Spen chimes in

Hey Danny Ferry, why don't you get off your behind and makes some moves. I can't believe a pale skinny white guy who went bald when he was 12 is our GM (and started at least one game at center for my beloved cavaliers, i remember, i was there). Sure, he's a standup guy. But he's a baby.
OK, I'll save Hughes and Donyell for later. I have 2 guys on my mind, well 3, that I want to pick on. #1: Damon Jones. Sure, he's shooting some triples and chipping in with a little more than 20 minutes a night. But does this team really need Damon Jones AND Donyell Marshall? Both can spot 3's with the best. But what irks me is that everyone in Cleveland was saying that we needed more 3-shooters, and with a little pressure from the man upstairs, Ferry went out and got 2 guys who are now brainwashed into thinking that's all they can do. As far as Jones goes, he's shooting 3's at a respectable 40.9% clip. That's higher than his field goal percentage. If Donyell Marshall can't just sack up and be another big body in the paint, I don't want him either.

and #2. Scot Pollard. I echo that sentiment that's probably been going around c town for a while now: why are we paying scot pollard 3 million bucks to be a big dumb cheerleader who sucks. he isn't a gamer. I'd rather have some streetballer guy with intensity than that bum.

oh, and #3: Wesley. get him some more minutes. at least he tries to play defense, mr. jones.

I could also use some help with my team in that 10 teamer. Jesus I can't catch a break. Pierce is really starting to piss me off.
PG Wade
SG J. Johnson
G Childress/Nelson/Ridnour
SF Caron
PF Al Jefferson
F Granger/Diaw/Ruben Patterson
C eligs. Chandler, Blunt, Diaw
Add to those names Chucky Atkins and an injured Paul Pierce and you have my sorry squad in a nutshell. I need 3's badly. and basically everything else. and FT% is terrible.

spen out

I'm helping you, maybe you can help me...

It's a ten man league, but how does this team not stick it in and break it off on these chumps? I'm in 9th place (rest assured, if you're taking advice from me, I am absolutely humiliating everyone in my two 12 man leagues). This squad seems so well rounded I can't fathom how it's not doing better:

PG- Steve Nash
SG- Josh Smith
G- Vince Carter
SF- Carmelo Anthony
PF- Zach Randolph
F- Josh Howard
C- Chris Wilcox
C- Andrew Bynum
Util- Gerald Wallace
Util- Ben Gordon


I understand the team is weak at center, and you can't be weak at the C. But still, have you seen studlier Guard & Forward corps' in your life? And the utility cherries on top. I just don't get it.

Gerald Wallace: Back on Duty

Peep his average line since returning from injury:
20 pts, 9 rebs, 3 assists, 2 stls, 1 blk, 2 TOs, 53%FG, 63%FT

Josh Smith on Fire

His average average line over the last 4 games:
21 pts, 11 rebs, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 46% FG, 81% FT, 3 TOs

Psyched for the new Swag

Newest from the dudes who made 40 Year Old Virgin. Looks hillarious.

Austin City Limits

Austin Croshere would do well to savor the feeling of draining 7 triples in a game and being the focus of Dallas' offense. It will never happen again. That said; kudos to Croshere on making the most of his (very literal) 15 minutes of fame.

Swag gets Swagged

Nothing more embarrassing then busting out a grand parade announcing the return of Eddie Jones as Memphis' dude again... like 3 days before his contract gets bought out. There is good news; he's headed back to Miami. And there's no doubt right about now that the Heat could use a guard. Still, it looks like the Cap'n didn't make this one happen.

Cavs Join the Club

The extremely non-exclusive club. The NBA club that every squad in the league is either in, or about to be. The NBA Teams who've been Spanked by the Suns ('06-'07) Club. Cleveland got worked to the tune of 115-100 on national TV yesterday afternoon. In their defense; losing to the Suns by only 15 points is like beating some of the weaker teams in the league. Bron looked good as always. The rest of the team; not looking so hot right now. Especially Scott Pollard. Yeesh. What the hell is this guy doing in C-Town?

Bostjan

I said Nachbar could see a surge with Richard Jefferson on the rack for 6 weeks, remember? Well he's starting to make me look good. Between him and Eddie Jones I'm either a mad genius or a Johnny Come Lately hoppin' on board for whatever chuck can string together 2 good games in row. Well it's been 3 in a row for Bostjan. The guy is averaging 18 pts, 7 rebs, 1 stl and 3 treys per, over the course of those 3 games, on well over 50% from the field. Most importantly, though he may not be the starter, Bostjan is logging over 30 minutes a night for the first time in his career and is responding by drilling shots like gangbusters. Now if this guy can just go through puberty...

