NBA Playoff Picks

MIA +2 vs CHA

So MJ and Patrick Ewing claimed to have told coach Clifford to post Frank Kaminsky before they won game 3 and no everyone is saying the Hornets have the Heat all figured out!? Has everyone lost their goddamn mind?? This is Frank Kaminsky we are talking about here, not Kevin McHale. Sure his 15 points and 8 rebounds in game three helped swing the outcome, but it was also their first playoff game at home and the arena was buzzing! Pun intended. I'm not buyin the Hornets winning another game in this series and don't see this contest being remotely close no matter how many times Kaminsky posts up. 

OKC -14.5 vs DAL

This pick has a higher potential of ruining my night than the reveal of the red woman as an old hag did for my boner last night. KD has had an up and down series, while the rest of OKC has played surprisingly well. Look for that to turn around tonight as Durant goes for forty and the Thunder blowout the Mavs...maybe...

LAC -3.5 vs POR

Hurry up and roll this line before it goes up another 1-1.5 points!! The Clippers came in to game three like they would treat the last game of the season against the 76ers. They barely tried, couldn't get anything going and still only lost by 8 points. That's not a good sign for the Blazers faithful. Blake goes off and JJ Reddick nails seven triples in a blowout Clippers road win tonight.

NBA 4/20 picks

CHA +4.5 vs MIA

The Heat won in blowout fashion a few nights ago, mostly due to the Hornets going with the very risky strategy of completely ignoring Luol Deng and letting him shoot open threes all night. Well unfortunately for the Hornets, that strategy backfired as Deng came back from NBA obscurity and delivered a thirty point victory for the Pat Riley's. Tonight expect at least one person on the floor to at least glance in the direction of Deng, hopefully limiting his wide open looks and helping the Catz even this series back up.

CLE -10.5 vs DET

The Pistons played out of their goddamn minds on Sunday and still lost to the Cavs because Tyronn Lue made a coach of the year type move and put K Love at the five during the fourth quarter. While it wasn't quite the Warriors small ball lineup of death, it was definitely effective at pulling the giant penguin away from the rim and getting open looks for Love at the 3-pt line when Dre tried to help out on drives. The only reason the Pistons even had a shot was because they shot the damn lights out in SVG's notorious 3 pt gunning offensive system. Look for the Pistons to cool off considerably tonight, as the Cavs steamroll to a 2-0 series lead.

LAC vs POR +8

If you watched game one, you saw a return to form for Blake Griffin, as he posterized Mason Plumlee over and over again like he thought it was Mozgov attempting to block his dunks. So all hope is lost for the undermanned Blazers right? Well, put that joint down for a minute and listen up you dirty hippie. Portlands backcourt averaged 45 points a game during the regular season, for a reason. Sure they aren't as good on the road as they are at home (probably because the weed isn't as good in LA), but expect a full effort tonight out of the backcourt of Rip City. Will they win the game? No probably not, but they should be able to cover the 8 points

NBA Playoff Sunday Winners

CLE -10.5 vs DET

Since we never do picks on a Sunday, I figured why not stray away from the norm and roll favs that aren't exactly "sexy" picks. Because of the success of the Dubs this season, people have given up any hope for the Cavs to have a shot at winning LeBrons third ring. As a matter of fact a lot of people think this series is going to be competitive, as evidenced by the line getting bet down to 10.5 after opening at 11. We here at DP disagree that this series is even remotely close, and argue that all of this pressure not being placed on Cleveland is actually the best thing possible for their chances of a repeat title run. Sure Drummond and Jackson are fun to watch, but who's guarding Bron? KCP? Good luck with that Pistons fans.

MIA -4.5 vs CHA

Miami is somehow sneaky good this season despite being without Chris Bosh since the all star break. They have an odd collection of old and young players somehow combining to make a decently effective team. Of all the teams out East,  Miami has the greatest chance to do the impossible and prevent Bron from reaching his sixth straight finals. The Charlotte college all stars are a nice team, but they don't actually stand a chance in this series. Miami wins in 5, starting with a dominating opening performance tonight. 

