Superman’s return!
Superman has put the entire league on notice with his performance in these playoffs.
HAWKSVILLE - Next time I’ll listen.
In the wake of the Hawks’ being swept out of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland, people that watch NBA basketball as much and as hard as I do kept warning me that Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic would end the reign of the King (LeBron James).
No one was more vocal about it than Tracy Johnson (Joe Johnson’s uncle) of Little Rock, Ark. He warned me several times, and he actually started during the Magic-Celtics series, not to put too much stock in Cleveland’s four-game demolition of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The “matchups” would carry the Magic, he said. And he was right. The Cavaliers never did find an answer for Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. I’m not sure they made a sincere attempt to find an answer.
Well, there is no answer, at least not a one-man answer, for Howard, who has stolen James’ thunder as the youngest and most promising NBA talent in these playoffs.
Tracy’s warnings went beyond the playoffs, though, extending to the Hawks’ issues in the Southeast Division – if you haven’t noticed already, there’s a big bad bully on the block now in the division and the Eastern Conference and it’s not the King (who remains the most mercurial talent of his generation).
It’s Howard.
Even worse for the Hawks and everyone else, there is no Mickael Pietrus for Howard. Pietrus effectively harassed James long enough on the defensive end to allow the Magic’s other matchup advantages to swing the series. And when given a choice between defending the Magic’s 3-point shooters or double-teaming Howard … the phrase pick your poison doesn’t do it justice.
Now, the rest of the division, the Eastern Conference and perhaps the league (depending on what happens in the NBA Finals) must figure out how to build a team capable of beating Howard’s Magic.
YOU WON’T FIND A SOLUTION FOR HOWARD IN THE NBA DRAFT. No one stacks up physically, shoulder to outlandishly buff shoulder to the former Southwest Atlanta Christian star.
And the measurements from the NBA’s pre-draft combine in Chicago made that abundantly clear. Our friends at DraftExpress (one stop shopping for all things draft) were kind of enough to compile and share this handy chart for our viewing pleasure. To say this draft is light on big bodies would be an extreme understatement.
By my count, there are only 12 players that measured a legitimate 6-9 or taller. Just 12. That’s not exactly a smorgasboard of options for teams in need. The bigger question is where have all the big boys gone?
That shallow pool of bog bodies makes the prospect of locating a quality big man in this draft extremely difficult for teams picking outside of the lottery (teams like the Hawks).
Chasing a big man in the draft can be a dangerous proposition. Exhibit A, Shelden Williams.
Still, I’m hearing rumblings that North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough is one of this draft’s risers right now. The Hawks are in need of help along the frontcourt but I was thinking someone bigger than Hansbrough. Still, if they’re on the board at 19 and have Hansbrough rated higher than any of the point guards available …. it’s happened here before folks (Shelden Williams over Brandon Roy ranks up high in the draft gaffe Hall of Fame). You know it as well as I do. NBA executives always tend to value size over anything else, to their own detriment most times.
My two favorite point guards in this draft, North Carolina’s Ty Lawson and Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn, are nearly identical in every department (a shade over 6-foot, a couple ounces over 195 pounds depending on what they ate for breakfast that day). I’m a lot less interested in their combine numbers than I am in what they do when the big lights come on. And both of these guys get it done come game time.
IN ADDITION TO THE DRAFT CHATTER, FREE AGENT AND TRADE TALK IS HEATING UP around the league. That’s always a good thing for us, since the prospect of something that’s virtually impossible always seems to generate a greater response than anything remotely possible.
The Hawks won’t be the only team scouring the NBA landscape for frontcourt help this summer. Apparently the team that vanquished them in the playoffs is in need of a little updgrde up front as well, per my man Bob Finnan of the News Herald in suburban Cleveland.
One player mentioned in Bob’s story that will no doubt be mentioned in many others as the summer drags on is Hawks reserve center Zaza Pachulia.
Every playoff team in need of a depth along the frontline is going to be interested in a player like Zaza, for obvious reasons (he has the size, experienced and ability needed to play a vital role for a contender plus he’s going to be affordable for most teams because he’ll command a salary around the mid-level exception over the course of the next three or four years – similar to the four-year $16 million deal he just finished up with the Hawks).
The Hawks can ill afford to lose a quality big man like Zaza Pachulia in these trying economic times around the NBA.
