Yardbarker: Phoenix Suns

Can Boston Repeat?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:03:47 -0500

Can the Boston Celtics repeat? They have the main part of the team intact, but they lost James Posey to New Orleans. Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis are only going to get better, while Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen will likely keep producing. J.R. Giddens has a chance to immediately impact the Celtics. I think number 18 is coming this year.

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Lots of Signings Edition

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

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

The Dreaded ACL Injury

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:41:10 -0500

Detroit Shock's forward Cheryl Ford is done for the rest of the WNBA season. And it couldn't have happened in a worst way. She was a peacemaker. While trying to restrain teammate Plenette Pierson during the confrontation against Candice Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks, Ford's right knee buckled as she tore her anterior cruciate ligament. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the four major and stabilizing ligaments in our knees. Studies have found that this type of injuries is common among athletes—especially women—due to a variety of reasons: hormonal, balance, posture, and genes. An ACL can be torn by way of a "sudden dislocation, torsion, or hyperextension of the knee." Basically, these type of injury can happen at anytime and anywhere—even outside the arena of sports—as I heard a story awhile back wherein someone did tear their ACL after sitting down for a long time with their legs crossed. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries have been out there for quite some time. Over the last twenty years, several prominent players like Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, and Ron Harper have been able to return from his injury despite surgical procedures still being in its infancy. Other instances Probably the worst possible ACL injury occurred in February last year when former Los Angeles Clippers guard Shaun Livingston tore three of the four major ligaments in his knee on a breakaway drive in the first quarter against the Charlotte Bobcats. In contrast, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Minnesota Lynx point guard Lindsey Harding, the first overall pick in the 2007 WNBA draft, suffered a torn ACL in her left knee during a seemingly harmless drive to the basket during the later part of her rookie season while playing against the Washington Mystics. Just can't get healthy No player has suffered more ACL injuries than NBA forward Danny Manning. Manning was the top pick out of Kansas in 1988 who spent portions of his productive 15 year career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, and Detroit Pistons; suffered three ACL injuries: injuring his right knee during his rookie year in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks (1/4/89), another in the left knee during a team practice in Phoenix (2/7/95), and re-injuring his right knee again two years later in Sacramento (4/7/98). While in the WNBA, Rebecca Lobo, one of the most decorated collegiate and Olympic female basketball players of this generation, was also not spared of his injury. In the New York Liberty season opener against the defunct Cleveland Rockers (6/10/99), Lobo tore her left ACL 42 seconds into the contest. Six months later, she reinjured the same leg during a rehab session (12/16/99). Exceptions to the rule For every injured player, there are also exceptions and two players come to mind, Karl Malone (Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers) and NBA Iron Man A.C. Green (Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat). Playing in 1458 games in a career that spanned 19 years, Malone's only significant injury came during his last and only year with the Los Angeles Lakers wherein he missed 39 games due to torn knee ligament. On the other hand, A.C. Green has never missed any significant time having played in 1192 consecutive games (an NBA record).

Josh Childress's Great Escape

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:09:26 -0500

The NBA season is over but there is some wheeling and dealing going on. Elton Brand is a Sixer. Richard Jefferson is a Buck. (Doesn't that sound derogatory? I guess being a Buck is an insult.) Corey Maggette is a Warrior. My former fantasy basketball sixth-man Matt Barnes is a Sun. Chris Duhon joins the Apocalypse. Hype man Ronny Turiaf is getting live in the Bay now. TJ Ford is a Pacer. Jermaine O'neal is a Raptor. Marcus Camby is a Clipper. Talk about getting dissed. Camby was released for cap space and a secound round draft pick. Camby wisely predicts that the draft pick probably won't even make the team. Josh Childress is an Olympiaco. Olympi-who? J-Childs joined a team in Greece. The Hawks offered him $33 milli-ons over five years without including taxes and the Greeks offered $21 milli's in the air after the tax man cometh. Josh did real good. He's gets paid more and in a stronger currency with fringe benefits like free lounging. Good thing the Hawks drafted for the same position for five years in a row. They have been running through forwards. It looks like Team Josh is over. Josh Smith and Josh Childress might be gone. The big issue is what does this mean for the NBA and future NBA prospects? The high school kids looking through college brochures might be enticed to hit the Euro-league for seven figures instead of dodging freshman classes until the NBA draft while looking for ways to cover up booster scholarships. (Whew, I got winded after reading that sentence again.) Also, what impact will this have on the NBA benches? If a guy can make more money and start in Europe then why would he ride the pine in the NBA gaining no respect or PT. There's some rich people in Russia that could afford to bank-roll some serious basketball squads. What if they went after stars that are losing their home-side appeal like Vince Carter or Jason Kidd? This is an interesting time for the NBA. This could be bad news for the guys that go undrafted or get cut from NBA squads. It's already hard enough to become a professional basketball player. The last thing they probably want is competition from players with NBA job security. I hope Josh has some thick skin. It's all peaches and cream right now but those European fans have no boundaries. At least not in soccer where racism is obvious at times.

