Boston Celtics Double Blockbuster Trades

The Celtics have 13 of their last 17 games before the All-Star break. While this makes me quite happy I am skeptical that they can keep it up. So I've come up with a double trade that could push them to become the best team in the Eastern Conference.
First is to acquire Dwight Howard from the Rockets. This shouldn't actually cost the Celtics a lot in all reality. Dwight Howard is going to opt out of his contract with the Rockets at the end of the season and he will likely do so with any team that acquires him. I do believe that if the Celtics make run or even reach the Finals that he'd likely come back. So the Celtics would give up David Lee, Tyler Zeller, their 1st Round Pick and Dallas' First Round Pick for Howard. Lee and Zeller are both expiring contacts and trading Lee would also absorb some of Howards contract. As for the picks, neither are in the lottery but the Rockets could flip the picks with their own for a lottery pick or better players.
Second is to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks. Carmelo has a no trade clause and believes in New York, but the appeal of winning a title and playing for Brad Stevens could make him waive it. This trade would require the Celtics to give up more talent. They would give up Amir Johnson, James Young, Marcus Smart and Brooklyn's First Round Pick for Carmelo and Jose Calderon. Giving up Amir Johnson is mainly to absorb some or Carmelo's contract, plus he has a none guarantee for next year. Marcus Smart has a very high ceiling and already is a plus defender. I also believe James Young has an equally high ceiling. He's barely 20 and is already a great shooter. He really just needs more consistent playing time. Then of course there is Brooklyn's unprotected pick. Brooklyn is the third worse team in basketball and that pick has a legitimate chance of becoming the first pick. That pick could land them Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram who are both going to be elite NBA players, in my opinion. As for the Celtics they will also acquire Jose Calderon. Calderon is a better facilitator than Smart and is a better shooter. He also plays the same amounts of minutes and would make the bench better offensively.
With Carmelo Anthony I believe he is having one of the better seasons of his career when it comes defense and sharing the ball. His scoring is a bit down, but he's taking less shots however he's finding his teammates and making them better. Dwight Howard is in a similar situation when it comes to taking less shots. The difference is James Harden is a ball hog and takes a lot of bad shots. Howards offensive production is up despite taking less shots this year. He's averaging 12 rebounds a game and is still a great defender who would flourish in Stevens system.
So the Celtics would look like this.
Starters

1. Isaiah Thomas          32.5   21.5/3.0/6.6 (2.0 3PTM)
2. Avery Bradley          33.1   15.1/2.7/2.1 (1.6 Steals, 2.1 3PTM)
3. Jae Crowder             32.1    14.1/5.6/1.9 (1.8 Steals, 1.7 3PTM)
4. Carmelo Anthony     34.8   21.4/7.9/4.0
5. Dwight Howard        32.3   14.6/12.0/1.5 (1.3 Blocks)

Bench

1. Jose Calderon           27.6   7.5/3.1/4.1 (1.3 3PTM)
2. Evan Turner             27.1   9.9/4.7/4.4
3. Jonas Jerebko           13.8   3.9/3.4/0.7
4. Jared Sullinger         23.4   9.9/8.5/2.3
5. Kelly Olynyk           20.3   10.1/4.3/1.6 (1.3 3PTM)

Now Crowder and Bradley will likely take less shots and Carmelo and Dwight will play slightly fewer minutes in Brad's system because they have such a strong bench. A bench that will get even better with Jared Sullinger on it. Both Sullinger and Olynyk have surprisingly great defensive ratings. Evan Turner plays a facilitator roll at the small or two guard, which would give Calderon the ability to shoot more. I truly believe this team would beat the Raptors and the Cavaliers to make the Finals. Can they beat the Warriors? Well, anything can happen is sports.

Why I Stopped Watching Wrestling and Started Again.

