NBA season opening night, what can we expect?

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Opening night in the NBA is finally here. It's been a very interesting offseason with a lot of changes across the NBA, from Lebron James returning to Cleveland, to the return of Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant, there will be a lot of excitement over the next few days. Tonight's three games will feature a lot of story lines to keep an eye on.
The San Antonio Spurs open up their tittle defense against the only team to really give them a scare in last year's playoffs in the Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs will once again lead the league in wins while holding their core players to less than 35 minutes a game. Not much to be said about the defending champions, they will steamroll through the regular season with little excitement for anybody but the most passionate pure basketball fan.
 The Mavericks took the Spurs to 7 games in last year's first round but return a very different team. On paper, this seems like a much better team from a year ago, they upgraded at the Center and Small Forward position in Parsons and Chandlers as well as bring in Jameer Nelson from Orlando. However, we are skeptical on if its really going to make a difference in the ultra competitive Western Conference. The Mavericks are hoping Chandler can return to his Defensive Player of the year playing after a subpar 2013-2014 injury plagued season. After playing only 31 games and averaging 8.7 PPG and 9.6 RPG he looks to bounce back in a major way. The Mavericks only need him to be that shot blocking presence that anchors the defense, anything he does on the offensive end is a bonus but we don't believe it will happen.
Chandler has never played a full season and the highlight of his career so far has been his contributions in that 2011 title team, and his defensive player of the award that was overshadowed by a horrendous performance in the second round agains the Pacer's Roy Hibbert a year ago. We are skeptical as if his addition to the team will really translate into meaningful jump in the standings.
At point Guard, the Mavericks certainly upgraded over Calderon, while Calderon is a steady floor general that will make good decisions and take good shots, he is not the offensive threat that Nelson is. In addition to that, the ball will spend most of the time in Ellis' and Nowitzki's hands, so Nelson will be the beneficiary of a lot open jump shots something he was good at in Orlando in the Howard Turkoglu days. Finally, the most intriguing story about the Mavericks is all about Parsons, he spent all summer talking about how he felt he was ready to be that third star in Houston, and now he will get the chance to back that talk up.
On the other hand, the game we are most intrigued about is the one with the least TV advertisement, the Orlando Magic vs the New Orleans Pelicans. Why? one name: Anthony Davis, after a wonderful summer with team USA it is clear that Davis is truly the NBA's next superstar, he is a stat stuffer who doesn't need touches (although he should be getting plenty of touches). His continued development makes the most sense, and he should benefit from a full season with Jrue Holiday running the point. Should they put it all together, we see the Pelicans as the dark house to maybe sneak in as the #8 seed in the Western Conference, Davis will be an All-Star and a first team All NBA player by season's end.
The final game of the night will be all about the return of Kobe Bryant, and what a better way to start the season than to go against what many consider the best shooting guard in the league right now in James Harden? Houston should easily win this game, but a lot of people will keep their eyes out on them after they missed out on Chris Bosh and let Parsons walk.

Lakers fall to 0-3, are the Clippers for real?

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Never mind the 0-3 start, let's not continue to talk about the Lakers struggle on a night where Kobe Bryant went off for 40 points while Gasol and Howard combined for a measly 23 points. The other team that plays in Staples center is legit, and we have been saying it since the summer. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Lakers last night 105 to 95 and were in control of the entire game. Everybody wants to talk about the Lakers and Oklahoma as favorites to come out of the west, but what about the Clippers. Last night they showed how deep they are, their bench play was far superior to the Lakers and probably has 6th man of the year favorite in Jamal Crawford.
Jamal Crawford through 2 games is averaging 25 points, and this team is dominating and Griffin has yet to have a nice game by his standards. They are loaded, and consider the fact that Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups will be back at some point over the next month or so and that makes them even deeper. Kobe Bryant may have scored 40 and became the all time Lakers leaders in steals in the process, but Chris Paul clearly dominated the flow of the game with 18 points 15 assists, and the bomb... JUST 1 TURNOVER. They have size, their bench is deep, superstars, they can run, they can defend, yet nobody seems to want to talk about the LA Clippers and thats fine with Paul so long as they keep getting wins.

