Andrew Bogut had surgery on his right hand on Tuesday and will need six weeks before he can fully begin rehab.
Bogut has kept up good spirits throughout this unfortunate ordeal. He wrote that Amare Stoudemire isn’t to blame, and added, “I will bounce back from this! Please keep supporting us, its a team game! Go Bucks!” He should be healthy and rested by the time the 2010-11 season rolls around.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Cleveland: LeBron James is dealing with a sore left elbow and other minor ailments, and has made it clear that he wants some rest in the next five games. The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the league’s best record (and home court throughout the playoffs), so there is no reason to push any of the starters.

Dallas: Jason Kidd confirmed that he won’t play in the World Championships, but he plans to be “working with the coaching staff and hanging out with Coach K.”
Kidd helped Team USA win gold in Sydney in 2000 and Beijing in 2008, and he’s a perfect 56-0 in his Olympic career (including exhibitions and qualifiers). This doesn’t mean that he’s done with all international competitions, but it’s a good possibility.

Miami: Jermaine O’Neal (hyperextended right knee) will return to practice this week, and he might even play Wednesday vs. Philadelphia. “The swelling is almost completely gone,” said O’Neal. “Strength-wise … I’m probably at like 90 percent.” Miami has won four straight without him (eight overall) so there’s no real urgency — we’ll get a better feel for his status after he tests his knee on Tuesday.

Denver: The Denver Nuggets are hoping that Kenyon Martin will practice on Tuesday after being out for a month with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. “All I know is he was on the court today,” said acting head coach Adrian Dantley. “It’s Kenyon’s decision. When he says he’s feeling good, that’s when he’ll practice. That’s when he’ll play.” Denver isn’t going to rush him into action, so we’re still not expecting him to offer much before the playoffs.

Phoenix: Robin Lopez (back) went through a light workout on Monday, but there is still no timetable for his return. “Today was the first day. It was good,” Lopez said, but he wouldn’t commit on whether he’ll return before the end of the regular season. “I don’t know. We’ll see,” he said. “I can’t really say anything about my timetable. It differs from person to person.”

LeBron James hit 16-of-27 shots and three 3-pointers on his way to 40 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks in Friday’s win. He didn’t have a triple-double tonight, but this is still one of his best lines of the year. The Cleveland Cavaliers fantasy playoff schedule isn’t great, but LeBron is still the top fantasy player in the league, and should remain so in the playoffs. LeBron said after the game that he tweaked his right ankle, but “hoped” to play tomorrow in Milwaukee.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Dallas: Brendan Haywood failed to score in seven minutes on Friday before leaving the game after his lower back tightened up. Eduardo Najera played 26 minutes in his absence, but had just one points and five rebounds, while Dirk Nowitzki also filled in some at center. Erick Dampier is still out for a week or so, meaning that Haywood will play if he can. Hopefully this is not a long-term injury and he’ll be ready to go for Saturday’s game at Chicago.

Oakland: Corey Maggette returned from a hamstring injury a few days earlier than expected, scoring 18 points in Friday’s loss to the Hawks. He came off the bench and added seven rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting. He played 23 minutes, but we still don’t really trust Maggette.

Toronto: Andrea Bargnani received three skin staples in the back of his head after suffering a laceration in Friday’s game. He finished with nine points, four boards, one block and one 3-pointer on 4-of-15 shooting, but at least returned to finish the game. He should probably be considered day-to-day at this point, but watch for an update over the weekend.

Cleveland: J.J. Hickson started at center again, but was replaced in the second half by Anderson Varejao. Hickson struggled tonight, hitting just 1-of-6 shots for four points and one rebounds in 16 minutes, while Varejao had 16 points and 10 boards on 8-of-10 shooting.

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey had eight points and 10 assists before leaving Friday’s game with some sort of seizure on the Pistons’ bench. A Detroit Pistons spokesman said Stuckey’s vital signs were normal, he was breathing on his own and was conscious at Cleveland Clinic where he was taken after the incident. However, given the fact the Pistons are out of the playoff hunt, and Stuckey’s seizure was termed “violent” on television, it’s possible he could be shut down.

Denver: Kenyon Marting will miss Friday’s game against the Pacers with a partial tear of his left patella tendon, and might need surgery. The Denver Nuggets will use the next 48 hours to decide on a treatment plan, which will include rest and injections, but he very well may need surgery.

After a solid showing in Sunday’s game, coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game that Antawn Jamison will probably be a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers at some point. “At the end of the day, he’s probably going to be a starter for us, he’s a starter in this league,” Brown said. “I’ve just got to figure things out and we’re in the process of doing that right now.” It sounds like he’ll be a starter very soon, and the doomsday scenario for him appears to be averted.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Carl Landry had the best game of his short Sacramento Kings career on Sunday, scoring 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in 37 minutes.

Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook triple-doubled in Sunday’s 109-107 win over the Wolves, scoring 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting with 10 rebounds, 14 assists, and two steals. Wow. The Russell Westbrook Experience continues to reach new heights, Jeff Green had a meaty 17-point, 14-rebound double-double, and Kevin Durant had his 28th straight game scoring more than 25 points.

Detroit: Richard Hamilton continued his tear against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, scoring 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting (9-of-9 from the foul line) with five rebounds and three assists. He has now hit 46 straight free throws, but even more impressive are the scoring totals of 36 and 29 points in the two games entering tonight.

Boston: Reporter A. Sherrod Blakely who covers the Boston Celtics for Comcast, calls the thumb injury Paul Pierce suffered Thursday against the Lakers “a problem,” and adds that he’s “definitely questionable” for Tuesday’s game against the Knicks. This injury has flown under the radar, but judging by his recent play it makes sense.

Minnesota: Darko Milicic debuted as a member of the Wolves on Sunday, and surprised everyone with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, and a block in 19 minutes off the bench.

Minnesota: Kevin Love posted a solid double-double against the Thunder on Sunday, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting (including a three) with 14 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in 31 minutes off the bench. Love, to some degree, has been in coach Kurt Rambis’ doghouse, and has come off the bench and gotten less than starter’s minutes.

The Cavaliers have reportedly made “significant progress” in their pursuit of Antawn Jamison, offering Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamario Moon and a No. 1 draft pick in exchange for Jamison and Mike James. It sounds like the Cavs are deciding between this proposal and a deal for Amare Stoudemire, but either way they seem set on acquiring a complementary PF. The activity by the Cleveland Cavaliers at this seasons trade deadline is a last ditched effort to sign James to a long term deal.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Houston: The Houston Knicks are reportedly close to a trade for Tracy McGrady, which would include Jared Jeffries, Larry Hughes and rookie Jordan Hill to the Rockets, along with a swap of 2011 first-round picks and New York’s 2012 first-round pick. The only outstanding issue appears to be the proper protection for the picks. If the Knicks’ want stringent protection the Rockets apparently also have a standing offer from the Bulls, though that sounds more like leverage than anything else.

Chicago: Derrick Rose went off for 29 points on 14-for-18 shooting in Tuesday’s win over the Knicks. Clearly, Rose’s hip/back issue did not bother him. He added six assists, three rebounds and a steal.

Phoenix: Jason Richardson exploded for 27 points on Tuesday, making 12-of-17 FGs (including 2-of-5 from downtown) in his highest-scoring game since early November. He also had six rebounds, two steals, two blocks and just one turnover.

Dallas: Butler started at SG in his Mavericks debut, posting 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting, with six rebounds, one steal, one block and four turnovers. He played 31 minutes.

Detroit: Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko scored 21 points vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves, one point shy of his season-high, making 9-of-13 FGs with one 3-pointer, three rebounds, two steals and zero turnovers. And he played just 21 minutes. Jerebko seems capable of averaging a double-double if he played enough, but he hasn’t cracked the 30-minute barrier in February.

New Jersey: Courtney Lee scored 21 points on Tuesday, leading the New Jersey Nets to a surprise road victory against the Bobcats. Lee was awful through most of January, but has quietly settled down in February. He made 7-of-11 FGs and 6-of-8 FTs in this game, adding one 3-pointer, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and just one turnover.

The Wizards and Mavericks sound very close to pulling off a trade, with the principle figures being Caron Butler and Josh Howard. Other players possibly included in the deal are Washington’s Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson, and Dallas’ Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas. Additionally, Antawn Jamison could possibly be going to the Boston Celtics. Any deal won’t likely be finalized until Monday, but it does sound like Butler and Howard are very likely to change teams.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Tyreke Evans was named MVP after leading the rookies to a 140-128 win over the sophomores on Friday night. Evans finished with 26 points, six boards, five assists and five steals on 11-of-15 shooting in the win, while DeJuan Blair went off for 22 points and 23 rebounds. Evans said after the game he wanted to share the award with Blair, which is another example of how good a leader the young Evans really is. Russell Westbrook led the sophs with 40 points.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony is still feeling pain in his elbow after injuring it against the Spurs on Thursday night. Melo better watch out before he gets a “soft” label, although it might be too late. Coach George Karl admitted that Anthony won’t be at 100 percent for Sunday’s All-Star game and he may limit his franchise players’ minutes. We’d expect Anthony to be fine when the Denver Nuggets come out of the break, but he may actually have to play at less than 100 percent.

