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| NBA sources tell the New York Daily News that Mike D'Antoni will become the next coach of the Chicago Bulls, provided the two sides can agree on a contract. |
Our View: We like the thought of Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and some of the other Bulls working in D'Antoni's fast-paced style. Of course, the Bulls don't have Steve Nash around to make everything click, but we'd see some fantasy values rise if D'Antoni does indeed land in Chicago.
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| Ray Allen missed all four of his shots and all three of his three-pointers in the Game 1 win over the Cavaliers. He didn't make it to the free-throw line and shockingly scored zero points. |
Our View: Yes, this is the same Allen who has over 18,000 career points and ranks second all-time in shots made from beyond the arc. Ray is clearly focused on stopping LeBron James in this series.
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| Zydrunas Ilgauskas was one of the few Cavs players to show up for Game 1 against the Celtics. He led the team with 22 points, 12 boards, two blocks, and two steals. Big Z shot 8-of-18 from the floor, which was actually pretty good. The Cavs hit 30.7 percent as a team. |
Our View: Ilgauskas should be able to thrive in a matchup against Kendrick Perkins, but the Cavs aren't going to win if he's the only one putting up quality statlines.
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| Kevin Garnett paced the Celtics with 28 points in their Game 1 win over the Cavaliers. KG added eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He shot 13-of-22 from the floor. |
Our View: There's a good reason KG finished third in the MVP voting.
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| LeBron James had a rough Game 1 against the Celtics, to put it nicely. The superstar shot 2-of-18 from the floor and missed all six of his three-point shots. He finished with 12 points, nine assists, nine rebounds, and 10 turnovers. |
Our View: He almost had a quadruple-double, right? We never thought we'd see James shoot this badly. Expect him to come back with a huge outing in Game 2.
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| Richard Jefferson will be charged with one count of misdemeanor assault stemming from a January incident in Minneapolis, TMZ.com reports. The Nets star got into a "minor verbal disagreement" outside a hotel, and the spat ended with Jefferson on top of a man and choking him. |
Our View: Yes, we go to TMZ for all our news. We imagine Jefferson could end up facing a suspension from the NBA if he's found guilty.
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| Rick Carlisle's agent, Warren LeGarie, tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the Mavericks are close to a deal with his client. LeGarie says something could be done by the end of the week. Carlisle last coached in 2006-07 with the Pacers, and he owns a career 281-211 record. |
Our View: The Carlisle pick feels less than inspiring, but the Mavs may be in a position where they try to make a quick turnaround before entering a rebuilding phase. Dirk Nowitzki turns 30 this summer, Jason Kidd is 35, Jason Terry is 30, Erick Dampier is 32, Jerry Stackhouse is 83... you get the point.
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| Tracy McGrady underwent left shoulder and left knee surgeries on Tuesday. He had loose particles but no structural damage in the knee. His shoulder contained a slight labrum tear, as well as loose particles, the Houston Chronicle reports. McGrady will need three months to fully recover. |
Our View: We hope T-Mac used his 2-for-1 surgery coupon. He is coming off a solid postseason against the Jazz and will have good fantasy value in 2008-09. As usual, though, McGrady will be knocked down the cheatsheets because he's injury-prone.
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| Andrew Bynum will go to Princeton, NJ and get a second opinion from Dr. Steven Gecha regarding his left knee, ESPN.com reports. Bynum dislocated his kneecap and suffered a bone bruise on January 13 and has been slow to recover. He has been ruled out of the playoffs. |
Our View: The center was in the midst of a breakout season before his serious injury, but his fantasy status is in limbo until he can figure out why his knee is not responding. Bynum also needs to figure out where he'll be next season, as his contract will expire this summer.
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| Kobe Bryant was officially named the 2007-08 MVP on Tuesday, the AP reports. He recieved 82 first place votes and edged out Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. |
Our View: We've known this was coming for four or five days, and Kobe definitely deserved the award after leading the Lakers to the top of the West. Paul and KG had great claims, too. Anyway, Kobe will probably enter the 2008-09 season as a top-three fantasy pick alongside Paul and James.
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| Dwyane Wade is on to the next phase of his left knee rehab program. He began working in Chicago on Monday and is hoping to receive clearance to play for Team USA in June, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. "We want to have him where he needs to be when it comes time to resume playing with USA Basketball," trainer Tim Grover says. |
Our View: The report didn't provide details on Wade's latest rehab steps. He has played only 51 games in each of the last two seasons, and Wade's fantasy stock is in limbo until we know how healthy he'll be before the 2008-09 season.
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| The Magic's flight from Detroit to Orlando was diverted because of a mechanical problem, according to ESPN. Team spokesman Joel Glass says the plane landed in Cincinnati as a precaution late Monday. The Magic were trying to return home after a 100-93 loss to the Pistons in Game 2. No one was injured, the plane was serviced and the team spent the night in Cincinnati. The coaches and players were boarding Tuesday morning to return home.
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Our View: The team is already down 2-0, and now they had to deal with this distraction.
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| Kobe Bryant is expected to be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player today, according to the AP. It was a tight race from top contenders Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, and LeBron James. Bryant recently commented, "MVP nowadays is not an individual award. You really have to make your teammates better and elevate your ballclub. For me to be nominated in that race is a tremendous honor because that’s really been one of the criticisms that people have had of me, is how well do I make my teammates better. From that standpoint, I feel like I’ve already won."
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Our View: Bryant earned the expected honor by averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 boards, 5.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. He is averaging 34.4 points over five games in the playoffs so far as well.
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| Paul Pierce is nursing a lower back sprain and right hip sprain, but will fight through his injuries to play in the next round against Cleveland, according to the Boston Globe. Pierce said he feels fine despite having just one day off between series', and added, "The back is doing a lot better. The hip is a little sore from Game 6 in Atlanta. I don't think it will have an effect on me." |
Our View: He was able to come through with a game-high 22 points in Game 7 to help close the door on the pesky eighth-seeded Hawks, and he shouldn't let the Celtics down as they battle King James and Company.
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| Luke Walton hopes to return for Game 2 against Utah, according to LA Daily News. He is battling a respiratory infection. |
Our View: Walton only played around 13 minutes in Game 1, and will likely remain limited if he is able to play in Game 2.
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| The Bulls have targeted Mike D'Antoni to be their next head coach, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. No contract has been offered yet and the team may not hire him within the next few days, however. The team is still likely to interview Avery Johnson. |
Our View: D'Antoni is more offensive minded, while GM John Paxson favors defense. He would still be a solid fit in Chicago.
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