August 10, 2012; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard was introduced to the media after he was aquired in a four-team trade from the Orlando Magic. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

With Dwight Howard in Orlando, the Magic were a top three team in the Eastern Conference (except last year with the all the drama and injuries and shortened seasons and whatnot). Without him, they might finish with a worse record than the Charlotte Bobcats (OK, maybe not that bad, but not much better, either).

But what will the rest of the Eastern Conference look like?

Andrew Bynum did find his way to Philadelphia in the deal and his presence alone should propel the Sixers out of the eighth spot and into the top four, right?

I don’t know. They’re definitely a playoff team, and they’re definitely better than an eight seed, but Miami and Chicago are still one and two. Boston didn’t get any worse this season, so they get my nod for third on that list. Then there is Indiana. And Brooklyn. And New York. All three of those teams could feasibly finish fourth.

Philly can too, I’m just not sure I’m ready to hand them a spot in the top half of the Eastern conference just yet.

Right now, my Eastern Conference playoff projection looks like this: 1. Miami 2. Chicago 3. Boston 4. Indiana 5. Brooklyn 6. New York 7. Philly 8. Milwaukee (this an extreme overreaction to the Howard deal and the list will change as the time for true predictions draws near).

In the Western Conference, LA has to be the favorites to win the league. Oklahoma City is still amazingly good, but the Lakers legitimately have a big four. They could have four starters on the All Star team. For real.

After that, it’s hard to overlook San Antonio, even as they grow older, and older, and older, and older, and older, and older, and older (saw a stat somewhere that they actually have one of the youngest average ages of any team in the league. Don’t care enough to look it up, though. They’re still old).

But, the Denver Nuggets definitely improved. They added a lock down defender who just so happens to be an Olympian. He’s not a great shooter, but Denver has other players to fill that need. Plus, they’re a pretty young that’s gotten better the past few years. I’d have to put Denver as the fourth best team in the west right now after the deal.

The Clippers certainly might have something to say about that. As will the Grizzlies.

The seventh and eighth spots could go to some playoff newcomers like Golden State and Minnesota IF things go very well for those teams.

In fact, I’ll pick Minnesota as my final Western Conference playoff team for now and give Dallas the 7th spot just based on principle.

Apr 07, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Magic defeated the Sixers 88-82. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Let me get this straight: The NBA (David Stern) disallowed New Orleans’ Chris Paul deal that would’ve netted the Hornets Lamar Odom (at the time looked like a nice pick up), Kevin Martin, GORAN DRAGIC, Luis Scola and a first round pick from the Houston Rockets.

I know the league had the authority to veto that trade, because it owned New Orleans at the time, but let me get this straight as well:

 The league isn’t going to do anything about the trade that just happened where a future Hall of Fame center was traded to a team that already had three on it for a huge steaming pile of hippo crap?

Sure. Technically they can’t do anything, but give me a break. The league does still have to “give its stamp of approval” as so many pundits have put it this morning.

The Lakers just got Dwight Howard. PHILLADELPHIA GOT ANDREW BYNUM. Denver got Andre Iguodala. The Magic? They got three late round (LA, Philly, Denver=playoffs) draft picks, Arron Afflalo and Moe Harkless.

I know that last paragraph doesn’t make any damn sense, so here’s a simpler one.

The Orlando Magic traded Dwight Howard, and they got nothing back in return.

To tie this story into what most people come to this blog to read about, The Orlando Magic will be last year’s Charlotte Bobcats for the foreseeable future.

Maybe that’s what they wanted. Maybe they traded Dwight Howard for the ability to be a pathetically awful team for the next three years and draft their future.

The Thunder did it. The Bobcats are doing it.

Three out of the four teams in this trade won. The team that had the most leverage, somehow, lost.

New Jersey offered a better deal. Houston offered a WAY better deal.

I don’t get it, but somehow the Lakers, Nuggets and Sixers just robbed Orlando blind and the Magic don’t seem to give a shit.

What the hell's goin on here! We got who? What? No Dwight? Mo' Dwight?. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

After saying he couldn’t see himself in a Lakers jersey, Steve Nash is now their point guard.

After saying they’d match any offer for Jeremy Lin up to “$1 billion”, the Knicks will probably let Linsanity flow out of Houston.