Pachulia’s an unrestricted free agent, meaning the Hawks will have to compete to keep him. And I’m not sure he isn’t there most crucial free agent they need to retain because of the dearth of quality and affordable bigs on the market.
I know several of the Hawks’ competitors in the Eastern Conference are interested, I’ve spoken to executives from four teams that have brought his name up in our conversations over the past two weeks.
There are other guys in that realm with higher profiles (guys like Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith and others) that are a bit of a risk compared to Pachulia because they’re older and perhaps will command a bit more money (in the case of Wallace).
I thought Pachulia was a monster bargain when the Hawks snagged him initially. The expectations were raised after his first season with the team, when he was thrust into a starting role and flourished after Jason Collier’s sudden and tragic death. Pachulia for anything near the same price right now is an equally monstrous bargain.
I know everyone is always interested in upgrading. But sometimes it’s not nearly as easy you might think to get a better bang for your buck. And whatever you think of Pachulia, he’s a good bargain for a player with his credentials.
BACK TO THE DRAFT BUZZ, the one player’s name that keeps coming up in all the conversations I’m having with people is Jrue Holiday. The UCLA point guard, who has yet to cement his draft situation by hiring an agent, is following in the footsteps for former Bruin and Oklahoma City standout Russell Westbrook.
Both players played alongside a pretty good point guard in his own right (Darren Collison) and both played in the ultra-structured system of Bruins coach Ben Howland, so like Westbrook, there’s likely a lot more to Holiday’s game that we haven’t seen yet.
Holiday’s work at the pre-draft camp, coupled with his fantastic size (6-4 and change and a solid 200 pounds) and tremendous ceiling (he’s just 18) has done wonders for his stock with NBA types. If he decides to stay in the draft, he’s all but worked his way out of the Hawks’ range at 19.
Holiday's stock is on the rise after impressive showings in workouts and at the Chicago pre-draft camp.
While the buzz about Holiday intensifies, the buzz about fellow California teenage point guard Brandon Jennings appears headed in the opposite direction. A less then stellar showing in Italy this past season didn’t help the preps-to-Europe trailblazer’s cause, though I can’t imagine what anyone expected of him making that kind of transition (I’ll be curious to see if their are similar, oversized expectations placed on Ricky Rubio if his first year in the NBA is next season).
Jennings reportedly spurned an offer to work out at the Reebok Eurobcamp (their version of the pre-draft camp), sending NBA executives scurrying to find answers as to why he would pass up an opportunity to “compete” in front of the assembled brass. But what more do you need to see from Jennings to make an adequate assessment of his game?
If you need more on the draft crop, though, check out the athleticism test results from the pre-draft camp (courtesy of our friends at nbadraft.net, yet another fabulous site devoted to all things draft).
SPEAKING OF EXPECTATIONS GONE AWRY, I CANNOT BELIEVE FOLKS ARE STILL groaning about the Marvin Williams-is-not-Chris-Paul madness.
I know it hurts for some of us to do this, even after all these years, but it really is time to let go. Just throw darts at your Billy Knight poster for the rest of your life. But let it go.
And for the record, Marvin wasn’t the No. 1 pick in that 2005 draft. That honor belonged to Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut, who has yet to distinguish himself as anything other than a wanna-be-dominant NBA big man (I’d argue that Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani is looking like a better pick these days).
Marvin’s first four years have been respectable and far from bust material (anyone seen Darko Milicic in a uniform lately? Anyone. Anyone. Bueller?).
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552 comments Add your comment
Astro Joe
June 4th, 2009
8:28 pm
And I wouldn’t trade Smith for Hinrich either.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
8:36 pm
Nire,
Say it with me ” I(you) do not like Josh Smith”… Ahhh, you feel better now… Hope so, because Josh will be in a Hawks uniform next season.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
8:42 pm
Nire,
Just in. Speedy + Mo Evans for Hinrich works. Get it done Sund…
Say it loud again Nire. ” I (You) do not like Josh Smith”…
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
8:45 pm
Nire,
I post the wrong link above, try the one below.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=o4tjn9
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
9:06 pm
Ariose,
What happen? I thought you was an endoser for my Curtis Jerrells bandwagon…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9anGAmF9sg&feature=PlayList&p=B1ECFB72A4D4AE2C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=25
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
9:17 pm
Astro,
What’s your take on Courtney Lee? Rookie, 22nd draft pick, starting on a 62 win NBA finalist team….