POR +8 @ LAC

Despite the fact that Dame can't play against the Clippers, I have to roll the Blazers. They're a team with legit scorers, a good cast of role players and a coach that seems to know what he's doing half the time. I'll take that against the combustible clippers and Doc "I haven't done shit without Thibs on my staff" Rivers any day. 

NBA Playoff Best Bets

Sorry I've been off the last month from my daily bets on NBA games, but in all honesty the league sucked since Christmas. The Warriors are amazing, the Cavs are dysfunctional and Greg Popovich still hates reporters of every race, shape and size. But now with less than a week to go before the playoffs, the excitement is starting to build again as we look at the best bets to win back all of the money you lost on betting the Warriors under!

#1 Best Bet- Golden State Warriors -140!!

-140 to win 16 games and a title!! That's insane, even though they probably won't get challenged in the first two rounds. The question here really isn't whether or not they are going to win the title, the question is whether they lose a game in playoffs. In the later rounds against OKC, SA or LAC they might lose one or two total, but they are the surest bet this century to be representing the West come finals time. -140 isn't exactly the greatest way to turn your money into a retirement fund, but it's almost as sure of a bet as the Harlem Globetrotters against Washington Generals. 

#2 Best Bet- Cleveland Cavaliers +350

What??  Why the hell would you pick the Cavs as the second best bet to win the NBA title?? Over a Spurs team that won 65 games, and a Thunder squad with Tri Catz is obviously smoking that hippie lettuce again, because this pick is crazy!! Is it though? Sure, the Cavs have had a very up and down season with two lackluster showings against the defending champs, a coaching change, and LeBron using social media to act like a thirteen year old girl. But throw all that to the side like it was a bill demanding payment immediately, because the Cavs have looked good of late. Outside of a few nagging injuries they are also healthy, and oh yeah they have ZERO competition in the East. No offense to the Bostons, Torontos, and Miamis of the world, but they don't have the thoroughbreds that Cleveland does in Love, James, and Irving. The King could literally sit out the first two rounds and Cleveland would still be the favorites to come out of the east. Will they be able to beat the Warriors? Probably not, but you can never be sure when you have the best player in the last 15 years on the floor with a healthy squad that can score buckets. Remember, this Cavs team without Love and Irving was up 2-1 on this exact Warriors team last season. Now if they don't win or if they don't make the finals, this offseason gets very interesting with James...

Best Bet #3 - San Antonio Spurs +300

The team that just got blowed out by the Warriors in two games??? That's the team you think is the third best bet to win the finals? In the words of Greg Popovich, "that's a dumb question, next question". The Spurs don't give a shit about the regular season and don't reveal all of their cards during these games. To put it in terms of a poker context, the Spurs are the team holding pockets aces and the noob next to them thinks he's got the pot because he just flopped a set of kings...in other words there's still a lot of cards to be played, or in this case games to be decided. You would be stupid to think the Spurs can't hang with the Warriors based on a couple of regular season match ups. If San Antonio doesn't get upset by a super athletic Thunder or Clippers team, don't be surprised if they end up pushing the champs to seven games in the Western conference finals in a few months. Then they would be up against Bron and crew, and we all know what happens when Pop goes up against a LeBron team, it's like giving him a 1942 Chateu LeBlanc, he knows what to do with it.

NBA Tuesday Bangers!

MEM (-3) @ LAL
The Grizz might be completely decimated by injury right now, but they still have enough firepower to beat a D League Lakers team coached by the second worst coach in the league. The Grizz have beaten the Lake Show 9 times in a row and though today might be close as Kobe is probably sitting out (FG% automatically up 3%), the Grizz have done a great job pushing towards the playoffs with new acquisition Lance Stephenson.

CHA @ BK (+6)
This is one that is really outside of my comfort zone. Charlotte is one of the few teams I trust to get the cover consistently this year and tonight they should EASILY, EEEAASSSILLLY cover against a Nets franchise that has fucked up so badly that they can't even tank! Brook Lopez is still expected to play tonight and Charlotte just used all their energy to beat the Spurs in an incredible comeback. So let's roll with the Hornet's let down game theory and take Brooklyn.

