Nikola Pekovic Signs Huge Deal

Ricky Rubio gets the steal after too many fancy dribbles from Tyreke Evans and runs the fastbreak with a beautiful between the legs pass to Nikola Pekovic for the dunk.  

Pekovic just signed a huge contract with the Timberwolves for 5 years and 60 million dollars which seems like a ton of money for a guy who does dirty work and is not really a key piece or franchise player.  Yet he did average almost 17 points and 9 rebounds last season without Kevin Love for the most part.  I don't think he will average that this season with Kevin Martin and Kevin Love scoring the most points on that team.

My expectations for Pekovic and the Timberwolves this year are them making the 7th or 8th spot in the West and Pekovic averaging 14 and 10 while starting at center.  Kevin Martin could provide the wing scoring that the Timberwolves have been missing and will see many open shots and oppurtunites from Rubio's passing.

Donte Greene Traded for Fab Melo

Donte Greene throws down a huge reverse putback dunk off of the Jimmer miss when he was with the 

Sacramento Kings.  Donte is known for his athletic ability, his height for a small forward and his goofiness. 

Donte Greene was traded today for Fab Melo to the Boston Celtics.  Donte signed last season to play with the Grizzlies in the playoffs but did not make an appearance in a game.  Maybe the Celtics will give him a chance to get a role on a rebuilding Boston team.  He certainly has talent and just struggles with inconsistency shooting and producing overall.  

He had moments and full games on the Kings where he looked like a future all star in the nba and the CEltics could be the perfect spot for him to get alot of minutes and show the league what he has to offer.

DJ Stephens NBA Potential

DJ Stephens has great NBA potential as you can see from some of his summer league highlights with the Miami Heat.  He has a massive vertical and is so explosive and lengthy to go along with an incredible motor.  One ting that could hold him back is his sports asthma that limited is minutes somewhat at Memphis.

I believe that DJ Stephens could be the most explosive and possess the highest vertical in the NBA while the only other guy that comes close is Gerald Green and James White when he was in his prime.  What sets Stephens apart though is that he has a great impact on the defensive end and is a relentless hustler which makes up for his mediocre shooting ability.  He could become a lockdown and impact defender in the NBA for a team which is always needed. 

I think some NBA comparisons for him would be Chris Birdman Andersen but Stephens plays small forward sooting guard he has the same defensive impact and hustle.  Another could be a Tony Allen, who is more Stephen's size, but DJ is a better shot blocker.

Marcus Camby and1 dunk while with the Knicks

Marcus Camby throws down a huge and 1 dunk on the Toronto Raptors while playing for the New York Knicks.  

Marcus Camby has played for six NBA teams in his career including the Raptors, two stints with the Knicks, the Nuggets, the Clippers, the Trail Blazers, the Rockets and now he returns again to the Rockets.  His new deal this year is for one year and 1.4 million.  Camby will get time at power forward and center but the Rockets have Dwight Howard and last year's starter Omer Asik.  

Camby will bring shot blocking and rebounding as well as a mentor for Dwight Howard who has still not grown up after many years in the NBA.  He can also see time next to Dwight or Omer at power forward where the team is a little thin after trading Patrick Patterson for Thomas Robinson and then trading Robinson for draft picks.  Now they have Greg Smith who had decent success in limited minutes and Terrence Jones who is a small forward/ power forward tweener.

McLemore Posterizing Dunk

Ben Mclemore throws down a huge dunk on a dish from fellow 2013 Kings draft pick, Ray MacCalum.  This was a big boost in confidence for Mclemore as he struggled most of the games in Las Vegas.  

In 5 games in Vegas Mclemore had two standout performances, his third and fifth game where he scored 26 and 27 respectively.  Those two games were very impressive as Mclemore hit threes and showed off his athletic ability on numerous occasions.

Mclemore had ZERO assists in five games and 30 minutes per game in Vegas which is concerning but while watching him I noticed him make some nice passes on plays where his teammates got fouled at the rim or missed/dropped an easy basket opportunity.  He also seemed to force some shots but he was told to be very aggressive and take shots and make plays where Cousins will do more of in the regular season.  It will also be a huge benefit for Mclemore to play with Grevis Vasquez who will set up threes and layups for him.

MacCalum had a standout Summer League and I believe he could be a very good guard in this league if he gets the chance which might be hard this year behind Vasquez, Isaiah Thomas, and Jimmer Freddette.  He averaged 12 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds while playing 30 minutes a game in the backcourt next to Mclemore and those two seem to have a little chemistry.

I expect Ben Mclemore to play a sixth or seventh man next year in favor of Marcus Thornton starting. I can see Mclemore averaging 13 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 40% from three point range and making the all rookie first team.

Greg Oden Two Dunks Against Chicago

Greg Oden throws down two dunks against the Bulls.

Greg Oden was the number one pick ahead of Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA draft.  He has definitely not lived up to the hype of the number one pick as he has only appeared in 82 total games.  Over those 82 games he averaged a respectable 9.4 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, and 1.4 blocks per game all while playing only an average of 22 minutes per game.  

After not playing for two years because of three microsurgeries on his knee Greg Oden is trying to make a comeback as a fee agent.  Several teams are looking to add him including: the Heat, Spurs, Pelicans, and Kings.  The biggest question all these teams will have is his inability to stay healthy.  Oden is still only 25 so if he can stay healthy he could contribute long term.

MIAMI HEAT

As a member of the Heat Oden could add a rebounding ability that no one on their team currently really possesses as well as a rim protector.  Oden would come off the bench and could help them win another championship.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

On the Spurs Oden would be a backup for Splitter and could eventually take his spot if he proves he can stay healthy and perform at a high level still.  He could then take over for Duncan too when he retires.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS

The Pelicans could be looking to add Oden and instantly start him as they do not have a good center since they traded Robin Lopez.  This might be too much pressure for Oden and we don't know if he knees could take 30 minutes a night.

SACRAMENTO KINGS

In Sacramento Oden would not be needed to start instantly because of Cousins, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, and Patrick Patterson have all been successful starters in this league.  However, he could be moved into the starting lineup and Cousins could be slid to power Forward for a huge starting 4 and 5 combo that could work out nicely.