Charles Barkley Says Dwight Should Go To Chicago

Two Superstars, the same shoe deal, but the same team?

It could happen.

The Magic’s four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner wants out of Orlando, which we already know. He’s made that statement public a few times and listed his top destinations as either L.A. (the Lakers, not the Clippers), the Dallas Mavericks or the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. But what about Chicago?

Sure, they already have the reigning MVP in Derrick Rose — who is a superstar, by the way — but what else? They don’t have another go-to guy but they have a bunch of role players that mesh perfectly and are easily the best defensive team in the entire league right now.

Dwyane Wade passed on the opportunity to come home to Chicago and bring the city another championship in the Post-Jordan era, but he chose to stay in Miami with ‘Bron and Bosh. Carmelo Anthony said he’d love to play for the Bulls, but his heart was really in New York. Rose hasn’t tried to lure in any players because he feels like the team is perfect where their at now, but what happens when you never get passed the 2nd round in the playoffs and you keep getting older, and older, and the team you once felt could win a title is no longer intact?

That’s when you wish you had another superstar right by your side.

Early Wednesday morning, Charles Barkley joined ‘The Waddle & Silvy Show‘ to discuss the Bulls and Heat, Joakim Noah and the possibility of Dwight Howard coming to Chicago:

“You want to play with another great player if you possibly can, but the thing about wanting to be the man, that’s just silly,” Barkley said Wednesday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “He should want to play with Derrick Rose. That would be a beautiful combination for the city of Chicago.”

Barkley has a real point: Why doesn’t Dwight want to play with Rose? Every big man in the history of the NBA needed a point guard to pass to them. For some crazy reason, there has been speculation that since both stars are sponsored by Adidas, the company doesn’t want both of their players in the same market (Okay? Rose you take Nike and Howard stays with Adidas. There, everyone’s happy. Just get this done).

Barkley, who isn’t exactly the sharpest tack, doesn’t even get these guys:

“I don’t understand what these guys are thinking,” Barkley said. “Him and Derrick Rose would make the Bulls a championship contender for the next 10 years. You just want to play with as many good players or great players as possible. I think him and Derrick Rose would make a fabulous combination. I don’t know what’s going on with [the Howard situation].”

To me, I believe that in Howard’s mind he thinks that if he leaves Orlando he’s going to continue to be “that guy,” but he’s sorely mistaken. The only reason he’s “that guy” with the Magic is because who else do they have? A bunch of 3-point shooters? Yeah, about that ..

If Howard somehow ends up in a Bulls uniform this season, he’ll learn to be second fiddle because you don’t want to fight over shots with the guy who runs the show. Another big problem with Howard is that he continually disappears in big moments of the game because he’s a such a terrible free-throw shooter, which means teams give him the ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ treatment. So if Howard’s smart, he’d grow up and realize that most need help.

Dwight Howard Shows Us His Joyrides

Since Shaq retired, Dwight’s become the NBA’s ‘jokester’ per-say (although most of it has been done by the original Superman himself). Despite being the most talked about player in the NBA at the moment because of trade issues, Howard still finds the time to joke around and enjoy life outside of basketball. Peep his recent interview with Maxim about his joyrides:

People must flip out when you pull up next to them.
People wave and blow their horns and yell, “Hey, are you going to stay in Orlando?” That’s what I hear now.

That’s a sweet paint job.
Yeah, I got the Superman theme, like I bring to the game. It has little police lights at the throttle and Superman-colored lights. It looks pretty good at night.

Does Shaq give you beef about the colors?
He has no problem with it. I just talked to him the other day—we’re cool. He understands that it’s just
for fun. A lot of people call themselves Superman, so there’s no way somebody could be mad about it.

The white cars are a Rolls-Royce Ghost and a Maybach. Anything on your wish list?
I wish I were shorter sometimes. Then I’d have all the sports cars. I’m just so tall
I can’t fit into any of them.

I’ve witnessed a dude from New York who drove his Raptor — it had dope Raptor illustrations airbrushed on the front and sides — to Daytona Beach, Florida and despite that, I have to say that Howard takes the cake for this one. That Superman colorway just stands out in it’s own right, the same way as the greatest superhero in the comic book universe does.

Kobe Bryant Isn’t Changing His Game For Anyone

We’ve heard this story before, but with different players. Many said that Jordan shot too much, but he also has 6 championship rings to basically say “who gives a shit.” Did Iverson shoot a lot? Yes. But he was also forced into a role for most of his career that certainly didn’t help his chances of winning a title. He needed a true point guard to create shots for him. He wasn’t built to shoot 20+ times a night, while trying to hand out 10 assists consistently.