MIA (-9) @ NO
Classic overreaction to Anthony Davis being hurt, but I don't care. The Pels WITH Anthony Davis were terrible this year. The Heat are healthy right now somehow, but the Pels seem to be missing half their roster again. Take the Heat, the Pels have thrown in the towel.

NBA Bounce Back Tuesday

DEN +3 vs ORL

Man, the injury bug has absolutely crushed the Magic!! 6 or 7 of their main players are going to miss this game against the visting Nuggets. A game they should be able to win if they had a full roster. Without one, this will be a Denver blowout led by Gallo and Faried.

PHI +8 vs BKN

Would you believe it if I told you the Sixers have beaten the Nets not only one time but twice this season?? Well believe it you skeptical Sally, because it's a bonafide fact. Don't much about the Sixers these days, but 8 points against a team they have had success against previously seems like a good decision.

SAC -3 vs LAL

If you didn't already know, Boogie Cousins likes to pick his spots against the teams he destroys. One of those lucky teams on the list happens to be the Lakers. Look for a crazy Boogie line to deal this cover for the Kings in LA.

Monday Pre Tourney Picks

Dal @ Cha -6.5

Before we start banging out Vegas for billionz during the tourney, we might as well nail some NBA tail right?! The Hornets have really come together post all star break and look like a team that might make a second round push in the east. Dallas on the other hand has been god awful and even Rick Carlisle's masterful coaching can't save them from average talent and an aging superstar. 

Det +1.5 @ Was

Every time I look at the Pistons games they're covering the damn spread! Well tonight is no different! Andre Drummond is going to murder the 'zards bigs and SVG will keep Detroit playing well through the start of the playoffs. 

Cle -4.5 @ Uta

This one is rough because I hate LeBron and the cavs. But it's hard to ignore the fact that they've been great through this "are the cavs imploding stretch" whilst the Jazz don't look good enough to make the 8 seed in either conference. I guess that's what happens when you play Shelvin Mack too much! 

NBA Hump Deezy

MEM +11 vs BOS

Quietly, Memphis is the hottest team in the NBA right now not named Golden State. Since being written off when Marc Gasol went down with an injury during the All-star break, the Grizz have responded by winning 8 of 11 including a huge upset against Cleveland when they were missing four of their regular starters!! Born Ready is getting some serious burn as well, which has never not worked out for a franchise in the history of civilization. Way too many points to give a surprisingly adept Grizz team. Easy cover.

OKC -5.5 vs LAC

Both teams are missing arguably their best player tonight. Blake Griffin is still out for the Clippers and Dion Waiters is out for Thunder after a family emergency. Okay, so one of those is their teams best player, the other one just thinks he is (I'll let you decide who's who). OKC has some revenge on their mind after blowing a huge lead last time these two teams played. Expect the pedal to be placed all the way to the metal tonight as the Thunder rout the Clippers in a huge blowout win.

NBA MONDAY HANGOVER

CHA -9 vs MIN

Remember when the Wolves were that sexy, young team that was out performing their expectations? They were basically the Kate Upton of the NBA. Kinda weird looking, but definitely had some sexy pieces, and know you find yourself asking "whatever happened to them". Meanwhile Charlotte is basically the Carl's JR of the NBA. You forget it is even there most of the time, but everyone once in a while you but a nice six dollar burger and can't understand why you don't eat there three times a week (until the IBS reminds you why in six hours). In gambling terms Charlotte is 8-2 against the spread, so lay the points here.

SAS -7 vs IND

Damn, if the Spurs could just play the Warriors a little bit better in their next game, they might get some serious love come playoff time. This team is still insanely great, with only 9 losses all season!! Not to mention a perfect 30-0 record at home! Read that line again, 30 wins and 0 zero losses in their barn! Absolutely insane, but the crazy thing about the Spurs? They are pretty damn good on the road as well. They are looking for their seventh consecutive road victory tonight in Indy, and I will be shocked if they don't get it in spectacular fashion. Everyone got their rest when they played Sac town, so look for a rested Spurs team to out run and out gun the slumping Pacers.

