http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4666 Recent articles about Mickael Pietrus en-us LAST SEASON The Warriors were an impressive 48-34 (their best record since '93-94), but they failed to make the playoffs in the ultra-tough Western Conference. Fantasy-wise, they were one of the top teams, as their 98.8 pace factor (2nd) helped them to finish 1st in points, 1st in field goal attempts, 1st in three point attempts, 2nd in steals, and 6th in total rebounds. OFFSEASON MOVES Key Additions: Corey Maggette, Marcus Williams, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph, Richard Hendrix Key Losses: Baron Davis, Mickael Pietrus, Matt Barnes, Austin Croshere, Patrick O'Bryant It was a VERY busy offseason for Chris Mullin & company. After Baron Davis exercised his opt-out clause at the last minute to bolt for L.A., they were left scrambling to try and replace the man who revitalized their franchise. Step 1: sign Corey Maggette to replace Baron's scoring punch. I think $50 million for 5 years is way too much money (3 years, $20 million sounds right to me), but there's no denying his ability to put the ball in the hole. Step 2: add the high-energy Ronny Turiaf for interior defense and frontcourt depth. The Warriors have been missing an athletic banger for years, and for $17 million over 4 years, I like this move a lot. Step 3: bring in a talented point guard (Marcus Williams) with the potential to blossom. Step 4: bring back Azubuike to lessen the blow of losing both Pietrus & Barnes. Step 5: re-sign Monta Ellis & Andris Biedrins to long-term deals. At just 22 years old and improving every year, both guys are franchise cornerstones. Not to be forgotten are the Warriors' rookies. Randolph is a super-skinny forward with versatile skills and a promising future. He proved to be very adept at getting to the free throw line in Summer League action, but it remains to be seen how much he'll contribute as a rookie. I was hoping the Warriors would draft Richard Hendrix in Round 2, and they did just that. He's a coach's son who graduated college in THREE years, and has been compared to fellow 2nd rounders Paul Millsap & Carl Landry. And last but not least is the undrafted Anthony Morrow. In 7 Summer League games, Morrow averaged 18.1 points and made 17-of-23 threes, and was so impressive that the Warriors inked him to a 2-year deal. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME Let's start at center, where Biedrins started 59 games and played 29 mpg in those, but then came off the bench for 17 games and played just 21.9 mpg, resulting in a 27.4 average. Al Harrington also started 59 games and averaged 27.0 minutes of action. For '08-09, I'm projecting 30 minutes for Biedrins, 24-26 minutes for Harrington, and 20-22 minutes for the newcomer Turiaf. Brandan Wright played just 9.9 minutes per in 38 games as a rookie, but he should get at least 12 minutes per in 60+ games as a sophomore. Kosta Perovic & Hendrix will battle for the remaining big man minutes. At the swingman spots, Stephen Jackson (39.1 mpg) and Maggette (35.7 mpg) will likely start and play big minutes once again. I'm currently projecting 36-38 minutes for S-Jack, 34-36 minutes for Maggette, and 18-20 minutes for Azubuike off the bench. Monta Ellis (38.0 mpg) is currently slated to start at PG for the Warriors. I'm projecting him to play 38 minutes once again while he splits his time evenly at both guard spots. Marcus Williams could potentially start at point (which makes him worth a last round gamble), but right now I'm projecting him to come off the bench and play 16-18 minutes per game. This means there won't be many minutes left for Marco Belinelli and the Anthony rookies (Randolph & Morrow) unless someone gets hurt. DON'T SLEEP ON: Andris Biedrins Last season, Biedrins was just a few rebounds shy of averaging a double-double, a feat that only 9 players accomplished. Of course, this didn't stop him from pulling down an NBA season-high 26 boards against the Knicks, and if you throw out the 17 games in which he didn't start, Biedrins averaged 10.5 rebounds per game (would have ranked 8th instead of 11th). He also led the league in FG% at 62.6%, a year after finishing 3rd at 59.9% FG. Not to be forgotten is Biedrins' steadily improving FT%. After shooting an embarassing 30.6% FT in '05-06, he improved to 52.1% FT in '06-07, and then finally a semi-decent 62.0% FT in '07-08. However, the main reason I'm high on Andris is because his blocks are sure to go up. He swatted just 1.24 shots per game last season, which was well below his career-high of 1.66 from the season prior. With more minutes and some help from Ronny Turiaf (5th in blocks per 48 minutes), AB should have no problem increasing his blocks in '08-09. Some people might be afraid that Andris will take it easy now that he has a fat contract, but I know my Warrior centers, and Biedrins is no Erick Dampier. BE CAREFUL OF: Al Harrington From a fantasy hoops perspective, here's what to like about Harrington: he's a center-eligible player who made 1.9 threes per game last year. Now here's what NOT to like: he's a horrible rebounder & shot-blocker, he's shot over 78% FT just once in his career, he shoots a poor FG% because of the threes, and he's likely going to play less in '08-09 because of Turiaf, Wright, and Hendrix. Some people are going to use a Top 100 pick on Harrington because of the treys, but I suggest waiting until Round 11 at the earliest. 