Kentucky/Jay-Z In Trouble?

"Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports the NBA is planning to investigate how Nets minority owner Jay-Z interacted with some of the players on the Kentucky Wildcats last weekend. It is against NBA rules for a person associated with a team to fraternize with college players and their families. Jay-Z reportedly took pictures with some of the players after they beat North Carolina and there is video of the event. That could lead to a fine from the NBA (ESPN)."

I doubt that this will be that big of a deal. It actually happened in 2007 with Danny Ainge, and it was just a $30,000 fine, which is what Jay-Z probably spends on his toothbrush. I am sure this will get a lot of play on ESPN, but he really didn't do anything wrong. He is a famous rapper, and was watching a basketball game. You better believe all those guy wanted a picture with him. Wouldn't you?

79 Celtics, 88 Nets

This game gets a complete WTF Mate!

Fuck the people who say its a "trap" game, the second of a back to back on the road or say the free throw disparity was 24 to 8 in the favor of the Nets, this game was U-G-L-Y and we don't have no alibi.

The C's defense was awful in the third and most of the 4th. We let up 31 in the 3rd and couldn't make key stops in the 4th. What the fuck is wrong with Rajon Rondo? He shot 1-10 had 2 points and 9 assists. He left the game briefly in the second half with a twisted ankle, but he's looked pretty bad for a while. When Delonte comes back, I'd sit him for a few games and fix whatever it is, he has to be injured right?

I guess on the posiitive Big Baby had 16 and 14 and Carlos Arroyo played alright.

Celtics vs Nets Preview

Depth Chart

	Boston (PPG)	New Jersey (PPG)
PG	R. Rondo 10.7	D. Williams 20.8
SG	R. Allen 17.4	A. Morrow 13.0
SF	P. Pierce 18.9	D. James 4.3
PF	K. Garnett 15.0	K. Humphries 9.5
C	N. Krstic 8.5	B. Lopez 20.0
View full depth chart: Boston | New Jersey

It's good to lay the Nets in a back to back game especially if Deron Williams is gimpy. Yesterday the Celtics had an easy run at things with the starters getting rest and with the bench finally getting together. That's who I'm going to focus on the bench. I really believe they will have a prevalent role tonight with Baby back. Troy Murphy finally had a good game with 13 points, Jeff Green is capable of dropping 20, Baby can always chip in a lot and I've been very impressed with Carlos Arroyo.

I think this one gets out of hand quickly and the bench brings us home.

Celtics 119-87
Tommy Award: Murphy

Breaking News: Nets Trade For Deron Williams

"The New Jersey Nets are trying to rebound from the disappointment of their failed pursuit of Carmelo Anthony by swinging a blockbuster trade for the Utah Jazz's Deron Williams before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, sources said on Wednesday.

The Nets and Jazz, sources said, are closing in on a multi-team trade that would send Williams to New Jersey, with the Nets' Derrick Favors and Devin Harris going to Utah.

The deal, scheduled for completion later Wednesday after a trade call with the league office, would also involve the Golden State Warriors and bring multiple draft picks to Utah (ESPN)."

Which now has been confirmed..

"The Jazz have agreed to trade All-Star Deron Williams to the Nets as part of a three-team trade, Ken Berger has confirmed (CBS Sports)."

This is getting out of control. The East is going to be so stacked for years to come. The Knicks are already on their way with Melo/Amare, Heat have Lebron/Wade/Bosh, Celtics have a year or two left with Garnett/Rondo/Pierce/Allen, and the Bulls have Rose/Boozer.

Here is how I see all this playing out. I think Dwight Howard will eventually head to the Nets. I think Chris Paul will head to the Knicks, making life miserable for everyone in the East. At least for once the regular season will be exciting.

You have to feel bad for the Jazz after losing their long time coach, and now their best player.

Breaking News: Nets- Nuggets Reach Deal

The Nets and Nuggets have reached a tentative agreement on a deal involving Anthony, multiple NBA sources told The Record. The deal is pending Anthony agreeing to sign a three-year, $65 million contract extension.
If Anthony says yes, the Nets will get Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Melvin Ely and Renaldo Balkman from the Nuggets. In turn, the Nets will send Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh and four first-round picks to Denver.

