Disagree as to the first sentence. Not an NBA talent.
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*NBA THREAD* Abe will be missed (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Cliff Clavin
- Start date
Spartans Rule
Footballguy
He was a highly touted recruit for Wisconsin. Was ok in college but didn't really live up to the hype. Good outside shooter for a big, decent inside player, but wasn't really dominant. I'm kinda surprised he found his way to the NBA.
timschochet
Footballguy
JMon, how do the two Laker rookies look? Do either have a decent shot of making the roster?
JMon348
Footballguy
I talked about their first game in the Laker thread. Ebanks is a Ariza clone, its really incredible how much they look and play alike. Caracter has looked great, very nice back to the basket game. Reminds me of Big Baby with more offense and less athleticism. Ebanks has scored 45 points in the first two games, looks to have a nice touch from midrange and is a great slasher. Caracter had 20 and 10 the first game, and I think 17 and 12 tonight.IMO, I thought they would both make the team before the summer league due to their low salary. After these two games they are virtual locks. Brent Barry who was the color guy for both games said they looked like 1st rounders, very impressed with both.
Last edited by a moderator:
GreatLakesMike
Footballguy
I'd probably have to kill myself if my Mom was banging Delonte West. Oooff..Jewell said:simmonjm said:
GreatLakesMike
Footballguy
Durant is top 5 IMO.Doctor Detroit said:
GreatLakesMike
Footballguy
Yes, I''ve played basketball, and it's not nearly as difficult as you make it out to be.Warehouse Nasty said:
No. 16
Footballguy
Sounds reasonable. The rebounds, defense, and blocks will be no problem for AR when he gets PT should easily average 9rebs/2blks/1stl when given minutes but the question is his offense. That will determine how much PT he gets, because aside from drawing fouls and hitting FTs his offense is pretty bad.
Mr. PadresLakers
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
Thanks. Caracter looks pretty good. If the Lakers are losing MBenga and Powell, then he could get some minutes.
Celph Titled
Footballguy
Caracter's been a complete bozo throughout his itinerant prep and college career, but maybe he just hates school? He's certainly a talented cat when he's not doing his best Oliver Miller impression.
Celph Titled
Footballguy
Udoh possibly out for 4-6 months with the wrist. Maybe he'll wear his suit to physical therapy?
I read that Morrow didn't initially sign the offer sheet from NJ, he took it to GS and asked them to match, but now it looks like he's signed.
I like the Wright signing, even though there are apparently pictures of his weiner on the internet. I like dumping Maggette. I like Lee fine, but I'm not crazy about giving up on Randolph so early. If they'd dumped Monta instead and kept Morrow, I would've been happy.
I'm also getting the sinking feeling that Aminu was our guy.
I read that Morrow didn't initially sign the offer sheet from NJ, he took it to GS and asked them to match, but now it looks like he's signed.
I like the Wright signing, even though there are apparently pictures of his weiner on the internet. I like dumping Maggette. I like Lee fine, but I'm not crazy about giving up on Randolph so early. If they'd dumped Monta instead and kept Morrow, I would've been happy.
I'm also getting the sinking feeling that Aminu was our guy.
Celph Titled
Footballguy
Also, I think Bill Simmons is wrong about a lot of things, but his take that LeBron's actions were a result of him not having a father-figure in his life, and being surrounded by a bunch of yes-men is more or less spot-on. I think that he thinks of his basketball team (and his off-the-court "team") as his family, as his father's never been around and his mom doesn't seem like the best role model, Delonte rumors notwithstanding. He strikes me as being extremely sensitive and emotionally immature, and what he really wants is a situation where things are OK. Where he can do the one thing he's good at, be surrounded by two other hyper-talented players, and be adored. in a town where the media is much more forgiving than NY's, or Cleveland's. To not have to deal with the hand-wringing and the finger-pointing in Cleveland, even though he influenced personnel decisions for the Cavs for the last few years. And most of those decisions were poor.
And even though he didn't extend the Cavs the courtesy of explaining his decision to them, or even maintaining some sort of communication with them. Like Simmons said, if you leave, fine. But do it the right way. I can understand Cleveland's antipathy, and I actually like Gilbert's move of trying to make himself the rallying point for that frustration. I don't think Clevelanders want an owner to just shrug his shoulders, they want a guy they can identify with. And that letter endeared him to them, IMO. It may not defray the massive hit in value the franchise is going to take, or the inevitable plummet in ticket sales, but it's better than nothing.
