When the Mavericks tried to make a playoff push around the trading deadline in 2008, they eyed Jason Kidd from the New Jersey Nets. However, the future Hall of Famer would come at a price, and that price was the young and talented Devin Harris. It looks like the Nets got the much better end of the deal.

Wasting no time, Harris scored 21 points and also accounted for five assists to make a great first impression in front of the home crowd. He finished up the rest of the 2007-2008 season impressively, despite the Nets missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

With a full year as a Net on the horizon in the 2008-2009 season, Harris was destined for a truly breakout season. Early in the season, he had a career-high 47 points against the Suns. Then, in his first game against the Mavericks since the trade, he ran circles around them by scoring 41 points and also recording 13 assists.

This great start to the season did not go unnoticed, as Harris was named a reserve for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Fans across the NBA scene finally were able to see him on a national stage, and he did not disappoint, showing off his speed (he is perhaps the fastest player in the league) and athletic ability.

After the break, Harris continued to lead the Nets, despite little help from other players on the team. They were all but out of contention soon enough.

One highlight included his miracle last second half court shot, known as the “Miracle in the Swamp.” Fans in attendance witnessed Harris drain a 47-foot prayer to beat the 76ers by two.

The young guard who played his college ball at Wisconsin will be one of the bright spots to see if you are looking for New Jersey Nets tickets. Harris is the unquestioned leader and franchise player of the Nets as they look to get back into the NBA playoffs.

Also, those in the New Jersey area might be seeing the last of their team soon before it moves to Brooklyn. It will be an exciting, young team for anyone looking for New Jersey Nets tickets in the 2009-2010 season.

A few weeks before the 2008 NBA trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks traded away Devin Harris to the New Jersey Nets for Jason Kidd. At the time, many wondered if the Mavericks gave up too much to acquire the aging Kidd. Early signs show that the Nets got the better end of the deal.

Right away, Harris scored 21 points and had five assists in his first home game for the Nets. He continued to shine the entire last part of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Nets missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.

The following season saw Harris picked up right where he left off. A few of his highlights that season included scoring 47 points against the Phoenix Suns, and scoring 41 points as well as dishing out 13 assists against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.

The emergence of the youngster started giving him plenty of attention around the league. He was rewarded with a roster spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He had a great weekend, showing off his vast array of skills to a national audience against the best players.

After the break, Harris continued to lead the Nets, despite little help from other players on the team. They were all but out of contention soon enough.

One of the highlights of the season came in late February when Devin Harris made the shot now referred to as the “Miracle in the Swamp.” The shot was from 47 feet away as time expired to beat the 76ers, 98-96.

As the 2009-2010 season gets ready to kick off, those looking for New Jersey Nets tickets should make sure to keep their eyes on the young point guard out of Wisconsin. He is now the sole leader of the up and coming team that will be looking for a spot in the Eastern conference playoffs.

Also, those in the New Jersey area might be seeing the last of their team soon before it moves to Brooklyn. It will be an exciting, young team for anyone looking for New Jersey Nets tickets in the 2009-2010 season.

Various athletes, in a range of sports are normally called exceptional. Of these players, only a tiny number genuinely live up to that tag, and when discussing genuine greats, the majority fall firmly into one of two unique categories.

Firstly, and easiest to recognize are the stat devils, players whose sheer numbers, whatever the sport, call for instant recognition. Examples of this are Wilt Chamberlain and his exceptional scoring average figures, Bill Russell’s championship rings tally, Walter Payton’s rushing yardage, Gretzky’s points record, et cetera.

The second faction is that of intangible leadership, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, John Elway. I am sure you fellows recognize where I am coming from here and might all list countless lists of the guy who you believe is someone fitting of this category.

Michael Jordan is one of the lone athletes, in every sport who’s both, and yet he’s more. He has numerous records, stats that make all dialogue and assessment pale into inconsequentiality. He additionally, by his authority, his will to victory, his resolve to prevail over the odds, sickness, injury and the opposition, lifted lesser teams to levels out of their limit.

He took a rock bottom team and made it one of the premier brands in sport. He took a diminutive middle-of-the-road basketball sneaker company and made it the world’s most popular. He took a sport-with the help of Johnson and Larry Bird-that was not even live on TV for the Title and made it the highest watched of all US sports. He changed the game, he was the game.