Now I never intended on talking about professional wrestling on this blog but I recently got back into it and decided I give it a shot. First I'm going to explain why I left and why I came back. I got into wrestling around 2005. It wasn't the greatest era for professional wrestling but it sucked me in none the less. I loved the violence, the over the top storylines and the ridiculous soap opera-ness of it all. Plus it didn't hurt that the WWE Champion at the time was billed from the town next to mine. That's right I was a John Cena fan. I started watching every week and eventually bought my first pay per view event, WrestleMania 22. It was a grand spectacle with the Money in the Bank Ladder match, flaming tables, the Ultimate Underdog Rey Mysterio winning the World Heavyweight Championship and John Cena defeating Triple H in the Main Event. From then I would get every pay per view, sorry Dad. After awhile I started to branch out and came across TNA, Total Nonstop Action and was immediately hooked on that. Then when WWE decided to go from TV-14 to PG for business reason and because TNA was getting really big, I jumped ship. By 2009 I put all my faith into TNA. I stopped watching WWE all together, stopped ordering their pay per views and was loyal to TNA. It didn't hurt that their pay per views were ten dollars cheaper. Then 2010 rolled in and so did Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff and several other legends who wanted to build the next big wrestling company. In my opinion however they ended up killing the company I had put all my faith in. I realized this when Hulk Hogan got rid of TNA signature six-sided ring. The thing that made TNA unique from the other American wrestling companies was gone. From then on the storylines were pretty lame, personas didn't match wrestlers and I had lost faith. By 2011 I stopped watching wrestling altogether. I did read what was going however. I was happy when one of my favorites would win a title. This year was different. I was reading what was going on and said to myself, I'm watching the Royal Rumble. The Royal Rumble was always my favorite pay per view, next to TNA Lockdown because I was there when Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. Anyways, I ordered the Royal Rumble and I honestly had fun with it. The triple threat match for the WWE Title between John Cena, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesner was great. The other matches were decent and the Royal Rumble match itself could only be describe with one word, disaster. It was incredibly predictable. The crowd turned on the match relatively early. The ending was very lackluster and boring. Even the Rock couldn't save it. It was back to back years of really bad Royal Rumbles, but I still decided to watch Monday Night Raw the next night. I continued watching from there almost entirely because of one man. The Eater of Worlds, Bray Wyatt. Not since Raven, my favorite wrestler, had I seen someone that fun to watch. He is unmatched on the microphone and unorthodox in the ring. His storylines a breath of fresh air in a stagnant company. The fact that he has never won a title makes my legitimately angry. While Bray Wyatt kept me convinced to keep watching RAW, it was the developmental show NXT that made me started really loving wrestling again. Only an hour each week, they put on better matches and have better promos than the main roster. It becoming so popular that the indie circuit wrestlers are finally coming to WWE. The men Vince McMahon refused to acknowledge are main eventing his development show. Plus their woman can actually wrestle and aren't used as objects instead of athletes. Now that I'm back into wrestling I may or may not post some of my crazy ideas. Most likely I will but we will see. Thank you for reading this crappy post and see you soon.

