I’m giddy with excitement folks, and do you want to know why? Tomorrow is the first day of March. It’s the final week of the regular season in men’s college basketball which means tournament season is right around the corner. While the NBA enters the final quarter of the regular season, the professionals will take a backseat to the collegiate game for the next month.

As we get closer to March Madness, I’ll be taking a closer look how the 68-team field will be determined. For today though, I’ll be giving you my most intriguing takeaways from the latest AP top-25 poll and Joe Lundardi’s Bracketology predictions. Then I will look ahead to the biggest matchups of the week. Strap in folks, its going to be one hell of a ride to the national championship game in April.

So let’s start our look towards tournament season with a quick peek at the AP top-25 for this week. Gonzaga’s run as the top ranked team in the country came to an end along with its bid for an undefeated season. That opened the door for a new team to take over the number one ranking in the polls. Enter the Kansas Jayhawks, who recently put the finishing touches on a thirteenth-consecutive Big 12 regular season title. Bill Self’s team is looking strong yet again, and will almost assuredly be one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament.

Interestingly enough, Villanova stayed put at number two despite losing at home against Butler last week while Gonzaga dropped down to number four. UCLA got a huge bump in the rankings following a massive road win against Arizona, which got them to the third spot in the top-25 for the week.

While we did get a new-look top-five this week, there has already been a casualty at the top. #5 North Carolina was upset last night by #23 Virginia in an extremely defensive game. The Tar Heels had been looking like it would be one of the favorites for the NCAA tournament, but this could prove to be a small bump in the road if they can bounce back later this week against #17 Duke.

Speaking of the Blue Devils, they took quite the dive in the rankings after a rough week, which saw them upset by Syracuse and Miami. Duke had been on a great run after beating UNC in the first matchup this year in the Tobacco Road Rivalry which saw them reach #10 in last week’s rankings. The Blue Devils are currently sitting fifth in the standings in the ACC, which could give them a difficult road in the conference tournament. I still think that the Blue Devils are a team that you don’t want to see in the national tournament, but the next two weeks will give us a good idea of how this latest set back will affect them.

The biggest move in the top-25 was the ascension of the Butler Bulldogs. They jumped up nine spots in the rankings after an impressive road win against Villanova. Sitting at #13, the Bulldogs are an intriguing team heading into March. A mix of veteran prowess and a defensive mindset is going to make the Bulldogs a tough-out in the national tournament.

Over these next two weeks, you are going to be hearing the name Joe Lunardi a lot whenever the big dance conversation comes up. Lunardi is one of the foremost experts when it comes to predicting the field for the national tournament. His insight into the 68-team field is usually spot-on and gives us a great idea into where teams will end up and which teams are sitting on the infamous bubble.

In his latest edition of Bracketology, Lunardi has a very interesting tournament field. As of yesterday, Lunardi’s number one seeds are Kansas, Villanova, North Carolina, and Gonzaga. This is definitely subject to change considering Gonaga’s loss over the weekend and North Carolina’s loss last night. Kansas and Villanova look virtually locked-in as the top-two overall seeds in the tournament.

With the final two top seeds in the tournament in flux right now, it will be interesting to see if any team could jump up and snag one of those spots. Interestingly enough, Lunardi isn’t showing a whole lot of love for the Pac-12. Oregon is currently a two-seed while UCLA and Arizona are sitting as three-seeds. You would have to think that if one of these teams is able to win the Pac-12 tournament, the champion would have a strong case to sneak into the one-line.

Typically, the tournament committee tends to have one region set as a murderer’s row. Lunardi believes that will be the Midwest region this year, and boy is it loaded. The top-four seeds in this region according to Lunardi are Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, and Duke. That is just scratching the surface because this region also includes SMU, Virginia Tech, Wichita State, and Michigan State. Also, both of the non-16 seed play-in games are currently in this region. Clearly Lunardi thinks that the committee is going to put whichever team reaches the Final Four in this region through the ringer.

As far as the bubble goes, Lunardi’s “Last Four In” is Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, and Vanderbilt. The safest of those four teams might be Seton Hall, but they would have to avoid an early exit in the Big East tournament to seal its bid. Looking at the “First Four Out” Lunardi has Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Rhode Island, and Georgia on the outside looking in. Keep an eye on Georgia Tech and Wake Forest out of this group. The ACC tournament will provide them with opportunities to score major wins against some of the top-25, which could vault either team into the big dance.

The most intriguing team in Lunardi’s latest bracket is Cincinnati. The Bearcats are currently a five-seed in the West Region, which could be a great spot for a deep run in the tournament. Cincinnati could end up as a surprise team in the Elite Eight if this is how the chips fall on Selection Sunday.

Before I wrap things up for the day, here are a few games to keep an eye on this week:

Tonight

– Georgetown vs. Seton Hall, 6:30 PM (FS1)

– #15 Florida State vs. #17 Duke, 7:00 PM (ESPN)

– Vanderbilt vs. #9 Kentucky, 9:00 PM (ESPN)

 

Wednesday

– #8 Louisvile vs. Wake Forest, 9:00 PM (ACC Network)

– Marquette vs. Xavier, 9:00 PM (FS1)

– Washington vs. #3 UCLA, 11:00 PM (FS1)

 

Thursday

– Houston vs. #18 Cincinnati, 7:00 PM (ESPN2)

 

Friday

– #24 Iowa State vs. #10 West Virginia (ESPN2)

 

Saturday

– #2 Villanova vs. Georgetown, Noon

– #19 Notre Dame vs. #8 Louisville, 2:00 PM (CBS)

– Seton Hall vs. #13 Butler, 2:30 PM

– #25 Miami vs. #15 Florida State, 4:00 PM (ACC Network)

– #7 Arizona vs. Arizona State, 4:00 PM (CBS)

– #6 Oregon vs. Oregon State, 6:00 PM (ESPN2)

– #1 Kansas vs. Oklahoma State, 6:00 PM (ESPN)

– #17 Duke vs. #5 North Carolina, 8:15 PM (ESPN)

 

Sunday

– #16 Purdue vs. Northwestern, 4:30 PM (CBS)

 

That’s it for me today. Enjoy all of the college basketball action this week. It should be a great warm-up for tournament season. I’ll be back tomorrow with a wrap-up of the NHL trade deadline. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Happy Monday! Hopefully you have all recovered from last night’s crazy snafu at The Oscars, poor Warren Beatty. While that most likely dominated the water cooler talk at your office today, there was still a good amount of action this weekend in the across the sports world. It’s time for another edition of the “Weekend Recap.”

