76ers Looking to Trade Hawes and Turner

They are tanking. That there is the story for the Philadelphia 76ers during the off-season. Stuck in mediocrity for years as they reached the playoffs but just never looked competitive enough, many believed that the best plan for the team is to throw away the season and improve their chances for the 2014 draft.

During the off-season, the management decided to trade away fast-rising point guard Jrue Holiday for a Nerlens Noel, a rookie recovering from ACL injury and likely to miss the entire season. It became clear that winning wasn't a part of the plan for the team this season. The is looking for building blocks and the upcoming draft provides quite a few of those. The worse the record, the better the chances of the team getting a good player. Obviously, losing was the way to go and bookmakers have pegged the 76ers to win around 12 games this season.

Spencer Hawes

However, the season didn't went the way many expected it to go. They played fast and aggressive and teams who weren't prepared were surprised by the pesky energetic team. Racking up some unexpected wins that the anticipated 12-win team has already surpassed the mark only mid-way to the season. Several players on the team has been playing quite well this year and have become attractive to other teams and thus have had their trade value increased. Two of these players are Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner who are now reportedly being shopped around for trades.

Evan Turner

Both Hawes and Turner have expiring contracts after this season which are valuable by itself for other teams looking to have a cap room to sign free agents in the next off-season. They are also quite valuable for their abilities. Hawes is a big man who can stretch the floor with his shooting while Turner has been a better dynamic guard who can make plays and can score.

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Weak East is Bad for the West

As of writing, among the 15 teams in the NBA's eastern conference, only 4 teams have above .500 records. The western conference, on the other hand, have 9 teams with above .500 record. This data paints an unflattering picture of the lopsided situation the team is in. I guess this isn't really something new as the east always seemed to be the inferior of the two conferences for years now.

It is also this long-standing status of unbalanced conferences that have resulted to many debates among basketball fans whether the NBA should adapt a new playoff structure. After all, if the playoff season is supposed to feature the best teams, why are bad teams get to play while good teams miss out due to geological reasons? I don't think anyone can argue with the idea that those who perform better should be rewarded better. 

Anyways, more than just about giving the deserving teams the proper rewards, there is also the issue of the weak eastern conference giving some advantage to the some of the teams. When the playoff season comes around, eastern teams like the Heat and the Pacers are going to have an easy time reaching the finals as they'll be playing against the inferior teams in preceding rounds while western teams like the Spurs, Thunder and other good teams in the west will face tough challenges from round 1.

Aside from the playoffs, playing in the weaker conference will also allow teams to give their stars some much needed rest during the regular season as they don't have to play as many tough teams compared to the stronger conference.

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EPL: Liverpool Defender Daniel Agger Could Miss a Month

After suffering a calf strain during last Sunday's FA Cup game against Oldham, Liverpool defender Daniel Agger could miss a month as he recovers from the injury. Due to the injury, it is very likely that he will miss big games against the fifth place Everton and the league-leading Arsenal.

The injury adds more problems for Liverpool on the defensive end. Prior to Agger's injury, the team is already without one center-back and two full-backs in Sebastian Coates, Jose Enrique  and Jon Flanagan.

La Liga: Messi Impressive in His Return

Image from fcbarcelona.com

As the header says, Lionel Messi was impressive in his return after not having played since November as he nursed his injury. On Wednesday night, Messi was able to make two goals within four minutes as Barcelona defeated Getafe 4-0.

The first goal came at the 89th minute in somewhat a lucky fashion as the ball deflected off a defender and into the feet of Messi, in which he proceeded to  kick into the goal. The second goal was more impressive as fans got to see the Messi of old as he dribbled past a defender to get close to the box and kicked the ball in with ease.

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Defense Still a Problem for the Mavs

After winning the NBA championship for the 2010-11 season, one would thought that the Dallas Mavericks might have figured out the formula for winning titles or, at the least, being elite contenders. However, the team hasn't had much success since then. In the 2012 playoffs, they got booted out in the first round. In 2013, they missed the playoffs.

