[Izulde]

Golden State Warriors receive
PG Mark Johnson

Miami Heat receive
PF Clifton Snyder
PF John West

What this means for the Warriors
Johnson is better suited to the two, as his good passing skills are undone by his turnover-proneness. He's got an intriguing, well-balanced shot arsenal with potential to be a scorer and can make the highlight steal, but he gives up a ton of points in the process. The third year player is still very much growing into his game.

What this means for the Heat
Miami seems to have adopted Denver's philosophy of wholesale changes, because here's yet another roster shifting. Snyder is a 6th man with good scoring pop and very good defense and looks like the heir apparent to Mike Vines at PF.. if he stays that long. West can play a little D, but he's here for the $4.1 million expiring contract.

Winner: Miami
The combination of Snyder and the freed up money next summer is worth more than Johnson, who never should've been #1 overall pick. With the Heat just $1 million over the cap right now, Miami might be able to make a run for a decent player in free agency with their impending cap room.

Sacramento Kings receive
SG Steve Neal
Boston Celtics 2023 2nd round pick

Boston Celtics receive
SG Chris Carr
SF Gary LaFlem

What this means for the Kings
Neal's a great defensive boost for the Kings bench and will add a few points on the board, but he's also 33. At least he comes cheap, being on a veteran min-sal. The 2nd round pick is likely to be fairly high.

What this means for the Celtics
Carr's a former 2nd round pick and a scrub even at the D-League level. LaFlem can play a little defense, but he's also a 2nd round pick (in his second season) and is almost as bad as Carr. He's sitting on the inactive list.

Winner: Sacramento
The Kings see some improvement out of the trade, whereas the Celtics actually get worse. Maybe they're tanking for a higher percentage in the lottery, because that's the only way this deal makes sense for Boston.

Washington Wizards receive
SF Ron McPherson

Chicago Bulls receive
C Marcel Mance
Washington Wizards 2023 1st round pick

What this means for the Wizards
Washington's desparate to get into the playoffs and McPherson's a phenomenal defender with some great scoring ability who busts his butt every night on the court and in practice. What's shocking is that the Wizards are burying him on the middle of their bench.

What this means for the Bulls
McPherson was angry about not cracking into the starting lineup in Chicago, so the Bulls spun him into Mance, still an extremely capable all around big man at 33 and a probable mid-1st round pick. Mance also has just two years left on his contract, as opposed to 4 for McPherson.

Winner: Chicago
Excellent spin move by the Bulls, getting some good value for McPherson, especially when his trade was a fait accompli. Tipping the trade even more in Chicago's favor is Washington's mishandling of McPherson, who should by all rights be a starter.

Detroit Pistons receive
PG Derrick Sterett

New Jersey Nets receive
C Dan Jacobson
Detroit Pistons 2023 2nd round pick

What this means for the Pistons
Sterett is a sensational ballthief and a smart player who can score some points. Not a first offense option and not a great floor general, though. He's worth $11.5 million off the books next summer, which may be his greatest value for the Pistons. As is, he'll be the first guard off the bench and a defensive upgrade when he goes in for starter Craig Shehan.

What this means for the Nets
Jacobson is huge at 7'3, 290 lbs and even at 35, he's a tough-nosed defender and shotblocker able to produce a few points and grab a few rebounds. He's a big player for New Jersey's bench and gives them a much needed defensive force. On the other hand, he's on a two year deal, so New Jersey gives up some financial flexibility in the deal.

Winner: Detroit
The money off the books tips this in the Pistons' favor, though the deal's an improvement for each team.

Funny to see a couple of former Nuggets move. I always did like Jacobson, even if I didn't think he was the answer for as the starting C. He and Victor Gipson remind me a lot of each other, actually, though Jacobson's better on the defensive end, whereas Gipson is a more reliable option on offense.

I'm pondering a move at the trade deadline, but I'm not quite sure yet. There's a player who's on the verge of getting kicked out the door, especially since he could bring us some excellent dividends.

February starts with a 103-81 reaming of Golden State, led by Mateen Yeaton's 30 points and Patrick Riley's 21 points and 10 rebounds. Carlton Goree gets 17 points and 9 assists off the bench and Winston Smith adds 12 points of his own.

An important divisional doubleheader ends in a split. We spank the Jazz 110-79 on Mateen Yeaton's second straight 30 point game, Vinston Henry's 23 points and 11 rebounds, Paulinho Buboltz's 13 points and 12 assists, and Carlton Goree and Winston Smith headlining the reserves again with 18 and 12 points respectively. Then Minnesota gives us our own medicine in an embarassing 104-76 loss in Minneapolis that's completely highlight-less. Easily our worst game of the season.