Gonzaga’s Undefeated Run Comes to a Screeching Halt

The big headline in sports this weekend came late Saturday night when #1 Gonzaga fell at home against BYU. Gonzaga held a comfortable double-digit lead for most of the game, but BYU had a monster run left in them. The Cougars locked down the Bulldogs in the final ten minutes, including two forced turnovers in the final minute of the game to seal an eight-point upset of the top ranked team in the nation.

With the NCAA tournament just a couple of weeks away this loss for Gonzaga likely will cost them a number one seed. That opens the door for one of the three Pac-12 teams to rise up and seize the opportunity to be the top seed in the West Region. I think Oregon benefitted most from the events of the weekend despite squeaking out a win against Stanford. In addition to the Gonzaga loss, #4 Arizona lost to #5 UCLA. That puts Oregon in sole possession of the Pac-12 lead with one game left before the conference tournament. The Ducks will likely take home the regular season title and go into the Pac-12 tournament as the top seed, leaving UCLA and Arizona on a collision course in the semifinals.

Rickie Fowler Wins the Honda Classic

Over on the PGA Tour, Rickie Fowler rode the momentum from an impressive third round on Saturday to an easy victory at the Honda Classic. Fowler didn’t necessarily play as well on Sunday but he was able to right the ship after going +2 on his front nine. This marks the first time in Fowler’s career where he won a tournament after holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

Fowler’s scrambling game was the key to his victory this weekend and is something that he can feed off of during the majors. He currently ranks as the best scrambler on the PGA Tour this season. During Fowler’s incredible 65 on Saturday he hit eleven greens in regulation, and was able to get up-and-down on the other seven holes. While I think Jordan Spieth is looking at redemption at the Masters, Fowler’s short game could make him one of the favorites in the U.S. Open this June at Erin Hills.

Kelsey Plum Becomes the All-Time Leading Scorer in NCAA Women’s Basketball

My favorite story of the weekend came from women’s basketball, and it has nothing to do with the UConn women either. Washington senior guard Kelsey Plum’s quest to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball came to fruition on Saturday night. Plum came into the game needing 54 points to surpass Jackie Stiles for the all-time mark. In front of a packed house on senior night, she put on an absolute show. Plum, in the best performance of her college career, put up 57 points to rewrite the record book. Not only did she set a new record, but also those 57 points were good for the fifth-best game in Division-1 Women’s history. It will go down as one of the best record-breaking performances in recent memory, so congratulations are definitely due here.

Kurt Busch Wins a Crash-Filled Daytona 500

Boogety, boogety, they were racing on Sunday. NASCAR debuted a new three-stage format for restrictor-plate races at this year’s Daytona 500 leading to a chaotic day at the track. Kurt Busch took the checkered flag to win his first career Daytona 500 after Chase Elliot and Kyle Larson ran out of gas on the final lap.

The new format certainly made for a lot of excitement, and more chances for “the big one” to happen. NASCAR broke up the Great American Race into three stages. The first two stages were 60 laps and awarded bonus points to the winner plus the other top-ten finishers in the stage. That led into the final stage of 80 laps to determine the final winner.

What the new format led to though was a heightened sense of urgency during the final laps in the first two stages. Naturally with so many drivers jockeying for position, crashes were likely to ensue, and boy did they. Four crashes wiped out half of the field during the race, which included big names like Jimmy Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch.

This is what eventually led to a wide-open final stage where a first time 500 winner was almost guaranteed. Kurt Busch is no stranger to the winner’s circle, but the rest of the field only had a combined three career wins on the Monster Energy Cup Series.

Los Angeles Kings Make a Splash Before the NHL Trade Deadline

In NHL news, the trade deadline is only a couple of days away, but a few teams weren’t waiting until the eleventh hour to get a deal done. Potentially the biggest deal came in the form of the Los Angeles Kings acquiring goaltender Ben Bishop from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a package of two players and two picks.

The move came only a day after the Kings got former Conn Smythe winning goalie Jonathan Quick back from injury. Los Angeles is in the hunt for a playoff spot in the hotly contested Western Conference, but is a move that is important for two reasons.

First, this could spark a couple of big trades before the deadline, essentially stirring the pot and putting other potential “buyers” on the hot seat. The other reason this is an important deal is because now the Kings could have one of the best tandems of goalies in the NHL with Quick and Bishop.

While Quick has seen better days since the Kings last hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup, he is still a capable goaltender. Bishop has been the franchise goaltender in Tampa Bay and led them to a Stanley Cup appearance two seasons ago so this move definitely comes as a shock. It should lead to an interesting couple of days in the NHL.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a college-edition of “Heat Check” breaking down the latest top-25 and bracketology news. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Well that was anticlimactic. The NBA trade deadline has come and gone with nothing of true substance actually happening. Turns out it was just a lot of hearsay as none of the top names were dealt elsewhere. Paul George is still a Pacer, Jimmy Butler is still a Bull, and hell, even Jahlil Okafor is still a Sixer. Even the Celtics, who had the most to offer and gain from a blockbuster trade, stood pat even in the final hours.

There were some deals that eventually got done by the 3 p.m. deadline, but most could be described as marginal. As it turns out, most of the trade deadline fireworks already happened over the last week or so. Regardless, let’s get into some of the winners and losers from the NBA trade deadline.

Winner: Toronto Raptors

Not exactly who I thought I would be leading this column with when I woke up this morning, but the Raptors made a couple of nice deals to bolster its roster for the postseason. They bring in Serge Ibaka from Orlando to finally give Toronto a stretch-4 and rim protector. Moments before the deadline, Toronto also acquired P.J. Tucker from Pheonix, who is a nice perimeter defender and can shoot in spurts. Bringing two defensive minded veterans into the fold is a great way to get ready for a playoff run with potential matchups against Boston and Cleveland.