What about Kobe Bryant? You know, the man who reportedly slept with over 100 women behind his wife’s back in Los Angeles, who has 5 championship rings to go along with a career average of 19.4 shots per game (Remember, that’s just average). Now, turning 34 in August, Kobe’s aging. He has a bad knee, an arthritic finger on his shooting hand that in turn, altered his shooting style, and now has a torn ligament in his right wrist (an injury that would sideline most, but he’s Kobe).

Kobe is Jordan tough and has his work ethic, so what’s a wrist injury? You’re probably asking yourself, “what’s a wrist injury in basketball you moron?! It’s everything!” It might be everything to everyone else, but not Bean. His jumpers are still falling and that beautiful baseline fade is still fallin’, nothings changed except his dreadful 20 percent from 3s.

Yet, he continues to shoot those 23 shots a night this season:

“I shoot, I shoot,” Bryant told Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wajnarowski. “ You’ve known that for 16 years. I’m not changing my game. If the defense is not doubling, I’m going to score. If I’ve got a good look, I’m going to score. My teammates know that. But I also give them the ball, too, and set them up.

“But at the end of the day, I’m a scorer first.”

Yes, he’s averaging the third-highest shot attempts of his career (23.5 in 2002-03, 27 in ’05-06) just to get his 27.6 points per game, but he’s still shooting 44 percent from the field.

Which, for Kobe, is just about right.

Other than Bryant and Gasol being the main focal points on offense, big man Andrew Bynum has finally come into his own. And, more importantly, he’s healthy (knock on wood). In his first six games back with the Lakers, Bynum’s averaging a phenomenal 18.8 points and 15.7 rebounds a night (11 defensive rebounds).

L.A. might have the best Big Three on paper right now in the league.

As Dime Mag’s own Sean Sweeney pointed out today, despite the Lakers having arguably the best trio in basketball right now, they’re still average offensively with their 94 points per contest. Their defensive could be better, too, with their allowance of over 100 points a night, which places them at 15th in the league.

L.A. missed out on their much needed point guard when the NBA decided to pull the plug on the Chris Paul trade. Hell, they couldn’t even get J.J. Barea. They’re slow, their perimeter defense is almost non-existent, and the exact same can be said for their “tough guy” Matt Barnes.

So what will the Lakers do before the March trade deadline to better their chances at advancing further in the playoffs? Dwight Howard, maybe? But would you really trade for him if Bynum’s playing this way? Because, as of right now, Bynum’s the best big man in the league. Could they maybe snatch up a guard from their neighbor’s down the street (Clippers)? Who knows.

But one thing’s for certain: “I’m going to do what I do,” Kobe Bryant said. “I’m not changing.”

Players React To DeMarcus Cousins Trade Request

Cousins is a rare breed. In fact, I’ll go as far to say that I believe if he got his act together and played with patience and poise, DeMarcus Cousins would be the second-best center in the game behind Dwight Howard. That’s how talented this kid is. Having just turned 20 years of age back in August, Cousins is a 6-foot-11, 270 pound behemoth. That kind of size makes him one of the biggest middle men in the NBA, and he’s definitely one of the nastiest.

But his immaturity is what dropped him to No. 5 overall in the 2010 NBA draft.

Most are probably thinking, “5 is a great spot!” Yes, but not when you’re supposed to be the No. 1 pick overall, except your behavior both on and off the court keeps you from being just that.

According to ESPN’s J.A. Adande, Kings head coach Paul Westphal first released the statement that DeMarcus has decided to request a trade from the team this past weekend:

In the statement, Westphal said Cousins has “continually, aggressively” shown “he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team.” Westphal said Cousins demanded a trade. Cousins’ agent told Sports Illustrated that the player did not demand a trade. Regardless of who initiated it, the Kings clearly want to move Cousins.

The Kings had high-hopes of both Cousins and Tyreke Evans being the future of the team, but unfortunately Boogie isn’t cutout for a young team, he needs to be surrounded by veterans. Not only his attitude, but his production on the court have become a problem: He’s averaging 18 shots per game (13 points), but has a true-shooting percentage of 41%, which is awful compared to his near 49% during his rookie campaign (via Basketball-Reference).

There’s no reason he should be taking 18 shots a game and only average 13 points (Dwight, on average, shoots the ball 11 times a night and averages 18.2 points per game for his career). His rebounding (8.6 to 11.3) and shot-blocking (0.8 to 1.5) are both up, but that doesn’t makeup for how he acts. As previously stated, a veteran team is what this kid needs and a team like the Detroit Pistons could prove worthy, although there’s no telling how he will handle not winning a bunch of games because they’re basically in rebuilding mode.

Having a guy like Ben Wallace on team (excuse his recent D.U.I.) could prove wonders for Cousins. He’s a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner and he has an NBA championship under his belt, things like that are what Cousins needs. Not to mention that Wallace isn’t the kind of guy who would put up with his immaturity, he might knock him on his ass.