Samuel
June 4th, 2009
9:30 pm
Magic need to forget the pick n roll and get the ball to Howard every play. The Lakers have no answer.
niremetal
June 4th, 2009
9:32 pm
Mel,
That doesn’t take into account the post-July 1 salaries of the players. Hinrich and Speedy are both taking pay cuts next season (and Speedy’s will be slightly bigger than Hinrich’s), which will make the salaries harder to match because of the 125% rule.
And take a look. I said that we SHOULD NOT trade Smoove for Hinrich.
O'brien
June 4th, 2009
9:36 pm
Astro Joe, Ken Strickland
I am a big Kirk Hinrich fan. However, from a money standpoint, $27 million for 3 years seems like a lot, especially since we dont know how much money the ASG would want to spend in future years (Marvin’s contract, Horford’s contract, resigning JJ, upgrading the bench). And I’m not sure what trade Chicago would be interested in.
Especially when we can try to sign a restricted free agent like Jarett Jack or Ramon Sessions (each of them would probably cost $5 mil or so).
Although signing restricted free agents is risky (not knowing if they’ll match), I dont think Indy would match Jarret Jack’s contract, because they’re still paying TJ Ford and Jamal Tinsley. I dont know if Milwaukee would match, because they’re still paying Luke Ridnour.
Or we could trade for Luke Ridnour if Milwaukee prefers to let him go instead of Sessions. His salary is $6.5 mil, but he only has 1 year left.
I am not a fan of resigning Bibby for $7-$8 mil. He is old, no defense, slow, no penetrating. I like his swagger and his shot making, but he’s on the decline, and he is too much of a crutch for Woody.
I say resign Flip, draft a PG (or keep Acie), and sign or trade for one. Hinrich, Jack, Sessions, or Ridnour.
Samuel
June 4th, 2009
9:45 pm
OMG!
The Lakers are in trouble. Nelson has some seriously fresh legs and his timing is dead on.
Sautee
June 4th, 2009
9:49 pm
Nire,
I never thought you were talking Smith for Hinrich straight up.
I’m mainly just yanking your chain for your OH SO thinly disguised disdain for Smith. And if I remember correctly he’s included in most of the trade proposals you mention. I’m sure you’ll correct me if I’m wrong.
But, hey, I’m getting old and my memory doesn’t serve me as well as it used ….. what was I saying, now?
O’Brien, I’m with you on Bibby, and that’s from an old time Bibby fan. If he’s gone it would force Woody’s hand on offense. Plus our defense would get an immediate lift.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
9:50 pm
Nire,
Comeon, Speedy and Hinrich are both taking a 500K cut next season. We can always throw in Randmo (800K) if needed. Get it done Sund…
niremetal
June 4th, 2009
9:57 pm
Mel,
Why in god’s name would the Bulls take that deal? THAT was the problem I mentioned with the trade from before. I don’t think they’d even take Speedy, Mo, and Acie for Hinrich. Why on earth would they take just Mo and Speedy?
Sautee,
I don’t have any disdain for him. None at all. All I’ve ever said is that I think he’s not a SF and that Horford would make a better PF. Thus, he is in my view expendable for the right price. But we’d have to get either an All-Star (like Bosh) or a legitimate starting center (like Biedrins) for me to be ok with parting with him.
darrell starks
June 4th, 2009
10:10 pm
O’BRIEN why would you trade for hinrich plus he make 10million a year?
Ariose
June 4th, 2009
10:14 pm
Melvin, I COMPLETELY forgot about that guy lol. He’s a stud for sure. He gould be a great second round snag also.
glw
June 4th, 2009
10:14 pm
I agree with Nire, on the Hinrich for Mo/Speedy. I dont see that deal working. The only benefit I could see is they get 2 expiring contracts for next season. I think Hinrich is expendable especially if they sign Ben Gordon, but they will shop around and see if their is a better deal otu there. Maybe Chicago would consider it, but thats more like a deal thats did in October/November.
doc
June 4th, 2009
10:22 pm
ariose, i followed your lead and this was right next to it. gosh it makes me sick to think of this cat and jj in the same backcourt. this cat always was said to get to the basket and here is an example of what jj has to come up with in the off season. check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNQYAEXQ1nM&feature=fvw
cry in my beer. sheldon instead of this. i imagine we could have found ourselves in the gasol sweepstakes even without horford last year instead of going after bibby about the same time. we also would not have had to waste a pick on acie. sekou who decided on overlooking roy? was bk that stupid?