The Return of Eddie Jones

Eddie Jones was a baller... 10 years ago. But since then, he's hit what we in the industry might refer to as a decline. He posted consistently shabbier and shabbier numbers while being less and less of a contributor and continuing to pull down in excess of 15 mil a year while he was at it. Even despite his declining numbers, he remained a valuable fantasy chip for filling it up behind the arc and roping in lots of steals. Then this year his numbers hit their sharpest decline, drastically dropping in all departments, reflecting a massive drop in minutes. Some of this can be attributed to Rudy Gay's arrival, but with Shane Batty's departure and Pau's injury, E.J. should have remained the second or third scoring option on an offensively deficient squad. He got no love from Mike Fratello, but now with Fratello gone he's starting to post some nice numbers again. Maybe not totally coincidentally, the Grizz are even starting to make some of these games competitive and Jone's numbers have returned to his prime dominance. I think it could continue...

Progs: With no pulses in Memphis save for Gasol and Mike "He Likes it! Hey Mikey!" Miller, and the new coach grasping at straws to resolve their woes, I can see Eddie Jones averaging something in the neighborhood of 15 pts, 3 rebs, 3 assists, 1.5 steals and a 1.5 treys for the duration. So let it be written, so let it be done.

Adrian Wojnarowski

Hittin' it out of the park, forgive the baseball analogy, with this new article about the Suns. They absolutely do represent everything that's magical and exciting about pro sports... even (begrudging admission) baseball. The Suns put a smile on my face every time I watch them humiliate another team.

How you Know Baseball Sucks

Look, there's a reason that people who hate sports love baseball. 'Cause it sucks. I'll prove it; go outside right now, walk up to the first person you can find (man or woman) with dyed hair, a visible tattoo, a facial piercing, or whatever other hip piece of artillery that proves they're "anti-establishment." Then ask them what they hate most about professional sports. After they finish with their idiotic diatribe about how athletes are paid too much (mark my words, they will invariably give this beyond infantile argument), and how they don't "get" what the big deal about LeBron James is, or how they just feel that the "X-treme" braniacs spinning around on skateboards (snowboards) are the real athletes. Then, and only then (after they've completely gotten these ridiculous arguments out of their system), ask them if there is a major sport they do like. You will find that they always say baseball. Even the hippest, punkest, streetest, skateboardiest X-Treme minuteman will tell you: they kinda dig on baseball. Why? Because they can understand it. Because it's slow and boring, and requires very little physical talent. Guys can play it on a high level well into their 40s, which is a sure sign they're not running much. And it all makes sense; people love a sport they feel they could play without a lifetime of training and hard work (which is not to say baseball players don't train hard, just that they rarely have to exhibit what they've been training for). We love baseball because it's the only sport where it seems entirely possible that the 400 pound slob sitting two rows behind you wolfing down hot dogs at the stadium, could at any moment leap from his seat, storm the field, and be the home team's new cleanup hitter. And as Babe Ruth, Cecil Fielder and Mo Vaughn have proved, that's actually true. It's the same reason they love skateboarding so much. If a 15 year old kid who's only been doing it since he was 11 can become an elite competitor, there's hope for all of us. Still, in X-Treme sports' defense, it is a hell of a lot more entertaining than baseball.

My Favorite Little Blogger

Her name is Boobs Radley. She rocks a blog. Her Blog is about funny things. My blog is about sports. Together we make one big blog that's about funny sports. For instance, baseball. That's a funny sport. I can't fathom why dudes who spend 99% of their time standing and waiting for something to happen would have a steroid problem. What the hell do these guys need to bulk up for? Football I can understand, they go out there and kill each other. They need muscles. The morons who play baseball are bulking up to sit on their asses or stay hunched over in the outfield pretending they've got game faces. At any rate, go read her blog. It's funny.

Separated at Birth: Chris Kaman & Baby Huey

I can't be the first one to notice the likeness, right? Please tell me scientists are working round the clock to figure out how life could imitate art so closely. Separated at birth doesn't begin to cover it, these two were separated at a cellular level. In the womb. A miracle of science. The only thing that would make this likeness closer would be if Baby Huey signed a long term multi million dollar contract and then hibernated for half a season. That, or a photo of Mike Dunleavy(Sr.) hitting Kaman over the head with a rolling pin. Now see what it looks like when Kaman goes up against Yao in the paint:

Marcy Marc and the Funky Hunch

Marc Gasol's coming stateside next season. Most projections have Pau's baby brother going as a second round pick. I have him being a late first round pick who will go on to be the next... Adonal Foyle. It's not that he's no good, he's just no good for the NBA. Look at this softie, I can already see Yao backing him down in the paint and spraying hotness all over his face. He looks like Wally Szcerbs, a chunky, slow, 7 ft. tall version of WallyWorld. Well Wally's pretty much the most 1 dimensional player in the league, and I don't think the younger Gasol's even got one dimension in him. You heard it from the Swag first. Marc Gasol's going busto.

