NBA Fact or Fiction
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com
It's time for the NBA's All-Star Break, and that means that the NBA's trade deadline is just around the corner. There are a lot of teams which could be big time players to watch out for, and today, we're going to go over that and more in the "halftime" edition of NBA Fact or Fiction.
FACT
The Phoenix Suns Would Be Legitimate Contenders With One More Piece: Easier said than acquired, though. There's a question as to what is really out there at the moment, and Pau Gasol seems to be the best bet. Just one problem. Gasol hasn't played a game in quite some time thanks to a groin injury, and before Phoenix dismisses its best asset, an insurance-protected Emeka Okafor in order to get a big piece to the puzzle, it would really want to see the Spaniard play a game. That said, the Suns are close – very close, in fact, to perhaps sneaking up on the rest of the field in the Pacific Division.
These Might Be The Worst Los Angeles Lakers Ever: There's a lot of history here for the Lakers, but this is about as dim as that history gets. The team has lost seven home games in a row, marking the first time ever that that has happened in team history. Kobe Bryant is going to come back to the lineup eventually, but it's all going to be fool's gold. The rest of this team around him is just downright terrible, and Bryant is probably only going to make things worse for NBA bettors in the second half of the season.
Paul George Is Going To Become a Super-Superstar on Saturday: Does the Slam Dunk Contest REALLY matter? No, not really. However, there are times that legends can be made, and George can certainly do that if he can put together one of these epic dunks that becomes iconic in NBA history. We've all seen the pictures of Dominique Wilkins’ windmills and Michael Jordan flying through the air, and George could be the next on that list, especially with LeBron James not partaking in this event; again. There isn't much importance from a competition standpoint, but don't think for one second that George doesn't know that he can cement his place in history with a great showing on Saturday night. He's a great bet at +120!
FICTION
The Miami Heat Are Going To Put Their Foot on the Gas Pedal in the Second Half: You hear all these pundits all the time talking about how the Heat are going to be rested for the playoffs, and they are going to really step on the gas in the second half of the season to try to earn the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Though it's true that Indiana could be run down, the motivation to do it just can't be there. The Heat still have to be careful with LeBron James and his minutes, and Dwyane Wade is going to need to rest his ailing body more often than not. There's a reason this team is just 8-16 ATS at home on the season, and we don't think that's getting any better in the second half.
The Detroit Pistons Doing Right By Mo Cheeks: The firing of Cheeks was a disgrace by the Pistons. They are what they are. They aren't a very good team. They have spent a lot of money by overpaying for players who don't really deserve "franchise" recognition, and they have turned out to be a woeful team as a result. That said, Cheeks didn't do anything to deserve getting fired, and though Detroit has started to look alright in the post-Mo era, it probably wasn't the right long-term move for the franchise.
Second Round Picks Mean Nothing: Not this year, anyway. There is a ton of talent in this draft class, and there very well could be 40-50 legitimate NBA players in this crop coming out. That's why, contrary to what most think is going to be a quiet deadline, there could be a lot of late movement. Keep a very close eye on deadline day about what's going on with some of the smaller deals. Some of the best teams won't be afraid to send off their second round picks to get that one last asset, and there are plenty of bottoming out teams who are willing to send off their best players now for the shot of getting a star in this draft class.