L.O.N.

Line Of The Night AKA Beast Of The Night:

Brad Miller — 22 points, 20 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks

We see a player of the week award in this man’s future.  He has been dominating the post for the Kings lately, perhaps playing the best basketball of his career.  It was no different in last night’s win over the Bulls.  B-MEEZY!!!  Can the Kings lock up that 10th seed out West?  Can they be the 11th Western Conference team with a .500+ record?

Yao/Yi II Of The Night:

Yao Ming — 12 points, 12 boards, 3 blocks, 2 assists

Yi Jianlian — 7 boards, 6 points on 1-10 shooting, 2 assists, 1 block

In a clunker of a game, watched by 100 million+ people, both of the main attractions struggled.  Houston won 91-83, largely due to that OTHER guy — Tracy McGradles.  T-Mac went for an All-Star-like 33/11/6/1/1, despite the fact he will miss All-Star weekend for the first time since 2000.  Interesting fact about this match-up, beyond it’s Chinese implications?  When these two teams get together, 6 continents are represented:  Africa — Dikembe Mutombo, Asia — Yao and Yi, Australia — Andrew Bogut, Europe — Dan Gadzuric, North America — Everyone else, and South America — Luis Scola.  Global game for reals, son.

Shut Up Of The Night:

Before the Yao/Yi II, the Houston coaching staff erroneously placed Mike James on the active list twice, accidentally leaving Milwaukee hometown hero, Steve Novak, off the active list.  The fact that this was the second time a visiting team to Brew City had committed such an error, coupled with Novak’s hometown status, this was a newsworthy item — worth mentioning once at the start of the contest, and maybe again later in the game.  3.89 billion mentions?  HELL NO.  SHUT UP, already!  The announcers kept harping on it, over and over and over and over again.  Dude averages 9.3 minutes in 7 games!  NON-FACTOR.  Give it a rest.

Contraction Club Of The Night:

Dallas Mavs 67 points on Super Bowl Sunday vs. Detroit

Wow.  What were the Mavs doing Saturday night in the D?  Partying and setting off fireworks at Jerry Stackhouse’s lake-side house?  Maybe a trip across the Ambassador Bridge to lovely Windsor?  Whatever it was, they were still hungover for this afternoon match-up.  Maybe they just REALLY want Jason Kidd as a teammate, so they decided to go into a teenager-like sulk.

Trade Of The Night:

Lakers get:

Pau Gasol
2010 2nd Round Draft Pick

Grizzlies get:

Kwame Brown and his expiring contract
Jarvaris Crittenton
Aaron McKie (soon to be released)
The rights to Marc Gasol
2008 1st Round Draft Pick
2010 1st Round Draft Pick
Cash consideration

Wow.  Where did this come from?  Gasol’s name hadn’t been at the top of the headlines lately, as far as stars getting moved, and then this happens?  The Lakers have officially declared themselves as top contenders now, by acquiring an All-Star-type player without giving up ANY current contributors (GOOD contributors, at least… Kwame is probably addition by subtraction).  When Andrew Bynum returns from injury, they can trot out a lineup that can match ANYONE in talent:  Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum.  That is scary for the rest of the L.  It’s even scarier for fantasy owners, as Odom, Gasol and Bynum all probably take a hit, but we all know that no amount of surrounding talent in the world can hold Cryant down from getting his!

As for Grizz?  Straight business, homey.  This is all about clearing cap space and creating future flexibility.  The odd part is that Gasol is a REAL talent.  The Lakers’ 1st rounders are going to be late 1st-round picks, so the Grizz are unlikely to find another Gasol… unless you count his brother, Marc.  In our opinion the Grizz already had a nice foundation with Gasol, Miller and their young point guards.  We ain’t up on their accounting books, though.

Damon Stoudamire signs with the Spurs… Earl Boykins signs with the Bobcats… Physicals still not completed, Gasol yet to make debut.  Maybe Grizz GM Chris Wallace should be required to take a mental exam?… Although his stats haven’t been overly impressive, with Jameer Nelson out with an injury, Carlos Arroyo has led the Magic to a 7-1 record over the last 8…