No formal deal is in place, but the Knicks are debating whether Flynn, the sixth overall pick of the 2009 draft would be a viable option to back up Chauncey Billups for at least one season. (NY Daily News)

Toney Douglas would likely be the player traded for Flynn. However, Douglas is coming off major shoulder surgery, which in theory would make him tough to deal. But Flynn is a similar medical risk. The 6-foot guard out of Syracuse had hip surgery last July and was limited to 53 games in his second year, not including a stint in the D-League (NY Daily News)

It’s no surprise the Timberwolves are looking to deal Flynn now that they have the point guard from that 2009 draft that they really wanted, Ricky Rubio, in the fold. What is a surprise to me is the Knicks willingness to deal Douglas.

As a fan, I love Douglas’ energy. There were many times late in the season that I was screaming for Mike D’Antoni to insert him in the game over Chauncey Billups. I like Billups too but the team just seemed to have that much more of a spark when he was in the game. And even more then that there was some actual defense being played! Unfortunately for Toney that’s not the type of player that fits a D’Antoni offense.

His one glaring weakness is that he is not a natural playmaker and at times his decision-making has been a source of frustration for his teammates as well as coach Mike D’Antoni.(NY Daily News)

SIDE NOTE: With the departure of Donnie Walsh many expect D’Antoni to be gone when his contract is over. If Douglas is dealt because he doesn’t fit Mike’s system I’d second guess the departure. It would show he still has more power then some think.

When looking over the two players and their career stats, they seem like similar players. Scoring and rebounding are about the same over similar minutes, Flynn averages one more assist per game. The numbers are a little skewed thou as Flynn missed a bunch of time due to a hip injury.

Enough about those two and why they may be traded for each other. Throw out the type of players they are. Throw out D’Antoni’s influence on his rosters.

In reality, I think there is one reason the Knicks are considering this deal. That would be next summers free agent class, the one that includes point guard Chris Paul.

Flynn is represented by; you guessed it, CAA Sports. The same agency that represents one Carmelo Anthony and one soon to be free agent Chris Paul. Trading for Flynn would be nothing more then sweetening the pot for the agency, who will then attempt to steer their client towards the Big Apple even more.

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Will Chris Paul be happy with the New Orleans Hornets? Video mailbag

The key in the conversation to me was where they said Chris Paul is currently happy. The Hornets are playing well and who wouldn’t be happy when your team is winning?

Paul wanted to see an improvement and a dedication to winning, and that is what it looks like the Hornets organization is doing. There was the major four team trade that helped net the team Trevor Ariza and Marco Belinelli, two young players who have come in and given the Hornets solid minutes. Both players are currently starting but Trevor has been by far the most impressive.

Ariza, 25, is signed long term, he signed a five year deal, $33 million deal with the Houston Rockets. He’s been an absolute terror for opponents since the season started. His main purpose is to guard the other teams top scorer and provide whatever scoring he can when called upon. His numbers this year are pretty impressive, in my opinion at least, averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game.

In my opinion, the key to the Hornets’ hot start is that it’s no longer the Paul and David West show, there’s another guy teams have to account for. Ariza gives them another weapon, something that Chris wanted. Will Ariza alone, be enough to convince Paul to stay? Maybe, maybe not.

If it’s not what else can New Orleans do to improve the team? The video mentions the trading the expiring contract of Peja Stojakovic. That’s not a bad idea at all since the team doesn’t have much use for him anymore; he only plays about ten minutes a game. Would that contract and a couple youngsters be enough to get Carmelo Anthony, a player Paul really wants to play for?

Not sure, but if anything that contract can bring in a couple more solid role players to fill out the depth chart. Personally, I think a few more role players is all this team needs.

The Hornets have beaten some solid teams early on, the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs, which to me tells me they’re going to compete this year. After the off season trades this team still needs more time to get it together, when they fully do they should really be able to compete with the best in the Western Conference.

