A Big Under-the-Radar Sports Week

[Sunstroke]

From a casual sports fan's perspective, this week doesn't look like anything special on the surface, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are a few big events happening this week, across most of the major sports:

Basketball: Sure, the all-star break was this past weekend, but that has evolved into a glorified pick-up game. No fouls, no defense and nobody really cares. The big news in hoops this week is the trade deadline, which is this Thursday. For teams fighting for a playoff spot, or just looking to the future, there should be a flurry of quality players changing uniforms in the next 3-4 days.

Football: For hardcore football junkies that are going through withdrawals about now, a shot of methadone comes on Thursday with the start of the NFL Combine. Grown men in their underwear, running, grunting and trying hard to impress future employers. The media types will harp on two events, the 40-yard dash and the bench press, but the savvier fans (as well as NFL personnel guys) will be paying more attention to things like 10-yard splits, hand size, arm length and positional drills.

Baseball: After a long uneventful Winter, it probably seems like forever since the last meaningful baseball news (unless you're a Padres fan, of course<g>). Well, diamond dogs, the wait is over, as pitchers and catchers report to their clubs on Thursday and Friday to begin Spring Training. Swing, batta-batta and take me out to the ballgame, baby...baseball is back!

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Its February,  I am going to take a nap, wake me up, when in time for me to fill in my NCCA bracket

[Sunstroke]

Its February,  I am going to take a nap, wake me up, when in time for me to fill in my NCCA bracket

That's coming up soon enough as well...

[Sunstroke]

The NBA trade deadline was today, and it was the busiest deadline day in 25 years. Overall, 39 players changed teams today, and my Suns were at the center of the wheeling and dealing. I was glad to see Phoenix deal Dragic to Miami...it means I can still cheer for him regularly. We got a couple of first round picks for him, which is more than I thought we'd get, given our complete lack of leverage.

[Phishfan]

^^^ One of those picks is so far in the future I have not even planned if I would be alive then. I'm not sure why the Suns took it or why Miami even thought to offer it.

[Rich]

The NBA trade deadline was today, and it was the busiest deadline day in 25 years. Overall, 39 players changed teams today, and my Suns were at the center of the wheeling and dealing. I was glad to see Phoenix deal Dragic to Miami...it means I can still cheer for him regularly. We got a couple of first round picks for him, which is more than I thought we'd get, given our complete lack of leverage.

Yep, one 1st rounder is in 2025 and the other in 2073.

[Sunstroke]

Yep, one 1st rounder is in 2025 and the other in 2073.

Or 2017 & 2021, anyway...

The nicest aspect of those picks is that neither one will be protected, so now I can cheer unabashedly for Miami to suck.

[Phishfan]

^^^ I've seen the 2017 pick is protected so don't wish for complete suckitude.

http://www.thescore.com/nba/news/685290

[Sunstroke]

^^^ I've seen the 2017 pick is protected so don't wish for complete suckitude.

http://www.thescore.com/nba/news/685290

They didn't note that top-7 protection for the 2017 pick in the first report...good catch.

Still, Goran wanted out of the 3-PG system and he would have left as an unrestricted FA at season's end, so getting a pair of future 1's sounds good to me.

I also "really" like the trade for Brandon Knight. I think he is better than Dragic and younger as well. We'll have to pay for him after this season though. I dig the all-Kentucky backcourt though (Bledsoe-Knight), with another Kentucky Wildcat (Archie Goodwin) backing them up.

[Rich]

Well, whether Brandon Knight is better is debateable. He hasn't demonstrated that on the stat sheet yet. But he is younger and there isn't much drop off.

For the Heat, draft picks have virtually zero value if they are not in the top 5. I think what we gave up for Dragic is a bunch of polished turds for a nice watch.

[Sunstroke]

Well, whether Brandon Knight is better is debateable. He hasn't demonstrated that on the stat sheet yet.

Don't get me wrong...I like the Dragon, and have appreciated everything he's done in a Suns uniform, but Knight is definitely putting up better numbers this year:

Knight: 17.8 pts, 4.3 rebs, 5.4 asts, 1.6 stls, 2.0 3's
Dragic: 16.2 pts, 3.6 rebs, 4.1 asts, 1.0 stls, 1.3 3's

Knight is also much better suited to playing off the ball, which is important, since Bledsoe will be the Suns' primary PG.