MIL +7 vs CHI

It really surprised when I saw the Bucks overall record of 26-37. For some reason when I think of Milwaukee this year I think of them being on the same level as the Lakers or Sixers, when clearly their record indicates they are a few notches above. Meanwhile the Bulls are such a crap shoot these days. Most of their guys are either just returning from injury or attempting to play through a lingering injury and still have some rust on the wheels. Parker and the Greek freak are able to just enough in this win to help the Bucks get the cover, and potentially an upset victory.

TGIF NBA Picks!

BOS -9.5 vs NYK

This is a classic game between two eastern conference teams headed in different directions. After wiping off the stink from the late 90s and early 2000s, the franchise finds itself barreling back towards the days of being incredibly inept. Melo desperately wants out, and it's only a matter of time before their only bright spot in Porzingis is requesting a trade to get his ass out of the big apple. The Celtics are a solid, deep team that will simply outlast the Knicks in this matchup, pulling away to a 15 point win in the fourth.

ATL -9 vs LAL

The Hawks have only lost 2 games in their last five, and you know who those losses came against?? The defending champs currently on pace to win 73 games aka the Warriors. The only possibility of the Hawks not covering this game is if they sit all of their big time players halfway through the third quarter because they are up by 45. Kobe and Jordan Clarkson are both out, and while this may open things up for the recently surging D- Rus, it still won't be enough to get this cover.

WAS +9.5 vs CLE

Oh god, LeBrons unhappy again. Or is he? It's almost impossible to tell with the King and his super cryptic tweets. Does he like playing with Love? Does he like playing with Kyrie? Was he just hungry and took to Twitter to vent his frustration? No one knows for sure, probably not even Bron. One thing is for sure though, 9.5 is too many points to give a solid team playing the Cavs right now. John Wall is going to torch Kyrie on both ends and LeBron will get pissed and stand around the perimeter for the last three quarters of the game. Wizards get the easy cover and possible victory in this one

Catz's No Ragretz Picks!!!

Spurs -8.5 vs Pelicans

Of all the teams, somehow the Pelicans have been the biggest thorn in the side of the Spurs. 3-0 in their last three home games against San Antonio has Nawlins feeling confident going in to tonight's match up. Luckily for the gambling folk out there, Greg Popovich is an excellent adjustment maker who knows how to stop a team from having his number. Expect a blowout from the Spurs tonight that makes people say "oh yeah, the Spurs are good...they might challenge the Warriors". 

SAC +7.5 vs DAL

We got a heavyweight showdown in Big D!! And no I'm not talking about Wrestlemania, that's still a few weeks away. I'm talking about the match up of heavyweight centers in ZaZa "The Bond Villian" Patchouli Oil, and DeMarcus "Motherfuckin Boogie" Cousins. Expect blows to be exchanged, elbows to be thrown and for one giant man to rise above the rest. That giant man is DeMarcus Cousins, and the Kings will get the outright win in this contest.

OKC +7.5 vs GSW

Might as well start updatin my resume, because this pick is going to get me fired!! The all knowing, all powerful Editor has banned me from picking against the Warriors, but if there's one thing we all know, it's that you can't control the Catz!! Thunder blew a 17 point 4th quarter lead last night in LA, and absolutely no one is giving them a chance in this game. Not only do I expect the Thunder to play a great game, I expect them to win this game outright!! Ending the Warriors home winning streak, and putting a dent in their plans to surpass the Bulls 72 wins. As an added bonus, Steph Curry is questionable after sitting out two nights ago.

NBA Picks Monday

CLE -8 vs IND

Cleveland thought they fixed all the problems by firing Blatt, well it turns out they might have had other non-Blatt related issues going on. Reports of Kyrie Irving clashing with new coach Tyronn Lue are never what you want to hear this late in the season, and JR Smith is ready to implode any game now. Luckily for them Indiana is having their own struggles of being a mediocre team that is rapidly falling out of the playoff race. Look for the Cleveland rumbles to stop temporarily after tonight, but by no means are they solved for good.