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
10:23 pm
Nire,
It’s simple. It will reduce their (Bulls) payroll by 15 mil after the next season.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
10:31 pm
Nire,
If the Bulls do that trade I suggested. They will have more than 20 mil to spend on Free Agents during the 2010 offseason where all the big name free agents will be available. Why pay Hindrich 9.5 mil (to be a backup) when they can spend that money a legit superstar such as Lebron, Dwade, Stoudemire, Bosh and etc?????
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
10:42 pm
Doc,
I just knew BK was going to pick Rudy Gay. I think he felt the backlash from picking the all 6-8 guys from the previous 3 drafts. Man, the one time he should have stood his ground, he gave into the Lanegiver (Shelden)….Even if BK would have pass on Roy for Gay, that would have been a good consolations prize.
niremetal
June 4th, 2009
10:50 pm
Mel,
When you’re a team on the rise like Chicago, you don’t make trades just to dump payroll. If you’re looking to unload a contract like Hinrich’s, you do it by finding a deal that saves you money 2-3 years out AND either makes you better now or gives you assets (i.e. draft picks) that are good down the road. The problem with the deal you described is that it gives the Bulls zero in present value. For a serviceable point guard like Hinrich, they’ll demand more than just expiring deal. They’ll demand Acie and a first round pick. Or they’ll strike a deal for a better player whose contract is expiring (which applies to a LOT of players way better than Mo and Speedy). So “saving money” alone doesn’t do it. Not when the asset you’re trading is in as much demand as a starting-quality point guard is.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
10:51 pm
Why would Van Gundy play Jameer the entire 2nd qtr his first game back after a 50 game layoff??????
O'brien
June 4th, 2009
10:58 pm
darell starks
there seems to be some miscommunication. I am a fan of Hinrich, but I DONT think we should trade for him and his $27 mil, 3 years salary. I think we’re okay signing Jarret Jack or Sessions.
As far as Milwaukee goes, if they take a PG with the 10th pick (as most draft sites predict), then that might suggest that they will part with either Sessions or Ridnour.
Astro Joe
June 4th, 2009
11:04 pm
Melvin, I think that if Pietrus didn’t have a ton of injuries, that Courtney Lee would have been competing with JJ Reddick for minutes at the SG position. Much like Chalmers in Miami, Lee’s getting time because of poor alternative choices (Reddick hasn’t roken a sweat in his NBA career).
nire, I agree. We don’t seem to have the right assets to acquire Hinrich. I have always pegged him for Portland… they could probably put togather a better offer. If Chicago had not made that trade during the season, they may have been interested in David Andersen as an offensive big. But that was then and this is now.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
11:04 pm
Nire,
You know that trading Hinrich for draft picks in return is dang near impossible with the type contract that he has (over 9 mil per year). The only way they could do that is to come with one of MannyT’s magic bean trades where the trading team has that much room under the salary cap. I can’t see Detroit or Memphis pursuing Hinrich but what do I know. After all, Im just hypothetically speaking…
kwooden1
June 4th, 2009
11:10 pm
Looks like the size and quickness of the Lakers will make it tough for Superman. I think Orlando will shoot better next game, though.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
11:10 pm
Its hard to agrue with Van Gundy decisions up to this point (especailly after the season he had) but to throw Nelson back into the fire like this after 4 months off, i don’t understand/agree with that decision…
Astro Joe
June 4th, 2009
11:16 pm
It’ll be interesting to see what happens in Game 2. Lakers have suffered from the Hawks-syndrome… they haven’t handled success well. I’m not sure that they have put together many good back-to-back games during these last few rounds… certainly not 3 in a row.