11 x 30 = a lot of points

From tallest to shortest:

Tim Duncan- 37
Kevin Garnett- 31
Chris Bosh- 35
Amare Stoudemire- 30
Carlos Boozer- 39
Ron Artest-36
Lebron James- 39
Tracy McGrady-37
Andre Igoudala- 34
Dwyane Wade- 32

.....and last but not least....drum roll....wait for it....
Earl Boykins- 36

uggghhhhh.....and you don't stop, Earl!

Atkins Diet

Okay fine. This is an accountability guide, so I'll admit it. I said to drop Chucky "Child's Play" Atkins. I said it, and then he turned around and put up 29 pts, 15 dimes and 6 treys. So I guess I'm not to be trusted. Thing is I'm not backing down. Lady Charles will do this to you. He's gonna put up beastly nights like this and make you cringe that you didn't start him. Then you're gonna start him and he'll give you 9, 2 & 3 on 30% from the field for a week until you bench him again and he puts up forty points. You don't need the headache and I damn sure don't need the Memphis Ladies' League leaving anymore angry messages on my phone about how they disagree with my constant lambasting of their former president. Put him in if you don't believe me.

Progs: Chucky Atkins will continue to piss me off and not be a valuable fantasy contributor. Then I'm looking for some sort of mid-season locker room fist fight with Damon Stoudamire where Damon yells "Here I come to save the day!" before giving Atkins a mouth full of Chicklets.

This Just In: My parents love my blog.

That's right ladies and germs. Dr. and Dr. Swag have both inspected the site for accuracy and honesty and in their learned opinion, their son is awesome. Being a famously unbiased chronicler of fact and logic, I have to agree. I am awesome.

Sarunas in the starting line

Sarunas, who has a name out of Lord of the Rings and a face to match, is in Nellie's starting line tonight. Can't imagine why Nellie would think Jaso is a better starting option than Monta Ellis. My best guess is he likes Monta off the bench, but he's been stellar in starts this year, or he's showcasing Sarunas for a trade. Maybe he's finally Cleveland bound... like so (I know that looks like a straight rip off, but GS doesn't need Jaso and they could use shedding two expiring contracts, not to mention Sasha P fitting like a glove in Oakland).

What the Swag boys are rockin'

Myself, I've been getting into HBO's Rome season 1 on DVD. It looked stupid as hell, but it's not. It's actually remarkably funny, packed with gore, sex and lots of violence, it's like The Sopranos B.C.E. I also just downloaded the entire Adventures of Brisco County Jr. If you've never heard of it, you're just way out of the Cap'n's loop. Meanwhile, the Cap'n's older brother just got into the best show on TV, HBO's The Wire, but he's late on everything. The other day he had his mind blown by a hypercolor t-shirt.
As for music, my broseph's probably still spinning the new Nas. I'm bumpin' Game Inflikted's new disc Big Business & Blunt Smoke. Think G-Funk with a latin hyphy twist and tighter rhymes. Oh yeah, and every track's about weed. It's what's hot on the streets, and as you all well know, Cap'n Swag was raised on the streets... of Cleveland.

Swag Leaps into the 21st Century!

With advertisements! Damn right! We're doing a little of the old Free Market 2 step. Providing you with ads from Google. Things you like. Click on the ads, it's sweet for the Swag guys. The more ads you click on, the more the SportSwag crew can provide you with up to the minute info and sarcasm about whatever's clever in sports. For instance; we tell you to drop Chucky Atkins from your fantasy squad, you go and click on a little ad for hurricane relief. We're happy, you're happy, the people of New Orleans are happy... everyone wins. Except for Chucky Atkins, I guess...

