D12 and DWILL Looking Like A Package Deal

You will probably see superstars Deron Williams and Dwight Howard of the Eastern Conference on the floor together in tonight’s NBA All-Star Game, a preview of what you can expect to see for years to come in most likely either Dallas or Brooklyn. Despite daily trade rumors involving Howard’s future, he has his Magic sitting 5th in the East and managed to make it to the All-Star break to play the game in front of his home fans. Meanwhile, Williams is just biding his time in New Jersey, quietly having another All-Star year and waiting until he can team up with another superstar and compete for a championship. With the March 15 trade deadline approaching, the Nets should be throwing whatever they can at the Magic in attempts to lure in Howard, because otherwise Dallas will have a great deal of cap space and would have the best shot at signing both Williams and Howard in free agency this summer. After the Mavericks decided not to go all out to resign Tyson Chandler last summer, it was clear they were thinking more about the long-term future than repeating as NBA champs. Apparently, during the offseason, Williams told some members of the Mavs that he would love to return to his hometown and team up with fellow superstar Dirk Nowitzki. If the Nets can’t entice the Magic with their future draft picks and promising players like Brook Lopez and Marshon Brooks to trade for Howard, then Williams probably won’t bother hanging around in Brooklyn for his player option in 2012-2013. This summer, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Brian Cardinal, and Delonte West become free agents, and the Mavs have a team option with Lamar Odom’s $8.2 million contract. I would expect the Mavs to try to resign Terry relatively cheap because of his valuable bench scoring and tenure with the team, but probably would not throw a great deal of money towards Kidd as Rodrigue Beaubois has proven to be a serviceable backup point guard. If keeping Lamar Odom hindered the Mavs chances of getting Howard and Williams, I would expect owner Mark Cuban to let him go without thinking twice. The most obvious move would be to amnesty Brendan Haywood’s horrible $8.3 million contract. I believe Cuban is counting on Williams coming to Dallas this offseason, which would create the best situation for Howard to compete for multiple titles. Howard would be able to come to Dallas and play with two other superstars but would still be viewed as the best player on the team and get plenty of touches on offense. This would form another “Big 3” in the NBA for years to come, as Howard, at age 26, is already far and away the best big man in the game. Williams, 27, is the 3rd best point guard in the league, and although Dirk is 33, his game doesn’t rely much on quickness or athleticism, leaving him a few more years playing at an All-Star level. Williams/Howard would be a better point guard/big man duo than even Chris Paul/Blake Griffin, and grouping them with a future Hall of Famer could create a force that could compete with the Thunder and Clippers in the West and maybe have a couple more rematches with the Miami Heat in the Finals. If the trade deadline passes and the Nets and Magic haven’t made a deal, I believe the Howard/Williams sweepstakes is the Mavs to lose as long as Cuban’s contracts can somewhat compete with whatever the Nets offer.

- Phillip Bullock

TO's IFL Debut

Owens may not even "love him some him" at this point. After watching Terrell Owens on ESPN3 playing for the Allen Wranglers last night I concluded one thing. TO just doesn't have it anymore whether it be because of age or the knee injury is irrelevant. The once all pro dominant receiver struggled getting off press coverage while being held without a catch the entire first quarter of his IFL debut. Sure, he later caught three touchdowns but none of those were against press coverage and none of those showed even a flash of the talent Owens once was. It's a sad sight watching him past his prime not even stand out on a field of has beens and never weres. I understand TO needs the money and I'll always remember TO as one of the greats but the popcorn has gone stale.

- Michael Gibson

84FOREVER

One of the greatest of all time is coming back. After a lackluster 2010 season that saw Moss play for three different teams, he didn't receive a contract offer he liked in the offseason and chose to retire. While there was speculation the Eagles sent a post retirement offer to Moss it apparently wasn't enough to coax the single season receiving touchdown leader into suiting up for the 2011 season. A year later Randy wants back in announcing on U-Stream his intentions to play again. While there are a lot of conflicting reports about what Moss can still do, he claims to still run a 4.3, if this is true then you can expect the 35 year old future hall of famer to definitely play somewhere. There was a time when everyone wrote Moss off after his stint in Oakland then the Patriots dealt a 4th round pick for him and he went on to have one of the greatest seasons of all time at the position. Of course Randy is a little bit older now but if he has something left in the tank he could definitely contribute as a deep threat and red zone target. There's a handful of teams that should give Randy a look.

1. New England Patriots (14-2) - This is an obvious destination, a place where Moss once was rejuvinated and helped the Patriots to an 18-0 record before falling short in the Super Bowl. It's painfully obvious the main thing the Pat's offense was lacking was a deep threat in their Super Bowl XLVI loss to the Giants as an old Deon Branch and a Chad Ochocinco that didn't know the playbook weren't quite cutting it. Add Moss to Gronk, Hernandez, Welker, and Brady then you have the best of your 2007 record setting offense combined with your dominate 2011 tight end heavy passing attack. If Moss has anything left this would be an unbelievably devastating offense. Some reports however say the Pats aren't that interested in bringing Moss back into the fold and may draft a younger deep threat or even look at a Brandon Lloyd or Reggie Wayne type in free agency. This would be the best landing spot for Moss if he's truly looking for a ring and the Pats might could sign him cheap enough to be able to snag Wayne or someone on the opposite side. Why not load up for the last of Brady's 3-5 year window.

2. Chicago Bears (8-8) - They have to get Cutler a big time receiver he's gone too long without one. If they pass on giving Vincent Jackson a look, Moss would not be a bad cheaper alternative. The Bears locker room is strong enough to keep Moss focused and the team has good enough pieces to compete for the division with the Packers and the Lions. Combining Cutler's huge arm with Moss' downfield ability would be nice to see plus Moss is already very familiar with the NFC North.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) - The Eagles have shown interest in Moss before and this is the ultimate Super Bowl or bust year for them. If they trade Desean Jackson then Moss would definitely be a viable replacement to pair with Maclin. Vick, McCoy, Moss, Maclin, and Celek is definitely a Super Bowl caliber offense.

4. New York Jets (8-8) - With Plaxico Burress almost certainly not being brought back, Moss would be an excellent upgrade. The question is could Sanchez do well enough to keep Moss happy? Moss would get two games against the Patriots and the Jets have the talent on defense to make a run if Moss provides the offense with a spark.

5. SanFrancisco 49ers (13-3) - Desperately need another receiving threat outside of Vernon Davis and hopefully Moss could mentor Crabtree the way he did Harvin during his brief second stint with Minnesota. The defense is championship caliber and with another threat on offense this team could take the next step.

6. St.Louis Rams (2-14) - Jeff Fischer was the last coach to give Moss a chance and with Bradford needing a receiving threat it wouldn't be too bad of a landing spot. I think this would be pretty low on Moss' list of ideal teams though so unless no one else shows interest I wouldn't expect Randy to be a Ram.

7. New Orleans Saints (13-3) - If they lose Colston to free agency why not give Moss a look? I'm sure Brees wouldn't mind throwing to a big vertical threat like Moss and he has the Brady like leadership to keep Moss focused and performing.

It's anyone's guess what Moss still has left in the tank but if it's anything close to the old Moss then get your 84 jerseys out.

- Michael Gibson