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! Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:07:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309885 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/309885 LAST SEASON After going 40-42 in '06-07, the Magic improved to 52-30 under Stan Van Gundy. They lost in the 2nd Round to Detroit, but it was a definite step in the right direction. Their defense was solid and their offense was vastly improved, as their 93.4 pace factor (9th of 30) allowed them to score 104.5 points (6th) and make 9.8 threes per game (1st). OFFSEASON MOVES Key Additions: Mickael Pietrus, Anthony Johnson, Courtney Lee Key Losses: Maurice Evans, Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Pat Garrity Orlando made a wise decision to use most of their $5.5 million midlevel exception on Pietrus. The uber-athletic swingman will do everything that Mo Evans did last year and then some. Carlos Arroyo hasn't been very consistent in the NBA, so the Magic decided to replace him with 33-year old veteran Anthony Johnson. Courtney Lee is a rookie who will battle JJ Redick for minutes at shooting guard, and both men will try to take over Dooling's role as their #1 scorer off the bench. In '02-03, Pat Garrity started 53 games and played 2,585 total minutes for Orlando, but he received under 300 total minutes in each of the past 2 seasons. His NBA career is likely over. ROTATION / PLAYING TIME You can call him Dwight Howard, D-Ho, Man-Beast, or Superman, but Ironman applies as well, because he hasn't missed a single game in 4 years. Howard played a career-high 37.7 mpg last year, which was tops among all centers. In fact, the only other centers to play 36+ minutes (Yao Ming & Chris Kaman) both missed 25+ games. Most big men aren't able to play big minutes, but Superman seems about as indestructible as they come. His backup minutes will be shared between the veteran leather-slapper Adonal Foyle and the Polish youngster Marcin Gortat. Rashard Lewis played 38 mpg (mostly at power forward), but I'm projecting that number to fall to 36-37 this season due to Tony Battie's return. Battie missed all of '07-08 after tearing his rotator cuff, but he was a key member of Orlando's rotation in the three seasons prior. At small forward, Hedo Turkoglu received a career-high 36.9 minutes of action and didn't miss a single game. Keith Bogans (26.9 mpg) started 35 games at shooting guard, but will likely come off the bench this season thanks to Pietrus. I'm currently projecting 36-38 minutes for Turkoglu, 28-30 minutes for Pietrus, and then 20-22 minutes for Bogans off the bench, which leaves about 12 extra minutes for either JJ Redick or (more likely) Courtney Lee. At point guard, Jameer Nelson played just 28.4 minutes in '07-08, but the Magic would love for him to improve so they can increase that to 30-32 this season. His primary backup will be 11-year veteran Anthony Johnson, who could get anywhere from 12-22 minutes depending on Nelson's play. DON'T SLEEP ON: Mickael Pietrus If anyone wants one of those retro Warriors jerseys with "The CITY" on the front and "PIETRUS" on the back, just let me know. I bought it a few years ago fully expecting the "French Michael Jordan" to have a breakout season. While Pietrus flashed plenty of potential as a Warrior, he never really achieved the breakout season that I expected. But fear not Magic fans, because the 26-year old is about to enter his prime. His career stats are very mediocre, but when MP gets consistent minutes and plays with confidence, he can fill up the stat sheet and be a difference maker on both ends of the floor. For example, check out his split stats from 11 games in March '08 (Golden St. went 7-4): 31.3 min, 12.1 points, 8.1 boards, 1.4 steals, .7 blocks, 1.1 threes, 47.4% FG, 36.4% 3P, 72.2% FT. His free throw shooting is a major sore spot and he's prone to mental lapses, but there aren't many guys in the league with the potential to average 1 steal, 1 block, 1 three, and 1 dunk per game. I'm guessing he won't even be drafted in most leagues, but if you want to use one of your last round picks on a guy with significant upside, I highly recommend nabbing Air France. BE CAREFUL OF: Dwight Howard I was certain the Man-Beast was going to have a breakout season in '07-08, but I wasn't expecting him to attempt the 3rd-most free throws in a season since 1990 (Shaq attempted 972 in '00-01, David Robinson attempted 925 in '93-94, and Howard attempted 897 in '07-08). As a result, I drafted him too early in a couple of leagues and my team's FT% paid the price. In Roto leagues, even if you surround him with multiple 80-90% FT guys, your team will have a tough time earning more than a couple of points in that category. As a result, I don't recommend using a Top 25 pick on Howard. There are in fact, many fantasy owners out there who won't even use a Top 50 pick (or Top 80 pick in leagues that use turnovers) on the guy, but I disagree with those people for a couple of reasons. 