BKN +13.5 vs LAC

Absolutely love Brooklyn in this spot. The Nets are back to being a scary bad team after their coaching change a few weeks back. Meanwhile the squad formerly known as Lob City is playing alright, but is anyone really buying their championship run stock? Didn't think so. Clippers get the win here, but Brooklyn does just enough to make it competitive.

HOU -2 vs MIL 

Ugh I don't even have the energy to pretend like this is an interesting game or that anyone should care about the outcome. Houston is so dysfunctional right now they make the Sacramento Kings look like a model organization, and the Bucks have zero identity and have regressed a ton from that rising 8th seed they were the last few seasons. Have to take the Rockets here because they are more talented overall, but this game isn't worth the watch and won't change either of these outcomes for these franchises.

NBA Tuesday Slop

ORL @ PHI +5.5

Oh god this isn't a good pick. Philly is still really bad. They haven't reached 10 wins this season and it's about that time where the players just start giving up and eating whatever they want in their off time. The magic are trying to work in Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova to push for the eighth seed but can't seem to close out games that are tight at the end. Let's hope Ish Smiff and Oak Dawg out together another strong performance against the Magic tonight for a win. Oh and this line is just fishy. 

 SAC +1.5 at DEN 

The best reasoning I got out of Catz was "They just beat the nugs three days ago" which doesn't even give me a semi. The kings have the talent to win and Denver has been severely undercoached this year. Take the better team. 

HOU +4.5 at UTA

Oh God. Just take the points and don't look. Such a bad idea. But that's what the DP system is all about!!

BK at POR -11.5

Portland is on fire right now and Brooklyn had to travel across the country. I'm also guessing that they don't give a fuck about their season at this point. Dame should be able to take advantage of this situation and dominate. 

NBA PICKS OF THE DAY!

PHI vs. DET -12

We have a saying around the Dirty Picks office, "the more you hate a line, the better it is for gambling purposes". So I have great news! This line is basically the Kardashian family if you ask me. The Pistons are one of my favorite teams in the NBA, but they lack the fire power to blow out teams, even a team like the Sixers. Oh and the Sixers have been playing really well of late, even being favored last night against the Suns, and covering the line while winning the game!! Proceed at your own risk on this one, but it makes me uncomfortable, and usually when it comes to lines what makes you uncomfortable makes you money.

DEN +9.5 vs. BOS

Basically if you take what I said in the first paragraph and replace the team names with Denver and Boston we have the exact same principle at play here. The Nugs are terrible on the road, and even worse in the city of Boston. But are the Celtics really a team that should be giving 9.5 points to anyone in the league?? I don't think so. Love the points grab here, would not be surprised if the Nuggets even go as far as getting the upset victory in Beantown.

HOU +10 vs. SAS

The over-hyped match up between the Spurs and Warriors on Monday turned in to quite the one sided affair, as Chef Curry and Co absolutely embarrassed the Spurs and coach Pop.You know who doesn't like being embarrassed? Greg Popovich. So this is an easy cover right? Spurs get back on track and resume their title of being the second best team in the league with a blowout victory over Houston? Easy money right. Not today big man, not today. Rockets get the upset victory and ESPN gets a solid week of leading with the story "Are the Spurs overrated??".

DAL +17 vs. GSW

My god. Did you watch that game on Monday?? Steph Curry made Kawhi Leonard look like a freshmen JV player attempting to guard a D1 athlete in a game of pickup. THE DEFENDING DPOY was put on skates multiple times by the Chef en route to a huge Warriors victory. So why would anyone pick the Mavs here?? I don't know. But I feel like there is some let down potential in this game for the Warriors because it is not nearly as hyped as Monday's match up. Golden State still wins this one easy, but don't be surprised if the final score is a little bit closer than this line would lead you to believe.

MONDAY'S TOP 3 NBA PICKS!!

Since anybody who is anybody is going to be watching the Spurs and Warriors do battle tonight in Oracle; this is a sneaky good betting day for under the radar lines.