And even though he didn't extend the Cavs the courtesy of explaining his decision to them, or even maintaining some sort of communication with them. Like Simmons said, if you leave, fine. But do it the right way. I can understand Cleveland's antipathy, and I actually like Gilbert's move of trying to make himself the rallying point for that frustration. I don't think Clevelanders want an owner to just shrug his shoulders, they want a guy they can identify with. And that letter endeared him to them, IMO. It may not defray the massive hit in value the franchise is going to take, or the inevitable plummet in ticket sales, but it's better than nothing.
Celph Titled
Footballguy
Vicktimized
Footballguy
They'd probably start Walker over Chandler, which gives them three guys that shot over or close to 40% from 3 in that starting lineup (albiet Walker did so in only 20-25 games or so as a Knick). Not to mention, Felton, Chandler, Azebuike, Randolph, Turiaf, Douglas are all guys who can D up.Celph Titled said:
ivnabru
Footballguy
Not a Knicks fan but I think Felton is a pretty good player. This looks like a better signing than a lot this offseason.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Do most teams not post season or partial season ticket cost on their web sites?
Just went to check how much a partial for the Knicks would cost and they want an agent to call me about it. Not really interested in someone calling me once or twice a week. Went thru this when I gave up my Red Bulls tickets
Just went to check how much a partial for the Knicks would cost and they want an agent to call me about it. Not really interested in someone calling me once or twice a week. Went thru this when I gave up my Red Bulls tickets
Jewell
Footballguy
Weird timing with that line because I just received the below e-mail from my buddy yesterday.....Have you ever worked with LeBron's dad, Leicester Bryce Stovell?
Link with pictures, details, etc.
-He went to Princeton
-Then he went to Univ of Chicago for law school
He worked at the SEC until he won his discrimination suit in 2002
He now claims he is LeBron James birth father--- LeBron is derived from the first letters of Leicester Bryce
He also claims he slept with Lebron's mother when she was 15
Currently, Stovell works as a contract attorney in D.C.
Reply from one of the people the group e-mail was sent to:
I know him all to well. As I heard it, he was fired from the SEC for sexual harrassment. Anyway, I worked on a project with him for several months last year. He was one of those odd people you avoid at all costs. Borderline unstable. Late one night when only a few people were left working, he physically assaulted another contract attorney. He was obviously fired by the staffing agency and banned from ever returning. But he did like to tell us that LeBron story. Everyone on the project I'm working on now went crazy when we heard that his story got picked up by CNN, etc.
pollardsvision
Footballguy
""Coming from a great program like West Virginia, I'm used to winning, so I just hope to continue that." Hopefully, the Lakers can live up to the winning tradition Ebanks is accustomed to with West Virginia Mountaineer basketball.
Mr. PadresLakers
Footballguy
Inside 'The Decision': Miami's coup was a 'surprise' built on long-coveted goal of James, Wade and Bosh
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- During a rally for Miami Heat fans Friday night, Chris Bosh said he had been talking with new teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade about the moment for months.
It was a slip, which some, including Bosh himself, caught. The premise that the trio had been talking about teaming up for months hinted there was a plan in place. That potentially would be against rules, and could raise concerns from the league since Bosh and James were playing for teams battling for the playoffs in Toronto and Cleveland.
Bosh quickly revised the statement and said they had been talking about it for "days." But it appears James, Bosh and Wade had been discussing this for years.
That won't be comforting for Cavaliers fans who still are reeling from what many considered James' stunning departure. But it appears to be part of a complex master plan that was the trio's desire for much of the past four years.
Now that the move has been made, the veil of secrecy is being raised to a degree as people are beginning to talk. The Plain Dealer talked to numerous sources to piece together a picture of how James ended up in Miami.
It is still a somewhat fuzzy picture, but here are the broad strokes:
The seeds were planted in the summer of 2006 after Bosh, James and Wade finished their third seasons. Established All-Stars and clearly the future of the league, the three were part of a bonding effort led by USA Basketball to revamp and re-energize the national team after the disappointing 2004 bronze medal.
The three played together for the first time that summer in Japan at the World Championships. For the first week, they were sequestered without family or friends in Sapporo, Japan, in an attempt to build chemistry. But it wasn't just the players. Working as an intern for Team USA and getting to know the players was Nick Arison, the son of Heat billionaire owner Micky Arison.