1) As I said earlier, the guy is an Iron Man. Sure, Yao posts better per game numbers, but when was the last time he played all 82 games? Knowing that you can rely on Howard for a full season is very comforting, and it should ease your concerns for making him your #1 center. 2) Under the right scenario, you could totally use a Top 30 pick on him and still win your league. Want an example? Let's say you have the 3rd overall pick and LeBron James (71.2% FT) falls into your lap (sweet!). In Round 2, you see that Carlos Boozer (73.8% FT) is still around at #22, so you take him. At this point, you could just decide to throw FT% out the window and grab Howard at #27. I used to not believe in "punting a category," but now I firmly believe that you can grab the Man-Beast and still win by using this strategy. Want some other players to target? -Baron Davis (75% FT). Not a very good FT% for a PG, so if he's around at #22, opt for him over Boozer. -Tony Parker (71.5% FT). Tony's shooting %'s (and threes) are like a big man's, but HE gets assists. -Tracy McGrady (68.4% FT). I usually avoid him like the plague, but he's a lot more attractive without FT%. -Ron Artest (71.9% FT). Excellent stats except for shooting %'s. Take him if T-Mac's gone. -Gerald Wallace (73.1% FT). Oodles and oodles of steals and solid all-around stats, but his FT% hurts. -Andre Iguodala (72.1% FT). Iggy is a stat-stuffer who can't make free throws. That's ok on this team. -Josh Smith (71% FT). Insane blocks, and another superb guy to team up with Howard using this strategy. -Emeka Okafor (57% FT). Howard + Okafor = Best FG% & rebound duo, but worst FT% duo. -Andrew Bogut (58.7% FT). Bogut's FT% sucks, but his big man stats are solid and he gets assists. -Shaquille O'Neal (50.3% FT). Of course Shaq belongs here because he's the main reason this strategy exists today (unless some die-hard stat geeks were playing Roto hoops in the Wilt Chamberlain era). 3) He's freakin' Superman! The sky's the limit for this kid. Would you be surprised if he had a 44 point, 30 rebound game? Me neither. Enough said. CONCLUSION: In Roto leagues, you need to be very careful of Howard's FT%, but that doesn't mean you can't use a Top 30 pick on him and still win your league! ROUND BY ROUND TARGETS (Where you should draft these guys in an 8-cat Roto league with 12 teams and 14 man rosters) (Click on the link to find out!) Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:25:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303659 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303659 The Golden State Warriors are now rebuilding the franchise and adding much needed depth to their bench. Because star point guard Baron Davis opted out of his 17.8 million instead to play for the LA Clippers and his hometown, Golden State has done everything possible to fill his playmaking, scoring void and then some. Other former Warriors that have earned spots on other teams (including Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, and female fan-favorite Matt Barnes). With their star PG leaving, two swingmen, and 2006 draft pick center, the Warriors made drastic moves trying to land 2 big names in this years free-agency market: Gilbert Arenas and Elton Brand. We didn't end up landing either one of those players, but did lure another Clipper to the team: swingman Corey Maggette. This means that Monta moves up to the PG position, Stephen Jackson plays the 2 guard spot, and leaves Maggette at small forward. Al Harrington is still projected to start at the PF position while Andris Biedrins is rounding out the Warriors front court. There is much talk about whether or not Monta can truly facilitate because Monta is much better at scoring than creating for others, Warriors management and personel still have high hopes to see Monta develop his playmaking skills. Returning Warriors include the italian sharpshooter Marco Belinelli, Brandon Wright, Al Harrington, Kosta Perovic, CJ Watson, and Kelenna Azubuike (who had been offered a deal from the Clippers, only to be matched by golden state) as well as newly re-signed center Andris Biedrins, who was signed to a lengthy 6 year 63 million dollar deal. Newest additions to the team are draft picks, both from the SEC, Anthony