The Knicks opened up their season by routing the defending champion. Carmelo Anthony had 30 points and 10 rebounds, but the real story behind this win was the 3 pointers. The Knicks shot a blistering 52.8% on their way to 19 threes. The Heat came out slow and were buried behind the avalanche of threes. It will be interesting to see how the Knicks dynamics will change the Amar'e comes back. Note, Melo took 28 shots.
-James Harden continues to haunt everybody who says he's not capable of being a superstar down the line, by dropping 45 points in his second game with the Houston Rockets but lost in Harden's brilliance is Jeremy Lin's great first 2 games, last night he scored 21 points had 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
-The Celtics start the season 0-2 after losing to the Bucks
-Oklahoma defeated Portland for their first victory of the season
-The Charlotte Bobcats snapped a 23 game losing streak (yes you read correctly) Behind Kemba Walker's 30 points

The Lakers are in trouble is it time to panic?

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They were automatically elevated to favorites to come out of the Western Conference, favored by most to dethrone the Miami Heat. The reality of the matter is that this Lakers team needs to worry about winning a game before talking about western conference championships let alone being up to par with the defending champion. After a second straight loss to start out the season, the Lakers now haven't won a game since last year's playoffs. The portland Trailblazers behind a great crowd dropped 116 points on a team that's suppose to be great defensively. Mike Brown is suppose to be  great defensive coach yet after two games they are allowing way over 100 points a game.
Here's my favorite stat line of the night: Lakers scored 106 points, shot well on 2's and 3 pointers, outrebounded Portland by 15, got 33 points and 14 rebounds from Dwight Howard, 30 points from Kobe Bryant on 50% shooting, and still lost by 10 points. The main problem here is Mike Brown, who is NOT a good coach (everybody is entitled to their own opinion), since his days in Cleveland his offensive schemes have been terrible. Back in Cleveland the plan was give the ball to Lebron James and get out of his way. You can say anything about Eric Spoelstra down in Miami, but the players respect and listen to what he says, and he has repeatedly stood his ground when conflicting with his 2 superstars Wade and James. Thats more than can be said about Brown back in Cleveland, instead now he has the task of having to mix Nash, Howard, Gasol, and Kobe into a successful offensive scheme?
The princeton offense they are running is a terrible idea on a team that has Steve Nash. Why trade for one of the best passers of all time if you aren't going to unleash him? Bringing the ball up the court every possession instead of trying to run it down the other team's throat is a horrible idea, and considering that both Gasol and Howard can run the floor its even more astounding as to what it is they are doing down there.

Batum had 26 points to lead the blazers

Another major concern for the Lakers, is their bench. Which seems to be a concern since the departure of Lamar Odom. Yet when you are depending night in and out on Steve Blake to lead that second unit, what can you expect? It does not matter how good your starting 5 is, they cannot play 48 minutes a night, specially when you consider that Howard is the only player in that starting lineup that's not in his 30's. CAn you remember the last team that won a championship without a good contribution from the bench? Point guards also continue to have great games against the Lakers which has been the trend for the last few years, Damian Lillard the Rookie had 23 points and 11 assists in his first pro game, taking advantage of Nash's absence who only played 16 minutes after banging knees with the rookie
Howard despite scoring 33, is still not there athletically, several plays that last year would have been thundering dunks are now lay ins. No doubt he'll get healthier as the year progresses, and after a horrible first game at the free throw line, last night he shot 15 out of 19. Ultimately, we believe they will figure it out, but in a western conference that is stacked with good teams you do not want to start the year trailing in the standings. Oh and by the way, there next opponent is the Los Angeles Clippers, so don't be surprised if the Lakers start out 0-3 to start the season, taking the panic in Laker to the next level.
NBA News
-Stephen Curry gets 4 year extension from Golden State(44M)
-Demar Derozan gets 4 year extension from Raptors(40M)
-Taj Gibson gets 4 year extension from Bulls (38M)