HOU +5 vs. NOP

J Smoove comes back to H-Town and all of a sudden everyone starts playing better!! James Harden is doing everything he can to win games, and Smoove looks like the all-star from back in his ATL days rather than the dude who couldn't get any burn on the Clippers bench earlier this season. Although I have been impressed with how the Pelicans have been playing of late, I think Houston goes on a mini winning streak right now and wins at least the next three or four games in a row.

ATL vs. DEN +5

I know the people of Denver probably forgot they had a basketball team after the outcome of the AFC championship on Sunday, but the Nuggets are surprisingly decent these days. Early in the season they were hot garbage that I was arguing should trade everybody and start over, but now? I'm not so sure anymore. Gallo is finally healthy and playing like that second level elite type player that he could be, Mudiay is running the point and droppin dimes, and rookie sensation Jokic is a serviceable NBA big man who reminds me of a young Pau Gasol on the block!! Those are some pretty solid pieces when all added together, and I think it is going to be just enough to help these Nugz score an upset tonight against the Hawks.

CLE -13.5 vs. MIN

Is it too early to say this might be the biggest game of the Cavs season thus far?? After firing their coach and then laying an egg against Chicago in their first game post-Blatt, the Cavs absolutely have to come out and have a monster effort against the dangerous Wolves. This game is going to be surprisingly close throughout with LeBron doing just enough in the fourth to put this one away and give the Cavs the cover.

NBA Top 3 Locks Wednesday

PHI +7.5 vs ORL

Have you seen the Sixers play lately?? Ever since they traded for Ish Smith they actually have a competent NBA team on a nightly basis! It's insane what a few veteran players will do for a squad isn't it?? Love this line for two reasons; the Magic don't blow anyone out and the Sixers are 4-8 since trading for Ish!! Taking these points all day, and wouldn't be surprised if Philly pulls the upset.

OKC -9.5 vs CHA

The Hornets were able to turn things around on MLK after a two week long nose dive, but that only happened in double OT and Kemba had to drop 52!! Tonight they get to see what a real basketball team looks like in the Thunder. Rus and KD continue to be two of 5 best players in the league and the rest of their shitty role players haven't looked nearly as shitty of late. Thunder win this one in a rout.

CHI +7 vs GSW

Hopefully the Bulls are able to show that an eastern conference contender can actually execute down the stretch, sorry Bron. Dubs had everything and then some go right against Cleveland, look for them to take a step back and lose a close one tonight in Chi town.

MLK DAY TOP 5 LOCKS!!

CHA vs. UTA +2.5

The Hornets are in an absolute tailspin after losing center Al Jefferson, first to a suspension and then an injury. Losers of 9 out of their last 10, makes this an easy point grab for the always feisty Jazz.

MEM vs. NOP +4

We all know how much Anthony Davis loves playing against undersized power forwards, or at least I assume that he does.  Sure Memphis has Marc Gasol to stand behind Z-Bo and at least contest the Brow's shots, but defensively and rebounding AD is going to be an absolute nightmare against this front line. Ryan Anderson has also been playing better of late since he started getting mentioned in trade rumors, maybe he is trying to improve his stock so that the Pelicans get a better offer for me, what a guy.

ORL +7.5 vs ATL

The Magic getting 7.5 points??? I must be dreaming!! I would take this line if the Magic were playing someone like the Cavs, but against the Hawks this is free money!!

GSW +3 vs. CLE

This is one of those lines that hurts me to throw out, even though I know it is the smart play. I want the Cavs to win this game, as a matter of fact I would even say there's a very good chance that they win this game. But Golden State has lost 2 out of 3 and beat the Cavs previously in this series, so the smart play here is to take the points. Cleveland has had trouble during crunch time against great teams, hopefully those struggles continue tonight in the city known as the mistake by the lake.

DAL +1.5 vs. BOS

This game features two of the best coached teams in basketball, and will be a straight up execution-fest. Watch this one if you like set plays being run over and over, proper screens being set, and more back door cutz than Future's latest mixtape. In the end I like the Mavs only because they are coming off a blowout in San Antonio, and should find playing against Boston much easier than dealing with the Spurs.

