http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4595 Recent articles about Kenyon Martin en-us A Daily Babble Production So appears to be the case. The rumors have been coming for a while about possible changes in scenery for Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, but the Bulls may in fact be receiving suitors for a third member of their back-court, and he is easily the least desirable one to have in town. The Daily Herald's Mike McGraw reports (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=224618) that the Bulls have discovered interest in Larry Hughes. Given that Hughes is scheduled to make more than $26 million over the next two seasons, any deal involving him would likely involve Chicago receiving another team's big contract in return. In that vein, McGraw names Portland (Joel Przybilla), New York (Jared Jeffries), Dallas (Erick Dampier) and Denver (Kenyon Martin) as some of the potential trading partners for the Bulls. While our-trash-for-your-trash deals aren't geared to be all that wonderful for either side, that the Bulls are even drawing inquiries for Hughes remains stunning to me. Managing to move this guy, particularly for an interior player (even if that interior player is overpaid and underproductive) could be a coup for Hicag. Read More.. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3713 Itemid=260)All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA... Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:06:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299692 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/299692 It's the dog days of summer for Celtics fans. Too early to think about training camp and nothing is going on with the team. There were no new basketball articles in the Globe and the Herald just had one about Deng's new contract and Artest's trade. I still think Danny has something up his sleeve. We get little tidbits like Boston offered a sign and trade for Delonte but nothing definite. Makes you wonder who Danny was including in the trade from the Celtics. Personally I think the Cavs need a glue guy like Scal. It seems like a long time till training camp. The schedule is due out next week and that may give us something to talk about for awhile. There will be the Olympics and speaking of the Olympics, the Celtics 2nd round draft pick didn't look too bad on the Turkish national team against team USA. We can look forward to seeing him with the Celtics in a year or two. Another observation: D Wade is one of those players who just doesn't look right bald. NBA front-office sources are reporting that the Lakers were very disappointed not to land Artest. But, L.A. was reluctant to part with Lamar Odom and were even more reluctant to take Kenny Thomas along with Artest. Sacramento ultimately relented on its insistence that any team acquiring Artest take Kenny Thomas, as well, dropping that condition and agreeing to Houston's offer because the Kings are essentially coming away with two first-round picks for Artest. Artest for his part is thrilled to be rejoining Rick Adelman who was his coach when he first arriced in Sacramento. Yao is a bit concerned about the Rockets' new acquisition and had this to say about it: "We worry about the new attitude to the team. We are adding talent to the team and we need that, but building team chemistry is important. This is not bad. I don't mean he is not welcome to Houston. But a new player always needs some time. "Also, he was the biggest part of a team in Sacramento. He was a star player. We need more chemistry and more communication." "There's worry. Obviously, yes," said Yao. "We will think about it, of course. Hopefully, he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands. I'd say that Yao has good reason to be concerned. Artest has caused problems everywhere he has gone, both on and off the court. He has been charged with domestic abuse and animal cruelty. He has charged into the stands and attacked a fan. He has decided to take time off from playing to promote his rap CD. And, he has caused chemistry problems in both Indiana and Sacramento. However, he did seem to behave when he was playing for Rick Adelman so maybe Yao can relax a little, hopeful of his coach's ability to control the loose cannon that is Ron Artest. The Bulls finalized a six-year, $71 million contract with Luol Deng on Wednesday and the new deal includes incentives that could increase the total value to $80 million. With new contract in hand, Deng is scheduled to leave for the European Championships, where he will play for the British team. The Bulls remain far apart in negotiations with Ben Gordon. Gordon's agent has told the Bulls that Gordon should be the highest-paid player on the team because he has led the team in scoring each of the last three seasons. Deng got the big contract in spite of his declining from 18.8 points per game to 17 in an injury plagued season last year. The Bulls aren't expected to guarantee up to $80 million over a maximum six years for Gordon, so if negotiations continue to stall, the sides might pursue a sign-and-trade deal. Gordon would have to approve such a move. Gordon also has strongly considered signing the team's qualifying offer of $6.4 