Final Standings 2007

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Toilet Bowl: Round 1Preview

EASTERN CONFERENCE

100AcreWoodPoohBears (7-12-2) vs MoRRie's Pogiboys (2-19)
After a flurry of activity designed to position themselves for a fantastic future, the Pogiboys still need another franchise player. Chris Paul is nice, as is Chauncey Billups and Gerald Wallace, but another big time star is needed here. How about Kevin Durant or Greg Oden? Nobody needs one of the top two picks more than Alvin but he's going to have to go through long time fantasy nemesis J to do it.

Can a team filled with up-and-coming youngsters (Rudy Gay, Tyrus Thomas, Hakim Warrick) be counted on this week to topple a Pooh Bears team that has really picked it up since the return of Pau Gasol from injury? The Grizzlies play five games this week, and both Alvin and J have loaded up on their favorite Memphis players. Should J win this important matchup, they'll get to add Oden or Durant to an already formidable lineup of Matrix, Gasol, Bibby, Gordon, and Andre Miller.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Phanatics (8-13) vs Sour Snails (3-18)
Actually, let's rephrase. The Sour Snails are arguably the team that most needs a top two pick in next year's draft. After suffering through a season of injuries, mismanagement, and general disappointment, the Snails still have the services of Steve Nash and Allen Iverson, but not much else. With Artest still going loco and Jason Richardson slow to return, can Larry Hughes, Stephen Jackson, Mark Blount, and Hedo Turkoglu be enough?

Oden or Durant would go a long way toward rebuilding the Snails franchise but Trieu has to get through a strong Phanatics team first. The Phanatics haven't won a lot of games this season -- injuries and mismanagement -- but it's not because they've been bereft of talent. Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Lamar Odom, and Marcus Camby are all versatile fantasy performers and they should prove too much for the Snails to handle. It's not about who needs this win more, it's about who, at the end of the week, can pull out a big victory. We're betting on the Phanatics.

Playoffs: Round 1 Preview

The chase for the Ring begins. All the playoff teams in the West won in the tuneup to the playoffs but that might mean nothing when it comes time to crown our inaugural champion. A lot of role players are being thrown into key roles to replace injured stars so this playoffs could be a wild one. Let's take a quick look at our first matchups.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Fat Jubas (16-4-1) vs Funk Coalition (12-9)
The prohibitive West favorite, Fat Jubas, is entering the playoffs without team leader Dwayne Wade. Just like the Heat however, the Jubas haven't missed a beat, having ripped off five straight wins. The Jubas are sitting the new age Ben Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge, as his REB and BLK won't help against the Funk. In his place? Linas Kleiza, 3PT shooter extraordinaire (10 3PT in last three games). It's this type of savvy move that could spell victory for the Jubas.

The Funk are ailing a bit themselves, as Raymond Felton sat out Saturday's game for the Bobcats. Can he return in time to turn in his usual stellar combination of AST and STL? The Funk and the Jubas will be hotly contesting the PTS, STL, and FT% categories. It might just come down to Lebron's free throw shooting, which has dramatically improved in recent weeks. Can the King topple the reigning monarchy?

Chunky Monkeys (12-5-4) vs Buffy (13-8)
One of the most intriguing matchups of the playoffs. Buffy started the season as a high flying perimeter orientated team. Chris Paul and Joe Johnson exited stage left, Elton Brand and Tim Duncan entered stage right, and Buffy suddenly transformed itself into a physical powerhouse. Add in the resurgent Chris Webber and Shaquille O'Neal, and this is probably the one team that really gives Evan's front line (Tyson Chandler, Andris Biedrins, Josh Smith) a run for its money.

For the Monkeys, the amazing play of Josh Smith and Gilbert Arenas has been uplifting, but losing Joe Johnson for the forseeable future has probably doomed them to the scrap heap, even if they're going to insert Brian Skinner (31 REB and 5 BLK in last three) into the lineup in a valiant attempt to save a sinking ship. This late in the game, you can't replace the fiery starpower of a Joe Johnson. We smell minor upset.

