The Portland Trailblazers have needed a big inside presence ever since starting center Greg Oden and backup Joel Pryzbilla went down with season ending injuries. They finally found one on Tuesday as they acquired veteran Marcus Canby from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers received forward Travis Outlaw and guard Steve Blake. Canby is expected to make his debut in a Blazers\’ uniform on Friday when Portland hosts the Boston Celtics.

The transaction also served to answer the nagging question about Portland\’s point guard situation. Steve Blake and Andre Miller have shared time running the offense, but Blazers\’ management apparently felt that Miller was a better fit with superstar shooting guard Brandon Roy. Ironically, until Miller picked up a lot of the offense slack lately with Roy on the shelf with a hamstring injury the presumption was that he\’d be the one heading elsewhere as the NBA trade deadline approached.

All three players involved are in the final year of their current contract, meaning that barring anything unforeseen Canby\’s career in Portland will probably last only 23 games plus the playoffs. Outlaw and Blake may or may not fit into the Clippers longterm plans-assuming that one of the NBA\’s most consistently underachieving teams actually has \’longterm plans\’ in the first place.

Canby was introduced to the Rose Garden crowd during Portland\’s rout of his old team, the LA Clippers receiving a standing ovation. Earlier, he\’d indicated that he was excited to be going to the Blazers:

\”I think it\’s a great situation for myself. It\’s a first-class organization that really takes care of their own. I hope I can bring my knowledge of the game, and blend in these last 27 games. I\’m really excited to be here.\”

He talked about the strange situation of actually being in Portland when the trade went down:

\”I only brought one change of clothes. It\’s been a real rough, rough 24 hours for me, but real exciting at the same time.\”

Canby also said that he\’s interesting in staying in \’Rip City\’ longterm:

\”Hopefully things work out for myself and work out for the team. Hopefully they have plans for me in the long term.\”

Portland GM Kevin Pritchard added:

\”We are very excited to bring an experienced big man of Marcus\’ caliber to the team and we feel he\’ll help us a great deal down the stretch run. He\’s a fierce competitor and has been one of the league\’s best defensive players for quite some time.\”

The 35 year old Canby has long been considered one of the NBA\’s best defensive big men. Despite playing on a LA Clippers team well off the playoff pace in the Western Conference, he\’s second in the league in rebounds with 12.1 per game.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer experienced in travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

The NBA All Star game was played without a couple of high profile participants this year as the Los Angeles Lakers\’ Kobe Bryant and Philadelphia 76ers\’ Allen Iverson would not play due to injury. Kobe and \’AI\’ were the latest in a string of injuries to All Star players that also claimed Portland\’s Brandon Roy and New Orleans\’ Chris Paul. The NBA has been much more strict about attendance at the All Star game since a number of players skipped out with dubious injuries.

Kobe Bryant has been plagued with minor injuries all year, but missed the Lakers\’ last three games prior to the All Star contest due to an ankle sprain. Los Angeles is hopeful that by not playing in the game that Kobe will be able to return to action immediately after play resumes following the All Star break. Bryant did travel to Dallas to participate in All Star game festivities.

Iverson has missed Philadelphia\’s past five games due to an illness suffered by one of his young children. Unlike Kobe, Iverson wasn\’t expected to be in Dallas this weekend due to the nature of his situation. It\’s debatable that Iverson deserved an All Star game nod in the first place. He quickly wore out his welcome in Memphis to start the year, and eventually landed back in Philadelphia where he\’s averaged 14.4 points per game since his return. He was voted in to the starting lineup by NBA fans, and this renewed calls from the media to revise the procedure for selecting All Star game participants. Many would be pleased if the fans were taken out of the process of selecting the starting lineup altogether.

Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks was chosen to replace Bryant in the Western Conference lineup, while New York\’s David Lee was the East\’s fill in for Iverson. The West already had two \’fill ins\’ named to their roster as Denver\’s Chauncy Billups and the LA Clippers\’ Chris Kaman took the place of Chris Paul and Brandon Roy respectively.

NBA betting enthusiasts had several options on the menu beginning with the annual \’rookies vs. sophomores\’ game on Saturday. The Sophomores were a -12 point favorite with the total set at 245\’ but were crushed by the rookie team. As usual, defense was in short supply at both the \’rookie v. sophomores\’ game and the actual All Star event.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

In one of the stranger front office shakeups in recent NBA history, the Los Angeles Clippers have \’relieved\’ Mike Dunleavy of his head coaching duties effective immediately. He\’ll remain on board as the Clippers\’ general manager, and both he and the team cited the demands of the forthcoming trade deadline and free agent market as a catalyst for the change.

