Maroons come back from 20-point grave but still fall prey to Falcons

(UP MBT Game #3- July 29, 2012 @ the MOA Arena)

After displaying what could be their worst first quarter of UAAP Season 75, the UP Fighting Maroons fought gallantly until the final buzzer to give themselves a chance at a first win.

The effort though was still not enough.

The Maroons almost rose back from the dead after being down by 20 points after 10 minutes of play. They slowly carved Adamson University’s lead and even went up by one four minutes left in the game after a Jelo Montecastro’s freethrow. Adamson fought back and led by as much as six again but UP did not succumb to the pressure and was able to tie the game at 67-all with the combined excellent plays of Mark Lopez, Alvin Padilla and Chris Ball.

However, it was Rodney Brondial’s follow-up of a Jericho Cruz miss that sealed the game for the Falcons 69-67. The Maroons, out of timeouts after the ensuing play, were left with no idea how to finish the game with 18 seconds left.

At first I thought Lopez would take the last shot because of how well he played today, he even made a three pointer to tie the game at 65-all and scored a team-high 17 points.  Or maybe even Mike Silungan, who was brought here for that purpose, to take the biggest shots for the Maroons even on an off-game.

Instead, the ball found its way to Padilla’s hands in the dying seconds of the game. He hoisted up a contested three pointer, not really squared up for the shot. The attempt was long and bounced off the rim just as the final buzzer sounded. To my (and the rest of the UP contingent’s) dismay, we had suffered our third straight setback, we had the chance to win but we had to settle for another loss.

The Maroons started slowly again in this match-up and as aforementioned was down by 20 at the end of the first quarter. Surprisingly, Coach Ricky Dandan played third-string forward Diony Hipolito ahead of the likes of Paolo Romero and Raul Soyud. I had a bad feeling about this decision and true enough, Adamson big men Brondial and Eric Camson feasted on Hipolito and Ball inside the paint. Furthermore, the lead ballooned after the Falcons started hitting their three point shots, two from Alex Nuyles and one each from Ryan Monteclaro and Allen Etrone.

The second quarter was a different story as the Maroons tightened up the defense and applied full court traps and pressure to the Falcons. The result was a 20-9 scoring run highlighted by UP playing the passing lanes well and converting via fastbreak on one Adamson turnover after another. Rookie big man JR Gallarza (and his short shorts) was a revelation here as he stopped Camson from doing more damage in the paint and from mid-range. Adamson lead by just nine, 37-28, going into halftime.

The third period was a coaching masterpiece for Dandan as UP was able to bring things back to square one going into the final quarter. The Maroons continued their trapping defense using their small-ball line-up and was again able to force more Falcon turnovers. UP outscored Adamson again in this period, 22-13, and was capped by rookie pointguard Henry Asilum’s back-to-back hits to knot the score at 50-all after three.

The fourth quarter was like a stage play with two protagonists fighting toe-to-toe for the honor of a first win, UP with Montecastro calling the shots and Adamson with Cruz controlling the tempo. The result was an all out fight to the very end.

The Falcons were able to capitalize on Chris Ball’s four personal fouls more than halfway into the fourth. Coach Dandan fielded in Hipolito at center, and with Silungan and Lopez as forwards, had to battle Camson and Brondial again inside. The two Falcon big men successfully bullied their way inside scoring on easy putbacks, and with Cruz’s steady sniping, seemed to have the game in the bag at 65-59.

With their pride still intact, UP would unleash their last run and tie the game at 65-all courtesy of Chris Ball’s and-one conversion and Mark Lopez’s three pointer. Camson and Padilla would score again for both sides for a 67-all tie. Then the Brondial tip-in finalized the scoring at 69-67.

The game, just like the one against National University last Thursday, had its positives and negatives for the Maroons. 

One biggest negative is that the team started slow again and had to come back from a 20-point lead. Biggest positive is the Maroons’ ability to come back from a big lead, but it isn’t always fun to do so. Starting strong is still UP’s biggest problem in this young UAAP season.  If this happens again, particularly in their next game, they will definitely not stand a chance against the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

With the Falcon’s steady outside shooting to start the game, the Maroons did not have the chance to execute the 1-3-1 zone used against NU last game. Instead, Dandan made it clear to his boys that they had to outhustle their opponents to get back in the game. The small-ball line-up that he fielded will definitely be (and should be) a constant in their next games, as Lopez, Padilla and Silungan all showed how good they can be defensively and offensively.

One chink in the Maroons armor is the ability to close out games, particularly with last second shot plays. As mentioned earlier, the Maroons were without timeouts in their last possession and were a bit clueless as to how to win the game. The last five remaining on the floor were Montecastro, Silungan, Lopez, Padilla and Ball. Of the five, Montecastro should have been the one executing a “point-guard play” to make sure that his team was getting the best shot possible.

All of UP was hoping for a 1-2 record instead of 0-3. Still, the future looks bright and the next coming games for the Maroons are filled with hope and optimism for them to finally nail that elusive first win.

Individual Scores:

Adamson 69 – Cruz 19, Camson 19, Brondial 10, Nuyles 9, Rios 3, Petilos 3, Monteclaro 3, Etrone 3, Trollano 0, Julkipli 0, Deans 0, Cabrera 0, Abrigo 0.