Now, Nick Arison is a rising executive with the Heat. He was part of the team that recruited all three players this summer.
Already close because they came from the same draft class, the Team USA experience strengthened the relationship. Even before the team gathered in Las Vegas to prepare for the World Championships that summer, the three had talked about playing for that team.
That same July, the co-op took on another role when all three decided to extend their contracts with their teams. They couldn't all become unrestricted free agents until 2007 under the rules, so the smart play was for them to extend with the respective teams.
But with some of the league's higher-profile older stars perceived as being stuck in long-term contracts with struggling teams, the three decided to go for shorter contracts.
By the time Team USA was preparing for the 2008 Olympics, sources say Chris Bosh and LeBron James had frequently shared their common desire to play together with Dwyane Wade for an NBA franchise. There were already several teams -- most notably the New York Knicks but including the Miami Heat -- gutting their rosters in order to free up salary cap money for the summer of 2010.
After talking about it amongst themselves, James, Bosh and Wade decided to accept three-year extensions with their teams. It would make them all unrestricted free agents at the same time in 2010. For players on maximum contracts, becoming an unrestricted free agent after just seven years in the NBA is rare. But it would put them all in position to potentially team up that year as well.
In the ensuing years, four important events happened that were major contributors to their teaming in 2010.
First, the three had a positive and emotional summer in 2008 in China, winning the gold medal. They proved they could play effectively together. For the most part, they checked their egos, with Wade even deciding to come off the bench.
Second, Los Angeles-based management company Creative Artists Agency decided to get into the basketball agent business. Seeing how influential they could be in the summer of 2010, CAA bought the agencies that represented James, Bosh and Wade. Bringing them all under one roof gave CAA huge control of the market and took down any barriers the three would have with negotiations.
Third, the recession hit, and NBA owners started tightening their spending, a trend that would last for two years. The result was a bubble of salary-cap space that eventually would result in giving numerous teams large blocks of cap space in 2010.
Fourth, the struggling New York Knicks launched a plan in the fall of 2008 to clear off enough cap space to sign two maximum level free agents in an effort to recruit James to New York by promising to sign another star as well. Though he never said so directly, James began openly flirting with the thought. Other teams saw the opening and hatched the same plan.
That included the Heat, which was in the midst of a large-scale rebuilding process after a 15-win season. Miami had won the title in 2006 but had to make several trades that caught up with it. With Wade already on the team, team President Pat Riley decided to begin his own saving even if it limited what the Heat could do with Wade during two seasons in his prime years.
The Knicks got most of the attention for moves to position themselves for James, especially when they traded away their best players for pennies on the dollar in an effort to clear the books. But Riley was just as passively aggressive in not spending, at one point last summer getting into a public battle with Wade, who was frustrated at the lack of additions to the roster.
It was a risk to mess with Wade as he headed for his own free agency, but Riley had been watching and doing research. He knew the three wanted to play together, and he knew he had a glamour destination to offer, a history of success and Wade. Riley crunched the numbers and thought he could get close to clearing three maximum salary spots to sign all three, or at least get so close that he could sell it.
According to sources, Heat President Pat Riley made sure to reassure James that his close friends would be taken care of by the franchise, in much the same manner the Cavaliers had accomodated them for the last seven years. It might have been the final factor that convinced James to leave Cleveland.
He got close enough to pull off the major score. In addition to the weather and the city's attractions for young, rich athletes, Riley knew the lack of a state income tax in Florida could help him sell it.
Riley really put the plan into action last November. During a Cavs visit to Miami, Riley arranged a get together with Michael Jordan and James. Jordan, who was in town to do some Nike work with Wade, at the time did not own a majority of the Bobcats.
During the meeting, Riley talked to James about how more modern players should pay homage to Jordan. Riley always had led this effort, retiring Jordan's No. 23 in the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena even though Jordan never played in Miami.
The Cavs knew about it, and while it seemed like it could be classic tampering, they decided not to make an issue of it -- mostly because the meeting technically wasn't about free agency.
That night, James and Wade staged another strong individual battle. But the Cavs won when the Heat didn't have enough down the stretch, a common problem with Miami's roster last season. After the game, and after seeing Jordan and Riley sitting together courtside, James made an emotional statement on the court that he was going to ditch jersey No. 23 out of respect to Jordan. In fact, he felt all players should stop wearing No. 23.
