Basketball Insiders Week in Review: 2/23/14

Cleveland Back on Track?

By Bill Ingram

When the Cleveland Cavaliers fired general manager Chris Grant last week, it seemed the team was about to completely implode. The Andrew Bynum experiment was a dismal failure, recent lottery picks Dion Waiters and Anthony Bennett have failed to live up to their draft positions and head coach Mike Brown appeared to have lost the team. To make matters worse, trade rumors started swirling around Luol Deng, whom the team recently acquired from the Chicago Bulls. The team had lost eight of nine games and looked like it was preparing to implode.

But as soon as Grant got the axe, the Cavaliers turned things around in dramatic fashion, winning four games in a row heading into the All-Star break.

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John Wall: The First of Many All-Star Appearances

By Moke Hamilton

“What do you think about the league implementing a four-point shot? Do you think that would be a good idea?”

“If you could choose any two teammates for a three-on-three competition, one from this era and one from the past, who would it be?”

Among the sea of media and alongside some of the Eastern Conference’s other giants—LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George, to name a few—John Wall answered some of the most interesting questions he has had to field since his professional career began back in 2010.

But hey, as an All-Star, in New Orleans, it comes with the territory. And if the first half of his 2013-14 NBA season is an indication, Wall should get used to taking part in the NBA’s midseason classic.

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Top 5 All-Time All-Star Performances

 By Joel Brigham

There’s no question that Sunday night’s All-Star game was one for the ages, as statistical records were broken all over the place. It was the most total points scored in a game, Carmelo Anthony broke the record for three-pointers in an All-Star game, Blake Griffin broke the record for most made field goals and the Eastern Conference scored more points than any other All-Star team in the history of the NBA.

Kyrie Irving was named the MVP after contributing 31 points and 14 rebounds in the East win, but it could have been any of a number of guys. Griffin scored 18 points in the first quarter and 38 points in the game, while his Western Conference teammate Kevin Durant also scored 38 and hauled in 10 rebounds. Anthony hit the eight three-pointers on his way to 30 points, and LeBron James finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

It was, put bluntly, an extremely memorable game, but there have been a lot of memorable games over the years. Here’s a look at some of the most impressive All-Star showings in league history:

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Wallace Still Irked by Bobcats Trade

 By Jessica Camerato

Gerald Wallace understands the nature of the NBA. He has seen teammates come and go. He himself has played for five teams over his 13-season career. But in spite of knowing basketball is a business, there is one move that irks him three years after the fact.

Rewind to February of 2011. The Charlotte Bobcats were coming off their first playoff appearance in franchise history, a season in which Wallace had earned his first All-Star selection. Even though the team was 25-32 at the deadline, Wallace believed in their postseason potential. He wanted to finish out the year in Charlotte, his NBA home since 2004.

Wallace had heard the rumors, yet after a while that becomes common for talented players with sizeable salaries. (He was set to earn over $20 million the next two seasons.) The afternoon of the trade deadline Wallace went to practice and says he was told by Bobcats personnel he would not be moved later on that day.

He returned home, only to be awoken by an unexpected phone call: he had been dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Less Than 30 Hours To The Deadline

By Steve Kyler

With roughly 30 hours remaining until the 3:00 pm EST NBA’s trade deadline, a lot of last minute chatter is leaking out as teams try and consummate deals before the mid-day cut off tomorrow. While there is a lot of talk taking place, the general sense around the league is that this may again be a very anti-climactic trade deadline with very few major players moved. With that in mind lets dig into what we know today.

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Biggest Available Names At The Deadline

 By Jabari Davis

With the NBA’s trade deadline (February 20, 3 p.m. ET) rapidly approaching, we are almost certain to hear of dozens of trade rumors and scenarios. While some will be more far-fetched than others, we wanted to take a look at some of the bigger names that could potentially be available in deals.

While the probable ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ may have been difficult to determine at times, both the standings and financial (cap) realities of certain franchises have made the picture a bit more clear. The Lakers, Sixers, Pistons and Bucks are the likely to be the biggest ‘sellers’ at the deadline, but given how unpredictable of a season 2013-14 has already been, we shouldn’t be surprised by much of anything over the next 28 (or so) hours.

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Who Are the Keepers: Toronto Raptors

 By Nate Duncan

The 2013-14 season has been notable for the number of teams in a clear rebuilding mode. The first step in a rebuilding process, and one that must continue as long as the rebuild does, is to take stock of what talent the team has. There is one major question that should dominate the inquiry: Which of these players will be a part of our next good team? The player’s skill, age, contract and fit all enter into this discussion, as well as a realistic understanding of when the team can hope to be competitive again. This can generally be defined as the date a team’s young core is collectively projected to provide the greatest production. Finally, teams also need to consider the need to maintain flexibility rather than locking up a mediocre core.

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Trade Reaction: Pacers Take Risk Moving Granger

By Lang Greene

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Indiana Pacers have traded veteran forward Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forwards Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen.

Granger, a former All-Star and once unquestioned leader in Indiana, had witnessed his role significantly diminish due to the rise of Paul George and troublesome knee injuries.

There were plenty of rumors of the Pacers moving Granger throughout the summer and into the beginning of the season, but those talks cooled dramatically until this week’s deadline frenzy. Granger has undoubtedly lost a step in his game but the Pacers were intent on receiving some value for the veteran as opposed to losing him for nothing in return this summer in free agency.

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Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

By Yannis Koutroupis

There was no shortage of movement in the final hours of the 2014 NBA trade deadline, but overall the activity really lacked substance.

That was until the Indiana Pacers unleashed their latest power play in their quest to win the 2014 championship. Already equipped with one of the best teams in the league and a certified championship contender, the Pacers pulled off the biggest move of the deadline to put themselves in the winners category. We take a look at who joins them in that class, along with who didn’t do so well at the deadline.

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Ernie Grunfeld Explains Andre Miller Trade

 By Alex Kennedy

In recent weeks, the Washington Wizards were one of the busiest teams in the NBA as the trade deadline approached. Washington was determined to upgrade their backup point guard position and they called every single team that had a productive reserve guard and tried to pry them loose.

On Thursday afternoon, Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld succeeded in getting a floor general for his second unit, when he acquired Andre Miller from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team deal that also included the Philadelphia 76ers. Grunfeld only had to part ways with Eric Maynor, Jan Vesely and a 2015 second-round pick. Once the dust settled, Grunfeld was excited about the deal and addressed the media.

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Trade Deadline: Grading The Trades

 By Eric Pincus

The final 24 hours leading up to the NBA trade deadline proved to be a busy affair — even if only a few of the deals will actually have playoff implications.

How did each team do?

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