Following that performance, I strike a trade and get a player I've coveted before in previous discussions with a certain team as well as bring back an old favorite.

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Tim Butler
C David Jackson
New Orleans Hornets 2023 1st round pick

New Orleans Hornets receive
SF Vinston Henry
C Patrick Riley
Sacramento Kings 2024 2nd round pick
Sacramento Kings 2025 2nd round pick

What this means for the Nuggets
Oh, the irony. Two years after trading away Marcelino Augusto in part because of size concerns, the Nuggets pick up another talented, small young PF in Butler, who's just 6'8, but packs 228 pounds of muscle as opposed to Augusto's 217 frame over an inch more. Butler's a dynamite scorer with adequate defense and rebounding skills and a first-class chemistry guy. He's also a pretty good passer and ballhandler for a big man. He'll start at the 4, moving Deon Sterley out to the 3. 50 Ninja returns to Denver and at long last, he'll get wish to be a starter again, sliding in as the Nuggets' starting five after being denied a starting spot in New Orleans following Victor Gipson's mid-level exemption signing with the Hornets last summer. The 1st round pick is an almost certain lottery selection to boot.

What this means for the Hornets
Henry's subpar defense and shooting woes ran him out of Denver, but he's still growing into his immense offensive and rebounding talents and he'll be an adequate defender by the time he's developing. He's the perfect fit for the rebuilding Hornets and will take over at the 3. Riley's trade is a surprise, since GM Jestor is said to have really liked him, but he'll instantly stabilize the Hornets and give them a powerful inside force they've haven't had in years and years.

Winner: Draw
Jestor wants to win now, but we're not sure if Jackson + Butler > Riley and Henry. At the very least, it's reducing the highlight defense play to a significant degree. In terms of overall defense, that's a push as well. For actual offense, however, this looks like a poor man's version of the Mateen Yeaton/Marcelino Augusto pairing of years past. And of course, having the outspoken Jackson back in Denver and happily starting will be a major lockerroom benefit. The lottery pick is going to be huge, provided Jestor selects the right player. On the other hand, the Hornets position themselves to be a potential playoff team, possibly in as soon as two or three seasons, so this blockbuster works for both franchises.

It's a new lineup so I'm expecting a few bumpy spots. Hence, our 108-101 road loss to Cleveland doesn't unduly disturb me, especially not when Tim Butler scores 21 in his Nuggets debut and David Jackson celebrates his return to Denver with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Our other highlights are Mateen Yeaton's 23 points and Carlton Goree's 10 bench points.

Despite a furious rally by the Nets, we stop them 112-110 in New Jersey on Tim Butler's 31 points, David Jackson's 17 points and 10 rebounds, Mateen Yeaton's 20 points, Paulinho Buboltz's 14 points and 11 assists and Carlton Goree's 12 bench points. Once our team chemistry gets sorted out and these guys get used to playing with each other, I think we're going to be a great team.

106-97 earns us a win over the Hawks in Atlanta, David Jackson putting up 18 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Tim Butler grabs 15 points and 10 rebounds, Mateen Yeaton scores 20 and Carlton Goree adds 10 points off the bench. Unfortunately, jet lag takes over as we lose the next night to Charlotte, 112-107 in OT after blowing a fourth quarter lead. Thus we do spoil Tim Butler's 20 points, Mateen Yeaton's 25 points, Paulinho Buboltz's 18 points and 11 assists and 12 bench points a piece from Carlton Goree and Mark Lyles.

The Sophomores win out 98-92 over the Rookies. Deon Sterley started for the Rooks and had a horrible shooting night, just 3 of 10 for 6 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. Joem Layne was even worse off the bench: 2 of 7 for 4 points, 2 rebound and 2 assists. Kevin Bradford didn't play because of a sprained finger. Man, I'm glad I traded him if he was going to be such a wuss bout that kind of thing.

Filip Mikulic is the All-Star MVP with 21 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and a steal as the West thumps the East 103-89. In a complete BS move, Mateen Yeaton didn't get named to the All-Star game, though Jonte Jones and Marcelino Augusto did, as a reserve and starter respectively. In fact, not a single Nugget made the All-Star team.

Jim O'Brien sells the boys the disrespect angle and Mateen Yeaton bombs Boston for 39 points and 8 rebounds in our wild 130-121 victory over the Celtics. Tim Butler contributes 26 points and 11 rebounds, Paulinho Buboltz has 14 points and 11 assists, Carlton Goree issues 10 points and 10 assists from the bench and Winston Smith comes up with exactly 10 points as well.

