It’s the beginning of a rivalry. The Bulls played the Heat yesterday in a summer league game in which the two first picks in this year’s NBA draft matched up. Beasley made a statement with his play yesterday that he, not Derrick Rose should have been the first pick.

Beasley shone yesterday putting up 28 points on 9-21 shooting leading his Heat to a convincing 94-70 victory over the awful looking Bulls. Playing with a fractured sternum, Beasley made an impact immediately as he scored 9 points in his first 8 minutes. He dominated throughout showing what NBA prospects talked about pre-draft with tremendous range, an outside and inside game.

As for Derrick Rose, he didn’t do much. He did have 10 points but on 3-8 shooting and 5 turnovers. Now obviously you can’t look at this game and say that Rose was the wrong choice, but what it does show is how Rose can easily get lost in a game. He can fade at times and not be the main guy on the team. Whereas Beasley can be the go to guy throughout a game and continually draw a double team even if he’s not playing well.

Before the draft I strongly believed that the Bulls should choose Beasley. They did not. I just have a feeling that Rose won’t be the top caliber kind of player that Beasley will be. I think in today’s game Beasley’s attributes a much more important to a team in order to create a championship team. As of late, point guards don’t win championships, big men, and good shooting guards do. Just look at Nash, Kidd, Marbury, Francis, and I’ll even go far back as Stockton. I just think that Rose will fall into that category of being a great regular season player but not good enough for a championship, if he’s lucky.

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The free agent season has begun. Following an exciting post-season and draft, the NBA has found another way to keep us hooked. In the next couple of weeks there are to be some big names moved around and could possibly shape next year’s championship team. The Celtics made all the right moves during last year’s free agency and ended up taking the title. So, don’t be surprised if a number of teams take a page from their book. Here are some of the big names who could make a move.

Elton Brand

Although his intentions are to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, don’t be surprised to see Elton Brand move. He has yet to be on a successful team and I’m sure he’s more than eager to cement himself as a marquee player. He is unable to do so on the lowly Clippers who will again have no chance next year in the overly competitive West. If the the right offer lands on Brand’s lap, possibly from his old team in the Bulls, or with the Knicks, Pistons, or Rockets who all need a player like Brand, don’t expect him to stay in Los Angeles.

Baron Davis

After the Warriors 06-07 run that included maybe one of the biggest post-season upsets of the Dallas Mavericks, Baron Davis could not find the same chemistry this past season. Davis has had trouble in the past season with Golden State and it seems like he may be headed out of Golden State after opting out of his contract. Davis averaged 21.8 points a game last season and would be extremely valuable to either a East or West Playoff team. The Detroit Pistons have showed interest in Davis in a possible sign and trade which may include stars Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups. This may turn into the biggest trade of the off-season. Also showing interest are the aforementioned Los Angeles Clippers. If Baron Davis signs with the Clippers this may persuade Elton Brand to stay.

Corey Maggette

Elton Brand isn’t the only Clipper on the move. Corey Maggette has also opted out of his contract and will test the open market. Maggette is more likely than Brand to leave the team and could play an integral part in next seasons playoffs. There were rumors swirling last season of a trade of Maggette to the Suns, so don’t be surprised if that deal won’t resurrect itself. Another team showing interest looks to be the Utah Jazz who are one piece away from a championship team.

Wizards Aren’t Letting Agent Zero Turn Into Free Agent Zero

The Washington Wizards are planning to invest over 150 million dollars in both Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. This seems like to much for a team who keeps getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. I thought Washington would have to get rid of at least one of the two, but it looks as if the Wizards want to continue with Jamison and Arenas. Personally I would have let Arenas go because he did very little last year and we are still unsure about his knee. Jamison is turning himself into a fantastic player, averaging 20 and 10 last year and is bound to become better.

Here is a list of other notable names that could see themselves in different uniforms next season.

Sam Cassell- Boston Celtics- Unrestricted FA

Eddie House- Boston Celtics- Unrestricted FA

Emeka Okafor- Charlotte Bobcats- Restricted FA

Luol Deng- Chicago Bulls- Restricted FA

Ben Gordon- Chicago Bulls- Restricted FA

Delonte West- Cleveland Cavaliers- Restricted FA

Allen Iverson- Denver Nuggets- Early Termination Option

JR Smith- Denver Nuggets- Restricted FA

Steve Francis- Houston Rockets- Player Option

Jason Williams- Miami Heat- Unrestricted FA

Stephon Marbury- New York Knicks- Early Termination Option

Andre Iguodala- Philadelphia 76ers- Restricted FA

Michael Finley- San Antonio Spurs- Unrestricted FA

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The Indiana Pacers have traded their most talented player, Jermaine O’Neal for Toronto Raptors T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the 17th overall pick in tomorrow’s draft. This is the first of possibly many trades that should take place until the end of tomorrow’s draft. This ends Jermaine O’Neal’s tumultuous era in Indiana and begins a new one for T.J. Ford.

The winner in this trade isn’t the Raptors or the Pacers, it is Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal is easily one of the most talented players in the league and has yet to truly show it on the Pacers. He will now head over to a stronger Raptors team who made it into the playoffs last season as a 5th seed. The Raptors lack athletic size and will certainly appreciate what O’Neal can do, but the loss of a star like Ford will be difficult.

T.J. Ford has to be considered the loser in this trade. Ford will head to the Pacers where he will certainly dissapear. His talent was beginning to shine during his short time with a talented Raptors team. Indiana has no upside and Ford will find it difficult to perform as well as he did on the sharp-shooting Raptors. With Ford comes Rasho Nesterovic who cannot be enamored with the move either. His shooting improved drastically over the 07-08 season since he was surrounded by other pure shooters.

In what looks like a trade heavy draft, this may just be the first of many in the next 24 hours. The Knicks, Heat, and Mavericks all may trade their picks and move players around. Only time will tell, but this looks to be one of the biggest no matter what happens tomorrow night.

I guess when you look at this trade you can consider the Pacers to have gotten the better deal. They pick up another first round draft pick which will certainly improve their building process, and they dump a significant amount of salary in Jermaine O’Neal. They also pick up a fan friendly T.J. Ford, who with his talent can fill the stadium. If they can do well in the draft, they might have a chance to return to the form they had when Reggie Miller was around.

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