I gave my two cents, but Adande has a few players around the league’s as well:

This is a business,” is what Kurt Thomas said he would tell Cousins. “You’re not playing for just one team, you’re playing for the 29 other teams. You’ve got to keep playing, keep your head. A lot of guys think it’s all show. You’ve got to keep your head.”

“He has too much talent to be doing all of that [stuff],” Kobe (Bryant) said. “Just play, man.”

Those are both long-time players of the league, also with one of the Top 10 players of all-time telling you, DeMarcus, that you’re too talented to be acting out like a 10-year-old kid after your sister ate the last pudding cup in the refrigerator. You’re a 20-year-old millionaire — I’m 23, and struggling — who is living his long-fulfilled dream of becoming a professional basketball player.

But can team’s trust you?

I know Detroit will take a chance on you, but what if they back-out? What if they’re afraid of how you will act if they start losing? What about if you end up on a championship contending team and coming off the bench? Will you complain about not getting your starters numbers and minutes? These are questions that we all need to know, these are questions that all need answers.

And fast…

David West Says He, Along With Chris Paul, Felt Disrespected In NOLA

Basketball is a business, and most guys understand that anything can happen. But when you’re a franchise player, you deserve to be respected. I mean, that’s the only way things are going to work out at the end of the day. When you’re that guy, you expect people to come to you with questions about how the team should go forward, ect., right? Well, apparently that didn’t happen in New Orleans.

“There just really is no direction with no legitimate owner, so that just makes it tough,” David West told the Associated Press on Monday. “It really made it tough for me to see myself going back there.”

Similar to the Dwight Howard situation in Orlando, there were events that took place in New Orleans that led to the All-Star duo’s minds to start wandering elsewhere. West went on to that say that owner Jeff Bower “didn’t consult Chris with anything” and didn’t converse with him about letting go of his best friend, Jannero Pargo.

West also informed reporters that they were left in the dark about the Tyson Chandler trade.

“It’s nothing against Emeka, but from our perspective, being teammates with Tyson and knowing the type of impact he had on both of our careers at that particular time, I just felt like at that moment, things, in terms of the trust, the direction we were going, started to wane a bit,” West said. “When you have a franchise guy like Chris, build a team around him, I’m under the impression that you’ve got to keep your franchise guy happy.”

That’s just disrespectful. That’s like the scene from Roadtrip when Sean William Scott is selling women for the night but ignores the nerd who’s trying to purchase one. You have a team with chemistry, and your biggest strength is the trio (West, Paul and Chandler) of players who compliment each other well and constantly push each other, and then you decide to trade your best defender and energy guy for a better rebounder? It doesn’t make sense. Believe it or not but it has yet to prove the point that was trying to be made.

West made the smart decision by not re-signing with the Hornets knowing a long time ago things were headed south. Deep down he knew Chris wasn’t coming back — unless they somehow brought in another superstar — so why would he return? He’s 32 years old and coming off a season ending ACL tear, time’s running out for the spot-up shooter. Signing a two-year deal with the Pacers was a brilliant move; they still have some work to do in the backcourt, but they’re looking like a potential top-five team in the East. Adding a shooter of O.J. Mayo’s talent certainly helps, too.

Kobe Bryant Is Not Happy About Losing Lamar Odom

We all know that Kobe and Carmelo are tight both on and off the court, but him and Lamar are even tighter. Kobe isn’t known for expressing his feelings unless it’s about losing a game, but when it comes to losing your best friend, one of your leaders and your best bench player for nearly a decade, it’s hard not to express those feelings. For those who don’t already know, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to dump their Sixth Man of the Year in Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for nothing (and by nothing I mean a measly $8.9 million trade exemption). Absolutely nothing. And when Kobe’s unhappy, he doesn’t hesitate.

“I don’t like it,” Bryant told ESPN reporters. “To be honest with you, I don’t like it.”

“You’re talking about the Sixth Man of the Year last year,” Bryant said. “He played lights out. I don’t understand the criticism of reality shows and this, that and the other. I don’t get it. I don’t understand that. He had his best season last season, clearly wasn’t a distraction and he played his ass off. I don’t get where that comes from.”

Kobe’s right, how could you trade someone who meant so much to the team for absolutely nothing. Not just to any team, but to a team who beat you in the playoffs last year on the way to an NBA championship. Not only that, but they also just gave Dallas the best forward trio in the league with Lamar, Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion, and the more reporters asked Kobe about the situation, he came back with “Now I’m getting pissed off.”

With Lamar gone, it now opens up room to get Dwight Howard, but there’s no way that the Magic deal him without getting another one of the Lakers big men in return: either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum (probably Bynum since they’re losing a center). As of right now, the Lakers didn’t get better, they got worse. The Knicks amped up, Boston’s stacking up, hell, even the Pacers are becoming a threat. So where do the Lakers go from here? Well, as of right now, your only choice is Dwight Howard. With letting go of Lamar Odom, the team deserves that much. Kobe deserves that much. The fans deserve that much.

