Yardbarker: Chris Andersen

Cadillac Mescallade: Outdoor NBA Basketball Game

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:48:57 -0500

HHR's Cadillac Mescallade made the hour and a half drive east this past Saturday night - out to Indian Wells to see the first outdoor NBA game since 1972.

Team Preview #11: Denver Nuggets

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:43:42 -0500

LAST SEASON The Nuggets scored a lot of points, gave up a lot of points, and edged out the Warriors for the 8th and final Playoff spot in the West. It was a shame, because they got swept by the Lakers and had essentially given up by Game 3, when they lost by 18 at home and went out like suckaz. Fantasy-wise, their 99.7 pace factor was easily tops in the league (see below for much more on pace factor). OFFSEASON MOVES Key Additions: Chris Andersen, Renaldo Balkman, Dahntay Jones, Sonny Weems Key Losses: Marcus Camby, Eduardo Najera, J.R. Smith? After a 2-year suspension for hard drugs, Chris Andersen got his wings back late last season and has returned to Denver, where the "Birdman" was a fan favorite from '01-04. He'll have big shoes to fill, because Denver decided to give Marcus Camby away to the Clippers for an autographed Tim Thomas jersey and a bag of magic beans. If that wasn't bad enough, Denver also let the underrated Najera go to New Jersey. Balkman can't knock down jumpers like Eduardo, but he should bring the same defensive intensity that Denver sorely needs. If the Nugz are smart, they'll re-sign the young & talented J.R. Smith. I'm guessing he'll re-sign soon, but if not, the Nuggets added two athletic swingmen in Dahntay Jones and Sonny Weems. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME You know that Allen Iverson plays a lot of minutes, but this stat may surprise you. In '07-08, his 41.8 mpg average led the league for the 3rd year in a row and the 6th time in the past 7 years. For his career, only Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson have played more minutes per game, so expect 40+ from A.I. once again (split at both guard spots). Anthony Carter started at PG last season and played 28 minutes, but I'm projecting that number to fall to 24 this year as J.R. Smith (assuming he re-signs) gets more PT. George Karl has had a short leash on the young & talented Smith, but I'm expecting his minutes to increase from 19.2 to around 22-24 this season. Veterans Chucky Atkins & Dahntay Jones and the rookie Weems will battle for the remaining backcourt minutes. At small forward, Carmelo Anthony saw 36.4 minutes of action in '07-08, but if he's in better shape (which Jerry Colangelo recently said he needs to be in), I could see a slight bump up to 37-38 this year. Kenyon Martin (30.5 mpg) will start at power forward and see 32-33 minutes of action if he can handle it. Denver's first forward off the bench will be Linas Kleiza, who should see his minutes increase from 23.9 to 26+ this year. Balkman is a defensive stopper and high energy guy, so he'll get some backup minutes as well. At center, Nene will finally have to live up to the six-year, $60 million contract he signed a couple years ago. He's battled serious injuries, but now the starting job is his and Denver needs him to step up. He played a career-high 32.5 mpg back in '03-04, and could match that number if he's healthy. Chris Andersen & Steven Hunter will back him up, and must be ready for big minutes in case of injury. DON'T SLEEP ON: Nene Basketball-wise, last season was a forgettable one for Nene "don't call me Hilario." He tore a ligament in his thumb a week into the season, returned for 2 weeks after Christmas, then had surgery to remove testicular cancer and sat out most of the rest of the season. Thankfully, Nene recovered, and I'm rooting for him to have a successful '08-09 season. The guy has played just 81 total games in the past 3 years, but surely better news is just around the corner. With Camby now in L.A., Nene has a chance to play big minutes and be a major force in the paint for Denver. To see what kind of stat potential he has, just look at his post All-Star stats from '06-07. In those 30 games, he averaged 32 minutes, 13.9 points, 8.3 boards, 1.1 steals, and .8 blocks per game while shooting a monstrous 62.4% from the field and a decent 72.7% from the line. Nene will likely fall far in your draft for obvious reasons, but this guy has Top 50 potential if healthy. BE CAREFUL OF: Allen Iverson Iverson finished 3rd in field goal attempts last season and has ranked in the Top 5 in that category 10 times in his illustrious 12-year career. But after averaging roughly 25 FGA per game for Philly, he's attempting just 19 shots per game for Denver, and that number could fall even further in '08-09. How come? Well, in recent years, he's been helped out by the fact that Denver had the #1 pace factor (an estimate of the number of possessions per 48 minutes by a team) last season (99.7) and the #2 pace factor the year before (97.4). The Nuggets like to play an uptempo offense and don't seem to care too much about defense, which is why they finished 2nd behind the Warriors in both points per game and total field goal attempts. However, total rebounds is also directly correlated to a team's pace factor, as evidenced by the Nuggets, Warriors, Pacers, Sonics, and Lakers all finishing in the Top 7 in BOTH pace factor and total rebounds. So why should you be careful of AI this season? Because Marcus Camby, one of the league's leading rebounders, is no longer in town. Theoretically, less rebounds means fewer possessions, which means fewer shot attempts, fewer points scored, and fewer assists. The big guys (Melo, K-Mart & Nene) won't be as affected, because they will have to rebound more due to Camby's departure. However, Iverson could see BOTH his points and assists decline in '08-09. Just a little food for thought… ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) Click the link to find out!

Meet your new Denver Stiffs...

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:11:26 -0500

Breaking down the Nuggets latest acquisitions.

