http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4746 Recent articles about Jamaal Tinsley en-us A Daily Babble Production No, not that trade. As of press time, Jamaal Tinsley is still a member of the Indiana Pacers, at least for official purposes (wonder if he'll be in the team picture if he makes it that far). Shawne Williams is not. As the Indianapolis Star's Mike Wells reported Friday, the Pacers have traded the third-year forward to Dallas (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081010/SPORTS04/81010033) in exchange for Eddie Jones, two future second-round picks and something in the range of $1.8 million in cash. Hard to blame Larry Joe Legend for this one. Read More.. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=4083 Itemid=260)All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA blog. Check him out! Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:38:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/348831 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/348831 A Daily Babble Production The New York Post's renowned Peter Vecsey reported (http://www.nypost.com/seven/10032008/sports/moresports/tinsley_dealt_to_nuggets_131908.htm) Friday that troubled point guard Jamaal Tinsley had been traded to Denver for Steven Hunter and Chucky Atkins. Mike Wells, the Indianapolis Star's own top-of-the-line beat writer, fired back a report of his own (http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsider/archives/2008/10/no_tinsley_deal.html) contradicting Vecsey's claim. Little has been confirmed, which seems to point to there not being a deal as of yet. As usual with Tinsley, very little seems to make much sense either. What does seem logical enough would be the Pacers trying to make this move as quickly as possible. The ship has long since sailed on the productive part of Jamaal Tinsley's days in Indiana, and the sooner his presence on the roster stops hanging over the team, the better. If the Pacers can dump him on someone while getting back a veteran backup at the point, a big body and the lack of a massive contract, all the sweeter the pot. But it's this part about possibly convincing (or having already convinced, depending on who you believe) another team to take the other side of that deal that leaves me baffled. That the Nuggets are said team... Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:03:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344613 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344613 A Daily Babble Production The New York Post's renowned Peter Vecsey reported (http://www.nypost.com/seven/10032008/sports/moresports/tinsley_dealt_to_nuggets_131908.htm) Friday that troubled point guard Jamaal Tinsley had been traded to Denver for Steven Hunter and Chucky Atkins. Mike Wells, the Indianapolis Star's own top-of-the-line beat writer, fired back a report of his own (http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsider/archives/2008/10/no_tinsley_deal.html) contradicting Vecsey's claim. Little has been confirmed, which seems to point to there not being a deal as of yet. As usual with Tinsley, very little seems to make much sense either. What does seem logical enough would be the Pacers trying to make this move as quickly as possible. The ship has long since sailed on the productive part of Jamaal Tinsley's days in Indiana, and the sooner his presence on the roster stops hanging over the team, the better. If the Pacers can dump him on someone while getting back a veteran backup at the point, a big body and the lack of a massive contract, all the sweeter the pot. But it's this part about possibly convincing (or having already convinced, depending on who you believe) another team to take the other side of that deal that leaves me baffled. That the Nuggets are said team... Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:03:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344613 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344613 Since the trade to Denver seemingly didn't happen, Tinsley could land in some better places, like staying home in Atlanta. Chris Paul could use a better back-up in New Orleans too. It's two of five places he could land that makes both teams better, if he stays healthy and stays out of trouble. Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:43:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344335 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344335 After months of negotiating with various teams, Larry Bird still has Jamaal TInsley on the trading block. Earlier today, the NY Post have reported.... Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:01:09 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344107 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/344107 Marquise Walker, featured in Outside the Lines, is the 8-year basketball prodigy and YouTube sensation who can already handle the basketball and shoot the basketball way above his age level. We examine where he is right now and how a prodigy develops into a baller. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:33:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341708 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341708 With Baron Davis out of the closet with Jenny Craig, the company has finally decided to reveal some of their other customers... Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:54:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/339432 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/339432 Since the recent news of Gilbert Arenas missing the first few weeks of the regular season due to his 3rd knee surgery, many have speculated will the Wizards bring on another point guard to their roster? Of course, as soon as Larry Bird, GM for the Indiana Pacers, heard the news he immediately tried to deal Tinsley to the Wizards, but apparently the Wizards want nothing to do with Jamaal... Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:23:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/335218 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/335218 Much speculation has been going around about Monta Ellis' injury that apparently happened outdoors and not on a basketball court. Here's one for the freak accident file. The Timberwolves new center, Jason Collins,injured a triceps tendon in his elbow when his golf cart skidded on wet ground and tipped over. You can't make stuff like that up. The Delonte West Saga is finally over in Cleveland. The restricted free agent has agreed to a 3 year contract that will play him around $12 million. The third year is at the option of the team. Details are coming out that they team wanted to limit him to 2 guaranteed years because like many other teams, they are trying to keep as much money as possible free for the 2010 free agent bonanza. It is being reported that only $500,000 is guaranteed for the 2010-11 season if they decide to let him go. I have been watching Delonte, Ryan Gomes and Big Al because I really like those 3 players and was hoping that maybe the Celtics could get them back but with all three signing multi-year contracts with their teams, that won't happen for awhile anyway. Chris Quinn is another restricted free agent who finally came to terms with his team. The Heat have re-signed guard Chris who was one of the few bright spots last season for the team, averaging 14.4 points and 5.9 assists in their final 17 games. Quinn will have a chance to compete for the starting PG job with the team against Marcus Banks and Mario Chalmers. He should have a good shot at it because Banks has been a disappointment with every team who have seen his potential and taken a chance on him and Chalmers is a rookie who is already off to a rocky start in the league. Magic forward Pat Garrity has decided to hang up his sneakers and retire. Garrity had been with the Magic longer than any current player on the roster. Garrity is 32, the same age as the Celtics star players, but his playing time has dwindled in recent years and even though there are teams with some interest in him, is ready to get on with his life beyond basketball. On the other hand, the Magic signed much traveled veteran PG Mike Wilks who will be insurance behind Jameer Nelson and Anthony Johnson. Former Celtic Raef LaFrentz will have shoulder surgery later this month. Gosh, I thought he had retired but I guess he is still hanging in there. I think he has spent more time on the injured list in his career than he has playing. It was a masterful stroke for Danny to trade Raef, whose bloated contract is still going for Theo Ratliff, whose expiring contract was instrumental in bringing KG to Boston. Raef is finally in the last year of his contract so may finally be useful as an expiring contract. The Blazers may need it, too, if Darius Miles is able to play 10 games this season and put them back on the hook for the $18 million the team still owes him. Another former Celtic with a bloated contract is finally at the expiring contract stage of his career and that is Wally Szczerbiak. Wally, one of the best pure shooters in his prime, has spent more time on the injured list than playing between his fragile ankles and bone on bone knees. He is being rumored as a prime candidate to be traded by the Cavs this season because his 13 million expiring contract finally will make him attractive to another team. Larry Bird is still trying to dump Jamaal Tinsley on some unsuspecting team. Pacers fans don't need to worry that they will be stuck with him because Bird has told the Pacer's NBA blog that Tinsley will not be with the team this season. So, either he has a trade brewing that he is certain he can pull off or he will finally relent and buy him out but he is pretty adamant that Tinsley will be gone before the season starts. One deal that has been rumored has the Heat offering Marcus Banks for Tinsley. He is also firm on the fact that they will keep Granger for the future, even though they haven't extended his contract yet. The Pacers wisely took Granger over Gerald Green in the draft allowing the Celtics to grab Green, who still hasn't gotten his potential anywhere near matching his production. Shaun Livingston is still looking for a team willing to take a chance on signing him. He worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves in the past week. The Miami Heat are also very interested in signing the 6'7" point guard who is fighting his way back from a devastating injury. There have also been rumors that Danny Ainge is interested in Livingston, but I take those rather skeptically at this point with the admission from Ainge that he plans to bring Sam Cassell back. The Celtics will have plenty of point guards. He might consider a