Dwayne Casey: Looking for Work

Casey became the first NBA coaching fatality of the year, as his firing was announced earlier today. I'm actually a little surprised by this move for a number of reasons:
1) The TWolves aren't really doing that badly. Being over .500 in the West is like being the 2 or 3 seed in the East, and unlike last year, their division is no joke this year.
2) The TWolves are not really a better team (than they were last year) in terms of personnel. They brought in Mike James, who's a chump, and they drafted Randy Foye, who's been not quite setting the world on fire, and that's it. How good could they possibly have expected Casey to do in the Western Conference going into battle with Ricky Davis, Mike James, Troy Hudson, Marko Jaric, Mark Blount and Randy Foye behind KG? When you think about it, KG has way less to work with in Minnesota than AI had in Philly.
3) They have no strategy moving forward. It would be one thing if they were firing Casey and replacing him immediately with Paul Silas (a move, by the way, that they should be seriously considering) or some sort of strong leader with a direction. Instead they're replacing him with interim yes-man lackey chuck Randy Wittman.
I was relatively certain KG wouldn't move 'til the offseason, but now I'm eyeing the trade deadline with much interest.

Progs: More decline for the Wolves. KG will be traded by the deadline in February, you heard it here first!

Fantasy Pick of the Day

The man crush continues. Josh Smith will be looking to bounce back hard and atone for getting bounced and flipping a dual-bird to the crowd. I'm thinking something like 16pts, 12 rebs, 6 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks, 1 trey, 50% from the field, 80% from the stripe and 3 TOs tonight against Chicago isn't totally unreasonable.

Odometer

Lamar Odom could be back as soon as friday night. If you've got him on 2 of your fantasy squads, like me, it might be a good idea to re-insert him into your starting line. I'm now going to go and do a Risky Business-esque celebration to mark Lamar's return. Where are my sunglasses...?

Pau, AK, Darko and other tall foreign rumblings

All three of these guys want out. Pau I can't sympathize with, because he's the one who took a very solid team to the playoffs for 3 straight years and couldn't win a playoff game. Then he goes and screws up the first half of this season by getting injured playing at the world championships. Then his team, which has literally the exact same roster as last year other than Shan Battier's departure (I know, he's a "glue guy," as the writers are so fond of calling him), gets off to the worst start since they were in Vancouver. He's back, but they still suck. The only positives for the Grizz have been the emergence of Mike Miller as a full on star, the strong(ish) play of Hakim Warrick, and the promising start by their 2 first round picks Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry. Pau's beastly as always, but it's not enough and he wants a trade. Well wah wah wah. Here comes the wambulance. I would love to see him in Cleveland. Maybe something to the tune of THIS. At any rate, I would hate to see him end up in Chicago, but they appear to be the front runner.
Now AK-47 is a man I feel bad for. He's one of the scariest talents in the league and he's been buried by a log jam up front in Utah, and by his own softness and penchant for injury. The dude can block shots though. I'd definitely love to see him in Cleveland. Maybe something like THIS. He's better when he has room to work, but his defensive skills cannot be ignored.
Darko, Darko, Darko. I thought this was his year to blow up. And actually, he's coming along. His numbers have been slowly improving all season. If they continue to do so, he could be a straight up valuable trade chip. I would not like to see him in Cleveland.

Progs: AK will stay, 'cause nobody's taking on a $12 million 5 year contract for a dude who misses more games than C-Webb. Pau's definitely on the move, possibly before the deadline, but unlikely due to the ownership situation in Memphis. Off season move likely to Chicago, LA or some other big market, non-Cleveland contender. Darko will move, but I think he could stick around another year in Orlando.

The Next Multi-Category Monster

KG, Bron and Shawn Marion have pretty much written the book on blowing up in every possible category. To a lesser extent, guys like Josh Smith, Josh Howard and Gerald Wallace are also perfecting the art of going after the hallowed quadruple or quintuple double. And everyone in Fantasy Sports froths at the mouth for guys like that. Guys who can give you the 1, 1 & 1 (a steal, block and 3 per game) on top of points, boards and dimes. I, for instance, was so keen on getting one of those guys, that I drafted Josh Smith 3rd round in a 10 team fantasy league. I picked him ahead of Rashard Lewis, Michael Redd, Lamar Odom and some other class players. And despite his slow start, I'd do it again. Which leads to the question, who's next? Is there anyone in this year's draft class who could blossom into the kind of multi category studler that will get drafted unnecessarily high next year? Only 1, and it's not Brandon Roy. Don't get me wrong, Roy's a lock for rookie of the year, but the most intriguing rook so far has been Rudy Gay.
He's been mightily inconsistent, but he's still the only rookie averaging a steal and a block per game, in just over 20 minutes a night. In fact he's got blocks in 10 straight, and he's exploiting the mismatches he gets playing at the 2 or 3 spot exactly the same way Josh Smith and Gerald Wallace do it. I wouldn't be surprised to see him kick it up a notch by the end of this year to the 6-10 rebound range with 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. His offense is starting to come around, and I expect a perimeter game will develop with it. But for now he's just a 6"9' guy playing D like he's 8 feet tall. And you have to love that.