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Lots of Signings Edition

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:16:08 -0500

Former Celtic Sebastian Telfair isn't the only player who plays with guns. Hornets' guard Rasual Butler was arrested June 23 after witnesses told Miami Beach police a man holding a firearm had made threats. Based on the arrest report, when police arrived at the scene, Butler was seated in the back seat of a sport utility vehicle. When officers asked Butler if he had any weapons, he told them he didn't, but that his gun was in the car. The police found an automatic weapon that was cocked and had a bullet in the chamber on the floor of the car. Butler was scheduled to enter a plea on Wednesday, but the hearing was reset for Aug. 4. First, the Clippers signed Baron Davis away from the Warriors. Then, the Warriors signed Corey Maggette away from the Clippers. But the Warriors were not about to let the Clippers get another of their players if they could help it. They have matched the offer that the Clippers made last week to Kelenna Azubuike. The Warriors also signed Ronny Turiaf away from the Lakers, who chose not to match the offer, and they signed their second round draft pick, forward Richard Hendrix. The Warriors then completed a very busy day by re-signing their free agent guard Monta Ellis to a six-year, $67 million contract. Ellis got quite a raise in that as the 40th player selected in the 2005 draft, Ellis was paid just $770,610 last season. He will earn $11 million in 2008-2009. Ellis was the Warriors' shooting guard last season, playing next to Baron Davis, but with Davis' departure, he is expected to move to point guard this season. By keeping Azubuike, the Warriors will no longer pursue free agent swingman Maurice Evans who was reported to have signed with the Warriors. But, a Warriors source told Bay Area News Group that Evans spurned their three-year, $6.4 million looking for more money, and so the Warriors changed direction and matched the Azubuike offer. There have been rumors that the Celtics have contacted Evans and it seems that he would be a nice fit for the Celtics who could use an athletic swingman like Evans who's known as a solid defender and good three-point shooter (sound like anyone the Celtics just lost?). The Warriors still have unfinished business though as they haven't re-signed free agent Andris Biedrins. Biedrins' top choice is to stay with the Warriors. He is looking for a salary somewhere in the ballpark of the five-year, $50-plus million. With the other signings for the Warriors, it looks like that kind of a deal is out for Biedrins, however. He could reject any Warriors' offer and accept the $3.6 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next offseason or he could accept any of several lucrative contracts being offered by European teams. Just hours after bringing former Nugget Chris Anderson back to the team, the Denver Nuggets agreed to a one-year deal with free agent guard Dahntay Jones. Jones was drafted by Boston in 2003 but sent to Memphis in the trade that brought Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks to Botson. Jones was also given a look by the Celtics last season in training camp. After a good showing in Summer League, the Nuggets gave Jones a one-year fully guaranteed deal for the NBA minimum of $926,678. Some money details are coming out on a couple of big deals. The Express News reports that The deal that the Spurs gave Kurt Thomas was for a total of $8 million — $4.2 million next season and $3.8 in 2009-10. The Spurs have also signed Anthony Tolliver, who impressed on the Spurs' summer league squad, to a partially guaranteed contract. This is similar to the contract the Celtics signed Brandon Wallace to after his impressive summer league last season. Details on Josh Childress' contract with Olympiakos have emerged. His contract is worth $32.5- million over 3 years. The Hawks had offered five years at $33 million but it wasn't enough to keep Childress from jumping the NBA ship for Europe. After landing the big free agent of the offseason in luring James Posey away from Boston, the Hornets are trying to re-sign their own free agents. They are hoping to resign Jannero Pargo who wants a three-year deal but they lost Chris Andersen to the Nuggets. Word is that they are going to let Bonzi Wells walk but may make an offer to try to keep Ryan Bowen. With the official signing of Anthony Roberson on Wednesday, the Knicks now officially have 16 contracts which is one more than the NBA max and their league high payroll is once again over $100 million at $100,161,287. They need to do something and odds are that with a crowded backcourt, Marbury and his $21.9 million contract may be the one to go. other options may be Malik Rose, or one of the other smaller contracts like Balkman or Collins who have a team option for the 2009-2010 season. Sebastian Telfair's three-year deal with the Wolves is worth $7.5 million with $2.3 million this coming season and an option to stick with the Wolves in 2010-2011 for $2.7 million. Reports are that the Wolves appear to be getting closer to re-signing Ryan Gomes. Their offer will probably be in the $3 million a year range. There aren't many teams who can offer much more than that left in the hunt for free agents. After losing one of their free agents, the Lakers are still trying to come to an agreement with their other free agent, Sasha Vujacic. Vujacic is seeking a multiyear deal from the Lakers averaging about $5 million a year. Vujacic was hoping for a six-year deal, but anticipated it could be a shorter contract. However, word from Vujacic is that he is prepared to leave the team and accept an offer from a European team in the next few days if the Lakers don't make him an offer he considers to be fair. East Valley Tribune suggests that the flexibility that Matt Barnes will give the Suns makes Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa expendable and might open the door for them to go after Kirk Hinrich who they have been interested for some time. I still think that Barnes would have been a great pick up for the Celtics, especially since he signed for a minimum contract. It seems as though the Blazers will spare nothing to try to dissuade teams from signing Darius Miles and thus put his $9 million in salary back on their club. First there was the leaking of the details of his suspension to the median. Now, Blazers GM is giving out details of Miles' injury that could land him in hot water. From the Sports Tribune: "Two doctors said Darius had the worst microfracture injury they had ever seen," Pritchard said on an Oregonlive.com blog this week. "They would never have him play basketball and the odds of having knee replacement surgery is high. I hear that, and as a general manager, I didn't want it on my conscience – that I had a kid have to go through a knee replacement surgery. That's a pretty major surgery. They saw (two bones) and replace (the knee). It's a bad deal." In a story posted April 14 on the Portland Tribune's Web site, Pritchard said, "The doctors had actually said, 'If you were my son, I'd never have you pick up a basketball again.' I'm the kind of GM (that) I wouldn't want that on my head that he ever had to have knee replacement." By revealing the specific details of Miles' injury, Prichard is in violation of the privacy provisions in the Health Insurance Portability and Availability Act of 1996. All of the underhanded activity by the Warriors in trying to prevent teams from giving Miles a chance make me really hoping the kid gets his comeback. Besides, I still am angry over the league not giving the Celtics any relief when Reggie Lewis died. I really hope Miles comes back and sticks it to the Warriors. Josh Childress has opened the flood gates for NBA players considering jumping to Europe for lucrative deals when they can't get what they feel they are worth in the NBA. The latest to consider the jump is former Celtic Delonte West. Russian basketball team Dynamo Moscow is discussing a two-year, $10 million offer with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West, according to source close to West. Delonte is a restricted free agent and he could sign a $2.76 million qualifying offer for the 2008-09 season and become an unrestricted free agent next year if he chooses to stay in the NBA and doesn't feel that the Cavs are offering enough. Delonte has been plagued with various injuries throughout his career so far and so taking the qualifying offer is risky if he is unable to stay healthy and earn a bigger payday next season.