Knicks Mid-Season Trades

My fascination with the New York Knicks has continued this season, more so than before with Kristaps Porzingis exceeded expectations. So I thought it would be appropriate to look at how they can improve this season and possibly make the playoffs. We are almost at the halfway mark of the season so trades are going to start heating up. Now if we look at the Knicks they been quite surprising. They haven't been great but they haven't been bad either. The main issue they are having is their guards. Arron Afflalo is their lone bright spot, with Lance Thomas being able to switch between small forward and shooting guard. The play of their point guards however has been lousy. Jose Calderon has good field goal percentage and 3 point percentage. Unfortunately he doesn't take enough shots or get enough assists. Rookie Jerian Grant hasn't adjusted to the NBA level yet and the Knicks are paying the price. Then there is Langston Galloway, who was promising early but has dipped significantly in field goal percentage and assists. So what the Knicks need to do is trade for a starting point guard and preferably trade for a backup combo guard. Let's start with the point guards. Four names come to mind for trade targets. Ty Lawson, Jarrett Jack, Brandon Jennings and Ricky Rubio. If this was a free agency list I would have Rajon Rondo or Mike Conley at the top. Realistically Ty Lawson would be the cheapest option. The Knicks would really only have to give up Calderon and maybe a throw-in like Kevin Seraphin or Cleanthony Early. Ty Lawson is having a poor season but I blame that almost entirely on James Harden. He's been a plus assist man in the past, including last season. He does have off court issue and playing in New York might not help that so the Knicks need to be cautious.
Jarrett Jack is the type of player that I believe would fit well with the Knicks style of play. His field goal percentage is lackluster and he can't shoot 3s consistently, but his mid range jumper and ability to make assists is really what the Knicks need. Even with his below average season and because Brooklyn is not tanking, he would be more expensive. Jose Calderon would go in the deal and maybe Derrick Williams or Lance Thomas plus a throw in.
Brand
on Jennings would be an interesting pick up. He has yet to play an NBA game this year but has play a game in the D-League. He seems very eager to get back on the court but Reggie Jackson is clearly blocking him. If Jennings can bounce back he brings the assist the Knicks desperately need, explosiveness and the ability to hit 3s. He is very streaky however and is not know for his field goal percentage. I do believe that his style of play would fit nicely with the Knicks. He may also be expensive with the Pistons looking to grab a playoff spot. Jose Calderon would be a good backup for them as well as Langston Galloway to fill in for the injured Jodie Meeks. Throw in Kevin Seraphin and you have a deal.
Ricky Rubio is the most unlikely to get traded. The Timberwolves still have high hopes for him. The Knicks also don't have much to offer because the lack draft picks. Phil Jackson is crafty and the Wolves like Zach LaVine who has vastly improved and in my opinion has outplayed Rubio.
As for their choice in combo guards/backup shooting guards I can really only see one good fit and that's Jamal Crawford. He's not having the best season, especially shooting the 3 but a change of scenery from the fluctuating Clippers might be just what he needs. His experience and clutch scoring are what the Knicks really need coming off the bench. He shouldn't be too expensive either. He's going into free agency and the Clippers are very crowded in the backcourt. Trading Kevin Seraphin, Derrick Williams (Who I want the Knicks to keep) and a future pick should land them Crawford. Galloway might have to go as well if they haven't already traded him.
With additions to the team I believe the Knicks can sneak into the playoffs, if not they can definitely play spoilers to teams who are trying to.

Why the Cardinals Won't Make it Past the NLDS

With the MLB Playoffs coming up the St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in baseball. That's because, like the New York Yankees, they know how to play regular season baseball. Let me get out of the way that I think their offense is overrated. They are eleventh in runs scored and eleventh in home runs. They know how to walk and hit doubles, but also strikeout a fair amount as well. But it's not their offense that is going to be their downfall. It's their pitching. The team has one of the best team ERA I've seen in recent years with a 2.91. That's not the problem however. It's the teams WHIP. In my opinion they have survived on an easy schedule and dumb luck. The fact that they walk too many and give up a ridiculous amount of hits does not work in the playoffs. Let's look at their five starters ERA and WHIP respectively.

1. John Lackey       2.69 ERA/1.21 WHIP
2. Michael Wacha  3.15 ERA/1.19 WHIP
3. Lance Lynn        3.16 ERA/1.36 WHIP
4. Carlos Martinez 3.01 ERA/1.28 WHIP
5. Jaime Garcia*    2.36 ERA/1.01 WHIP

Other than Jaime Garcia's WHIP, which is above average, that's terrible. Michael Wacha can get away with that WHIP more often than not but John Lackey and Lance Lynn are going to be lit up. They are actually lucky that Carlos Martinez was shut down for the year. Plus they don't have any way to move Lance Lynn to the bullpen. Their only other starter is Tyler Lyons and his WHIP is just as bad as Lynn's. This rotation reminds me of three Mark Buehrles and a sleeper ace (Jaime Garcia). Mark Buehrle is notorious for having a high WHIP and a decent ERA. Three of those are going to go bad fast.
It gets worse from there. Several members of their bullpen have terrible WHIPs including their closer. Let's take a look starting with their closer.