The kicker here is that this matchup might have been decided two months ago when Joe was swapped for Tim.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Squirtle Squad (14-7) vs Human Amoebas (11-9-1)
The East leader has been dominating the regular season with an impressive roster of draft gems, anchored by the inside-out combo of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Carlos Boozer. Brandon Roy and Deron Williams are bonafide stars, Delonte West and David Lee really turned it on this year, and even Jamaal Tinsley stayed healthy. Here's the problem though: Ray Allen is out for the season with bone spurs. The Squad already has a history of inconsistency, and is actually only 3-5 after an undefeated January.

Then again, the Amoebas aren't exactly paragons of consistency themselves -- going only 1-3 after an undefeated February. Brian will try to use the sweet shooting Walter Herrmann (15 PTS and 2 3PT average in last three games) to replace Allen, but while he has the locks of Jesus, he doesn't quite have the game of Shuttlesworth. Or can Herrmann turn water to wine and avoid a first round upset?

Rhythm Drive (12-8-1) vs The Poobic Heirs (11-9-1)
Finally, an East contender finishing off the regular season strong at 4-1 since the All Star Break, Rhythm Drive is poised to become the champion of the East. With a healthy Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, and Luol Deng, the youth driven Drive needs veteran players such as Mike Miller, Kyle Korver, Grant Hill, Eddie Jones, and Derek Fisher to really step it up for the playoffs. Why not pick up Robert Horry off waivers for good karma here? While Emeka Okafor was supposed to make Reno unstoppable in BLK and on the boards, his current injury has him sitting the sidelines -- along with Brad Miller and Sam Cassell.

It's the bad luck of the Drive to be running into the Kobe buzzsaw right as he's setting scoring records. Then again, Kobe better keep it up because The Poobic Heirs have lost 4 of their last 5, and that's with Yao's return to the lineup. Defensive lynchpin Caron Butler is out for awhile (although he could return mid-week), as is Andrew Bogut, who's out for the season. Kevin Martin is getting a seat on the pine too, after suffering an eye injury on Sunday. That's three key cogs unavailable for duty; making a vaunted and feared team a lot less impressive. Stepping in for those guys will be Devin Harris (18 AST and 5 STL in last three games) and the sturdy but unspectacular Udonis Haslem. If the Heirs can beat the streaking, but injury ravaged Drive, they could go far in the playoffs.

Coming later in the week: A look at the Toilet Bowl.

The Last Trade of 2007

A small trade went down in the wee days before the trading deadline (March 24th) as Jon and Alvin positioned themselves for a playoff and Toilet Bowl run, respectively. Point guard Steve Blake had been sitting the pine for the super charged Funk and the Pogiboys had a need for a third passer to pair with Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul. The other man in the trade? Virtual unknown Houston Rockets power forward Chuck Hayes.

Blake, since being traded to the Nuggets, has been logging 30+ minutes and contributing a steady stream of AST, 3PT, and STL. While his scoring has been up and down, 6 AST, 1 3PT/STL and excellent percentages is nothing to scoff at.

Hayes on the other hand, is in his rookie season and despite being undersized, is a rebounding machine and a hustler. With the recent move into the starting lineup Hayes has shown that he's capable of outstanding FG%, REB, and STL numbers; even in limited time (25+ minutes).

Both owners were pleased with their acquisitions and vow to keep the flame alive for their respective fan bases. In a joint statement, GMs Jon and Alvin said "This kind of tinkering with our lineup shows the other owners (and our fans) that we mean serious business."

Recap: Week 19

Inter-Conference Games
7-2, Squirtle Squad vs MoRRie's Pogiboys
6-3, Buffy vs Sour Snails

Conference Games
6-3, Phanatics vs Rhythm Drive
5-4, Fat Jubas vs Pooh Bears
5-4, Poobic Heirs vs Funk Coalition
8-1, Chunky Monkeys vs Human Amoebas
(statistics)

6-3, Phanatics vs Rhythm Drive
The oft-injured Phanatics finally pick up a win, even though Lamar Odom didn't contribute anything to the lineup. With mighty mite Earl Watson on the loose to the tune of 14.5 PTS, 8 AST, 2.5 STL, and 2 3PT, maybe the Phanatics didn't need Odom? Vince Carter pumped in 21 PTS and 5 REB a game but he missed msot of his shots (36.7 FG%) and barely hit any 3PT. Since his return, Paul Pierce has only been a shadow of his former self and David West has cooled off after a fast start. Can the return of Marcus Camby and Richard Jefferson position the Phanatics for a run in the Toilet Bowl? They better hope so, otherwise this team is going to need some major restructuring.