Chris Andersen returning to Nuggets as a lesbian

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:12:11 -0500

Some minor basketball news today with a bit of a unique twist. According to the status alert on his ESPN bio page, Chris "the Birdman" Anderson has agreed on a one-year contract that will be bring him back to the...

Quite Possibly The Most Boring Sports News Day In The History Of Boredom And Sports News Days

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:15:55 -0500

This has to be the least intriguing ESPN.com Breaking News section that I have ever seen: And look what else is buzzing right now. I could care less about any of this: Favre's phone wasn't Packer issued 50 Year Old To Play In WNBA Classmates of Tim Donaghy sentenced to jail Nuggets sign Chris Andersen Steve Bartman turns down autograph request Andrew [...]

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Six Degrees of Separation Edition

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:37:01 -0500

On the day that James Posey was introduced in New Orleans and vows to do whatever the coach asks of him for a team he sees poised to make a run at the title, the Celtics officially re-signed Eddie House and Tony Allen. On Sports Tonight, Tony said that the math was simple. If Posey signed, he and Eddie would have had to find a home elsewhere. It was one or the other. Danny said that Doc was worried about letting Tony go because he feels that Tony is going to have a break out year after watching him practice at the end of last season. Another player who would have fit nicely on the Celtics is off the market. The Rocky Mountain News reports that Chris Andersen is returning to the Nuggets. The Birdman had visited Boston for 2 days early in the free agency period and Danny seemed to have interest in him and vice versa. Now, Andersen has agreed to a one year contract with the Nuggets and will continue his NBA comeback in Denver where he was a fan favorite from 2001-2004. I was hoping the Celtics would sign him, even though they already signed Patrick O'Bryant to back up Perk since O'Bryant may be more of a project than immediate help and Andersen would come in with athleticism and energy off the bench at the center position. Good signing by the Nuggets. Denver was reported to be seriously considering signing Francisco Elson to replace the recently departed Marcus Camby. With Andersen signing in Denver, that leaves Elson out and looking for another team that may want him. Depending on how quickly Patrick O'Bryant develops, a one year league minimum contract to Elson might make sense for the Celtics. Although, it would remain to be seen how KG would feel about playing with a guy who called him gay. Another player who had been linked to the Celtics as a possible Posey replacement was Maurice Evans. Mercury News reports that the Warriors have signed Evans to a three-year, $6.4 million deal. This means that the Warriors will not match the offer that their restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike signed with the Clippers. Evans would have made sense to replace Posey because he is an athletic swingman who's known as a solid defender and good three-point shooter and would have filled those roles left vacant by Posey's departure. The Clippers and Jazz have swapped point guards. The Clippers will receive Jason Hart from the Jazz and will send Brevin Knight to Utah. Last season, when the Celtics were in the market for a back up point guard, Knight was considered a serious candidate but signed with the Clippers instead while Sam Cassell was bought out by the Clippers and ended up signing with the Celtics. This is starting to feel like a game of 6 degrees of separation. In David Thorpe's chat on ESPN.com, he was asked what he thought about JR Giddens and whether he will amount to anything or if Danny wasted a pick on him. Thorpe's response was that his athleticism could be a help off the bench. And when asked which 3rd year guy he sees improving the most from his sophomore season, Thorpe mentioned that Rondo should improve his game overall for next season. The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard-forward Nicolas Batum on Wednesday. Batum played the past three seasons in the French ProA League. He was the 25th overall pick in the draft by Houston who traded his rights to Portland. Leading up to the draft, Batum was a popular choice on the mock drafts for the Celtics with the 30th pick. The OC Register reports that the Lakers are no longer pursuing a trade for Ron Artest. Instead of the Ron Ron rumors in Laker land, there is talk that the Lakers have joined a list of teams interested in signing Luol Deng. The Bulls and Deng are having a hard time coming to an agreement on a deal and so rather than risk losing him, they may resort to a sign and trade and the Lakers are interested in making an offer if it comes to that. I can see a pattern to the players that the Lakers are pursuing this off season. Both Artest and Deng are known for giving Paul Pierce a hard time on defense. One of the problems the Lakers had in the Finals was trying to stop Paul Pierce. Getting either Artest or Deng would assure them of having a player who has given Pierce problems in the past. Now, if they only had an answer for KG, Ray Allen and Leon Powe, they would be all set. The Sixers have reached an agreement with Royal Ivey, who spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ivey will not officially sign the minimum-salary contract until Monday, which is believed to be for 2 years and include a significant guarantee. Ivey will come off the bench to complement Lou Williams, that is, if the Warriors don't lure Williams away from Philly. That will give the Sixers 9 players under contract. Now that Josh Childress has made the leap to play in Europe next season, there is a lot of talk going around about other's following suit. Perhaps the most interesting is Jason Kidd talking about going to Europe when his contract is up. Playing in Europe could extend a player's career by a few years because they don't play the physical game that is found in the NBA. This is also why many European players have trouble adjusting to the NBA as they aren't used to the physical play that they run into when they come here. Carl Landry is also considering a jump to Europe if he can't get a satisfactory offer from an NBA team. Nenad Krstic is also considering joining fellow Nets free agent Bostjan Nachbar in accepting an offer to play overseas if he can't get the right deal from an NBA team. On the other hand, Bobby Brown, who made a big impression with his summer league play, rejected several offers to play overseas and is set to sign a 2 year deal with the Sacramento Kings. It seems that Brown was in demand as the Hornets pursues him along with Israel's Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Spanish giant Barcelona before he decided to accept the Kings' offer.