UP 67 – Lopez 17, Ball 13, Padilla 9, Montecastro 7, Gamboa 6, Manuel 4, Asilum 4, Silungan 3, Soyud 2, Hipolito 2, Mbah 0, Romero 0, Gallarza 0.

Quarter scores: 28-8, 37-28, 50-50, 69-67

UP's shooting woes translate to easy NU win

UP MBT Game #2: July 26, 2012 - Araneta Coliseum

ANEMIC.

This word best describes the UP Fighting Maroons' offense in today's game against the UAAP Season 75 hosts, National University Bulldogs. After making just 22% of their shots in the first half and totaling 28 points after three quarters, the Maroons succumbed to the Bulldogs, 67-50.


The Bulldogs, fresh from a beatdown from defending champions Ateneo, were eager to disprove some social media comments about them being overrated after their lopsided loss last Sunday. They never trailed in this game and showcased why they are still among the title favorites for this season.


As for the Maroons, the 11 day interval in between games proved fatal for them as they jacked up a lot of bad shots from the get-go and looked as if they were not in good playing condition for majority of the game. It was ironic because it was Coach Ricky Dandan himself who tweeted after their game versus UST was postponed due to typhoon Ferdie that it would help them prepare more for this game. It seemed like they were out of their element for most of the game until the fourth quarter when the Maroons showed a lot more hustle and energy but to no avail.

The first quarter was a little close as NU led by only six, 16-10. However, the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on UP's unforced errors and abysmal shooting percentage in the second quarter and took a 24-point lead at the half, 42-18. The second period featured a 17-0 run by NU led by Bobby Ray Parks. However, it took the likes of Robin Rono, Jul-Ashri Ignacio and Troy Rosario to pad the lead to double figures.

Spitfire rookie pointguard Henry Asilum also hurt his nose in this quarter after colliding with Emmanuel Mbe. Asilum never returned to the game after the incident.

UP tried something different in the second half which I think they would (and they should) try some more in their next games.  Coach Dandan instructed his boys to use a 1-3-1 zone defense against the Bulldogs and somehow managed to trim the lead a bit. NU was forced to shoot jumpers which rarely hit their mark and even their short stabs at the basket were denied by the rim too.

However, gallant as this UP stand may be, they still entered the final quarter down by 24. The reason, their energy was mostly used up by defending and playing catch-up that they were also missing their point blank shots and long-range attempts.

Still, the Maroons exhibited the fighting monicker until the very end and was able to trim the lead down to 17 at the end of the game. The fourth quarter saw UP team captain Mike Silungan and returning Alinko Mbah bark at their teammates to play better defense and choose their shots well.

The Maroons continued the 1-3-1 zone and added a little bit of full court pressure to get steals and convert on the break or from the three-point territory. Jelo Montecastro and Jett Manuel took turns in helping ease the scoring load for Silungan in the fourth.

With the win, the Bulldogs now have a 2-1 win-loss card together with La Salle and Ateneo. The Maroons, were led by Silungan and Manuel with 11 points each and are now 0-2.

Overall, the Maroons failed to give themselves a fighting chance to win this game by squandering possessions either by turnovers or bad shot selection. They must find a way to start strong in their next games in order to at least have a shot at winning.

The 1-3-1 zone mentioned earlier looks very promising and I believe should be a constant in UP's next games. The offense would definitely take care of itself as UP is a team of role players who can all contribute at any given day, even with "star player" Silungan taking most of the shots.

They face the Adamson Soaring Falcons this Sunday (July 29, 2012), a team who also lost today to the Far Eastern University Tamarraws. The Falcons also have a 0-2 win-loss record.

Here's hoping that the Maroons get that monkey off their backs and grab that elusive first win on Sunday.

UP Fight!!!

(Photos taken from various Internet sources)

Meet Your Maroons

Photos taken from www.upalumni.ph

Players. (First Row, L-R): Jett Manuel (Xavier), Mike Gamboa (Ateneo HS), Mike Silungan (US), Julius Wong (Letran), Paolo Romero (Ateneo HS), Jelo Montecastro (transferee- CSB), Mikee Reyes (injured - LSGH), Chris Ball (US)

(Second Row, L-R): Diony Hipolito, Henry Asilum (Ateneo de Cebu - Sacred Heart HS), Mark Lopez (FEU HS), JR Gallarza (US), Robby Wierzba (US), Raul Soyud (transferee- West Negros College), Alinko Mbah (Nigeria), Alvin Padilla (transferee- San Beda)

(L-R) Romualdo Dizer, Ricky Dandan, Mark Dandan, Joey Mendoza, Bob Noriega, Jojo Villa

UP FIGHT!!!

TAKE IT ONE GAME AT A TIME AND HERE'S TO HOPING WE HAVE ANOTHER 1986 MOMENT IN THE FUTURE

QCSHS Alumni Basketball League Highlights (Week 4)

Week 4 Game Results (courtesy of Mr. Rommel Madayag)

As the city was engulfed with heavy rains and flash floods put the traffic to a grinding halt, Kisay Basketball action still managed to push through last Saturday, July 14, 2012. And even with only 5 players to start the game, Team Thunders poured it all early in the first half to route QueSci Varsity 102 – 57. The Thunder onslaught was too much for the youngsters with Daniel Calda leading all scorers with 32 pts, Julius Aves and Carl Luzano chipped in with 24 and 20 pts apiece. Rangel Lapus led the youngsters’ gallant fight with 22 pts. 