You just KNOW you’ll see kids in his shoes, kids with the baggy shorts he brought to popular culture, tongues hanging, sweatbands worn just below the elbow, supports on the left calf. Every court you attempt to look at, even now, you see kids who never saw him play, nonetheless, trying to be just like Mike.

Rumors have come about of late that make it look more possible that LeBron James will be coming aboard with the Brand new York Knicks after this year.

When LeBron turns into a free agent after the end of the 2010 season, the Cavs will be in the number one position to re-sign him. This is a result of the Larry Bird rule, which lets a team to go over the salary limit in order to sign their own free agent.

The Knicks will offer James a max contract, although they will not be able to offer LeBron as much as Cleveland. So they became resourceful in the giant city and came up with a way to get around that annoying salary cap.

The chitchat is that New York will not only give James a huge contract, although also his own cable channel. You see, the Knicks are wholly owned by Cablevision, a cable TV giant.

LeBron would get profits from the advertisers on his cable channel. According to basketball regulations, the team might not be allowed to set up these advertisements/sponsors for LeBron; he would have to handle that on his own. But I believe we might all acknowledge that James possesses enough connections in the business sphere to facilitate this.

Speculation is that the television network would broadcast replays of Knicks games (where the rights belong to Cablevision), in addition to other programming regarding James, the Knicks, and the league. Some are even predicting that Nike would look to be drawn in and produce their own television series.

The huge issue is whether the NBA might tolerate this. It appears to be to be wholly within league rules. The cable channel would be seen as a tangential privilege of playing in NY, similar to various other marketing perks that come from playing in a specific city. The income would be seen as non-basketball associated revenue.

This is a brand new and interesting twist in the LeBron-to-be-a-free agent saga. The broad consensus is that the Cavs are winning the stakes. Maybe that is starting to change?

Each week, when the basketball year starts, I will be doing something that I refer to as a Toronto Raptors dish writing about how they have thus far performed and what is going on with the franchise. Presently, I’m going to share a summer report.

The Raptors have wholly rebuilt their lineup only keeping the core of the team in Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, and obviously, Chris Bosh. With key acquisitions like Hedo Turkoglu and Jarrett Jack, the Raptors |have currently shaped a lineup for brilliance, although critics seem to think differently.

The main dilemma with the Raptors in previous seasons has been their rebounding and durability. Chris Bosh has built some muscle in the offseason, Bargnani is only becoming better, and new enhancements Antoine Wright, Jarrett Jack, and Reggie Evans ought to help the team some more.

Offense should not be any kind of a dilemma this year with Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu leading the way. These dynamic scorers must help keep the Raptors in games. Look for the team to be a high powered offensive franchise.

The x-factor this year is essentially Jose Calderon, since when Jose is healthy, the team is running much improved. Agreed, we did get Jarrett Jack, who’s in his own right a wonderful second-string, although in order to succeed, we will need Jose jovial.

With Andrea Bargnani improving, Chris Bosh playing under his contract season, with all the new additions, and with a youthful team, the Raptors must compete in the East. But this, only time will tell.

In other news, Jason Swift is claiming that Portland rookie Jeff Pendergraph will be undergoing hip surgery this Wednesday. This does not spell that the team won’t sign him to a deal, although he will most in all likelihood be out for the majority of the year. Bummer of a start for the previous Sun Devil.

Look out for further daily news, extraordinarily a bunch about the Raptors.

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant just celebrated birthday number 31 (Aug. 23), however he’s still full of existence. His franchise concluded the 2008-09 season in ethereal fashion.

The Lakers are fresh off signing Ron Artest and extending the contract of Lamar Odom. Andrew Bynum agreed to a rewarding $58 million agreement last year and, if he should remain healthy, may maybe emerge as a “dependable” high impact force in the paint (offensively and defensively).

And if this weren’t enough for Bryant, he’s also got Pau Gasol and one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.