It is “highly doubtful” NY will match Jeremy Lin’s offer sheet with HOU, source tells Y! Sports. NY likely to wait 3 days before declining.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 15, 2012

Dwight Howard trades to LA, Houston and Brooklyn have been “imminent” a dozen times, Ray Allen is on the Heat and Landry Fields got $20 million to play in Toronto.

With Nets out of the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, Rockets have emerged as the front runners.

— Legion Sports (@MySportsLegion) July 12, 2012

The 76ers waived Elton Brand and let Lou Williams walk to Atlanta. Speaking of the Hawks, they did the unthinkable and managed to find a team willing to take on Joe Johnson’s contract; The Nets.

The Charlotte Bobcats got a first round draft pick AND Ben Gordon out of Corey Maggette from the Pistons.

Eric Gordon spoke glowingly about Phoenix after receiving a max contract from the Suns only to have New Orleans match it.

Eric Gordon: “There is always a business element to the NBA when dealing with contracts but I never lost my appreciation for the NOLA fans.”

— Doug Mouton (@DMoutonWWL) July 14, 2012

Kyrie Irving broke his hand slapping a wall (and called out Kobe Byrant) and Blake Griffin hurt his knee with team USA.

Cavs’ Kyrie Irving breaks hand slapping wall padding. espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id…

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 15, 2012

And that’s not everything that went down.

Holy crap.

This summer has been far from slow for the NBA, after last summer ceased to exist.

It has to be a given that the upcoming season will be just as wild, right?

Not sure why, but this makes me smile. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

The Cavs have dropped out of the discussion between four teams involved in a 16 player trade that would ultimately send Dwight Howard to Brooklyn. The Charlotte Bobcats have stepped in.

The biggest cog in the deal is Kris Humphries’ assertion that he will not be part of any sign-and-trade that doesn’t end with him getting a long-term deal. Cleveland was only willing to take him on for one season.

There are indications that the Bobcats are willing to sign him for more than that one year:

Bobcats willing to give Kris Humphries multi-year deal in potential 3-way trade with Nets & Magic, source says. … sulia.com/c/basketball/f…

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) July 10, 2012

Some people say Charlotte might take the Clippers out of this deal too, because the Bobcats also want Marshon Brooks:

/SIGH RT @RicBucher report that Cha would take Brooks to be third team in Nets-Magic DH deal. Source says opposite: Cha wants a 1st rd pick.

— Spencer Percy (@QCsportscrave) July 10, 2012

In the old deal, the Clippers would have reportedly sent a first round pick to the Nets for Brooks, and the Cavs would have reportedly received a first round pick along with Humphries (before they backed out). So, perhaps Charlotte could just keep the pick they would have to send for Brooks and not receive a pick with Humphries (Orlando probably wouldn’t like that).

Here’s why taking on those two players would make (so, so) so much sense for the Bobcats: Brooks (in his rookie season) scored 15.5 points, grabbed 4.4 rebounds and dished out 2.9 assists per 36 minutes last season. Humphries is 26 and he’s averaged a double-double the past two seasons. Last year he scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds a game.

The Bobcats would have a log jam at the 2-guard position if they landed Brooks, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s better to have to find minutes for a few good players than be forced to give minutes to one bad guy. And he’s a productive player who’s signed to a rookie deal.

When it comes to Humphries, there’s really no reason not to take him on and give him the deal he wants; Charlotte was 28th in points in the paint last year and 29th in rebounding.

The other thing to take into account is the opportunities Charlotte probably won’t have in the future; The Bobcats tried to get in on the Eric Gordon sweepstakes, and they tried to bring Goran Dragic to town. Young, productive players aren’t breaking down the door to get to the Queen City anytime soon. Outside of the draft, Humphries might be the best available player the Bobcats could get over the next few seasons.

This move (these moves) would not make the Bobcats so much better that Rich Cho’s build-through-the-draft philosophy would be compromised. But it would make the Bobcats more competitive and watchable.

If the Charlotte Bobcats don’t have to give up any first round draft picks (and they probably wouldn’t to get Humphries, at least), there’s no reason they should back off of this trade. If they have to give up a pick for Brooks, they should just let the Clippers play that role and take on Humphries and the pick that was going to Cleveland.