top PF going into 2012-2013, #4 Pau Gasol

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We continue our countdown of the Top power forwards going into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers at #4. Pau Gasol, is in our minds a very underrated player (kind of Like Chris Bosh), his style of play which is more finesse than anything else gives the casual viewer a believe that Gasol is "soft" or not that good. Yet, Gasol is one of the most skilled players in the league, not amongst bigs but amongst EVERY player in the league. Let's look at Gasol's numbers last season, Gasol had a very disappointing postseason by his standards. Over 12 playoff games he averaged just 12.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 2.1 Blocks but still an impressive 3.7 APG. Now, Gasol was playing his first year under Mike Brown who featured Andrew Bynum as the main post presence instead of Gasol. Yet, look at his regular season numbers (which many considered to be an "off" year for him) 17.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 BPG and 3.6 APG. How many players in this league can average those numbers and considered to have an "off year"?
Gasol is dominant on both sides of the floor, lets begin with his offense. He has a full arsenal of post moves at his disposal. He can finish with both his left and right hand around the rim, and uses his 7.0 feet to perfection. He's not overly athletic, nor does he need to be, Gasol's baby hook shots around the rim are unguardable, and its more problematic when you consider that his left hand hook is just as good as his right hand hook. Against stronger defenders he faces up and uses quickness to go around them. Gasol also happens to have a GREAT jumpshot, he has range up to the three point line and his form and quickness release are as good as anybody's. He run's the floor extremely well, look at this play, Gasol runs the floor down the middle, this is fundamental basketball that most bigs now a days don't do. After not receiving the ball he stays in the middle and as the play rolls on it ends up with a Gasol "and 1" basket. "Fundamentally Sound" is what Gasol is, if you look at the play again, not only was he fouled but as soon as he catches the ball he goes straight up and DOES NOT bring the ball down. This is something that almost no big remembers or learns at any level of basketball ( have you ever seen Dwight Howard doing that?)
His last quality, and our favorite is his passing ability. Steve Kerr (TNT analyst and former player) says that Pau Gasol is the best passer on the Los Angeles Lakers squad, and we tend to agree. (Kobe bryant averages more assist, but that doesnt make him a better passer, after all he has the ball in his hands all the time) Bynum loves to play with Gasol because he knows that Gasol will give him 4 to 6 points a game just on big to big passes. Look at this great shovel pass to Bynum, 95% of bigs will shoot the ball once they have position that deep, Gasol is a willing passer whether its from the high post, low post or "high to low" passes, he will deliver it on target.
Now on the defensive end Gasol uses his length to be a factor. He does not fall for pump fakes and uses the most simple of defensive rules: "stand straight and keep your hands up",his pick and roll defense is also great, he shows strong on the guards and his lateral quickness allows him to recover to his man.
Gasol had an off season by his standards, it was his first year in a new system that did not premier him as the second scoring option on the team and thus he struggled a bit. He often wondered too much to the perimeter and wasn't aggressive enough. We expect that to change, Gasol will have a full training camp with new coach Mike Brown, and the addition of Nash will benefit him GREATLY. Expect gasol to have another terrific year and stay high on this list. Gasol's finesse style of play gives fans the impression that he's soft and has been the subject of a lot of trade rumors. He wont give you 25 points a night, but he will give you 18 points 12 rebounds 5 assist 3 blocks a steal, and great defense. He's a stat sheet stuffer and there's a reason why Kobe will not allow the Lakers to trade him. Bottom line, Gasol is one of the best in this business, and one of the last rare big men with fundamentals.
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The Dwight drama continues, nothing new here

