Lance Stephenson Trade: A hit or miss?

On the afternoon of  June 15th, a deal was made between the Clippers and the Hornets made a deal that could potentially give the Clippers what they need to get to the next level.  Charlotte guard Lance Stephenson was traded to the Clippers in exchange for center Spencer Hawes and forward Matt Barnes. For the Hornets, this deal could be beneficial in a number of ways:

1)  Hawes could make an impact right away.

The consistently shot making Hawes could provide the Hornets with someone who could stretch the floor. With the Clippers , Hawes was limited in his role due to DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and Glen Davis being the main players within the  big man rotation. During the playoffs, Hawes was not in the rotation.

The Hornets currently have an inside dominant force in Al Jefferson as the starting center. With Hawes added to the team, he provides a contrasting style with more of a finesse game. This style of play can cause havoc for a team if both are on the floor at the same time because the defense would have to worry about an inside the paint big man as well as a mid-range one. With power forwards Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh, the Hornets seem to have a solid big man rotation for the next few years.

2) Matt Barnes will free up space for next year.
Matt Barnes (35) is approaching the final years of his career. After this  season, he will become an unrestricted free agent. Whether the Hornets choose to re-sign him is yet to be seen, they (and every other team in the NBA) are trying to create as much cap space as possible in order to land a big time free agent in the off-season of 2016. Choosing to not re-sign Barnes would give the Hornets a little more flexibility. In the meantime, Barnes is a tough player that plays hard and protects his teammates.

Is Stephenson the final piece of the puzzle?
For years the Los Angeles Clippers have been considered a top five team talent wise by many. With that being said , the Clippers have failed to even reach the Western Conference Finals. What's one of the Clipper's problem? They lack a third scorer and playmaker.

With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin leading the team, the Clippers already have two stars that combined average 45 points, 15 assist, and 11 rebounds per game. The Clips also have a rebounding machine in DeAndre Jordan who averaged 15 rebounds per game this past season. Off of the bench, a player by the name of Jamal Crawford averages 16 points per game. Add a player that plays defense, scores , rebounds, and assist like Stephenson, and the Clips look even more dangerous than they did before. What's the main concern for the Clips when dealing with Stephenson?? His mind.

When Stephenson is focused and comfortable with his situation on a team, he has proven to be productive. In his last season as a Pacer, Stephenson averaged 13 points, 7 boards, and 4 assist. Throughout that season, Stephenson even managed to get a few triple-doubles.  However, when he is not necessarily happy in his situation, he productivity lowers. In just one season, Stephenson went from averaging 13 points to just 8. After feeling disrespected by the Pacers, Stephenson signed with the Hornets last off-season. Joining a team that currently has a legendary and caring coach such as Doc Rivers, Stephenson could turn his productivity back up to his Pacer days. Doc Rivers and Chris Paul will try to do everything they can to make Stephenson feel comfortable.  The real question pertaining to Stephenson, is whether or not he could adapt and find his role on this deep Clippers team.

The flip side to this situation is that if Stephenson does not connect with the team, he could become a distraction to the team. Stephenson has a past of voicing his problems to the media and in the locker room in his Pacer days. The Clippers hope that such behavior is now a thing of the past for Stephenson, as he is now a Clipper.

NBA Christmas Games Recap

Another day,  another game. Christmas Day is a time in which many SportsWatcherss come together and watch the NBA games as a part of their respected festivities. Whether or not relatives and friends are rooting  for the same team, these particular games have a way of bringing people together. Here's a short recap of all the games played.

1) Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks 

Hosted in New York, the Knicks and Wizards went head- to - head in a east coast battle. As expected, the Wizard handled the Knicks 101-91. John Wall led the way for the Wizards, totaling 24 points and 11 assist. Melo was able to drop 34. The biggest highlight of the game was the scuffle between Wall and Knicks forward Quincy Acy. Acy fouled Wall , in which Wall fell to the ground. After landing on the ground awkwardly, Wall quickly stood up and shoved Acy. Acy then retaliated with a weird half punch towards Wall. The fight was swiftly broken up players and referees.