Sadly, I still don’t know if that will be enough to keep Paul…. If winning is what its about then he’ll be staying with the Hornets when his contract expires, cause this young, growing team definitely looks like it will compete for years. If its really about playing with other stars and a high profile team for endorsement money, then he’ll be leaving.

Time to see what kind of man Paul is, does he keep his word about wanting New Orleans to be a contender.

First off, J.R. Smith of the Denver Nuggets had a beauty of a steal turned into a reverse dunk on the other end against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Don’t ya love it when a guy turns a steal into an amazing breakaway finish, none of those weak ass layups here.

During his collegiate days Emeka Okafor was known for his defense and shot blocking abilities, not many players would challenge him in the post. In the NBA, well Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert had no problem challenging him last night dunking on Emeka the Rejecta.

Speaking of getting dunked on. Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat was absolutely embarrassed last night by the Utah Jazz’s Carlos Boozer. This one might have to go into the dictionary next to the word posterized (once it officially makes it in to one). Not only did he get dunked on but Carlos hit him with a beautiful ball fake before running him over.

In my opinion one of the most exciting plays in the NBA is the alley-oop. I don’t mean the little weak ones where the ball is tossed up for an easy slam. I’m talking about the high flying above the rim kind. The slam on this next video from DeMar DeRozan wasn’t the greatest but what makes this my NBA play of the day is the dish from Hedo Turkoglu. The pass itself makes this a great alley-oop.

The dunk of the day thou didn’t even come from the ranks of the NBA. It came from the collegiate ranks and a small school down in Arkansas. Tavaris Washington of Arkansas Pine-Bluff completely jumped over an Alabama State player. A lot like Vince Carter over Frederic Weis, although this defender wasn’t nearly as tall.

Best Picture: Winner – New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets had to have the worst trade season of them all but who can deny they had the best story? It obviously would of made for good theater. They made a shocking move by trading Tyson Chandler to the Oklahoma City for Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox. Again an absolutely shocking trade for a team that is smack in the middle of the Western Conference Playoff Standings. The move cleared up room under the luxury tax but robbed them of their front court. After that, the Thunder rejected the trade due to a failed physical by Chandler. He now comes back to the Hornets and the playoff race, meaning the team must mend fences and go forward.

Things look bright on the court thou as Chandler came back with an open mind ready to play with his teammates. So much so he quoted former Oscar winner Denzel Washington in Training Day with the line “Ya’ll couldn’t get rid of me!”. The players were happy to get him back and they need Chandler to go forward. Things with management will be dicey for a while thou. So this years best picture, might also be next years best picture.

Best Actor In A Leading Role: Winner – Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry has down without a doubt the Best Acting job out of all the players moved at the deadline. Lowry got himself traded from the lowly Memphis Grizzlies to a perennial contender in the Houston Rockets. Lowry has had a decent season, nothing special. He did outplay Mike Conley to earn himself a starting role with the Grizz and has even performed solidly in that time, averaging about 9 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds a game. Those numbers made the Rockets believe he can be the starting point guard that leads to the promise land. But like Kelly Dwyer at Yahoo Sports, I believe he’ll never be an All-Star or a starter on a championship contender. He’s not as good as former Rockets starter Rafer Alston, but he should give the team a boost on the defensive end of the ball.

For exactly those reasons his performance with the Grizzlies earns him the Best Actor Role. He’s done a great job making people think he can be that quality point guard they’re looking for.

Best Actor In A Supporting Role: Winner – Rafer Alston

Personally, I believe Alston was the biggest winner at the deadline, especially when you consider the team he landed with. Playing for the Orlando Magic is even bigger then playing for the Rockets. The Magic are more of a contender especially with Superman Dwight Howard as a teammate. Alston is also a much better point guard then Best Actor Kyle Lowry. So why did Alston not get the first award?