non guaranteed training camp contract like he gave Miles, but word is that Livingston is looking for a guaranteed contract and with 3 other teams interested, he will probably get it. The Blazers are the frontrunners at this point but the Wolves are also sold on him after the workout so it will depend on who is willing to give the most. The Lakers have signed yet another player, bringing their total number of players to 20. That gives them 5 more than the league maximum going into camp. This time, they signed C.J. Giles, a forward out of Oregon State. This comes one day after signing Brandon Heath. Of all the players the Lakers have signed this summer — Dwayne Mitchell, Josh Powell, Sun Yue, Joe Crawford, Heath and Giles, only Powell's and Sun's contracts are guaranteed. Sun Yue will wear #9 with the Lakers should he be lucky enough to make the final cut. I wonder if that is in honor of Rajon Rondo who outplayed all the Lakers' point guards in the finals last year. Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:41:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/332405 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/332405 "Pacers.com" reported Thursday that Indiana Pacers Team President Larry Bird has stated that point guard Jamaal Tinsley will not be with the Pacers for the upcoming season. Indiana now has an abundant number of point guards, starting with T.J. Ford who will most likely be the starter. Ford came over in the deal that sent [...] Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:51:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/331757 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/331757 A Daily Babble Production That the Warriors are seeking a bit of point guard help is understandable. That's the sort of reality that occurs when a team's plan at point guard is to re-sign and convert its stud two guard and trade for an unproven youngster from a bad New Jersey team, and then the converted off-guard goes down with an injury. But the Warriors would be well served to remember that Ellis' injury may have him back by late 2008, and Marcus Williams has the potential to be at least a serviceable NBA point guard. It isn't worth it for the team to make a desperation move or take any sort of major risk simply for the sake of acquiring another longer tenured point guard. It seems that this is exactly what the Warriors would be doing if they were to make the rumored trade for Jamaal Tinsley (http://www.examiner.com/x-441-Golden-State-Warriors-Examiner~y2008m9d4-The-Monta-Ellis-saga-has-to-end-soon-and-whispers-of-trade-talks-with-Indiana-Pacers) that Matt Steinmetz initially reported (http://www.examiner.com/x-441-Golden-State-Warriors-Examiner~y2008m9d4-The-Monta-Ellis-saga-has-to-end-soon-and-whispers-of-trade-talks-with-Indiana-Pacers) and Jeff mentioned (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3873 Itemid=263) on our NBA page on Friday. Read More.. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3875 Itemid=260)All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA blog. Check him out! Sun, 07 Sep 2008 02:17:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/329074 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/329074 The season preview magazines are going to be coming out. Athlon is already out and they are picking the Hornets to win the championship this season over the Celtics. Could be the James Posey effect. Well, the Celtics weren't picked by most of them to win last year, either. Even into the finals, they weren't given much chance and it looks like they will be fighting for respect again this season even though they are the defending champs. More details are coming out about Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur and their troubles at the Rookie transition program. Apparently, a fire alarm went off in their hotel and they refused to leave the room. Security opened the room with their master key and they found at least 2 women in the room which smelled strongly of marijuana (could that be what set off the fire alarm?) and someone was in the bathroom repeatedly flushing the toilet. Sources say that David Stern was furious and had them kicked out of the program which they will have to repeat next season. By that time they should either be incorrigible or have learned their lesson. The Suns are heading into the season with a new coach and a new mindset. Terry Porter wants to improve the defense and will make it the emphasis of their upcoming training camp. I expect many of the top teams to put more of an effort on the defensive end after seeing the Celtics' success by emphasizing defense. The Suns will still probably run and gun, but they will also try to get stops at the other end and that could make them a dangerous team. There have been reports of teams working out ahead of training camp including the Wolves and Nets. Now, the SacBee is reporting that Brad Miller and Kevin Martin have been among the players training hard in Sacramento recently. Shareef Abdur-Rahim is in Africa with Basketball Without Boarders and it appears that his training is continuing his attempt at a comeback will continue into the Kings' training camp. The Kings have until Oct. 31 to offer Francisco Garcia an extension but it looks as though they will pass on the extension and let him become a restricted free agent next summer. The