Dear John,
OK...the forty hours have now been whittled down to about 4 1/2 and I've heard nothing coming out of Milwaukee regarding a possible deal involving Redd, Mo, or Chuck Villanueva.  If Pat Riley really doesn't want Beasley then why not  take a gamble on a guy who could give you 20 and 10 as a rookie?  What's the down side?  I'd even be willing to take that dog with fleas, Mark Blount, back in the deal.   What about dangling all three along with the eighth pick for Beasley, Shawn Marion, Daequan Cook and Blount?   That would give the Bucks a lineup of Bogut, Beasley, The Matrix, Sessions and either Bell or Mason.  Yi, Cook, Blount, Simmons, and Ivey would come off the bench.  Admittedly, the back court would be a little green.  However, the front court would be spectacular.   Come on John Boy, make a bold move today...


The first big trade of the off season was announced late last night and I like what Larry Bird got for a perpetually injured and significantly overpaid Jermaine O'Neal (due $44 million over the next two years).  While TJ Ford is certainly prone to the injury bug himself, Indiana receiving an above average point guard, a serviceable backup center, and a mid-range 1st round pick is quite a haul.  Toronto had to jettison Ford with the emergence of Jose Calderon and the acquisition of O'Neal could propel them into the conference finals next year.  IF, and it's a very big if, O'Neal can play effectively with Chris Bosh for 75 games and give the Raptors 17 pts, 11 rbs, and 2 blks then it's also a decent deal for Bryan Colangelo and Toronto...


Natalie Gulbis is definitely on the hot seat.  First it was newcomer Odette Yustman and now another athlete is making a push to crack the DD...