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The latest statement coming from Howard's camp about not signing an extension no matter where he's traded should not be a surprise. Dwight Howard's drama continues on just like Carmelo's drama back in his twilight days in Denver. While the Brooklyn trade talks have died out temporarily, the rumor mill continues. This drama has some people tired, and others just itching with excitement about the possibilities.
The Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers have been at the top of the rumor mill in the Howard sweepstakes ever since. The Rockets have recently signed Harvard graduate sensation Jeremy Lin. The move obviously gives Howard business reasons as to why he would like to play for Houston. It would give Howard a chance to expand his brand just like Tracy Mcgrady did in his days playing with Yao Ming. Houston is also interested in acquiring Andrew Bynum should they fail to get Howard.
That leads us to the always involved Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are not worried about Howard not wanting to sign an extension, they believe that once he sees the Los Angeles life and the Lakers franchise he will want to stay.
The Lakers are looking for a trade that will land Howard in Los Angeles and Bynum being in the center of the trade. The problem of course is Bynum's willingness to leave LA and agree to sign an extension wherever he goes. The Lakers need a third team that will provide Orlando with the draft picks and salary relief that the Magic are looking for. Cleveland is one of the names that have came up ( Kyrie Irving and Andrew Bynum is a scary thought).
But we believe the drama will continue on at least until training camp if not longer for a couple of reasons. First, the Magic are in no rush and will look to make the best deal possible whether it takes a day or all the way until the trading deadline. Second, no team has spoken to Bynum directly (the Lakers have given no team permission to speak to Bynum or his representatives) and would be foolish to trade for him without first speaking if he has interest in playing long term there. Finally, the Magic can always wait until january where the Nets would once again be available once Brook Lopez is available for trade.
That being said, Our Committee of one find its ironic, that after the Heat were under such scrutiny for forming a "super team" now the Lakers are trying so hard to form another "super team". After all, the Lakers are intent on keeping Gasol and still acquiring Howard. Its specially intriguing, considering that one of the reasons for the lockout was to try to prevent teams from being able to do what the Lakers are so desperately trying. All in all, expect the Howard drama to continue, and leave us with plenty more rumors to contemplate.
News around the league
-Courtney Lee is officially part of the Boston Celtics
-Suns Resign Shannon Brown for 2 more years
-The NBA has decided to extend the use of instant replay
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The Nets will move forward today, is Howard to Brooklyn a good move for the league?

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Dwight Howard has consumed the news for quite some time now, but is Howard going to the Nets really a good thing? When the lockout was in full effect before this season started, one of the many problems to be resolved was competitive equality. Owners were worried that big market teams would always have the advantage because they can offer more money than most other teams (such as the Lakers, Knicks, Miami) to big time players. Such was the reason that a hard salary cap will kick in with the new collective Bargaining agreement in a few seasons. A Hard salary cap means that teams who go over the allowed spending limit, will have to pay luxury tax. This will allow small market teams better chance at superstar players.
But until the new hard cap kicks in, we are still facing the same issue, many general managers around the league do not want to see another quote on  quote "super team" formed. whether the Nets can be considered a super team if they acquire Howard is up to debate. However,  acquiring Howard would definitely portray the Nets as a another super team so lets think of Brooklyn as such. This would not be good for the league for a number of reasons. First, if the Nets acquire Howard it will continue the trend that  Lebron James started. since Lebron's "decision" every team wants to bring together a bunch of superstars, so Howard would definitely convert a trend into regularity. Second, that leads to lack of competitiveness around the league, if there's only 4 great teams and 26 mediocre teams, what will be the point of watching basketball when you already know what the conference championships will look like?
Now you can argue that it wont matter, look at the Oklahoma City Thunder for example. They created a championship team purely out of the draft and some smart low key trades. But it takes luck to be able to do that, the Thunder had the benefit of drafting a once in a generation superstar in Kevin Durant and happened to be bad enough to get other high picks in the draft while Durant developed. They also happened to assert correctly in their picks of Harden and Westbrook. So to do what OKC did it takes a lot of luck and picks at the right time. Thats why Howard to the Nets isn't a great move for the league. The Heat brought the league a lot of revenue and fame with their decision to come together because they did something that had never been done before, in addition it doesn't hurt that one of the players was Lebron James, one of the most polarizing players in all of major sports. whether you hate him or love him, everybody wanted to see if the Heat would fail or succeed. If Howard, goes to the Nets it will not generate the same buzz because it wouldn't be the first time it was done, and because Deron Williams and Dwight Howard aren't as popular as Lebron James and Dwyane Wade.
Even Howard to the lakers would be better for the league. The lakers wouldn't be a "Super" team, and everybody outside of Lakerland should know that. Kobe will turn 34 this august and he's in the twilight of his brilliant career. Steve Nash also happens to be 38, so they will be a very good team, but by no standards a "super" team.
Are Super teams good or bad for the league? If so what do you think would be a good solution or method to deal with them?
-Restricted free agent Linn says he was upset at the Knicks for not making the first move
-Heat introduce Allen and Lewis as they sign contract today
-Lakers will introduce Nash today
-Nets have added Stackhouse and are moving today to sign Lopez either to sign and trade him, or sign him to make him part of Brooklyn's core group for the future
-Hibbert will return to Indiana after they match Portland offer
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Jason Kidd to the Knicks? makes no sense. While the Clippers improve and Heat make their move