NBA MLK Day: Top 5 Burning NBA Questions

5 Burning NBA Questions

Is Jimmy Butler the best shooting guard in the league?

 While it's hard to answer this question without some sort of team build or context around it, I have to say yes. Right now, I would gladly take Jimmy Butler over guys like Demar Deroazan, Bradley Beal and CJ McCollum. While he doesn't have the longevity of a D Wade or the profile of James Harden or Klay Thompson, Butler has quickly risen to an elite level of play that makes him stand out amongst the group. The most important thing to look at when ranking Butler is his defense. His tenacity and physicality make him a nuisance on that side of the ball and with his now overflowing confidence on offense, he's become an All NBA First Team player. The funny thing is, this question would not be a point of contention if Derrick Rose had moved on from Chicago. With Butler now vocally and financially commanding the attention of a first option on a playoff team, there is little doubt that he has arrived. 

Should the Houston Rockets stay the course or blow it up?

The Rockets have come around recently, kudos to them! With all the hoopla about their five game winning streak, it seems that people have forgotten they were on a 4 game slide just before that! To me, there is really only one answer: blow it up! They have the franchise guard in Harden, they tried to bring in a mother franchise player around him and it's not working. Dwight Howard, despite still being able to put 24 and 13 every once in a while, is NOT, NOOOOOOOT AT ALL an elite player! He's being paid like 25 year old D12, he's still acting like 25 year old D12, but he is an older player who can no longer rely on his physical gifts to dominate. The Rockets NEED to move Howard to find a wing player to compliment James Harden and Patrick Beverly. They had one in Chandler Parsons but were unable to retain him. Now they're stuck with a rotating pile of feces like Trevor Ariza or Corey Brewer. Those guys are ok, but they aren't going to kill it from the wing or demand attention in the playoffs like Parsons. The Rockets would have benefited greatly from Nic Batum and still have a chance to make a move for Danillo Gallinari. With Beverly and Harden in place, the Rockets need to clear the paint and some cap space by getting rid of Dwight Howard and their assortment of tweener wings. 

Is trading Dwight Howard the right choice?

What has become of Kevin Love?

BJones: Well this is just sad. Love went from being a top 10 elite NBA player to being James Jones. The funny thing is, you can look at his stats and make a case that he's just as good as he's always been! Sure he's only averaging 16 ppg, but that's what happens when you are surround by other talent. His RPG has slipped to 11 RPG, but that's still pretty damn good. The problem is, he's the third option on offense, has been relegated to the Chris Bosh role of standing on the perimeter and seemingly doesn't have the ability or will to drop a 40 and 20 night anymore. Yeah it's still cool to watch him play on a championship team, but damn do I wish he was the main star, or at least option 1-B on a contender. Otherwise, he's just a good player on a good team and that's boring as hell. 

Should the New York Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony?

Sure, if they can. Melo is not likely to waive his no trade clause just to help the Knicks out. Then you have to look at teams that can absorb his contract / are willing to absorb his contract. Melo will not be willing to go to a shit ass team like the Nets (trust me, I've talked to him) nor will he go to a non-marketable city like Utah. You're basically looking at two options: the Heat and the Bulls. Miami is the most intriguing situation, as they are ready to win a title now, especially with Pat Riley getting close to retirement. The Heat desperately need to figure something out with Goran Dragic and they have some desirable young talent that could spur on the Knicks future building plans. This could work and it makes sense for both teams. 

Where does Kyrie Irving rank amongst NBA point guards?

Kyrie Irving may be the strangest case in the NBA when it comes to ranking him. He went from rookie of the year, to ball hog, to three point contest winner, to sidekick all in the span of 5 years! In the next two years, the case will be made for Kyrie Irving to be the MVP of the league. Irving has averaged 18 ppg or more every year he has been in the league, his handle has improved to something God like and his efforts on defense are starting to become scary! Right now I happily rank Kyrie has the second best point guard in the NBA behind Steph Curry and I feel like he may be the only point guard in the league that Curry doesn't want to play in a seven game series. I love Russell Westbrook, but his reckless energy and overflowing confidence lead to him doing a lot of crazy shit you don't want your point guard doing. Where does he rank amongst the elite in the NBA? Well the case could be made that he is top 5. LeBron, Durant, Steph and Anthony Davis are locked in before him, but the next few spots are shaky. Kawhi Leonard is definitely in the discussion, as is Paul George and Jimmy Butler. For now let's stick Kyrie in the top 7 and watch as he rises, hopefully with out injury. 