Progs: Late round draft next season that will pay huge dividends. I'd be pleased to see his game develop into a more physical version of Josh Howard. With the rebuilding happening in Memphis, I'd be shocked if he isn't doing 30+ minutes a night by the All Star break.

Fantasy Advisory

Drop Chucky Atkins. I know that was blunt, but who are you kidding? Unless you're in a 26 team league and one of your categories is Surly Player Profile Photos, Chuck isn't gonna give you much. You may be thinking, "I just need him to score." Well, so do the Grizzlies, unfortunately 16 pts is his best in the last 16 games. He's putting together a solid night, as we speak, in Denver, but don't let it sway you. It's time to let the dream die and to send Charlie back to where he belongs... the waiver wire.

Melo's Letter

Everybody's got this, but in case you get your news exclusively from the Swag, here's Melo's open letter, the red italicized portions are what I read in my mind, not necessarily what actually appeared in the letter:

Dear Nuggets Fans, Teammates, Stan Kroenke & the Nuggets Organization,

The day is finally here. A new season of 24 is off and running. It has been a very long wait for my first game back. Before the game tomorrow, I wanted to take the time to thank all of you for your support of our team and your support of me. I greatly appreciate the e-mails and letters from those of you who wrote to me expressing your support for a Melo who's not a pussy. I also wanted to let you know how excited I am to get back on the court and play with my new and old teammates. I have been going crazy for 36 days waiting to return. All my life playing basketball has come easy to me, but not being able to play has been the most difficult thing I have ever experienced as a player.
I've spent this time off working on my game and reflecting on who I am. And who I want to be. I want all of you to know that I plan to be better, stronger and smarter on the court than I've ever been before. I've never been more dedicated to becoming the best player and teammate that I can be. It has been very tough watching the team play without me, knowing that my mistake has made it very difficult for my teammates, the franchise and the fans. I've spent the time working extremely hard, and I plan to come back better than ever.
I've also spent time thinking about the huge responsibilities I have as the captain of the Denver Nuggets, the captain of Team USA, a face of the NBA, a dude with incredibly soft facial features, impeccably manicured nails, a man who can still fit into his prom dress and a role model to young people. I'm aware that a great deal is expected of me, and not just as a player. I'm expected to make the right decisions, lead by example and to be a professional.
Once again THANK YOU for your support. I hope to express my appreciation by continuing to develop as a player and as a person. I can't wait to get out there and show everyone what the Denver Nuggets are capable of. I'll see you at the Pepsi Center on Monday night. I'll be the first one there.
Sincerely,
MELO

P.S. Next time a slug a dude like I'm a Victorian era lady in waiting, I'll sign my parasol afterwards and hurl it artistically to my fans.
P.P.S. Also, anybody who is thinking of ratting me out for being a pansy who ran from Jared Jeffries like he was Wiley Coyote, I've got a DVD you should watch...

Boyk coming back?

Boykins has expressed interest in playing someday in Cleveland, his hometown. He's expected to opt out of his contract at the end of the season. Akron Beacon Journal

Would I like to see Boyk back in Cleveland? Maybe as a greeter at the Holiday Inn, but not on the Cavs. It's not that I don't like Boykins or his scrappy, chip-on-his-shoulder-about-being-short-enough-to-do-back-flips-under-my-bed type of game. He's definitely an offensive presence. He can shoot the rock and he's got a truckload of heart (cue theme song from Rudy). But watching him play defense against dudes 8 inches taller than him is painful (cue record scratch noise ending uplifting music) and he shoots way too much. And most importantly, he's just another in a long string of Cleveland acquisitions of B-List "stars." File Boyk under C, for Chump, along with Shawn Kemp, Lamond Murray, Larry Hughes, Damon Jones and Danny Ferry, and others, in Cleveland's long and disastrous history of "saviors." Now Boykins off the bench for less than 3 mil/year, that I could go for, but if he's our answer to the point guard problem at 7 mil/year, I will absolutely lose it.

Larry Bird

You ever hear of basketball? Watch it the way it was meant to be played. The man was a freaking tornado.

Dwight Howard

Normally I'm not that crazy for DHowie. Yeah he can hit the boards like nuts and he's the first physically frightening big man to hit the league since Shaqalacka. But he can't shoot the rock like Bosh and he does shoot free throws like Shaq. Personally I like Boshy 10 times out of 10. But Hank Abbott over at TrueHoop posted this little greatest hits video he found on YouTube and I just had to link to it too. It's a montage of Howard posterizing every Tom, Dick and Johnnie Come Lately in the league, including Bosh, and doing it with the style and panache the Toronto Kid often lacks.