“Wait until the final bell rings”

 

That seems to be the message that Team 2k7 wanted to put across in the second game. However, after the heavy downpour of 3 pointers (13 treys combined from both teams) the whole game, Team 2k4 escaped with a 67 – 62 win over Team 2k7. Bren Bigcas paced Team 2k4 with 27 markers while Jose Gemora added 19. Dunne Mamhot led Team 2k7 with 12 pts.

Hell frezes over.

Intense action capped the last game of the weekend as Team mm1 demolished Team 4002 55 – 37. After scoring the first 9 pts for Team 4002, Jerome Medel suddenly went cold as Christian Bacolot of Team mm1 played no-nonsense defense on the only scorer for Team 4002 who sorely missed the services of go-to-guy Topet Del Fierro who’s nursing an injury (and baby-sitting as well, hahaha!). Playing like a man possessed, Bacolot even led all scorers with 21 markers while hounding Medel (10pts) all game long.

 

Maroons show the fight but come up short versus Archers

(UP MBT Game #1: July 15, 2012 - MOA Arena)

After an unproductive weekend due to the rainy weather and another unproductive Monday, I decided that it was time to write my first piece about my UP Fighting Maroons in this year's UAAP Basketball wars.

Since the cancellation of their 2nd game against UST
last Saturday somehow gave me a sign to write about them on a per game basis. Please bear in mind that this is a recall of events two weekends ago so it may not be that accurate, here it goes:


I arrived at the spanking brand new MOA Arena a few minutes later than what my friend Carlos and I agreed upon. Carlos gave me Patron tickets and an "all-access pass" to the game by the way.

I arrived at about halfway into the first quarter with DLSU leading UP by three (I think). Top rookie Jeron Teng and veteran L.A. Revilla were running circles around the UP defense. This prompted Coach Ricky Dandan to call a timeout and bring in new faces who I never thought would have made a difference.

Newcomers Henry Asilum (point guard from Cebu) and Chris Ball (Fil-Am rookie, also Bong Hawkins' nephew) were injected into the line-up and gave the Maroons some life on defense as the Maroons finished the first quarter trailing by just one. The quarter featured Asilum driving and converting and and-one on another rookie and high school nemesis Mark Tallo of La Salle.

Asilum proved that he can play big minutes even in his first taste of UAAP action

Then came the second quarter which seemed competitive at first, the Maroons had their first taste of the lead but was quickly relinquished by DLSU via the hot shooting of Luigi dela Paz. The quarter ended with the Maroons down by six, 35 - 29.

After a great halftime display (what's new?) by the UP Pep Squad and a rather boring one by DLSU (but they had very cute cheerleaders), the third quarter saw UP succumbed to bad shots and turnovers. DLSU gave the Maroons a pounding from inside and out as they found themselves leading by 10 with just a quarter left.

Then the inevitable happened - well almost.

UP rallied with stifling defense outscoring La Salle for the period and almost pulling out the win.

UP's run was led by graduating forward Mike Silungan who made some pretty shots from mid-range while playing the most complete game of his career as a Maroon. Transferee Raul Soyud also played well although it will be noted that he took more shots than Silungan.

Soyud looked OK in his first game but took the bulk of the shots

However, it was Alvin Padilla who made the biggest plays for the Maroons in the last few minutes of the game as he hit a surprise three-pointer and an off balanced shot in back-to-back sequences. These Padilla highlights gave UP it's last taste of the lead at 68-67.

La Salle still had the last laugh as Revilla drove and dished to Teng in the next possession and eventually converted an and-one for a 70-68 lead.

Rookie Jeron Teng made the most impotant shot of the game

UP attempted to retaliate and drew up a play designed to win the game with around half a minute remaining in the game. Padilla, Silungan and Jett Manuel ran a weave play and led to the latter being open for a few seconds. Manuel's attempt was blocked by long-armed Yutien Andrada and sent the La Salle crowd into frenzy. It was all formality after that as DLSU made it's freethrows and UP fumbled another three-point attempt.

After the final buzzer I proudly sang "UP Naming Mahal" and said to myself that Coach Rick was actually not kidding when he said that playing UP this year doesn't guarantee anyone a win.

I went home with a positive outlook to the UP Fighting Maroons Men's Basketball Team campaign this year. 

UP Fight!!!

Kobe vs Kyrie (Classic trash talking by Kobe)

Another video, and this is the last one I promise.

This is a funnier one. See how Kobe trash talked last year's NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving after being challenged to a game of one-on-one (for $ 50k). LOL

Anthony Davis' Four Point Play (USA Teammates Reaction= Priceless)

Before I call it a night, I would like to share this amazing shot by this year's 1st overall draft pick Anthony Davis in an exhibition game between Team USA and the Dominican Republic basketball team.

His teammates were excited for him making the shot and who wouldn't be? Team USA is expected to coast in the Olympics with this kind of all-around effort and camaraderie from all it's players.