Toronto also didn’t have to completely sell the farm either to make these moves. They sent Terrance Ross and a 2017 first round pick to Orlando to get Ibaka. In the Tucker deal, the Raptors shipped off Jared Sullinger and two second round picks (2017 and 2018). Ross had been slipping down the rotation due to his streak shooting while Sullinger has never been more than just a big body down on the block. You can certainly make the argument that Toronto upgraded in those areas. While it would have been nice to have a first rounder in the loaded 2017 draft, it’s a pill that the Raptors could swallow.

Loser: Sacramento Kings

 

See my “Weekend Recap” from Monday. Seriously, the DeMarcus Cousins deal was that bad for the long-term success of the franchise. The Kings were easily the big loser of this year’s trade deadline.

Winner: Houston Rockets

You have got to love the savvy move that Daryl Morey made to get the sharpshooting Lou Williams from the Lakers. Williams gives the Rockets another solid player off an already deep bench. It basically ensures that Houston will have the Sixth Man of the Year on its roster between Williams and Eric Gordon. It’s a move that signals to the rest of the league that Houston could have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Golden State in the postseason.

The Rockets weren’t done dealing either. Morey shipped K.J. McDaniels to Brooklyn to clear cap space and gain a trade exception. It’s a move that makes you wonder what Houston has up its sleeve down the line.

Loser: Philadelphia 76ers

Coming into the trade deadline, just about everyone around the league knew that Philadelphia would be selling a center. The problem is that Bryan Colangelo may have sold the wrong one. Philadelphia dealt Nerlens Noel to Dallas for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a top-18 protected first round pick.There are a few issues with this trade.

The first is that the Sixers will likely never see that first round pick. Due to the top-18 protection, Philadelphia will need Dallas to somehow sneak into the playoffs with a better record than a couple teams in the East. If that doesn’t happen, that first round pick reverts into second round picks in 2017 and 2018. Yikes.

Second, Andrew Bogut is likely going to be bought out, so he was essentially a salary dump. Then you add the relatively unknown Justin Anderson into the mix and you end up wondering what Philly was doing. Anderson could turn out to be a decent piece as a defensive minded guard, but he is not the same type of talent that Noel is and will become down the line.

My final issue with this deal is that it basically forces the Sixers to keep Jahlil Okafor. Most experts would agree that the frontcourt combination of Joel Embiid and Okafor just doesn’t work. You also have gaping holes in Okafor’s game. Yes, he can be an elite scorer, but he plays little defensive and is not a solid rebounder. Any reasonable metric will tell you that.

This deal likely came down to money. Reports surfaced after the trade that Dallas saw Noel as its top free agent target this summer and were likely going to offer him a deal that the Sixers would not match. With Joel Embiid’s contract coming up in a couple of years, Philadelphia would be wise to have cap space ready to pay him handsomely.

Now, the Sixers are still in a great position for the future with Embiid, Ben Simmons, and solid draft picks in the next three drafts. They were able to flip journeyman Ersan Ilyasova into Thigo Splitter and two second round picks. Regardless, Philadelphia whiffed on the Noel deal, which makes them one of the losers at the deadline this year.

Winner: Cleveland Cavaliers

Wait, but they didn’t make a deal. How could Cleveland be a winner? Well, its because Boston didn’t make a deal either. I wrote yesterday about the Boston’s nuclear arsenal of assets and how they could easily turn that into a player like Paul George or Jimmy Butler. As the clock ticked down towards the trade deadline though, Boston wouldn’t pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal.

Simply put, the Celtics are fine playing the long game to eventually take over as the top team in the NBA. That means Cleveland will still be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference for at least one more season.

Loser: Boston Celtics

Danny Ainge punted at the trade deadline, which for this season makes Boston a loser. Long-term though, well, you already know what the Celtics have in its arsenal. However, it puts increasing pressure on Boston to hit big with the Brooklyn pick this season. Clearly the Celtics are opting to play the long con in order to beat LeBron, who is on the back nine of his career. Boston could have gone for the throat this year and gotten a star player to win right now. We’ll see what the plan is, but reportedly the Celtics badly wanted to use the Brooklyn pick in this year’s draft keeping them further from acquiring a game-changing star than most of us thought.

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

The Magic Johnson era is off and running, but not quite in the direction you would expect this storied franchise to go. The Lakers are now in a definitive tank after trading away Lou Williams for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick from Houston. It all but ensures that Los Angeles will have the best possible chance of keeping its own 2017 first round pick, which is protected in the top-three picks.

Possibly the biggest reason why the Lakers come out of the deadline as a winner, was the news surrounding Paul George. Indiana did not deal its star player at the deadline, which could set up a possible homecoming for George during the summer of 2018. Part of the trepidation for teams inquiring about the four-time All Star was his reluctance to sign a long-term extension if traded. Reportedly, the only two teams that George would sign a long-term deal with were the Pacers and the Lakers.

Get worse in the short-term? Check. Keep all of the valuable assets in the fold? Check. Set yourself up to sign one of the league’s top-10 players down the line? Check.

Loser: New York Knicks

You have to wonder what Phil Jackson is doing sometimes. Well, most of the time actually. At a certain point you have to hit the reset button because this latest attempt to win with Carmelo Anthony just isn’t working. Obviously, the no-trade clause was a big roadblock to selling off Anthony, but they couldn’t get a deal done to trade a guy like Derrick Rose? The Knicks are going nowhere right now and time is running out to get any kind of return to help build this franchise around Kristaps Porzingis.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look ahead to a big weekend of basketball. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Well isn’t this fun. The week leading up to the trade deadline is ripe with all sorts of rumors for about half of the teams in the NBA. This time around feels like it has a little more juice, mostly due to the names involved. We are still reeling from the shocking DeMarcus Cousins trade on Sunday night, but that looks to have stirred the pot across the league. By 3 p.m. eastern time tomorrow we’ll know who’s on the move and which teams stood pat. Outside of the top three teams in the league, seemingly everyone is in buy or sell mode right now. Less than 24 hours away from tomorrow’s trade deadline, let’s dive into some news, notes, and rumors from around the Association.

