Weekly Countdown (cont.)

4 Questions rescued from the spam

The Magic may have to play the rest of the season without All-Star Jameer Nelson. Icon SMI Ian Thomsen's Mailbag Ian Thomsen will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

4. As a lifelong Orlando Magic fan, I have to ask the question pretty much everyone in the Magic community is thinking: With Jameer Nelson more than likely done for the year, do the Magic have any chance of making a deep playoff run?
-- Austin, Gainesville, Fla.

They go into the All-Star break with a 7½-game lead over No. 4 Atlanta, so the Magic will hold on to the No. 3 seed. In which case they should be able to win an opening series (though they could find themselves up against the Pistons, who always get the best of them).

In the second round, however, the Magic would yield home-court advantage to either the Cavs or Celtics. Unless Cleveland or Boston suffers a devastating injury of its own, the Magic will be overmatched. Apart from Dwight Howard's growth, Orlando was in first-half contention because of Nelson's improvement. It's asking too much of any team to overcome such a crucial loss.

3. I only recently discovered your work and am enjoying your writing. My question is about the Nuggets. Are there any trades to be made before the deadline that push the Nuggets to contender status? I love their new look, but as they stand currently, I think they're looking at a first- or second-round exit.
-- Eli Cohn-Wein, Rochester, N.Y.

Thanks, Eli. The Nuggets are dangling a first-round pick they obtained from the Bobcats to acquire another contributor in hopes of making it to the conference finals, and then giving themselves a fighter's chance at something bigger. But San Antonio and Dallas are also going to be aggressive at the trading deadline. The right trade is going to make a big difference in the race for the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds -- the side of the bracket that avoids the Lakers in the first two rounds.

2. Do you think Team USA should stand pat this summer? I know it's already qualified for the 2010 worlds, but isn't it helpful to send some young players (especially those who will likely represent Team USA in the future like Brandon Roy, Kevin Durant, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Andrew Bynum, etc.) to the FIBA Americas tournament to gain international experience?
-- J, Vancouver, B.C.

Agreed. Team USA should begin to blend in young talent, but in a careful way. A player like Roy is worthy of the investment because his leadership qualities have created a winning team in Portland. But players like Durant and Mayo have more to prove in that regard. They shouldn't feel entitled to play for their country. That kind of attitude almost killed USA Basketball over the decade before Jerry Colangelo took control. The right to wear the uniform is something that should be earned and not enabled.

1. Your worry about video games is not that alarming. Your country already has great sports programs in place. Compare your situation to ours where it's difficult to replace all the old names in our sports annals with youngsters because the youngsters are mostly immersed in video games and multiplayer online games. These kids are growing up without much physical traits to boast of. It's just saddening.
-- Jonathan Mark Te, Dumaguete City, Philippines

The way parents in the 1950s objected to Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley is probably the equivalent to how parents today look down upon video games. It's all going to work out OK in the end.

3 Playoff teams with expiring contracts to trade

A lot of rebuilding (and some panicking) teams are looking to give away salaries, but a smaller number have the means to take on big contracts. That's why I question whether there will be much movement in the next week.

And then look at it this way: If the Warriors were to acquire Amaré Stoudemire, what would it mean to the title race? Golden State would still be headed to the lottery, making it a trade of little immediate impact.

With that in mind, here are three strong teams that may instantly grow stronger by offering big expiring contracts before next Thursday's trading deadline. One, in fact, has already made its move.

3. Miami Heat. They must have been lusting after Stoudemire as an athletic frontcourt complement to Wade, but was Phoenix really going to take back the expiring $17.8 million contract of Shawn Marion? The Suns had already given him away once. The decision to move Marion to Toronto on Friday could provide short-term benefit if Jermaine O'Neal can achieve full health to fill the Heat's big hole in the frontcourt. He was probably the best available big-man option that won't compromise their flexibility in 2010, when his contract expires.

2. Portland Trail Blazers. They face two options here: Go into the summer with something like $8 million in cap space, or try to realize greater value by trading Raef LaFrentz's expiring $12.8 million contract in the next week. The issue with making a deal now is that the Blazers may have to include draft picks and young players, though they have such a wealth of assets that they can afford to do whatever they wish.

I keep reading they're in the market for Stoudemire but I cannot believe it. They love what LaMarcus Aldridge delivers on and off the court, and they believe he'll become a dominant star at both ends of the floor. Why give up on him or cloud his future by bringing in Stoudemire? The Blazers have to be looking into other trading opportunities.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers. They should be investigating whether Wally Szczerbiak's expiring $13.8 million deal would deliver Stoudemire, though it's unlikely to happen in a straight two-team deal because the Cavs lack the high draft pick sought by the Suns. Cleveland is one team that could go from good to great by making the kind of deal that made champions of the 2003-04 Pistons just four months after they acquired Rasheed Wallace without damaging the core of their rotation.

2 Trades that should be made

Barring a more complex deal involving three or four teams, I'm assuming that Stoudemire will end up going to a franchise like the Bulls, who can offer their own valuable No. 1 pick, Drew Gooden's expiring $7.2 million contract and emerging forward Tyrus Thomas as Stoudemire's long-term replacement.

2. Steve Nash to Portland. Maybe the Blazers don't see it this way, but I view Nash as the perfect complement to their young team. He would provide nonintrusive leadership, handling the ball most of the time but also yielding it to become a terrific spot-up shooter when Brandon Roy takes over. In the short term, the Blazers would become harder than ever to guard, with Nash serving as a bridge to hasten the improvement of Aldridge, Greg Oden and others. After next season, Nash would either step back into a lesser role or depart as a free agent, but in the meantime he would spike the talents of his younger teammates.

Other trades could be disruptive (if they brought in a star scorer to alter the growing balance between Roy, Aldridge and Oden) or ineffective (if they acquired a blue-collar veteran who may or may not turn out to be worth his salary once the Blazers have tried to carve out a role to fit him). Nash is the answer.

I understand the reports that Nash is the one "untouchable'' on the Suns' roster: Remove him and their team could look ugly. But the Blazers have enough rebuilding assets to at least bring Phoenix to attention, and in the end Portland may be able to make a deal without hurting its core ... if in fact the Blazers share in this view of Nash.

1. Marcus Camby to Cleveland. The Celtics have to be worried about this scenario: While they're bringing height-challenged Leon Powe and Glen (Big Baby) Davis off their bench in the conference finals, the Cavs are turning to 6-10 Anderson Varejao and 6-11 Camby, who is averaging 12.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks for the highly disappointing Clippers.

The Clippers have been claiming that neither Camby nor Chris Kaman is available, but can a 13-40 team owned by Donald T. Sterling afford to continue spending $19.5 million annually on a pair of centers?

Camby can make his mid-range jump shot at a better rate than P.J. Brown, who made a big one for the Celtics in Game 7 to sink the Cavs last year. And defensively Camby would make an enormous difference, not just against Boston but also in a potential Finals matchup with the Lakers.

1 MVP choice that must be reconsidered

1. Shouldn't Kobe Bryant be the favorite? As well as LeBron James has played and as important as he is to the Cavs, I'm going to be paying renewed attention to Bryant's leadership of the Lakers. His value grew after the injury to Andrew Bynum, when the reigning MVP drove his team through a 6-0 trip culminating in victories at Boston and Cleveland. The Lakers shouldn't necessarily be the team to beat without Bynum, but Bryant's leadership may make the difference. In which case, what more do you ask of an MVP?