James Harden was traded to Houston for Jeremy Lamb and Kevin Martin.  Harden will be joining Jeremy Lin in the backcourt and won’t have to worry about his role as sixth man as he will be the starter and go-to-scorer for the Rockets.

This move is a good look for Houston, but still not enough to put them into contention.  They are still a big man or two away from being any kind of threat in the west.  The Thunder made out decent for losing a star as Martin is a proven scorer and Lamb has worlds of potential.

Despite losing Harden, I think the Thunder still have enough to at least challenge the Lakers.  Durant and Westbrook are too good at this point to not put up a fight.

David Stern is out at commissioner of the NBA on Feb. 1, 2014 — exactly 30 years after he took the job. Deputy Commish Adam Silver will take over as the head man in change for the best league on the planet. He better enjoy getting cheered at the next NBA draft because he will have to get used to the boos once he becomes Stern.

Adam Silver set to takeover as NBA commissioner in ’14.

Russell Westbrook is the newest member of Team Jordan.

Russell Westbrook is the newest addition to Jordan brand after the departure of Dwyane Wade to Li-Ning.

Lets hope that Jordan does a better job on Westbrook’s signature sneakers than they did with Wade’s. The ‘Fly Wade’ series under Jordan was an awful excuse for a shoe. You know the shoe is bad when a star like Wade leaves the brand. He probably took one look at the blueprint for his shoe for the ’12-’13 season and wanted out of his deal right then and there.

Wade is a huge pickup for Li-Ning in terms of being taken serious in a basketball shoe market already dominated by Nike and Adidas. The new Wade sneaker by Li-Ning isn’t ground breaking, but it’s not the hot trash that he was wearing last year.  It’s an acceptable sneaker.

Westbrook was wearing Nike before joining up with Jordan. Westbrook continues to get better and better every season and is already a superstar.  Jordan better not tank on this one and give the people a hot, affordable, high-quailty basketball shoe.

The video below offers a small glimpse at what 38-year-old Rasheed Wallace can still do. ‘Sheed is coming out of retirement and will be an official member of the New York Knicks tomorrow.

Wallace is expected to be the backup for Amare Stoudemire, a position that has been the biggest need for the Knicks to fill as 39-year-old Kurt Thomas was slated to take that position on the second unit. I’m not sure how much ‘Sheed has left in the tank, but I’m willing to bet it’s more than Thomas.

‘Sheed could serve as the Knicks hype man as he’s one of the best trash talkers in NBA history and I’m also impressed with the athleticism he shows in the video with windmill dunks. He can also hit the 3-point shot and could be better than people expect if he’s in shape.

It’s a low risk move for the Knicks as Wallace is getting the veteran minimum.

Kenyon Martin doesn’t want to play for the minimum. Teams don’t want to pay him.

Kenyon Martin doesn’t have an NBA team yet and it’s not because he has no game left.

K-Mart still brings his fierce brand of hustle and rebounding. He can still stroke the mid-range jumper and still is big, strong, and athletic. He’s 34-years-old and his wild personality can be perceived as a problem even though he is clearly a ferocious competitor. He reminds me a bit of a starving uncaged pitbull in games.

Nearly every team is willing to give Martin the veteran minimum. Martin believes he’s worth more and may opt for somebody to get hurt in training camp or early in the season. In that case a team would be forced to pay him the few million that he wants out of need.

The Knicks are the perfect place for Martin to go and take less. At 34 you are playing for championships. K-Mart should have made his money by now. A great season off the bench anywhere isn’t going to have any effect on his value at his age. He will likely be in line for more one year deals in the future.

In New York, Martin has former teammates J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony who he had some of the best success of his career playing with in Denver. New York also provides the biggest stage because it’s the biggest city. There are more opportunities playing in New York than nearly anywhere else.

The Knicks could really use a power forward to backup Amare Stoudemire and play with Marcus Camby on the second unit. At the present moment Kurt Thomas is holding down that spot and he is 39-years-old with nothing left in the tank. Another 3 or 4 would serve the Knicks very well in terms of depth.

Most importantly, the Knicks give Martin a chance to compete for the championship that he’s never won. He was in the playoffs last season with the Clippers and the Knicks give him a better shot than he had then. Knicks are loaded with talent — Carmelo, Amare, Tyson, Smith, Shumpert, Felton, Camby, Kidd. Despite what people may say, New York improved on the off-season even after losing Jeremy Lin.

Maybe he’s concerned with playing time, but injuries happen and even if they don’t he would find himself playing a good 15-20 minutes per game off the bench. Going to the Knicks is the best move for both Martin and the team so lets hope that he can put money issues aside –because he should be paid by now– and try and boost the team past the Heat in the East and on to the Larry O’brien.

Carmelo Anthony gets on the cover of SLAM as a member of the New York Knicks… and it’s about time. High expectations for one of the biggest superstars in basketball to hang a banner in the Garden.

2k13 looks amazing. This video shows the most heated debate of the summer — Dream Team vs ’12 United States Basketball.

Brookyln Nets revealed the look of their new court at the Barclays Center.  It’s a pattern the Nets are calling herringbone and serves to give them a distinctly recognizable court.  I can’t wait to watch the Knicks spoil their New York debut and the grand opening of their immaculate building:

Nets new court features a herringbone pattern.