Camby's replacement: Who would you rather have?...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:32:09 -0500

Assessing 5 possible replacements for the now departed Marcus Camby.

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Celtics Spurned Edition

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:43:40 -0500

The big story is that James Posey, who was one of the most coveted free agents is now off the market. The Hornets were willing to give Posey what he asked for, and that is a 4 year, $25 million contract. The Celtics weren't willing to go that 4th year. Now that Posey is off the market, there may be more signings as the teams who were holding out and hoping to land Posey will now go to plan B and look to make a deal. This does seem to make both Chris Andersen and Janero Pargo a bit more available with their MLE wrapped up in Posey, the most they can offer is the league minimum. At least Posey didn't go to the Lakers. I don't think I could have stomached seeing him hugging Kobe before every game. With Posey off the table, the Celtics may attempt to re-sign one of their own free agents, Tony Allen. Allen's agent, Mike Higgins, said yesterday he expects the Celtics to make his client an offer. The Celtics also have swingmen J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker, both of whom are unsigned and although there were rumors that the Celtics might try to stash Walker overseas for a year, the loss of Posey may give him an opportunity to contribute right away. Ainge said that one player wouldn't replace Posey but rather that he would be replaced by committee and that he didn't have a free agent in mind. "We go to the next options," said Ainge, who might consider adding another big man. "We're not going to sign one player that is going to replace James Posey. We're going to do it in a different way and different fashion. We are going to reallocate our dollars in different ways." That big man may be Chris Andersen, who the Celtics showed interest in earlier. Andersen has been mentioned in rumors that Denver may be interested as well. I would love to have the Birdman in Boston. Bill Ingram of Hoopsworld reported that the Boston Celtics offered James Posey in a sign-and-trade deal to try to land land Billy Ron Artest. I don't know how much I believe that because this same Bill Ingram reported on Monday that Posey would be announcing his signing in 24 hours and was expected to re-sign with the Celtics. On the other hand, Danny made a run at Posey when the Pacers were trying to trade him and may try to get in on the bidding for him now that the Kings seem ready to move him again. The Mavs and Lakers are both making a pitch for him but to get him, it would seem that any team would have to take Kenny Thomas and his contract as well and I don't think the Celtics would want to do that. After weeks of saying that he was deciding between Boston and Phoenix and then skipping out on a physical in Miami on Monday, and going back to saying that it was between Boston and Phoenix, Tyronn Lue signed a one year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks worth between 2 and 2.5 million. The Celtics and Suns were both offering one year minimum contracts and the Bucks obviously were willing to offer more. So, the Celtics lost 2 free agents at the top of their list on the same day. This could get depressing. With their top free agent target off the market, the Suns are looking elsewhere for point guard help. Reports are that they are interested in Sam Cassell, Shaun Livingston and Jason Williams. Williams is good friends with Suns center Shaquille O'Neal and Cassell is a former Sun. The Suns can only offer the league minimum and so are hoping that they will find a player willing to sign for the minimum. Not only have the Celtics not been able to land their free agent targets, they haven't been able to reach an agreement with their first round draft pick, JR Giddens. As a few more of the remaining first-round picks signed their three-year guaranteed deals yesterday, which for the most part are based on their draft position, J.R. Giddens remained unsigned with no resolution of the situation in sight. Danny Ainge said that they haven't had any conversations and that the Celtics are concentrating on other things right now like letting James Posey get away. Giddens has the same agent as Posey and House. He was also Mark Blount's agent. I really am getting to dislike this guy. On the day that they lost James Posey to New Orleans, the Celtics made the signing of Patrick O'Bryant official. O'Bryant, a 7'0", 249lbs center, has appeared in 40 career games for the Golden State Warriors posting averages of 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. O'Bryant is scheduled to meet the Boston media in Waltham on Thursday morning at The Sports Authority Training Center at HealthPoint at 11:30 a.m. One team that was hoping to land Posey made a move on Wednesday as the Cavs signed Daniel Gibson to a 5 year deal. With Gibson safely in the fold, the Cavs will turn their attention to trying to re-sign Delonte West and they hope to come to an agreement with him soon as well. Delonte is a restricted free agent so the Cavs could match any offer he might get from another team. The Raptors made another move as they announced Wednesday they have signed guard Roko Ukic to a three-year contract. Ukic was a second-round selection (41st overall) by the Raptors in the 2005 NBA Draft. Ukic, 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, played in Italy last season with Lottomatica Virtus Roma. He averaged career highs of 11.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 19 Euroleague contests. The Star Tribune reports that the Timberwolves have agreed to terms with restricted free agent Craig Smith. The Wolves have not yet signed restricted free agents Ryan Gomes and several teams have been pursuing Gomes. Teams such as Cleveland could intensify their pursuit now that Boston free agent James Posey has signed with New Orleans. Gomes' agent likely is eyeing the full mid-level exception of $5.6 million for next season. If Gomes signs with another team, the Wolves have seven days to match the offer or let Gomes go. Many Celtics fans have hopes of seeing Gomes in Celtics green again but it is doubtful that Danny will offer the full MLE to get him. The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that Marcus Camby was blindsided, distraught, disrespected and insulted by the trade that sent him from the Nuggets to the Clippers for a second round draft pick. The Nuggets are considering Chris Anderson as a replacement for Camby. Bull's restricted free agent Luol Deng's options are limited after the Clippers' trade for Marcus Camby. The Clippers with their cap space were considered a possibility for Deng, but Camby's salary will use up a large portion of that space. Only the Grizzlies have conserable cap space but are in cost cutting mode and are unlikely to look to sign a free agent for big bucks. This leaves three options for Deng: hit on a long-term extension with the Bulls, sign a one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent in 2009, or convince the Bulls to execute a sign-and-trade. It was reported at the time that the hold up on a Kobe or a KG trade was the fact that the Bulls did not want to include Deng. If they can't come to an agreement, they may have passed up two big opportunities for nothing. According to a source close to Dallas, the Mavericks offered 14th year swingman Jerry Stackhouse and fourth-year forward Brandon Bass for Kings small forward Ron Artest. The Kings are not expected to entertain the offer if it doesn't include Dallas small forward Josh Howard, but the inquiry certainly reveals the level of the Mavs' interest. According to the source, Howard does not appear to be available.

