Raptors the lone loser of Rudy Gay trade

Rudy Gay has finally been traded, through a three-team trade to the Toronto Raptors. Rudy Gay has always had the looks of a superstar, which probably earns him his max contract in the summer of 2010. However, he has never played up to his potential on the court and he is having probably his worst season statistically since his rookie season. This trade gives the Raptors a potential All-Star, while providing both the Grizzlies and the Pistons with financial relief in the future.

How Keith Smart can improve the Kings' rotation?

In the first four games of the season, Keith Smart has primarily used a 10-man rotation. He uses the starters Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, James Johnson, Jason Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins for most if not all of the first and third quarters. In the second and fourth quarters, he has the second unit Aaron Brooks, Marcus Thornton, Francisco Garcia, Thomas Robinson and Chuck Hayes on the court for the first half of the quarters. In the second half of the quarters, Brooks, Evans, Thornton, Hayes and Cousins get most of the playing time and are the unit that closes out the games for the Kings.

Who should the Orioles start on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday?

The Baltimore Orioles have punched a ticket into the postseason, but their work is hardly done. They are currently tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East entering the final series of regular season. The Orioles will play the Rays in Tampa Bay, while the Yankees will face the Red Sox at home. With the new playoff format, there is a clear advantage in winning the division over winning the wild card, since the 2 wild card teams have to play a wild card game before getting into the “real” postseason. As a result, the Orioles should treat the last 3 games of the regular season as importantly as they have the first 159 games. The Orioles have set their starting pitchers for the first two games of the series, Wei-Yin Chen for the first and Miguel Gonzalez for the second. The question remains: Who should the Orioles start on Wednesday, Thursday (if they are tied with Yankees for the lead in AL East) and Friday (if they lose the division and play the Oakland Athletics in the wild card game)?

Why Should We Believe in the Orioles?

Coming off a 4-2 road trip in New York and Tampa Bay, the Baltimore Orioles won another close game against the Seattle Mariners behind Chris Tillman's pitching. With less than a third of the season remaining, the collapse that many have predicted has yet to occur. Considering that only one starting pitcher has remained in the rotation the entire season, the Orioles have outperformed the expectations for the team by far. While the negative run differential continues to linger, there are some reasons to believe that the Orioles can around and be in the playoff hunt come September. I will be looking at the numbers in the second half primarily.

Analyzing the Sacramento Kings' offseason

The Sacramento Kings have been quiet as usual in the offseason since the draft, until yesterday. The Kings used their remaining cap space to acquire James Johnson from Toronto in a trade and agreed to a contract with free agent Aaron Brooks. In the process, the Kings waived Hassan Whiteside and now have 14 players on the roster. With a team salary at or near the NBA salary cap this year, the Kings are most likely done with their offseason moves, though a trade remains a possibility. With the Kings’ roster set for next season, it is time to evaluate the moves the Kings made during this offseason.

Reviewing and Previewing the Baltimore Orioles at the All-Star Break

The All-Star Game is over and every team has completed at least half of its schedule this year. The Baltimore Orioles, with a record of 45-40, have exceeded any expectation their fans have for them before the season. However, results drive expectations, and fans are looking for a playoff spot now

Celtics try to move on after Ray defects Boston

The era of the Big 3 (the original one), formed in 2007 when Danny Ainge traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join forces with Paul Pierce, is now over. Ray Allen has chosen to sign with the Miami Heat and the younger version of Big 3 for a better chance of a title.

As betrayed as an Celtics fan should feel, offering Ray Allen 12 million dollars for 2 years seems to

Nash stuns everyone on 4th of July, possibly affecting Dwight Howard

Anyone who tells you that he or she saw this coming is lying. When one lists the potential suitors of Steve Nash earlier today, the Los Angeles Lakers are probably fifth, behind New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, and maybe Phoenix Suns, where Nash had played for the last 8 seasons. The Lakers seem to be an unlikely destination just based on this statement from Steve Nash, "For me, it would be hard to put on a Lakers jersey. That's just the way it is." Apparently it is not as

Taking a look at current offers for Restricted Free Agents (Updated with Jeremy Lin)

Restricted free agents are some of the youngest stars in the league coming off rookie deals. They rarely leave their teams because if the teams truly want to retain their restricted free agents, they have the right to match other teams' offers. However, when another team overpays a restricted free agent, it becomes a tough decision for the original teams. Some teams are going to make this decision by July 14, 3 days after their free agents can sign officially on July 11.

6 restricted free agents have already reportedly received offers from other teams. The two gaining the most interest are two max players, Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert. Neither is expected to leave their

Brooklyn Nets are inheriting the same problem Atlanta Hawks had with Joe Johnson

The Brooklyn Nets continue their quest to surround Deron Williams with talent by agreeing to trade for Joe Johnson, who has nearly 90 million dollars and 4 years left on his deal, from the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. The trade is reported to go through regardless of Deron Williams' decision to return, though it is widely expected that he will. Nevertheless, the Nets are still not a title contender with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, and their contracts make it difficult for the Nets to acquire the pieces that will make them one. This is exactly the same predicament that Atlanta Hawks are freeing themselves from with this trade and the trade that will send Marvin Williams to Utah for Devin Harris.

On a talent level, the Nets gave up nothing and acquired arguably the third-best shooting guard in NBA. What they are sacrificing in the trade, however, are cap space in the future and more