And since that time there has been a ton of speculation that Gasol could be headed to the Big Apple in exchange for Amar’e Stoudemire. Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld touches on the speculation that Gasol and Stoudemire could be trading places, but I’m here to tell you just exactly how much of a chance a deal like this could get done.

Nov 24, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers power forward Pau Gasol (16) drives the ball past Dallas Mavericks power forward Troy Murphy (6) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 115-89. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

No chance. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Not happening.

That’s the funny thing about the rumor mill is that any player can be dealt to any team and while this would be a positive deal for both teams, it won’t happen.

I think Gasol would be a better fit on this Knicks team then he currently is in Lakerland. In addition, I think Stoudemire, in D’Antoni’s system, paired again with Steve Nash, would give the Lakers another explosive scorer to take some pressure off of Kobe Bryant.

But there is one major roadblock that will prevent these teams from even discussing a deal- Stoudemire’s contract.

That contract has three years and close to $60 million left on it and no team, especially the Lakers is going to take on that type of financial commitment for an often injured star on the backside of his career.

Stoudemire’s contract is worse than Gasol’s big figure and could be the worst in the NBA right now. With the new CBA, teams don’t want to get into the tax paying luxury tax. Most teams have avoided doing so and Jim Buss didn’t make any major moves last season to improve the Lakers because he didn’t want to take on money.

He’s not taking on $60 million of Stoudemire.

Then there’s the Dwight Howard situation.

Howard remains unsigned for next season and if the Lakers want to retain the All-Star center, they won’t be adding $60 million of payroll.

Gasol has two more seasons left on his deal for $19 million this year and a $19.28 million season next year. That’s hardly an attractive number especially for a team playing for anything, because those teams are at the luxury tax line or already over it. With the new CBA, teams can’t take on salary at will.

If the Lakers move Gasol, it will be to get younger and more athletic. The Lakers don’t have youth and traded all of their draft picks away to sign Nash. Ultimately Mitch Kupchak will want to bring in a capable body to replace Gasol and some quality youth to make the Lakers younger and deeper.

That is something the Knicks can’t really help with.

The Knicks have the same problem and to get the Lakers or any other team to take on Stoudemire’s contract they will have to sweeten the pot. The only player on the Knicks’ roster under the age of 27 is Iman Shumpert and he isn’t going anywhere.

The reality is that the Knicks don’t have the trade chips to get the Lakers to take on Stoudemire’s contract.

It’s real easy for everyone to say just trade Stoudemire when he’s healthy, but in reality his contract is pretty much untradeable and if they could get someone to take it, they wouldn’t receive anything close to value for him anyway.

Gasol for Stoudemire sounds nice, but it just won’t happen.

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For Knicks fans, the London Olympics will mark the return for two of their biggest stars to competitive basketball, and both will serve big roles on Team USA. However, the player serving the more important role on the team will be Tyson Chandler.

With Dwight Howard missing the Games due to back surgery, Chandler gets the promotion from back-up center to a starting role, likely alongside the likes of Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

We’ve talked before here at Buckets how Chandler fits perfectly into that starting five because he won’t command a high volume of touches offensively, all while effectively protecting the rim, grabbing offensive rebounds and shutting down the lane on the defensive end.

Barring a major rash of injuries striking Team USA, they will walk into the Opening Ceremonies in August as the heavy favorites to take home another gold medal. But, the road isn’t going to be as easy as casual basketball fans may think. No team should scare the United States more than Spain.

Look, as basketball fans, we’re missing out by not having a healthy Ricky Rubio available in these Olympics. As an 18-year old, he guided a strong Spain squad through the games on the way to a medal, and proved to be the hardest test the Redeem Team had to face on their way to gold.

This time around, it won’t be the back court play of Spain that should have USA fans worried. Its the dynamic inside options the team is going to run out. A lot of people are familiar with the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, who can provide scoring inside along with strong defense. In 2012, Team USA will have to account for the newest addition to Spain’s roster, Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka. Throw in Ibaka with the inside-outside offensive game of Pau and the gritty rebounding and low-block scoring of Marc, there is significant reason to be concerned.

The pressure is going to be on Chandler to provide enough presence inside on the defensive end to not only neutralize the threats on the block from Spain, but keep them off the glass as well. Of course, he won’t be doing it alone, but without a healthy Dwight Howard on the roster, the pressure squarely falls on his shoulders.

Another key to how successful this Team USA squad can be doesn’t fall on a Knicks relation, but on the health of Kevin Love and who Coach K chooses to pick as a back-up center, with options like Roy Hibbert and Anthony Davis.

Right now, the first line of defense for Team USA sits with Tyson Chandler. If you want to pull out any story lines from the Olympics heading into next season, they should start with how well can Chandler hold on the international stage. His success there could dictate just how well the Knicks can play next season.