Jeanie Buss Cleans Out Lakers Front Office, Magic Johnson Now In Power

In a move rarely seen this time of year, Jeanie Buss took control of the Lakers from her brother Jim and wasted no time moving on to the next chapter of the franchise. Heads rolled like a scene straight out of Game of Thrones, which led to Laker legend Magic Johnson moving from an advisory role to the president of basketball operations. Long time general manager Mitch Kupchak couldn’t avoid the ax either, and Buss even fired the PR director.

This move was long overdue in Los Angeles, as the Lakers have suffered the three worst seasons in franchise history. The reputation of the franchise under Jim Buss had been tarnished to the point where Kevin Durant wouldn’t even meet with the team last summer. Far cry from the time where all you needed to hear was that the Lakers were interested in a player and you knew it was only a matter of time before he signed on the dotted line with Los Angeles.

It does make me wonder if the Lakers failed negotiations with Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins was the straw the broke the camel’s back in the ongoing power struggle between the Buss siblings. Reports indicated that the Lakers could have outbid New Orleans had they just included Brandon Ingram in the deal. Kupchak balked at that offer, and Sacramento went with the offer from the Pelicans.

Magic didn’t wait very long to get on the job, trading Sixth Man of the Year contender Lou Williams to Houston for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick. The Lakers are now in a full on tank in an effort to keep its top-three protected 2017 first rounder away from Philadelphia. Clearly this rebuild will take some time, but the Williams trade is a signal of revamped thinking in the LA front office. Keep an eye on the Lakers in the next 24 hours. They may not be done dealing just yet.

Indiana Pacers Assessing the Market for Paul George

The big news today in the league was the Pacers reportedly looking to shop All Star forward Paul George. Indiana is currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, but could be in danger of losing the four-time All Star down the road. George has a $20 million player option for 2018, and there has been no indication that he would return to Indiana.

Obviously, Pacers president Larry Bird has to do his due diligence to figure out what the market would be for his star player. While there is some sentiment out there that the obvious move is to build around George, Indiana could get quite a return if they decide to trade him.

The most recent development is that the Lakers are making a push to acquire George. Los Angeles has some pieces to make a move, but the looming threat of losing its first round pick to Philadelphia this year or next year could stop those negotiations in its tracks. The Lakers do have three young building blocks in Brandon Ingram, DeAngelo Russell, and Julius Randle, but the draft picks are the issue.

While this is the first legitimate news we’ve heard so far on this front, this will be the top trade situation to watch over the next few hours. George could be a game-changer for any franchise that can swing a deal to acquire him.

Will Boston Go All-In?

Quite possibly the biggest question over the next 20 or so hours will be what will Boston do with its abundance of trade chips? The Celtics have potentially eight first round picks (two from Brooklyn) over the next three seasons, two 2016 first round picks playing overseas, and two solid players with very friendly contracts (Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder). Isaiah Thomas is already a MVP candidate and Al Horford is a solid second option, so could Boston make a move to vault ahead of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference?

Boston didn’t make a play for DeMarcus Cousins, and we have yet to hear if they will make a move on Paul George or try to pry Jimmy Butler away from Chicago. The Celtics have the ammunition to acquire just about any player in the league, but it’s all about making the right deal.

The Brooklyn picks alone could net them George or Butler considering they are likely going to be top-three picks. From what we’ve seen from this latest incarnation of the Celtics is that they are perfectly willing to bide their time and strike a deal at the perfect moment. If the Celtics do decide to go all-in with its trade chips, it would have a seismic effect on the landscape of the NBA.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a full recap of the NBA trade deadline. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Happy President’s Day everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the final day of the holiday weekend. It’s still Monday, so I’m on the hook for another edition of the “Weekend Recap.” I’ll be talking about NBA All Star weekend and the new number one golfer in the world a little later, but lets get right into the story that stole the weekend.

DeMarcus Cousins Traded To New Orleans After the All Star Game

You read that right folks. Mere moments after the Western Conference polished off a 192-182 victory over the Eastern Conference, Adrian Wojnarowski fired off one of the best #WojBombs in recent memory. Sacramento had agreed to send DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans for Buddy Hield (the sixth pick in the 2016 NBA Draft), Tyreek Evans, Langston Galloway, a top-three protected 2017 first round pick, and a 2017 second round pick (via Philadelphia).

This wasn’t the king’s ransom that most thought that Sacramento should have gotten for a player of Cousins’ caliber. Not even close actually. In truth this is a move that only Sacramento could have done. I like to make fun of Brooklyn for the horrible trades they made with Boston, but this was a pretty horrendous deal for a few reasons.

First, clearly the sum doesn’t equal the parts. Cousins is a top-ten talent in the NBA with top-five potential. Hield was a great college player, but he wasn’t thought of as a franchise cornerstone coming into the league last summer. Evans was a former top-five pick in the draft, but his career has been hampered by injuries that have led to three knee surgeries in the last 18 months. Galloway has been a decent bench player in his first two and a half seasons. All told, these three players definitely don’t even come close to recouping the on-court value.

Second, they are screwed in the draft now. Sacramento only got one first round pick in this transaction, and boy are they going to regret that. After breaking the news Wojnarowski tweeted that  a factor that played into this deal for the Kings was the growing risk of losing its first round pick to Chicago (a top-ten protected pick). Kings GM Vlade Divac is going to have to get very creative in the draft and can’t miss in the first round now.

Something that is often forgotten outside of Philadelphia is even if Sacramento keeps its first round pick in 2017, the Sixers have the right to swap picks with the Kings this season. For example, if the Kings somehow get the number one pick in the lottery, Philadelphia jumps right up to the top, no questions asked. That’s if the pick is in the top-ten because otherwise Chicago gets the pick.

So assuming that Sacramento loses its first round pick, they still have the first round pick from New Orleans this year. Although that is likely to be somewhere in the 15-20 range since the Pelicans will almost assuredly make the playoffs with its Cousins-Anthony Davis pairing. It’s a deep draft, but missing out of the cream of the crop always hurts.

Sacramento does have its first round pick in 2018, so they’ll have the opportunity to snag a top talent there. However, they won’t be as fortunate in 2019 because the Kings sent an unprotected first round pick to Philadelphia last year in a salary dump.