Good Luck Team USA! Send me a Davis jersey :)

Your 2012-2013 Dallas Mavericks (and Cap Space)

The Dallas Mavericks were all smiles after achieving what seemed to be improbable last season

The Dallas Mavericks were on top of the NBA mountain some 13 months ago after beating the Miami Heat in six games in the 2011 Finals.  As most people say, their run to the title was exemplary and was aided by a bit of luck given that they only had one established superstar (Dirk Nowitzki) in his prime compared to the Big Three the Heat had back then.

Wanting long term success, Mark Cuban and the Mavs front office opted to blow the championship team apart by allowing their key free agents in 2011 to go to other teams right after the NBA lockout was resolved. The lockout was key to Cuban's decision as the owner wanted to follow the stricter rules and avoid the harsh penalties imposed by the new NBA CBA.

A lot of Mavs fans (including me) were left scratching our heads as we saw Tyson Chandler go to New York, JJ Barea head to Minnesota, Caron Butler sign with the Clippers and so on. He also traded non-cap friendly contracts like that of the promising Corey Brewer (with Rudy Fernandez, who never actually got to see action for the Mavs)  to the Nuggets in order to clear precious cap room heading towards the summer of 2012 where he initially had three big fishes to try to land (Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard).

The Mavs looked promising for the 2011-2012 season as they got some key acquisitions for cheap that would have (key word is would have) made the team in tip-top shape to defend their title. Their poster boys actually looked like this before the season started last December.

The 2011-2012 hard-luck Mavs

Now we all know how the 2011-2012 season (started and) ended for the Mavs. In one word their campaign can be described as MEDIOCRE, as other teams in the NBA clearly displayed how superior they were to the then defending champs. Whether we blame Cubes for not giving his old team a chance to defend, Jason Kidd's advancing age, a lack of defensive presence in the middle or Lamar Odom-Kardashian's antics on and off the court for not defending the championship; it is clear that the Mavs were not really in it to win it last season.

Fast forward to present, the Miami Heat are your new NBA champs, the recent NBA draft saw a lot of talent influx to the league (I'm not even ranting about the rookies as I wanted to give them a chance to prove themselves) and the free agency period has commenced.

Oh wait, free agency, YEAH!!! Weren't the Mavs supposed to land a big fish this summer? Rewinding things a bit, CP3 and D12 exercised their player options for the coming season leaving the Mavs to concentrate on one (and hometown) fish in Deron Williams who opted out of the last year of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets to decide if he stays in the Borough or go home to Big D.  

CP3 and D12 decided to exercise their player options for 2012-2013

And we all know how the meetings with Deron go right? He chose to stay in BKN after strongly considering going to Dallas but was swayed due to the Nets superior talent (they have Joe Johnson via trade, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez as compared to only Dirk for the Mavs). Worse, the Mavs lost out on plan B too, as Dirk's longtime friend Steve Nash was sent packing to Hollywood by the Suns to team up with Kobe Bryant and chase a ring together.

No Stevie, No D-Will as well for the Mavs this year

Worst (see things got even worst), they let go of two more crucial pieces of their championship team when they allowed Jason Terry to go to the Boston Celtics (they did not even attempt to match the offer even if they can) and lost out on the Jason Kidd "sweepstakes."

Kidd will head to the New York Knicks and Terry will wear the Boston Celtics green next season

Now how sad is that if you are a Mavs fan huh? The team only has Dirk and Shawn Marion as the main contributors for their one and only championship run left (yes Brendan Haywood wasn't and we will get to him later). All of a sudden Mavs nation were asking, WTF was Cuban thinking? Most of them even wanted Dirk traded to a contender as respect to the player who gave Dallas glory a year ago.

I admit I almost cursed Mark Cuban and wanted to send him an email to state my intention to replace Donnie Nelson as the team's general manager (as I made a lot of successful trades and signings in NBA 2K12, LOL) but I waited to see if hey have a back-up plan amidst all the madness.

To my delight, not only did I see the Mavs management make key and affordable transactions that made the team look like a good team again. They were actually sticking to the original plan of pairing up Dirk with a high profile star (or even a pair of stars) in the future. Cuban was sticking to the plan that as long as they had the cap space they would definitely be in the running for superstars again. 

The Mavs made a flurry of transactions a few days ago that made their fans somehow smile again. They got a serviceable center in Chris Kaman (on a one-year deal) who still had quite a productive season after not being part of the plan in New Orleans last season. He is probably the best offensive center in Mavs team history and is looking at the chance to play with Dirk again after teaming up in the Olympics for the German national basketball team.

Kaman looks to play with Dirk again after a good stint together in the Olympics

They also get two players in return for one that they were giving up anyway as they made a sign-and-trade deal with the Pacers and shipped back-up center Ian Mahimni for guards Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones. Both players make the departure of Kidd and Terry bearable and yes they both also have only one year left in their current contracts.

The rumor mill also says the Mavs are front runners to Elton Brand (who was amnestied by the Philadelphia 76ers) and they have done the necessary preparations for this after amnestying Brendan Haywood as well (see I told you I was gonna mention Haywood).