Moving Past Posey... Who's Left?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:50:42 -0500

Now that James Posey has made his decision and moved on to the Hornets, the Celtics need to make a move to fill their bench once again. At this point last season, everyone was talking about the Celtics weak bench and the need to fill the back up positions and we are back in the very same position this year. We have the starting 5 in place and if anything, they should be better than last season with both Perk and Rondo having another season of experience under their belts. Ray Allen came into last season after having double ankle surgery in the offseason and he should start out much stronger than he did last season. They have 2 promising rookies who are both known for their athleticism and defense. They also have Big Baby Davis, Leon Powe, and Gabe Pruitt who will all be another year better. They just signed Patrick O'Bryant to back up Perk in the center and he has a lot of potential but is also a question mark at this point. So, who is left out there to fill the blanks at the wing positions off the bench? Tony Allen 6'4" 26 years old 6.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, 18.4 mpg The most obvious would be to resign Tony Allen on a 2 year league minimum contract. He didn't make a great impression on the league last season so I don't imagine he will be offered much more than that by another team. He's a potent slasher who can get to the rim thanks to a quick first step, and he's a thunderous finisher in transition. Like Posey, Tony excels on the defensive end of the court. Tony's athleticism makes him a very strong defender. The Celtics can re-sign him without using the MLE by using his Bird rights or a minimum contract. Matt Barnes 6'7" 28 years old Matt Barnes might be the free agent with the closest skill set to what the Celtics lost in James Posey. He is a hustle defender who can guard the 2, 3 or 4 and he can also hit big shots. His shooting draws big men away from the basket in the half court, and he handles the ball well enough to be a point forward at times. His toughness is valuable and his activity in the passing lanes makes him a threat to steal the ball. I think Danny can get him for a portion of the MLE just as he did Posey last season. Barnes would be my first choice along with a combination of Tony Allen and another player or two. Eddie House 6'1" 30 years old 7.5 ppg, 1.9 apg, .8 spg House wants to come back to Boston, but he wants more than the 1.5 million he got last year along with a longer contract than one year. House knows the system, played well last season and bought into ubuntu, never complaining when his minutes were cut and coming up with big shots in the playoffs. He is instant offense off the bench and can handle the point guard duties effectively. Danny shouldn't overpay for House, but if he can get him back for a reasonable contract, he should go for it. Maurice Evans 6'5" 29 years old 8.9 ppg, 1.1 apg, 3.1 rpg He can hit 3-pointers from the corner and will pull up from 17 off the dribble going to his left, plus he's a good rebounder for his size.Evans is a stay-at-home defender who rarely gambles for steals, but his size can be a negative when he's used at small forward. He's a poor dribbler but is strong and quite athletic. He'll throw down jams on the break but isn't as good in the halfcourt. Jannero Pargo 6'1" 28 years old 8.1 ppg, 2.4 apg, .6 spg With the signing of Posey, Pargo may have become more expendable. He hit some big shots in the playoffs for them and may have improved his stock. He has been mentioned as a target by several teams. He's quick and a decent shooter, so he can be very tough to guard when he gets rolling, but he isn't a great ball handler and tends to get called for carrying the ball at least once or twice a game. Defensively, Pargo struggles, which may eliminate him as a target for the Celtics as they built their team around defense last season. His lack of both size and strength makes him easy prey for opposing guards to post up, plus he gambles a too much. His quickness is an asset against fast guards, but on most nights he's a liability. Chris Andersen 6'10" 30 years old 1.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, .8 bpg Andersen is another player who may have become much more available with the signing of Posey. The Celtics have shown interest in him and he was in Boston for 2 days working out and talking with the Celtics. He should be available for the minimum or slightly above. He can back up the 4 and 5 and can defend the 3, 4 and 5 because of his sizes and athleticism. Stephon Marbury 6'1" 31 years old 13.9 ppg, 4.7 apg, .9 spg Marbury seems to be the odd man out in New York and there are reports that the Knicks will buy out the remainder of his contract. He has mentioned that he would like to play in Boston and KG has mentioned that they had a good relationship in Minny when they played there together. Pierce has mentioned that the Knicks should cut Marbury because he would fit better with a veteran team. Marbury isn't as explosive as he was in his prime, but he still is one of the strongest drivers in the league when going to his right. Marbury has improved his catch-and-shoot game the past couple seasons and his high-arcing 3-point shot has to be respected. Defensively, Marbury has the strength to handle matching up against shooting guards in a small backcourt. He does a reasonable job staying in front of point guards too. Marbury wouldn't do anything to replace Posey, but he could replace Cassell and House. The question with him would be attitude, but with KG on his case, that shouldn't be a problem in Boston. He also may sign for the minimum if NY gives him enough in his buyout. Ricky Davis 6'7", 31 years old 13.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg Ricky was one of my favorite players when he was in Boston. There were reports of his being a problem, but only after he was gone. Davis is one of the best midrange shooters in the league. He's absolutely deadly from 15 feet off the curl, especially on the left side of the court. He's also a very good passer.Davis locks in when guarding the ball, especially if it's a big-time scorer, but away from the play he tends to lose focus, not to mention his man. I doubt Danny would go for RickyD part 2, but he is an option and wouldn't be a bad one either. Quentin Ross 6'6" 27 years old 4.1 ppg, 1.2 apg, 43% 3P% Ross was all but useless offensively in his first two pro seasons, relying solely on his defensive skills to earn his playing time. But he has become more of an offensive threat, shooting 43% from beyond the arc last season. Ross' outstanding agility makes him one of the league's best defensive stoppers. He's not quite in the elite category because of physical limitations -- he's 6-6 so some bigger players can shoot over him, and at 193 pounds he's not as good in post defense as he is on the perimeter. However, he's great at staying in front of people and manages to be a pest at the same time -- he ranked in the top 20 at his position in both blocks and steals per minute. He would very likely sign for the minimum. Trenton Hassell 6'5" 29 years old 2 ppg, 1.3 rpg, .7 apg Hassell is a tough defender who does his best work against taller players. He's a good leaper who gets up to challenge shots even against 6-9 or 6-10 opponents, plus he has good quickness and a stopper's mentality. He never gambles -- he had the worst rate of steals per minute at his position -- but instead relies on his ability to challenge shots. Offensively, he is a liability. He can make the midrange shot when open, but shouldn't be counted on to make the big shots that Posey did. But, he would fill the hole left on defense that Posey's departure leaves. Bonzi Wells 6'5" 31 years old 9.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 apg One of the strongest guards in the league, Wells is nominally a shooting guard but prefers to play around the basket. He's tough to guard on the blocks, where he likes to shoot a high-arcing turn around jumpers. He is a very good rebounder and his rebound rate ranked first among all guards two seasons ago. He's not a good long-range shooter, however, shooting only 33% from beyond the arc for his career. Defensively, Wells has great anticipation that helps him to a very high steals rate. But he's also 31 and has had multiple knee surgeries, so beating him off the dribble isn't much of a challenge for quicker guards. As a result, Wells rarely guards top scorers and instead looks to intercede off the ball. There are more, but this gives hope that the Celtics can land a few good players who can give them the same qualities on the court that James Posey did. There are restricted free agents such as Josh Smith and Josh Childress, and Ryan Gomes who would be a great fit, but they are likely to demand much more than the Celtics are looking to spend and their teams would probably match any offer the Celtics could make. I think there are enough talented players out there that will give the Celtics a bench just as good if not better than last season. Now it is up to Danny to put Plan B into effect and find the right players at the right price.

