http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4656 Recent articles about Chris Paul en-us The Chicago Bulls are having a tough time resigning Ben Gordon and Luol Deng to long term deals. One or both may be gone my the next season either via some sort of trade or free agency and Kirk Hinrich is coming off arguably his worst professional season. Over the last couple years the Bulls have continued to pile up some great young talent via the draft by trade and a little luck. So, should this new young talent of players, such as Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose, look to take over the team? Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:38:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294591 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294591 Roto Evil is: Real and Exotic and Really Entertaining like Russell and Erving, Rising and Elevating a Roto hoops Expert doing Research and Evaluating Rarely making Errors, accurate Ratings Emanating ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Respected and Established like Robinson, Eddie so Recklessly Eccentric, i Refused an ESPY a Rebel for Equality, Ready for my Enemies Reaching Equilibrium via Raw infinite Energy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ you Reckon my Ego is Really Exceeding? i'm Robbin' your Eggos and Rebuking your Eating now you're Rambling Endlessly, a disgraced Rogue Entity for Robertson and Elgin, i'm Representin' Especially ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ your Reality is Erroneous, your Rationale is Erratic your Repetition is Exhausting, my Randomness is Ecstatic you Recycle Excrement, you're Ruining Expectations my winning Record is Excellent, thus Receiving Exaltation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ my References are Esoteric, from Radja to Ekezie thanks to Revelatory Experiences this is Relatively Easy you're a Rude Emasculator a la Reggie Evans your Reach Extends to ten, but mine Roars to Eleven ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i Rotate and Evolve, spreading Roots Externally Rhymes so Exquisite you'll Remember Eternally this is Roto Evil, and if you Respectfully Enjoyed say R to the motherfuckin' E homeboy! Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:09:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294402 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294402 The hype is in full effect for Team America. Redemption, revenge, whatever you want to call it, Team USA is in the mood to dominate. And they're not just going to spank you. LeBron's holding a ball gag and a paddle and Kobe may have just thrown away the piece of paper with the safe-word... [continued] Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:29:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294349 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294349 It's no coincidence that most of the MSM has turned into a hype machine for Team USA and that's because these upcoming Olympic Games are the most important we've ever known, in terms of basketball. The Americans had their creation and their domination, and their ultimate tragic fall at the hands of hubris. We've heard it all: "Foreign teams train for months!", "We didn't even send our best players!", "Larry Brown suxorz!", "Why didn't we send any shooters?", etc., etc. What's done is done, and while the USA should not have lost in 2004 (and 2006, really), they did. There's no rewriting that, no matter what happens in August. But what Team USA does have a shot at is responding...[continued] Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:33:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293809 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293809 RAJON RONDO RAY ALLEN AND CHRIS PAUL BECAUSE ALL OF THEM ARE CUTE AND RAJON RONDO AND CHRIS PAUL ARE THE BEST POINT GUARDS I KNOW AND RAY ALLEN IS SO FINE BUT NOT FINE AS RAJON RONDO AND CHRIS PAUL SO I WANT EVERY BODY OUT THER 2 COMMENT ON THIS AND EVERY BODY I HOPE SHOULD SAY RAJON RONDO FIRST THANKZ AND I LUV U RONDO!!!!!!!!!!!! Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:23:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292674 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292674 Who is going and who is staying? More importantly, what sort of fantasy impact will the decisions made during NBA Free Agency have on fantasy GM's? Screaming Sports' Serena Hays takes a look at several early moves and answers those very questions. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:08:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292490 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292490 Deron Williams possesses all of the factors that determine whether a guy has a long successful career as a point guard : height, passing ability and shooting touch. If a guy satisfies just two of the factors, he will have a long NBA career; if he has all three, then he will be great. I tried Googling the ESPN.com article that covered the success-determining variables for a point guard, but I couldn't find it. In addition to height, Deron's got muscle; he's got the slashing ability to supplement his passing ability; and he's got the explosion and defense to match his shooting touch. The way he runs the court reminds me of a young Jason Kidd : Deron is like a truck. If defenders don't have to worry about what poison from Deron's arsenal they have to choose, they have to worry about getting run over. That's absolute insanity - and the Utah Jazz did a wise job in getting the deal done. ( We have a nice video after the jump ) Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:50:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292320 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292320 A couple of weeks ago, Chris Paul re-signed with the Hornets. Now it's Deron Williams' turn. "According to league sources, Williams agreed to a three-year extension with a player option for the fourth year. The deal will pay Williams the maximum allowed by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement and the earliest he can become a free agent would be the summer of 2012..." (Read the rest after the jump.) Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:29:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292200 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292200 I am a big fan of all of Dynasty's clients, including one of our great bowlers, Tommy Jones. I am also a huge fan of Chris Paul. I absolutely love his style and the way he plays the game of basketball. Thus, I was thrilled to find out that Tommy Jones has been invited to be one of five bowlers that will participate in the inaugural Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational. The Invitational will take place at the AMF Major League Lanes in Winston-Salem, NC, on Sept. 20 taped for broadcast on ESPN, airing on Oct. 19 to kick off the 2008-09 50th Anniversary Denny's PBA Tour season. The Invitational also marks the first time professional athletes from other sports will partner with professional bowlers for a bowling event with a dedicated telecast. You better believe that I will be in attendance alongside Dynasty's Bowling Director, Bruce Falcon. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:09:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292172 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292172 All the waiting has finally come to an end as the Boston Herald reports that the New Orleans Hornets signed forward James Posey to a four-year, $25 million dollar deal earlier this afternoon. About a month ago, Posey was making his presence felt in the playoffs as a Boston Celtic, a real spark plug off the bench for the 2008 NBA Champions. Posey came up with some clutch three-pointers and some stellar defense that certainly helped fortify his future. The Celtics were apprehensive about signing Posey for around 5 million for four years. (They made a big mistake by giving $1 million to Brian Scalibrine). Posey stated in an interview with Comcast Sportsnet that the free agency negotiations has been "frustrating". "It is what it is. I'm just taking things one day at a time." Posey almost sounded like he knew he probably wouldn't be back. Today proves that statement. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:37:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291262 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291262 ...you're Stephon Marbury and you check out ESPN.com this morning, only to find the following headline: "Goodbye Marbury? Knicks to sign guard Roberson" Now it wouldn't be so bad if that headline read any of the following: "Goodbye Marbury? Knicks to sign guard Steve Nash" "Goodbye Marbury? Knicks to sign guard Chris Paul" or even "Goodbye Marbury? Knicks to sign guard Dan Dickau" But Roberson? Honestly, I didn't know who Roberson was - I assumed a "T" was missing in his name. Apparently not - his name is Anthony Roberson. He played 20 games last year and averaged 5.6 ppg and 0.5 apg. Yes, Mr. Starbury, you're being replaced by a guy who cracked 10 points in a game just once last year...it also happened to be the only game where he registered more than one assist. So there's your replacement, Stephon. In the meantime, you can cash in that $19 million per year paycheck, and reminisce about the days when you would pour in 20+ points a night, and dish out 8 or 9 dimes. A guy who should be in the D-League is running your team. How the mighty have fallen. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:51:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291177 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291177 It would be an enormous upset if the Sonics defeat the Hornets here. With a lineup of Jamaal Magloire, David West, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Baron Davis, plus Ricky Davis coming off the bench, it would be an absolute shocker if the Hornets don't go real deep in the Keep Your Picks Playoff. Expert Picks Pickard: New Orleans Hornets Estimated Game Time: Thursday July 10 (8 PM EST) Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:38:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288704 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288704 This headline just grabbed my attention when I read it over at Skeets' Ball Don't Lie. LeBron James and Chris Paul actually lost a pickup game in basketball? Playing together no less? The details from CBS Sports: The five-man team led by James and Paul lost. Three times, in fact. Swear to LeBron, a team [...] Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:01:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288382 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288382 While other NBA superstars are enjoying their offseason vacationing or just relaxing, Lebron James and Chris Paul stopped by a summer camp with some of the NCAA's top athletes and decided to compete in a few pickup games. Along with newly drafted Darnell Jackson and a couple of LBJ's former high school teammates, they took on several teams and went a combined 4-3... Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:40:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288016 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288016 Baron Davis led the Golden State Warriors to one playoff appearance in three seasons and he has been injury-prone for most of his career, so the Warriors understandably declined to offer him a long term contract extension--but they inexplicably are reportedly willing to pay more than $100 million to pry Gilbert Arenas away from the Washington Wizards. Fortunately for Golden State fans, the Warriors apparently will not have a chance to overpay Arenas because the Wizards and Arenas have reached a verbal agreement for $111 million over six years (contracts cannot be signed until July 9 when the precise amount of next season's salary cap is calculated). If that deal goes through it will be the sixth largest NBA contract signed since the implementation of the 1999 Collective Bargaining Agreement. While the L.A. Lakers--who signed Kobe Bryant for $136.4 million in 2004--and the San Antonio Spurs--who signed Tim Duncan for $122 million in 2003--are undoubtedly pleased with the return they have received on their sizable investments, the Indiana Pacers (Jermaine O'Neal, $126.6 million in 2003) and Sacramento Kings (Chris Webber, $122.7 million in 2001) surely have experienced serious buyers' remorse. It remains to be seen what the Orlando Magic will think of the $126 million investment they made in Rashard Lewis in 2007 but that seems to be an awfully steep price for a player who has made one All-Star appearance in 10 NBA seasons. Arenas missed 69 games due to injury last season, was a shell of his former self during the playoffs and missed the entire 2007 postseason due to injury. He has led the Wizards past the first round of the playoffs once in five seasons. The word "elite" is poorly defined in reference to NBA players and it is thrown around far too casually. Bottom line: if you are not on one of the three All-NBA Teams--or a player who deserved to be there but clearly got snubbed--then you are not an elite player. An All-Star is not an elite player; every year there are 24 All-Stars plus another 5-10 players who could just as easily have made the cut. An elite player must be no worse than one of the top five players at his position and one of the top 15 players in the NBA. Even when fully healthy, Davis and Arenas operate at the fringes of elite territory: Arenas made the All-NBA Second Team in 2007 and the All-NBA Third Team in 2005 and 2006, while Davis made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004. Of course, the most relevant issue is the likelihood that they will be elite players in the future. Let's compare Arenas and Davis to the truly elite NBA point guards. 