Miami: Dwyane Wade said Friday that he wants to remain in Miami Heat next season. Wade is an unrestricted free agent after this season and will be one of the most sought-after players on the market. “I want to make sure,” he added, “that we do everything we can to make sure we build a winning program. We do that … I’m satisfied.” We’ll see if that statement provokes the Heat to make a move at the deadline.

Cleveland: The Cavaliers have reportedly put acquiring Antawn Jamison and Troy Murphy on hold as the team targets Amare Stoudemire. The Cleveland Cavaliers could send a package including Wally Szczerbiak, the expiring contract of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and possibly J.J. Hickson. Nothing is set in stone at this point, and Amare’s name is still linked with several possible teams. But it does appear the Cavaliers are very serious in their interest.

Charlotte: In an interview with reporters, Chris Paul shared that he could be walking with less supports soon. “I’m on two crutches right now,” Paul said. “I’m hoping by All-Star Sunday I’ll be down to one crutch or no crutches. It depends on how the rehab goes.” He shares that he’s not reentering the lineup until he’s “100 percent”, so he’s still got a long way to go before returning.

Martell Webster

Martell Webster poured in a career-high 28 points and six 3-pointers for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, adding seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 48 minutes.

Webster is having a huge month of January, despite a two-point dud last Wednesday. He’s averaging 17.1 points, 3.0 three-pointers, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks, with just 0.6 turnovers in 37 minutes. This isn’t likely to continue when Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw filter back into the lineup, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Phoenix: Suns guard Goran Dragic scored a career-high 20 points off the bench on Saturday, making 5-of-9 FGs, 3-of-6 threes, and 7-of-8 FTs. He added three rebounds, four steals and one block in 26 minutes.
Standard disclaimer — this career night came against the Golden State Warriors. On the other hand, it’s probably no coincidence that he broke out while Leandro Barbosa (wrist) was unavailable.

Oakland: Warriors forward Anthony Tolliver was impressive again on Saturday, racking up 19 points (9-of-15 FGs), one 3-pointer, 11 rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes.
Tolliver was called up from the D-League to help fill out the Warriors’ decimated rotation, but he may be carving out minutes even when healthy bodies start returning.

Milwaukee: Carlos Delfino hit 9-of-11 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals in Saturday’s win over the Wolves.

Utah: The Jazz frontcourt of Mehmet Okur (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Carlos Boozer (22 points, nine rebounds) was simply too much for the Nets on Saturday. They combined to shoot 18-of-26 from the field, and Okur even blocked three shots despite playing just over 21 minutes in the lopsided victory. This was the second-highest scoring game of the season for Okur, and with any luck it’ll jumpstart his middling offense.

Chicago: Bulls’ rookie Taj Gibson stepped up in 43 minutes on Saturday, recording 16 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in a road win against the Rockets. Gibson got extra playing time with Joakim Noah (foot) sidelined with an injury.

Cleveland: LeBron James had 37 points, six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and 12 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the visiting Thunder in dramatic fashion on Saturday, 100-99. LBJ continues to flirt with nightly triple-doubles, though so far he only has two this season. He made 9-of-19 FGs and 13-of-19 FTs, and his season-high six 3s

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports cites a NBA source who says, “[David] Stern feels like he’s been taunted by [Arenas]. He’s done for the year… at the very least.” Arenas certainly got the commissioners attention with the constant tweeting, using his fingers as fake guns and by saying that Stern was “mean”. We would be very surprised to see Arenas appear in another game this season and it sounds like Stern could push for even more.

Though he may have been acting in what he thought was an innocuous, fun-loving manner, the sum effect is that Arenas made the wrong person very angry, and is now going to pay the price. There is a strong possibility that Arenas may have played his last game as a Wizard.

A new Washington Post report has chilling details concerning a confrontation believed to have taken place between Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittentonin the Wizards locker room.

Arenas reportedly told Crittenton that he brought in some guns to make it easy for him to shoot Arenas over a gambling argument, while Crittenton told him he didn’t need those, as he had his own – which he then loaded and cocked, according to unnamed witnesses. Crittenton’s gun was never found, which means the authorities would have a hard time building a case against him. But this probably means that Crittenton is not in the clear with David Stern.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Denver: Anthony (knee) practiced on Wednesday and is considered a game-time decision for Friday’s game against the Cavs. “I don’t think it’s affecting my shooting or anything. It’s just more my explosiveness, pushing off on my first step,” Anthony said. That he practiced is obviously a good sign, but a final decision on his status could be on hold until Friday.

Denver: Chauncey Billups, who had missed seven of his last eight games with a groin injury, practiced on Wednesday and said he expects to play on Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s all we know from the Nuggets on Twitter, but that pretty much says it all.