Mixed Messages Free Agent Update

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:22:55 -0500

The Celtics made an offer to Corey Maggette. No they didn't. Yes they did. So, did they or didn't they? First, the Globe said that the Celtics made an offer to both Posey and Maggette on the first day of free agency. The Celtics have made contract offers to two forwards: Their own free agent, James Posey, and Clippers free agent Corey Maggette, sources told the Boston Globe. The most the Celtics could offer is the mid-level exception (about $5.8 million), and it's doubtful that they could sign both players. The terms of the offers were not disclosed. So, Celtics fandom spent the day trying to figure out how they planned to sign both if both accepted the offers. Did they offer Posey the MLE and Maggette the LLE or veteran's minumim and a chance for a ring? Or, did they offer Posey a non-Bird rights contract and Maggette the MLE? Or, some were even speculating that they were offering Ray to the Clippers in a sign and trade for Maggette. Speculation was running rampant. Then, the next day, Danny threw some water on the fire as this article appeared in the Herald: A team source insisted no offer was made to the former Clippers swingman, though Danny Ainge reportedly has talked to a number of players, including Maggette, as he attempts to build a pool of candidates in the event his top priority - signing James Posey - falls through. OK, so Danny didn't make an offer to Maggette. But then, in today's Globe there is this: A day after talking with Celtics coach Doc Rivers, a longtime family friend, Clippers free agent forward Corey Maggette said he is seriously considering an offer to join the NBA champions. Maggette said he is still in awe about being contacted by the Celtics and has been mulling over their contract offer as well as interest from several other teams. An NBA source said the Celtics offered Magette the full midlevel exception, expected to be worth $5.8 million. It gets curiouser and curiouser. So, Danny did make an offer to Maggette. According to this, he offered the full MLE to Maggette, but the same article says they offered only 12 million/3 years to Posey. Now, to me, getting Posey back is more important than luring Maggette. If they are willing to offer Maggette the full MLE, why not Posey. If they would go the full MLE over 3 years maybe Posey would consider it. Posey is a defensive stopper. Maggette is not. Defense wins championships. Enough said. If it takes a 4 year full MLE contract to keep Posey, Danny needs to do it. He is a winner if he goes to one of our rivals, he immediately puts them into title contention. All this as the San Antonio Express News reports that the Spurs are at the head of the line for Maggette's services as he is leaning toward going to the Spurs. And also the Philly Inquirer reports that Maggette is expected there next week. The Sixers are also talking to Josh Smith and Josh Childress. The LA Times reports that the Warriors are also trying to lure Maggette as they await news from Elton Brand on their offer to him. Hoopsworld reports that Maggette has narrowed his choices to the Spurs and the Celtics. It has been reported that the Lakers have offered a 5 year full MLE deal to Posey and if Boston doesn't match it, he will likely leave. Unlike most free agents, Posey has already won 2 rings and for him it is about the money. Although, wherever Posey goes, he will likely make them a winner as well. More on this to come, I am sure. Along with the offer to Posey and maybe offer to Maggette, Danny has been working out some other free agents in addition to the mini camp that ends today. The same Globe article lists center David Harrison, swingman Kirk Snyder, center Patrick O'Bryant, forward Darius Miles and Chris Andersen. Of that group, my choice would be Andersen. Other free agent news includes Gilbert Arenas agreeing to a $111 million 6 year deal. This is $16 million less than the max deal that the Wizards offered him. Arenas had this to say about the deal: "I'm basically giving back $16 million,'' Arenas told the Washington Times. "This is in line with what I've been saying the whole time. You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams. I don't wanna be one of those players and three years down the road your team is strapped and can't do anything about it.'' Newsday is reporting that Monta Ellis has received interest from 9 teams including the Knicks. Ellis reportedly is very interested in joining the Knicks. With new management and a real coach in Mike D'Antoni, New York is no longer the cesspool it was under Isiah Thomas and free agents are interested in going there. Last