The final reason this was a horrendous move for Sacramento was the execution of the move. Sacramento bungled this deal so badly on so many fronts but how they made this move will likely be what haunts this franchise. A couple of weeks ago, Divac announced to the media that he would not trade Cousins. He even went so far as to have a meeting with Cousins and his agents to convey that sentiment to him.

So already the Kings front office isn’t looking to hot since they, you know, traded Cousins. Then they let Cousins head into his postgame media availability without telling him about the trade.

If you are the Kings, how are you going to possibly hope to sign any top-notch free agent with the way you just treated the best player this franchise had seen since Chris Webber? Yes, the Kings got out of paying Cousins a $200 million contract extension, but that cap space is going to go unused for a while.

Obviously the big winner of this deal is New Orleans since they now have one of the preeminent frontcourt pairings in the NBA with Cousins and Davis. The Pelicans are now on the fast track to the top of the league within the next few years, and didn’t have to mortgage the future of the franchise either.

It really does say something when the other winner in the deal, Philadelphia, had nothing to do with said deal. The Sixers now just get to sit back and reap the benefits of the NBA’s latest tanking franchise. Once again the Kings show why this is a franchise that is going nowhere fast, and is now without an All-NBA level player.

Lukewarm All Star Weekend Ends With Highest Scoring ASG Ever

The Boogie Cousins trade overshadowed an otherwise uneventful All Star weekend in New Orleans. Saturday night was a travesty, including another terrible dunk contest. The competitions on Saturday night just lack the flash of previous seasons, and it might be time for the NBA to go back to the drawing board there for a fresh idea.

Don’t even get me started on Friday night. Seriously, there was a mannequin challenge in the third quarter of the celebrity game. Ugh…

As for the actual All Star Game itself, it was a defense-optional game as both sides set a new record for the highest total score ever. Anthony Davis set a new record for the most points scored in an All Star Game (52), while taking home MVP honors. There was even an alley-oop olive branch of sorts between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in their 81 seconds of the court together.

As flashy as some of these spurts of action were, ultimately this game just lacked any sort of excitement. The only thing keeping me in this game was hoping to see one side break 200 points, but alas it wasn’t to be. The Western Conference had a shot, but let up in the final minute of the game, opting to try to throw down a few more ridiculous dunks. Oh well, maybe next year. When you see stuff like this though, you kind of understand what type of game this was.

Dustin Johnson Wins At Riviera, Takes #1 Ranking in the World

So it looks like the experts nailed this one. Dustin Johnson ran away with the Genesis Open this weekend winning the tournament by five strokes. A dominant performance by Johnson not only gave him his first win at Riviera, but also put him at the top of the world golf rankings for the first time in his career.

Rough weather conditions affected the early rounds of this tournament, leading to second round play getting suspended until Saturday. This left more than half the field to face the elements on Thursday and Friday, but that’s golf for you. Sometimes it’s all in the luck of your draw.

That being said, Johnson was clearly the best player in the field this week. His first win of 2017 comes at a great time on the road to Augusta. We’ll see how this momentum for Johnson carries into next week at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardéns, Florida.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a new installment of “Heat Check” to look at the latest trade rumors ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

As winter winds down, it’s only natural to start thinking about spring. On the PGA Tour, winter means playing in Pebble Beach, or somewhere in Florida and California. Must be nice. Envious thoughts aside, this weekend the PGA Tour heads to Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California for the Genesis Open. What a better time for the first edition of “Tour Talk” than for the potentially field so far in 2017.

Tiger Woods may have withdrew from this tournament due to his ongoing back issues, but that doesn’t mean much as to the quality of play we should expect over the next four days. Everyone is tuning up for The Masters in April and this is one of the first major-quality fields of the young season. In order to properly size up the field for a tournament like this, we’ll have to look at the previous few tournaments and expert picks for this tournament before I get into my picks for the weekend.

Easily the story of the 2017 season, aside from the annual Tiger comeback attempt, has been the dominance of the younger players on tour. The past seven tournaments have been won by a player in his 20’s, which should signal that the PGA Tour is undergoing a talent renaissance of sorts. This has been a bit of a changing of the guard as these former amateur stars are finding their footing on the big stage.

Obviously we know about the incredible success of guys like Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlory (who is out with a rib injury), but that is just the top of the group of young bucks running wild over the PGA. Justin Thomas has already nabbing two tournament wins, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama have each won a title of their own. The question around the tour is can this streak continue at Riviera?

Well if you ask the experts, the answer is a resounding no, but all of their eggs seem to be in one basket. The smart money is on Dustin Johnson this weekend. Johnson has played incredible at this course over the years despite not having a tournament win. He has five top-five finishes at Riviera since 2010 and is coming off a third place finish last week at Pebble Beach. In addition to having a great chance of winning this tournament for the first time in his career, Johnson could also overtake Jason Day for the top spot in the world rankings. So you can see why the experts are seeing the Genesis open trending towards a Johnson win this weekend.

Another pick that’s a little less popular among the experts is Adam Scott. He is a former champion at Riviera, winning in 2005, and also finished second in this tournament last year. I have some doubts though considering that this is Scott’s first appearance on tour this year.

I definitely give some credence to the experts being on Johnson this week, but let’s take a quick look at how Las Vegas views the field. Johnson has the second-best odds at 8-1, while future tour kingpin Jordan Speith is the overwhelming favorite at 15-2. Scott is a little further down the list as a 22-1 shot to win this weekend. Other notable players favored in this tournament are world #1 Jason Day (14-1), Hideki Matsuyama (10-1), and defending champion Bubba Watson (33-1).

Now that we’ve seen where the experts and Vegas see the field, lets get to my picks for this weekend. For my money, I like Matsuyama this weekend. He won the Waste Management Open in Phoenix two weeks ago, and also has a chance to take over as the top ranked golfer in the world after this tournament. That is just be the start for what could be a potentially star-making 2017 for the 24-year old hailing from the land of the rising sun. Matsuyama’s putter failed him in an otherwise impressive T-4 finish at the PGA Championship last August. If he can add another win at Riviera this weekend, I would expect Matsuyama to be right there with Spieth as one of the favorites to win The Masters in a few weeks.

Don’t sleep on Spieth either, he looked locked in at Pebble Beach last weekend cruising to his first win of 2017. He is by far the best player on the green in the PGA, and when he is on its going to be tough to beat him, let alone catch him, on Sunday.

