On Kurt Thomas: Don’t Dare Question My Au-thor-i-tie!

ESPN’s Chris Broussard, along with Ric Bucher are two of the best NBA analysts in the sports journalism game. The WWL leaves the pop-pom waving for the Lig to others while these two get real news.

This morning Broussard, after speaking with a long time scout, said the second best late trade this season (the LA Lakers getting Pau Gasol being number one) is not Shaquille O’Neal but ahem – drumroll, Kurt Thomas going to San Antonio. That’s right. KT.

While other pundits and think they knows were hufffing the Big Shaqtus glue, this author said of all acquisitions, Thomas was the second-most important acquisition. What’d I say about KT?:

Rating the Latest Flurry of NBA Trades

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. In the coming weeks we will come to understand which GMs were proactive and which were reactive. And in the coming weeks we will know which moves brought their teams greater success and which moves were busts.

It is going to be a very interesting stretch run.

1. The Lakers go —- Pau!

The Los Angeles Lakers trade for Pau Gasol was so good it invited conspiracy theories. It was so good that San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich advocated for the league to have the ability to determine that a trade was “stupid” and have it rescinded.

For Phoenix, 30 Games Until the Truth Is Told

The Los Angeles Lakers were in an unenviable position last night in Phoenix. Win against and you’re supposed to because the Suns are getting acclimated to the Big Philanderer, Shaquille O’Neal. Lose, and Phoenix becomes an instant NBA media darling with O’Neal as a conquering hero.

Fortunately LA won, 130-124, led by Kobe Bryant’s 41 points. And fortunately Shaq’s biggest effect was on the back of Raja Bell’s – a perpetual-motion hack machine – head with a little less than three minutes remaining in the game. (Now for my NBA officiating crew rant…)

Spotes Notes, 2.14.08: Barry, Roger, Congress, BALCO; Kelvin; KG, Big Baby; LeBron, J-Kidd; Kobe, Pau; Shaq, Amare, Boris, Matrix Nash

Kidd Trade Update: Devean George is steadfast in his refusal to be traded. Dallas cannot just throw in more players, the Nets already have too many. Dallas does not have another player with the contract to match George’s. So, for the moment, the trade is stalled. And if everyone is not very careful, it might not happen at all.

If it doesn’t happen, I wonder how the Dallas players will react the rest of the season. This could spell the end of the Mavericks chance at a Western Conference crown for 2007-08.

By the way, George shot 0-11 tonight. Who says there’s no such thing as karma?

The Shaquille O’Neal Trade: the Heart of the Matter

“You still think a big man can’t sell? Boom….” Those words are actually from an ESPN commercial with Greg Oden, but that’s also what Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr is hoping is going through Shaquille O’Neal’s mind as he joins Kerr’s team. If O’Neal is somehow the missing link to a ‘Chip, Kerr looks like a genius. If O’Neal acts to gum up Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo style of play and is not the defender the Suns hope he is, D’Antoni will have won a huge battle in his power struggle with Kerr. Oh yeah, and Kerr looks like a complete dunce.What is interesting is that Shawn Marion wanted out of Phoenix. In fact, he wanted out of the Land of the Valley of the Sun as long as three years ago. Marion has contended for all that time that with the arrival of Nash, he was pushed to the side by Phoenix management. And Marion has a point. He was an All-Star before Nash arrived, but the focus of the Suns has been Amare Stoudamire and Nash. But now that Marion is gone, there is talk of his importance:

Shaq to be Traded to Phoenix for Marion, Banks? It Appears to Be Done; Lakers Handle Nets in Pau’s Debut

Update: Shaquille O’Neal is on his way to Phoenix tonight. If he passes the physical, the trade goes through…. it is done.

Miami Herald writer Barry Jackson reports that the Phoenix suns are in serious trade talks with the Miami Heat. The object of the Suns’ desire is Shaquille O’Neal. According to Jackson Phoenix is willing to swap oft-disgruntled forward Shawn Marion and backup point guard Marcus Banks to the Heat for O’Neal:

Asked for confirmation, one of O’Neal’s representatives said O’Neal has been made aware that discussions with Phoenix are serious and ongoing, but that a deal was not definite.

Dallas also has been mentioned as a potential destination, though the Heat had not immediately informed O’Neal of that possibility.

Spygate Update; Andrew Bogut Had a Point, After All; LA Gets Pau

“Spygate” update:

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Matt Walsh was a video assistant from1996-2003. Walsh says he has tapes that could be damaging to the New England. Again, Walsh signed a confidentiality agreement with the Patriots, then apparently took tapes from the New England Patriots facilities and kept them until now.

Now, Walsh wants protection for Congress to turn over the tapes tell what he knows about the tapes and, more than likel, the processes involved in videotaping.

As far as Arlen Specter is concerned, he says he has had thoughts about the NFL’s antitrust exemption for some time

“Their antitrust exemption has been on my mind for a long time.