It’s not like they’ll be competing with the Nets for an Eastern Conference title any time soon, and creating a salary clogged monster in Brooklyn could actually benefit the Bobcats when those players in NY are on the decline, and Charlotte’s future (hopefully… hopefully… maybe?) stars are on the rise.

Apr 14, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Nets power forward Kris Humphries (43) controls tip against Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Aside from the players I listed yesterday, Charlotte will take Ralph Sampson III and Othello Hunter to Las Vegas to be on on its summer league roster.

The other players on the squad will be Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo, Byron Mullens, Corey Higgins, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffrey Taylor.

Charlotte plays five games in Vegas, and you can watch any summer league game you want on NBA.com.

The more interesting news of the day comes out of Orlando/Brooklyn. With trade talks somewhat stalled between the Magic, Nets, Cavs and Clippers, Charlotte could sneak its way into a deal that would send Dwight Howard to Brookyn.

Cleveland has been reluctant to take on Chris Humphries in a sign-and-trade for more than one season, and Humphries wants a long term deal.

If the Bobcats are trying to work their way into this trade, they’re probably willing to give Humphries that longer-term contract.

But, who knows if he’ll agree to a contract that keeps him in Charlotte for the foreseeable future.

For a more in depth version of this story (and other NBA rumors) read the always great Rick Bonnell from the Charlotte Observer.

"...The Bobcats are involved now? ... You serious? They tradin me where? Ahhhh! Good April Fools Joke, bruh!" : Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Charlotte Bobcats could be the fourth team in a 16 player deal that would send Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets.

The Bobcats would likely replace Cleveland, which is unwilling to take on PF Kris Humphries for more than one season. If this is the reason Charlotte replaces the Cavs, the Bobcats would likely take on Humphries for multiple seasons. The former Hopkins High School star wants a long term deal, and that, from all indications, is what’s holding up the trade.

Humphries scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds per game last season, and he finished the year with a 106 defensive rating and a 54 percent true-shooting percentage.

ESPN Radio was the first to report this news, and the person doing their “Sportscenter” segment said Ric Bucher was the guy who heard it first.

Mar 21, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) is defended by Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday (11) during the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

I just saw a tweet that said the Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets are interested in signing free agent power forward J.J. Hickson.

Hickson, who’s been in the league for four years, had a weird 2011/12 season.

He was signed by the Kings in the off season, played so poorly that Sacramento waved him, got picked up by the Trail Blazers, and averaged 15 points and eight rebounds over the last 19 games of the season.

He made less than three million dollars last season, and my guess is he’ll sign with the team that gives him the best deal.

Other free agent news on this great Monday morning includes… well not too much news.

The Nets are trying to swing so many deals that Chris Brousard’s head must be ready to burst. They’re willing to take on Joe Johnson and his horrifying salary, but they won’t give up Marshon Brooks. They also want to trade for Dwight Howard, sign Steve Nash and if they don’t get any of those guys, they’re likely to match any offer Brook Lopez receives.

The Houston Rockets and Omer Asik have reportedly agreed to a 3-year deal worth over $25 million, and while the Bulls say resigning him is a priority, 72 percent of Bulls fans don’t want their team to match that offer.

Finally, Knicks fans might need to worry about losing Jeremy Lin if the Raptors don’t sign Steve Nash.

According to SI [which cited Chris Brousard (who spoke hypothetically)]:

“While both Lin and the Knicks are hoping for a reunion, sources say that if any clubs offer Lin, a restricted free agent, a backloaded contract that pays him an eight-figure salary in the third and fourth years, the Knicks could be given pause about matching the offer.”

Don’t expect New York to let Lin walk, though. GM Glen Grunwald is going to wait to see what other teams offer his point guard, because he can match any deal.

April 10, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Injured Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard claps from the sidelines against the Washington Wizards in the second half at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 93-85. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard and Steve Nash are both getting killed by Internet morons, but for very different reasons.

The backlash against Howard for his childish antics this past season was harsh. Still, for whatever reason (I think he was roofied) he decided to opt into the final year of his contract with the Orlando Magic.