Warriors have been linked to the Indiana Pacers in a deal involving Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, among others. They are also interested in Marquis Daniels who Don Nelson knows and likes from his years in Dallas. The Pacers want to get rid of Tinsley and the Warriors want to get rid of Al Harrington and so it could happen. The Warriors are still investigating the injury to Monta Ellis and it seems pretty certain at this point that it happened other than playing basketball. The big question is, what will they do if they find out that it was a motorcycle accident or some such thing? Along with dealing with their rookie Darrell Arthur's extracurricular activities, the Grizzlies have been rumored to be considering a couple of possible deals. One rumor involves sending Mike Conley to Portland in a deal that would send forward Travis Outlaw to Memphis. This trade was discussed prior to the draft and would unite Conley with his best friend, Greg Oden. The other deal that has been more widely circulated would bring forward Zach Randolph to Memphis in a deal that would send Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric to the Knicks. The deal is up to New York now as to whether they will take the Grizzlies up on it or not. Jaric's contract runs into the 2010 season which could hold them back on the deal since they, like several other teams, is trying to clear as much cap space as possible for the big name free agents expected to be on the market then. The Cavs made it official and signed center Lorenzen Wright on Friday. The 12 year NBA veteran signed for the league minumum and will give the size, experience and front court depth. The Cavs are expected to announce a deal with their second-round draft pick Darnell Jackson from Kansas today. They are still not close to working out a deal with Delonte West. I think Delonte should take their qualifying offer and go for free agency next summer. Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:30:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/328731 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/328731 Zach Randolf for Darko and Marko (Ronald Tillery (http://www.thememphisedge.com/2008/09/04/griz-lose-bennett-to-knicks/)) Any potential Memphis deal involving New York forward Zach Randolph is now in the Knicks’ court from what I’m told. The Griz will agree to a package that includes Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric going to the Knicks for Randolph. But Griz brass apparently wants the Knicks to pick up more of the deferred payments owed Randolph in the latter year of his contract. New York executives supposedly are deliberating. Randolph is owed $14.6 million, $16 million and $17.3 million over the next three seasons. In short, this seems to be a 50/50 proposition – a scenario that bears watching until the start of the regular season. Tinsley and Daniels for Al Harrington (Matt Steinmetz (http://www.examiner.com/x-441-Golden-State-Warriors-Examiner~y2008m9d4-The-Monta-Ellis-saga-has-to-end-soon-and-whispers-of-trade-talks-with-Indiana-Pacers)) I’ve seen the Warriors linked to the Indiana Pacers in a deal involving Jamaal Tinsley, Al Harrington, among others. Not out of the realm of possibility. But don’t count out Warriors interest in Marquis Daniels, just the kind of lovable swingman Don Nelson has an affinity for. This isn't the first time the Warriors have sniffed around there. Nelson's more than comfortable with Daniels, whom he coached for two seasons in Dallas. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:22:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/319006 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/319006 Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur are in big trouble with the NBA. They were thrown out of the rookie transition program after being caught in their hotel room with marijuana and women, which is against the rules. They were also fined $20,000 apiece and could start the regular season on the suspended list. They will also have to repeat the rookie transition program again next season. Sixty nine of the league's rookies are gathered in Rye Brook, N.Y. for the four-day seminar in which coaches, referees and former players speak to the rookies about adapting to the league. Looks like these two failed the class. I imagine that JR Giddens and Bill Walker are there for the orientation. One rookie who won't be there is Knicks' rookie, Patrick Ewing, Jr, who will be attending his father's induction into the Hall of Fame. Bill Russell addressed the rookies on Wednesday, and during the question and answer session, Nets rookie, Brook Lopez asked him which of his 11 championship rings he wore. His answer was that he doesn't wear any of them. He wears a special ring given to him by commissioner David Stern which commemorates all of his 11 titles. I wonder if Tommy Heinsohn has one for all of his 10 titles. In a surprise to no one, the Oklahoma City franchise will be henceforth known as the Thunder. Their colors are orange-red, blue and yellow. Six children joined players Desmond Mason and Damien Wilkins as they pulled down a curtain to reveal a large blue banner with the logo in the middle. They had the AC/DC song "Thunderstruck" blaring over the loudspeaker in the background. Thunder is an okay name, but I still prefer the old style of