Here are the pairings and tee times for the Genesis Open. Enjoy this one folks, its shaping up to be a fantastic tournament.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with another edition of “Heat Check.” Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

What a lovely day for a new edition of “Heat Check.” Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone, I hope you are all sharing it with your loved ones in some way, shape, or form. Since it’s already Valentine’s Day that must mean the All-Star break is just around the corner in the NBA. Teams are finishing up their last couple of games before the break begins on Friday. Before we get to this weekend’s festivities in New Orleans, which I will talk about later this week. For now though, it’s time to unveil my latest power rankings.

(1) Golden State Warriors (46-9)

Yep, big shocker here, right? The Golden State Warriors aren’t quite head and shoulders above the rest of the league just yet, but they are close. I still feel like we are just scratching the surface of what this team is capable of, and that is a scary thought for the rest of the league. They got rocked last night by an interesting Denver team, who seemed to flip the Golden State gameplan against them. It is just a small bump in the road though because the goal is still to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season. The Warriors might be done with Cleveland for now, but they still have games against Boston, San Antonio (twice), Houston (twice), and Washington after the All Star break. All of these games will give us a much better sense of how ready the new-look Warriors will be for the postseason.

(2) San Antonio Spurs (42-13)

Enter a captionGolden State draws all of the headlines, and that’s exactly the way San Antonio likes it. The Spurs quietly have the second-best record in the NBA and I still believe that this is the team that has the best chance of knocking off the Warriors in the Western Conference. San Antonio’s defensive brand of basketball and patient offense could be kryptonite for Golden State. I’m salivating at the thought of these teams playing two games down the stretch that could go a long way to determining home court advantage. By the way, the fact that Kawhi Leonard is the only All-Star from this team is a crime.

(3) Cleveland Cavaliers (37-16)

Okay, this one comes with a bit of a caveat considering news broke today that Kevin Love will at least six weeks following knee surgery. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have certainly carried the load before in Cleveland but the ground might be shrinking beneath the defending champs. Home court advantage in the East isn’t a non-starter for Cleveland, but if they start to fall past the third seed this could present some issues in the postseason. Truth be told, the Love injury comes at a good time because the All Star Break will give James and Irving time to rest up for the next month or so without their third amigo.

(4) Boston Celtics (36-19)

Don’t look now because the Celtics are on fire right now. A 9-1 record in their last ten games has Boston just two games behind Cleveland for the top seed in the East. We are also witnessing greatness in the form of Isaiah Thomas. As the saying goes, big things come in small packages, and Thomas is delivering in the clutch. He is currently on pace to break the record for the highest fourth quarter scoring average. Boston was my biggest disappointment a few months ago, but thanks to this MVP-level surge from its smallest player, the Celtics are within striking distance of the defending champs.

(5) Houston Rockets (40-17)

How can I not have the team with my pick for MVP on this top-five list? All you have to do is watch one Rockets game to understand why James Harden is in the driver seat for his first MVP award. A lot of people are slobbering over Russell Westbrook’s stats and rightly so. Harden is certainly delivering some ridiculous stats of his own though. He is currently averaging a double-double (29.1 PPG and a league-leading 11.3 assists per game), with a ridiculous 17.6 estimated wins added. Add into the mix that Houston also has a strong contender for Sixth Man of the Year in Eric Gordon, who is having a career-reviving season this year, and the Rockets have some interesting pieces to make a run in the West.

Team to Watch After the Break: Washington Wizards (33-21)

Everyone already knows about John Wall and Bradley Beal, but did you know that Otto Porter Jr. currently has the highest offensive rating in the NBA right now? His sudden offensive surge has finally given the Wizards are true third scoring threat. Plus the bench, which struggled earlier in the year, has finally found its rhythm. These factors have added up to Washington winning nine of its last ten and 16 of its last 20. Oh by the way, good luck winning in the District of Columbia because the Wizards boast one of the best home records in the NBA at 24-7 this year. Keep a watchful eye on this team as we come out of the All Star Break.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with my first edition of “Tour Talk” to preview a fantastic field at Riviera for the Genesis Open. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney, like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook, and subscribe to the blog on WordPress

Happy Monday everyone! Our first football-less weekend was not short of intrigue as we have a few stories from different corners of the sports world. From Kevin Durant to Jordan Spieth, today’s “Weekend Recap” has you covered. While the actual games didn’t quite match the spectacle of the weekend, it was still a good one nonetheless. So let’s dive right into the recap.

Kevin Durant’s Return to Oklahoma City

The story of the weekend featured Kevin Durant making his long-awaited return to Oklahoma City after joining the Golden State Warriors last summer. We haven’t seen a crowd like that since LeBron’s return to Cleveland as a member of the Heat. The scene in OKC could best be described as a social experiment on a national stage.

Yes, Durant left for a better team and essentially took the Thunder’s title hopes with him. So I understand the venom from the crowd on Saturday night, but I just hope that eventually the fans in OKC understand what Durant meant to that franchise. He legitimized the Thunder in Oklahoma City, and validated that city in the NBA. It could be a lot worse considering the Oklahoma City Thunder used to be known as the Seattle Supersonics, but I digress.

As for the game, it pretty much went like the previous meetings between these two teams. Golden State dominated once again, winning the game 130-114. Durant is now 3-0 while averaging over 30 points per game against his former team. I think we can all agree this is far from a rivalry and more one team with a personal issue with its former star. By the way, Russell Westbrook telling Durant that “he’s coming” down 20 in the second half was actually laughable.

NCAA Reveals the Preliminary Top-16 Seeds Ahead of Another Wild Weekend

College fans got a small glimpse into the collective mind of the selection committee this weekend with the first reveal of the top-16 seeds. Right now, Villanova would be the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament while undefeated Gonzaga is currently the fourth #1 seed despite being the top-ranked team in the AP Top 25 (I guess I’m not so crazy after all). Kansas and Baylor rounded out the top seeds in this first look of the top part of the bracket.

There were a couple of interesting takeaways from the selection committee’s preliminary rankings aside from the top line of the bracket. The ACC had five teams among the top-16 while the Big Ten had a whopping zero. This is interesting for two reasons.