Boston: The Celtics waived guard Lester Hudson on Wednesday. This comes as a shock, especially since he participated in today’s shootaround. The Boston Celtics would have had to guarantee his contract if he was still with the team tomorrow, so look for him to land on some 10-day contracts in the near future if he clears waivers.

Los Angelas: ESPN reported Wednesday that Pau Gasol has a Grade 1 tear in his left hamstring.
That’s relatively good news, as his early right hamstring injury was a Grade 2 tear that kept him out for 11 games. Hopefully he’ll be back next week, but no target date has been set for his return

A grand jury could soon decide whether the gun case involving Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton merits weapons and assault charges. Arenas met with police on Monday and released his official statement: “I took the unloaded guns out in a misguided effort to play a joke on a teammate,” said Arenas. “I never threatened or assaulted anyone…I now recognize that what I did was a mistake.

I should not have brought the guns to DC in the first place.” The question now seems to be not whether Arenas will be punished, but how severely. If Arenas is not prosecuted, he will be punished by the NBA. The league has a strict policy of not bringing any weapons to an NBA facility.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Denver: Carmelo Anthony (knee) and Chauncey Billups (groin) don’t sound likely to play on Tuesday, according to the Colorado Sports Desk. The report says “it is likely they will both get rest again before the high-key match up this Friday against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.”

Los Angelas: Lakers PF Pau Gasol has a mild-to-moderate hamstring strain and is doubtful to play vs. Houston on Tuesday. The Los Angelas Lakers are smart to rest their injuryed players to ensure they’re healthy come playoff time.

Sacramento: Kins G/F Francisco Garcia practiced for a short while on Monday, his first action since breaking his wrist on October 9th. Garcia left to a round of applause from his teammates, but his return will likely drag on for quite some time.

Boston: Paul Pierce’s (knee) status for Wednesday’s game will likely be determined after Tuesday’s practice. He shot around on Monday but did not participate in any drills, and ESPNBoston reports that the Boston Celtics prepared as if he wouldn’t be available.

Orlando: As expected, Vince Carter practiced on Monday and expects to start Tuesday’s game vs. the Pacers. Orlando Magic practiced for 2 1/2 hours and both Carter and coach Stan Vandy reported that he was fine.

Washington: Mike Miller will definitely play vs. the Magic on Friday, according to coach Flip Saunders, and he could return even sooner.

Indiana: Stacy Paetz reported on the Pacers’ broadcast Sunday that Danny Granger’s workout prior to the game went well and he appears to be nearing a return. He reportedly went through extensive shooting and movement drills, and while no return date has been set, it sounds like he could play in the next 10 days or so.

Oakland: The Warriors have waived veteran C Mikki Moore, in order to clear a roster spot for rookie big man Chris Hunter. The league had granted Golden State a special roster exemption because of all their injuries, but Hunter’s contract would have been ineligible once it becomes guaranteed on Wednesday

Fox Sports’ Stephen A. Smith is reporting that the Sixers appear to be on the verge of signing Allen Iverson, possibly as early as in the upcoming week. With rookie Jrue Holiday set to fill in for Lou Williams over the next two months, the Sixers could use the help. In addition, the number of tickets that Iverson would sell has to interest Philly. “We simply can’t just ignore the upside he’d bring,” a team source said. “Not with our situation.” Iverson appears to be buncing around the league like a pin-ball this season.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Orlando: The Orlando Magic narrowly defeated the Bucks on Saturday, 100-98, led by Dwight Howard’s 25 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. In the past two games, Howard is averaging 3.5 points, 18.5 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks. Even though he went 5-of-10 from the free-throw line, Howard is emerging as the leagues most dominate center.

Milwakee: Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova scored 20 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds vs. the Magic on Saturday. Ilyasova shed his protective facemask before the game, but he wasn’t tentative whatsoever. He connected on 8-of-18 FGs, including two 3-pointers, and looks like a waiver wire steal.

Utah: Jazz PF Carlos Boozer’s continued his stellar play on Saturday, as he led the Utah Jazz with 26 points (11-of-16 FGs), 12 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block. Boozer has been on fire as of late, scoring 20+ points in seven of the last eight games. He is also averaging 5.0 assists over the past five games, a trend we hope (but are skeptical) he can sustain.

Utah: Jazz F Andrei Kirilenko strained his back during Saturday’s game and will not return in the second half. Kirilenko has been playing well recently and hopes to make it back on the court soon.

Cleveland: Cavs PG Mo Williams made 7-of-7 three-pointers on Saturday, scoring 25 points in a win over the Mavericks. He had one assist, zero steals and four turnovers (atrocious numbers for any PG), but we’re still seeing sevens. And if you had lingering questions about his sore right middle finger, consider this the answer.