Meanwhile, the Drive need to pull it together too. Emeka Okafor still sits in the lineup despite being obviously injured and down for the count. It's time for Steve Francis, Grant Hill, and Eddie Jones (19.25 PTS, 5 REB, 2 STL, 3.75 3PT) to hit the lineup and take over for Okafor and Sam Cassell. While Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Luol Deng, and Mike Miller can still pace this team, they're going to need some better lineup management for them to make any noise in the playoffs. Both the Phanatics and the Drive are in similar precarious positions, but they can both still make good on a season that held so much promise, but is now coming down to an endpoint.

7-2, Squirtle Squad vs MoRRie's Pogiboys
It's been a whirlwind week for the Pogiboys, as they've turned over half their roster in a few short days. Two trades, a few waiver wire additions and almost another trade later, the Pogiboys are positioning themselves for a Toilet Bowl victory. Sure, they got dumped on their ass this week but half those players aren't even here anymore. Who is still around? Gerald Wallace and his 26.3 PTS and 13 REB. Young players like Rudy Gay, Darko Milicic, Hakim Warrick, and Tyrus Thomas will have to contribute for the stretch run but this team suddenly has quite the point guard duo behind Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul. With only two short weeks to gel, can the Pogiboys be ready for the (Toilet Bowl) spotlight?

The Squad is ready and any time the playoffs start, they've got their eyes on the prize. The odds on favorite to advance to the Finals, the Squad is hurting a little bit -- David Lee and Andres Nocioni are out -- but they should have enough firepower left to take on all comers. Brandon Roy is a budding star (22.5 PTS, 5.5 AST, 2 3PT) and it looks like Brian was right on in selecting him in the sixth round and showing patience with him. Ray Allen is still the heart and soul of this team (29 PTS, 1.5 STL, 3 3PT); or is it Kevin Garnett (27 PTS, 13 REB, 4.3 AST, 2.3 BLK)? Hard to tell isn't it? The two of them are definitely the best inside-out combination in the league, as they cover all nine statistical categories. Do we hear co-MVP chants for this team?

5-4, Fat Jubas vs Pooh Bears
Both the Jubas and Bears are just riding out the regular season. The Jubas as the kings of the West, the Pooh Bears as the Toilet Bowl king of the East. Neither one can be affected negatively or positively the rest of the way and they're just hoping for no whammies (injuries). But they still play the game right? Fat Jubas narrowed edged out a ho-hum victory with a few extra three pointers (26-22) as Tracy McGrady showcased his range with 10 3PT on the week -- along with 25.75 PTS and 7 AST. Corey Maggette (19 PTS, 1.7 STL) and Zaza Pachulia (15.25 PTS, 9.75 REB) have been nice surprises too.

The Bears shot astoundingly well as a team this week: 50.0 FG% and 82.8 FT%. They'll need to keep that up to fend off a revamped Pogiboys during the Toilet Bowl. If they can, they're staring at adding Oden-Durant to an already formidable lineup. Marion, Gasol, and Oden next to Bibby, Gordon, and A Miller (18.7 PTS, 6.3 AST, 2 STL) sound good? Sure does!

5-4, Poobic Heirs vs Funk Coalition
While every other playoff contender in the West won this week, Funk Coalition collapsed under pressure and have most likely locked in a #4 seed in their conference. At the same time, with this win, the Poobic Heirs are one game up on the Human Amoebas and Rhythm Drive for the #2 seed in the East. Despite a few errant elbows or two, Kobe Bryant led the way with 31.7 PTS, 8.7 REB, 5 AST, and 2 3PT. That was enough to fend off Lebron and crew. Lebron (finally) had a huge week; 32.75 PTS, 8.5 REB, 7.75 AST, 2.25 STL, 2.5 3PT and more importantly, 73.1% from the line. If there were any doubts that Yao would come back strong, those doubts were dashed as he put up 22 PTS and 9 REB over four games this week.

