It's time to go....

Throughout the NBA season there will always be trade rumors. Heres some where we just feel a deal should get over and done with so both parties can get on with their futures, whether that be through rebuilding with young players, or loading up to compete for a championship.

Dwight Howard- Please stop me if you've heard this guys name mentioned in trade rumors. Howards name has been the most talked about when it comes to trades since the start of the season and as each day goes on the risk becomes higher that Howard leaves Orlando for nothing. Surely they can't run that risk. Its time to go. The most probable place at the moment is probably the Lakers. They have a key asset in Andrew Bynum which they could trade for him and Howard wants to play in L.A. There were rumors of the Lakers having to give up Bynum and Gasol for Howard, but as the trade deadline drawing closer and with Bynum becoming more impressive, the Magic may have to settle for just Bynum. The only thing stopping the deal is the rumor that Howard wants to pair up with Deron Williams in Brooklyn. That story however is for another day.

Deron Williams- Oh, you've heard his name in rumors too? Williams is currently apart of a terrible Nets team, a perennial all star unable to use his skill set in a playoff contending team. Williams has stated his desire to stay with the Nets, but only if they can acquire Dwight Howard. So for the Nets its all (Howard and Williams) or nothing.

Ray Allen- Danny Ainge has seen the Celtics throw back their franchise before when they passed up opportunities to trade Bird, Mchale and Parish towards the ends of their careers. Now its time for him to make the move with his big 3. The first to go is Ray Allen. Still an incredible shooter despite his age, Ray could be a huge addition to a contending playoff team. But which contenders need a SG? My top 3 are Philadelphia, New York and the Clippers. All 3 teams could offer nice packages for Allen, which may be enough for Ainge to move him to avoid getting nothing for him next summer.

Steve Nash- Nash is rotting out in Phoenix. He's playing on a team thats not going to make the playoffs and he still has the skill set of any of the top PG's in the league, despite his age. The suns unwilling desire to give him up has been frustrating as a fan, but surely now is the time before he walks for a franchise which he has given his heart to.

Kevin Garnett- I can't see Pierce leaving Boston, but KG's contract ends this season, so there will be a desire for Ainge to move him if he is serious about breaking up the big 3. Again he would have to go to a contender requiring a PF. I'm looking at Orlando, Atlanta, Denver, Memphis or even the Thunder if they wanted Ibaka playing as a 6th man, a role he thrived in.

Big Night In The NBA!

Blast News!

A big night in the NBA tonight saw a few big stories develop. Here's a wrap up of a few.

Wizards Get First Win.
Wizards coach Flip Saunders decided to bench starting forward and know big ego Andray Blatche and it lead to a convincing win against the Toronto Raptors at home. Its really just good to see the Wiz get a win.

Mavs Back On Track.
Dallas had a victory against Detroit tonight and this brings their record to 5-5, things are looking a lot better after the Mavs woe-full start to the season.

Bogut Return Helps Bucks To A Win.
Andrew Bogut returned from his personal problems in Australia and had a double double against the Spurs. He got a lot of help from Stephan Jackson with 34 points and 7 assists. This is a great win for the bucks to try and give them so momentum going forward.

Jazz Win Their 5th Straight.The Utah Jazz won their 5th straight game tonight against Cleveland 105 to 133. The jazz Host the Lakers tomorrow night and don't expect the Jazz to be the pushover they were earlier in the season, especially playing on their home floor. I expect a tight one in Salt Lake City.

Sixers Off To Flying Start.The Sixers are off to their best start in 11 years, starting 7 and 2 after their victory at home over the Kings tonight. Elton Brand lead the way for Philly with 21.

Warriors Cool off Heat In Overtime.The warriors were able to defeat the heat in overtime after Dorell Wright came up huge in the last late fourth and overtime to lead the warriors to victory. Lebron James threw up a few bricks that late that looked horrible, he just went missing the 4th quarter again. That being said he is having a outrageous season putting up MVP numbers early.

Kobe Goes For 48pts Against Suns. 
Kobe Bryant had a 17pt first quarter and he never looked back on route to a 48 point game. Kobe also showed us some of those young Kobe moments with a reverse alley-oop and a nice blow by on grant hill.

LUKE WALTON ALERT!!!! Yes there was a Luke sighting tonight and he had a reasonable game with the crowd behind him 100% all game.
Watch the video below to see Kobe's back to back dunks against the suns.

The Blast: Power Rankings

The Miami Heat continue their tear up of the league. The 76ers are playing their best basketball since the days of Allen Iverson. The Lakers have been revitalised by the return of Andrew Bynum. Finally the Wizards are the worst team in the league and are still win less with 8 losses. Lets get to week 2 of the blasts power rankings.