million for next season, after which he would be an unrestricted free agent. Along with signing Deng and negotiating with Gordon, the Bulls have been busy pursuing trades as well. They were very interested in trying to acquire Nenad Krstic before he decided to go to Europe. They have also had discussions with Sacramento about center Brad Miller according to a league source. Reportedly, the Bulls are offering Nocioni as trade bait. The Bulls also had some interest from teams wanting guard Larry Hughes, as long as they're willing to take a big contract back in return. Since the Bulls need to thin out their backcourt rumors are that the possibilities include Joel Przybilla, Jared Jeffries, Erick Dampier or Kenyon Martin. The Denver Nuggets announced on Wednesday that they have signed Dahntay Jones to a contract. Jones was a former first-round pick by the Boston Celtics in 2003. He was sent to the Grizzlies in the trade that brought Marcus Banks and Kendrick Perkins to the Celtics and he played his first three seasons in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Clippers have been making news by signing players and losing players and now they have waived one. On Wednesday, the Clippers announced that they had waived 6'9" forward Josh Powell. Powell averaged 5.5 PPG, 5.20 RPG and 0.7 APG in 19 mpg last season. The Clippers got a real deal when they signed Ricky Davis for $2.3 million a year. I really like Ricky and hope he can finally shake off all the negativity that has in most cases followed him. The Clippers are also trying to re-sign free agent point guard Shaun Livingston. He is an intriguing prospect. If he can stay healthy he could be something very special. Former Cavs guard J.R. Bremer is the latest NBA player to jump to Europe. Bremer has signed a two-year, $5 million deal with Moscow Dynamo Triumph. He will join former New Jersey center Nenad Krstic on the Triumph roster. Krstic signed a two-year deal worth $3 million euros (about $9 million U.S., when figuring in taxes). There have been rumors from the Suns that both Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa are on the trading block. The Cavs have been rumored to be interested in Barbosa but now, an NBA source said the Suns may not be making him available after all. However, the source said that Boris Diaw might be available to be traded. The Suns are still looking for a point guard to back up Steve Nash. They have to keep going back to the 2007 draft and kicking themselves for giving away Rajon Rondo to the Celtics. The Lakers have confirmed that they have invited Robert "Tractor" Traylor in for a private workout to be conducted Thursday. Traylor has not played in the NBA since the 2004-2005 season, when he averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 74 games with the Cavs. If the workout goes well, Traylor likely would be signed to a non-guaranteed contract and invited to training camp. Traylor was the 6th pick in the 1998 draft and has never come close to fulfilling the expectations for him. He has the distinction of having been picked before both Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce and we all know how both of those players worked out. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:05:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298612 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298612 Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets and rapper Trina were involved in a car accident Friday in Belize. The 6′9″ forward and his girlfriend traveled to Belize for a peace rally and basketball tournament. The accident occurred while they were being led by police escort from the airport to another destination. From the sounds of [...] Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:16:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296676 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296676 Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets and rapper Trina were involved in a car accident Friday in Belize. The 6′9″ forward and his girlfriend traveled to Belize for a peace rally and basketball tournament. The accident occurred while they were being led by police escort from the airport to another destination. From the sounds of [...] Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:16:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296676 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296676 In the Zzone reports that the Nets' free agent Bostjan Nachbar will be heading to Europe. According to legaue sources, Nachbar will sign with Dynamo Moscow in Russia. Another of the Nets' free agents, Nenad Krstic has also received offers to play overseas but would prefer to remain in the NBA. The Nets may be looking for a sign and trade with him. Not everyone is chomping at the bit for a big payday overseas. Will Bynum left lucrative offers overseas for a shot at making it to an NBA team. He played with the Pistons summer league team hoping to stick with the team as their No. 3 point guard. Bynum's gamble paid off and has agreed to a multi-year deal with Detroit. Bynum was signed by the Celtics in 2005 after he played with their summer league team. It was Bynum's signing that he and Tony Allen were celebrating