The Next Movement

Following fast on the heels of Buffy and Fat Jubas' trade, Squirtle Squad knew they had to make moves if they wanted to compete for the playoffs. All three teams are currently sitting at 7-8 and are fighting for a Chamberlain Conference wild card spot. Oliver's Half Man Half Amazing is one win up on all three but with a few more regular season weeks to go, it's still anybody's game. With competition really heating up, the Squirtles have had three solid wins over big competition but also suffered two blowout losses (including a 0-8-1 loss to Fat Jubas last week) in their last five games.

That inconsistency is the reason why Squirtles' management pulled the trigger on a huge deal: franchise forward Al Jefferson to Funk Coalition in exchange for swingman Joe Johnson. They will also exchange Nate Robinson for Arron Afflalo. Jefferson has been having a down year recovering from last season's ACL tear. Averaging just 17.1 PTS, 9.3 REB, 1.1 BLK on 49.1 FG% in sixty games, he's even been in Timberwolves' coach Kurt Rambis' dog house the last week. Darko Milicic has been getting crunch time minutes for the T-Wolves. Free Darko indeed.

Concerned about Jefferson's health whilst in the middle of the playoff hunt, GM Brian decided it was time to part ways with him to bring in a steady veteran presence. Joe Johnson, the most underrated superstar in the league, fit that description perfectly. So far this season, Johnson has solidified his winning reputation and is putting up his typical 21.8 PTS, 4.7 REB/AST, 1.1 STL, and 1.7 3PT a game. With free agency looming, Johnson is looking to cash in big this off-season but not before making a splash in the fantasy post-season. Delighted to be traded to a winning team (Funk is 5-9-1 as of this writing), Johnson didn't even bother to pack on his way out of Funktown. Johnson will be immediately inserted into the Squirtles lineup, combining with Baron Davis and Tyreke Evans to form a powerful trio. The center spot for the Squirtles will be a bit empty, with only Shaquille O'Neal and Robin Lopez manning the middle for the Squirtles, but next year they get Blake Griffin.

As for the Funk side of the trade, it was no secret that in recent weeks, GM Jon had been shopping Joe Johnson furiously in order to get some offensive help for his non-scoring front line. Jefferson and Aldridge will combine with double double machine Joakim Noah to make the frontcourt the strength of the Funk franchise.

Asked about what other players they were willing to move for, GM Jon said, "I can't reveal the other players we were targeting. That would just hurt their families and the relationship with their teams. I can say they were all power forwards but what swung the decision for us was Jefferson's youth and his shot blocking ability. Plus he's an ex-Celtic, so we had to bring him into the fold. Are we concerned about Al's injury history? Sure, but you gotta roll the dice with a once in a generation player that's been tutored individually by Kevin McHale."

Speaking of Celtics, the newest Boston resident, Nate Robinson, will give Funk some offensive spark and outside shooting to replace Johnson's contributions. Arron Afflalo has been a nice surprise this season with his outside shooting but was deemed expendable since Funk already had the other Nuggets' shooting guard on their roster, JR Smith. Rumors swirl that more deals may be in the works for the Funk, who is preparing for a long swirl in the Toilet Bowl.

The trade deadline is March 10 at 12 EST so let's hope a few more trades happen soon!

Immigrant Swap

On the heels of the yesterday's huge six player trade, mover and shaker Buffy GM Roger produced yet another changing of addresses. This time, he swapped guard Beno Udrih to the Fat Jubas for forward Yi Jianlian. With both teams at 7-8 and fighting hard for a playoff spot, this is a trade that could benefit both teams. Buffy had a surplus of guards after the recent acquisition of Randy Foye so Udrih's skills were no longer needed. While the Jubas were sad to part with Yi, after some deliberation it was decided they needed another backcourt player to give rookie Jonny Flynn some competition as the third guard behind Steve Nash and Ray Allen.

A team official confided to SlamNation reporters that "Jonny was starting to get too big of a head. He thought he had that backup spot all locked up but we wanted to give him incentive to keep pushing. Next year we'll bring in Ricky Rubio and really give him a challenge!"

Udrih has put up 12 PTS, 3.2 AST and almost one 3PT/STL a game over his last six games. Since the NBA trade deadline he's shown that getting solid minutes could lead to useful production, as evidenced by a 25 PTS, 4 AST, 2 STL game recently. With Kevin Martin gone, it looks like Udrih is in line for thirty minutes a night.

Meanwhile, Yi "The Chairman" Jianlian is averaging 8.2 PTS and 5.2 REB over that same span. He's been injured, a little worn down from carrying the mantle of "best Chinese player in the NBA" this season, and sick of New Jersey. A change of scenery to Buffyland should help him fuel up on dumplings and give him a reason to play hard. Yi has been starting most of the season and has had flashes of success. More dumplings will surely give his stats a positive jolt.

In related news, Buffy's season ticket sales just increased significantly. Five hundred Chinese fans bought tickets after the trade and six Slovenian family canceled theirs.

Boom Goes the Dynamite

Three weeks. That was how long Danny Granger was a Chunky Monkey. Granger barely got to get meet his teammates before he got the news of his being traded. Earlier this morning, SlamNation league officials received word that a blockbuster trade between the Chunky Monkeys and Buffy had been signed and delivered. The mega-deal sends Danny Granger, Mehmet Okur and Randy Foye to Buffy in return for Brandon Roy, Wilson Chandler, and Channing Frye.