1. Miami Heat 8-1 (1)- The Heat are still on a roll and if not for a slip up against Atlanta last week, they would still be without a loss.
2. Chicago Bulls 8-2 (3)- The bulls are the second best team in the league and are again doing it with their incredible defense.
3. Oklahoma City 8-2 (2)- The Thunder are the best team in a western conference where every team shows its weaknesses on a nightly bases. They just have the least number of weaknesses.
4. Portland Trail Blazers 6-2 (4)- After all the seasons with horrible luck with injury the Blazers deserve some good fortune. This team is just clicking.
5. Philadelphia 76ers 6-2 (19)- The 76ers have reeled off 5 straight wins and are currently ranked the best offensive AND defensive team in the league. No one would have picked that. They are playing their best ball since the glory days of Dr.J and AI.
6. L.A Lakers 6-4 (9)- The improvement with Andrew Bynum back in the line up has been massive. They are the lakers of old and are a real threat in the West once again.
7. San Antonio 6-3 (5)- The Spurs are still playing good ball without Manu. I'm just worried they'll drop right back in the pack as his absence becomes notable.
8. Atlanta Hawks 7-3 (11)- The Hawks picked up a very nice win against a full strength Heat team. Then they go and lose to the same team without Wade and LeBron. Go figure.
9. L.A Clippers 4-2 (13)- The defense is slowly clicking and the offense is still there. If someone other than Griffin could grab a rebound this team will be a huge threat.
10. Orlando Magic 6-3 (7)- The Magic still have Dwight, for now, and are winning games thanks to his team mates, namely Ryan Anderson who is playing out of his mind to start the season.
11. New York Knicks 5-4 (8)- The Knicks are still terrible defensively, although it did look slightly better Tuesday, even if it was against the Bobcats. Melo is starting to dish to his team mates and become unselfish, which can only be a good thing for this club.
12. Boston 4-4 (10)- The Celtics looked a lot better with Pierce back in the line up, until Indiana managed to shut them down completely in their home gym.
13. Indiana Pacers 6-3 (6)- This Pacers team is still strong. We just over reacted early. With Granger out Tuesday they showed how essential it is to have all their players on the floor.
14. Denver Nuggets 6-4 (12)- Still as balanced as ever and still struggling to commit to defence.
15. Dallas Mavericks 4-5 (15)- Surely somethings gotta give soon for the defending champs.
16. Phoenix Suns 4-4 (20)- The Suns impressed more than a few with a huge win over the Blazers on TNT last Friday. With Nash leading the show, how could they be bad?
17. Utah Jazz 5-3 (18)- The Jazz are continuing to impress with their young squad and are getting solid wins on the board. Could they push for playoffs?
18. Memphis Grizzlies 3-5 (17)- I still can't believe a team that impressed so many in the playoffs last season can continue to disappoint this much. Z-Bo may be out, which means Gay must lead the offense.
19. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-4 (22)- The Cavs and Irving have been very impressive early. Their may be life after LeBron. Long live the king.
20. New Orleans Hornets 3-6 (21)- The Hornets have had their fair share of injuries early, most notably to Eric Gordon.
21. Toronto Raptors 4-5 (25)- The Raptors have had some great moments early, as well as some shockers. Thats what you'll get with a team who's best player is Andrea Bargnani.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves 3-6 (23)- Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love could bring something special in Minny, hopefully they stay around.
23. Houston Rockets 2-6 (14)- The Rockets are not as bad as their record suggests. Their defense has however been atrocious.
24. Golden State Warriors 2-6 (16)- The Warriors have suffered injuries in the early season and should improve, mainly through their new found commitment to defence.
25. Detroit Pistons 2-7 (26)- Surely Frank will have the Pistons playing defense shortly. Surely.
26. Milwaukee Bucks 2-6 (24)- The sooner Bogut returns the sooner the Bucks can actually have a shot at winning.
27. Charlotte Bobcats 2-7 (29)- The only positive for the Cats at the moment is that they are not the worst team in the league.
28. Sacramento Kings 3-6 (27)- Westphal got fired, which is definately a positive for the Kings. Can they finally find some chemistry and win with their young core?
29. New Jersey Nets 2-8 (28)- New Jersey. Please get someone in to help Deron Williams or trade him to a place we can see him prosper. Yours sincerely, every NBA fan in the world.
30. Washington Wizards 0-8 (30)- 3 more games, 3 more losses for the Wizards. Can someone teach this team how to pass?