Alston is going to be in a huge supporting role, a much bigger one then Lowry. When you look at things Lowry acted his way into a major trade, while Alston has earned his way. He’s a veteran point guard which the Magic sorely need after losing Jameer Nelson. He’s not nearly as good as Nelson BUT much better then alternative Anthony Johnson. At the age of 32, his best years are behind him but he’ll be playing a huge supporting role to Howard. This is what earns him Best Actor In A Supporting Role.

Animated Feature Film: Winner – Chicago Bulls

I know you must be wondering Animated Film? Well Larry Hughes has a lot to do with that. The whole Chicago Bulls and Hughes situation has been straight comical this season. The falling out between General Manager John Paxson, Coach Vinny Del Negro and Hughes had reached the level where nothing would ever be solved. Hughes hadn’t played since January 12th and would never have played another game in a Bulls uniform. The whole situation has dragged on for so long, that it keeps getting uglier and uglier, so the Bulls earn an award for finally being able to move him. In landing Tim Thomas and Jerome James they don’t get much. No cap relief, no help in the rotation. All they do is dump a huge headache and the franchise can now move forward.

Best Directing: Winner – Sacramento Kings President Geoff Petrie

Geoff Petrie did an amazing job for the Sacramento Kings in dumping salary. The Kings have the worse record in the league and there is really no future in sight. There are rumors going around that next years NBA Salary Cap will be lowered to $58 million which will leave many teams over the cap. What Petrie did in this dumping was put the Kings underneath that number. Petrie didn’t get any players that can be of assistance now, unless you can count Andres Nocioni but he did get the team about $6 million under next years cap. Which is pretty important for such a lousy team.

There you go boys and girls, that’s my NBA trade deadline review. Let me know what you think. Who would you have given these awards too??

Pierce said, “He’s a huge key, man. Everybody knows it. A huge key in what we try to do. No. 1, he changes what type of team we are out there because of versatility. You put him at the 4 and he’s a matchup problem for the other team. Then you move him to the 3 and he can defend there, too. He gives our lineup a whole other dimension. He’s tough and he has experience.”

After the marquee names, Posey might be one of the most sought after players in this years free agent class for that very reason. One team in particular is the Los Angeles Lakers, in the finals Boston exposed their defense and the lack of a true stopper on that team. Another team that you could see Posey on the New Orleans Hornets, rumor has it he would be in line for the teams starting shooting guard position. So pretty much if the Celtics don’t increase their offer, Posey is definitely going to be a wanted man. Pierce knows this and was pretty passionate about it. In that same Boston Herald interview, Pierce went on and on about the situation.

“You’ve got to understand the position ‘Pose’ is in. I mean, he’s 31 years old, and this is probably going to be the last contract he’s going to get, so I guess he’s looking for a little extra security – maybe a little more than we’re willing to give him. But hopefully we can retain him and he can look at what we offer him as a sense of security.”

He also talked about the importance of being a Celtic, which is always pretty big but even of more importance now that the previous season’s team has implanted themselves in Celtics history.

“When I talk to him, I’m going to let him know that – the significance of being a Boston Celtic even after basketball. Hopefully I can convince him to come back for whatever the offer we’re giving him. I don’t really know the offer that (director of basketball operations) Danny (Ainge) and them are talking about. I know it’s less than the mid-level and I know there’s teams out there probably trying to give him the mid-level.”

There’s so much more that I could quote but instead I’ll give you the link to the Boston Herald where you can read it in its entirety.

Here’s my take on the situation. To steal a phrase from another Boston team, the Celtics management need to cowboy up. Posey is a player this team needs, true they had the Big Three that could score almost at will but what really led this team to its championship was its defense. The Celtics played all around solid team defense, but to have a lock down player like Posey is an absolute necessity. If they take him out of the mix, I can guarantee you they will take some hit on the defensive side of the ball.

We all know how passionate Boston fans are. They’re the modern day Title Town, for this decade at least hopefully not longer. The Celtics brought basketball back to the forefront, where the Red Sox and Patriots were for so long. If you haven’t experienced a game of any kind in Boston you are missing out, it’s some where you have to visit. Football season is coming up, why not check out the New England Patriots?