1. Trevor Rosenthal    2.13 ERA/1.26 WHIP
2. Kevin Siegrist         2.13 ERA/1.16 WHIP
3. Seth Maness           4.35 ERA/1.43 WHIP
4. Carlos Villenueva   3.00 ERA/1.17 WHIP
5. Randy Choate*       3.67 ERA/1.26 WHIP
6. Matt Belisle            2.76 ERA/1.47 WHIP
7. Jonathan Broxton   2.45 ERA/1.31 WHIP
8. Steve Cishek           2.18 ERA/1.11 WHIP

As someone who relies on statistics this baffles me. I don't understand how they can have low ERA when they give up that many hits and walk that many. This will not translate against playoff teams, especially hot teams like the Pirates, Mets and Cubs. Not really worried about the Dodgers, but I'll get into that another time. So one of two things are going to happen. They are either going to shut everyone out or they'll be swept in three games. There is no even medium for this. I wish the Cardinals good luck, but I don't think it will help.

Red Sox Blockbuster Trade

Let me start by saying there is almost no way this could happen, however the Red Sox pulled off the Adrian Gonzalez/Josh Beckett/Carl Crawford trade, so anything is possible. This trade once again involves the Reds. The Red Sox would be acquiring Johnny Cueto, Aroldis Chapman AND Joey Votto. I have the Red Sox giving up seven players total. If I could have them trade draft picks as well I would, but that's not something you can do in Baseball. The players I have going over are Allen Craig, Blake Swihart, Joe Kelly, Henry Owens, Manuel Margot, Rafael Devers & Sean Coyle. Allen Craig and Joe Kelly would fill the void left with Votto and Cueto gone. Henry Owens reminds me of a lesser Clayton Kershaw, someone I don't want to give, but would. Rafael Devers gets comparisons to Robinson Cano with his bat, but he play Third Base not Second. This would give the Reds flexibility to move Todd Frazier to First Base in the future. Sean Coyle is one of the many undersized second basemen the Red Sox have stockpiled. His bat reminds me a lot of Reds second basemen Brandon Phillips. He'd need to work hard to have as good of a glove as Phillips but his 20-20 ability and ability to draw walks makes him a great replacement when Phillips gets hurt or hangs up the cleats. Manuel Margot is the one player I haven't seen much of, but I do know he's very fast, has a good glove for any outfield position and has gap power that could evolve home run power. He could take over batting second behind Billy Hamilton in the near future. The other benefit for this trade would allow the Reds the ability to sign a big free agent during the next offseason.
So let's look at the Red Sox line up after the trade.

1. Mookie Betts CF
2. Dustin Pedroia 2B
3. Joey Votto 1B
4. Hanley Ramirez LF
5. David Ortiz DH
6. Pablo Sandoval 3B
7. Xander Bogaerts SS
8. Ryan Hanigan C
9. Brock Holt/Shane Victorino RF

I have Ortiz moving to fifth in the order to let him see more pitches before he gets up to bat and take some pressure off. He's so close to reaching the 500 home run mark and he has to do it this year, so less pressure and preparation should help him get the next nineteen. Also I like the idea of Dusty batting third but with Votto there it's okay.
Now for the rotation.

1. Clay Buchholz
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Wade Miley
4. Eduardo Rodriguez
5. Rick Porcello

I hope that Buchholz is going to be back shortly. He has no structural damage in his elbow but is on the DL so you never know. Cueto can take over as the number one while he's on the DL. If you take away Wade Miley's second start he has a mid to low 3 ERA. So that's three plus pitchers right there. You throw in Rodriguez who is competing with Mookie for Red Sox Rookie of the Year and you have a playoff rotation.
My main concern is that the Yankees know how to play regular season baseball better than anyone. Something that they can't translate into playoff baseball in the passed few years. So to me that's a waste of a playoff spot. The AL East is shockingly the weakest division in baseball with all the teams at most four games out of first. It will be close through the whole season but someone will pull away.
My only comment about the bullpen is that we should only trade for Chapman if Koji is okay with moving to the set-up roll. He has earned the closer roll and it should be up to him to give it up.