This all goes to waste if Melo doesn't agree on the extension, but I love the move for the Nets who would have a giant player to build around in Melo. They certainly are giving up a lot, but it's worth it for a team that has nothing. If Jay-Z and the Russian can convince him on being the face of Brooklyn, I love the move.

James Posey Coming Back To Celtics?

Celticsblog.com ran through all the different trade ideas for the Celtics (Josh Childress, Richard Hamilton, Troy Murphy, Ramon Sessions). The one they seem to think is most likely is James Posey making his way back to Boston. They kind of think of it as a Hedo Turkoglu back to Orlando kind of deal.

I would be a huge fan of this move. Posey gives the Celtics the perfect backup to Pierce and has shown to be clutch defensively. He isn't what he once was, but he knows the Celtics system, and has enough in the tank to really help that 2nd unit that is so banged up.

So what would it take to get it done? There are two way they could work this deal, Daniels and Nate for Posey OR Jermaine O'Neal for Posey. I am fine with either, but if the Celtics could get that waste of space O'Neal off the books for next year I would be happier with that.

Out of the list above the only other guy that I think has any chance of happening is Troy Murphy, since it is almost guaranteed he's going to get bought out.

94 Celtics, 80 Nets

It was a boring game kinda, it was typical Celtics as they stormed out the gate in the 1st and then pissed it away, played a miserable 2nd, started regaining their composure in the 3rd, and sealed it in the 4th with a 24-10 scoring advantage.

It was good to see Paul Pierce go off with 31 points and look somewhat athletic, especially on that dunk on Derrick Favors. A lot has been said about the injuries were an ego thing, but he didn't have the lift during the Miami game as he did last night.

All in all it was a somewhat boring game and a win is a win. But it's cool that we are one of the 3 40 win teams in the NBA going into break especially with all the adversity this team has faced.

Also, the Lakers lost to the Cavs. We can all do a collective HA HA at them.

Celtics vs Nets Preview

Depth Chart

	New Jersey (PPG)	Boston (PPG)
PG	D. Harris 15.0	R. Rondo 11.0
SG	A. Morrow 12.5	R. Allen 17.4
SF	T. Outlaw 9.6	P. Pierce 18.6
PF	D. Favors 6.3	K. Garnett 14.9
C	B. Lopez 19.4	K. Perkins 7.7

The Celtics just beat the Heat and this has all the makings of a trap game, however, the Nets suck so much that if they play their best they are still going to get rolled. The Celtics may not be getting Delonte West back who reinjured his wrist in practice, but even with a short bench and without minutes being a question with the All-Star game coming up the starters will play a little more and we can survive another game with a 7 man rotation.

The Matchup if the game is Perk vs Robin Lopez. Lopez is the key to the Nets offense and if he is contained the other scoring options will be forced into making plays, thus making bad shots.

Celtics win 110-89
Tommy Award: Rondo

The Dirty Russian Has Had Enough With The Melo Talks

"I'm not happy with the way ... this deal has gone until now," Prokhorov said. "It has taken too long. It has been played out in public and it certainly has taken a toll on the players and I believe that it has cost us several games. I think management did a great job, but there comes a time when the price is simply too expensive. I'm instructing our team to walk away from the deal."

Good. You know, I would have liked the deal for the Nets if they could have got Melo, Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton. However, I think the Nets are still salvageable without Melo. If they get a good guard and build around Derrick Favors and Brook Lopez and have a good draft, they could have a very good young team.

But good for the Russian for being sick of being jerked around. This really puts the Nuggets in a bad spot, because Carmelo is definitely walking after this year and they will end up getting 25 cents on the dollar with a deal for him. This might be very good thing for the Knicks. And no BMack we aren't trading Big Baby, Quisy, Jermaine O'Neal, and Avery Bradley for Melo either.