giving teams plural names. Manu Ginobili had the surgery on his ankle on Wednesday to repair a ligament injury. He will be in a splint and on crutches for three weeks and then, his rehabilitation schedule will be determined after his ankle is re-evaluated. The Spurs had tried to discourage him from playing in the Olympics, but he decided to play anyway but missed the bronze medal game because he re-aggravated the injury. This could be cause for some tension this season as he will obviously have to miss some of the season while he rehabs his ankle. There are more questions as to how Monta Ellis actually injured his ankle. It is now being reported that along with the high ankle sprain and torn deltoid ligament, there were also several cuts and abrasions on his leg that wouldn't be expected if the injury occurred during a workout as he said it did. ESPN reports that two experts in sports medicine that they contacted said that a torn deltoid ligament is rarely seen in basketball and that the injury of the deltoid suggests a more serious rotational injury than those commonly associated with the NBA. GM Chris Mullins said that Ellis told the Warriors that he got the injury playing pick up basketball but that still doesn't fit the extent of the injuries. I am sure there is more to come. Leon Powe and the Celtics 2008 Championship Trophy will be at the Natick Mall this Saturday September 6, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you go there and sign up for the Celtics Championship license plate that benefits Children's Hospital Boston you will have the opportunity to pose for a picture with Leon and the Larry O'Brien Trophy. A bit far for me to go but anyone in the area, it's a good opportunity to see the trophy up close and get a picture with one of my favorite Celtics. Reports out of Cleveland is that the Cavs are very close to reaching a deal with veteran big man Lorenzen Wright. The 6-foot-11 12 year NBA veteran can play both the forward and center positions and is a solid rebounder. On the other hand, the stalemate continues in contract talks with former Celtic Delonte West. The Cavs are believed to be offering West about $4 million per season which is similar to the deal Daniel Gibson signed earlier this summer. Delonte is believed to be looking for a deal starting closer to $5.5 million. He has until September 30 to take the Cavs up on their one-year qualifying offer of $2.76 million. The Pacers are still set against buying out Jamaal Tinsley but they want to move him and will intensify their their efforts to trade him before training camp. Tinsley's knee is reportedly healthy and he's working out in Atlanta. It doesn't look as though they will get a deal done to extend Danny Granger before the October deadline. If they don't get an extension done this season, he will become a restricted free agent next season and the Pacers would be able to match any offers he received. Three weeks before the start of training camp, the Miami Heat has begun to thin its roster by waiving forward Stephane Lasme. The 6-foot-8 forward had signed a 10-day contract with the Heat in March of last season and later was signed for the balance of the season because of the team's multiple injuries. He averaged 5.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.38 blocks in his 16 appearances with the Heat last season which included four starts. This move may have been triggered by the signing of Jamaal Magloire earlier this week. The Nets have not only changed their roster significantly, they will also be changing their offense. The offense Lawrence Frank will run this year, which is best known as the dribble-drive-motion, was developed by a junior college coach named Vance Walberg. This system was used by John Calipari and Memphis on their way to the NCAA Finals last spring. It is a spread set, with four men stationed wide, and predicated on Princeton-type motion, drive-and-kick attacks and 3-point accuracy and it is now the rage, as NBA teams such as Denver and Boston have also adopted it. Since the Celtics are the reigning champs, and we can expect teams to try to imitate their offense and also concentrate on defense. Teams who saw the Celtics win with their defense last season will try to beat them at their own game this season. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:04:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318341 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318341 Its no secret the Warriors are in desperate need of backcourt relief after Monta Ellis's injury, evident of general manager Chris Mullin flying out to Chicago to view comeback hopeful, Shaun Livingston in a private workout session. Across the states, the Indiana Pacers are also in need of a few materials, primarily three point shooting and an athletic power forward. By taking these two requirements into account, I created this potential trade that both teams would easily benefit from. I crunched the numbers and an Al for Jamaal trade wasn't exactly allowed by NBA measures. So to make the trade work, I threw in additional pieces to the trade to make the salaries intertwine. The trade scenario resembles this: www.rawsportsblog.com Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:53:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318283 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318283