The Sound of the Suburbs

Man, the midseason trade deadline is as much fun as the draft (I mean, what's better than watching a bunch of young brothers bedecked in bling, dumbass baseball caps and waxing eloquent about their love for their new hometown that most of them have no geographical idea what hell awaits them from the weatherman). And if 90 percent of it doesn't happen who cares; it's damn fun to speculate.

The best thing about this year's trade deadline is that it all swirls around the regular season's best team thus far: Cleveland.

It's A Long Way To The Top as the immortal Bon Scott sang, and the Lakers are not only the reigning champs but still the team to beat. Still, the Cavaliers have the best record at the break, swept the home and home v. LA, for what that's worth (not much), own fading Boston and have only the youthful i.e. formidable Magic to hurdle in May to earn a Finals faceoff with Kobe and Co., David Stern's wet ratings dream since a new long-term labor deal is out of the question.

Not to say Boston is dead. Yeah they're old, yeah KG is still recovering from major knee surgery, yeah Rasheed Wallace is on the wrong side of his career, but don't count them out just yet. I find it odd that Ray "He Got Game" Allen is on the block, simply one of the greatest field and foul shooters ever to lace up, because how do they expect to trade up for this Hall of Famer?

Let us not forget last spring's playoffs. Boston, minus KG, Wallace and Marquis Daniels, beat an inspired young Bulls team in an epic seven-game series before falling to Orlando. Rajon Rondo is the most underrated player in the league, Paul Pierce will be ready at crunch time, Garnett and Wallace still have a run in them, Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis get better every day (everybody remember Big Baby's 17-foot drain v. Orlando in the clutch on the road at the buzzer in the ECF last year? He'll be back), and this storied franchise will not go quietly. Doc Rivers is an excellent coach and the specter of Red Auerbach will always spur this team, so don't count them out until the stake goes through their heart.

Orlando, the only team in league history to deal an NBA Finals backcourt less than a month afterward, still has weapons. Howard is coming along nicely thanks to Patrick Ewing's tutelage, the jump hook, the finger roll slowly becoming part of his arsenal. If he develops Hakeem footwork, look out. But not this year.

And the jury won't be in until May on Vince Carter. Swapping Hedo T for VC was a gamble, and despite his occasional 48 blitzkreig he's got a lot to prove, as Peter Post Vecsey recently noted, and he's the Godfather of NBA scribes so pay heed.

My fave Magic man is Marcin Gortat, whom Detroit should go dangle Rip H, Tayshaun Prince and the ghost of Bill Davidson for if they can pull it off. Unlikely, sadly, for my Pistons; they suck and Joe Dumars' draft gaffes now include missing Melo, D-Wade and DeJuan Blair, my vote for Rookie of the Year. HTF could so many GMs miss the boat on this guy? He is Wes Unseld Jr. reincarnate. Nice work, Joe.

Anyhoo, back to the tradewinds.

If Cleveland is able to part with JJ Hickson and Z for Amar'e S, Vegas will tilt heavily in their favor and for good reason. How ironic would it be to see Shaq and Stoudemire reunited in The Mistake By The Lake, when they couldn't play together in hot 'n' nasty AZ.

The difference, of course, is and will be LBJ. Christ, he goes one-on-five nearly each night with one W after another, but if he's able to pick up either Stoudemire or Antawn Jamison on flank, look out. Allegedly King James prefers the latter but either way he can't lose. And as icing Z clears waivers a month later due to the McDyess rule (which is completely stupid/unfair/pick your adjective but that's another story).

If Danny Ferry gets AJ or AS watch out: We could be looking at the best NBA Final since Pistons-Spurs a few years back.

Kobe did the right thing by resting his bruised body before and including the break, only to see his team respond by going on a roll that made a statement to their leader not to mention the rest of the league. With him and a spread offense they are dynamite, to overstate the obvious. Without him they probably still win the West.

San Antonio is done, Portland still too young and that leaves a very good Denver team in The Zen Master's way.

Getting ahead of myself here; let's see where the bodies fall. Any way you slice it the NBA playoffs should be as good as the NFL's, which would be very helpful since we're all in football withdrawal.

Hell, New Orleans is still so buzzed it hasn't noticed Chris Paul is MIA. And who can blame them.