They also have a back-up plan if they don't land Brand as they also look at Luis Scola as a possible pick-up from the amnesty pool (if the Rockets amnesty him). Finally, the Mavs are looking to trade for Raptors guard Jose Calderon (and his expiring contract) after Toronto deemed him dispensable after trading for Kyle Lowry.

New Mavs: The Dallas Mavericks add Collison and Jones through a sign-and-trade deal with the Pacers, sign Kaman to a one-year deal and hopes to land Brand from amnesty waivers

Now the Mavs look like a good team again. Not as good as the Oklahomas and Miamis of the NBA but clearly not pushovers like how they looked last week. They get legit starters in Kaman, Jones and Collison, which they can team up with Nowitzki and Marion to make a decent starting line-up.

Vince Carter will likely assume Terry's sixth man role and Brand (if they get him) will be a great back-up for Dirk. Rodrique Beabouis and Dominique Jones would look to earn more minutes while challenging Jared Cunningham (24th overall pick) for playing time. Second round picks Bernard James and Jae Crowder will look to crack the rotation as hard nosed defenders. And we haven't mentioned a possible reunion with Delonte West, should the Mavs get him and be able to trade for Calderon we are looking at a team that is possibly fourth best in the West and would give any team a hard time.

Finally, I would like to reiterate that all the moves made by the Mavs front office recently may have been showered with a bit of luck again. However, they are working really hard within the restrictions of the new CBA and staying in-course of a plan to get the best available talent to help Dirk win another title before he retires, as long as the talent is available. 





QCSHS Alumni Basketball League Week 3 Highlights

Week 3 Game Results (provided by Mister Romel Madayag of Team Legends)
 

05-06 vs Varsity

 What seemed to look like a walk in the park turned out to be a rough hill to climb for Team 05-06 as it tasted its first win of the season with a 45-38 drubbing of the QueSci Varsity. With a sticky defense by the youngsters which focused on skipper Marnex Mijares, who was limited to a lone point, Center Eljon Serrano took up the slack with 13 points.

Manong Gang Strikes Again (Legends vs Thunders)

Team Thunders’ relentless trapping defense and running offense almost did it against a team so experienced as the Manong Gang. But endgame poise and sheer determination to win was the lesson for the day as the reliable big men of Team Legends led by Pat Solosa (25 pts, 11/12 FT!) and Delo Celo (20 pts) took up the challenge and showed the freshies how to win close ballgames and escaped with a 72 – 66 win. Bryan Operario paced the Thunders who fought gallantly with 16 points.

08 vs 07

What started out as an interesting game of familiarity made an ugly turn in the Third quarter as Team 08 quashed Team 07, 72 – 37. After leading by ten points at the half, Team 08 clamped down on defense at the start of the Third quarter and almost rendered Team 07 scoreless. James Chua led Team 08 with 17 points, Vince Garcia and Carlo Valencia contributed with 16 and 14 points respectively. Reynold Munsayac led Team 07 with 15 points.

State of the NBA after a week of Free Agency (and trades)

The landscape of the NBA has changed much like when I’m playing“Association” mode in NBA 2K12. Pre-draft, draft day and post draft trades, as well as free agents staying with their old club or going to new teams highlight this NBA off season.

From high draft picks hopefully changing a team’s fortune, to old players being traded to provide stability and finally All-Stars changing addresses or re-upping with their old teams, all these make us NBA fans excited (well it depends on who you root for) for next season. It has a promise to even surpass the hype the previous lockout shortened season generated.

The point guard position so far has been the most wanted opening for all teams as they either look to acquire young, athletic and scoring hybrids or the classic pass-first, team leader the position was originally meant to be. After the Deron Williams domino fell and resigned with the Brooklyn Nets other teams began to scramble to find the next coveted floor general.

Here are the transactions as of July 5, 2012. Please note that not all these are official (especially the free agent signings) until July 11, when the league allows free agent contracts to be signed.

1. Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza (NO) for Rashard Lewis and second round pick (WAS)

Okafor and Ariza goes to the Wizards

- This trade kicked off the player movement for next season as two established defensive specialists Okafor and Ariza go to the Wizards for often injured shooter Lewis who was never a good fit in Washington. This makes sense for both teams as the Wizards are stockpiling their roster with veterans (starting with Nene last season) to give their team some stability, Lewis likely gets bought out by the Hornets to create cap room and parlayed the second round pick to Kentucky’s Darius Miller.

2. Chase Budinger (HOU) for first round pick (MIN)

Chase Bud will head to Minny

- The Rockets were trying to collect assets for a major trade for Dwight Howard so they got this pick from the Wolves. Their plan failed as Dwight apparently wants to go to the Brooklyn Nets only and specifically stated that if traded to another team, he will explore free agency the following season. Houston nabbed versatile Kentucky forward Terrence Jones with this pick.

3. Corey Magette (CHA) for Ben Gordon (DET) and protected future first rounder

Maggette and Gordon switch teams

- The Pistons and Bobcats swapped players assumingly for need. Detroit needed to get rid of disappointing Gordon and Charlotte dealt the oft-injured Magette. This fills the Bobcats need of adding a scorer off the bench and the Pistons get another player who can play and defend multiple positions.