First, the ACC could set a new record for the most teams from one conference to make the tournament. Its no secret that the ACC is the best conference in college basketball since Big East was raided a few years ago, but it will be interesting to see if that record will fall next month. The second reason concerns the Big Ten because this could mean the conference is in danger of not having a team in the top-16 for the first time since 2003 if these rankings hold up over the next few weeks.

As for the action on the court this weekend, we got a ton of excitement once again. #1 Gonzaga rolled over #20 St. Mary’s in its last true test of the regular season. The Bulldogs are now 26-0 and finishing the regular season undefeated is now very realistic (ESPN BPI gives Gonzaga a 90+ percent chance of winning its final four games). #3 Kansas survived a scare at Texas Tech 80-79, while #18 Duke avoided an emotional letdown against Clemson 64-62.

Of course not everyone made it through the weekend unscathed. Saturday saw #14 Florida State lost 84-72 at Notre Dame and #22 Butler fell at Providence 71-65. That was just an appetizer for Sunday’s madness. #7 Wisconsin was upset at home by Northwestern 66-59 giving the Huskies a resume-making win in its bid to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. #25 SMU ended #11 Cincinnati’s 15-game winning streak (the 2^nd longest streak in men’s basketball this season) 60-51 to take control of the AAC.

The game of the weekend though was Virginia Tech’s double-overtime victory over #12 Virginia 80-78. The Hokies erased a 14-point halftime deficit to notch its biggest win of the season, and strengthen its tournament resume. Virginia had a chance to win the game in the first overtime, but in a strange twist of fate, the layup attempt by London Perrantes got stuck on the rim. You just have to love college basketball sometimes.

Jordan Spieth Picks Up a Historic Win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am

The incredible run of the young guns in golf continued at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this weekend. Jordan Spieth cruised on Sunday, shooting a final round 70 en route to a four-shot victory. It is the seventh consecutive tournament won by a player in his twenties. Spieth entered the day with a six-shot lead, and never had his lead get smaller than three shots.

It was the first win of 2017 for Spieth and his ninth career PGA Tour title. That puts him in exclusive company as the 23-year old became the second youngest player in PGA Tour history to win nine-tournaments. The youngest player to do so is Tiger Woods.

Spieth’s dominant run over the weekend is a welcome sign as we make our way towards The Masters. This was Spieth’s first 54-hole lead since his collapse at Augusta National last season. If this is the type of play we can expect to see from Spieth, he very well may be adding the second green jacket to his trophy case that eluded him a year ago.

This week the PGA Tour heads to Riviera Country Club for the Genesis Open, which will feature potentially the best field of players so far in 2017.

That’s it for me today as I head to Richland with the SNJ Today crew for St. Augustine vs. ACIT, that you can watch on SNJToday.com. I’ll be back tomorrow with another edition of “Heat Check” to give my pre-All Star weekend power rankings. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

If last night was any indication, the madness is approaching. March is just around the corner and the college basketball season is rapidly heating up. #18 Duke upended #8 North Carolina in the first meeting of the year in the nation’s best rivalry. We also saw an incredible comeback victory by #10 UCLA over #5 Oregon, while #7 Wisconsin avoided disaster on the road in overtime against Nebraska. With all that excitement, it’s easy to forget that Gonzaga tacked on another win to its undefeated run.

We have a few weeks until the conference tournaments begin and 30 days until Selection Sunday. This Sunday, we are going to get an idea of where the some teams stand when the selection committee reveals a preliminary bracket for the top-16 seeds. It should be a little illuminating, but ultimately there is still a long time between now and the second Sunday in March. There are a lot to learn about all of these teams. The field is wide open right now, so today’s “Heat Check” will be looking who are some of the contenders and pretenders among the top teams in the country.

#1 Gonzaga – 25-0 (13-0 in conference): Pretender

I’m not buying into the last remaining undefeated team in Division 1. Don’t get me wrong the Bulldogs have been steamrolling the West Coast Conference. They also have impressive nonconference wins against #9 Arizona (without Alonzo Trier) and #17 Florida. My concern is whether this team can make a run through the gauntlet in March.

Gonzaga’s strength of schedule ranks 111^th in the country, so while they do have those marquee wins its been awhile since they have seen elite competition. If you look at the RPI, the Bulldogs only rank 12^th. The committee also has a habit of making the top overall seed’s path to the Final Four a difficult one. You are beginning to see that the Zags could be set up for an early exit during the NCAA tournament’s second weekend.

#2 Villanova – 23-2 (10-2): Contender (for now)

The defending national champions are teetering on the edge of contender and pretender. They have pulled out some fantastic wins this season, including a thrilling comeback against #12 Virginia. Villanova has been playing with fire lately, and haven’t been playing its best basketball yet.

I’m keeping them in the contender category now though because these close shaves could give them some valuable experience to tap into come tourney time. You have to be battle tested in March, and with a national player of the year candidate in Josh Hart, the Wildcats could be a tough one or two seed. They are the second ranked team in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index and the NCAA’s RPI so clearly the metrics respect the Cats.

#9 Arizona – 22-3 (11-1): Contender

I wrote about my initial thoughts about Arizona a couple weeks ago, and I still feel the same way despite a blowout loss to #5 Oregon last weekend. The Wildcats are potentially the best team in the country now that Alonzo Trier is back in uniform. They have length in the frontcourt, which makes them a tough team to play defensively, and their guards can make plays in the open court.

This is one of the few teams in the country that can play in just about any type of game. Arizona has won defensive games against California and Michigan State but have also shown they can score with the best in a win at #10 UCLA. A lot of why I like this team is because we have just scratched the surface their potential. Trier is still meshing with freshman sensation Lauri Markkanen. If those two gel, they could be a lethal combination offensively in the tournament.

#10 UCLA – 22-3 (9-3): Pretender

Despite last night’s impressive win against #5 Oregon, I have some serious doubts about the Bruins in March. They used a raucous Paulie Pavilion crowd to fuel its second half run. On a neutral court, I don’t think UCLA has enough defensively to propel them deep into the tournament. Point guard Lonzo Ball is a special talent and can take over games as evidenced last night. That could be enough to get them to the second weekend, but that won’t be enough to get into the Final Four.