Melvin
June 4th, 2009
11:30 pm
Nire/Astro,
I get what you all are saying, the Bulls may want more in return for Hinrich. However, it may be diffcult for them to trade Hinrich b/c he makes stater’s money. It’s reported that they are looking for a low post player so I agree the Hawks may not have the right pieces if that’s the case….
niremetal
June 5th, 2009
12:16 am
Enter your comments here
cp
June 5th, 2009
12:25 am
I hope we stay away from Eric Devendorf even if it is a second round pick. He had way too many off the court problems. The one thing I can say about the guys we draft is that they don’t get in trouble off the court. The coach for Syracuse wants him gone too he is not worth the trouble.
niremetal
June 5th, 2009
12:32 am
Mel,
Not sure why you thought I was saying they would demand Acie and a draft pick alone. I meant that they would demand Acie and a first rounder (and maybe another pick) IN ADDITION TO Speedy and Mo. In any case, we seem to be in agreement that the Bulls are unlikely to go for it unless they test the waters and find nothing better out there. And while Hinrich is making starters’ money, there are a dozen or so contending/semi-contending/on-the-playoff cusp teams who either 1) currently have or 2) soon will have a need at PG; or 3) might be looking for insurance for an untested/old/often-injured current PG. I have little doubt that Chicago will shop Hinrich quite a bit before they part with him; from their perspective, there’s no huge rush, and eventually someone is sure to bite and overpay. The league is littered with overpaid and/or mediocre PGs (Beno Udrih, Luke Ridnour, Daniel Gibson, Jamaal Tinsley…Speedy…), which shows how consistently teams are willing to overpay to acquire a PG who they think might turn into the next Steve Nash (i.e. a PG who went from “not bad” to “pretty good” to “incredible,” with the last stage only occurring 8 years into his career).
Ed
June 5th, 2009
4:10 am
Got this from the Cleveland Plain Dealer talking about cap space & possibly having to overpay for bench help.
Especially when they’re going to severely overpay for bench size this offseason. This is going to happen. Prepare to be shocked when they’re offering Marcin Gordat $8 Million. Dwight Howard changed the NBA landscape on Saturday night, and the rest of the league will react (and overreact) to it.
terrell barron
June 5th, 2009
6:29 am
It’s extremely frustrating when I see a guy like Courtney Lee contributing in the NBA Finals, and Acie and Solo cant even get min in the regular season. Fire Woody! And hell no to Hansborough! Thats all we need is another undersized pf. Hello!!!
esaun
June 5th, 2009
7:42 am
CP3 is a nice pg who plays in a dribble drive offense that takes advantage of his strengths, while on d he has the luxury of playing passing lanes with Chandler patrolling the paint. If CP3 came to the atl i do not think Woodson would have revamped his offense to cater to him; he would have stuck to his Larry Brown-Bobby Knight philosophy of 1/2 court ball and intense on the ball defense. I can see Woody and CP3 clashing big time since old schoolers don’t care for rookie PGs running their offense. Hawks misfit organization would not have allowed CP3 to blossom like B.Scott and company did, how quick we forget a player’s 1st year in the league sets the path for his whole career. Besides, the hawks drafted Williams no. 2 and used him more as a role player while NO and Utah gave their high picks leading roles like you do top picks. No. 2 is suppose to take a build around guy and at the time the hawks had 2 SFs already playing viable minutes. The hawks took Marvin and made him a role player killing the beast he was coming off the bench in NC. Hope Cle makes a strong push at him because he would compliment really James well with his defense and big body for the wing. Danny Ferry needs to try and make it happen.
darrell starks
June 5th, 2009
9:32 am
Trade horford marvin and the 19pick for CHRIS BOSH.
STARTER ACIE, JOE, CHILL, JOSH, BOSH
BENCH FLIP, MO, HAKIM WARRICK, CHARLIE V, ZAZA
RESERVE SOLO, WEST.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!
darrell starks
June 5th, 2009
9:36 am
If we keep horford marvin and the 19pick.
STARTER ACIE, JOE, MARVIN, JOSH, HORFORD
BENCH FLIP, MO, CHILL, CHARLIE V, ZAZA
RESERVE SOLO, 19PICK TY LAW.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melvin
June 5th, 2009
10:11 am
Nire,
One more kick and this horse is dead.