Not surprisingly, there is much speculation as to the back story behind the move. Some with knowledge of the situation suggest that Clippers\’ owner Donald Sterling wanted to fire Dunleavy altogether, but relented due to the $5 million the team will owe him in the final year of his contract next year. More recently, a bizarre rumor has been circulating that Sterling has approached Isiah Thomas about taking over Dunleavy\’s coaching position and becoming team president.

Dunleavy issued this statement, playing along with the team\’s insistence that the decision to give up coaching was \’mutual\’:

\”I\’ve come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the draft and the free-agent process. We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts.\”

Team President Andy Roeser sounded a similar tone:

\”We fully agree with Mike that this is the right time to make this change. It just seems clear that the team needs a fresh voice and we hope that our players will respond in a positive way.As we approach the trade deadline, the NBA draft and the upcoming free-agent period, our team is very well positioned from a salary-cap standpoint. Mike\’s experienced input will be vitally important as we continue to develop our young talented nucleus and shape our team\’s future.\”

Dunleavy\’s agent Warren LeGarie continued the same theme:

\”This is something we\’ve been contemplating for some time. There\’s a shelf life to coaching sometimes. So you constantly have to keep measuring whether [the team\'s inconsistency] is because of injuries, because of you, or something else. And at some point you have to make a judgment call about what\’s best for the team, and that\’s what Mike did.\”

The Clippers have lost 7 of their last 10 games to fall to 21-29 on the year. They\’re 17 games behind the Western Conference leading Los Angeles Lakers and 8 games out of the final playoff spot. The schedule won\’t get any easier for the Clippers after the break as they head to Portland\’s Rose Garden Arena to take on the Blazers.

Ross Everett is a well known cheerleading coach and a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports. He provides Internet and broadcast media outlets with daily free sports picks when not working with Olympic bound ice skaters. He is a widely published writer specializing in sports handicapping, falconry, auto racing and wombat breeding. He lives in Southern Nevada with his Asian houseboy, three dogs and a wombat.

The Indiana Pacers had a very mediocre season in 08′-09′ season finishing 36-46. The bright spot for the Pacers was their home record, 25 -26. The Pacers were terrible on the road, 11-30.

With Reggie Miller now gone the state of Indiana looks to Danny Granger to help create a perennial playoff team, once again like in the 1990’s.

The 26 year old Granger made serious waves during his 4th season in the NBA. Always known to be a player with tremendous upside, Granger flirted with this potential during his first few seasons in the league. The 2008-2009 season, however, was a different story altogether.

Granger was a one man show in Indiana, single handedly responsible for many of the team’s 36 wins. His 25.8 points per game were the fifth highest in the NBA, and he was one of the only players in the league to average over one block and one steal per game.

Guard T.J. Ford had one of his best seasons to date with scoring 15 points per game and 5 assists. If the Pacers ever expect to compete in the same division as the Cleveland Cavaliers, their defense must improve and improve fast.

The Pacers will have to improve on their 36 win season if they expect to make the playoffs. The Pacers did draft A.J. Price and Tyler Hansbrough – what playing time they will see should probably be limited in the beginning of the season but increase as the season moves forward. Unless you are an outstanding rookie, rookies see little action their first season.

The last time the Pacers finished with a record above .500 was in the 04′-05′ season – Pacers fans would hope to avoid another sub .500 season for the fifth straight year.

Head Coach Jim O’Brien has a good group of young talent that he would like to mold into a playoff team that can at least compete against the top teams in the East. If O’Brien manages another 36 win season his job could possibly be in danger. The President of Basketball Operations, Larry Bird, is a patient man – but he can’t tolerate another losing season.

For more on the Pacers, check out the Pacers forumss at RootZoo Sports. Be sure to play their free nba trivia with over 60,000 questions.

The Houston Rockets possibly over achieved last season stretching a 7 game series with the champs Los Angeles Lakers. They fought hard, but just couldn’t pull it out.

The Rockets defeated the young Portland Trailblazers team in the first round of the playoffs 4-2. The Rockets season ended with a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games in round 2.

This nearly happened, as the Houston Rockets took the Los Angeles Lakers to a full seven games during the Western Conference semifinals last season. While the Lakers won this game 7 by a whole’ points, the Rockets had LA’s number during a few of these games, leaving many wondering just how dangerous this efficient basketball team was.

Yao Ming has been battling injuries his entire career and many as of late. We still do not know if he will play in the 09-10′ season.

Will the Rockets still be the same, pesky team that scared so many NBA clubs last season? Or will Ron Artest’s move to the Lakers bridge the gap between the two franchises by that much more?