6-3, Buffy vs Sour Snails
The Buff should have locked up a first round matchup with the suddenly derailed Chunky Monkeys. It's looking like the trade that involved Joe Johnson and Tim Duncan might have turned out better for Roger than it did for Evan. We'll find out as they are slated to fight it out in the playoffs. As for their last few warm up weeks, Buffy is just ridiing the big man Shaqalicious as he surges to the top of the charts - 20.5 PTS, 8.25 REB, and 67.3 FG%. Antawn Jamison is fully healthy again too (22.75 PTS, 7.25 REB, 1.5 3PT) and this upcoming week, Stephon Marbury and Elton Brand join the party to make one of the biggest -- not to mention most expensive -- teams in the league.

The Snails were looking good for awhile but now they're headed downhill again. Wally Szczerbiak shut it down for the season, Ron Artest is hitting people again, Ryan Gomes is hurt, Jason Kapono is hurt. The return of Jason Richardson (16.75 PTS, 4 REB/AST, 2.75 3PT) and Allen Iverson (25.75 PTS, 4.75 AST, 2 STL) is great, but can this team pull it together to beat the Phanatics for one of the coveted top picks? They're gonna have to really get their asses in gear. And Ron, stop hitting people!

8-1, Chunky Monkeys vs Human Amoebas
The Amoebas sure have a weird habit of getting crushed every few weeks. While they can certainly dish out the punishment on occasion, they are a good team that seems to collapse every so often. 7-2, 8-1, etc. The reasons for their inconsistent play hasn't yet been discovered by they better figure it out soon. This week, they played 8 less games than their opponent, which explains the loss. Only Rip Hamilton (18 PTS, 4 AST, 51.9 FG%) played four games. Everyone else was slated for three or less. The injury to Quentin Richardson didn't help matters either.

The Monkeys won on paper but their biggest loss came off the court as recent addition Joe Johnson may choose to shut it down for the season; due to a deep bruise. Sissy. Gilbert Arenas is back on track (27.75 PTS, 4.75 AST, 2.5 STL, 3.25 3PT) but can he carry the team deep in the playoffs himself? Josh Smith is still a solid second-in-command but will Manu Ginobili continue to be on fire (20.5 PTS, 2.5 3PT)? The still inspired play of Tyson Chandler (13 PTS, 11.7 REB, 3.7 BLK) is great news, but it's a sad week for Chunky fans everywhere.

A Small Deal

It's almost embarassing to mention, but right after the biggest blockbuster in league history -- involving two number one picks -- Buffy and Funk Coalition set off a mini-flare of their own, exchanging shooting guard Cuttino Mobley for point guard Jose Calderon. A pure need-based trade, Buffy was looking for some AST help with Chris Paul out of town and Funk had too many passing oriented guards, so an exchange was quickly reached.

Despite his backup status, Jose Calderon has shown that he is capable of reaching double digit assist nights in under thirty minutes of action. While his season averages of 10 PTS, 5 AST, and almost 1 STL aren't stellar, Calderon is great when starting and has now solidified himself in a semi-time share with TJ Ford on the Toronto Raptors. That translates to about a dozen points, six assists a night, and a perfect fit for the new look Buffy.


Cuttino Mobley has certainly seen better days, but as the primary outside shooter on the Clippers, he can still light it up once in awhile. Averaging 13 PTS, 1.2 3PT and 1 STL on the season, Mobley is exactly the type of hot-and-cold player Funk needs to add a bit of scoring punch to his team.

Both Buffy and the Funk are attempting to fine tune their teams in an effort to gain ground on Western division powers Fat Jubas and Chunky Monkeys. Realizing that their current rosters probably won't take them to the Finals, Roger and Jon have been busy working the phones to increase the peace and to make a push for a title.

With the playoffs starting in three weeks and the trade deadline in two (March 24), will they run out of time?

