John Hollinger: Hey everyone, lots to discuss as always so let's get rolling.




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Demitirius (nyc): Isiah might not make good trades, but he certainly does draft well, huh?

John Hollinger: You're absolutely right. This is a legitimate, undeniable strength of Thomas, which makes it even more maddening that he would trade his next two No. 1 picks to get the same player he already had in Sweetney. I presume you're writing this in reference to Lee's big game against Phoenix -- it's puzzled me that he hadn't been in the rotation sooner instead of all the veteran dead wood Brown keeps trotting out there.


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Joe (Boston): John what is your opinion of the Celtics young talent? I think it is overrated and not the core of a championship team.

John Hollinger: Certainly veterans like Pierce and Davis are doing most of the heavy lifting right now. But to be such a strong post player for as young as Al Jefferson is, you have to think he'll be a 20-10 guy as soon as he figures out how to defend without fouling. West is coming along at the point as well, and Perkins should be a good partner for Jefferson as an enforcer in the middle. Certainly Banks has disappointed and we haven't seen anything from Gerald Green yet, but I still like the kids that Danny Ainge has assembled.


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Kevin (Houston, TX): Any chance of Houston making any trades before the deadline due to their glut of guards and lack of "bigs"?

John Hollinger: It's a glut of guards, but most of them are guards nobody wants. Guys like Barry, Norris and Wesley are on their last legs (Barry probably wouldn't report actually). I suppose they could try to move Derek Anderson, but it's hard to see that bait fetching any big man not named "Tsakalidis"


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Dave (Hercules, CA): John, If GSW trades Murphy (a la today's daily dime) what would that do to the Warrior's already horrid team rebounding? Although Foyle/Diogu or Foyle/Biedrens would be interesting starting front court. Better yet, Taft/Diogu - those two are fearless.

John Hollinger: If that deal went down, they could replace a lot of the rebounding just with Artest taking Dunleavy's spot. Also, a big man from Indy might come over in such a deal (Austin Croshere or Scot Pollard), which would help round out the frontcourt rotation.


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Jake (Toronto): Did Kobe deserve more for the elbow?

John Hollinger: I thought two games was about right. I was absolutely shocked that the refs didn't throw him out, and I presume they heard from the league office about that decision.


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Aaron, Redding, ca: Is sacramento going to make a trade? Are they going to have a fire sale and rebuild?

John Hollinger: I think they're to that point, yes. The hope was that Shareef would allow them to stay at the 45-50 win level for another year or two before Petrie had to break out the dynamite, but that's clearly not the case. The only question is whether he deals at the trade deadline or waits until summer, and which guys among the Bibby-Peja-Miller-Shareef group he decides to keep.


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Tom (Chicago): What's wrong with the Bulls? Should they try to move Ben Gordon?

John Hollinger: I'm hearing a lot angst coming from Chicago these days. They've had some bad luck in close games on the losing streak,but 12-18 is still 12-18. Gordon has been a huge disappointment, but because of that I don't know if this is the right time for a trade -- they may not get full value. Certainly Skiles has to figure out a way to score more. The Bulls masked that last year with insane defensive intensity, but that's a tough thing to keep up for an extended period of time.


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Scott (Dallas): John, Lately some of the Mavs reserve seem a bit off their game and not as smooth as they were before all of them got healthy? Is this a matter of too many good players for not enough minutes? Example, both Marquis Daniels and Van Horn seem to be in a little slump since the return of Stackhouse.

John Hollinger: Can't argue with your comment on Daniels after that 1-10 egg he laid last night. But I wouldn't put too much stock in it being an effect of Stackhouse coming back. He just took minutes that Adrian Griffin had been getting; the other guys are seeing their normal minutes. Incidentally, Stackhouse has played great in his return thus far.


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Joseph (Lexington): What is your take on how the Oklahoma City fans are liking an NBA team? I have NBA league pass and can watch their games and the fans seem intense. They are averaging 17, 600 in attendance a game.

John Hollinger: I agree. OKC has been desperate for a pro sports team for a long time and their support certainly has raised eyebrows in the league offices. The question is whether such a small city can sustain that level if a franchise moved their permanently.


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Marty (Cleveland): Who cares about OK City. Do my Cavs have what it takes to make it to the Eastern Conference finals this year?

John Hollinger: Hey now, plenty of people care about OK City .. like the people in New Orleans, for instance. As for the Cavs, the problem is that thanks to the league's genius playoff system, they're going to finish as the 4th seed in the East and end up playing Detroit in the second round.


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Dave (Flagstaff, AZ): Who cares about Cleveland. Did you see Kirilenko's stat line last night? How crazy is this guy?

John Hollinger: For those who didn't see, Kirlienko has his third career "5x5" last night: At least five points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in the same game. It's only been done five times in the past decade, and AK has three of them. While we're talking about Utah, they can thank Kobe for those two free victories and a surprising standing atop the Northwest Division this morning. If Boozer ever comes back they could win the division.


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Joe (Granger, IN): Don't you think it would be better for the Bulls to wait things out his year and then use their two first round picks for players or some trade scenarios. Plus they have money to spend on free agents next year. They need a low post scoring like Nene and a big SG that's 6'6'' -- who's available in that mold? Thanks!

