MOVING OUT

NBA teams were in trade mode this season. Several players were sent packing, including star players Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams. Here's a look at the moves that were made and how they will affect the teams involved. Expect more detailed analysis in the coming days.

In a 3-team deal between New York, Denver, and Minnesota...

Knicks get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Ronaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams, Corey Brewer

Nuggets get: Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufas, 1st round pick, two 2nd round picks

Timberwolves get: Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry

The Carmelo fiasco finally came to a close. He got to go to New York, just like he wanted. The Knicks gave in to the Nuggets asking price. However, it was not the best move for both teams. Denver could have made a better deal with the Nets, while the Knicks might not have the money to acquire additional players in the future. The Wolves get the athletic Randolph, who will hopefully get a chance to show he can play after wasting away on the Knicks bench.

Utah Jazz get: Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, two 1st round picks, cash

New Jersey Nets get: Deron Williams

The Nets immediately moved on after losing out on Melo by making this shocking deal. The Jazz did not seem too optimistic about resigning D-Will after next season so they decided to trade him while his value was at it's highest. They get a nice haul while the Nets get the star they desperately wanted. Jazz fans will be pleasantly surprised by Harris.

New Jersey Nets get: Brandan Wright, Dan Gadzuric

Golden State Warriors get: Troy Murphy

The Nets get rid of Murphy and the Warriors cut salary. Expect the Warriors to buy out Murphy and a bidding war to take place for his services. Speculation already has Miami, Boston, and Orlando interested. Wright was once a lottery pick for the Bobcats but has yet to find his niche in the NBA due to a lack of playing time and injuries. He could turn out to be a steal for the Nets.

Atlanta Hawks get: Kirk Hinrich, Hilton Armstrong

Washington Wizards get: Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans, 1st round pick

The Hawks needed an upgrade at the lead guard spot. Hinrich adds a shooter and defender who has no problem fitting in however he can. Bibby has been relegated to a jump-shooter in the later stage of his career. He is not happy about the trade and hopes to move to a playoff team soon. Crawford will get a chance to be John Wall's wing in Washington.

New Orleans Hornets get: Carl Landry

Sacramento Kings get: Marcus Thornton

The Hornets add some depth to their frontcourt and insurance in case David West decides to leave as a free agent in the offseason. Thornton, who went to college at LSU, was a fan favorite. He can score in bunches but saw his playing time dwindling in New Orleans due to the logjam at the guard position.

Los Angeles Clippers get: Mo Williams, Jamario Moon

Cleveland Cavaliers get: Baron Davis, 1st round pick

The Clippers paid the Cavs to take on Davis' contract in the form of a 1st rounder. The pick probably won't help due to the weak draft but the Cavs could have their eye on another local guy, who is currently playing not far down the road at Ohio State. The Clippers get rid of one of the NBA's worst contracts and replace Davis with a solid guard.

Memphis Grizzlies get: Shane Battier, Ishmael Smith

Houston Rockets get: Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, 1st round pick

The Grizzlies get a solid defender and a winner. Battier will step in immediately for the injured Rudy Gay. He is beloved in Memphis and the team will welcome him with open arms. The Rockets have plenty of young talent to fill his spot and net some more young players in return.

Boston Celtics get: Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic

Oklahoma City Thunder get: Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson

In a surprising move, the Celtics sent their stud big man West in exchange for a talented young player. Green provides the team with a building block who can help at the PF and SF positions. However, it comes at a cost. Perkins gives the Thunder much needed size to compete with the bigger teams in the West. Both teams had trouble signing these pieces to extensions, which likely triggered the deal.

Portland Trail Blazers get: Gerald Wallace

Charlotte Bobcats get: Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks, Dante Cunningham, two draft picks

The Blazers managed to add a piece without letting Andre Miller go. Wallace will likely start at SF and help at multiple positions based on matchups. This allows Batum to become the scoring threat off the bench. The Bobcats suddenly shifted to rebuilding mode by shedding salary and stockpiling picks.

Phoenix Suns get: Aaron Brooks

Houston Rockets get: Goran Dragic, 1st round pick

Brooks was not happy backing up Kyle Lowry in Houston. Now, he goes to Phoenix as the heir-apparent to Steve Nash. He will fit in the system nicely and expects to learn from Nash. Dragic is a decent backup point guard. The Rockets get a pick and get rid of an unhappy player.

Oklahoma City Thunder get: Nazr Mohammed

Charlotte Bobcats get: D.J. White, Morris Peterson

The Thunder got bigger. Mohammed is one of the best backup centers in the NBA. He has a decent mid-range jumper, cleans the glass, and blocks shots. The veteran big can even handle big minutes if necessary. The Bobcats made the deal strictly to shed salary.

In other smaller moves...

The Boston Celtics made some moves in order to create some roster space. Expect them to pursue any players who are bought out. They sent Semih Erdan and Luke Harangody to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 2nd round pick. Marquis Daniels went to the Sacramento Kings for cash.