4. Samuel Dalembert and the 12^thoverall pick (MIL) for Jon Leuer, Shaun Livingston, Jon Brockman and the 14^thoverall pick

Sam now mans the middle for the Bucks

- This trade was another one of Houston’s attempt to land trade assets for Howard but ended up with multiple draft picks. The Rockets get UConn’s Jeremy Lambat #12 and the Bucks nab UNC’s John Henson at #14 to complete this draft day trade.

5. Kevin Garnett ($ 34M) and Andre Miller resigns with old teams for three more years

KG will still have three more years to try to win another ring

- Two battle tested veterans decided to give their mother clubs another shot by re-upping for three more years each. KG and Dre were both rumoured to switch addresses but was the quickest to sign new contracts with old clubs. KG will continue to man the shaded lane for the C’s and Miller will continue mentoring up-and-comer Ty Lawson.

Andre Miller is back for three more years of back-up duty

6. Omer Asik (CHI) signs offer sheet (3 year, $ 25.1M) with the Rockets – Bulls likely not matching

Asik will back up Joakim Noah no more

- Centers are a hot commodity nowadays because there are just a few of them who like to bang bodies in the paint and do the dirty work inside. Houston (again?) is another team looking for someone to man the paint with the retirement of Yao Ming last season, possibly letting starting center Marcus Camby look for a new team and trading Samuel Dalembert. Asik is someone they took as consolation after quitting the pursue of Dwight Howard and hopes that coach Kevin McHale can transform the relatively young big man into an effective one that Houston can rely on for years to come.

7. Lamar Odom (DAL) to LAC, Mo Williams (LAC) to Jazz in a four team trade

LO is back where he started, with the Clips

- In a deal that Dallas (or Odom’s agent) initiated, they finally get rid of troubled forward Lamar Odom. In a four team trade, the Clippers sent guard Mo Williams to the Utah Jazz. Utah will use the trade exception it created in the Mehmet Okur deal with New Jersey this past season to take on Williams' contract. Dallas will create anew trade exception worth $8.9 million by shedding Odom's contract(which they initially lost to the Lakers for the Lamar Odom trade) without taking any salary back. The Mavs also received the draft rights to forward Tadija Dragicevic from Utah and cash considerations from the Houston Rockets. The Clippers sent the draft rights to second-round pick Furkan Aldemir to Houston. Utah also received the draft rights to Shan Fosterfrom the Mavericks.

Mo Will is back to start for the Jazz as well

8. Roy Hibbert offer sheet (4 year, $ 58M) from Portland

Hibbert's big play last year translated to a big contract offer

- A deal that is reported that the Pacers is thinking twice to match, another big dude is getting a huge payday after being offered a max deal by the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers are pretty much looking to move on after the Greg Odenera (their latest big man bust) did not pan out. The Pacers are actually in talks with UFAs Chris Kaman and Ian Mahimni as possible replacements for Hibbert.

9. Team Option on Vince Carter exercised ($ 3.1M for 2012-2013) by Dallas

Vince returns for another tour of duty with the Mavs

- The Dallas Mavericks exercise their team option on veteran Vince Carter for the 2012-2013 season to fill their vacant off-the-bench scorer role left by Jason Terry (story on this later)

10. Blake Griffin accepts extension for 5 year $ 95M from Clips, Chris Paul doesn’t

CP3 and Blake may not be wearing the same unis after next season

- As expected the Clippers offered extensions to their two biggest stars. As expected, Griffin accepts the extension and Paul does not. It was wise for Paul to do so as he would like to wait and see the full potential of this young Clippers team in a full season before committing himself to Lob City long term.

11. Eric Gordon accepts offer sheet from Hornets worth $ 58M for four years

Rising star Gordon wants to play for the Valley of the Sun

- RFA Eric Gordon has expressed his interest to play for the Phoenix Suns and even said that he feels that Phoenix is where his heart wants to stay. It has been reported that the Hornets will be matching any offer for their young superstar in order to pair him with top draft picks Anthony Davis(1^st overall) and Austin Rivers (10^thoverall).

12. Gerald Wallace re-ups for $ 40M for four years

Wallace will remain a Net for four more years

- After losing the 6^th overall pick in this year’s draft because of the Gerald Wallace trade last season, the Nets have successfully resigned the defensive specialist they need to stop the elite scorers in the NBA.

13. Joe Johnson (ATL) traded to the Brooklyn Nets for expiring contracts and a first round pick

Joe J will be heading to Brooklyn next season and beyond

- The Nets traded Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, DeShawn Stevenson, Johan Petro, Jordan Williams and the Houston Rockets 2013 first-round pick, which is lottery-protected, to acquire Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks. This move actually solidified the Nets stance to make it back to the East’s elite. Related D-Will story below

14. Marvin Williams (ATL) and Devin Harris (UTA) trade

Williams and Harris switch teams for next season

- In another deal that new Hawks GM Danny Ferry was doing to clear cap space to eventually make a run at Dwight Howard next year and make incumbent superstar Josh Smith happy, they traded two bad years of Marvin Williams (an underachieving player for most of his career) to the Utah Jazz for one bad year of Devin Harris. Oh, and Harris gets traded for another Williams again.