1) Chris Paul is the gold standard for current NBA point guards. He scores, passes, rebounds and defends. His main weakness is that because he is only 6-0, 175 he can be posted up by bigger point guards and in certain situations he can be taken advantage of defensively when switching pick and roll plays. His shooting touch was a bit suspect prior to this season but Paul largely put those concerns to rest by putting up career high numbers in field goal percentage (.488), three point field goal percentage (.369) and free throw percentage (.851); however, in the playoffs he shot poorly from three point range (.238). Key 2007-08 numbers: 21.1 ppg, 11.6 apg (first in the NBA), 4.0 rpg, 2.7 spg (first in the NBA), .488 FG%, .369 3FG%, .851 FT% in the regular season; 24.1 ppg, 11.3 apg, 4.9 rpg, 2.3 spg, .502 FG%, .238 3FG%, .785 FT% in the playoffs while leading Hornets to the second round. Finished second in MVP voting, made the All-NBA First Team. 2) Steve Nash won the 2005 and 2006 MVPs. It should be obvious that he was not in fact the best all-around player in the NBA during those seasons but it is equally obvious that he was the best point guard in the league during that time and that is all that is relevant in this discussion. Nash finished second to Dirk Nowitzki in the 2007 MVP voting but was still the best point guard in the NBA. Last season, Paul ended Nash's three year reign as the assist champion and Paul also took the crown as the best point guard. Nash is the best pure shooter among NBA point guards and he is a tremendous passer, particularly in pick and roll situations. Nash is a poor one on one defender and his weakness in that area has really hurt Phoenix during the playoffs. Key 2007-08 numbers: 16.9 ppg, 11.1 apg (second in the NBA), 3.5 rpg, .7 spg, .504 FG%, .470 3FG% (second in the NBA), .906 FT% (fifth in the NBA) in the regular season; 16.2 ppg, 7.8 apg, 2.8 rpg, .4 spg, .457 FG%, .300 3FG%, .917 FT% in the playoffs during a 4-1 first round loss. Finished ninth in MVP voting, made the All-NBA Second Team. 3) Deron Williams will likely be battling with Paul for many years to earn recognition as the NBA's best point guard. The 6-3, 210 Williams is significantly bigger and more physically powerful than Paul but he is not as explosively quick and is a surprisingly poor rebounder considering his size and strength. I'd give Nash a slight edge over Williams in 2008 based on Nash's shooting prowess and his greater amount of experience but I expect Williams to be the superior player starting next season. Key 2007-08 numbers: 18.8 ppg, 10.5 apg (third in the NBA), 3.0 rpg, 1.1 spg, .507 FG%, .395 3FG%, .803 FT% in the regular season; 21.6 ppg, 10.0 apg, 3.6 rpg, .6 spg, .492 FG%, .500 3FG%, .773 FT% in the playoffs while leading the Jazz to the second round. Finished 12th in the MVP voting, made the All-NBA Second Team. 4) Tony Parker has yet to make the All-NBA Team even once but he is worthy of being considered an elite point guard in light of his 2007 Finals MVP performance and the fact that he has been a vital contributor to three championship teams as the starting point guard. Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili divide the scoring load pretty evenly and Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich limits their regular season minutes to preserve them for the playoffs, which means that none of the Spurs' "Big Three" put up huge regular season statistics. Parker is not as good of a pure shooter as Paul, Nash or Williams, nor is Parker quite as adept as those guys in terms of playmaking, but Parker's blazing quickness and ability to finish strongly at the rim make him very difficult to contain. Parker has wisely slashed his three point attempts from a career-high 243 in 2002-03 (his second season) to 36, 38 and 66 the past three seasons. Nash had better regular season numbers than Parker but Parker completely outplayed Nash in the Spurs' win over the Suns in the first round. Key 2007-08 numbers: 18.8 ppg, 6.0 apg, 3.2 rpg, .8 spg, .494 FG%, .258 3FG%, .715 FT% in the regular season; 22.4 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.7 rpg, .9 spg, .497 FG%, .350 3FG%, .753 FT% while leading the Spurs to a 4-1 loss to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Paul, Nash and Williams were the only point guards on this year's three All-NBA Teams. The other guards (Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Manu Ginobili) are shooting guards, as is Denver's Allen Iverson, who received the most points (116) in the voting of any player who did not make the team. Chauncey Billups and Baron Davis received slight consideration, amassing 38 and 32 points respectively; Ginobili, the last guard on the All-NBA Third Team, received 123 points, while Williams--who had the lowest total of the three point guards who made the cut--had 228 points. Billups could perhaps be granted "elite emeritus" status based on his 2004 Finals MVP, his fifth place finish in the 2006 MVP voting and a pair of selections to the All-NBA Team (Second Team in 2006, Third Team in 2007), but he is a level below Paul, Nash, Williams and Parker now. In the 2007-08 regular season, Billups put up these numbers: 17.0 ppg, 6.8 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.3 spg, .448 FG%, .401 3FG%, .918 FT%. His performance declined across the board in the playoffs.Davis had an excellent season, perhaps the best all-around campaign of his career when you consider both production