Yeesh. Make the jump to to read Amar’e's further explanation of these comments.

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Future Kings of New York?

In very odd timing, the Knicks front office revealed this summer’s major targets, and none of the names come as a surprise. Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade were noted as Walsh’s biggest targets for the upcoming summer.

Two names were left off which I found surprising, Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson were left off Walsh’s list for whatever reason and that is actually pretty releaving because I really don’t want to see either in a Knick uniform.

So without further a do let me break down Walsh’s wish list.

Chris Bosh:

So, obviously adding Bosh would be great but not without adding Lebron or Wade. Now, a lot of people may wonder what Bosh brings to the table that David Lee doesn’t. Lee is a consistent scorer on the offensive end, but Lee’s game is very limited and really is not even close to the level Bosh is currently at. Bosh can command the post like few in this game, and can virtually score from anywhere around basket.

Bosh plays a very similar style to Pau Gasol. Gasol gets a lot of unwarranted hate for being “soft” much like Bosh. Gasol is perhaps one of the most underrated post players in the game today, but since Bosh has been surrounded by players who don’t mesh at all Bosh’s game has suffered mightily. Both players are the perfect #2 options on championship teams, so placing Bosh with either Lebron or Wade would without a doubt make us a contender.

Now comes the very difficult part; Dwyane Wade or Lebron James? Let us first dive into Wade’s World.

Dwyane Wade:

Wade is already ahead of James on my wish list for one reason and one reason only; he’s won a championship. Granted, Wade has struggled with injuries over last few seasons, but the simple fact of the matter is Wade has done something Lebron has not and that is win an NBA title. Wade’s game resembles Allen Iverson’s in a lot of ways, except Wade’s defense is miles ahead of Iverson’s and is a much better team player then Iverson ever was. Granted, I don’t think Wade would of won his championship without Shaq but that is perhaps one of the stupidest arguments in basketball.

Well, Kobe wouldn’t have won any titles without Shaq or Pau, Jordan without Pippen or Rodman, Pierce without KG, the list goes on and on. This argument is tossed around ESPN all the time and it’s beyond infuriating. Wade was the #1 option on the Heat’s championship campaign and Shaq came through as the #2 option, which propelled the Heat to become NBA champions. Kobe has been the #1 option on a championship team once, which was last season. Duncan never would have won any titles without the help of Ginobli and Parker as well.

Wade is one of the best #1 options in the league and has proven he’s capable of carrying a team on his back into the playoffs, but EVERY #1 option needs a #2 option to win a championship and Chris Bosh fills that void.

Wade would absolutely dominate in D’Antoni’s system, but playing alongside Toney Douglas might not be the best fit going forward. Wade won a championship with two of the best passers this game has ever seen in Gary Payton and Jason Williams at the point. If the Knicks can bring in Tony Parker or another veteran point to play with Wade and Bosh anything short of championship would be unacceptable.

Lebron James:

Lebron James is the greatest player in the game today, there is no argument anymore. So obviously I’d love to have him come to the Big Apple, but there are still a lot of question marks that come with Lebron. After watching Lebron take Game 5 and 6 off in this year’s NBA playoffs I lost a lot of respect for Lebron as a player. Wade may not be as talented as Lebron, but Wade would never have taken games off like Lebron did. Lebron is still a very immature player, and that’s pretty frustrating considering just how good he is.

Another big concern I have with Lebron being in New York is all the distractions and pressure he’d have. Lebron is the king of Cleveland, but I’m not sure he could handle being the king of New York. Lebron also plays the same position as 3/4 of our returning players going into next season, including our top-10 lottery pick just two years ago in Danilo Gallinari. We’re already crowded with forwards so adding Lebron would still not fill our major holes on the roster.

Final Verdict:

In closing, adding Bosh and Lebron/Wade would instantly propel the Knicks into contenders going into next season, but in regards to who would be the best fit?

The answer is quite simply, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Big summer franchise movies are assembled much like a NBA franchise team. You’ve got the executives who care more about the bottom line (“Let’s sign Allen Iverson — he’ll put butts in the seat” or “Let’s hire Scarlett Johansson — she’ll add sex appeal!”) rather than whether they create a high quality product. They hire the actors, or ball players. The thing is, it’s then up to the coach, or director, to make something out of this collection they were force fed, with their name being on the line. When a movie sucks, how often do you hear, “Man, that studio executive did an awful job?” And days after the Chicago Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was coach Vinny Del Negro who got the axe, not GM John Paxson.

For the rest, click here.

Is Kobe eyeing the game clock or Father Time? (source: Yardbarker.com)

I posted this on the main page of FanSided:

With the Lakers/Thunder series tied at 2-2, and the winner of Game 5 historically taking the series like 85% of the time, the pressure is on Los Angeles tonight. Specifically Kobe Bean Bryant, aka the Black Mamba. In honor of the occasion, ESPN.com decided to nail the coffin on KB24’s grave by asking their writers six questions exploring what’s wrong with him. Let’s look at their responses and see where they’re spot-on and where they’re spot-off.