TEA JUST LIKE GRANDMAMA MADE IT

Larry Johnson is reviving his old "grandmama" character to sell some sweet tea.

Hall of Fame Beverages is teaming up with former Hornets and Knicks great Larry Johnson. Apparently, the game clinching 4-point play in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers is not the only thing Grandmama is famous for. According to the company website, the sweet tea is inspired by LJ's childhood in Texas and the famous character created in his series of commercials for Converse.

Larry will be introducing the Grandmama's Sweet Southern Tea in the coming months. This line of flavored teas is currently in development and will come in sweetened natural flavors reminiscent of the cool refreshment from hot summer afternoons sitting on the porch at Grandmama's house. Nobody makes iced tea the way your Grandmama makes.

Not only will you reminisce about sitting on the porch drinking tea but you will also remember fond memories of Grandmama balling with Steve Urkel on "Family Matters" and dunking in those sweet Converse in those commercials during timeouts of NBA on NBC games.

WHERE IS THE LOVE?

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Kevin Love has the numbers to make this season's All Star team. The numbers don't lie.

The reserves for the NBA All Star teams will be announced Thursday and Kevin Love wants in. The former UCLA Bruin hopes to be a part of the West team that will take the court in Los Angeles. The Wolves PR team hit the internets for a viral marketing campaign. Visit 612allstar.com and take a look at the new fragrance for men: NUMB#RS

OUT IN INDY

The Indiana Pacers fired head coach Jim O'Brien after three-and-a-half seasons.

The Pacers were stuck in mediocrity. After a 121-169 record under Jim O'Brien and failing to make the playoffs in three straight seasons, Team President Larry Bird had seen enough.

At 17-27 halfway through this season, it was obvious the Pacers were sliding out of the playoff race once again. The team started off at a respectable 9-7 and appeared to be poised for a trip to the playoffs. But they are 8-20 since December 1, losing seven of their last eight. 

Of course, the Pacers were not expected to keep pace with Miami, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, and Atlanta but they have enough talent to beat out the weaker teams in the East. The offseason acquisition of point guard Darren Collison combined with the development of center Roy Hibbert and all star play of Danny Granger should be worth more than a 17-27 record.

Offensively, the Pacers are terrible. They rank 24th offensively and their go-to play is to hoist up a three. Most of the offensive struggle began when O'Brien chose to criticize his young center through the media. Hibbert's lack of confidence was visible on the court as he tossed up careless hook shots. His field goal percentage has fell considerably and he has even discussed seeing a sports psychologist.

The Pacers were amongst the top five in the league in defensive efficiency much of the season but have slipped to eighth as O'Brien sat the team's only shot blocking threat, Hibbert, for long stretches of time. The awkward rotations were what did the coach in.

He failed to use Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George, and Lance Stephenson, instead opting to let shoot-first players like Brandon Rush get most of the minutes. In a recent game against Chicago he played big man Jeff Foster in the fourth quarter over the hot-shooting Josh McRoberts. He watched as a small Bulls lineup pulled away for a win.

Now that O'Brien is gone, it is Larry Bird's time to shine. He has not made the best personnel choices but he does find his team with significant cap space going into the offseason. For the first time without Donnie Walsh in his ear, Bird will have a chance to make a big splash.

WEEKEND READING

Click the links to view five articles to catch up on this weekend.

- Coach Spoelstra is using pie charts to help teach the Miami Heat. Tauntr got a hold of some of these.

- Bandwagon Knick wonders if Ronny Turiaf should be on the floor more for the New York Knicks.

- Fanhouse has the great story of LaRue Martin. Martin was selected first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1972 NBA Draft; ahead of Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal, and Julius Erving.

- Henry Abbott on the True Hoop blog set the internets ablaze by suggesting Kobe Bryant might not be a clutch player. The real point of his article is that reputations speak louder than stats.

- Read up on the Lakers some more. Los Angeles is the site of the upcoming All Star Weekend and many are saying Lakers forward Lamar Odom deserves a spot on the team. The Lakers Nation thinks Odom should be focused on a more important award.

DOWN GOES FRAZIER

New York Knicks star Walt "Clyde" Frazier kicking back in his room in New York in 1971. It doesn't take a large imagination to know what went down in here. It's hard to blame him after he put up 36 points and 19 assists in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. The game is mostly remembered for Willis Reed's inspiring efforts to play despite an injury but it was Frazier who led the Knicks to a victory over the Lakers.  

THE FINGER GOES VIRAL

Dikembe's Finger is now officially on Twitter!

Follow @DikembesFinger on Twitter to read tweets about NBA observations, deals, rumors, and Dikembe's Finger blog news.

And for reading on the go, Dikembe's Finger blog is now available in a mobile format. Simply visit the site in your phones browser and you will see a much more mobile-friendly version of the site.