and durability, but I would not take him over Paul, Nash, Williams or Parker. Davis averaged 21.8 ppg, 7.6 apg (sixth in the NBA), 4.7 rpg, 2.3 spg (third in the NBA), .426 FG%, .330 3FG% and .750 FT% in 2007-08. Davis settles for jumpers and three pointers far too frequently, a flaw that he shares with Arenas, who played in just 13 regular season games and four playoff games in 2007-08. At his best, Davis is an explosive talent who can physically dominate bigger players but his shot selection, subpar shooting ability and inconsistent defense render him a less reliable player than the truly elite point guards. Similarly, Arenas is a streak shooting talent who can be dazzling when he is hitting his shots but his shot selection is poor, his defense is worse than Davis' and he often seems to be more concerned about being the center of attention than winning games.Davis and Arenas are not better than Paul, Nash, Williams or Parker and thus it is very difficult to objectively justify awarding a maximum contract to either of them. I say "objectively" because there are many other considerations that come into play: marketing, ticket sales, the reaction of the fan base of their respective teams, etc. However, purely on the basis of their individual skill sets and their ability to lead a championship contending team, neither Arenas nor Davis are worthy of receiving maximum contracts. Arenas is being lauded now for "giving back" $16 million instead of insisting on receiving the absolute maximum deal from the Wizards--I put "giving back" in quotation marks because you cannot really give something back that you never had in the first place; Arenas said, "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." That is a laudable sentiment but even at this supposedly "discounted" rate Arenas is still vastly overpaid and it is questionable how much the Wizards will be able to do with that $16 million, an amount that could do a lot of good in the real world but does not necessarily give the team that much ability to significantly upgrade the roster. I commend Arenas for making that gesture but I still maintain that with him as the featured--and highest paid--player the Wizards will not get past the second round of the playoffs.OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK The First Six "Governors" of Red Sox Nation Announced - The Biz of Baseball MLB TV Ratings Down. Networks Look Past All-Star Game - The Biz of Baseball XM Satellite Radio Has Complete Coverage of All-Star Gm - The Biz of Baseball MLB Names Jacqueline Parkes as CMO - The Biz of Baseball Linkin Park, MLB Properties Hook-up For 3rd Year - The Biz of Baseball Wrigley Field It Is: NHL Outdoor Classic in Chicago Jan. 1 - The Biz of Baseball Passing Gas? Rays, Hess to Give Away $5 Cards on July 18 - The Biz of Baseball All-Star Game Starters, Reserves, and Pitchers Announced - The Biz of Baseball Is the Ed Wade/Shawn Chacon Altercation a First? - The Biz of BaseballYou Really Like Me! Rays See Highest TV Ratings Ever - The Biz of Baseball Chicago's Wrigley Field to Host Next Outdoor Classic on New Years Day - The Biz of Hockey Jaromir Jagr First Major NHL Player to Crossover to Continental Hockey League - The Biz of Hockey Free Agent Signings - July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey NHL Free Agent Listing As of July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey Ducks owner Henry Samueli Suspended by NHL - The Biz of Hockey NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey Commissioner Roger Goodell to Be First American Sports League Exec to Visit Iraq - The Biz of FootballDan Patrick and Keith Olbermann to Reumite for NBC's "Football Night in America" - The Biz of FootballXM Satellite Radio Locks Up SEC. Adds Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Vanderbilt - The Biz of Football Don Imus, "Pacman" Jones and Media Correctness - The Biz of Football 15,000 General Admission Tickets for London NFL Game Sell Out in 30 min. - The Biz of Football Papa Replaces Gumbel as NFL Network's Play-by-Play Announcer - The Biz of Football TNT Lands Full Slate of Sponsors For "Wide Open Coverage" Telecasts - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports David Friedman is a weekly contrinutor to the Business of Sports Network. To read more of his basketball articles, just take a 20 Second Timeout. His general sports commentary can be found at Best Ever Sports Talk, where "Rafael Nadal is Coming for That Number One Spot," "Torres' Tough Training Pays Off," "Brett Favre's Selfishness" and "Dara Torres Turns Back the Clock in Bid to Make Olympic Team for Fifth Time" are among the subjects that have been recently discussed. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:12:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287949 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287949