1. What’s wrong with Kobe?
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop writes:

This year, any time he’s called on to be truly explosive physically — dunk, block or beat a defender with raw speed — he doesn’t look like the guy he once was. I don’t know what’s wrong, but because it has happened quickly, I have to think it’s one of his many injuries, not just some age-induced slippage.

Several of the writers echo this sentiment, but there’s a key part wrong with it: this is not a new thing.  Kobe’s game has changed over the last three years as he’s aged.  He hasn’t been that explosive constant-driver-to-the-basket in a while.  As Chris Broussard correctly notes:

For the rest of my article, click here.

Damn straight, Phil Jackson should be walking with his head down after some of his coaching choices! Right? ...Right? Um, maybe not. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Is there anyone in the NBA who gets criticized more than coaches?  It doesn’t matter who you are, how successful you are (or have been), or what players you have at your disposal — we can always find problems with you.  Earlier this year, Greg Popovitch was criticized for being unable to make his big off-season acquisition, Richard Jefferson, productive.  The other night, Phil Jackson, winner of more NBA titles than God himself, left himself open for target practice by choosing to draw up a play for Pau Gasol to attempt the game-tying three-point shot (Pau missed, which could cause the Lakers to lose home court advantage if they play the Magic in the Finals).

We, the fans and media, aren’t necessarily wrong in complaining about these points, but I think sometimes we not only expect too much, we also don’t always see (or know) the full picture.  For instance, maybe Phil was trying to make a point to Kobe about how the Black Mamba needed to give his body rest or it would cost the team (the previous possession Kobe missed two free throws that would’ve given the Lakers the lead).  If Kobe/Fisher/Artest/whoever hit a three for the tie, then maybe Kobe remains convinced that he can play through his injuries.  Sure, you can say this was a costly way to make a point (& I have no idea if Phil was trying to make this point), but if Kobe’s sitting out these two last games enables him to be healthy enough to lead the Lakers back to a championship, it’d be hard to argue with the results.

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And New Yorkers are buying into this hook, line & worm (why is it supposed to be sinker — I mean when a fish really falls for it he goes after the worm, much like an alcoholic with a bottle of tequila).  Darren Rovell who discuses the business side of sports tweeted yesterday that “Knicks 2010/11 tickets went on presale last Thursday. They’re on record pace, having sold 770 new tickets so far.”  Record pace???  Do fans realize we haven’t signed ANYONE yet?  If we end up looking like we’re gonna suck, even one-legged Tracy McGrady will look to leave town.  So this is a two-part look at what to realistically expect.  Part II will be sometime next week.

Let’s look at this first based on the available teams.  First, here are the ones who’ll be competing for poaching rights:

New York Knicks: $18.64 million in 2010-11 payroll
Miami Heat: $26.07 million in 2010-11 payroll
New Jersey Nets: $26.63 million in 2010-11 payroll
Chicago Bulls: $31.85 million in 2010-11 payroll
Los Angeles Clippers: $33.53 million in 2010-11 payroll

Sacramento Kings: $34.0 million in 2010-11 payroll

The Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves could also conceivably get in on the bidding, but they seem unlikely to join the chase.  I doubt Sacramento will even seriously look into trying to grab a big name and instead will prefer to build up a bit more from the ground up through draft picks.  It’s also kinda erroneous to list Miami as only having about $26 million.  Well, first the reason I list them even that low is ‘cuz I assume there’s no way they pick up James Jones’ $4.6 million option.  However, what makes them even lower is that their payroll includes Dwayne Wade’s $17.15 million contract that he’s said he’s gonna opt out of.  In other words, they’ll have less than $10 million in committed contracts!  So they could pay a max salary to both Wade & LeBron and still have say $10 million to offer to say Carlos Boozer.

Next let’s look at what each of the five teams has to offer (I’m excluding Sac).

The Knicks:

1. the second most cap space (after Miami),

2. the mass market of New York to provide much richer endorsement deals and better national exposure,

3. Perhaps the allure of playing at Madison Square Garden, aka “The Mecca of Basketball”,

4. An open and willing wallet (& now a well-respected GM in Donnie Walsh to make you feel they’ll spend wisely),

5. Coach Mike D’Antoni has a good rep as a “player’s coach” and as an assistant coach on Team USA he’s actually worked with most of these guys before.