Orlando Magic

They are deep, notably at the center position. With the acquisitions of Vince Carter as well as Ryan Anderson (through the Courtney Lee/Rafer Alston/Tony Battie trade), the choice of (Jason) Williams (for point guard depth), Brandon Bass, and Matt Barnes, the contract extension of Marcin Gortat, and the presence of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and Mickael Pietrus, the Orlando Magic are looking somewhat further like the loathsome villain they turned out to be in the Eastern Conference Title.

Though this time, they’re aiming for a championship. Howard even forced himself and Nelson to sit through the Lakers’ celebrations, in an attempt to avert experiencing a comparable kind of setback.

San Antonio Spurs

They chose up yet an additional under-the-radar player in this season’s draft, passed up by other organizations for an injury he was hit with during high school.

I’m talking, naturally, with respect to DeJuan Blair. You know, the man who ninja flipped Hasheem Thabeet, this season’s number 2 pick (overall), like he was a Raggedy Ann doll.

Thus, with the enhancements of Richard Jefferson and experienced players Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff, the Spurs are seeming even more frightening on the wing, and less susceptible in the paint (when Duncan needs to rest; whether for rest or to prevent possible injury).

Call ‘em old, call them dull, even Eva Longoria-Parker is a devotee of the Spurs. After all, may you mainly be mistaken with a team filled whole of battle-tested experienced players?

We knew the Celtics and Bulls were interested in Carlos Arroyo, but now it looks like we can add another team to the rat race: the Los Angeles Clippers. It appears that the Clippers are in talks with Arroyo, and may have even extended an offer sheet.

There’s still speculation that Arroyo’s camp may have prompted these rumors. After all, if LA looks interested, perhaps the Celtics or the Bulls would offer him a higher contract in response.

Arroyo has always been known as a talented NBA point guard, and he was a more than serviceable backup in both Utah and Orlando. However, he left the NBA for a lucrative two year deal that landed him in Israel, where he led Macabbi Tel Aviv to a league championship last season, and even won the MVP of the finals.

While it’s clear that Arroyo would play behind Baron Davis in Los Angeles, some wonder whether this would land Sebastian Telfair in the dog house. After all, there’s little room for a third-string point guard on a team, as he’d typically see less than ten minutes per game.

There’s always been no doubt as to Arroyo’s talent, but the bigger concerns have to do with his attitude.

Arroyo is known to clash with his coaches, as he did with both Jerry Sloan and Stan Van Gundy. This put a drain on the chemistry of both teams.

Still, at 30 years old and after a stint overseas, it can be said that Arroyo may have reached a new maturity point in his career, ready to put those days behind him.

The Clippers might be even more aggressive in their pursuit of Arroyo with today’s news that Ramon Sessions signed with Minnesota. The team had previously been looking at Sessions, who impressed many NBA fans during his stint as backup to Mo Williams and then Luke Ridnour in Milwaukee.

While I despise Allen Iverson due to what he caused in Detroit with my team, ruining what was a very closely knit squad that happened to be one of the best organizations in the Eastern Conference, I have got to put my dislike for the man aside.

By no means since I prefer to, but since the biggest deal in the existence of the Memphis Grizzlies’ team happened on Wednesday. “The Answer” finally answered the question that various Memphians have been inquiring about.

Will he really end up in Memphis?

By means of Twitter, Iverson, who will now be making $3.5 million this season for the Grizzlies, concluded all of the speculation and agreed conditionally to become a part of the Memphis team, his third franchise in the most recent four seasons.

The contract moreover includes bonuses for reaching the playoffs, one thing that has not happened since ’06 (when the team lost to the Mavs in the first round), and if they win the league championship.

Over the years, Iverson has had obstacles perceiving leadership and taking whatever responsibility that comes to him (example: Detroit) and fighting with coaches (example: Philadelphia), which is why barely any franchises happened to be interested in him after his mess in Detroit.

This time he has an opportunity to accomplish something comparable to what he achieved in Philly (in his youngest days) and steer the fortunes of this team around and do it with a threesome of healthy stars in O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, and Hasheem Thabeet.

While we should not pencil the Grizzlies in for the post-season by any means, it’s not hard to say that they will be improved from most recent year.

If Iverson stays for greater than one year, perhaps there might be an opportunity, but I do not think people ought to get their hopes up on the fact that the Grizzlies will reach the playoffs.