Kyrie is making this a nightly thing

NBA Hump Day 4 Pack

ATL -2.5 at CHA

The Hawks have been a strange team to follow this year. They're still a very efficient, explosive offense but they lack the consistency they showed night and night out last year. Whether it's the fact that they're missing Demarre Carroll or that they're just not catching anyone by surprise anymore, something isn't clicking for the ATL. The one place they have had success is against the spread. They've been a solid pick all season and tonight as they go up against a struggling Hornets squad (2-8 ATS last 10 games), I would expect a pretty easy cover. 

NYK -4 vs. BKN

Sure Melo is most likely out after straining his knee last night in their victory over Boston, but that could actually be a good thing for the Knicks. They need to learn how to revolve the offense around the franchise aka Porzingis, who pulled up from thirty feet last night and drilled a triple that made several NBA scouts cream their pants at the potential of this 19 year old. Last time these teams played the Knicks won by 65 or so and that was before their recent surge of playing team ball and actually looking like a playoff team. Melo or no Melo the Knicks win this game by 10-13 points.

IND +3.5 vs. BOS

Weird stat that has no effect on the outcome, but the Pacers are 6-1 ATS on Wednesday games! Something about playing during the middle of the week just seems to get Indiana going. Meanwhile something isn't right in Boston. They haven't looked competitive in almost two weeks and I can't really point to any one issue why that is. Either way hopefully Paul George and George Hill keep the Wednesday groove going tonight in Boston.

OKC -11 vs. DAL

This is the easiest line possibly of all time. I will literally never write picks again for DP if the Thunder don't cover this spread. The Mavs are coming off an OT game against the Cavs and holding out four of their five starters!! I know that the last time they pulled this little stunt they ended up beating the Pelicans, but the Thunder are not the Pelicans people!! Russ goes off for no less than 35, 6, and 6 and KD chips in 30 as this one is over before halftime and the Thunder eventually go on to win by 34.

New Years Resolution NBA Picks

Catz

My new years resolution was to offer up high quality, stone cold NBA locks!!

TOR +8 vs. CLE

Toronto had their absolute worst showing of all time on Sunday, giving up forty points to Jimmy Butler in the second half of their game!! I expect the Raptors to bounce back with a concentrated team effort after that kind of embarrassment. In the Land of the King aka the mistake by the lake, the King finds himself battling a small case of the sniffles. Shouldn't be enough to dramatically affect his performance, but I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to take it down a notch and play only 20-25 minutes tonight. Raptors bounce back and get a victory in Cleveland after their worst defensive performance since the 81 point Kobe debacle.

BOS -7.5 vs. BKN

You know I am really starting to feel bad for the Nets. Every time they get a surprise victory or play a team closer than expected, the next day they get a brutal season ending injury to one of their core pieces. This time it was PG Jarrett Jack aka the only thing they had close to a professional point guard on the roster. I expect for the next few games the Nets are going to get blown the fuck out as Shane Larkin learns what it is like to be the everyday floor general. Give all the points you can on the Nets until Vegas figures it out and starts giving them 13, 14 a night to make it fair.

BJones

MIN @ PHI +6.5

I must be out of my damn mind. At the beginning of the year I thought about betting against the sixers every game (14-21 ATS). Well, after they made the big move for Ish Smiff and brought in some actual basketball minds, the Sixers have found a competitive will worth betting on. The T Wolves seemed like a fun team to pick this year. Then you realize they're not well coached and they have two star players that are not quite ready yet. Something is just off with this team and tonight, I think they squeak out a 4 or 5 point victory as KAT dominates both sides of the ball.