Posted by Brandon Alisoglu in The Command Room on February 19, 2012  |  0 Comments More from this author  |

There was little discussion over what the Commission would tackle in this week's installment of the Command Room.

Everyone's mother has heard of Jeremy Lin. It's a big story. So without further ado, here's what the Commissioners had to say about him.

1. How long must Jeremy Lin maintain his play before he can be declared legitimate?

Brandon Alisoglu: Lin has proven that he can be a starting point guard in the NBA, but he isn't a bona fide star. He has the potential to thrive and possibly be an All Star in future season. However, the turnovers and his outside shot need some work before he jumps to the next level. Regardless, the story is great for the league and sports in general.

Jeremy Larson: Lin proved his legitimacy after dropping 38 points and the game winning shot in Toronto. It's an incredible streak he's been on, and seven straight wins since being plugged into the starting lineup has confirmed his Lingitimacy legitimacy.

Sam Cooper: After a seven-game winning streak, he already is. He is averaging 23.6 points and 9.8 assists a game over the past five games, and he has taken a virtually talentless team without Anthony and Stoudemire back to a .500 record. He has made regular guys (i.e. Steve Novak) look like great players, and he has worked extremely hard to maintain his current performance. His shots will go down, but the team should be playing extremely well when Anthony comes back and now that J.R Smith is on the team. Everyone is looking forward to seeing him play on Shaq's team on All-Star weekend.

Chris Tripodi: I think Lin has proven his legitimacy by maintaining extremely high assist totals. Those numbers should only spike when Carmelo Anthony rejoins the team. While his scoring should settle somewhere between 12-15 points, he'll still be exactly what the Knicks need.

Ross Bentley: I think he already is. Why are so many people unwilling to just be excited about this? It's okay to get excited. What he's doing is special. He's not going to win every game, or score 25 points every game, but this isn't going to last forever. Some people act as though he's just going to do this for a week and then disappear. That's not going to happen, someone doesn't score twenty points five games in a row and then go away. This guy obviously has the skills to be an above-average player in the NBA. Is he the best player in the league? No. But this is special. It's time we just step back and appreciate it.

Javier Herrerra: Not to knock the guy, but legitimate is something that has to be defined by a career. Look at players like Steve Francis, Tom Gugliotta or Christian Laettner. These guys had serviceable careers, but spent the majority of their careers as salary cap paper weights. Jeremy Lin is the 'it-kid' right now, but he's got to be consistent for a career in order to be legit.

2. What are the odds of the Mavs repeating?

Brandon Alisoglu: The Mavs will need to a strong move at the deadline to keep pace with the top teams in the West. Dirk went on an insane tear last year to lift the Mavs to the title. Kidd's defense was instrumental, but veteran wiles can only counteract Father Time for so long. Thus, 22/1 seems appropriate.

Jeremy Larson: I personally put the odds of the Mavs repeating at ZERO. Obviously, any team that makes the playoffs has a chance, but realistically, there is no way the Mavs repeat. They have been playing better lately, but I think Miami, Chicago, OKC, San Antonio and probably both L.A. teams have a better shot at winning the title this year. But if I'm a bookmaker, I put the odds of the Mavs repeating at 25/1, which should generate quite a bit of action.

Sam Cooper: Even though they are on a five-game winning streak, the odds are still very small. San Antonio is playing great with Ginobili back, and the Clippers and Thunder both have a huge advantage over Dallas by having young players. With this condensed schedule, younger teams like the Thunder and Clippers won't have any problem with fatigue, but Dallas may have to start resting their veterans and it could be their ultimate downfall. Dallas will still most likely reach the playoffs somewhere between the 3rd and 5th seed, but their players may be worn down. They do not have the ability to compete with the Thunder, Spurs or Clippers.

Chris Tripodi: Slim to none. Dirk Nowitzki has played better of late, but Jason Kidd continues to struggle just enough to cause concern, which makes losing Delonte West indefinitely an even bigger blow. Losing Tyson Chandler has hurt this team, even with Brendan Haywood playing competently in his stead. This team only has a chance if Lamar Odom can turn his season around in a big way.