Jefferson: movin' on down to the IR

Richard Jefferson will be down 6 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery. This is a sharp kick in the balls for the Nets, but I'm not expecting it to affect their current winning ways too much. They still get to play lots of games against Boston, Philly, New York and Toronto, so I still see them winning the Atlantic by a comfortable margin. Nonetheless, losing Nenad and now Jefferson leaves the Nets thinner than Nicole Ritchie after getting her stomach pumped. The only good news is it gives Bernard Robinson a chance to see the court occasionally. New Jersey acquired Robinson in a trade with Charlotte a few weeks ago that sent Jeff McGinnis down south. That trade, which can be described as nothing short of streetside hijacking by New Jersey, sent locker room cancer extraordinaire McGinnis away just before he had Marcus Williams convinced that stealing laptops might not be such a bad idea after all. The fans of New Jersey rejoiced and laptop owners everywhere nervously exhaled. But all joking aside, Robinson is an underrated and versatile combo guy who really deserves more PT than he gets. Last year he had a solid second half run for Charlotte filling in for Gerald Wallace and every other injured Bobcat who couldn't go.

Fantasy Fallout: Don't get crazy and go dropping Jefferson. Six weeks will fly by and he'll be back in the starting line before you know it. In the mean time, I'm gonna get crazy and say it might not be completely stupid to consider Eddie House and Bernie Robinson for fantasy darkhorse candidates. But the biggest immediate beneficiary should be Bostjan Nachbar, so feel free to briefly consider him for your lineup and then come to your senses and keep moving.

Delusional Dreams

Uhhhhhhhhhhh! This is just the kind of ballsy deal Cleveland needs to get this season jump started. Corey's still a monster in his prime and maybe the most physically jacked individual on the planet. This dude's biceps are the size of my... head. And the same goes for Jermaine. The only question is how do we convince the Clippers and Pacers to fall in love with the idea of ramming railroad spikes through their temples.

Cap'n's Back in Swag

Away for the weekend playing with the band. Missed a lot.
Gerald Wallace and David West both returned early and broke out.
Speaking of breaking out, tonight we finally get to see Melo and AI together. Jailbird Melo's sentence is up after serving 15 games for sissy slapping Mardy Collins and booking for the exit with haste. I thought that was a harsh sentence considering the punch didn't look like it hurt Collins nearly as much as watching it must hurt Melo. Melo must feel like the kid in Flight of the Navigator, waking up 8 years in the future, his little brother now his big brother. While he was sleeping, the Nuggets moved Earl Boykins for Steve Blake and added the Answer, unloading Andre Miller in the process. Melo seems psyched and AI's saying all the right things, but of course anything can happen. I'm not gonna hedge my bets, I think it's gonna be an almost complete success. And by that I mean AI and Melo are both going to be very happy campers. They're both going to find plenty of shots, plenty of touches and plenty of cheerleaders. Even JR Smith should do alright. The only reason I say it will be almost a success is I don't think it's going to get Denver to the promised land. They're still going to lose the Northwest to Utah, and they certainly will still be outclassed by Dallas, San Antone and Phoenix. I do think this move ought to be enough to hold off Minnesota for the playoff slot, but AI and Melo are two of a kind: I don't think either of them can take a squad all the way.
Now things might change if rumors are true and Jermaine O'Neal is about to buy some skis and head out to the Rockies. But I just don't think that's gonna happen. If Indiana is going to move O'Neal, I can't seem them accepting Marcus Camby in return. Camby's a beast, but he's also got hollow bones and spends more time on the IR than Larry Hughes, Gerald Wallace, Jamaal Tinsley and Baron Davis with a flu bug.

Progs: Denver gets better, makes a hard second half push and makes the playoffs.
AI: Much of the same from the Answer; 26 pts 7 assists 2 stls, 1 trey 126 TOs (just kidding) 3 TOs
Melo: 28 pts, 6 rebs, 5 assists, 1 stl and sexy percentages.

Fantasy Pick of the Day

Shaq could be back as early as tonight. Keep your fingers crossed. If O'Neal can't go, I still like Mourning to bring down 10 rebs and 3 or 4 blocks.

Fantasy pick ups: If you need Assists, Earl Watson and Damon Stoudamire are both semi-relevant again. Rebounds, Miki Moore has been more than solid replacing Krstic in New Jersey. Scoring, Antoine Walker and James Posey are both back, and I feel like in the short run, at least, they both have chips on their shoulders (actually according to Pat Riley, the problem was they had chips in the lockers, in their travel bags, with breakfast, lunch, between meals...) so I see them both filling it up for the next, oh, shall we say 1.5 weeks?