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Steve Nash has stolen the spotlight of this hectic but fun free agency for the moment. 24 hours after his move to Los Angeles, and the buzz is still going on. Will Nash be a good fit or not for the lakers? That question will be heavily debated until the season starts and we spoke on it in yesterday's entry.  Yet, the Clippers just keep giving us reasons to believe that they are a legitimate western conference championship contenders.
The Clippers have been in the Ray Allen hunt alongside the defending champions since day 1. Today they gave up on that hunt and instead signed Jamal Crawford and Chauncey Billups. Crawford has been coming off the bench for most of his career and is a former six man of the year. However, look for him to start alongside Chris Paul to form a devastating backcourt. Crawford is a traditional shooting guard and a downright scorer, he can spot up, create by himself and can score against any defense (interesting fact, he is the all time leader in 4 point plays in the history of the league). Billups, who started at shooting guard last season, was injured after only 20 games but he was having a terrific season. He will play the point when CP3 is out and will play alongside him.
Whether they decide to bring Billups or Crawford off the bench, you are now looking at a bench that will feature Lamar Odom, Billups or Crawford, and potentially Nick Young and Kenyon Martin (who are both free agents). The Clippers will have size, depth from the bench, shooting, and will add something they desperately needed last year: Free Throw shooting. Paul was the only consistent free throw shooter after Billups went down, now with Billups and Crawford back expect that problem to be ancient history.
Now Ray Allen, has a very difficult choice to make. We laugh at those who say that there is no way that Allen would choose hated Rival Heat over the Celtics. The reality of the matter is that it is a very difficult choice to make. On one side Allen would only be making half as much money if he goes to Miami and would essentially be betraying Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. On the flip side, realistically speaking Miami will be the favorites next season, they are the defending champions and the Celtics are only getting older. In addition, Allen knows that returning to Boston would mean coming off the bench for Avery Bradley, something that Allen feels disrespected about. So why come off the bench for a team that you helped win a championship? and who's starting spot he (Allen) is giving to a player that will never be as good as he is (Bradley). Instead of coming off the bench for the defending champion who have 2 superstar players in their prime, and will definitely give him a better shot at a tittle. So, ultimately it comes down to Money VS winning opportunities.
Finally, the Knicks have agreed to sign Jason Kidd in a move that we believe will change nothing. The Knicks tried and failed to sign Steve Nash and now must focus on resigning pg Jeremy Linn, who was offered a 4 year 30 million by Houston. Linn has verbally agreed to sign the offer sheet. The Rockets have placed the Knicks in a tough spot, the Knicks can only offer Linn a 24.5 Million 4 year contract. Therefore, if the Knicks decide to match the rockets offer, they will be paying Luxury taxes once the new collective bargaining agreement kicks. Despite this, we expect the Knicks to resign Linn because of all the money he makes them off the court,  So why bring in Jason Kidd? The word around is that he will be serve as a mentor for Linn, but will he start or come off the bench? When Linn Exploded last year in the absence of Melo, it raised national concerns about whether Melo and Linn can play together. Whether they can or not, the New York Knicks will not be a championship team this year and Jason Kidd will not change that. Contrast to popular believe, there is just no way that Stoudemire and Melo can work together, and those 2 (not Jeremy Linn) are the key for the Knick's success.
Yes, the Knicks have one If not the best scorer in the league in Melo, but when the ball gets to him, it doesn't continue its movement. For all his offensive bringings, Melo is also a defensive Liability. Their best defensive player is Iman Shumpert a second year player who is coming off a torn ACL. Jason Kidd will provide steady leadership and a great mentor for Linn (if they sign him back) but it wont catapult the Knicks into the Easter Conference Elite. Kidd has not been as good as Nash now for quite some years, and as such the Knicks will be no better than a 4th seed at most.
-In other news, Eric Gordon stated that he feels the Suns are more committed and does not wish the Hornets to match the offer that the Suns have provided
-Kyle Lowry of the Rockets was traded to Toronto, he had voiced his displeasure with Rockets Coach Kevin McHale and did not wish to return to Houston
-Hasheem Thabeet has signed a 2 year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thabeet was the second pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, and has failed to meet expectations so far
-Jameer Nelson stated that he will be returning to the Orlando Magic next season