The Real Deal

MoRRie’s Pogiboys sends Elton Brand and Stephon Marbury to Buffy in exchange for Chris Paul, JR Smith, and Hakim Warrick.

One day after a surprising exchange with Fat Jubas, the Pogiboys were at it again making a trade to further their youth movement. With a playoff run out of the question, all signs clearly point at the future.

The Pogiboys new floor general Chris Paul (CP3) will provide the leadership necessary to take this team to new heights next season. The pairing with Chauncey Billups makes for a formidable backcourt threat. Although Elton Brand will be missed, the ridding of locker-room cancer Stephon Marbury was the primary goal in the transaction.

Heralded as the deepest team in the league, Buffy needed to make a move in order to make a run for the championship this season. While Buffy somehow has new injuries to his players each week, something needed to be done to help the team. Parting with the face of the franchise, Chris Paul, was hard for Roger, but he realized it was a necessary move to make to compete now. With Jubas and Monkeys hitting their stride, something had to be done.

Buffy now boasts one of the biggest frontcourts in the league, teaming Brand with Tim Duncan, Shaq, Eddy Curry, C-Webb, and rebounding machine Nick Collison. Even with such larger players, Buffy does not anticipate a drop off in his AST-STL-3PT categories. With a healthy Baron Davis and the newly acquired Starbury, Buffy should be able to stay the course.

In addition to CP3, the Pogiboys added much needed depth with JR Smith and Hakim Warrick, two young guys that are versatile and have the ability to fill up the box score. With Smith returning next week, expect three to four 3PT a game. While Warrick’s role is yet to be defined, with playing time, he can be good for around 15 pts and 7 REBs a game. Alvin has a clear grasp of what needs to be done to win next year. By taking the new roster and a potential top 2 draft pick, this will be a team to be reckoned with.

This is yet another win-win trade for both parties involved. Can the Pogiboys pull off a third trade in as many days?

Reporting by Roger

Recap: Week 18

Inter-Conference Games
5-4, Buffy vs Phanatics
5-4, Rhythm Drive vs Squirtle Squad
5-3, Chunky Monkeys vs Sour Snails

Conference Games
5-4, MoRRie's Pogiboys vs Poobic Heirs
5-4, Funk Coalition vs Pooh Bears
6-3, Fat Jubas vs Human Amoebas
(statistics)

5-4, MoRRie's Pogiboys vs Poobic Heirs
It's over! Alvin's thirteen game losing streak is over! And not a moment too soon as the Pogiboys were lagging in morale and the fan attendance was at an all time low. How'd they do it? Well, a last second three by the much maligned Stephon Marbury gave Pogiboys the edge in 3PT (40 to 39) and got them the win. Stephon Marbury was back to Star status this week with an average of 30 PTS, 5.5 AST, 1.5 STL, and 4.25 3PT -- a total of 17 3PT. This victory was certainly Star-powered but the surging Gerald Wallace helped out too with his stellar shooting and 2.5 STL per game. Outfitted with two young bigs, the Pogiboys might even win another game soon!

The Heirs are top contenders but they walk away from this matchup with a loss, one that might have been prevented if Rasheed Wallace had suited up. Oh well, at least Yao is back for the stretch run, so there's not too much to complain about here. A healthy Heir team is still my pick to win the East.

5-4, Funk Coalition vs Pooh Bears
Both teams badly needed a victory, well, maybe the Pooh Bears needed one more. With hotly contested matchups in PTS, AST, and STL, the week culminated in a blow up face off between Michael Redd and Ben Gordon. The two combined for 100 points Sunday night and Jon walked away with a tight victory in STL (by 1) to effectively close the door on the Pooh Bears playoff hopes. With only three games left in the regular season, the Bears are three games behind the pack. Time to prepare for the Toilet Bowl?

The Funk dropped in an eye-gouging 64 3PT on the week, behind Redd's 16, Matt Carroll's 9, and everyone else dialing in from distance.