Phoenix Suns Remaining Offseason Part 2

So I'm disappointed to say the Suns missed on LaMarcus Aldridge. I'm not surprised, I'm not devastated but I would have liked to see the Suns get him. But since they missed him I said I had a Plan B. Well I have a Plan B and C.
I'll start with Plan C because they did what I wanted them to do. They signed Mirza Teletovic earlier today. I was hoping they could pry him away from the Nets, but the Nets made it easy by not making Teletovic a restricted free agent. Teletovic is, in my opinion, a better Ryan Anderson. He's shorter but quicker and a better rebounder. So Plan C is have Teletovic as their starting Power Forward with Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, P.J. Tucker and Tyson Chandler. That's a speedy team, minus Chandler, that can defend. It should look like this.
Starters

1. Eric Bledsoe
2. Brandon Knight
3. P.J. Tucker
4. Mirza Teletovic
5. Tyson Chandler

Reserves

1. Ronnie Price
2. Archie Goodwin/Devin Booker
3. T.J. Warren
4. Markieff Morris
5. Alex Len

A great young, explosive bench that has the potential to be the best bench in Basketball. I expect Morris to start over Teletovic because he did it all last season. I do think Teletovic is a better starter however.
The Plan B team is the all offense team. I had this team lined out before the Teletovic signing so he's on the bench for this. The major difference in this lineup is T.J. Warren. I look at Warren as a young Carmelo Anthony and the Suns just haven't realized it yet. He's fast, explosive and can flat out score. He could easily win Sixth Man of the Year, but if he started he could win Most Improved just as fast. The only knock is he isn't a 3-Point shooter yet. Carmelo Anthony wasn't at this stage of his career either. So I say start him.
Plan B should look like this.
Starters

1. Eric Bledsoe
2. Brandon Knight
3. T.J. Warren
4. Markieff Morris
5. Tyson Chandler

Reserves

1. Ronnie Price
2. Archie Goodwin/Devin Booker
3. P.J. Tucker
4. Mirza Teletovic
5. Alex Len

Tyson Chandler will be the primary rebounder on the team, but both P.J. Tucker and T.J. Warren can get about six a game to go with Chandler's ten and Morris and Teletovic six or seven. Bledsoe's leaping ability also allows him to rebound well. Don't count the Suns out. They have all the pieces, it's all about chemistry now.

Phoenix Suns Remaining Offseason

The Suns are one of the teams that really let me down last season. They had a great three man rotation of Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Gerald Green. They for some reason needed to add Isaiah Thomas to that mix. Isaiah is a great player and it worked out in the end for my Celtics but it was a silly signing. This offseason looks different however. They've already re-signed Brandon Knight, swiped up Tyson Chandler and moved Marcus Morris to clear cap space and prevent anymore off court trouble. There are still a couple moves left to make, one of which is entirely up to luck at this point.
First move they should make is actually not a move. It's keep Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe plays very well as a duo of point guards. Dragic and him were dynamic and played off each other great. We didn't see that with him and Knight because Knight only played eleven games for them. The two of them should make an equally effective backcourt.
Next is of course sign LaMarcus Aldridge. This looks like it's fifty-fifty right now. Reports say he is torn between the Suns and the Spurs. The Mavs appear to still be in the running too. But I like the Tyson Chandler pairing better than the Tim Duncan pairing because Chandler is younger. That's not a knock on Duncan, he just can't do it forever.
The next moves are minor but even minor moves can make big impacts. With P.J. Tucker likely starting at Small Forward for his defense, they'll need a spark off that bench. Obviously bring back Gerald Green. He is one of my absolute favorite players right now, who I wouldn't mind signing with the Celtics or Warriors. The Suns should be the team he goes with however. They traded for him and he rewarded them with two great scoring seasons. His dunks and 3 pointers make him so fun to watch. They also need to get an insurance backup Point Guard. I think Cory Joseph would be a good fit. He's a restricted free agent (I think) but I don't think the Spurs are going to bring him back. He has proven to be very productive when he's needed.
So if everything works out the Suns should look like this.
Starters

1. Eric Bledsoe
2. Brandon Knight
3. P.J. Tucker
4. LaMarcus Aldridge
5. Tyson Chandler

Reserves

1. Cory Joseph
2. Devin Booker/Archie Goodwin
3. Gerald Green/T.J. Warren
4. Markieff Morris
5. Alex Len

I didn't mention T.J Warren yet. He should be the alternative to Gerald Green. He's an amazing scorer and would pair great with Devin Booker or Archie Goodwin as a bench force. Not to mention Markieff as another great bench scorer.
So if the Suns miss out on LaMarcus I'll give a part two article.