Melo To Meet With The Nets

So it looks like the deal is practically done, all they have to do is get Melo to put the ink to the paper and he will be a Net.

It's a 15 player deal that involves the Nuggets, Pistons, and Nets. Melo has made it clear he wants to be a Knick, however, the Knicks may be better off playing with their roster instead of blowing it up for Melo. To me, the Nets are going to be a New York team, so I don't see any difference.

If he ended up going to the Nets, he would almost take the "Hero" role after the shenanigans that D Bag in South Beach had this post season. The Nets would obviously need a little help, and the speculation around Chris Paul will get louder if he goes there, but the only thing holding this deal up is Melo himself.

It's funny how the East is transforming to be the strongest conference after Western dominance for so many years.

Carmelo Anthony Trade Taking Form

"Multiple sources with knowledge of the talks expressed optimism Sunday that a three-team deal involving the Pistons featuring at least 15 players -- with Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups winding up in New Jersey with Anthony -- could be completed in the next day or two.

Denver, however, elected to play Anthony and Billups in its home game against New Orleans on Sunday night, suggesting that the Nuggets might not be ready to sign off on the trade and, according to sources, frustrating both the Nets and the Pistons at the end of a chaotic 72 hours.

A similar scenario played out in the September deal, when the Nets and Nuggets hammered out the framework of a four-team swap with Charlotte and Utah, only for the Nuggets to decide that they weren't ready to end their relationship with Anthony and back out of the deal."

I don't know if anyone would really win in this deal. The Nets are giving up a lot and taking the risk if Melo decides to flee at the end of the year. Sure they are getting a quick fix team but basing their trade on a lot of ifs, if they can get Chris Paul, if they can build around Melo, if he stays. But since the Nets had a big swing and miss this offseason they are forced to make a splash. For the Nuggets, I don't think they are getting enough in return for Melo with Derrick Favors and some picks but Melo is telling them he's not returning basically. And for Detroit, they just suck.

NBA Trade That Makes Me Hate The Lakers Slightly Less

The New Jersey Nets agreed to trade Terrence Williams to the Houston Rockets in a three-way deal that will land them Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic and a pair of first-round draft picks, sources confirmed to ESPN.com on Tuesday.

The trade, which has been agreed upon in principle, will also send Nets veteran power forward Joe Smith to the Lakers, while New Jersey will receive Los Angeles' 2011 first-round pick and Houston's 2012 lottery-protected first-rounder, sources said. ESPN

I hate Sasha Vag i chick, He's such a square, I hated the fact he got to celebrate when the Lakers beat the Celtics last year. Now I get to watch him cry on the bench when the Celtics roll on the Nets every year.

I like Terrence Williams, I thought he was going to be good when the Nets got him from Louisville. However, I'm going to chalk it up to a "bad situation" before I call him a bust. He may be able to excel in Houston.

Joe Smith will be good depth on the Lakers in case Andrew Bynum goes down again and because Lamar Odom and Poopface are playing 80 minutes a night.

Celtics vs Nets Preview

Depth Chart

	New Jersey (PPG)	Boston (PPG)
PG	D. Harris 17.6	R. Rondo 11.2
SG	A. Morrow 12.3	R. Allen 16.8
SF	T. Outlaw 11.9	P. Pierce 19.9
PF	K. Humphries 8.1	K. Garnett 15.5
C	B. Lopez 18.3	S. O'Neal 10.4

These are the games we should win. We had a day off, New Jersey is coming off a back to back game against the Hawks and we should have this one in the bag.

However, we have been known to lose to the Cavs without Mo Williams and the Thunder without Durant so crazier things have happened.

I like the way New Jersey is set up Devin Harris is pretty good, and they have a lot of good young talent. Brook Lopez is a good big man, Travis Outlaw is a deep threat, I have faith in young Derrick Favors.

But, The Celtics and their veteran team should take care of business, even without Rondo. They showed on Monday that they can outrun the Hawks and can out physical most teams and that's where the Celtics will take advantage of the Nets.

Celtics 106-89
Tommy Award: Shaq