5-4, Buffy vs Phanatics
Can it get worse for Roger on the injury front? With JR Smith still ailing, Baron doing his time on the bench, and Luke Walton not looking to return soon, the Buffy depth will be sorely tested as Jamal Crawford exits stage right for the season. Jamal has been an explosive component to the Buffy attack and now they're forced to all but forego competing in 3PT. The good news is that Rashard Lewis fully recovered, as evidenced by his 27.25 PTS, 7.25 REB, 1.5 STL, and 2.75 3PT this week. On top of that, the Daddy is back (24.7 PTS, 9.3 REB, 1.7 BLK) but can it be enough to offset all these injuries?

The Phanatics lost by only 6 in REB, 5 in AST, and 30 in PTS so they almost had a chance this week. The thing to do now is just prepare for the Toilet Bowl as the are clearly out of playoff contention. Toward that end, Lamar Odom's 2-3 week injury won't exactly help matters; even if Richard Jefferson and Marcus Camby are back in action.

5-4, Rhythm Drive vs Squirtle Squad
The Drive have the lowest Points For (75) of any playoff team but they keep winning -- two in a row -- and are sitting pretty at second in the East. This week, they easy handled Brian's East leading Squirtle Squad despite the absence of Emeka Okafor. Luol Deng is a fantasy star (21.75 PTS, 5.25 REB, 4.5 AST, 2 STL and 58.1%) but he's often overlooked. His big week, along with Kyle Korver and Mike Miller's combined 39.75 PTS and 17 3PT, were enough to topple the Squad with no real problems.

The Squirtles are 2.5 games ahead of the competition so they can relax a bit and wait for Ray Allen to recover. Ray-Ray was on the verge of ending his season but it looks like he'll be returning to action on a bum ankle. With rebounding phenom David Lee ailing, and only stalwarts Carlos Boozer and Kevin Garnett contributing, the Squad took a quick loss.

5-3, Chunky Monkeys vs Sour Snails
The return of Jason Richardson to fantasy prominence (16.5 PTS, 7.25 REB, 5 AST, 1.5 BLK, 1 STL, 1.75 3PT) will help Trieu a lot, but not this week. Richardson played a lot of minutes, partly due to Stephen Jackson's bust of a week and the Snails couldn't use Nash-Iverson-Richardson to make up any ground on the Monkeys.

Once challenging for the lead in the West, they Monkeys have been uneven of late and are now duking it out with Roger for the #2 seed. Joe Johnson was an animal last week (27 PTS, 5.75 AST, 1.75 STL, 2.5 3PT on 53.2 FG%) and his fellow Hawk, Josh Smith, blocked 16 shots in four games. Wow. The horrific injury to Shaun Livingston aside, the Monkeys are prepping for a playoff run now that they're healthy and clicking -- except for Agent Zero, who is slumping badly due to a collarbone issue.

6-3, Fat Jubas vs Human Amoebas
Despite losing Dwayne Wade and Tony Parker's services to injuries, the Jubas easily dispatched the Amoebas behind the stunning work of Andre Igoudala (23.5 PTS, 7.25 REB, 6.5 AST, 3 STL) and Al Jefferson (23.5 PTS, 14.5 REB, 1.5 BLK). The Amoebas tried to take control behind their terrific duo of Dirk and Amare but without a third option, they faltered and will now have to fight it out with Reno and Oliver for playoff seeding -- all three teams are tied at 10-7-1 records. Can the Amoebas head into the post-season having not made any waiver moves all season? Time will tell as this dangerous team has been up and down all season but clearly still capable of winning quite a few games.

2 Become 1

MoRRie's Pogiboys send Jason Williams to Fat Jubas in exchange for Darko Milicic and Tyrus Thomas.

After finally breaking a thirteen-week consecutive losing streak (needless to say, a league record), the Pogiboys are on the move. It goes without saying that they've had a bad three months -- their last win was in November 2006 -- but now they're headed in the right direction.

A minor trade seems to position them for further success next year. Losing Jason Williams will be a blow but the heady veteran wasn't going to help the Pogiboys much anyway. He needs to be on a contender in order for his combination of distance shooting, steals, and assists to be useful. Welcome to that contender Jason, and to the Fat Jubas.