15. Mirza Teletović agrees to a three-year, $15.675 million deal with the Nets

Introducing Mirza Teletovic, power forward for the BKN

- Bosnian forward Mirza Teletović is a 26-year-old power forward who averaged 17 points and 6.2 rebounds for Caja Laboral in the Spanish League. Teletović won the Spanish King's Cup MVP in 2009 and figures to be a major contributor for the Nets. This move could signal the end for Kris Humphries, as Humphries will either be let go or dealt in a sign-and-trade deal.

16. Deron Williams stays at Brooklyn for 5 year, $ 98M

D-Will stays in Brooklyn to usher the start of a new era in Nets basketball

- As stated earlier, DWill was the prime block in free agency that when his domino fell the player movement started like crazy. He spurned the Dallas Mavericks offer to play in his hometown and team up with superstar Dirk Nowitzki. I guess he did the right thing as the Nets are primed to get back to the East elite after obtaining Teletovic, Wallace and Johnson.

17. Landry Fields (NYK) to Raptors in a 3 year, 20M deal

Fields goes to the Raptors

- In their attempt to strip down New York of its trade assets forSteve Nash, the Raptors decided to give Fields a deal he cannot refuse and the Knicks will not match. Too bad Nashy spurned Canada’s team for Hollywood (story below)

18. Jason Terry (DAL) to the Celtics for 3 years, 15M

From Big D to Beantown. The Jet will land in another runway next season

- Boston needed to get someone to come off the bench and back-up promising combo guard Avery Bradley, the C’s sign Jason Terry and ensure they have a scorer off the bench since Ray Allen is likely leaning towards taking his talents elsewhere (update below). This marks the end of JET’s 8-year run in Dallas with Dirk Nowitzki.

19. Rudy Fernandez (DEN) back to Real Madrid for 3 years

Rudy gets to wear his first name at the back of his jersey while playing for Real Madrid

- The Spanish League is happy once more as their prodigal son Rudy Fernandez returns to play for his home country professionally. Terms were not disclosed but it was believed that Fernandez is the current highest paid player in the Spanish League after a so-so NBA career in Portland and Denver.

20. Michael Beasley (MIN) to the Suns in a 3 year, $ 18M deal

Talented but troubled forward Beasley goes to Phoenix

- Talented but inconsistent Beasley was not offered a qualifying offer by the Wolves. The Suns wasted no time in nabbing this dude from the UFA market in order to add scoring and athleticism to the aging Suns.

21. Spencer Hawes stays a Sixer with a 2-year, 13.1M deal

Hawes will remain the man in the middle for Philly

- Philly keeps their starting center after a good playoff run last season.

22. George Hill re-ups with hometown team Indiana

George Hill remains with hometown Indiana

- A 5-year deal with no figures yet is being finalized by Pacers management for homegrown talent Hill.

23. Hasheem Thabeet (POR) to Thunder in a 2-year deal

OKC will try to remove Thabeet's bust label

- OKC looks to try the Thabeet experiment. I would consider the Thunder management the best one in the NBA should they be able to turn the former 2^nd pick from bust to baller.

24. Steve Nash (PHO) traded to Lakers for trade exception and picks

Foes no more, Kobe and Nash will now team up in Tinseltown

- The Lakers and Suns agreed on a sign-and-trade sending Steve Nash to Los Angeles, where he will be given a three-year deal worth an estimated $27 million. The Lakers, well over the salary and luxury tax levels, can absorb Nash into the trade exception created when they dealt Lamar Odom to Dallas last December. Phoenix will receive four draft picks from the Lakers -- a pair of each in the first (2013, 2015) and second (2013, 2014) rounds. I still can’t believe that the Suns let him go to a conference rival.

25. Goran Dragic (HOU) to the Suns for 4 years, $ 30M deal

Dragic is back to run the Sun's offense in a starting role

- Dragic was the third point guard to come off the market after the DWill and Nash recruitment plans were deemed unsuccessful. Ironic that Goran gets signed by the team that traded him last two seasons ago for Aaron Brooks.

26. Jeremy Lin (NYK) mulling Rockets offer (4 year $ 30M, 4^th year player option)

Where will Lin land? We will find out soon

- The “poison pill”contract everyone is talking about, but it seems that the New York Knicks will match any offer for their prized point-guard/ media darling. Especially now that they have someone to back him up and teach him the ropes (related story below).

27. Jameer Nelson re-ups with the Magic, terms of deal not disclosed

Jameer will still run the Magic offense

- With or without the assurance of playing alongside his friend Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson decides to stay with the Magic.

28. Jamal Crawford (POR) to LAC with a 4 year $ 25M deal, Chauncey resigns for one more year

Crawford solves the Blazers shooting woes

- Jamal Crawford fills a void at starting shooting guard for the Clippers. He opted out of his contract with the Blazers to do so. Chauncey resigns for one more to probably back up Chris Paul now and preserve his aging body and avoid injuries.

Billups is B-B-Back

29. Brandon Bass accepts 3 year deal from Boston

Bass will be back in Boston

- Boston fans have a reason to be happy as one of their more consistent players decided to re-up with the team. He will still probably start at the power forward slot until rookie Jared Sullinger is ready for big minutes.