2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs 

This game was quite the surprise. The Spurs were the favorites in many NBA fans' eyes due to Kevin Durant's injury. In addition, the Spurs were playing at home. The Spurs' game plan would seem simple: stop Russell Westbrook and everything else will fall into place. Unfortunately for the Spurs, everything did not go according to plan. Russell Westbrook went off for 34 points and 11 assist. Westbrook received plenty of help in this game. Serge Ibaka scored 21,  Steven Adams scored 16, Perry Jones scored 16, and Anthony Morrow added 15 off of the bench. In the final quarter, Morrow hit 2 key three pointers to hold off the Spurs. The Spurs were able to keep the game close for the entire 48 minutes, but a key missed three pointer by Manu Ginobli ended their late game push.

3) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat

This was the marquee game of the day. LeBron was returning back to Miami for the first time since he decided to play for the Cavs once again. Many were anxious to see how:
1) the Miami Heat fans would respond to LeBron  
2) how  LeBron would perfom against the Heat
In his first return to Cleveland back in the 2010-2011 season, LeBron exploded for 38 points. Needless to say, his return to Miami was quite the different story.  When LeBron was introduced prior to the start of the game, the crowd reacted with mixed sounds. While there were a few boos , the majority of the noises were cheers. In addition, during the first quarter of the game, the Miami Heat organization played a video thanking LeBron for his time in Miami.  While many expected the actual game to be a blowout, the Heat had other plans.  Dwayane Wade finished the game scoring 31 points, with Loul Deng backing him adding 25.  LeBron was able to hit 30 points, with Kyrie adding 25 points. Much love was seen between LeBron and the Heat players, as he talked to all of them after the game. His bond is especially strong with Wade as they were talking and laughing before, at halftime, and after the game.

4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls

For the first time since leaving the Lakers , Pau Gasol played against his former team. With Kobe not playing due to "old age" , the Bulls were just too much for the Lakers. While the Lakers were able to keep the game close for the first three quarters, the Bulls were outscored 16-30 in the 4th quarter. Pau Gasol led all scorers with 23 points. Rose added 20, and the future Most Improved Player of the Year Jimmy Butler added 21 points (predicting that award already). Look for the Bulls to be the  biggest threat for the Cavaliers in the playoffs this season. For the Lakers , Wesley Johnson led all scorers with 19 points.

5) Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers

The final game of the NBA Christmas Day games ends with two high powered offenses. Golden State has simply been on a tear this year with the best NBA record: 23-4. The Clippers have been pretty good, with a 19-10 record. While the Warriors have the much better record, the Clippers were able to cool down the Warriors, winning the game (). Chris Paul finished the game with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Both Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan finished the game with double-doubles. Jamal Crawford added 24 points off of the bench. The Warriors had a 4th quarter let down, shooting horribly in the 4th quarter. The Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) shot for a combined 11-30.  They were just unable to really get it going tonight.

Another year, another NBA Christmas Day gone. This Christmas was filled with fights, thrillers, love, and make-or-break 4th quarters. Hopefully this level of high quality basketball can continue into the rest of the season.

Lob Nation

      There's many great things about NBA 2K13, but there is nothing like throwing the ball up, and watching another player grab it and slam the ball with authority a seemingly helpless opponent. An alley-opp deflates  whoever you're playing against, and stops any momentum that they may already have had. The flow of the game can change all  because of a single alley-opp. Alleys can be detrimental to whoever you play against. I know that I've gone on runs that have started due to alleys, and have lost leads because of them.
      
     One thing that I love about 2K, is the different types of finishes that players may have off of alleys. If you play with  a team such as the Jazz, with the exception of Jeremy Evans, you are more than likely to have the player on the receiving end finish with a basic two hand slam. On the other hand, if you play with a team like the Miami Heat, or the Los Angeles  Clippers, you are bound to witness spectacular dunks. In my opinion, the Clippers are the best alley-oop team on the game. Miami has the options of the perfected and mistake-free made LeBron James, and the slashing Dwyane Wade. However, the Clippers have a number of weapons. When throwing the ball up for players such as Blake Griffin, Eric Bledsoe, and DeAndre Jordan, you almost never know what they will do once they get the ball. You may see anything from a  windmill, to a powerful lunging two-hand, or a cocking back one hand throwdown. In the near future, as a fan  I would like to be able to control what type of dunk that the player may do once they have the ball in the air. Also, with that new feature, only certain player should be able to perform dunks that they can normally do.
     
     For  those of you who don't know how to perform an alley-oop on 2K, simply hit the "x" and "a" button simultaneously. If you would  to play with a little more style, throw the ball off the glass  by pressing "x" and "a" ,but make sure there is a trailing teammate. (For XBOX 360 console only.) Go ahead, try it for yourself.