In a recent post about Mike D’Antoni’s decision to take the Knicks job, I mentioned that the first order of business is to find a quick guard to push the ball up court and to make good decisions. T.J. Ford, the odd man out in Toronto with the emergence of Jose Calderon, would be a great guy for the Knicks to target. Now that Toronto is actually pursuing a trade, it made me wonder – other than the Knicks, which teams should be interested in Ford?
The answer is all about pace, which is a team’s average number of possessions per game. Ford is a great player in the open court where he can use his incredible speed and wonderful ball handling to make positive plays for his team. When the tempo slows, Ford’s weaknesses – size, lack of a consistent jumper – rise to the surface. His shot is a work in progress, but he is a good on-the-ball defender.
So, besides the Knicks, who should be interested?
Denver Nuggets
If the Nuggets find a taker for Allen Iverson, Ford would be a nice fit with Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith (or Linas Kleiza) on the wings. It might take Smith or Kleiza to get the Raptors to bite, though they might do the deal for the Nuggets #20 pick.
Indiana Pacers
Did you know that Indiana played at the third highest pace this season? It’s a shame that their point guard (Jamaal Tinsley) isn’t suited for an up tempo style. I like the idea of Ford feeding Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger on the wings. The Raptors might have interest in Shawne Williams, who played well in his first season, but the Pacers would have to add some salary to make a deal work. Other than maybe Marquis Daniels, they just don’t have any favorable contracts to move right now.
Miami Heat
I’m sure there are those that are wondering why the Heat are on this list, but we need to get out of the mindset that Miami has to be a grind-it-out team. Shaq is gone and the much more athletic Shawn Marion has taken his place. I’m hearing that the Bulls are going to take Michael Beasley, which would leave Derrick Rose for the Heat, but if it goes the other way, how nice would a core of Ford, Wade, Marion and Beasley look? It might take Dorrell Wright or Daequan Cook to make it happen.
Golden State Warriors
Sure, the Warriors already have two good point guards in Baron Davis and Monta Ellis, but Davis is looking for a big, long-term contract and the Warriors may not bite. If he opts-out of the final year of his deal, then the Warriors could work out a three-way trade involving Davis that would bring in Ford as their main ball handler. A Ford/Ellis backcourt would be small, but devastatingly quick. Who would the Raptors want in return? Brandan Wright seems like a big price to pay, but it might be worth it. Mickael Pietrus or Kelenna Azuibuike are also options.
Phoenix Suns
Nash is getting on in years and the Suns will need someone to take over once he’s gone. Why not acquire Ford to be Nash’s backup? It would allow the former MVP to rest more which should extend his career. This is all fine in theory, but with D’Antoni gone, the team will probably slow its pace, so it won’t need Ford.
Los Angeles Clippers
Apparently, Shaun Livingston is almost ready for contact drills, but the Clippers need stability at the point guard position and Ford would be great insurance if Livingston isn’t ready to go. The main problem with this move is that the Clippers aren’t built for an up tempo style. I’m guessing that Elton Brand will play out his final year to prove to teams that he’s ready to go. Brand and Chris Kaman aren’t built for an up tempo attack.
Atlanta Hawks
I’d love to see the Hawks acquire Ford. Mike Bibby helped them get to the playoffs, but he’s on the decline and is quite pricey for what he brings to the table. Imagine Ford pushing the ball up to Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams (or Josh Childress) and Josh Smith on the wings. That would be scary. The Raptors might be willing to trade Ford for Williams or Childress.
Hunter says there isn’t a set rotation of exercises on each day, so the players don’t know what Maresh will have them doing when they show up each morning. The only guarantee is that it will be an intense two to three hours, and that there won’t be much machine work; it’s all “Rocky Balboa stuff,” as Hunter says, with the players often using their own body weight as the tension force. “You might do box jumps, stepups, and pullups,” Hunter says. But the trickiest one has him in pushup position, feet on a physio ball, while using his hands to balance a board over asmall wheel. “At first, the goal is to just balance it,” he says. “I can do pushups now, but it’s real tough. It takes focus.
“The physio ball is definitely my friend,” Hunter says. “It’s a big part in everything I do with my core. I get a 45-pound weight and lay back with my arms out in front of me and crunch it without moving the physio ball. Keep your hips up the whole time. Get stabilization. If you’re strong in the midsection, that means you’re stable; you’re stronger than a guy who just lifts weights.”