Cleveland: Delonte West racked up 10 points and 10 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, playing 28 inspired minutes off the bench.

Charlotte: Gerald Wallace posted 14 points and 14 rebounds on Saturday, leading the Bobcats to their fourth straight victory. Wallace has six consecutive double-doubles, and he’s starting to make his three-pointers. He has made 5-of-10 threes in the past two games after shooting 3-of-21 (14%) in the first 14 games

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Washington Wizards

2008 Record: 43-39
Division Finish: 2nd – Southeast
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-2, to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference First Round

Head Coach: Eddie Jordan
Season: Going into sixth season
Record At Washington: 194-214
Career Record: 229-278

Offseason Acquisitions:
Signed Dee Brown, G, 14.7 ppg., 3.8 apg – Signed from Turkey
Signed Juan Dixon, G, 5.0 gpp, 1.4 rpg. – Signed from Detroit
Signed DerMarr Johnson, G-F, 3.4 ppg, 0.2, rpg – Signed from San Antonio
Signed Linton Johnson, F, 2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg – Signed from Phoenix

Offseason Transactions:
Re-signed guard Gilbert Arenas.
Re-signed forward Antawn Jamison.
Traded the draft rights to forward Bill Walker to the Boston Celtics for cash.

Offseason Losses:
Roger Mason, G, 9.1 ppg., 1.7, apg, Signed with San Antonio

Rookies:
JaVale McGee, C, 7-0, 14.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, Nevada

The Skinny:
With the two main pieces of their puzzle in place for what looks like the next four years, the Washington Wizards have the potential to make a serrious run in the Eastern Conference. If the Wizards can get some solid play from their front court, particularly the center position, they could find themselves in the NBA Finals.

Next year.

On a list of the top shooting guards in the Association, Gilbert Arenas’ name has to be in the top five, probably top three. Prior to the 2007-08 season, he averaged at 25 points per game and has a career average of over 22 ppg.

Last year was virtually a wash for Arenas as he only played in 13 regular season game because of a knee injury. Even when he tried to come back he was not 100 percent and he pulled himself off the court right before game four of the opening round of the playoffs.

I am impressed with him in that he didn’t demand to be put back into the starting line-up as soon as he was cleared to play. Contrary to what some stars might do, Arenas did not want to disrupt the chemistry of the starting five. A lot of other guys would have demanded to be put in the line-up.

Arenas was almost not back in a Wizards’ uniform this season. He had a five-year offer from the Golden State Warriors that was valued at over $100 million dollars. He ended up signing with the Wizards for $111 million over six years. I’m glad to see Washington ponyed up the extra two mill a year to keep their favorite player on board.

However, it’s not all wine and roses for the Wizards and Arenas. He underwent a third surgery on his knee last month and is expected to be out for at least the first month of the season. It’s hard to say if he reaches 100 percent this season. It may be another year before Arenas is at the level he was in 2006-07.

One of the conditions of Arenas re-signing with the Wizards was that they had to sign forward Antawn Jamison as well. Wanting to keep Arenas, as well as their top scorer from last season, the Wizards did bring Jamison back for his 10th NBA season. He signed a four-year, $50 million dollar deal.

But just like Arenas, Jamison is injured during the preseason. He suffered a right knee contusion during the team’s first preseason game and is expected to miss all of the preseason. Likely this is more of a precautionary move by the team to have Jamison healthy for the start of the regular season since they know they are going to be without Arenas. Jamison’s timing and game conditioning may suffer a little, bit but he should be at 100 percent – barring any other set backs – when Arenas returns.

The center position has been one of the top positions that have been a problem for the Wizards. Things didn’t get any better for the team when center Brendan Haywood announced he would go under the knife to repair his right wrist and that will keep him out from four to six months. This is a big blow to the Wizards as Haywood averaged 10.6 ppg and 7.2 rebounds per game last season.

Some good news did come Washington’s way as center Etan Thomas made his return to the team. Thomas missed all of last season after undergoing open heart surgery. During the 2006-07 campaign he averaged 6.1 ppg. and 5.8 rpg. in 19.2 minutes a night. Also trying to fill the void left by Haywood is rookie JaVale McGee. The 7-foot center from Nevada averaged 14.1 ppg. and 7.3 rpg. his sophomore year with the Wolfpack. He’s the son of former NBA player George Montgomery and WNBA player Pamela McGee. He is the first son of a WNBA player to every play in the NBA.