Over the off-season, the Mavs management tried to go after the big free agents. They failed and had to resort to finding what many considered lesser basketball talents. It wasn't exactly a bad move as I honestly think they've made some smart signings.

However, more than two months into the season and the team doesn't really look primed for a successful run this season. Their records isn't that bad with 20 wins and 15 losses. However, the way they are losing games, it is hard to imagine them winning games against the top teams in the western conference. 

While their offense has been decent, their deficiency on the defensive end is stopping them from consistently winning games. Due to have Mavs not having a good enough defensive wing, the team's defense is quite vulnerable to penetrating drives. This wouldn't have been so much of a problem if the team has a rim protector to somewhat patch the hole. However, the team doesn't have that guy and as a result, the entire defense ends up being compromised.

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Can the Nets Salvage their Season?

The Brooklyn Nets have mortgaged their future for a chance to win now. They have traded draft picks and are set to pay over $180 million in salary and luxury taxes that resulted from going over the salary cap. I could also add the lack of flexibility in terms of cap hold for the next season, but when the owner is willing to overspend, it really doesn't matter.

Anyways, we are all currently seeing what is happening with the win-now plan. The Nets right now are 11-21 and similar to the Knicks, have become a butt of jokes. In the first couple of weeks, many tried to explain the poor performance due to team chemistry and injuries. However, after two months into the season and the Nets are finally out of excuses.

As they are right now, I just don't see enough improvement from the team that would make me believe that they could still save the season. The injury to Lopez was a huge blow as the team lost one player who could produce consistently.

With him being out, the guys who will have to produce are a bunch of old guys who have been very inconsistent and unreliable this season. While they could surprise in some games, I doubt they can play consistently enough to save the season.

The Nets might be able to reach the playoffs due to the sheer volatility of the eastern conference, but I just don't see them having much of a success this year or the next unless some big moves are made, which is still very unlikely.

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NBA: Dragic Keying Suns Success

Talk about surprises. The Phoenix Suns right now are in a position that nobody expected them to be in. Their formula for success is simple. They play at a breakneck pace that not many teams can match up to. They are like a sports car that when they get it going, it is very hard to stop them. As all sports car, someone needs to be driving. On the driver seat right now is Goran Dragic.

The Slovenian point guard is not perfect by any means. His half-court game still could use some polishing here and there. However, is aggressiveness is just what the team needs.

He is so good in taking the ball to the basket and finishes quite well. In transition, he is almost unstoppable as he uses his explosive speed and contorts his body while in the air to make difficult layups look much easier.

EPL: Paulinho Suffer Ankle Injury

Hotspur midfielder Paulinho  has suffered a right ankle injury that could take him out for at least 4 weeks. Here's the announcement from the club's official website:

Following a MRI scan, the Club can confirm that Paulinho has sustained significant ligament damage to his right ankle after a heavy challenge from Charlie Adam during Sunday's win against Stoke City. The Brazil international was forced off as a result of the injury and is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks.

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Atlanta Hawks Make Eastern Conference a Better Place

This was supposed to be a year of rebuild for the Atlanta Hawks. The team has finally let go of their long-standing franchise player in Josh Smith. Then there's the hiring of new coach Mike Budenholzer, a former long-time assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. During the time, this moves hinted a drastic change to the team, not only for the roster but with the system and culture.

In the NBA, drastic changes is often synonymous with a disastrous season. That is why prior to the start of the season, many Hawks fans were preparing for a tough year, consoling themselves with the potential to get a prime talent in what is expected to be a very talented draft pool next summer. The expectations were low.

However, two months into the season, the Hawks have been a pleasant surprise not only for its loyal followers but also for the general basketball fans. Despite the lack of a big-named player on the roster, the team has been playing great, competing well and winning against the better teams in the league. They are doing this with good ball movement on offense and solid work on the defensive end. The new way the team is playing is simply refreshing to watch, especially for Hawks fans. And to general basketball fans, the Hawks make the eastern conference a little bit more bearable.

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