when Tony was charged with assault in that night club shooting. The first of the Pistons' three second-round picks in last month's NBA draft, Walter Sharpe, is expected to sign a two-year deal as well. The Nuggets are looking to continue their cost cutting spree. After giving away Marcus Camby for a second round draft pick, word is that the Nuggets would trade Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin or Nene, if anybody wanted them. Iverson has the most trade value with an expiring $20.84 million contract, he would be valuable to a team looking to clear salary-cap room for next summer. If the Nuggets, like every other team in the league, want to try to clear cap space for the summer of 2010, when LeBron and several other key stars will be free agents, then it might make sense for them to give away Iverson for nothing, as they did with Camby. The Knicks are have a new GM and a new coach. Isiah Thomas has been banished to NBA Siberia or something like that, but the Knicks still are struggling. They had the 6th pick in the draft and chose 19-year-old Danilo Gallinari. In his lone Summer League game for the Knicks, Gallinari went scoreless in the first 2½ quarters and then had an impressive seven minutes in the second half when he scored 14 points. After suffering a back injury in their game against Cleveland, he missed the final 4 games. The NY Post raises the issue that Gallinari's summer league makes the Knicks question whether he'll be durable enough to withstand the NBA's physical pounding for 82 games. A European source said Gallinari had various hamstring and knee problems in Italy, but a Knicks source said that was "growing pains." Ok, if they say so. Mark Bartlestein, who was instrumental in getting James Posey a big payday in New Orleans, is also Eddie House's agent and coincidentally, he is also the agent for Devean George, who has been linked to the Celtics in rumors lately. After the Celtics re-signed his client Eddie House, Bartelstein said the Celtics are interested in another of his free-agent clients: forward Devean George. Eric Pincus, a contributor to Hoopsworld for the Lakers and Clippers had this to say about George on the CelticStuff list: I know George well – he's athletic – can shoot – and is a better than average defender. He's not a particularly bright basketball player though – doesn't have a great handle – and can't do much more than spot up. He also gets hurt a lot – and doesn't play through pain well – especially because the core of his game is athleticism – when that's hampered he can be quite useless. I am not a big fan of signing him. He proved what kind of a team player he is when he almost blocked the trade for Jason Kidd. I would have much rather had Matt Barnes. I am sure that Danny knows what he is doing though and we'll have to see what he has up his sleeve. The Star Tribune is reporting that the Timberwolves have agreed to a multi-year contract with Sebastian Telfair. Telfair is another one of those players with potential and when he finally gets his head right will be a player. The Wolves now have 2 point guards on the roster in Randy Foye and Telfair. Still unsigned is Ryan Gomes who reportedly is seeking the full MLE. It seems that either he will have to go elsewhere or settle for less. It sure would be nice if he would agree to half the MLE in order to come back to Boston. He would be a great fit for the Celtics. Some have speculated that Josh Childress is waving the offer in Greece in front of the Hawks as a bargaining chip. However, Childress and his advisory team, including his agents are in Greece meeting with officials from Olympiakos. It's doubtful that the entire group would have gone all the way to Greece simply to dupe the Hawks. He is seriously considering signing there. The Pacers had a couple of decisions after making a big splash with the Jermaine O'Neal trade. They need help in the frontcourt, it won't be from 7'0" center David Harrison. Team officials said last week they are going in a different direction and have no interest in re-signing Harrison. Shawne Williams has had some problems off the court in the past year and the Pacers would like to rid themselves of Williams and his problems, but Pacers president Larry Bird says that he doesn't believe in buying out contracts, an issue that has arisen in regard to Williams and Jamaal Tinsley. So, if they want to rid themselves of yet another player with baggage, it will have to be via a trade. Seems that Larry should have tacked Williams on to O'Neal and shipped him off to Canada. If nothing comes up in the physical that Matt Barnes is completing today, he will be signing a veteran's minimum one year contract with the Suns today. I still say he would have been a nice fit with the Celtics. Finally, this rumor is pretty mind blowing. The SacBee is reporting that Detroit may be putting together a package for Ron Artest. Now wouldn't the Detroit fans just love having Billy Ron Ron there? After that brawl, Artest has been pretty much a villain in the Palace. This is one I'll have to see to believe. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:45:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293819 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293819 Here are the 7 myths Nuggets fans shouldn't buy into in the post-Camby world. