He wasn't finished. He then went on to win the H-O-R-S-E (dba G-E-I-C-O) contest. He defeated Joe Johnson and O.J. Mayo en route to capturing the worst looking trophy of all time.
The NBA All-Star Weekend is ultimately a convention for front-office types to meet face-to-face in advance of the Trade Deadline. The Thunder are looking to be active and the juiciest rumor to come out of the weekend is the Thunder's interest in Tyson Chandler.
ESPN's Chad Ford lists the possible trade as one of his "five trades that need to happen". He speculates that the Thunder would receive Tyson Chandler and give up Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox, Mo Sene and a first round pick the Thunder received from the Spurs.
This seems like a lot to give up on the surface but it really would be a good deal for the Thunder. Joe Smith has been on the trading block all season long and will most likely be gone by Thursday as part of this deal or some other. Chris Wilcox, by virtue of his sporadic playing time, is clearly not part of the long term plan. Mo Sene has never been part of the plan. He's played 23 minutes this season and he was last spotted on the court November 26th. Plus, the Thunder have DeVon Hardin playing overseas who represents the next Center project. The draft pick is not nearly as big as the Phoenix Suns unprotected draft choice that the Thunder still possess.
It makes less sense for the Hornets from a basketball perspective. A quality big man is always helpful come playoff time. However, Andrew Bynum is out for the season for the Lakers which leaves Yao and Shaq as the best true centers in the West that the Hornets could face in the playoffs. It's a salary dump for the Hornets.
The Big Unveil
It's a big night at the Ford Center tonight. OKC's favorite non-Thunder basketball team, the Hornets, are in town. But even bigger, if possible, is the unveil of the new mascot. A teaser is available on thunder.nba.com.
I'm a little more excited for this than I think I should be.
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