It's the trade deadline and we make another small deal.

Denver Nuggets receive
PG Jeremy Steele
Phoenix Suns 2025 2nd round pick

Phoenix Suns receive
SG Mark Lyles

What this means for the Nuggets
Steele is a capable veteran guard, as the 30 year old is a good ballhandler with some defensive ability and an absolutely nasty 3 point shot. The deal also frees up some more PT for GM Jestor favorite Tzvetan Kishishev and the 2nd rounder is future trade bait.

What this means for the Suns
Lyles may not have as polished a game as Steele, but he's 5 years younger and is more accurate from FG range by a significant amount.

Winner: Denver
A tiny trade, one that could pay bigger dividends than it first appears for the Nuggets, who have been struggling all season long to get into a consistent rhythm.

Our biggest margin of victory since the blockbuster comes with a 120-101 win over Memphis. Tim Butler plays beautifully with 29 points and 11 rebounds, Mateen Yeaton scores 23, Paulinho Buboltz magnificiently double-doubles with 24 points and 14 assists and Carlton Goree scores 12 bench points. The biggest story of the game for me, however, is Tzvetan Kishishev taking advantage of his increased PT to lead the second unit with 14 points. Now that's what I'm talking about.

The Hornets are fired up to play us in New Orleans, but we come back in the 4th quarter to escape with a 100-98 win on the wings of Tim Butler and Mateen Yeaton each scoring 22 points, Paulinho Buboltz with 11 points and 14 assists and excellent reserve play. Tzvetan Kishishev and Carlton Goree each score 10 off the bench and Winston Smith pulls down 12 boards.

February finishes fantastically with a 110-97 flooding of the Hawks. Paulinho Buboltz comes alive for 29 points and 13 assists, Mateen Yeaton scores 23, Tim Butler nets 17 points and 11 rebounds and Carlton Goree and Tzvetan Kishishev score 15 and 10 points respectively off the bench. That's three straight double-digit point nights for our Bulgarian since the deadline deal, in case you hadn't noticed.

Our terrific run of form since the All-Star break sees us at 35-22, two games back of Portland. Perhaps more notably, we're five and five a half respectively of the Timberwolves and Jazz, putting us very solidly in second place as we stalk the Trailblazers.

Dallas is 45-10, a sterling 24 games ahead of the Rockets and the Grizzlies. The 33-24 Clippers are fending off the Kings by 3.5 games in the Pacific.

Out East, the Raptors still rule at 45-11, a nice 11.5 games in front of the Nets. The Bulls run at 40-14, 4.5 ahead of the Cavaliers and the Bobcats hold a slim game and a half edge on the Magic at 32-22.

NBA Leaders

Points
T1. Justin Richler (TOR) - 27.5
T1. Nigel Abel (IND) - 27.5
3. Filip Mikulic (HOU) - 26.3
T4. Marcelino Augusto (DAL) - 24.6
T4. David Anyan (TOR) - 24.6
8. Mateen Yeaton (DEN) 23.3

Assists
1. Bernard Kelly (MEM) - 13.4
2. Branko Starcevic (SEA) - 12.4
3. Corey Neal (NJ) - 11.0
6. Paulinho Buboltz (DEN) - 10.5
8. Zelipe Gama (DAL) - 9.8

Rebounds
1. Greg Oden (TOR) - 15.2
2. Dontay Williamson (LAC) - 14.7
3. Jonte Jones (SAC) - 13.3

Blocks
1. Dontay Williamson (LAC) - 3.9
2. Walter Hicks (NJ) - 3.4
3. Milan Nouge (PHO) - 3.3
4. Patrick Riley (NO) - 3.2
9. Marcelino Augusto (DAL) - 2.7

Steals
1. Walter Hicks (NJ) - 2.1
T2. Kueth Hill (LAC) - 1.9
T2. Kyle Smith (CLE) - 1.9

Rookies Leaders

Points
1. John Walker (BOS) - 9.7
2. Teddy Harriman (NO) - 9.1
3. Kevin Bradford (IND) - 8.9
5. Deon Sterley (DEN) - 6.8

Assists
1. Teddy Harriman (NO) - 4.0
2. Tom Singletary (NO) - 3.7
3. Andre Harper (CLE) - 2.3

Rebounds
1. John Walker (BOS) - 6.3
2. Kevin Bradford (IND) - 6.0
3. Mark Vlasto (LAL) - 5.5

Blocks
1. Deon Sterley (DEN) - 1.4
T2. John Walker (BOS) - 1.0
T2. Billy Cullen (ATL) - 1.0

Steals
1. Kevin Bradford (IND) - 0.8
2. Deon Sterley (DEN) - 0.7
T3. Mark Vlasto (LAL) - 0.6
T3. Teddy Harriman (NO) - 0.6

D-League Report
The Colorado Timberjacks are 21-14, leading the West and the L.A. Sea Dogs by 4.5 games. Their success is thanks in no small part to Nuggets Darren Davis, who's averaging 11.2 points, 3.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 0.6 steals as the starting PG and Jonathan Hill, the team MVP as the starting PF with 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals. He's also shooting an impressive 62.6% from the field and is 13th in the D-League in scoring.