There have been some new additions to the blog sideroll, including the latest tweets, an NBA scoreboard from ESPN, and search feature. Feel free to leave feedback on the recent changes.

WHAT DIKEMBE HAS BEEN UP TO

Even when posts on Dikembe's Finger are scarce, Dikembe Mutombo's charity work continues. With the site back running, it is important to remember what Mutombo is all about. He recently wrote the following post on the United Nations website undispatch.com...

Think playoff games have high stakes? Today, another 450 people - mostly children - will die from measles. Join me today to help stop this preventable disease from claiming more innocent lives.

Watch this short video to learn why I'm working with the United Nations Foundation and its Measles Initiative partners to help vaccinate children around the globe. Then consider pitching in to help save lives - one vaccination at a time.

For every dollar you donate, the United Nations Foundation will protect another child. If we all do what we can - pitch in a few dollars - we can easily vaccinate an entire village.

Thanks to donations people have generously sent in from around the country, the Measles Initiative has already been able to immunize 700 million children in less than a decade.

But this deadly disease still threatens the lives of millions of children. A new measles outbreak is reported every day. We've got to make sure this disease doesn't rebound and take more innocent lives.

Donate today, and make a contribution that will last a lifetime.

Thanks in advance for making saving children's lives a part of your legacy.

Follow Dikembe's words. To donate to the Measles Initiative click here.

MADE IN THE USA

With Rajon Rondo's withdrawal, the U.S. National basketball team has finalized it's roster for the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

Just days away from the start of the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey, Team USA has it's final roster. After a DNP against Spain, Boston Celtics all-star guard Rajon Rondo felt he was on the bubble and decided to withdraw from the competition in order to take care of family business.

With a 12-man roster that does not include Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, or any of the 12 players that took the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, Team USA will have their work cut out for them and their share of skeptics. This is how the roster will break down:

Guards: Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)

The team is stacked with small, quick guards. Billups will get playing time at the off-guard spot because he is big enough to handle the smaller guards of opposing teams. Curry will provide some much-needed outside shooting. Gordon is the wildcard of the team. He is the only true off-guard of the group. He is a great outside shooter and can make strong, hard drives to the basket. If he continues to perform as he has in camp, he will be an integral part of the team's success.

Forwards: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies), Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)

Durant is expected to be the star of the team but Iguodala has looked great. He has seemed to take great pride in his defense and has been extremely active at both ends of the floor. Lamar Odom got the start at center against Spain and is the kind of big man that is necessary in international play. He has worked with Rose to form a deadly pick-and-roll combination. The two-time defending champion probably will not light up the stat sheet but is expected to do a lot of the little things and provide veteran leadership to the team.

Centers: Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks)

The team will go small for the tournament but might regret cutting Javale McGee. It will be difficult to replace Chandler's size if an injury occurs. McGee is the perfect up-and-down type of replacement that would fit in with the team's fastbreaking strategy. The team will look to Chandler for shot-blocking and rebounding.

Obviously, the team is not nearly as talented as it's predecessor. However, this team will play a different style in order to capitalize on it's strengths. Expect to see a fast-paced team and more zone defense. Spain is probably the favorite to win the competition but Team USA can beat them with a solid team effort.

EAST SIDE STORY

Most free agents are signed and the balance of power in the NBA has shifted to the East.

Now that free agency is basically over, winners and losers can be determined. Obviously, the Miami Heat were the big winners for securing two of the NBA's best players and the top three players of the free agent class. The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks also made bold moves during the offseason. But who was the biggest winner of the Summer of 2010? The Western Conference.

The Heat became a perennial title contender but other teams in the East also improved. The Chicago Bulls made their big splash by signing Carlos Boozer but also added Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, and Kurt Thomas to a core that already includes Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, and Luol Deng. Add new coach Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls have a new formula for success. The Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks improved their teams with great new additions and the Boston Celtics kept their team together for one more shot at a title.

While the Celtics, Heat, Magic, and Bulls will be discussed as title contenders, the only true contender in the West is the Los Angeles Lakers. The Phoenix Suns took the Lakers to six games in the West Finals but they lost big man Amare Stoudemire and sixth man Leandro Barbosa. The Utah Jazz lost several key pieces including Boozer, Korver, and rookie defender Wesley Matthews. The Denver Nuggets tried desperately to add a veteran big man like Jermaine O'Neal or Zydrunas Ilgauskas but lost out to teams in the East. The Suns acquired Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress, and Hakim Warrick. The Jazz traded for Al Jefferson and the Nuggets signed Al Harrington. However, all those teams failed to address their lack of size and toughness.

Each team in the league is aiming to defeat the Lakers now but L.A. managed to improve in the offseason. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers got better but still do not have enough to take down the defending champs. Expect L.A. to beat out a weaker Western Conference and face one of the new Eastern powers in the NBA Finals.