season the Lakers-Celtics rivalry was renewed. Could the Knicks-Celtics rivalry be renewed this season? ESPN Insider reports that the Mavs would like to re-sign Tyronn Lue but he is looking hard at Boston and Phoenix. No mention has been made in the Globe or Herald about any offer being made to Lue, but it wouldn't be surprising if they did since Lue is one of KG's best friends. I still think re-signing House and going with Pruitt is a better avenue for the Celtics to take since Eddie can play both guard spots very adequately and Pruitt seems to be poised to make a leap this season. Speaking about Phoenix, they are still searching for a back up point. Think they would like to take back that deal to send Rondo to Boston?

NBA All Hair Team

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:53:28 -0500

While watching Robin Lopez on draft night with his hat perched precariously on top of his voluminous hair, I started thinking about the other players who have wild hair. Here are the names, but you can go to the original article to see the photos of the NBA All Hair Team! First Team Joakim Noah Anderson Varejao Robin Lopez Josh Childress Ben Wallace Second Team Mike Miller Mikki Moore Robert Swift Chris Andersen Walter Hermann Honorable Mention Ron Artest Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur Dirk Nowitski Scot Pollard (one picture wasn't enough for this guy)

A Plan For the Celtics

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:54:14 -0500

he Celtics have 9 players under contract right now with a total payroll of 71,369,509. That alone is more than likely going to be over the salary cap and very close to luxury tax level. They also have 6 free agents: Tony Allen, James Posey, Sam Cassell, PJ Brown, Scot Pollard, and Eddie House. They have the MLE (5.8 million), the LLE(1.8 million) and veteran minimum salaries to work with in signing free agents. The first and more important priority has to be to do whatever it takes to sign James Posey. Posey is key to this team if they want to repeat. He is a player who will do whatever it takes to win. He is a lock down defender, capable of shutting down the opposing team's player. He rebounds, dives for loose balls, takes charges, hits the big shot in crunch time, and gives hugs to the starters before the game. Most importantly, he brings leadership and a championship mindset to the team. You just can't replace a guy like that. The Celtics biggest rivals: the Lakers, Pistons, and Cavaliers are all interested in luring Posey away from the Celtics. There is a very good reason for this. One of the problems that each team had with the Celtics was that none of them had anyone who could stop Paul Pierce. If they get James Posey, they have that player who is capable of stopping Pierce, along with every other star player in the league whether they are guards or forwards. They also had problems with players fading in crunch time. With Posey on their team, they have a player who consistently came up big in crunch time. Danny needs to do whatever it takes to keep James Posey in green. PJ Brown is planning to retire and Scot Pollard shouldn't be offered a contract. He isn't what this team needs. The Celtics need a center to back up Perk. Chris Andersen is in Boston talking to Danny and he would be a great back up center. He brings energy off the bench, is strong and a good defender. He wants to be a Celtic and Danny needs to sign him. I think he would take the veteran's minimum to play here since it would be a great situation for him. Sam Cassell should retire and join the Celtics coaching staff. He didn't work out as hoped last season and so if he wants to play another season, hopefully it will be elsewhere. The starting point guard spot is solidly filled with Rajon Rondo, but Danny needs to address the back up. Gabe Pruitt is looking strong in the Celtics' mini camp and I think he will be able to fill the back up point guard spot. For insurance, the Celtics also should re-sign Eddie House. House can back up both guard spots and if not needed at the point, he is a great shooter and could fill in for Ray at the 2. Also, he also is fully indoctrinated into ubuntu. He never complained when his minutes were severely cut in the playoffs and when he was called on, he came up big. Finally, with the 3 spots left, they can bring back Tony Allen for a veteran's minimum make good contract and keep Giddens and Walker with the team and give them a shot to prove themselves in practice and if they aren't getting enough playing time, they can go to the D-League to get some experience there. To me, keeping the same team together as much as possible would be key to winning again.

