July 2, 2007

The NBA draft has come and gone. There were a couple of trades made, but they didn’t involve the two players (Kobe and KG) that most wanted and/or expected. The trades that were made seemed to do little more than make sure the Western Conference will have young studs to continue their dominance. The first trade involved the Seattle Sonics and the Boston Celtics. Seattle received Boston’s 5th pick in the draft (Jeff Green), Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak in exchange for All Star Ray Allen and Seattle’s 35th pick (Glen Davis). A good trade on paper, but Allen is 32. The Celtics gave up two young players for one old one. Seattle gets two high rated players to rebuild around.

The next trade involved the New York Knicks and the Portland Trailblazers. Portland received Channing Frye and Steve Francis in exchange for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones. This is a major steal for the Blazers. Not only do they clear room for Greg Oden, but they also give Frye a chance to redeem himself, this time without the bright lights of New York. All in all, this draft has me excited for the NBA season. It has been awhile since I have felt like that.

The NBA free agent period has begun and there still remains the possibility that major action will take place. Chauncey Billups, Rashard Lewis, Gerald Wallace and Vince Carter are some of the names who will be on the market. Wait, scratch Carter from that list. Sources are reporting that he resigned with the Nets, his contract an estimated $60 million dollars for 4 years with a team option for a 5th year. Even without Carter, there are plenty of players who can help teams take that next step. Though not “stars” per se, they can do the things needed (rebound, defend, shoot) to get further than the first round of the playoffs. Of the names listed above, Lewis is closest to changing teams with the Sonics have Kevin Durant and Jeff Green playing the same position as Lewis. That will keep interest in this period fresh.

The MLB All-Stars were announced last night and Barry Bonds was voted a starter. So he will be able to play in his home park. I know Bud Selig was upset at that fact. With Bonds only 5 homers away from Hank Aaron, the pink elephant in the room continues to grow. As for the rest of the rosters, both look really even. I like that Magglio Ordonez made the team. He has been really crushing the ball for the Detroit Tigers. I hope they make the postseason again; they’re a fun team to watch.

Well it’s the first week in July, so football is almost upon us. I cannot wait. Really. I can’t.