Now, for reasons only he and the Magic are aware of, Howard wants out again. Whether promises were broken or trust was pushed aside, we may never know, but now Howard’s haters are back out in full force.

Steve Nash is catching flack for an entirely different reason; He might just decide to take a three year $36 million deal to go back to his home country and play out what will likely be the final years of his career in Toronto.

Some people think he should take less money to go after a title. And those people are killing him for thinking about signing with the Raptors.  

How can both of these situations exist? Howard being slammed for demanding a trade to a team that with him, could possibly compete for a title as soon as next year, and Nash being slammed for pretty much the opposite of that?

First of all, I don’t like what Howard has done the past few seasons. If he wanted to be traded, he should’ve quietly asked management for one. If he didn’t get it after that he should’ve just opted out of the last year of his contract. Those clauses are put in there for pretty much that exact situation; You want out? Don’t opt in!

If you’re giving Nash a hard time for thinking about going home to finish his career, you just need to take up a new hobby and get off the Internet. He’s given everything to this game and if he wants to sign a bigger deal and fight just to make the playoffs, so be it.

The way things are going, it looks like Nash will end up in Toronto, and Howard will be traded.

And when those things happen, both guys will catch a ton of flack for doing essentially the exact opposite of each other.

Crazy world we live in, huh?

Dwight... I don't know how to tell you this... If you don't shut up, I'm going to get myself fired Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Monday night on ESPN’s Hill and Schlereth radio show, ESPN (football) analyst Mark Schlereth laid into Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic and the NBA itself, during his “that’s the stinking truth” segment.

The basic jist of his argument made sense; It was, essentially: NBA teams shouldn’t let superstars run their teams.

But he went even further, suggesting that input on management decisions from star players will almost certainly always lead down a dark and trecherous path (his sentiment, my words). He also used the horrible, and insensitive ”letting the inmates run the prison” remark (from a misguided perception that the NBA is a “thug” league) to describe the situation in Orlando, but he did rightfully point out that Van Gundy did a remarkable job with the Magic (and wrongfully praised Otis Smith, as well. Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, Gilbert Arenas?).  

Schlereth wasn’t the only sports talking head/columnist to slam Howard and the Magic.

Accross the landscape of sports media Tuesday morning, people were making comments like “maybe Howard should become the player-coach/gm!”

Maybe people who think like that should quit their jobs, get into the gym and become an NBA superstar. If they lack the strength, height, agility, speed, hand eye coordiantion, balance, and sheer athleticism it takes to even make it to the NBA, maybe they should go back to school for sports management and then apply for a few GM positions.

The fact of the matter is, these men and women ripping into Howard and the Magic don’t have a clue.

I’m not saying I have a clue either, but at least I can look at the situation with a mind free of any resentment towards those lucky few who rise to the level of sports superstar.

Sure, Van Gundy was given a raw deal. But the guy practically fired himself with that post-practice press conference fiasco. It doesn’t matter how warranted you might think your actions are… If you throw a player and an organization under the bus like Van Gundy did, you are going to get fired.

And the fact that anyone can paint Smith as a victim in this situation is beyond me. He was the entire reason this circus unfolded the way it did.

There’s no way in hell the Orlando Magic, as constructed, are going to win a championship. That team is Dwight Howard, Ryan Anderson, a bunch of shooters… And that’s it.

The aforementioned experiments with Arenas, Lewis and Turkoglu blew up in Otis’s face, and, in turn, in Howard’s. 

It’s a wonder that Van Gundy was able to win as many games as he did while he coached the Magic.

The best players in the league have a long history of influencing management decisions, so this shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

Magic Johnson, one of the best players in the history of basketball got his coach fired and then did nothing but win until he retired. Only at a time like this do people bring that up (I know, I know. Howard hasn’t won anything yet. Well, like I said before, he wasn’t winning anything with Otis and Van Gundy, either).

And Magic isn’t the only example. But I’m trying to keep this short, so let me get to the point.

Dwight Howard does not want to be a player-coach/gm. He did not even necessarily want to get his coach and GM fired. He wants to do something that not many NBA players ever get to do before the retire: Win a championship.

Otis Smith wasn’t building a championship team and Stan Van Gundy could not get that team over the hump… And THAT’s the stinking truth.