It is too premature.

Not too long ago, we witnessed the start of a rivalry brewing involving the Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. The two organizations played in the 1st round of the NBA playoffs for an unforgettable playoff series, forcing 7 overtimes in seven showdowns, and the magic was present.

It was a rivalry centered around the generals of the floor. The Celtics had Rajon Rondo, 23 years old , putting up almost a triple-double each night and leading a Celtics franchise hurt by injuries and forced to go tiny. Chicago had Derrick Rose, in his rookie season, undergoing a central series in the formative seasons of his career. A rookie surrounded with veterans, Rose played with self-confidence beyond his years.

Presently, 4 months have passed, and the two teams nonetheless have a rivalry based on point guards.

The man in question is Carlos Arroyo. The 30-year-old career backup guard played 8 years in the league between 2001 and 2008; he next jumped ship and relocated to Israel, reaching a one-season deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Currently, after a year away, Arroyo wants to once again play in the NBA.

The Celtics are the plausible team for Arroyo. The Celtics are presently devoid of a suitable second-string for Rondo at point guard — and after 2 seasons of picking one up in the middle of the season (1st Sam Cassell in 2008 , then Stephon Marbury this previous year), they can fundamentally use a year-round solution. The team has reportedly agreed to terms with Marquis Daniels, but Daniels is more of a swingman-type than a natural point guard. He’s far from the resolution.

Arroyo is a nice fit. He’s fairly inexpensive, he plays hard on both ends of the court, and he’d be beyond pleased as a bench on a great franchise. He’s done it prior to this — he backed up Mark Jackson in Utah, Chauncey Billups in Detroit, and Jameer Nelson with the Magic. He does not require a starting gig to be happy in the league — he will just take minutes whichever way he can get hold of them.

It seems that Arroyo is in negotiations with the Celtics regarding becoming the latest bench for Rondo.

Except, on the other hand, the Bulls woo him away beforehand.

After some tense moments during a ‘communication breakdown’, both Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers got what they really wanted all along. The Lakers retained the services of their valuable sixth man, and Odom will return to the team after an intense recruiting pitch from the Miami Heat.

Terms of the deal werent immediately released, but both player and team appeared relieved that things had worked out. In early July, negotiations broke down after some miscommunication between Odoms agent and Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss. While Odom worked to mend fences”including several personal phone calls to Dr. Buss”his agent was receiving interest from Miami, Portland and Dallas. Miami, in particular, was extremely interest bringing out the big guns in the personage of Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley to make a recruiting pitch.

None of the competing offers were as compelling as returning to the NBA champion Lakers. At the official signing ceremony, he hinted that a dynasty could be in the making:

“I guess basketball-wise, I feel complete. I want to feel it again. It’s kind of an overwhelming feeling. I get goose bumps when I think about it, and as long as I continue to play professional basketball, I want to always feel that. The way I feel during the summer, I always want to feel that. If we can win six, seven, eight, nine, 10 championships in a row, I want to experience that.”

While talk of 10 straight championships may be mere hyperbole, theres no reason the Lakers cant run off a repeat or better with their current lineup. In fact, with the teams signing of Ron Artest the lineup may be better than a year ago. Artest brings not only his infamous swagger and intensity, but an element of toughness and versatility that Ariza lacked. Such was Odoms commitment to the Lakers is that even during his free agency, he helped recruit Artest to sign with the team:

“I spoke to Ron two days before he signed, and I told him how important I think it is for him to come here. Because I know how hard he works, he needs to experience basketball at its best, at the highest level, and he needs to become a Laker. Two days after that, he signed.”

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was understandably elated at Odom’s return:

“Three or four months ago, I didn’t think it could be possible that we could basically bring this team back in whole. Lamar had a wonderful season that ended on the best possible note you could have, and Lamar had a lot of options. … Here it is, July 31, and we have brought back everybody that we wanted to bring back.”

Odom has spent most of his career in L.A., either with the Lakers or the Clippers, and he noted that the city is home to him and his family:

“I didn’t want my kids to have to change schools — just the little things. I’m comfortable here. I’ve been here since I was 19 years old. I’m proud to be playing for what I think is the most popular brand in sports.