The Rockets did pick up free agent Trevor Ariza – who had a very good regular season and played even better in the playoffs. Aaron Brooks had his break out season with the Rockets averaging 16 points per game in the playoffs – 5 more then his regular season average. Luis Scola had his best season in the NBA averaging 12 points per game and 8 rebounds.

The Rockets are a playoff team with the current roster they have. If the Rockets are ever going to contend for a championship they must stay healthy. Every year someone seems to get hurt thus limiting their chances at a serious title run.

With that in mind, they do still have a deep team and have done well without him. If T-Mac can stay healthy and Yao does return this year, that’s a dangerous combo.

For more on the Rockets check out the Rockets forum at RootZoo Sports. Be sure to get the latest nba fantasy basketball news there as well.

The Detroit Pistons wish to forget the 08′-09′ season. They were under .500 for the first time in many years and were dominated in the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was an embarrassment.

Being 39-43, most people agree doesn’t deserve a playoff birth but since they haven’t changed the rules the Pistons had to face the number one team in the East at the time.

In are Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, two capable scorers. In is Ben Wallace, a familiar face from the past, though not nearly as effective as he used to be.

With a new season comes new hope for Pistons fans. The Pistons acquired potential all stars in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva who both are coming off their best season of their young careers.

The Pistons should have new life to them this season and should at least contend, if not more. Ben Gordon made his money in his playoff performance against the Boston Celtics – whether not resigning with the Chicago Bulls was a mistake or not, this should play out over this season.

This is the year nobody really knows what they will see from the Detroit Pistons. When teams get new faces people automatically assume the team will improve, that doesn’t always happen. Yes, the Detroit Pistons are a playoff team but can they compete with Boston? Cleveland? Orlando? The Pistons hope Rodney Stuckey is their franchise point guard for years to come. The Pistons still have Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince who have many playoff game experience.

The release of Rasheed Wallace could be a blessing because Wallace wasn’t playing anywhere he could and was on the team physically, but mentally and emotionally, he already checked out.

Head coach John Kuester will definitely have his hands full this season trying to acclimate the new talent with the old. Will Kuester be the coach to help the Pistons return to the top of the Eastern Conference? That’s why they play the games.

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The Chicago Bulls are coming off one of their best seasons this decade despite losing in the first round against the Boston Celtics.

The Bulls are a very unique team in that when they play their best they seem as if they can beat anyone. There are also times when the Bulls play down to their competition and look awful.

Point guard and rookie sensation Derrick Rose had a fantastic rookie season. Rose averaged 6 assists per game, 16 points per game and started 81 games. Rose is a very explosive player and has all-star written on him.

The loss of Ben Gordon will hurt the Bulls offense – during the 09′ season Gordon averaged 21 points per game and had a sensational first round playoff. Where the Bulls will make up for the points lost during the season will be interesting to see.

Young teams in the NBA typically don’t win much so a year under Rose’s belt should help his game. The point guard should be a leader on the court as well as scorer when necessary, Rose can do anything he chooses.

Teams in the Bulls division – Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons (w/ the exception being the Cleveland Cavaliers and maybe the Detroit Pistons) are not better then the Chicago Bulls.

The “Baby” Bulls have a touch act to follow but have good upside to their team. They might be one big man away from contending for the East title; also they need more low post scoring and limit their jump shots.

With Vinny Del Negro coming aboard, things could change this year. He knows the game extremely well, but has little experience as a coach. Time will tell, is it their year?

Head on over to RootZoo Sports for the most active Chicago Bulls forums online. Enjoy your own custom sports polls and more, all at RootZoo.

The Dallas Mavericks have maintained a steady presence in the NBA’s Western Conference. After years and years of disappointing seasons, Mark Cuban’s ownership of the franchise has resulted in many positive moves.

The 06′-07′ season proved to be one of the most disappointing seasons for a team that went 67-15 in the regular season. The Mavs lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors.

The last two seasons have been somewhat disappointing for the Dallas Mavericks compared to seasons past. Mark Cuban has realized this, and has elected to do something about it.

The Mavs plays in a very tough Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, the improving Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets. In the 08-09′ there were 6 teams in the West with more then 50 wins – this upcoming season should be no different.

Mark Cuban is a very unique owner in that he is seen just as much as his players are. Whether this hurts or helps his team win basketball games is uncertain – what is does show is that he cares a great deal about his team and tries to do what’s best for them.

Drew Gooden will be a big presence in the paint for Dallas. One of the Dallas Mavericks’ weakest points in recent years has been rebounding. Gooden should help in this area with his size, 6′10 and 250lbs.

With Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden in town, they should definitely see improvements on defense.

The Lakers are the favorite once again to win the West, but things can change, players can get hurt, teams that were once good the previous season aren’t so much the next, many things can happen. The Mavs hope they will rise again to the top of the West, but it won’t be easy.

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