It was controversial and got headlines. Riley probably didn't care so much about the statement but how his conversation obviously influenced James. It likely gave Riley confidence that he could win James over by playing to his emotions when it came time for free agency. Riley became more dedicated than ever before to trying his grand plan of getting all three stars to South Florida, with poaching James being the grand prize.
That was why Riley was so amped up before his presentation to James in Cleveland a week ago. He packed up his seven championship rings, had his salary-cap specialists create displays to show how Florida taxes could save James money and brought along Alonzo Mourning to make an emotional pitch about how the team backed him up as he recovered from a kidney transplant.
It was also made known to James that the Heat would take care of his friends the same way the Cavs did -- special treatment at the arena, changing practice and travel schedules to allow for money-making late-night parties in various cities, and perhaps even hiring a James associate in a high-paying position in the organization.
This was nothing new for Riley. He made the same accommodations for Shaquille O'Neal and, to a lesser extent, Wade in recent years.
Riley was so focused that he paced the halls outside James' offices while waiting for James to arrive for the meeting. The meeting went so well and so long that the Heat took up some of the Los Angeles Clippers' scheduled time with James.
But Riley may not have even needed to slam dunk the presentation. He already had a huge advantage working long before he even got to Cleveland.
As was their plan four years earlier and was discussed more deeply in 2008, Bosh, Wade and James had been talking amongst themselves. Unlike Bosh or James, Wade took the step of actually attempting to recruit other free agents to his team. Riley's efforts were more successful than the Knicks, and they had the most salary-cap space.
Getting all three together was really only possible in Miami, and Wade pushed the topic. Despite being discouraged by Commissioner David Stern and perhaps breaking tampering rules again, Wade flew with Bosh to Akron to meet at James' house in the last week of June. Still under contract with the Heat, Wade got the other two to the brink of a deal to join up.
All the players still met with teams just to make sure they wanted Miami. Wade and James were interested in Chicago, where there was a chance two of them could match up and play with rising star Derrick Rose. But Wade stayed strong to Riley's plan and kept tugging on James and Bosh.
Though many thought James would seriously consider the Knicks and the Nets, part owned by friend Jay-Z, they were never in his top two. The way it looks now, the Cavs may not have been in the top two for much of the process. James did talk with Bosh about the chance of playing in Cleveland, but Bosh resisted, and James seemed to be more attracted to teaming up with his friends than staying home.
The Bulls' chances were diminished for two central reasons. Wade wasn't willing to go to his own hometown. And the Bulls made it clear James' friends would not be given the privileges they were given in Cleveland or the high-paying jobs.
With the weather, his friends and glamour attracting him to Miami, and with just his hometown and hope that he could someday win a title alone in Cleveland, James was gone, breaking Cavs fans' hearts.
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/20...miamis_cou.html
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- During a rally for Miami Heat fans Friday night, Chris Bosh said he had been talking with new teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade about the moment for months.
It was a slip, which some, including Bosh himself, caught. The premise that the trio had been talking about teaming up for months hinted there was a plan in place. That potentially would be against rules, and could raise concerns from the league since Bosh and James were playing for teams battling for the playoffs in Toronto and Cleveland.
Bosh quickly revised the statement and said they had been talking about it for "days." But it appears James, Bosh and Wade had been discussing this for years.
That won't be comforting for Cavaliers fans who still are reeling from what many considered James' stunning departure. But it appears to be part of a complex master plan that was the trio's desire for much of the past four years.
Now that the move has been made, the veil of secrecy is being raised to a degree as people are beginning to talk. The Plain Dealer talked to numerous sources to piece together a picture of how James ended up in Miami.
It is still a somewhat fuzzy picture, but here are the broad strokes:
The seeds were planted in the summer of 2006 after Bosh, James and Wade finished their third seasons. Established All-Stars and clearly the future of the league, the three were part of a bonding effort led by USA Basketball to revamp and re-energize the national team after the disappointing 2004 bronze medal.
The three played together for the first time that summer in Japan at the World Championships. For the first week, they were sequestered without family or friends in Sapporo, Japan, in an attempt to build chemistry. But it wasn't just the players. Working as an intern for Team USA and getting to know the players was Nick Arison, the son of Heat billionaire owner Micky Arison.
Now, Nick Arison is a rising executive with the Heat. He was part of the team that recruited all three players this summer.
Already close because they came from the same draft class, the Team USA experience strengthened the relationship. Even before the team gathered in Las Vegas to prepare for the World Championships that summer, the three had talked about playing for that team.