Will the Knick Dogs be Subjected to "The CAT"?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:41:15 -0500

Will the knicks utilize CAT as means to improve the teams lack of conditioning?

Propping Two Depth-Based Acquisitions Out West

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:57:51 -0500

A Daily Babble Production Two Western Conference teams made their rotations one step deeper this past Tuesday. One needed high-energy reserves however it could obtain them. The other was looking for help at a particular position and not only got that but a nice project player as well. The Suns signed Warriors forward Matt Barnes to a one-year deal (http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/07/22/20080722barnessuns.html), and the Warriors in turn sent a conditional future first-round draft pick to the Nets for enigmatic point guard Marcus Williams (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3500699). Both teams addressed needs and did so at bearable costs. We're hopping aboard the respective wagons on these two moves. Read More.. (index.php?option=com_content task=view id=3660 Itemid=260)All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA blog. Check him out!

Gift wrapped for Brooklyn: The 2008-2009 New Jersey Nets

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:14:49 -0500

I have always been resistant to change. Even if I knew it was coming a mile away. Last February, I got the opportunity to see the Nets at their best for what turned out to be their last time together against a major opponent. And with the trade deadline looming, there were already some notable changes on their roster as the Nets shipped forward/center Jason Collins to Memphis for underachieving forward Stromile Swift. A few days later, team captain Jason Kidd followed suit when New Jersey sent him back to the very team that drafted him (Dallas Mavericks) for Devin Harris and other players. Change was coming. I just didn't know how fast. Nets Team President Rod Thorn and the rest of the Nets brain trust have been very busy this off-season. Having traded away their franchise's second all-time leading scorer—Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for China's Yi Jianlian and underachieving forward Bobby Simmons. The Nets also did very well for themselves in the 2008 NBA Draft after they bagged Stanford's 7'0'' center Brook Lopez at #10, 6'10'' forward Ryan Anderson at #21, and arguably the steal of the draft at #40—Memphis scoring guard-forward Chris "CDR" Douglas-Roberts. Rod Thorn didn't stop there as he also allowed forward Bostjan "Boki" Nachbar to sign with a Russian team and sent guard Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future lottery-protected 1st round pick. With that said, the only Nets left from last season's roster are Darrell Armstrong, Josh Boone, Nenad Krstic, Sean Williams, Vincent Lamar Carter and his $61.8 million dollar extension. Of those five players, only Boone, Williams, and Carter are certain to make the final roster. The New Jersey Nets have certainly positioned themselves well for the unrestricted free agent boon of 2010 that will feature the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr., Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Walter Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady, and for what it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal. This list can further increase if players who hold Early Termination Options (ETO) in their existing contracts decide to exercise them. They are Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler, Richard Jefferson, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki. If the Nets don't land LeBron James in 2010. They are not short on alternatives from the wealth of talent on that list. Kudos to the Nets brain trust on their foresight. Brooklyn may not only be getting a team two years from now. But a solid contender. Addendum: - DeSagana Diop and the Dallas Mavericks agreed on a five-year, $31 million deal (the team's full midlevel exception) last July 9, 2008. It will be Diop's second stint with the Mavericks after being a part of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris deal six months earlier - What exactly did the Nets get in the Marcus Williams deal? Fred Kerber of nypost.com shares that "if the Warriors are in the playoffs in 2011, the Nets get their first round pick. So it's lottery-protected in 2011. He adds "if the Nets are still waiting for the pick in 2012, they get G. State's first rounder, as long as it's not 1-through 11. If they're still waiting in 2013, they get the first rounder as long as it's not 1-through-10. But 2013 is the cutoff. If they haven't gotten the pick by then they get two second rounders, in 2013 and 2015." Sounds as shady as Marcus Camby being dealt for a 2nd round pick, if you know what I mean. - Lastly, at the age of 40, guard Darrell Armstrong won't be back with the Nets for the upcoming 2008-2009 NBA season.