Blockbuster trade?

Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod to Indiana
Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Josh Powell to Golden State

I haven't seen this many B-List Stars involved in one trade since Thomas Jane's SAG softball team traded infields with Jason Patric's. But seriously, can we really call this a blockbuster? The ramifications are big, but there's only 2 starters in the lot. What can't be denied is Don Nelson and Larry Bird should both be smiling. Troy Murphy is a very good player, and I like Diogu's upside, plus there'll be plenty of room for both of them to flourish in Indiana. Mike Dunleavy probably will be playing his ass off to please Larry Legend, so his numbers should look good. Marquis Daniels should gobble up departed Jasikevicius' minutes, and could return to significance. The best part for Larry is finding a home for Stephen Jackson on the other side of the country. Nelson's gotta love his newly un-congested front court, and Harrington should cut loose in Nelson's system, after all Nellie loves a guy who shoots 5 for 20 on the regular. The only questions are what life will be like for Monta, Matt Barnes, Pietrus, Biedrins, SteJax and eventually JRich. You gotta be thinking one more of these guys is on his way out before the trade deadline. Nelson's gotta be hoping SteJax is the next trade, but it might not be possible, in which case he's stuck with him, and he's gotta look to move JRich. Biedrins should be able to feel comfortable, he's been playing his ass off all year, but you never know when Nellie will decide to move Harrington to center...
So for the kids keeping score at home, here are the prognostications. Remember, call it like you see it:
Troy Murphy: Should get back to last season's usual business; double double with a 3 and a steal, maybe more if hard times should befall either Jeff Foster, or Jermaine O'Neal.
Al Harrington: Could be the biggest winner. 22pts, 8rebs, 3 dimes, 2 treys and a steal. The mohawk will test huge in the Bay Area market.
Mike Dunleavy: Expect more of the same from Jr. Although, no wait, he's a starter now. 20 pts, 7 rebs, 1.5 treys, at least until he remembers he's Mike Dunleavy.
Stephen Jackson: He'll battle with the popular Matt Barnes and Pietrus for minutes, but while Richardson is out he could still be a solid 6th man. Don't be surprised if he does something stupid, and gets multiple Warriors arrested. I'm seeing some sort of ugly incident at the Mitchell Brothers' O'Farrel Theatre, maybe in what's known as "the champagne room." Don't hold me to that one... wait, that's actually the only one you can hold me to.
Ike Diogu: Could see a significant uptick, but he'll have to start off on the bench. Don't be surprised if Ike gets up to 15 & 6 rebs by the end of the year.
Sarunas Jasikevicius: B-Diddy needs a backup, but I wouldn't expect magic from the J-Man.
Keith Mcleod: Who? Just kidding... kind of. Keith should continue to be a solid deep bench guy.
Josh Powell: What can I tell you about Josh Powell that hasn't already been said about The Horse Whisperer (with Robert Redford)? He's long, he's slow, and he's not gonna be doing much come Oscar time.
Golden State: Nellie's molding 'em in his image. I like Harrington, hate Jackson, love Sarunas, could take or leave Powell. Nice move unloading the two contract albatrosses around his neck, in TMurph and Dunleavy. But now he's stuck with Jackson.
Indiana: I've never criticized Larry before and I'm not gonna start now. He got rid of Jackson, and all it cost him was Harrington. I hope Dunleavy blossoms for him, but I'm not holding my breath. Indiana will still limp into the playoffs. They do seem distinctly soft now, right?

Fantasy Pick of the Day

Something tells me Josh Smith is gonna put up like 5 steals and 5 blocks today... Just kidding, he's got 5 steals and 6 blocks at the end of the 3rd quarter. So glad I have him on two of my squads...

Cavs next move?

Look, this may be considered a crazy pipe dream, but what about this trade I created at ESPN's (absolutely kick ass) trade machine. I know; why would New Jersey want Larry Hughes over Vinsanity? Well, he's better than nothing. If Vinsan opts out after this season, the Nets are left with nothing, and the market won't really be offering up the kind of guys they could use right now. Unless they trade J-Kidd and go after Chauncey Billlups. But they get Hughes, who is no slouch, and someone who actually fits their system. He frees up Richard Jefferson to take more of an offensive role, while being the defensive presence Vince isn't. The big bonus is that they get to unload deadbeat Jason Collins, for bona fide boards hound Drew Gooden, at barely a raise in salary. Meanwhile the Cavs get Vince, maybe it works and is magic. More than likely it tanks, and Vince opts out to go to Charlotte or Orlando. Either way, the Cavs are either a contender, or a front runner to get Chauncey Billups in the offseason, a move that would make them instant favorites in the east. Unless ofcourse the Bulls get KG...