That same July, the co-op took on another role when all three decided to extend their contracts with their teams. They couldn't all become unrestricted free agents until 2007 under the rules, so the smart play was for them to extend with the respective teams.
But with some of the league's higher-profile older stars perceived as being stuck in long-term contracts with struggling teams, the three decided to go for shorter contracts.
By the time Team USA was preparing for the 2008 Olympics, sources say Chris Bosh and LeBron James had frequently shared their common desire to play together with Dwyane Wade for an NBA franchise. There were already several teams -- most notably the New York Knicks but including the Miami Heat -- gutting their rosters in order to free up salary cap money for the summer of 2010.
After talking about it amongst themselves, James, Bosh and Wade decided to accept three-year extensions with their teams. It would make them all unrestricted free agents at the same time in 2010. For players on maximum contracts, becoming an unrestricted free agent after just seven years in the NBA is rare. But it would put them all in position to potentially team up that year as well.
In the ensuing years, four important events happened that were major contributors to their teaming in 2010.
First, the three had a positive and emotional summer in 2008 in China, winning the gold medal. They proved they could play effectively together. For the most part, they checked their egos, with Wade even deciding to come off the bench.
Second, Los Angeles-based management company Creative Artists Agency decided to get into the basketball agent business. Seeing how influential they could be in the summer of 2010, CAA bought the agencies that represented James, Bosh and Wade. Bringing them all under one roof gave CAA huge control of the market and took down any barriers the three would have with negotiations.
Third, the recession hit, and NBA owners started tightening their spending, a trend that would last for two years. The result was a bubble of salary-cap space that eventually would result in giving numerous teams large blocks of cap space in 2010.
Fourth, the struggling New York Knicks launched a plan in the fall of 2008 to clear off enough cap space to sign two maximum level free agents in an effort to recruit James to New York by promising to sign another star as well. Though he never said so directly, James began openly flirting with the thought. Other teams saw the opening and hatched the same plan.
That included the Heat, which was in the midst of a large-scale rebuilding process after a 15-win season. Miami had won the title in 2006 but had to make several trades that caught up with it. With Wade already on the team, team President Pat Riley decided to begin his own saving even if it limited what the Heat could do with Wade during two seasons in his prime years.
The Knicks got most of the attention for moves to position themselves for James, especially when they traded away their best players for pennies on the dollar in an effort to clear the books. But Riley was just as passively aggressive in not spending, at one point last summer getting into a public battle with Wade, who was frustrated at the lack of additions to the roster.
It was a risk to mess with Wade as he headed for his own free agency, but Riley had been watching and doing research. He knew the three wanted to play together, and he knew he had a glamour destination to offer, a history of success and Wade. Riley crunched the numbers and thought he could get close to clearing three maximum salary spots to sign all three, or at least get so close that he could sell it.
According to sources, Heat President Pat Riley made sure to reassure James that his close friends would be taken care of by the franchise, in much the same manner the Cavaliers had accomodated them for the last seven years. It might have been the final factor that convinced James to leave Cleveland.
He got close enough to pull off the major score. In addition to the weather and the city's attractions for young, rich athletes, Riley knew the lack of a state income tax in Florida could help him sell it.
Riley really put the plan into action last November. During a Cavs visit to Miami, Riley arranged a get together with Michael Jordan and James. Jordan, who was in town to do some Nike work with Wade, at the time did not own a majority of the Bobcats.
During the meeting, Riley talked to James about how more modern players should pay homage to Jordan. Riley always had led this effort, retiring Jordan's No. 23 in the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena even though Jordan never played in Miami.
The Cavs knew about it, and while it seemed like it could be classic tampering, they decided not to make an issue of it -- mostly because the meeting technically wasn't about free agency.
That night, James and Wade staged another strong individual battle. But the Cavs won when the Heat didn't have enough down the stretch, a common problem with Miami's roster last season. After the game, and after seeing Jordan and Riley sitting together courtside, James made an emotional statement on the court that he was going to ditch jersey No. 23 out of respect to Jordan. In fact, he felt all players should stop wearing No. 23.
It was controversial and got headlines. Riley probably didn't care so much about the statement but how his conversation obviously influenced James. It likely gave Riley confidence that he could win James over by playing to his emotions when it came time for free agency. Riley became more dedicated than ever before to trying his grand plan of getting all three stars to South Florida, with poaching James being the grand prize.