Cons: 1. David Lee could likely be gone, meaning they’d be coming to a team with literally only Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler (oh yeah, plus Eddy Curry in the trainer’s room),

2. Perhaps a feeling that you’d have to sorta start from nothing.

The Heat:

1.For Wade it’s the only team he’s known(&he’d get more $), and for others it might feel less risky to jump with someone else to a brand new team rather than to join someone on their current team,

2. No income taxes in Florida,

3. Perhaps Pat Riley?,

4. A solid young player in Michael Beasley, and

5. The weather (& yes, that is a real factor for players).

Cons: 1.For some players it might actually be less appealing to join “Wade’s team” rather than go with him to a new place where it could be “our team” (kinda like how it’s usually better for a young couple to move into a new place rather than say just the gal moving into the guy’s place ‘cuz then it’ll always feel like “his place.”),

2.The fact that the Heat/Riley haven’t really looked for help for Wade since the championship year might make some concerned (including Wade) that this isn’t a franchise that will do whatever it takes to win the trophy.

The Nets:

1. Jay-Z is part-owner (& you bet that’s a factor for this hip-hop idolizing generation),

2. Will be moving to Brooklyn, giving it that New York mass market appeal, plus a chance to sorta “recreate” this franchise from the ground up in this new location,

3. Potentially a stud rookie (like John Wall),

4. Some decent players in the spots that are often toughest to fill: Brook Lopez at center and Devin Harris at point.

Cons: 1. They will be coming off a season where they were either the historically worst team ever or darn close to it,

2. It’ll be at least one year, if not two or more, until the team does actually make it to Brooklyn and the crowds ain’t been stellar in Jersey,

3.Uninspiring coach and front office,

4. If the NY angle is exciting, why wouldn’t ya just go to the Knicks?

The Bulls:

1.A chance to play alongside a franchise player in Derrick Rose, as well as solid pieces like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng,

2. Get to play in the house that Jordan built,

3. For Wade a chance to go home,

4.Good media market and good city.

Cons: 1. You’re playing in the house that Jordan built so you’ll likely always be second in the city’s heart to him,

2.Not enough $ to get a second max player so you’d have to feel that the addition of you alone can turn this team into a contender,

3. Questionable coach in Vinny Del Negro, and a timid front office that’s proven to be afraid to go all in (like by refusing to give up Luol Deng for Pau Gasol).

The Clippers:

1.Best nucleus of players with Baron Davis at point, potential all-star second-year player Eric Gordon at shooting guard, Blake Griffin at power forward, and Chris Kaman at center.  Throw in LeBron James at small forward and they could be contenders ‘cuz you could make a legit argument that the Clips would be stronger at every position than the Cavs supporting cast,

2. The huge market of Los Angeles,

3. The warm weather and Hollywood connections/glamor of LA,

4. A chance to do the impossible and turn a cursed laughingstock into a champion.  Even Jordan couldn’t have saved the Clips,

5. The chance to out-do Kobe Bryant in his own arena.

Cons: 1. It’s the Clippers,

2. Cheapskate owner Donald T. Sterling, so basically what you see is what you get — don’t expect any help walking through that door,

3.The injury curse — Wade gets hurt enough as it is, if he joined the Clips his torso would probably fall off his legs,

4. It’s Kobe’s arena and it’s a Laker town, even LeBron bringing the Clips three championships in a row still might not catapult him and the team to town favorite,

5. It’s the Clippers.

–To Be Filed Under “And You Thought Jordan Hill Was A Bad Draft Pick”

When Brandon Jennings, the #10 pick in this last year’s draft, started showing he’s fo’ real, everyone bitched about the Knicks not snagging him with their #8 pick.  ‘Course that means 9 other teams passed on him too, so it’s not like NYC was the only one who misjudged him.  And with #1 pick Blake Griffin injured and unable to play a single minute this season, really the only two higher picks who’ve been clearly better are Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry.  Others like James Harden and Jonny Flynn have been solid, and word is that Minnesota Timberwolves’ pick Ricky Rubio has been phenomenal  …playing over in Europe.  Everyone thought the draft would only produce one stud (Griffin) and the other players would be mediocre.  Instead, they’ve done wildly better than anyone would’ve guessed.  Which only makes it sting more for the Memphis Grizzlies who just sent their #2 pick, Hasheem Thabeet, to the D-League.  While his name is pretty darn fun to say (or even to sing, particularly when you replace the chorus of the Go-Go Girls’ “We Got The Beat” with his name), he will be the highest draft pick EVER sent to the D-League.  The dude is so bad that the Grizz decided to replace him at backup center with Iranian, Hamed Haddadi, who thinks he’s playing something called “net ball.”

–The Last Straw

Newly acquired Dallas Maverick, Caron Butler, has been banned by the NBA league office.  Banned from chewing on straws during games.  Really?  We’ve become so overly concerned about appearances that we’re cracking down on straw chewing?  And for those of you who think “straw chewing” is a euphemism or slang for something, no, it’s literally what it sounds like: Caron likes to sit on the bench and chew on McDonald’s straws.  Since Butler used to play for the Wizards, the Washington Post once did a hard-hitting news piece on this insidious habit:

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