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:18:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291478 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291478 Free-agent forward Eduardo Najera will sign a four-year, $12 million contract with the New Jersey Nets, a league source with knowledge of the negotiations said. Najera's agreement comes one day after the Nets reached agreement with free-agent swingman Jarvis Hayes on a two-year, $4 million deal. Najera and Hayes are both represented by Dan Fegan, who has a strong relationship with Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe. They got together on several players, including Kenyon Martin and Nene, when Vandeweghe helped run the Denver Nuggets. Fegan also represents new Net Yi Jianlian. Najera, who turned 32 on Friday, is an eight-year veteran who spent the past 3½ seasons in Denver. The physical forward also developed into a three-point threat last season, making 36.1 percent of his attempts. As the Nets begin rebuilding with a core of young players, Najera and Hayes should help strengthen the team's bench. The Nets valued Hayes' scoring potential and athleticism. Hayes, 26, played for the Detroit Pistons last season after spending four years with the Washington Wizards, where he had been a lottery pick in 2003. He averaged a career-low 6.7 points in the regular season, and played a diminished role in the playoffs, appearing just once in the Pistons' six-game Eastern Conference finals loss to the Boston Celtics. Still, Hayes has a three-point touch and the ability to defend the perimeter that intrigued several contenders, including the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:16:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289346 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289346 In our second part of the Denver Stiffs Draft Preview, we make recommendations for who the Nuggets should pick up. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:26:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282086 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282086 After Ty Lawson decided to pull out of the NBA Draft, within hours of the expected deadline, the Denver Nuggets must now turn their attention elsewhere in hopes of finding the right player in the draft. Luckily, for the Nuggets, they have a few to choose from. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:10:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280673 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280673 Comparing active ex-Nugget players to the current Nuggets roster and asking: who would win? Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:04:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278632 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278632 Who are the most untradeable players in the NBA? Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:43:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275367 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275367 During the 2003-04 season, the Denver Nuggets sent three first round draft picks to the New Jersey Nets for Kenyon Martin. The deal that may have single handedly doomed the Nuggets franchise for the next five years. www.rawsportsblog.com Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:33:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274002 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274002 The draft is on June 26th, but in the meantime, I thought I'd break down each of the number one picks for the last 27 years. (Why 27 years? 1980 was the first year in the three-pointer era, and thus the modern era of basketball. Of course those from 1980 until 1983 or so were still adjusting to the new three pointer, so those stats will be a little skewed. Naturally Oden will have to be left out, considering he hasn't begun his NBA career yet... Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:12:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273269 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273269 J.R. Smith, pack your bags. Your time is up in a powder blue uniform. Smith has had a history of un-cooperation with the Nuggets and seems to be dysfunctional when he is not touching the ball or his shots are not falling. His refusal to work as a member of a team and his me-first demeanor as plagued him during his time up North, and has a visible effect on coach George Karl. www.rawsportsblog.com Thu, 29 May 2008 21:22:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272289 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272289 To the surprise of no one, D-Howard, Amare & Chandler led the NBA in dunks this past season. But what about everyone else? All 353 NBA players who recorded at least 1 dunk in '07-08 are listed below. I have included a few special categories as well: Most Dunks per Game, Most Dunks by Rookies, Most Dunks by Players Over 30, Most Dunks by Players Under 6-4, Most Dunks by a Team, and Fewest Dunks by a Team. Thu, 08 May 2008 08:39:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264718 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264718