Suns to Sign Free-Agent Forward Matt Barnes

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:06:56 -0500

By Stefan Swiat, Suns.com Posted: July 20, 2008 The Suns have taken a huge step forward to completing their roster and adding depth at the wing position by signing 28-year-old free agent Matt Barnes. The former Warrior burst onto the basketball scene in 2007 as one of the catalysts in Golden State's monumental upset of the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks. Last season, Barnes averaged 6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 19.4 minutes, which was a slight dip from his career-best 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 2006-07. However, the former UCLA-product proved himself to be a clutch player throughout the 2007 playoffs, averaging 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals during that time. He also demonstrated the ability to connect from 3-point land, nailing 42 percent of his attempts from downtown during that run. The 6-7, 226-pound Barnes is expected to sign for the veteran's minimum, which allows the Suns to save a bit of cap room. Like Grant Hill's contract, the Suns have to pay a majority of the contract, but a good portion of it is covered by a league fund that was instituted during the last collective bargaining agreement. The signing of the five-year veteran leaves only two open roster slots for the Suns, who will most likely fill one of those spots by inking a backup point guard.

Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Mind Blowing Artest Rumor Edition

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:45:06 -0500

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.

Charles Barkley has a good heart

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:06:01 -0500

As much as Charles Barkley is vilified for all his degenerate activities, there is a good side that is hardly talked about. Lost in the mix are the numerous million dollar donations that Barkley has bestowed upon his former schools. And now comes word of Sir Charles offering to pay for Christian Abate's Temple education.

Matt Barnes next to leave Bay Area, womenfolk angered.

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:25:09 -0500

With reports out of Phoenix indicating that Matt Barnes is close to an agreement with the Phoenix Suns, female season ticket holders are planning an impromptu protest at the team practice facility in Downtown Oakland tomorrow. Details are scarce at this late hour, but when reached for comment, a representative of Women In Powerful Praise of Energetic Defense (WIPPED) identified only as Lil' Dub Fan, responded as follows.

Top Jokes From 2008 ESPY awards: A collective list

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:50:47 -0500

Great list of jokes that were made during the 2008 Espy awards. Pretty conclusive list by SamePageSports.com We hope you enjoy and if you see one that is missing please comment. Just a few listed here: -Right up front I'd just like to personally thank Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots for all the cameras tonight and there are so many of them. - I heard this whole theater was built using Shaquille O'Neal's bricks. - There was all that talk about Kobe needing Shaq to win a championship. I couldn't help but notice that the Boston Celtics didn't need either of you. For a huge list of the jokes from the awards show click the link.

Denver Nuggets: What Does The Future Hold? LeBron?