Paulinho Buboltz
2013 Stats: 82 games/77 starts - 17.0 PPG 9.5 APG 3.0 RPG 0.7 BPG 1.2 SPG
2014 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 19.1 PPG 8.7 APG 2.8 RPG 0.5 BPG 1.4 SPG
2015 Stats: 55 games/48 starts - 14.1 PPG 8.3 APG 2.8 RPG 0.5 BPG 1.2 SPG
2016 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 18.3 PPG 8.1 APG 3.3 RPG 0.7 BPG 1.5 SPG
2017 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 19.1 PPG 8.5 APG 3.0 RPG 0.7 BPG 1.2 SPG
2018 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 20.5 PPG 8.3 APG 3.2 RPG 0.8 BPG 1.5 SPG
2019 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 20.6 PPG 8.1 APG 3.5 RPG 0.8 BPG 1.5 SPG
2020 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 19.8 PPG 7.5 APG 3.3 RPG 0.6 BPG 1.3 SPG
2021 Stats: 44 games/44 starts - 22.3 PPG 7.0 APG 3.6 RPG 0.9 BPG 1.6 SPG (Indiana)
2021 Stats: 36 games/36 starts - 17.8 PPG 8.3 APG 2.9 RPG 0.8 BPG 1.3 SPG (Denver)
2022 Stats: 57 games/57 starts - 16.0 PPG 10.5 APG 2.8 RPG 0.5 BPG 1.2 SPG

Mateen Yeaton
2013 Stats: 82 games/81 starts - 23.3 PPG 2.4 APG 5.2 RPG 1.8 BPG 1.6 SPG
2014 Stats: 82 games/80 starts - 23.2 PPG 3.6 APG 5.2 RPG 1.7 BPG 1.3 SPG
2015 Stats: 82 games/81 starts - 23.6 PPG 2.4 APG 4.5 RPG 1.6 BPG 1.5 SPG
2016 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 25.0 PPG 3.1 APG 4.5 RPG 1.9 BPG 1.8 SPG
2017 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 24.4 PPG 3.2 APG 4.9 RPG 1.9 BPG 1.6 SPG
2018 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 19.8 PPG 2.4 APG 4.2 RPG 1.5 BPG 1.2 SPG
2019 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 23.3 PPG 2.5 APG 4.7 RPG 1.5 BPG 1.6 SPG
2020 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 23.0 PPG 2.7 APG 4.6 RPG 1.8 BPG 1.4 SPG
2021 Stats: 57 games/57 starts - 23.3 PPG 2.8 APG 4.3 RPG 1.9 BPG 1.4 SPG
2022 Stats: 57 games/57 starts - 23.3 PPG 2.0 APG 4.2 RPG 1.5 BPG 1.3 SPG

Marcelino Augusto
2020 Stats: 63 games/63 starts - 26.7 PPG 9.1 RPG 3.1 APG 2.1 BPG 1.0 SPG
2021 Stats: 82 games/82 starts - 22.5 PPG 9.7 RPG 2.7 APG 2.3 BPG 0.9 SPG
2022 Stats: 55 games/55 starts - 24.6 PPG 10.0 RPG 3.1 APG 2.7 BPG 1.1 SPG

Jonte Jones
2020 Stats: 66 games/66 starts - 22.2 PPG 12.2 RPG 2.7 APG 1.3 BPG 1.4 SPG
2021 Stats: 56 games/56 starts - 21.2 PPG 13.2 RPG 2.6 APG 1.5 BPG 1.1 SPG
2022 Stats: 32 games/32 starts - 19.7 PPG 13.3 RPG 2.7 APG 0.8 BPG 1.4 SPG

I'm thrilled with how we're playing right now. For the first time all season, it feels like we have the talent and cohesiveness to win our division and make some noise in the playoffs. Beat Dallas? Probably not, but a trip to the conference finals certainly seems within reach now, where it didn't before.

And it's amazing how much cozier things seems with Tim Butler and a happy 50 Ninja.