Eric-L's Jubas are the leaders of the West and showed no signs of giving any quarter to any of their foes, at least until Dwayne Wade got carted off in a wheelchair and the season suddenly looked shaky. Knowing that their biggest star might be out for the season, Eric-L was looking for solutions. A few mega-deals were proposed but ultimately, Jubas' management felt they should just sacrifice a few young bigs, Darko Milicic and Tyrus Thomas, in return for a proven floor general. The recent emergence of Lamarcus Aldridge gave the Jubas the luxury of too many BLK men on the bench so Milicic and Thomas were expendable.

The former White Chocolate is still an excellent fantasy player when healthy, contributing plenty of AST-3PT and sometimes PTS and STL. The only downside to Williams is his age and injury prone status, but on his new team, he'll fit right in alongside Wade, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O'Neal, and Josh Howard as injury worries. Williams will pick up the slack in Wade's absence and with the Diesel's return down low, it won't be hard to pick up plenty of assists and to set up for three pointers.

In return, the Pogiboys get two young big men who are predominantly useful for their ability to block shots. Replacing Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo with Darko Milicic and Tyrus Thomas will be like having puppies on the squad and if either of them can step up their game, that's a huge upgrade for Alvin's team. Darko has shown flashes of fantasy worthiness and with consistent minutes coming his way, he should only get better. Tyrus is just a rookie, and a bit of a head case, but he can obviously use his athleticism and length to block shots. The question is, can he get some regular playing time on a deep Bulls team?

It looks like a win-win trade for both the Pogiboys and the Jubas -- youth for experience and small for big -- it's the kind of trade we'd like to see more often as teams position themselves for a wide open championship run; or for next year.

2006 Draft Look: Part 2

What a draft for Brian. Kevin Garnett slips to 7th overall, then Ray Allen falls into his lap in Rd2. Check out picks four through six: Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Brandon Roy. We would name this the best top of the draft if not for Boris Diaw in Rd3. That's one pick Brian would probably like back. Jamaal Tinsley in Rd13 has proven to be great value too.

Roger had quite a few excellent picks. Rashard Lewis in Rd3, followed by Baron Davis in Rd5; but we like Tyson Chandler in Rd9 for the true steal. You realize he's the mini-(healthy)-Camby right? With double doubles and 2 BLK a game? Oh wait, is the steal in Rd11? With Chandler's ex-teammate Eddy Curry (20 PTS and 7 REB)? JR Smith in the 13th was looking like a genuine steal until the whole Iverson thing happened. The one misstep might have been Chris Webber in Rd6, but that could still work itself out even if C-Webb is no longer a 20-10 guy.

Here's a team whose best pick is, by default, Chauncey Billups in Rd2. Here's picks five through fifteen for Alvin: C Kaman, C Frye, T Murphy, S Telfair, V Radmanovic, D Fisher, I Diogu, J Williams, K Brown, J Pryzbilla. See a single pick you like there in hindsight? And picks 3 and 4 (G Wallace and S Marbury) have had their ups and downs too. Seems like Alvin had the anti-Midas touch this year.

Ping had a pretty good draft, selecting exactly the best player left on the board in most instances. The multi-talented Lamar Odom returns nice value from Rd3 but there's no true steals here, unless you think Desmond Mason in Rd13 was a gem. Al Harrington in Rd7 is pretty good, but aside from that, Ping took the most logical player available so no big surprises or disappointments.

It's hard to pick out a great pick for Trieu. Ron Artest has been on fire lately, so his selection in Rd3 looks pretty good, but Artest comes with his issues. The best pick was probably getting Steven Jackson in Rd11, but that hardly qualifies as a steal. Biggest whiff? Morris Peterson in Rd5. Trieu's waived the two highest draft picks so far this season -- Morris and Mike James, selected in the fifth and sixth rounds respectively. Nobody else has outright cut anyone above an eigth rounder (Troy Murphy by Alvin).

Reno had two picks that have turned out great; Luol Deng in Rd6 and Mike Miller right after him in Rd7. Surely those two picks beat out the injured Brad Miller in Rd4 and the fading Zydrunas Ilgauskas in Rd5. Both big men are still not too bad, but they're clearly on the slide. There's no pick after Rd 8 (Steve Francis) worth noting, or still contributing to the team.