The metrics aren’t on the side of UCLA either. They may be the 12^th ranked team in the BPI, but are only ranked 73^rd in strength of schedule and 21^st in the RPI. UCLA might have to hope to land in a favorable bracket because if they end up higher than a four-seed it could spell trouble.

#18 Duke – 19-5 (7-4): Contender (Dark Horse)

Last night’s upset of North Carolina is a potential season-changer for the Blue Devils. They have had some bumps in the road such as Coach K’s absence and anything Grayson Allen related. A big win in a rivalry game of that magnitude could be the spark of a red-hot run at the perfect time in the season.

Duke has one of the most talented rosters in the country and has just needed to put it all together. We got a good glimpse of the ceiling of this team. The BPI has the Blue Devils ranked 7^th, which would make them one of the most underrated teams in the country as of now. This could be a team that top team’s will fear come March

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back on Monday to recap the weekend’s top games and stories. Enjoy the action, this is shaping up to be a good weekend of basketball. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook

If you are suffering from that post-Super Bowl football withdrawal, don’t worry. Basketball is here to carry us into the summer. College basketball enters the final stretch of the regular season in a mad rush to March. I’ll dive into a contenders/pretenders article tomorrow, but for today’s “Heat Check” I’m going to be focusing on the NBA. Specifically, the non-stop rumor mill as we head towards the All-Star break and the February 23^rd trade deadline.

As always, at this time of the year, there are quite a few names on the proverbial trade block. Everyday brings another story of trade talks between two teams. It remains to be seen whether or not we will see the infamous three-team blockbuster deal that sends a star to a contender and a ton of compensation to the other two teams involved. Regardless, there are still some intriguing trade rumors going around the league. These aren’t necessarily rankings of the top rumors or players, but more just some of the more interesting situations to watch over the next two weeks.

Carmelo Anthony and His No-Trade Clause

Despite what I might think about Phil Jackson’s questionable management style, the Knicks are in a spot where they need to find a way to trade Carmelo Anthony. The relationship between Anthony and Jackson has reached toxic levels and New York is going in the wrong direction after attempting to patch together a super-team in the offseason. The time is now to hit the reset button on the franchise. Building towards the future around Kristaps Porzingis should be priority number one.

However, this isn’t as simple as trade Anthony to the highest bidder. Anthony is the only active player in the NBA with a “no-trade clause” in his contract. This isn’t like in baseball where a player has a list of teams he won’t go to play. New York gave Anthony the power to reject any potential trade. So obviously that will loom over any trade negotiation that will take place over the next 15 days.

There is no shortage of rumors surrounding the Knicks star. The biggest rumor so far is that Cleveland is looking to add the nine-time All-Star in a deal that would send Kevin Love to New York. Pretty much anyone from the Cavaliers have vehemently denied these stories, especially after New York Daily News reporter Frank Isola wrote that LeBron James is pushing for the deal to happen.

In all honesty, this deal makes absolutely no sense for the Cavaliers, so it makes sense for the consistent denial of any of these rumors. Yes, the defending champs probably could make another move to add some depth to the roster, but trading Love for Anthony does not accomplish that.

A more realistic rumor is the potential Melo-to-Clippers deal. There hasn’t been any legitimate movement on this front since January 26^th when USA TODAY NBA writer Sam Amick reported the Clippers had “strong interest” in adding Anthony. The interesting part about this rumor is that New York reportedly wouldn’t require Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, or DeAndre Jordan in a trade for Carmelo. That would lead me to believe that a third team would be needed to get this deal done.

All-in-all there is quite a lot that will happen before the trade deadline and this will be the top situation to watch going forward. If I had to guess, the Clippers are the most likely team to have Anthony on its roster come February 24^th.

New Orleans’ Quest to Make a Deal for a Center

Pelicans general manager Dell Demps already has a superstar to build around in Anthony Davis, but reportedly has New Orleans in the market to add another center to the mix. The Pelicans are looking to trade its 2018 first-round pick and get rid of center Omer Asik, who is set to make $10+ million over the next three seasons.

On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported on Monday that New Orleans and Philadelphia were in negotiations for a deal that would send center Jahlil Okafor to the Pelicans. There are a few sticking points that are holding up this potential deal. Philadelphia needs to break up its three-man rotation at center, but it would have to be for the right price.

The Sixers have no interest in taking on Asik’s salary, and would instead be receiving center Alexis Ajinca and the 2018 first-rounder according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Both teams are also at odds over the exact terms of that first-round pick according to Kevin Smith of RealGM. New Orleans wants the pick to be lottery protected in 2018 while Philadelphia wants it to either be top-5 or top-10 protected.

So at the moment things are at a standstill between the two teams. Chicago could force New Orleans to make the deal given the Bulls interest in acquiring Okafor, but there is still time for a deal to get done. Okafor would be worth compromising to pair with a budding superstar in Davis forming a formidable frontcourt duo.

However, a new rumor surfaced yesterday from Wojnarowski that the Pelcans are interested in Brooklyn center Brook Lopez. Considering that the Nets are in desperate need of first-round picks after getting bamboozled by Boston in recent years and is on the precipice of a total rebuild, they could be a better suitor for New Orleans.

The Curious Case of DeMarcus Cousins

While conventional wisdom would lead one to believe that Sacramento should be looking to recoup maximum value for its All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. Well that can potentially be put on hold for now as Kings general manager Vlade Divac dismissed any rumors that Cousins would be traded and that he hopes “he will be here for a long time.”

Now that is a novel thought since you don’t get a talent like Cousins everyday, but the issues with him aren’t going away any time soon. Sacramento is already on its sixth coach since drafting the two-time All-Star in 2010. There is also a growing sentiment in the media that Cousins is basically uncoachable. Add to the equation that for the fourth time in five seasons “Boogie” has been suspended due to accumulating 16+ technical fouls.

From all accounts, this relationship looks doomed unless the Kings can find a way to become a contender quickly. There are still plenty of teams that would sell the farm to get a player of Cousins’ caliber. Despite Divac’s comments yesterday, don’t rule out the possibility of a team giving up a king’s ransom to acquire this potential superstar.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a college centric “Heat Check” looking at the contenders and pretenders as we near March Madness. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.