Free Agent News Updates

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:47:39 -0500

The Mavericks have been busy so far in the free agent market. First, they signed Gerald Green to a one year contract and now they have reached a verbal agreement with DeSagana Diop for the full mid-level exception in a five-year deal starting at nearly $6 million. I like Diop, but it seems a bit high to me. MySA reports that the Spurs are offering Corey Maggette the full MLE in a multi-year contract that begins around 6 million a year. In the meantime, the Herald refutes the reports that came out yesterday saying that Ainge made an offer to Maggette. A Celtics source, disputing several published reports, insisted today that Danny Ainge has not made a contract offer to free agent Corey Maggette - noting instead that Ainge has talked to several players, including the former Clipper, without making an offer. This tidbit comes by way of Redz on CelticsBlog: I just got a phone call from SShorefan who just got off a plane at logan. He spotted Chris Andersen there and asked him what was up. Andersen said he was in town to talk to the Celtics and SShorefan told him he hopes he signs here and Andersen said "me too". And for what its worth he was wearing snake skin boots and a Colorado Rockies hat (Andersen, not SShorefan - though he may have been too). Chris Andersen is meeting with Danny. I would like to see Danny sign him for the veteran's minimum. Andersen has to know that this would be a great place for him on a contender and playing with KG. The Hornets also want to resign Andersen so it may come down to which team he would rather play on. On Sports tonight, Marc Spears, who knows Andersen, said that he really wants to play here and that the Boston fans would love him. He went to dinner with Danny last night and today they will see if they can work something out. I think he would be a great fit for this team. The Knicks are busy. They have offered 2 years and 6 million to Chris Duhon but word is the Magic have offered 3 years. The Knicks have also contacted agents for Eddie House, Jannero Pargo, Tyronn Lue, and Sebastian Telfair. D'Antoni loves Lue and would like to get him, but I think Telfair would be the best fit there because of his New York ties. He still has a big following there and should come a lot cheaper than Duhon. I'd like for the Celtics to sign House. He played very well for the Celtics and could back up both guard spots if Pruitt can't handle the back up point. My second choice would be Lue although the Suns are rumored to have him at the top of their to do list. According to the Miami Herald, the Heat are also interested in both Lue and Telfair. Marc Bartlestein represents James Posey, Eddie House, JR Giddens and half the free agents the Celtics want to sign. The Celtics did another of his clients a big favor when they did the sign and trade to Miami for Antoine Walker to get him that big contract. It's time for Bartlestein to return the favor and help us out with getting the deal done with Posey. Come on Marc... for old times sake. Detroit is looking to make some moves to try to overtake the Celtics. According to the Detroit News, the Pistons have their eyes on at least three free-agent perimeter scorers: Mickael Pietrus, James Jones and C.J. Miles. They are also very interested in James Posey. According to the LA Times, the Lakers are willing to give Posey that long term full MLE contract he is looking for. Can the Celtics come close enough to lure him back? Who knows. I know Danny doesn't want to give him 4 or 5 years. I can imagine that he also wants to keep back a little of the MLE to be able to offer Walker a 3 year contract as he has with Gomes, Pruitt and Powe. Posey says he wants to stay in Boston but will he be willing to take less than he wants to do so? I don't think so. Poor Richard Jefferson is not happy with the trade that sent him to the Bucks. The Journal Sentinel reports that they haven't even been able to get him to come to Milwaukee to meet with them. You have to feel sorry for the Bucks. Last year they had to beg to get Yi to come there and now it is Richard Jefferson. I remember too many years when the Celtics couldn't get free agents to give them the time of day. Monte Ellis is asking for a $10 million long term contract extension. If the Warriors balk at it and don't give him what he wants, he can come back on the final season of his rookie contract and become an unrestricted free agent next season and go anywhere he wants. The tricky part of that is you need to have a great season before going out on free agency so if he doesn't get the contract done, look for Monte to have a great season. The Bulls have made their priority to resign Luol Deng who has already turned down a 5 year 57 milliion dollar offer. It was the Bulls' reluctance to include Deng in with any deal that kept them from making several trades last season including the KG trade. They better be willing to pay to keep him or they missed out on a lot for nothing. The Sixers are rumored to be making an offer for Elton Brand and are meeting with Josh Smith as well. Along with the moves being made by the other Atlantic division teams, the teams in this division will look a lot different this season. With new management and a real coach, the Knicks could make some noise. New Jersey will look a lot different. The Raptors have made some improvements and now the Sixers appear to be willing to use their cap space to make a move for some of the top free agents. And, of course, the Atlantic Division is now the home of the reigning world champs. Titanic division no more.

birdman meets in boston

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:18:38 -0500

the birdman and his agent had dinner with danny ainge last night. good sign? i think so.