Deron Williams Rejects Extension With The Nets

You know what the best thing about LeBron’s “Decision” and Carmelo Anthony’s “I’ll keep playing with the fans and teams head and act like I don’t know where I want or will be traded to but secretly I know it’s New York” is? It gives all the other superstars in the league that are about to be in the same situation a little advantage. They got to sit back and watch players like ‘Bron make a national mistake and guys like ‘Melo prove that the players can control their own destiny in certain situations.

Now, it’s Deron Williams turn.

With the new rules due to the lockout, any chance the Nets had at saving millions of dollars and getting Williams to sign an extension are now out the window. Deron’s agent Jeff Schwartz went public earlier today stating that Deron will play out this season in New Jersey and will ultimately become a free agent once the season comes to an end. Now that doesn’t exactly mean he wants to leave the Nets — although he probably does unless they get another superstar — but he’ll become richer.

Deron will not be signing the extension,” Jeff Schwartz told The Record this afternoon. “Based on the new rules it doesn’t make any sense for him to sign the extension. It has nothing to do with how much he likes New Jersey. Because of the rules, he’s going to play the season out and probably opt out of his deal.”

With the new rules now set in stone, Williams can either choose to sign with another team as a free agent and roughly get around $73 million for four years, or he can re-sign with the Nets — if they get a superstar — for a five-year, $101 million ext. The only way he comes back is if they can somehow land Dwight Howard, which means goodbye to Brooke Lopez. Nothing against Lopez but, he’s nowhere near Howard’s level of play. Not even close. And he’s definitely not the kind of player that’s going to help lead the Nets to an NBA title. They already have some solid outside shooters and a decent bench, but they could use a couple upgrades in those areas as well. All big men in the league need someone to feed them the ball, and who better than Deron Williams? The biggest/strongest PG in the league who many consider to be better than Chris Paul.

Chris Paul Requests A Trade To The Knicks

Well, as of right now, the “Rondo for Chris Paul” trade has been squashed by Boston’s own Danny Ainge. So what’s next for Paul you ask? According to Yahoo! Sports beat writer Adrian Wojnarowski, Paul’s agent spoke with team officials in New Orleans stating that CP3 wants to join forces with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire in the Big Apple.

From Yahoo! –

Chris Paul’s agent informed New Orleans officials on Wednesday that his client will not sign a contract extension and wants to be traded to the New York Knicks, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

For now, it remains a rumor. The NBA hasn’t lifted lockout restrictions yet which means Hornets GM Dell Demps can’t have a meeting with Paul just yet to discuss his future with the team and what exactly he wants from the organization to stay. The thing is though, do the Knicks really want to make this trade for a 27-year-old Chris Paul with a bad knee and somewhat injury-prone? No way am I saying that Paul isn’t still a good player because that’s nonsense, but the Knicks really do have to look at the long run here: if they make a trade, they won’t be able to make another move for at least four years.

What they really need is someone like Raymond Felton — who played their before and did quite well — who is a tough guard that can get inside the paint and has a nice outside shot. They could also use a banging big man (someone like Marc Gasol from Memphis) and some more shooters like Nick Young or Jason Richardson. That’s the problem with the league right now; ever since Miami created their “Super Team,” teams are trying to up their arsenal just to keep up with those guys but don’t realize how they could hurt their teams in the long run. I’m sure Paul has reached out to Dwight Howard, who’s name is also on the trading blocks, to somehow team-up with one another (Lakers?).

Once Dec. 9 hits, expect things to shakeup dramatically.

Video: Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Commerical (Feat. Dwight Howard & Jonah Hill)

This spot really doesn’t have anything to do with MW3, but it’s still pretty dope. It starts out with a slimmed down Jonah Hill as a noob before he finally gets the hang of things and starts murking folks left and right, and just when you think it’s over, D12 pops out of nowhere with guns blazing. Dope!

DeMarcus Cousins Shows Out At Goodman Vs Indy Pro Am

Doesn’t it seem like all of the summers best basketball has taken place on the East Coast? For those who didn’t already know, the Midwest finally got some NBA love during the Goodman vs. Indy Pro Am game that took place at Butler University on Sept. 24. Players such as Zach Randolph, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks (Jazz first-round draft pick in 2011), Lance Stephenson, Shelvin Mack and George Hill all represented for Indiana. For Goodman, the headliners were Kevin Durant, John Wall and my guy DeMarcus Cousins.

I might be Cousins biggest supporter. Many have labeled him as a problem child, which he has caused problems so far during his pro career, but trust me, this kid is going to be the next best center outside of Dwight Howard for the next decade once he learns how to control his temper and focus more in the paint instead of his outside shooting (which he’s pretty good at). The kid’s a beast, plain and simple. Check out some quick highlights.

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