Finding The Final Piece

After an early exit in the 2008 playoffs and failure to make earn an invite in 2009, the Las Vegas Lizards, Sin City's only team without a championship, is looking for that final piece to bring them their shot at the EHBA title. Shawn Marion, apparently, was not that piece.



Finding The Final Piece
Reno Weekly Rag/Max Powera


It's not every day you see a championship contending team trade away a solid role playing piece of their roster for a draft pick in a future draft. Recently the Lizards traded away forward Shawn Marion to the Matadors for their 1st round draft pick in the 2010 draft. Marion, who has shown glimpses of greatness, has been inconsistent for the Lizards for most of the season, apparently making him expendable.

"Shawn was great for our team, but he wasn't the piece we needed. We told ourselves that if we could get something that would help us get that piece that we would have to move on it," GM Charles Barkley told reporters after the trade was announced.

Confirmed to have been in discussions with Peoria for Troy Murphy before he was moved to Colorado, Las Vegas has been linked to various trade rumors across the league. They have been thought to be trying to acquire a replacement for Marion, using what they see as the team's expendable assets, including all of their future draft picks, including three 2010 1st rounders, which they have not been shy in shopping across the league. The Lizards have been linked to rumors around superstars SF Paul Pierce, C Carlos Boozer, PF Kevin Garnett, and, to a lesser extent, SG Kobe Bryant and PG Steve Nash.

"We're open to negotiations with anyone who's willing to help us make that push to a championship. We're willing to help the future of another franchise by parting with multiple draft picks in order to make that happen, but at the same time next year's draft is looking to be pretty strong and we're more than happy to use those draft picks to help our roster moving forward," Barkley said, "That being said, we're in line to make a run at the championship this year, and that is our number one priority."

Players linked in trade rumors for the Lizards include G Allen Iverson, newly acquired G C.J.Watson, SG Ben Gordon, SF Stephen Jackson, PG Chris Duhon, C Brendan Haywood, and C Marcus Camby.

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Notes from Vegas...

-Danny Granger has been said to be planning a return in time to face off against Dublin in two weeks, but not against Montreal. The match up however is at home against the DeathPiggys and Granger does plan on practicing with the starters the entire week.

-The Lizards are having a hard time finding adequate playing time for back up guard Allen Iverson and the acquisition of C.J. Watson isn't going to help the situation, though Watson isn't expected to start for the Lizards until Tuesday, January 26th against South Carolina. Needless to say, Watson has been put on the Lizards' trade block.