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Nash to the Lakers puts them right back in the hunt

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It shouldn't be a surprise, we are talking about perhaps the most decorated franchise in basketball. Steve Nash, will go to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign and trade deal that will land the suns a bunch of future first round pick. This deal seemed like a long shot for a variety of reasons. First, the Suns would not want to send the face of the franchise to one of their biggest rivals in the last decade. Steve Nash himself said its just not something he would do, he much rather beat them than join them. Second, the only way that Nash could end up in Los Angeles is with the help of the Suns in order to complete the 3 year deal that Nash wanted. So now, how good can the Lakers be?
This trade now gives the Lakers four perennial All-Stars in the starting lineup, its amazing that the Lakers get Nash and have to give up essentially nothing to get him. Nash is one of the best shooters in the league, and perhaps the best pure point guard over the last 10 years, at age 38 he averaged 12.5 ppg and 10.7 Assists. Now, it is unrealistic to expect him to average such gaudy numbers this upcoming season. Kobe Bryant will continue to dominate the offense and the Lakers do not play at the same up tempo style that the Phoenix suns play.
It will obviously take Kobe and Nash some time to learn how to play with each other considering they have both been ball-dominant their entire careers. Everybody expects Kobe to continue to dominate the ball, but perhaps if he gives Nash the reigns of the offense the Lakers might be better, it all comes down to coach Mike Brown, he will have to find a way to make it work. Gasol and Bynum should definitely be pleased with this trade, Nash will get them the ball in comfortable spots and they will now run in the open court because they know the ball will come to them.
So how good can the Lakers be? expect them to challenge for the Western Conference championship, as more days pass, it seems less likely that the Thunder are the overall favorites, the Clippers are having a strong offseason so far, and have a legit change of signing Ray Allen. Now you throw the Lakers in there and you dont know which way to go. The priority of the Thunder should clearly be signing back six man of the year James Harden. They also have to worry about free agent Serge Ibaka, and will most likely lose one of the two. The Laker's advantage will continue to be their size, but now they are poised to have an advantage in both the front court and the backcourt. There aren't many teams that can compete with their size. the Clippers have size and depth and thats why we believe they will be in the Conference Championship come april. So now between the Lakers and OKC, there will be a lot of determining factors.
The Lakers still need to do something about a very weak bench, with the departure of Odom a season ago the Lakers bench was one of the worse benches in the league. Another interesting factor, will be Health, Nash has well documented back problems and will no longer have the Phoenix medical staff, who are by far the best medical staff of the league. But barring injury, expect the Lakers to be challenging for the top seed in the West and will end up no lower than third in the very competitive Western Conference.
-Steve Nash is also trying to convince teammate and longtime friend Grant Hill to go with him to LA
-How good do you think the Lakers can be? comments and questions are welcomed
-Michael Beasley has agreed to sign with the Suns for 3 years and 18 Millions