As the February 19 NBA trading deadline approaches, more and more players will be mentioned as candidates to change cities.
Oklahoma City guard Earl Watson seems to believe that he could be one of those individuals. Watson, knows how the scenario goes. He joined the team, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, two years ago, in a trading-deadline type deal from the Denver Nuggets.
The 29-year old Watson, who started every single game of his four-year UCLA career, believes he is on the trading block because interim head coach Scott Brooks has replaced him in the starting lineup with another former Bruin, rookie Russell Westbrook.
Watson, whose best friend is former UCLA teammate Baron Davis, is in his eighth NBA season and has played with three teams - the Sonics/Thunder, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Nuggets. He is a savvy court general, a wily and rugged defender, despite being only 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, and an underrated shooter.
Most of all, Watson has a team-first mentality and is a positive influence in the locker room.
Recent headlines …
Earl Watson as a new Laker sounds good to me. How about trading Radmonovic and a draft pick for Watson, as it would bolster our perimeter defense, especially useful now as Farmar is out til late Feb at least.
drbob