Could KG Return to Minnesota to Help the Celtics Acquire Kevin Love?

*Avery Bradley's salary is estimated and Kris Humphries is a hypothetical sign-and-trade contract.

I did a little research and this trade could work. Minnesota gets KG's expiring contract and three good young players along with a couple first rounders for Kevin Love and Kevin Martin. Brooklyn upgrades their front-court by getting Kris Humphries while giving up and aging KG and and inconsistent Mason Plumlee. Boston doesn't have to give up the whole farm in order to acquire their man. Sullinger is a very promising young player and will be a double-double machine for years to come, but he will never be Kevin Love.  Avery Bradley is overpaid and shoots too much for a poor percentage. I would do it.

It would be an interesting trade on all accounts. Let's hope Danny Ainge is an avid Water Cooler reader and tries to make this happen...

We Call That A Winning Streak

Maybe it was The Curse of Pierzynski? The Red Sox are 3-0 since A.J. Pierzynski was designated for assignment. He has a reputation of being the most hated player in all of baseball, so it would only make sense to blame him for the Sox poor first half of the season. 

The beneficiary of the open roster spot is Christian Vazquez. He has taken full advantage of the opportunity, going 3 for 4 in last night's 8-3 win over the Houston Astros. It is a night and day difference how easy Vazquez makes it look behind the plate after watching Pierzynski stab at pitches, turning strikes into balls. Vazquez is heralded for being a defensive catcher and we have yet to see anyone attempt to steal on him, but I am dying to see the arm this kid has.

In last night's game, John Lackey battled his way through six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out three to earn his 10th victory of the season. Lackey was having some trouble finding the zone, however, walking five batters on the night. 

The Sox were up 3-2 before pulling away in the 6th inning thanks to a 5-run inning capped off by a bases-clearing double by David Ortiz.  Coming up with timely hitting is something the Sox have lacked so far this year, leaving countless runners on base. But the last few nights, it has been different: two walk off wins in a row followed by a couple of big innings last night; hopefully this is a sign of things to come. 

Let's hope the Sox can win these next two against the Astros and gain some momentum heading into the All-Star Break. 

LeBron James is going home

Courtesy: http://hoopspeak.com/2011/01/cleveland-thank-lebron-for-making-you-terrible/

“Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio,” the Akron native writes in the first paragraph of his as-told-to cover story in Sports Illustrated. “It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.”

I'll admit that I'm one of the biggest anti-LeBron guys out there, but by returning to Cleveland he has certainly gained my respect. In my mind there were only two legitimate options for him to sign - Cleveland and Miami. 

Coming into the summer, Miami had only one player (Norris Cole) under contract for next year. It was going to have to take quite the financial maneuvering to be able to bring back James, Wade and Bosh and still be able to form a championship roster around then. 

In Cleveland, the Cavs have a solid young core of Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and it's 2014 number one overall pick Andrew Wiggins.  They also have veteran big man Anderson Varejao, who was around when LeBron was last a Cavalier. 

It all made sense for LeBron to go home to Cleveland. The roster, the familiarity, and the ability to earn back the love of a town who disowned him after his decision to leave and sign with the Miami Heat back in 2010. Now that LeBron has agreed to join the Cavs, the rest of the free agent dominos will soon fall into place. It is going to be an exciting few months leading up to the season. 

"I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home."