timberwolves; behind the scenes look at the life of an NBA player
- Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0): left winger for the Phoenix Coyotes; always tweets about his life and consistently interacts with fans
- LeBron James (@KingJames): forward for the Miami Heat; everyone knows about LeBron on the court, but his Twitter account gives us a fantastic glimpse into his family life
- Roberto Luongo (?) (@strombone1): goalie for the Vancouver Canucks (possibly); this account probably belongs to Luongo (the tweets from inside the locker room/teammates attest to that assumption), but the anonymity of the account allows Luongo to tweet freely and give opinions about everything.
- Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace): forward for the New York Knicks; gives his fans a sneak peek into the life of one of the most enigmatic players ever to don a NBA uniform
- Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP): second basemen for the Cincinnati Reds; tweets about the life of a MLB player and consistently connects with fans Read More…
Who Dat: Fantasy Basketball Week One
By: Sam Breiter
Welcome to “Who Dat”, a weekly guide to learning about fantasy basketball players who are seeing noticeable success. No household names here, but players who have shown huge fantasy value and should be considered being picked up if not already taken. Obviously you can’t expect the limited success will last all season, as these players have not yet proven themselves, but we’re not going to give you any reason as to why not. It doesn’t matter if you’re a category or a points league guy, these players have made a statement in both league formats. So without further a do, here’s Who Dat for week one.
Michael Carter Williams (PHI)– Two weeks ago if you were to walk around, and were to ask people if they ever heard of Michael Carter Williams most people wouldn’t have an answer. Today, people cant stop talking about the six foot six point guard from Syracuse. He was the 11th pick in the NBA draft, and has already outplayed and beaten Lebron James and Derrick Rose, two of the leagues best. He has proven to be quick, explosive, productive, and a great decision maker. In his debut he almost got a triple double, but don’t expect that to be the only time.
Week One Stats– 20.7PPG, 9.0APG, 4.4 Steals, 46.8FG%
Miles Plumlee (PHX)- After Marcin Gortat was traded from the Suns to the Wizards, the expectations for the Suns rebounding game diminished. Yet, maybe the Suns knew that Gortat would just get in the way of the leagues next rebounding machine. Plumlee wasn’t given a chance as part of the Pacers last year, not even averaging four minutes a game. Plumlee has shown that he is an animal inside the paint on defense and offense.
Week One Stats- 15.5PPG, 14.0RPG, 3.0BLK, 56FG%, 37.5 MIN
Miles Plumlee has put the NBA on notice (Via USA Today Sports)
Vitor Faverani (BOS)- His name may get confused for a famous pasta dish at your local Italian restaurant, but this 25-year-old Brazilian center has given the Celtics something to look forward to. Clearly he is no Kevin Garnett, but he has been putting up similar numbers to the future hall of famer, in just his first few games.
Week One Stats- 12.5PPG, 10.5RPG, 4.5BLK, 53.3FG%, 32 MIN
Alec Burks (UTA)- Burks faced two years of being a role-playing prospect for Utah, but now with an improved role the shooting guard for the Jazz is receiving real minutes. In the early goings of the year his shot looks better then ever, and on the defensive end he looks very motivated. Utah doesn’t look very competitive this year, but Burks will have a huge role in scoring buckets, and running the offense.
Week One Stats- 18.0 PPG, 3.7RPG, 3.0APG, 48.8FG%, 31 MIN
Jodie Meeks (LAL)- With no Kobe for now, and Steve Nash dealing with injury and old age, where do the Lakers go? Well, the answer is Jodie Meeks. The Lakers have no one to go to, and Meeks has been nothing, but ideal for the Lakers. The 26-year-old shooting guard has never been a clear-cut NBA starter, and his job is definitely not safe for this year. Yet, even if pulled out of the starting lineup when Black Mamba returns, expect him to be the number one guy taken off the bench if he continues the hot run he currently is on.
Week One Stats- 13.7PPG, 4.0RPG, 52FG%, 41.7PT%,
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Sam Breiter is a high school senior at Plainview- Old Bethpage JFK High School. Sam is looking to major in sports management, with a minor in communications next year. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite teams are the Mets, Giants, and Knicks. You can follow him on twitter at @baseballbreiter @baseballbreiter
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