Upsyde Blog

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: TRADE DEADLINE GRADES: This was quite an active trade deadline. Several teams were trying to will themselves under the luxury tax, other teams were trying to create roster flexibility for this summer and beyond, and some were going all in for the prize. As I do every year with these is to create an objective reality for the team. The grades are not rigid, but they really give me a way to rank how these teams did. Several factors are considered in these grades - value received versus value given, does this make my team better, does this trade increase my lottery odds, did I shorten my timeline, did I achieve chemistry goals, etc. Sometimes I rate a team in a winning high for not doing anything. Here is my team-by-team analysis. ATLANTA HAWKS - (26-29) - Right now the Hawks are in the 10-seed. This technically is good enough to make the play-in tournament, but this team was close to being a Conference Title winner and going to the NBA Final a year ago. What's ...

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS: 3 TRADE TO SHAKE UP THE LEAGUE: 1. JOHN COLLINS IS ON THE MOVE ATLANTA RECEIVES: CJ MCCOLLUM, TONY SNELL PORTLAND RECEIVES: BOGDAN BOGDONAVIC, JOHN COLLINS ANALYSIS: This drastically benefits both teams. For Atlanta, they get another guy that consistently score. They've seen excellent development from Okongwu, and added yet another 4 in Kevin Knox to give them (3) PFs in addition to John Collins. For Portland, they finally get a reliable power forward. They've had a rotation of Nance and Covington and it just hasn't worked out for either guy. Collins is locked in long-term, so it gives them a strong complimentary guy if they extend Dame. For both teams, it keeps them in the playoff conversation, but also cleans up both rosters. There might be a third team or additional picks depending on how either GM values their players, but this would be a blockbuster trade. 2. SABONIS GOES TO A SURPRISE DESTINATION INDIANA RECEIVES: KELLY OUBRE JR, PJ WASHINGTON,...