The Blast: Power Rankings

We are now 10 days in to this hectic shortened NBA season. The Heat and Bulls, as expected are off to hot starts in the East, while its the Thunder and the Blazers off to good starts in the West. There have however been surprises, including the Mavericks being last in the West. Here's week 1 of the Power Rankings

1. Miami Heat (5-1)- Miami have flown out of the blocks, as expected, having only dropped one game to an inspired Hawks team. The chemistry has gotten even better in Miami and they will remain in the top 3 all season.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (5-2)- The Thunder are also off the a quick start, led by MVP favorite Kevin Durant. They should also remain high on the power rankings, with an expected number 1 seed in the west.
3. Chicago Bulls (5-1)- The Bulls are enjoying a good start and have the be happy with the improvement of Omer Asik.
4. Portland Trailblazers (4-1)- The Blazers good start was a little unexpected. L.Aldridge filling up the stat sheet however was not.
5. San Antonio Spurs (3-2)- The start is indicating another playoff birth for the veteran spurs. However the loss to the wolves, along with Manu Ginobli with a fractured hand, will be extremely costly.
6. Indiana Pacers (4-1)- No one would have expected this good of a start from a well balanced Pacers team. They are improving on both ends and should be a solid threat in the playoffs.
7. Orlando Magic (4-2)- Despite all the Howard rumors and controversy surrounding the team the have gotten off to a solid start.
8. New York Knicks (2-3)- The Knicks have been slow out of the gate but there next few games are against week opponents. Look for their record to improve, especially as they regain players from injuries.
9. L.A Lakers (4-3)- The Lakers started slow but are regaining momentum with the return of big man Bynum.
10. Boston Celtics (3-3)- This veteran team could be as big of a threat as any in this shortened season, especially with the return of Paul 'the truth' Pierce.
11. Atlanta Hawks (4-2)- 
12. Denver Nuggets (4-2)- The Nuggets balanced roster has again started out well. The record would have been even better if Galinari could finish his lay ups.
13. L.A Clippers (2-2)- Lob city is incredibly entertaining offensively, but are currently the worst defensive team in the league. Deandre Jordan must improve that.
14. Houston Rockets (2-3)- The Rockets will have another consistent season that should see them in the hunt for a low playoff seed out West.
15. Dallas Mavericks (2-4)- The biggest shock in the league is seeing the Mavericks at the bottom of the West after winning the championship last season. The Mavs new roster just hasn't clicked yet, however don't expect to see them this low in the rankings for too long.
16. Golden State Warriors (2-3)- The Warriors are finally seeing an end to their fast-paced, no defense game. They are still entertaining to watch and Mark Jackson promised fans playoffs at the beginning of the season. If the defense continues to improve, that is possible.
17. Memphis Grizzles (2-3)- Other than Dallas, the Grizzles have been the most surprising of the teams with bad records. They looked so good in the playoffs, but have started slowly this season.
18. Utah Jazz (3-3)- There not going to be as good as past Jazz teams, but with young names including Haywood, Favours and Kanter along with Jefferson, Milsap and Harris, you won't have to pay me to tune in and watch them on league pass.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (2-2)- The 76ers were impressive last season with their improvement and they should again improve their defense and make the playoffs this season.
20. Phoenix Suns (2-3)- Probably should have traded Nash a season or two ago when his value was higher as they need to rebuild through their young players.
21. New Orleans Hornets (2-3)- Got some nice assets for Paul and have been competitive early. The sooner Eric Gordon gets back on the court the better.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-2)- The Cavs and their young roster has been impressive early, led by future all-star Kyrie Irving. He's a stud.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-3)- Another league pass favourite. Rubio and Williams have started their young career's well. Oh and Kevin Loves numbers have been ok too.
24. Milwaukee Bucks (2-3)- This team, with Bogut, should be a lot better than what they have been showing early.
25. Toronto Raptors (2-3)- The Raptors are in the rebuilding phase, however if Derozen and Bargnani can continue to light up the stats sheet like they did against the Knicks, they might actually win a few games.
26. Detroit Pistons (2-3)- We should continue to see an improved Pistons team with Frank as their coach. This is still an experienced roster and if they can begin to click they may even push for a low playoff spot. No joke.
27. Sacramento Kings (2-4)- If Demarcus Cousins had a good mindset and commitment to the Kings, they could have huge potential with evans and freddete in the frame.
28. New Jersey Nets (1-5)- The longer Lopez is out and the longer that no help is brought in to New Jersey, the less time Deron Williams may spend suiting up for the Nets.
29. Charlotte Bobcats (1-4)- The Bobcats have been competitive early, especially in a shattering loss to the Heat. They are a young team that will have to scrap to pick up wins throughout the season.
30. Washington Wizards (0-5)- The only team without a win through 10 days. John Wall is the future but he needs some help.