For the Heat, draft picks have virtually zero value if they are not in the top 5.

I categorically disagree with this comment. If you look at the past 4 drafts, and simply look at the players taken in round one "after the top-5," you have one helluva list of young stars.

Miami gave up two 1st round draft picks for a 3 month rental, in a season where, with Bosh going down, Miami has zero chance of contending.

So, what you call polished turds, I call potential all-stars. What you call "a nice watch," I call a semi-meaningless rental. Other than that, we seem to be in complete agreement.

[Rich]

Don't get me wrong...I like the Dragon, and have appreciated everything he's done in a Suns uniform, but Knight is definitely putting up better numbers this year:

Knight: 17.8 pts, 4.3 rebs, 5.4 asts, 1.6 stls, 2.0 3's
Dragic: 16.2 pts, 3.6 rebs, 4.1 asts, 1.0 stls, 1.3 3's

Knight is also much better suited to playing off the ball, which is important, since Bledsoe will be the Suns' primary PG.

Dragic's numbers are down because he was playing out of position and in a crowded backcourt. That won't be the case in Miami.

Talk to me when Brandon Knight is putting up 20 points a game. Because right now he is taking 14 shots a game to get to 17.8 points. Last season Dragic was getting to 20+ ppg while putting up 14 shots. He's more efficient.

I categorically disagree with this comment. If you look at the past 4 drafts, and simply look at the players taken in round one "after the top-5," you have one helluva list of young stars.

Miami gave up two 1st round draft picks for a 3 month rental, in a season where, with Bosh going down, Miami has zero chance of contending.

So, what you call polished turds, I call potential all-stars. What you call "a nice watch," I call a semi-meaningless rental. Other than that, we seem to be in complete agreement.

Read my comment again,  notice the words FOR THE HEAT, it's important to understand the entire context of the statement. The Heat have ALWAYS built via free agency with Pat Riley at the helm (Dwayne Wade being the lone exception). They do not value picks that much unless they are lottery picks. They are always willing to give up 1st round picks, which constitute a lot of maybes... for proven commodities.

And they have three championships to show for it.

As for Dragic being a rental. We'll see about that when the Heat are signing him to a long term deal. He wanted to come to Miami.

[Sunstroke]

OK, I understand you now. Dragic is more valuable to Miami than he was to Phoenix, and 1st round picks mean less to Miami than they do to pretty much every other team in the league.

Good trade on both sides then...I wish Miami the best of luck in keeping Dragic beyond this season, and let us know if you've got any more worthless 1st round picks you want to get rid of.

[Rich]

OK, I understand you now. Dragic is more valuable to Miami than he was to Phoenix, and 1st round picks mean less to Miami than they do to pretty much every other team in the league.

First round picks are so awesome that you literally see the same teams in the lottery every year until they make a big trade or free agent signing for a super star. Just saying...

Good trade on both sides then...I wish Miami the best of luck in keeping Dragic beyond this season, and let us know if you've got any more worthless 1st round picks you want to get rid of.

Pretty much every NBA journalist and insider I've read or heard considers this trade a steal for the Heat. But they also say Pheonix had no choice. Your hand was forced... face it. You can at least claim you got a couple of future picks out of it because you certainly didn't get any decent players out of it. The players were thrown in to make the contracts match up.

The Heat gave up a point guard that is maddeningly inconsistent, a veteran small forward whose best days are WAY behind him, a D-league center who can shoot threes and not much else, and a power forward who can shoot 3s and not much else and is not even that good at the one thing he can do. 3 of those four players had fallen out of the rotation on a team that loses more than it wins. Let that sink in. On top of that, they gave up 2 picks that will probably wind up being bottom of the first round picks for an All NBA third team point guard (this means only two point guards were considered better than him).

In the process, they managed to keep their core intact. The Bosh situation is not relevant to the scope of this deal.

Literally, the Heat gave up large quantities of nothing to get Dragic. But it is better than what you would have gotten for Dragic if you didn't trade him, so good for your team I guess...

[Sunstroke]

Literally, the Heat gave up large quantities of nothing to get Dragic.

Or the Heat gave up two first round picks to try him out for a few months...perspectives are fun-damental.

But it is better than what you would have gotten for Dragic if you didn't trade him, so good for your team I guess...

Yes, getting two first round picks is better than getting nothing. Glad we could at least agree on the basic sports math.