The other hole in the Wizards’ roster is at the point guard position. Now in his 11th season, Antonio Daniels isn’t a true point guard and isn’t getting any younger. The team did pick up Dee Brown during the offseason. Instead of trying to make the Utah Jazz roster last year – where he would have been the understudy to Darren Williams – Brown opted to play in Turkey last year. Brown as the athleticism to be a point guard, but I’m not sure he’s got the head for it in the NBA. It’s one thing to get it done in college 35 some times a year, but 90 percent of the time his athletic ability was able to make up for any knowledge shortcomings.

Prediction:
Similar to the Orlando Magic, the Washington Wizards are a year or two away from making a serious run in the playoffs. I can see them having a similar record and finishing second to the Magic in the pitiful Southeast Conference. After Orlando and Washington the division is pretty bad.

One player not mentioned above was DeShawn Stevenson. He did a pretty good job filling in for Arenas last year, scoring 11.2 ppg. and handing out 3.1 apg. They’re going to need to him to step that up a bit during the first part of the season when Arenas is out and he’ll get considerable playing time throughout the season until Arenas gets back to 100 percent.

Another guy that wasn’t mentioned and gets overlooked a lot with Arenas and Jamison on the roster is Caron Butler. I always thought Miami got a steal on Butler when he slid to them at No. 10 in the 2002 NBA draft. Last year he averaged a career-best 20.3 ppg. – mostly notably because of the absence of Arenas – to go along with 6.7 rpg and 4.9 apg.

Between a healthy Arenas, Jamison and Butler you’ve got a great nucleus to work with. Two years ago the trio was the highest scoring three in the NBA. As good as those three players are you can almost get away with not having a great point guard, just someone who can get the ball down the floor and not make mistakes, which is what you’re going to get in Daniels.

However, with a number of good big men in the league, Washington will only go as far as its center plays. With Haywood out for four-to-six months, and not being beyond average to start with, the Wizards are going to struggle. Thomas was a back up before his heart surgery and who knows how much better he’ll get and I’m not really sold on McGee.

I think Washington will make the playoffs without much problem since most the East is weak, but they’ll get bounced in the first round again. Their downside is they’ve got just too many people missing significant time to build into a real threat. If Arenas and Haywood come back 100 percent by the end of the year they have a shot, but I think there are at least four teams better than them. Maybe next year.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Orlando Magic

2008 Record: 52-30
Division Finish: 1st – Southeast
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-1, to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy
Season: Going into second season
Record At Orlando: 52-30
Career Record: 163-103

Offseason Acquisitions:
Signed Mike Wilks, G, 2.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, Free Agent
Signed Jeremy Richardson, F, 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg, Atlanta Hawks
Signed Dwayne Jones, C, 1.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, Cleveland Cavaliers
Signed Anthony Johnson, G, 5.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, Sacramento Kings
Signed Mickael Pietrus G-F, 7.2, ppg, 3.7 rpg, Golden State Warriors

Offseason Transactions:
Excersiced option on guard JJ Redick through 2009-10
Resigned center Adonal Foyle

Offseason Losses:
James Augustine, F, 1.6 ppg., 1.2, rpg, Waived
Carlos Arroyo, G, 6.9 ppg., 3.5, apg, Free Agent
Kenyon Dooling, G, 8.1 ppg, 1.8, apg, Traded to the New Jersey Nets
Maurice Williams, G-F, 9.3 ppg, 3.1 ppg., Signed with Atlanta Hawks
Pat Garrity, F, 2.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg., Retired
Bo Outlaw, F, 2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg. , Wavied

Rookies:
Courtney Lee, G, 20.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg., Western Kentucky

The Skinny:
Outside of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, no player in the NBA may be more exciting than Orlando’s Dwight Howard. I haven’t watched the Slam Dunk competition in I don’t know how many years, but I was tuned into last year’s competition based solely on the performance of Howard. He did some amazing things with the ball and along with James could be the new face of the NBA.

Prior to Howard’s arrival in O-Town the team was struggling. They finished seventh in the Atlantic division and as a result were able to take Howard with the No. 1 pick. Within three years he had the team back in the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record which just goes to show that the East is a very weak conference.

Last season the Magic won the Southeast Division with a 52-30 record and won their first playoff series since the 1995-96 campaign as they beat Toronto, 4-1, in the first round. Their record was their best since that 95-96 campaign when they lost to the Bulls in the conference finals and was 31 wins better than the year before Howard was drafted. They were subsequently tossed from the playoffs by Detroit, 4-1.

Despite not being the prototypical NBA center that you normally think of at only 265 pounds on a 6-foot-11 frame, Howard is one of the best in the league. He averaged 20.7 points per game and 14.2 rebounds per game. He led the NBA with 69 double doubles and his 14.2 rpg. was a full rebound better than the next closest player (Marcus Camby).