John Hollinger: It is, probably. The calculation for Paxson is whether he can get better deals at the trade deadline than he can this summer. Certainly the Bulls could make a run at Peja in July, but I don't know if he's the best fit with Deng and Nocioni already on hand. As you point out, the Bulls really need a big guard who can defend and could use another body up front.


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Tommy (Texas): What's up with the Nuggets? Are they going to be able to move Watson or Nene for a shooter? Is there any chance of moving Martin? What a waste of $ he's been.

John Hollinger: Martin's knee problems and contract make him radioactive trade wise, so it's probably best for the Nuggets to hang on and hope his condition improves. As far as Watson and Nene, I still fully expect both to have a new home in the next 30 days. Denver is reportedly trying to use those two players and a third team to get Artest, but so far no dice.


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Brian (OH): With Anderson Varejao on the brink of returning to the Cavs, what lies ahead for Drew (in the last year of his deal) Gooden

John Hollinger: I wouldn't sweat Gooden's situation too much. He's a restricted free agent, so unless another team makes an idiot offer the Cavs are likely match and keep him. Besides, Sideshow Bob is an energy guy off the bench, not a starter who can score like Gooden is. But having him back will definitely help fill out the frontcourt rotation and improve the D.


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Mat (Scottsdale, AZ): Whats with the lack of action on the trade front? Is the Artest deal really that big? Can no other deals get done before this one?

John Hollinger: The problem is that all of the "trade bait" guys are tied up in offers for Artest. So yes, Artest is the hold up. For instance, if Denver lost out on Artest you would immediately see them start executing their backup plans for deals involving Watson, Lenard and Nene.


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Chris (Marietta): Has Pachulia been the steal of the offseason?

John Hollinger: I don't know if I'd go that far (my vote would be Eddie House), but Zaza has been fairly solid at a position that has hurt the Hawks ever since the Ratliff trade, and he's still quite young. The only misgiving for Atlanta is his lack of shot-blocking skill.


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Matt (Perth, Australia): Is it time to ship Milicic? Young guys like Harrington, JO, Brezec, G Wallace etc all needed a change of scenery and playing time to realise their potential. What deals would be available, I know Joe D likes plenty of big men on his roster.

John Hollinger: I think it's reach the point that Joe D would consider it, because by next fall they have to decide whether to extend Darko's deal. Here's what I wonder; What would they trade for? Lookng at Detroit, is there anything they appear to need right now other than a less disappointing 12th man?


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craig detroit mich: don't you think billups has to be MVP so far? as you saw in the Cavs loss, if he doesn't ball, they lose.

John Hollinger: Billups certainly needs to be involved in the discussion, but several other players have also been fantastic -- LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzi and Allen Iverson, to name a few. I'm withholding any endorsements for now because it's still too close to call for my tastes.


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Mike (Hollywood): Will the Suns be even better with Barbosa back? They look like the class of the Pacific at this point.

John Hollinger: Frankly, I've been amazed -- AMAZED -- at how well Phoenix has played. Understand folks, that team is much better than their record -- in terms of victory margin they're right up there with San Antonio and Detroit, and this is without Stoudemire. They're No. 2 in the league in Defensive Efficiency right now, believe it or not. I'd be shocked if they didn't win the Pacific, and I'm sure Barbosa's impending return will help that process along.


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Ed (Atlanta): Any comments on the Weiss firing? What do you think of Bob Hill as his replacement? Is he what the Sonics need to get back on track?

John Hollinger: The Weiss firing was necessary because the team wouldn't play any defense for him. I realize they're not awash in defensive talent up there, but their effort level was inexcusable. Hill will be the bad cop to Weiss's good cop -- players will complain about him I'm sure, but he'll get more accountability and, one hopes, better results. Whether that's enough to save the Sonics season remains to be seen.


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Rodrigo Chia, Rio de Janeiro: Hi there. Is Rafael Araujo breaking some kind of record of starter with less points? He has only 10 free throws attempted in ALL his games! Why is he a starter?

John Hollinger: The Araujo charade is ridiculous. Apparently the Raptors think having him as a "starter" will justify the draft pick they so obviously wasted on him a year ago. But if there's any Raps fans reading this, go easy on the guy. It wasn't his idea to be the eighth overall pick, and he works as hard as anyone. He's just not very good.


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Andrew (Flagstaff AZ): Do you see the Suns as the favorite to play the Spurs in the West Finals?

John Hollinger: I do, especially since their path to the WCF should be relatively easy -- the Northworst Division winner gets the No. 3 seed.


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Scott: Do you see the Sonics making any trades?

John Hollinger: One of Seattle's problems is that they're painted into a corner trade-wise because Radmanovic, Murray and Evans signed one-year tenders and can refuse any trade. Basically, their only trade assets are the guys they'd really like to keep (Wilkins, Collison, etc.), unless somebody decides they absolutely have to have Vitaly Potapenko.


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Pat (DC): I imagine you'll be busy Saturday afternoon watching the Skins, right?

John Hollinger: Absolutely. Skins have already beaten the Seahawks, Bears and Giants and only lost to Bucs on a late 2-point conversion. NFC is theirs for the taking!!

John Hollinger: That's all the time I have everyone, but we'll do this again Monday at 3. See ya then!

Only a fool would see Sweets as Curry!