That was why Riley was so amped up before his presentation to James in Cleveland a week ago. He packed up his seven championship rings, had his salary-cap specialists create displays to show how Florida taxes could save James money and brought along Alonzo Mourning to make an emotional pitch about how the team backed him up as he recovered from a kidney transplant.
It was also made known to James that the Heat would take care of his friends the same way the Cavs did -- special treatment at the arena, changing practice and travel schedules to allow for money-making late-night parties in various cities, and perhaps even hiring a James associate in a high-paying position in the organization.
This was nothing new for Riley. He made the same accommodations for Shaquille O'Neal and, to a lesser extent, Wade in recent years.
Riley was so focused that he paced the halls outside James' offices while waiting for James to arrive for the meeting. The meeting went so well and so long that the Heat took up some of the Los Angeles Clippers' scheduled time with James.
But Riley may not have even needed to slam dunk the presentation. He already had a huge advantage working long before he even got to Cleveland.
As was their plan four years earlier and was discussed more deeply in 2008, Bosh, Wade and James had been talking amongst themselves. Unlike Bosh or James, Wade took the step of actually attempting to recruit other free agents to his team. Riley's efforts were more successful than the Knicks, and they had the most salary-cap space.
Getting all three together was really only possible in Miami, and Wade pushed the topic. Despite being discouraged by Commissioner David Stern and perhaps breaking tampering rules again, Wade flew with Bosh to Akron to meet at James' house in the last week of June. Still under contract with the Heat, Wade got the other two to the brink of a deal to join up.
All the players still met with teams just to make sure they wanted Miami. Wade and James were interested in Chicago, where there was a chance two of them could match up and play with rising star Derrick Rose. But Wade stayed strong to Riley's plan and kept tugging on James and Bosh.
Though many thought James would seriously consider the Knicks and the Nets, part owned by friend Jay-Z, they were never in his top two. The way it looks now, the Cavs may not have been in the top two for much of the process. James did talk with Bosh about the chance of playing in Cleveland, but Bosh resisted, and James seemed to be more attracted to teaming up with his friends than staying home.
The Bulls' chances were diminished for two central reasons. Wade wasn't willing to go to his own hometown. And the Bulls made it clear James' friends would not be given the privileges they were given in Cleveland or the high-paying jobs.
With the weather, his friends and glamour attracting him to Miami, and with just his hometown and hope that he could someday win a title alone in Cleveland, James was gone, breaking Cavs fans' hearts.
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/20...miamis_cou.html
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Redwes25
Footballguy
Given his age I think that can improve. He has the physical talents and a good handle for someone his size. I don't think he will develop into a great shooter or post up player but think he will be able to take people of the dripple and be great in the fast break. I think he will fit right into D'Antoni's system.
Leeroy Jenkins
Footballguy
Pat Riley is a genius. Seriously.
Good article except for the bs throwing in "possibly tampering" here or there.
Good article except for the bs throwing in "possibly tampering" here or there.
pollardsvision
Footballguy
I don't know what the rules are for tampering, but if 3 players from 3 different teams discussing privately making plans to join the same team months (maybe years) ahead of time counts as tampering, it's not an outlandish thing to say. In fact, I'd think most reasonable people assume that plans were being made for this well before the beginning of the free-agency. It also doesn't seem unreasonable to think Riley knew of any plans that may have been in the works (really, if he didn't have a good idea this would happen, he was pretty much wasting his star player's prime and running the Heat into the ground.)
duece2626
Footballguy
the moops
Footballguy
Paul isn't a free agent until 2012.
biggamer3
Footballguy
Damn, we got room in 2012 as well!But considering we now have some assets, i can see Hornets accepting a package of Randolph, Gallo and Curry expiring if Paul lets them know he wants out
Kev4029
Footballguy
Hey hey hey, don't go messing up the knicks fans plans of having their own super team. There is no reason for fact to get in the way of this plan. I'm sure paul would love going from one terribly mananged team to another anyway... its new york!
Ummm, WVU was a big winner during Ebanks' career. Also, *the greatest Laker of all-time came from WVU. I understood your attempt at sarcasm, but it just didn't work. *I'd put West as the 3rd best Lakers player behind Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, but when you factor in his work as Lakers GM, it vaults West into the top spot on the overall greatest Lakers list
timschochet
Footballguy
And here I always thought Lower Merion High School was in Philadelphia.
JMon348
Footballguy
the moops
Footballguy
I thought you thought your boy Wilt was the greatest basketball player ever?