30. Kyle Lowry (HOU) traded to Raptors for Gary Forbes and a future 1^st round pick

Lowry will now run Dwayne Casey's offense in Toronto

- Lowry who has had issues with head coach Kevin McHale was finally let go by the Rockets in order to chase another high profile point guard (Lin to be exact). In Forbes, the Rockets get an NBA veteran who knows how to play both ends of the court. Lowry is the answer to Toronto’s point guard dilemma since they struck out on Nash and will probably waive Jose Calderon.

31. Jason Kidd (DAL) signs with Knicks for $ 9M, three years. Spurns Mavs similar offer

If Lin is retained by NYK, Kidd will mentor and back him up

- In what seems to be the final blow to all the Mavs hard luck in this year’s free agency, their long time point guard and champion floor general decides to play in the Big Apple. Kidd who recently purchased a home in the Hamptons said that he asked for Dirk Nowitzki’s blessings before he signed the Knicks contract. He said that the big talent disparity between the two teams made him choose NYC over Big D.

32. Jeff Green accepts $ 40M for 4 years to play with Celtics again

Green gives Celts another shot

- Jeff Green who was traded for Kendrick Perkinsused to be a talented forward before his heart ailment got the best of him. His condition forced him to sit out all of last season but it was reported that he is ready and rarin’ to play again. He gives Boston depth and an insurance at both forward slots if any of their veterans get injured.

33. Brandon Roy (POR) attempts comeback with Wolves with 2 year, $ 10M deal

- Roy was amnestied by the Blazers last year as he prematurely retired from basketball because of his nagging knee injuries. The good news for Roy fans is that he is back and would be playing for the team that drafted him six years ago.

Roy and Batum will probably play together again or not

34. Nicolas Batum (POR) reportedly offered a 4 year, $ 40-50M deal by Minnesota

- A report states that Minnesota is looking at uber athletic and promising wingman Nicolas Batum to fill their need for a starting small forward. They have let go Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph by not giving them qualifying offers. Portland can match the offer though.

35. Maurice Speights resigns with Grizzlies

Speights remains a Grizzly

- Speights will back up Zach Randolph anew after resigning with the Grizzlies. Terms of the deal were not disclosed yet.

36. Nick Young (LAC) signs with Sixers ($ 6M, 1 year deal)

Young goes to the Sixers, hopefully the shirt does not

- Nick Young decides to sign with the Sixers on a one year deal after a short stint with the Clippers. He and current Sixer Thaddeus Young provides an explosive “Double Young” combination off the bench.

37. Elton Brand to be amnestied by the Sixers, Lou Williams signing with another team

Williams and Brand will not be in this huddle next season

- In Philadelphia related news, the Sixers are reportedly eyeing to amnesty the remaining one year left on Elton Brand’s contract. They will also not offer Lou Williams (their leading scorer last season) a new contract and let him look for a new team to sign with.

38. Ray Allen (BOS) chooses Heat over Celtics

Ray Ray will now bring his talents to South Beach

- After having some rifts with a teammate (Rajon Rondo)the last season and the management almost trading him to Memphis for O.J. Mayo, Allen decided to leave the team he won his only championship with to chase another one with the defending champions Miami Heat. Good move for Ray as now he will be backing up Dwayne Wade and not Avery Bradley.

39. Dwight Howard still in limbo, where will he land?

Will Dwight for Bynum be enough for Superman to change teams?

- A lot of teams are still interested in the services of the NBA’s best center (who wouldn’t be). His short list includes teams like the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers, rebuilding Dallas Mavercks and hometown Atlanta Hawks who he has expressed some interest to play in at some point. Other teams like the Warriors and the Rockets are making some moves to acquire the big man but he will likely not land on these teams. The most probable destination for Dwight is emerging East power Brooklyn where he can form another Big Three together with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Stay tuned for more Dwight Drama this season.

Where to Dwight?

40. Finally here's a position-by-position look at a handful of free agents still on the free-agent market:

POINT GUARD

Aaron Brooks

Raymond Felton
Randy Foye
Kirk Hinrich
Ramon Sessions
Leandro Barbosa
Derek Fisher
Keyon Dooling
Ronnie Price
Gilbert Arenas

SHOOTING GUARD

J.R. Smith

Gerald Green

Lou Williams

Delonte West
C.J. Miles
O.J. Mayo
Josh Howard
Carlos Delfino
Mickael Pietrus
Marco Belinelli
Michael Redd
Tracy McGrady
Courtney Lee

SMALL FORWARD

Anthony Randolph

Antawn Jamison
Anthony Tolliver
Matt Barnes
Steve Novak
Sam Young
Rasual Butler
Devin Ebanks

Rashard Lewis

POWER FORWARD

Kris Humphries

Ersan lyasova

Boris Diaw
Kenyon Martin
Carl Landry
Ronny Turiaf
Troy Murphy
Louis Amundson
Jordan Hill

Ryan Anderson

CENTER

Chris Kaman

Brook Lopez

Ian Mahimni
Marcus Camby
Aaron Gray
Joel Przybilla
Kyrylo Fesenko
Tony Battie
Hamed Haddadi

(Next post will be my first attempt at making NBA power rankings. Stay tuned)