The Monkeys press office issued a statement following the deal. " We want to thank Danny Granger for all his hard work while he was here. Danny was a great leader both off and on the court while he was here. We wish him the best. However, through this deal, we had the opportunity to trade for someone who we consider as one of the top guards in the game in Brandon Roy. Brandon will pair with CP3 to form what we believe will be the best backcourt in the land. Also the chance to bring over Channing (Frye) and (Wilson) Chandler were unique opportunities. Our coaching staff is a big fan of their game and believe their will be long term cornerstone players for us."

According to ESPN Fantasy Analyst, Matthew Berry, "...Roy will be an incredible pairing with CP3. They should be a dynamic duo to watch - if they are healthy at the same time. Wilson Chandler should also immediately see starting time in the lineup and will likely play the SF position for the Monkeys. As for Channing Frye, he'll likely serve as back up to Bargnani. I predict he'll get spot duty for the rest of the year. If he plays well, plan to see him as one of the 6 keepers for the Monkeys next year. With the injury to Paul, it was clear that the Monkeys had started eyeing next year. If anything, they will be a force in the post season once everyone heals up. Whether they are playing in the John Wall bowl or for a title, expect the Monkeys to make some noise in the post-season.

As for Buffy, Granger provides a dynamic big man that does many things well. Foye and Okur will immediately play starting positions as well. The trade gives the team an immediate shot in the arm for the team as Buffy looks to make a deep playoff run. They somehow managed to topple Sour Snails last week so an opportunity to acquire immediate firepower may have been too good to pass up."

The Best and the Brightest

Here we are, the 2010 SlamNation All-Stars! Chosen by the commish, we had league voting for the last two spots on each team and the players on these squads can't be questionned. The selection criteria was: who contributed to winning teams. That's slightly different than how the NBA does it but as you'll see, it'll give a better idea of what players have been most instrumental to their teams success. The top two teams in each conference got two representatives each, and we tried to get an All-Star from every squad.

Some snubs? How about Troy Murphy, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Smith, Derrick Rose, Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay, or Jamal Crawford? There just wasn't enough room for everyone to make it, and tie went to the teams with better records. If you have three wins, you shouldn't have two All-Stars, right?

So which All-Star team would win in an actual game? Well, the Chamberlain Conference is particularly big man heavy, while the Russell Conference has a much more balanced squad. Despite hailing from the Russell Conference, I'll go ahead and say the Chamberlains would win, 121-114. Also, is LBJ having the most well rounded fantasy season ever? Geezes.

RUSSELL CONFERENCE
Starters:
G Dwayne Wade (Dragons) - 26.5 PTS, 6.5 AST, 1.9 STL, 1.1 BLK
G Stephen Jackson (Nande) - 17.1 PTS, 7.0 REB, 5.7 AST, 1.3 3PT, 1.9 STL
F David West (Bayside) - 18.1 PTS, 7.5 REB, 0.8 STL/BLK
F Pau Gasol (Bayside) - 17.2 PTS, 11.2 REB, 1.8 BLK, 52.4 FG%
C Chris Kaman (Dragons) - 20.0 PTS, 8.9 REB, 1.3 BLK

Reserves:
G Kobe Bryant (100 Acre) - 28.0 PTS, 5.3 REB, 4.6 AST, 1.4 3PT, 1.7 STL
G Rajon Rondo (100 Acre) - 14.3 PTS, 9.7 AST, 2.5 STL, 52.9 FG%
G Deron Williams (Funk) - 18.6 PTS, 9.8 AST, 1.2 3PT
G Monta Ellis (Amoebas) - 26.2 PTS, 4.2 REB, 5.4 AST, 2.2 STL
F Corey Maggette (Nande) - 20.8 PTS, 6.1 REB, 51.9 FG%, 7.3/8.7 FT
F Andrea Bargnani (Monkeys) - 17.6 PTS, 6.2 REB, 1.6 3PT, 1.4 BLK
C Amare Stoudemire (Pogiboys) - 21.2 PTS, 8.6 REB, 1.0 BLK, 55.5 FG%


CHAMBERLAIN CONFERENCE
Starters:
G Steve Nash (Jubas) - 18.3 PTS, 11.1 AST, 1.8 3PT, 51.9 FG%
G Brandon Roy (Buffy) - 23.1 PTS, 4.6 REB, 5.0 AST, 1.4 3PT
F Lebron James (Snails) - 29.9 PTS, 7.1 REB, 8.3 AST, 1.9 3PT, 1.6 STL, 1.0 BLK, 50.6 FG%
F Kevin Durant (Half Man) - 29.7 PTS, 7.4 REB, 1.5 3PT, 1.4 STL, 48.5 FG%
C Dwight Howard (Korea) - 18.0 PTS, 13.3 REB, 2.7 BLK, 60.3 FG%

Reserves:
F Gerald Wallace (Snails) - 18.8 PTS, 10.9 REB, 1.6 STL, 1.2 BLK
F Zach Randolph (Fob Stars) - 20.5 PTS, 11.6 REB, 0.9 STL
F Chris Bosh (Fob Stars) - 24.4 PTS, 11.4 REB, 1.0 BLK, 52.6 FG%
F Antawn Jamison (Korea) - 20.5 PTS, 8.8 REB, 1.4 3PT
F Carmelo Anthony (Squirtle) - 29.2 PTS, 6.4 REB, 1.3 STL, 46.3 FG%
C Brook Lopez (Jubas) - 18.8 PTS, 9.0 REB, 1.9 BLK, 50.5 FG%
C David Lee (Jedis) - 20.0 PTS, 11.4 REB, 1.0 STL, 55.7 FG%