Mr. PadresLakers
Footballguy
Ron Artest wants to play for the Olympic team too. I don't know if they would ever let him on the team, but he might to get to try out for it at least now that he is a Laker.
timschochet
Footballguy
But not the greatest Laker.
Premier
Footballguy
The cap room worked out so well this year.Knicks fans should be hoping their team wins 15 games and strikes the lottery. Better odds than building a winner through free-agency.
pollardsvision
Footballguy
To be fair, it sounds like there were 28 other NBA teams, besides the Knicks, that never had a legitimate shot of landing Lebron, Wade, or Bosh this summer.They should see better results down the road.If nothing else, I hear John Wall, Evan Turner, and Derrick Favors will be having a meeting shortly to decide where they'll play in 2017. Maybe the Knicks can get in on that. It might be tough though. The meeting will take place on one of Mikhail's yachts.
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simmonjm
Footballguy
Except that Houston has the ability to swap picks with the Knicks so this may not be the best strategy. Also Houston owns next year #1 pick as well.
Premier
Footballguy
The Knicks should also stop foolishly trading their draft picks.
simmonjm
Footballguy
According to multiple sources who attended the wedding, which was held at Cipriani on 42nd St., the common theme among the best wishes to Melo and his new bride, television personality LaLa Vazquez, was that they should consider taking up permanent residence in New York and Carmelo should take the challenge LeBron passed on with the Knicks.Then, with a less-than-pleased Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke in attendance, Chris Paul included in his address to the happy couple that he wanted to get Carmelo to go with him to join Amar'e Stoudemire with the Knicks "and form our own Big Three."
Premier
Footballguy
Paul has the '10, 11 and 12 seasons on his contract right? Or just 10 + 11? Either way, by the time he's free, I can't picture Amare being in any "big three" conversations.According to multiple sources who attended the wedding, which was held at Cipriani on 42nd St., the common theme among the best wishes to Melo and his new bride, television personality LaLa Vazquez, was that they should consider taking up permanent residence in New York and Carmelo should take the challenge LeBron passed on with the Knicks.Then, with a less-than-pleased Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke in attendance, Chris Paul included in his address to the happy couple that he wanted to get Carmelo to go with him to join Amar'e Stoudemire with the Knicks "and form our own Big Three."
the moops
Footballguy
Player option in 2012 which is 100% not going to be picked up.Paul has the '10, 11 and 12 seasons on his contract right? Or just 10 + 11? Either way, by the time he's free, I can't picture Amare being in any "big three" conversations.According to multiple sources who attended the wedding, which was held at Cipriani on 42nd St., the common theme among the best wishes to Melo and his new bride, television personality LaLa Vazquez, was that they should consider taking up permanent residence in New York and Carmelo should take the challenge LeBron passed on with the Knicks.Then, with a less-than-pleased Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke in attendance, Chris Paul included in his address to the happy couple that he wanted to get Carmelo to go with him to join Amar'e Stoudemire with the Knicks "and form our own Big Three."
Mr. PadresLakers
Footballguy
shake zula
Footballguy
I for one thought Wade had seriously considered Chicago. Also, WTF is wrong with Chicago? Special privileges like the ones they'd have to give James' boy's are irrelevant in the long run as you are going to give them up eventually anyways with players of James' and Wade's caliber. So why stand so firm on the front end? Dummies
No. 16
Footballguy
Would be a great pick up for the Grizz. You can never have enough defense.Also how the hell is Wes Matthews making that much coin? He was a solid player for the Jazz, but I don't think he's worth 9 million! That's big time money for a perimeter role player, if he were a big man I could understand it a bit but he's getting a huge chunk of change. He would have to become a borderline All*Star/Top 3 player on the Blazers to justify that contract.
Mr. Retukes
Footballguy
The top 5 veterans on the Blazers make 13, 11, 8, 7 and 7 million a year. Matthews will be getting the mid level exception of $5.8 million (plus a signing bonus). Very few "borderline All Star"s are signing for $5.8 million.Having said that.......this is a horrible move by Portland. Matthews is this year's Von Wafer. Even if Rudy Fernandez is traded, Matthews will have to compete with Jerryd Bayless and 1st round pick Elliot Williams for playing time. There's just no need for the guy.
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No. 16
Footballguy
Ah looked into it further.... it's front loaded for 9 million this year or something like that (average value is 6.8). That's still a lot of money, but it's a bit more reasonable than the 9 million I had read about.
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