Randolph and Richard Hendrix. Both showed much talent in the Las Vegas and Salt Lake summer leagues, and put up some impressive numbers. Randolph showed some dazzling putback dunks and a great knack for getting to the line and converting on freethrows. The Dubs have signed both former SEC stars and added along another Anthony to the team, Anthony Morrow, who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech. He Salt Lakes summer league MVP and posted up great numbers in scoring as well as field goal precentage, especially beyond the arc (.692). Warriors also added to their bench signing PF/C Ronny Turiaf and PG Marcus Williams. The Dubs hope that Marcus can provide a good 12-15 minutes off the bench as a back-up PG in order to spell Monta at the '1' spot, while Turiaf is projected to be a solid back up and arge presence in the paint for Biedrins. Warriors got younger and a bit more athletic , and hopes to have a more productive bench this upcoming season. The question now is not whether the Dubs can put up as many points, but rather if a sense of ergency comes to them so we dont have to see them come back from such large deficits, as well as gel...seeing as how the face of the team has changed. One this is for certain,the team may have gotten faster, and with Monta as the new face of the franchise, the Warriors have a very bright future ahead of them. check out the dope ass background i made for myself...go ahead , copy and paste ...haha Feel free to leave a comment on who you think will be the primary starting five, as well as the second string and back up positions for this upcoming season... Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:17:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/297314 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/297314 A Daily Babble Production July sure can be a nerve-wracking month to be a hoops fan. Here I was thinking that the great nervousness was done for at least a moderately extended stretch when the Celtics pasted the Lakers back in mid-June, and less than a month later we're already entrenched in holding our breath as the team decides which players to pursue and which moves to make in defending its championship. Corey Maggette, Mickael Pietrus and James Jones are already off the market. The destinations of James Posey and Eddie House hang precariously in the balance. Scary rumors are abounding of Darius Miles work-outs and Stephon Marbury wanting to come to town. All sorts of other goofiness is happening across the league. Whew. It's been a blood pressure-raising (and quite exciting) start to the NBA's off-season. The disclaimer is of course that no matter how crazy the next few weeks get, any complaining done here truly is tongue in cheek. It really is so cool to even have a championship to worry about defending. But with that said, I need a day just to laugh about the hoops world, and it's hard to imagine I'm... Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:51:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288379 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288379 Je vous manquerai! With all the hullabaloo surrounding Baron/Brand/Maggette we haven't heard much about everyone's favorite French man moving on to the Magic. When it comes to Mickael there are a few things about this guy that I will surely not miss - setting screens out of bounds, turning over the ball & then stomping & clapping his hands out of frustration, injuring his groin the last part of the season just when he started to get hot....etc. He has made me want to roundhouse kick my tv a few times. There are also some things that I really will miss about him, his amazing athleticism, his dunks, blocks & sheer explosiveness that when used correctly could be very very fun to watch. This loss is definetly not a terrible thing for the Warriors on the court. But we did loose a good amount of off the court swagger. Now with Boom gone too - Belinelli will need to step up in the swagger dept. I wish him the best & I think he will do really well on the Magic. merci de tout le basket-ball passionnant. bonne chance ! Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:18:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288103 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288103 Entering the playoffs of the past season, the Cavaliers landed the fourth seed by winning the now infamous game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Reports have now come out that one of the three teams ahead of us last year has made another effort to improve, as the Orlando Magic have signed former Golden State gunner Mickael Pietrus. Adding Pietrus to a corps of swingmen that already features Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and rookie Courtney "Rock's boy" Lee is just icing on the Orlando-made cake. But this news out of Philadelphia is even more disheartening. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that Brand has verbally agreed to sign a five-year deal worth an estimated $82 million with the Sixers, who feared as recently as late last week that they wouldn't be able to compete financially for Brand with the Clippers and Golden State Warriors. What makes matters worse is that Philly had just cleared said cap space not even 24 hours prior to signing Brand - a guy that Cavs fans everywhere were hoping could just somehow don the wine and gold next season. Now we can scratch him off of the list; the same one that featured Michael Redd, Corey Maggette, and Baron Davis. How did Philly clear the space? The same way that Danny Ferry would have to; ship of expiring deals. I know that Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak are overpaid and all, but come on. Calvin Booth? Plus, the Sixers received a second round pick from Wolves as well. Couple this with the fact that Brand has reportedly agreed to terms that are considerably less than those he was offered by Golden State, and it makes you really think that it could have happened. It wasn't as far-fetched as it seemed. Yes, we don't have next to any cap space. And yes, our expiring deals are a lot more attractive mid-season. But we now have another team in the East that wasworse than the Cavaliers per their record that now has six guys that are arguably better (or higher ceilings) than every player on our roster save LeBron James. Overreaction? Possibly. But I just cannot take another offseason of other teams around us making moves to get better while we run in place. Tigers. White Sox. Now we can add in the Magic and Sixers. With all of these names getting checked-off, this summer just wreaks of another Donyell Marshall-type addition. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:01:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287981 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287981 Today is the first day that free agents can sign contracts. Expect the dominoes to start falling as the top free agents make their choices and sign. Here's what is going on as of now. NBA.com is reporting that Mickael Pietrus has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Magic. They felt that they had no chance at landing Maggette and went in another direction. Teams seem to be loading up on athletic wings, perhaps as a way to matchup with Boston. Many teams are signing their first round picks including the Knicks (Gallinari), Memphis (Mayo and Arthur), Bobcats (Augustin and Ajinca), Bucks (Alexander), Kings (Thompson). Still no word on a contract with the Celtics first round pick JR Giddens. According to ESPN, the Sixers have apparently won the Elton Brand sweepstakes. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that Brand has informed the Sixers that he will accept a five-year deal worth an estimated $82 million and spurn what was presumed to be a slam-dunk return to the Los Angeles Clippers to hook up with Clipper-to-be Baron Davis. This puts the Sixers at the top of the Eastern conference and with the continued exodus from the West to the East of stars, the balance of power could be tipping back toward the East. So much for Maggette going for a ring over money. He agreed to a deal with the Warriors that will pay him $50 million over 5 years according to ESPN. So, now the dominoes start to fall. Brand to the Sixers, Maggette to the Warriors, Pietrus to the Magic. The Clippers are now way under the salary cap and reportedly ready to pursue the Hawks' Josh Smith and the Bobcats' Emeka Okafor. Both are restricted free agents and their respective teams would have the opportunity to match, but the Clippers can offer a contract that neither, particularly the Hawks with their ownership problems would be willing to match. According to this morning's Herald, Danny has increased his offer to Posey. There are several different reports as to what the Celtics are offering. First report was $12 million over 3 years. Today's paper mentions a report that they have offered a 4th year at midlevel and also that there are reports that the Celtics aren't skimping on money but don'twan't to go the length that Posey wants. Danny still feels that they can get it done with Posey and Paul Pierce is now making a plea to Posey to stay and to Danny to do what it takes to bring him back. Hopefully they can get it done and Posey will remain a Celtic. I really don't want him going to one of our rivals. Reports are that Cavs, Hornets, and Lakers are all making offers. With Maggette off the market, the Spurs are now reportedly going after Posey as well. Ronny Turiaf has signed a four-year, $17 million offer from the Golden State Warriors, according to two league sources. The Lakers had Turiaf and Vujacic as their priorities going into the offseason along with making a hard push for Posey. Since Turiaf is a restricted free agent, the Lakers have 7 days to match