C-Webb to the Pistons

I like it. Detroit doesn't necessarily need a Big Ben type defensive beast to get through the East with the top seed. C-Webb fits the outfit perfectly. He's still got the some of the softest hands in the business, and he's still relatively fresh enough to play some basketball. He did 20 and 10 last season and played over 70 games for the first time in years. Piston's can use some offensive/boards help who can also dish a pass, especially while Chauncey's down. His defensive shortcomings won't kill a team that still knows how to lock it down.
Short Run Grade: A
Long Run Grade: If he's still there next year for more than the vet's minimum, D.

Steve Kerr: Swagged!

Steve Kerr is going to be a frequent subject of debate on this site so let me get the ball rolling. My brother and myself were both raised in Cleveland, Ohio. We love the Cavs and we give Steve all praise due unto him for the role he played on the greatest Cavs team ever, from 89-92. He played with Daugherty, Price, Nance, Hot Rod Williams and Craig Ehlo on one of the few teams of that era to stack up with any team in the league, but never be good enough to go all the way. They were like the Jazz squad of the late '90s. And Kerr was a 3 point shooting marvel. The dude was good for anywhere from 1 to... 2 or 3 treys a night. He was a lock. He had a gift.
Since his retirement in 2003 he's been writing for various websites, most notably for Yahoo! Sports. His writing can be described as nothing less than painful. Not his style, although it is patronizing and obnoxious, but his grasp of basketball. It's like not only is he not watching games, he's also not looking at stats. Take his November 29 article about the 5 biggest surprises of the (at that point 15 games old) season. At number 1 he had Biedrins, which I can see. Biedrins has been unbelievable so far for a guy who doesn't really seem to fit all that well in the Nellieball system. And Kerr makes this point well. He then has JR Smith, Emeka Okafor and Luke Walton. And you know what? I'm okay with that. JR Smith is one dimensional, but I can see how Steve would relate to that. Emeka's been outstanding, but his numbers were always pretty outstanding, and his team's not doing any better than they usually do, so I don't see what the surprise is. And Luke has definitely gone from steaming piece of crap to Mike Dunleavy Jr.-ish potential verging on true quality. And that is surprising. But his number 5, Matt Barnes. That tears it. As of the time the article had been written, Barnes had 2 good games in a row, meanwhile Monta Ellis, on his own team, as of Nov. 29 had only scored in single digit once. He had back to back 31 point 7 assist nights and was playing inspired ball. Nellieball even. Now I would rate Monta the bigger surprise, and I also would start to note that every player on Golden State has seen massive (fantasy and real life) value increases due to the Nelson system. It's not that Barnes hasn't seen his value massively inflated, he was released before winding up in Oakland, but the night after Kerr's article Barnes went on a slide. And he didn't come back up for air for a while. Monta's been rock steady in almost every appearance. In a November 17 article about Baron Davis' return he declared oft-injured Davis healthy, finally, a day before the Baron missed 4 of the next 5 games. Not saying Baron isn't having a great year, but he was last year too... before pretty much going down for the year... in February. Kerr's like a soft cheerleaser writing puff pieces. And he's been swagged. We'll be collating data on him and commenting regularly.

Welcome to SportS.W.A.G.

No doubt right now you're wondering, "What the hell does S.W.A.G. stand for?" And already I can tell you're just the type of inquisitive reader we are looking for here at the Swag. S.W.A.G. stands for Sports Writers Accountability Guide. Now obviously the next thing you're thinking is, "So your blog is called Sport Sports Writers Accountability Guide? Why the extra sport?" Well, honestly, swag.com was taken, and if you think about it, it's almost a clever play on words because the "s" that makes the word sports plural is the first letter of the acronym. But the only reason we really included the word "guide" is because "swag" is cooler word than "swa." So let's just move on. It's not so much of a guide as a forum for accountability in sports commentary. But also a place to grab important headlines, theories, rumors, updates, and advice for fantasy leagues. Primarily we're talking basketball and football. Actually we're really only talking basketball, but we wanna keep it open for other business. What you won't find here is us playing it safe. No more stating the obvious and acting like any crazy thing can happen and secretly we expected it. If we say someone's gonna be an ass kicker and they turn out to just be an ass, we're gonna stand behind it. But we're keeping tabs on everybody. Look out, the Swag's keepin' track...