As good as Howard is, he obviously can’t do it all by himself. He’s got a pair of really good supporting cast members in guard Hedo Turkoglu and forward Rashard Lewis. Turkoglu was second on the team at 19.5 ppg while grabbing 5.7 rpg. and handing out 5.0 assists per game. Lewis was just a shade back at 18.2 ppg., 4.2 rpg. and 5.4 apg. Also doing a solid job was point guard Jameer Nelson as he produced 10.9 ppg. and handed out 5.6 apg.

The problem with the Magic isn’t a lack of production at the offensive end of the court, it’s at the defensive end, particularly during the playoffs. Orlando ranked sixth in the NBA last year at 104.4 ppg. and were pretty decent at 99.0 ppg. on defense, which surprisingly ranked 11th.

However, as anyone will tell you defense is what wins you championships. If you don’t believe me, the top three defensive teams in the NBA – Detroit (90.1 ppg.), Boston (90.3 ppg.) and San Antonio (90.6 ppg.) – all made the conference finals. The Phoenix Suns have been mentioned a lot the last few years as a potential champion, but their model of all-out offense has yet to come to fruition. Twice the Suns got to the Western Finals, only to be beaten 4-1 by San Antonio and 4-2 by Dallas. Last year they dropped another 4-1 series to the Spurs.

When going up against a great defensive team like the Pistons in the playoffs, Orlando scored a mere 91.6 ppg. This shows the flaws in the idea of just trying to outscore opponents and not putting much stock in playing defense. Nine times out of 10 the better defensive team will win. Also, because Orlando had to work harder to score, they didn’t have the energy to play the necessary defense – not that they do anyways – but Detroit was only 0.5 ppg. under its regular season average of 90.7 ppg.

The playoffs is all about who can stick to their game plan and go about business as usual. Unless you’ve got a serious injury, the playoffs is not the time to have to change approach. Detroit was able to follow its game plan better than Orlando and the Pistons were the one who were able advance.

Between Howard and Lewis the Magic seem to have the defensive end pretty well covered. Where they are struggling on defense is the back court. Richard Hamilton scored more than 30 against Orlando in the final two playoff games and Chauncey Billups tossed in 28 in game two.

Prediction:
Orlando is a pretty solid team, but they need to get Howard more help. San Antonio and Detroit have five great players on the floor while the Lakers have a super star and a great player in Pau Gasol to help out Bryant. While Lewis, Turkoglu and Nelson are all pretty solid, they’re not great. The Magic must make a decision to either get one big gun, kind of like a Scotty Pippen, or build up the four other guys to be pretty good.

They lost Maurice Wiliams, who averaged 9.3 ppg., to Atlanta and replaced him with Mickael Pietrus from Golden State and his 7.2 ppg. Shooting guard JJ Reddick was one of the best college players of all time, but he has been a dud as a pro. Maybe he’ll get better or maybe he’s just going to be another in a long string of Duke players that are great in college but a flop in the league. If he could ever rise to anything close to the level that he had in Durham he could be that great No. 2 guy.

Rookie guard CourtneyLee has some potential to be a good player. He scored 20.4 ppg. at Western Kentucky, which is a pretty solid program that you’ve probably never heard much about. Lee is a good start, but he’s not going to be enough. Orlando should have another good record so they’re not going to have a draft spot where they can really get an impact player. To move up to the Detroit, Boston and Clevelands of the world they’ll have to make a trade or sign a big free agent.

There might not be a worse division in the NBA than the Southeast so unless Howard gets hurt the Magic should have no problems winning the division again this year. Orlando should win a first round series again, but that’s as far as they are going to get. Unless Stan Van Gundy can get the Magic to play better defense in crunch time they’ll be watching the conference semifinals from home.

2008-09 NBA Team Preview – Cleveland Cavaliers

2008 Record: 45-37
Division Finish: 2nd – Central
2008 Playoffs: Lost, 4-3, to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Head Coach: Mike Brown
Season: Going into fourth season
Record At Cleveland: 245-101

Offseason Acquisitions:
Signed Ronald Dupree, F, 1.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, from Seattle
Signed Tarence Kinsey, G, 3.6 ppg., 1.1 rpg from Memphis
Signed center Lorenzen Wright, F-C, 1.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg. from Sacramento
Traded Damon Jones to Milwaukee & Joe Smith to Oklahoma City Thunder. Got guard Maurice Williams, G, 10.2 ppg, 6.1 apg. from Milwaukee

Offseason Transactions:
Resigned guard Daniel Gibson
Resigned guard Delonte West

Offseason Losses:
Damon Jones, G, 6.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg., Free agent
Devin Brown, G, 7.5 ppg., 3.4 rpg., Signed with New Orleans Hornets
Dwayne Jones, C, 1.0 ppg., 2.0 ppg., Signed with Orlando Magic
Detemtris Nichols, F, 1.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg., Claimed off waivers by Chicago Bulls

Rookies:
JJ Hickson, F, 6-9, NC State, 14.8 ppg., 8.5 rpg.
Darnell Jackson, F, 6-8, Kansas, 11.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg.
Sasha Kaun, C, 6-11, Kansas, 7.1 ppg., 3.9 rpg.
Signed Jawad Williams, F

The Skinny:
If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to make that next step from a good team in the East to a great team in the NBA that has a chance to win a championship, they need look no farther than one of their Central Conference foes. The Chicago Bulls wrote the playbook on how to win with a superstar and Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry needs to not only read it, but take the necessary steps.