the offer or lose him to the Warriors. The Lakers currently have a payroll of $75,135,796 with just 10 players signed for the 2008-09 season. If they sign Vujacic and Turiaf, the Lakers' payroll could exceed $80 million. How this affects their desire for other free agents including Posey remains to be seen. Miami has offered 3 point specialist James Jones a five-year offer starting at $4 million for next season. The final 3 years are conditional to protect the Heat going into the 2010 free agency period when many of the top players will be free agents, including the Heat's own Dwyane Wade. As of Tuesday, the Pistons had made contact with six players: the Clippers' Corey Maggette, Warriors' Mickael Pietrus, Jazz's C.J. Miles, Trailblazers' James Jones, Celtics' James Posey and Raptors' Carlos Delfino although none are considered as good bets to sign with the Pistons. The Pistons are looking more to make a trade than to sign a free agent. They are interested in both Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady among others and may break up their long time starting lineup to get a trade done. Reportedly, both Prince and Billups are on the block as they look for a trade. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:42:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287967 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287967 Wow. What looked like a two-horse race for the services of Elton Brand became a three-horse race when the Sixers freed up enough money to offer the talented forward a five-year, $82 million contract. Marc Stein's sources say Brand is headed to Philly. (Read the rest after the jump.) Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:12:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287792 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287792 ESPN is reporting that the league has set the salary cap at $58.68 million. The luxury tax threshold will be $71.15 million, and the value of the mid-level exception is set at $5.585 million. The Celtics payroll is at $71 million right now with just 9 players under contract. Every player they sign now will cost them double because of the luxury tax. With Brand, Maggette and Pietrus agreeing to terms with teams, that leaves James Posey alone at the top of the desired free agent list. The Celtics need to increase their offer to him or he will likely go to one of their competitors and that may come back to haunt them in the playoffs. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:41:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287762 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287762 With free agents able to sign contracts as of midnight tonight, things are starting to fall into place as some key free agents make their decisions. ESPN is reporting that the Sixers have apparently won the sweepstakes for Elton Brand as he has agreed to accept a five-year deal worth an estimated $82 million to leave the Clippers for the East coast. This moves the Sixers to the top tier of contenders in the East. With Brand deciding on Philly, the Warriors, who were also in the running for Brand, moved their attention to Corey Maggette and it is reported that Maggette has agreed to an offer from the Golden State Warriors, one of the few teams in the league who could offer him more then the MLE. The Celtics had been pursuing Maggette along with the Pistons, Magic, Cavs, Spurs and others. With Maggette out of the picture, the Magic agreed to terms with the Warriors' Mickael Pietrus. This leaves James Posey as one of the top free agents yet to decide. The Celtics need to up their offer, or risk losing him and end up on the outside looking in with nothing to show. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:16:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287722 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287722 A few things to report as we tick down the hours till free agents can sign. I'll try to update this as news becomes available. Feel free to add links and news items in the comments. Sixers clear room (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArM7fn2m_tvtRNoPv5sDdSM5nYcB?slug=aw-phillytrade070608 prov=yhoo type=lgns) for Brand offer (Kelly Dwyer is unimpressed (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Philly-makes-a-small-move-wants-to-make-a-big-m?urn=nba,92683)) Hornets interested in Posey. (http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/07/hornets_eye_pos.html) Doc Rivers is like Santa (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Orlando-Summer-League-Santa-Doc?urn=nba,92635) Mickael Pietrus will sign with Orlando (http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080708/SPORTS/80708058/1002/SPORTS) Brand reportedly ready to accept Sixers offer (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3479059) Draft picks starting to sign (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3478943 campaign=rss source=NBAHeadlines) Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:34:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287700 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287700 Here are some reasonably priced free agents that the Nuggets will miss out on since they've overspent on the rest of their roster. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:57:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284840 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284840 In this article, the Roster Doctor takes a look at NBA Free Agents and tries to find out which guys may gain the most value through their impending move to a new team. Gilbert Arenas will be Gilbert Arenas wherever he goes, but what about the other guys that may see a significant spike if they move this offseason? Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:19:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284423 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284423 1. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards: Arenas has turned himself into a max player over the past few years and, despite recent knee troubles, will likely cash in on his newfound celebrity status. While he continues to maintain publicly that his first choice is to re-sign with Washington, it's possible that, given his eccentricity, he could change his mind. The biggest issue for Arenas is the same one that plagues all the free agents: Who else has the money to pay him? I can't see the 76ers or Grizzlies spending the cash. The Clippers would have interest, but Arenas already spurned them once. 2. Corey Maggette, Clippers: Maggette has been on the trading block for years and appears eager to bolt the Clippers. He's making $7 million next season and should be due a raise. Teams will be out in force trying to get him, but most will have only the midlevel exception to offer -- which would mean he'd be taking a pay cut. A sign-and-trade is the most likely option, with the Phoenix Suns looking like the team most interested in him. They could offer a swap of Leandro Barbosa that may interest L.A. 3. Antawn Jamison, Wizards: Jamison is still putting up big scoring and rebounding numbers at the age of 32. He even made a surprise appearance at the All-Star Game this past season. Washington will likely try to lock him up, and should have the best shot to do so. With teams capped out, which team is going to spend all of its money on a 32-year-old? 4. DeSagana Diop, Nets: He's only 25, but five points and five boards are about all you're going to get from him. Still, he's big and he plays good defense … meaning some team will blow its midlevel exception on him. I think Dallas is the front-runner to give him a ridiculous deal. 5. Beno Udrih, Kings: The Kings were impressed enough with his play that they felt no remorse in letting Mike Bibby go. But will they be able to keep him? As the only decent unrestricted point guard on the market, Udrih is drawing a lot of interest. Expect him to get multiple offers for the full midlevel from a number of teams desperate for a point guard. I'd put the Clippers at the top of the list. 6. Kurt Thomas, Spurs: He's 35 years old, but still tough enough to help just about any title contender. The Spurs got him in a steal of a deal at the trade deadline. Look for them to try to lock him up with a three-year deal this summer. 7. James Posey, Celtics: Posey helped himself with a strong performance against the Lakers in the Finals. He's another player who should get a three- to four-year midlevel deal somewhere. 8. Mickael Pietrus, Warriors: No one is sure why the Warriors didn't play Pietrus more. He's one of the most athletic defenders in the league and he's a solid 3-point shooter. Some team will pick him up and try to use him in a Bruce Bowen-type role. 9. Ricky Davis, Heat: The talented but troubled swingman hasn't helped his cause in his second tour with Miami. Pat Riley thought, after dumping him the first time, that Davis finally had the maturity to play for him. But Riley is clearly reassessing the situation. Davis looks like a midlevel-or-below type of player. I doubt he returns to the Heat. 10. Kwame Brown, Grizzlies: The former No. 1 pick has run out of excuses. Yes, he's huge, athletic and only 25 years old. But after seven years in the league, he's yet to prove that he's anything more than a backup. Someone will pay him something, but no one is expecting much. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:32:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284096 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284096 ESPN's Chad Ford ranks his top NBA free agents for the summer. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:45:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284080 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/284080