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:04:42 -0500

So the Nuggets just traded away thier MVP Marcus Camby. Don't take this the wrong way; I know Camby is not the best player on the Denver Nuggets. However, I do know that he was the heart and soul of that team and in many ways was their Most Valuable Player. So now what? Marcus Camby was just traded for the right to swap second round picks in next years draft. Excuse me? I know this article is a little late and maybe just a tad bit out dated but I've got some ideas for what the Nuggets may do in the future now that they have some slight wiggle room when it comes to the cap. The Nuggets also received a ten million dollar luxery tax exception in this trade. Although this does not get the Nuggets below the salary cap, it does allow them more flexibility to re-sign J.R. Smith this summer. That is the first move in a long line of moves the Nuggets need to make. After this season, the Nuggets will most likely let Allen Iverson walk. This is perfect. I love Allen Iverson, but the experiment has not worked. With A.I. gone, the Nuggets will then have about thirty million dollars to throw around at free agents and have more leverage when making trades. So the time isn't now for the Denver Nuggets. The time is in the future. We must be patient Denver fans. Let us go over what the Nuggets could possibly put together next summer in free agency. In the summer of 2009, as I said before, A.I. will be leaving us. That gives us thirty million dollars in cap room. We have J.R. Smith locked up now, and we are now signing Linas Kleiza to a multi-year deal. Stop there. Remember, we must be patient. Next season (2008-2009) will not be our year. After Iverson leaves, we could use a new face in the backcourt. That face could very well come in next years draft, where it is possible that we could have two first round picks (as long as Charlotte is not in the lottery - pray the Bobcats are a playoff team next year!). First priority in the draft is a point guard. I have three in mind now; Ty Lawson (University of North Carolina), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse University) and Darrin Collison (UCLA). All three would be great additions to the Nuggets backcourt and all three would likely see playing time early and often. Next is a big. I don't know as of now what next years draft will hold as far as bigs in the draft, but that is a hole we can fill next year. Re-signing Kleiza to a long-term deal is our next priority. Third; get rid of Karl. If it does not happen during the season, he needs to be gone after next season. I don't know what the future holds, but as of now Avery Johnson is still out there. Johnson is a fiery coach who demands respect from his young players and can turn around the Nuggets defense. Those are three things a once fiery Karl no longer has the ability to bring out in himself or his team. Ok, now we're done. We have a solid team now that may make the NBA Playoffs in the Western Conference. Here's the starting line-up: 1 - Ty Lawson (Or one of the other two) 2 - J.R. Smith 3 - Carmelo Anthony 4 - Kenyon Martin 5 - Nene. With a new coach, a solid point and Kleiza coming off the bench, its possible that this team will make the playoffs. Now comes the real fun. The Summer of 2010, aka the "Summer of LeBron." Guess what? That seven year, $93 million deal that Kenyon Martin inked years ago is now gone! Last year we re-signed Linas Kleiza and added a few rookies to the roster. That didn't exactly break the bank. With thirty million dollars to play with last year (minus the money we paid Kleiza and the rookies) plus all the bank we'll be making off of losing Kenyon Martin, we will now have a ton of money to play with to lure LeBron into town. Isn't this fun?! Here's a possible startig line-up for 2010 - 1 -Ty Lawson - 2 J.R. Smith - 3 LeBron James 4 - Carmelo Anthony 5 - Nene. Wow!!!! Now that's a team! We'd still have Kleiza off the bench too! I know Carmelo is a little undersized at the four but ask anybody in the league and they'll tell you that he is one of the most deceivingly strong players in the league. Not to mention he can jump just as well, if not better than, most of the other fours in the league and he is quicker than most fours in the league as well. Oh yeah, and he also plays the four for Team USA during the summer. And I believe he often plays his best while playing that position for Team USA. Now don't get too excited by this news quite yet. LeBron is obviously interested in New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) and he is obviously going to be lured by other teams. One phone call might go something like this: (Dwyane Wade) "I got this kid down her in South Beach named Michael Beasley. He's pretty good. What do you say to coming down here and playing with me and this young stud? We can win a championship together." (LeBron) "You know what D-Wade, that doesn't sound too bad to me!" End of conversation. I haven't done much research when it comes to this so I don't know if Miami will even have enough mulah to do that, but I'm just saying. It's very possible. So with that, here is a list of other NBA stars available as unrestricted free agents in the "Summer of LeBron": Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd. I'll say it again: Wow!!!! I can't wait to see what the future holds for the Denver Nuggets. God knows there are endless possibilities out there. Now all we can do as fans is sit back, relax and pray for the best. Go Charlotte Bobcats!

Bucks Advance

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:11:57 -0500

In the "Keep Your Picks" Playoff, the Milwaukee Bucks have defeated the Orlando Magic 112-101. SG Michael Redd was named MVP of the game. The Bucks will play the Suns in round two. For complete game stats, check out the NBA DraftNation page.

Matt Barnes a Sun but who's next?

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:54:15 -0500

The Matt Barnes signing was a pleasant surprise in what has been a dull start to free agency for the Suns. Too bad that's about all it was. Barnes is a nice addition for the Suns and will be able to be Shawn Marion lite for the 2008-2009 squad. The real issue is that in no [...] //Read more here: http://azsportshub.com/2008/07/21/matt-barnes-a-sun-but-whos-next/