The Daily Blast – February 15, 2013

Tradewatch – Under the wet-blanket category, Daryl Morey has told USA Today he’s not expecting to make a big move:

“Most likely, it’s not going to be through trade,” Morey told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “Most likely, it’s going to be through the use of our cap room where we have max room this summer.

“I think (the time between now and the deadline) is going to be quiet. Of course a year ago, if you would’ve said, ‘James Harden – what about him?’ I would’ve said, ‘No way. They won’t trade him.’ You never know. You stay opportunistic. But I would guess that this trade deadline is going to be quiet.”

Dark Horse – The Basketball Jones has an eye on Harden surprising us in his first All-Star game. First, they point out in their predictions podcast that Vegas has him at 14-1 odds to be the game’s MVP.  They also have him in their top 10 subplots from the weekend:

9. Which of the first-timers will separate from the pack in the All-Star Game? Assuming there are no further injury replacements, there will be seven first-time All-Stars in Houston this year, at least one of whom will likely put forth a concerted effort to prove they belong with the perennials. Six of those first-timers are in the East, but the odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Game honors might be the one guy in the West, hometown favorite and electric scorer James Harden. Don’t count out Kyrie Irving and Jrue Holiday in the East, though. Somebody’s gotta play point guard at some point for that team, right? Or is Erik Spoelstra gonna innovate the Five Bigs lineup just to prove that he hasn’t become reliant on small ball?

Ceiling – Looking into his crystal ball to predict the futures of the Rising Stars, David Thorpe doesn’t have a lot of love for Chandler Parsons’ chances of ever making the All-Star Game:

The perfect glue guy, Parsons is not likely dynamic enough to ever be considered among the top wings in the game. So he most likely won’t be an All-Star, but he should be in the NBA for over a decade and help win lots of games.

Silver Linings Playbook – In the midst of the Rockets stinker against the Clippers the other night, Donatas Motiejunas had a career game. Accordingly, ClutchFans has made a highlight reel. Enjoy:

My personal take on D-Mo is that he will be a 7-foot reincarnation of Jamal Crawford. He can come into any game, score on any team from anywhere, and bring absolutely nothing else of value to the floor. In other words, he’ll still be better than 75% of players ever drafted into the NBA.

Cool Toy – The NBA has unleashed a new Stats Portal on the world of fandom. It even has a very geek-friendly “Efficiency” tab, you guys. The great irony is that the only two categories in which Rockets (sabermetric poster team) players show up in the top 5 are the highly sophisticated realms of “Points” and “Rebounds.”

Jordan Rules – Amid the hooplah surrounding His Airness’s 50th birthday, the one place where Houston fits into the puzzle is that he is throwing a very swanky party in the Rockets’ fair city.

Stuff That MattersJeremy Lin has started a foundation to help underprivileged kids. He told the AP:

“I’ve learned to understand what it means to have a platform and how to use that the right way,” Lin said. “I’m still learning what that means every day. I feel like this is a step forward in being able to use the attention that we (NBA players) are given from society to be able to bring it upon other people in need.

“I figure, if you’ve got a lot of cameras around, you might as well say something worthwhile.”

Stuff That Doesn’tFrom the same story, Lin lost to Morey in ping pong. Did Dork Elvis tweet about it? Of course he did.

Thank U @ & @ 4 a gr8 launch event! While I beat Jeremy 2-1 (11-3,9-11,11-5) - if he practiced he would beat me very soon
 The Daily Blast February 15, 2013
@dmorey
Daryl Morey

Believe in yourself Jeremy. You can do this.

Got any sweet links or suggestions? Email them to [email protected] or message John Eby on Twitter @Ebynews.

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