The Post Up: A Melo Night

by Holly MacKenzie

So, we’ve got some trades that went down yesterday. Let’s jump right into them.

First, Raja Bell, Sean Singletary and Boris Diaw to the Charlotte Bobcats and Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley to the Phoenix Suns.

Raja back with Larry Brown, just like in his rookie season. I’m going to miss him in the Suns uniform. It will be weird to see how JRich fits in over in Phoenix.

Thoughts on this trade?

The second trade that went down yesterday was the three-team trade with New Orleans, Washington and Memphis, sending Javaris Crittenton and Mike James to the Wizards, Antonio Daniels to the Hornets and a draft pick to the Grizzlies.

Yesterday you all joked about how this would be the trade that no one cared about and some smarty pants decided to make fun of me for caring. Well…. That guy was right because I am absolutely jacked over this trade for the Wizards.

I’m a HUGE Javaris Crittenton fan and have been itching for him to go somewhere that will have minutes for him to show his talent. I think he’s got a ton of potential, but will need some room to grow, breathe and get over the “rookie” mistakes he will need to make. Where better than Washington? I love that.

I also think Daniels will make a good back up in New Orleans, despite his struggling this season.

Thoughts on this trade? Let me hear them. You know I want to hear from you if there are any JCritt fans lurking in the dark out there. Now is the time to jump on the bandwagon, if you’re wondering. There’s room.

Really though, thoughts on these moves for the Suns and the Bobcats? I just don’t think I get it for Charlotte. Please explain if you’re a fan of the move for the BETCats.

Went to the Raptors game last night and my notes will be up over at The Score shortly. Be sure to check them out. I’ve said it before and I will say it many more times before this season is out; Jermaine O’Neal is a perfect vet. I’m so happy he is on this Toronto team. Really, he is fantastic and there is not enough I can say about him.

Seeing Sam Perkins in the Raptors locker room postgame was fun. Had some flashbacks to the 2000 NBA finals.

Seeing Joey and Stephen Graham in the locker room together was also pretty funny.

Also, D’Antoni playing seven guys total in the Knicks win against the Nets was classic last night. Big minutes, lots of running for these guys.

No worries, regular Post Up style will return tomorrow. Lots of games on the schedule last night plus my being out at the Raps game means I didn’t get to watch much of anything and was limited to checking boxscores and highlights. We’ll be back as usual tomorrow.

Okay, so last night. The Suns were shorthanded because of the trade and Shaquille O’Neal leaving the team to be with his family following the death of his grandmother. They still give the Lakers a run for the win and that game went down to the wire. Notes from that game coming soon.

The Raptors welcomed T.J. Ford back to the ACC and welcomed a win as well as they defeated the Pacers 101-88. Six Raptors reached double figures as they were led by Jason Kapono who scored 25 points on 11-16 fg’s while starting for the injured Anthony Parker (sprained left ankle). Chris Bosh had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Jamario Moon added 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. While Jose Calderon scored 11 points and dished 13 assists, T.J. managed only 4 points and 4 assists as Troy Murphy scored 20 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and dished 6 assists in the loss.

The suddenly healthy Al Harrington scored 39 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 121-109 victory over the New Jersey Nets last night. Playing in front of his hometown crowd, Harrington looked as though he’d been a member of the Knicks for more than just a few weeks as he helped spur a fourth quarter comeback after New York trailed by as many as 15 late. While the Nets attempted 17 free throws on the night, the Knicks were clearly the aggressors as they earned 35 attempts. Tim Thomas scored a season-high 26 points for NY as Wilson Chandler also added 24 points and 9 rebounds and Chris Duhon had 10 points and 10 assists on the evening. Devin Harris had 32 points for New Jersey in the loss and Vince Carter added 18.

The Golden State Warriors grabbed an easy 21-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks last night as they started the fourth quarter with a 22-5 run to break open the game. Stephen Jackson scored 21 points on the night to go with 8 assists and 4 steals while Anthony Morrow had 16 as he was reinserted into the starting lineup. C.J. Watson scored 19 points and Andris Biedrins added Chucker's diseaseanother double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds to go with 4 blocks. The Bucks were led by Michael Redd’s 27 points while Andrew Bogut scored 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

Denver defeated Minnesota 119-106 thanks to Carmelo Anthony’s historic night. Finishing with 45 points despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter, Anthony tied George Gervin’s record for most points in a quarter as he dropped 33 in the third quarter alone. Most impressive was the fact that while he scored 26 consecutive for the Nuggets he pulled them out of a 12-point halftime deficit as they went on to grab their 15th win of the season. Besides Anthony, Chauncey Billups scored 24 points and Anthony Carter added 11 off of the bench. Al Jefferson and Randy Foye scored 26 points apiece for the Wolves while Al also grabbed 12 boards in the loss.

Another game, another victory for LeBron and the Cavaliers. This time the Sixers were on the losing end, but they did not lay down easily and kept the Cavs on their toes well into the fourth as they cut a 19-point lead down to six in the fourth. They would not get any closer as the Cavs closed things out despite being outscored 28-17 in the final period. James finished with 29 points, Mo Williams scored 27 points and Anderson Varejao added 15 off of the bench. Andre Igoudala had 27 to lead the Sixers while Andre Miller and Lou Williams scored 22 points apiece in the loss.