For my money, the Cavs have the best player in the league in LeBron James. He might not go out and score 50 points in a night like Kobe Bryant and may not play as much defense as Bryant, but he’s more consistent than Bryant. He can beat you in so many ways that I think he’s more versatile than Bryant. He also rebounds a lot better than Bryant and being around the basket creates scoring opportunities with second chance points.

Another reason that makes James a better player in my opinion is that he’s trying to get everyone involved and make them a better team. James’ idol was Jordan and he knows if he wants to be in the same company some day that he has to start winning championships. Jordan was a great player but his status was elevated even higher once he started winning titles. Karl Malone may be one of the 50 greatest players in the league’s history but he’ll start to fade into the background because he was never on a championship team.

James can score just about any time he wants. It’s not a matter of if he could; it’s a matter of does he want to. I’m sure a lot of team would like for him to just to try to score at will. Detroit will let James get 45 points, but hold the rest of the team to 30 and the Pistons will come out on top almost every time.

But LeBron is smarter than that. He knows he has to get them involved because there are going to be nights when he can’t score at will and has to rely on his teammates. He also knows that he needs them because he already gets all of the attention off the court and if that spreads to the floor they won’t be as likely to play as hard. Look at the Lakers for the last few years up until this year. It was the Kobe Show and he wasn’t doing anything to make friends so no one wanted to play hard or play with him and they lost. He became more of a leader, wasn’t a ball hog, shut his mouth some and they went to the Finals.

So the Cavaliers knew they needed help last year when the acquired the services of Ben Wallace in a big midseason trade. Along with Wallace, Cleveland picked up guard Delonte West from Seattle and guard Wally Szcerbiak from Chicago. In the process they got rid of a lot of dead weight as the traded sent six players packing, topped by Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Shannon Brown.

Hughes and Marshall made sense. Both are getting long in the tooth and Marshall isn’t a great team player. Brown isn’t living up to the hype at Michigan State and he’s not doing it in the pros either. The one that surprised me is Gooden. He’s only been in the league six years and was averaging 11.3 ppg. and 8.3 ppg., but you have to give up something in those trades and they felt like Gooden was ready to go.

For his size, 6-foot-9, Wallace has been one of the best rebounders in the league over the last half a decade. However, he is getting a bit old. With a dozen NBA seasons under his belt he is getting close to hanging it up. Szcerbiak is a solid role player who can help a ball team win if he can stay healthy.

I like the edition of West. He’s a younger version of Hughes who averaged 10.3 ppg., 4.5 assists per game and 3.7 rpg. They also picked up Maurice Williams in trade during the offseason. He averaged 10.2 ppg and 6.1 apg for the Milwaukee Bucks so it will be interesting to see what happens in the battle between he and Hughes.

Most of the Cavs offseason moves besides getting Williams weren’t that spectacular. They drafted a pair of pretty solid forwards in JJ Hickson from NC State and Kansas’ Darnell Jackson. With Wallace as a mentor they don’t have to jump right into the fold and be expected to contribute, though they may.

Prediction:
I still think the Cavaliers are a year or two from putting together a championships team though when you’ve got a player the caliber of James anything is possible. If this team sticks together for 2-to-3 more years and they can keep some key guys in place then they may be a contender in 2009-10 or the following year. They have to resign James, but that’s a whole other blog.

They’ve got a great center in Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who averaged 14.1 ppg and led the squad at 9.4 rpg., and he’s locked up until the 2010-11 season. As I stated before I’m also a fan of West and Williams. One of them may have to play the point and the other the off guard because that’s where they’ve got a hole.

The Cavs have a pair of holes in their off guard and power forward. I don’t know if Wallace can hold up through the whole season, though being on the floor with Ilgauskas  and James may take some of the focus away from him and let him be productive like Dennis Rodman was with the Lakers. Hickson and Jackson could be good down the road but it’s hard to tell.

Since I predicted Detroit to win the Central and the NBA title the best I can give Cleveland is a second-place showing in the Central. I’ll give them the upset of Boston in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but they’ll lose to Detroit in six.