Duke Blue Planet BLOG

With the NBA All-Star break just passed, Nolan and Elliot offer their predictions and thoughts on the league…

NOLAN SMITH
Eastern Conference Champ: Boston Celtics
Western Conference Champ: Los Angeles Lakers
NBA Champion: Lakers with a healthy Andrew Bynum
MVP: Kobe Bryant
Surprise Team That Could Make a Run: Denver Nuggets
Rookie of the Year: Michael Beasley!
NBA’s Best Blue Devil: Grant Hill
Favorite Player to Watch: Chris Paul and Chris Duhon
Best Uniforms: Golden State Warriors
Best Dunk-Contest Dunker: Dwight Howard, he got robbed this year
Best In-Game Dunker: J.R. Smith
NBA Arena I Would Most Like to Play In: Staples Center
Best NBA Shooter: Ray Allen
Dream Starting Five: Chris Paul at the 1, me at the 2, LeBron at the 3, Dwight Howard at the 4 and Shaq at the 5.  Shaq has been hoopin.’

ELLIOT WILLIAMS
Eastern Conference Champ: Celtics
Western Conference Champ: Lakers
NBA Champion: Probably Lakers
MVP: LeBron
Surprise Team That Could Make a Run: Denver Nuggets
Rookie of the Year: D. Rose
NBA Duke Player I’m Most Impressed With: Grant Hill
Favorite Player to Watch: Carmelo Anthony
Best Uniforms: Old-school Denver Nuggests
Best Dunker: LeBron
Most Improved Player: Danny Granger
NBA Arena I Would Most Like to Play In: Staples Center
Dream Starting Five: LeBron, Kobe, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett and me

The NBA trade deadline was today at 3 PM and several Blue Devils were involved in trade rumors.  However, by the time the deadline hit, only one Duke alum was on the move.

*A trade sending Shelden Williams from Sacramento to Minnesota is in the works.  The Landlord will head to the Timberwolves along with Bobby Brown while the Kings get a pair of former ACC players in Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth.

*With the Cavs sitting at 44-11 and tied for first in the East, GM Danny Ferry was involved in a number of rumors on Thursday.  The Duke jersey retiree reportedly was working on adding some size and scoring punch to the Cavs frontcourt with rumors of Shaq, former Blue Devil Carlos Boozer, or Amare Stoudemire possibly heading to Cleveland.  However, Ferry never found the right deal and the Cavs opted to go forward with a strong roster that has made the team a definite title contender.

*Chris Duhon’s NY Knicks made a big move at the deadline hoping to bolster the roster for a run at a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  The Knicks added guard Larry Hughes, giving the team scoring at the two-guard lost since Jamal Crawford was dealt earlier in the year to Golden State.  In return, New York sends Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Anthony Roberson to Chicago.  The Knicks also agreed to a minor trade Thursday with Oklahoma City, dealing Malik Rose for Chris Wilcox.

*Luol Deng’s Chicago Bulls will have a different look.  In addition to the trade with the Knicks, Chicago sent Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to Sacramento in exchange for Brad Miller and John Salmons.

With the Blue Devils in town to face St. John’s, The New York Timesoffered a nice tribute to Coach K and his work with USA Basketball.  Writes The Times‘ Harvey Araton, “Whether you’re a fan of Coach K or not, there can be little debate about what his pledge of allegiance means.  An Army man, a disciple of the taskmaster Knight with the bonus dimension of self-control, Krzyzewski has been at Duke since 1980.  Where would he have gotten a better deal?  Well, for starters, in Hollywood.  He turned down the Lakers job when it was available in 2004, and (Kobe) Bryant, of all people, made a recruiting call.  (Jerry) Colangelo saw currency in the brand of Coach K, the Coca-Cola of the college game.  ‘I thought Mike was very unique, not a prototypical college guy,’ he said.  ‘I knew the players respected him big-time.’”  The article continues, “To the handful of journalists who have covered the N.B.A.’s globalization movement from the first McDonalds Open in 1987, let me say there was an added poignancy in the dignity the players brought to Beijing, to their responsiveness to the climate Colangelo and Krzyzewski created.”