Ross Bentley: I think its pretty good. If I had to make a top-five most likely championship teams at this point, Dallas is making that list. Other than Oklahoma City, who else is better than them in the West? Especially if Dirk plays like he did the other day against the Clippers. People greatly over-exaggerated what the loss of Tyson Chandler and JJ Barea would do to this team. I would argue Delonte West is even better then Barea was. The Mavs aren't getting anything from Lamar Odom, and they still have an 18-11 record. If Dirk can get back to MVP form come playoff time, watch out for this team.

Javier Herrerra: When the Mavs acquired Lamar Odom for basically nothing, I would have called them the favorite out West. But I don't think they will make it to the finals, let alone win the title. The champs are going to come out of the Eastern Conference. But if I had to put odds on it, I'd give them 16 to 1 odds. (See what I did there?)

3. What move should a rebuilding team make before the trade deadline?

Brandon Alisoglu: Detroit needs to cut ties with the past in order to embrace the future. Tayshawn Prince is a quality veteran with an expiring contract, two huge assets on the trade market. Considering this year's draft is among the deepest in recent memory, flipping Prince for another expiring and a pick would be ideal. Additionally, Joe Dumars should aggressively shop Charlie Villenueva and Rodney Stuckey.

Jeremy Larson: The Bobcats are the worst team in the league. They have lost 16 straight and need to fire the person who makes their basketball decisions, just so they can BE a rebuilding team. Oh, wait, that person is also the majority owner- so I guess that won't work. The Lakers, though they are not rebuilding, have serious work to do if they hope to make a title run. They need to improve their point guard play and could use some firepower off their bench. Shipping Gasol seems inevitable, and if they could flip him for Rondo, or a package that includes Kyle Lowry, O.J. Mayo or Ben Gordon, Kobe could finally catch Jordan with his sixth ring this year.

Sam Cooper: The 2009 season was the last time the Phoenix Suns made the playoffs. With Amar'e Stoudemire in the final year of his contract, the team surprised everyone and made it all the way to the conference finals before losing to the Lakers. Two years later, it is a different story. Stoudemire is gone. J-Rich is gone. Nash is 38. Hill will likely retire after this season, and besides Marcin Gortat, this team is a bunch of role players. It is time to start rebuilding. Now, trading Nash is difficult. You want him to compete for a title, but the Heat, Lakers and Knicks don't have the cap space or youth to offer a trade. However, there are young teams like the Portland Trailblazers that could make a run with Nash. With an offer of Felton to replace Nash, Batum to replace Hill and a pick, the Suns would have to say yes. The Suns get rebuilding pieces and the Blazers make a playoff run with Nash setting up Wallace and Aldridge. It all depends if Nash requests a trade though.

Chris Tripodi: I think the Cavaliers should look into moving Antawn Jamison. The team sits 10th in the Eastern Conference (2.5 games out of a playoff spot) and will be without Anderson Varejao for a while. Even if Cleveland makes the playoffs they will be one-and-done, so why not trade a productive veteran to a team that needs some bench scoring from the forward position. Oklahoma City seems like a fit to me and Jamison could see 25 minutes or so behind Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka.

Ross Bentley: Detroit needs to unload Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey. Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight are nice pieces that can be the start of the rebuilding effort for this team, but not when Stuckey, Gordon and Tayshaun Prince are taking up 25-30 shots a game. Both of those players are solid scorers that could really help a team who is a piece or two away from contending and maybe they can get some good young talent back, they certainly need it.

Javier Herrerra: The Lakers should trade Pau Gasol, the Trade Exception (8.9 Million) and two 1st round draft picks to the Wolves for Ricky Rubio, and the bad contracts of Brad Miller, Martell Webster and Darko Milicic. Because despite what everyone outside of LA tells you, if the Lakers aren't competing for championships, they are rebuilding, and the Lakers aren't winning jack-ola with this roster.

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