Let’s look at that deal from this perspective. Considering Chicago is not going to win the trophy as constructed (with no low-post scoring). Let’s say nothing of interest was offer in return for Hinrich. What would be their next best logical move? I would say they would want to position themselves to be serious players in the 2010 free agent pool. Keep in mind that Brad Miller (12.25 mil), Tim Thomas (6.4 mil) and Jerome James (6.6 mil a player opt that we know he’s going to use) all come off the book next season (25 mil total). Now if they resign Gordon this offseason you have to add that amount to their payroll (let’s say 10 mil forsake of argument) which would decrease the amount of cap space after the above 3 players contracts expires.
Now how valuable would it be for them to pay their backup point guard 9.5 million? When that money could be use toward signing one of the elite big men free agents such as Amare, Bosh, Yao or Boozer (if he dont opt out this season). Wouldn’t that be a better investment of their money?
Besides, the Bulls made the playoffs this season and Hinrich dang near miss the entire first half. So I don’t see why he’s not expendable…
I.MUS WRITE- INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY
June 5th, 2009
10:29 am
Ahhhh Yeah- The king of links strikes again……. Whass up Salim Fan oops I mean Ariose. Im on that C. Jerrels bandwagon- That yung’n has an NBA ready game, he reminds me of Russel Westbrook with a better jumper.
I dont know if 19 is to high to take the guy but he could be a second round steal.
I say snag Earl Clark if he’s there at 19-unless we can get Johnny Flynn. Stay away from Mullens(raw) and the rest of these 6′8 wanna be post players -Has Sheldon Williams taught us anything
Im all for getting Heinrich -9 milli is a bargain considering what we paid Snail Claxton/ Bibby -Heinrich is an upgrade in every part of the game except 3pt %.
I.MUS WRITE- INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY
June 5th, 2009
10:37 am
Our players are working out ha? Thingz that wont change next season
Josh will still be the same shooter firing bricks from deep
Horford will still be raw on the blocks (post moves)
Mo evans will still be 6′4 and get abused by true SF’s
JJ will still be Mr.ISO/Dribble King
Solo will pump iron all summer and get man handled in the post repeatedly
Speedy will continue to wear his Armani suits
Law will still look lost and confused
Woody will say “We just werent prepared tonight”
DAM IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melvin
June 5th, 2009
10:56 am
Can you see teams position themselves for this guy in the 2010 offseason….
Bosh not planning to sign extension this summer
Buzz up!10 votes PrintTORONTO (AP)—Chris Bosh(notes) doesn’t plan to sign a contract extension with the Toronto Raptors this summer and is preparing to become a free agent at the end of next season.
Bosh is in the final year of a deal that will pay him $15.7 million. While Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo has spoken optimistically in the past about signing Bosh to an extension this summer, Bosh said that isn’t his intention. He said leaving his status up in the air could actually help both himself and the Raptors, who missed the playoffs this season with a 33-49 record.
“(When) I signed a three-year (extension in 2006)… I had a goal in mind, and that was to put myself in the best position (in 2010) … I’m thinking I just want to stick to my goal, stick to what I was doing,” Bosh told reporters. “That’s a part of the plan … I just want to address things (after) next season. There’s a reason why I did things the way I did them back then.”
Should Bosh become a free agent in 2010, he’ll join a crop of players that could include LeBron James(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes), Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash(notes).
black man
June 5th, 2009
10:57 am
Hey AJC, the Atlanta Dream are in action tomorrow night. Why can’t I ever get any news about them?
Astro Joe
June 5th, 2009
11:02 am
Bosh is getting traded. I said it before and Melvin’s post provides further evidence. Dude is not going to re-sign in Toronto. Look for Cleveland to make a run at Bosh. They have nothing to lose in terms of making major moves for potentially a one-year rental. With Big Ben already discussing taking a buy-out to retire, I could see Toronto requesting Wallace and a few #1 picks for Bosh. That would give them cap space and draft picks
The Truth
June 5th, 2009
11:22 am
It seems like Cleveland is sucking up some air in the eastern conference regarding trade rumors:
Villanueva to Cavs?
This is being reported on SI.com
[http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/105350-villanueva-to-cavs]
Just to repeat my previous comment, if Charlie V is looking good to us then he is looking even better to other teams, as this is an example. I’m not going to belabor the point about our pace for acquiring talent. I hope it all works out but I’m still skeptical.
JerryWest
June 5th, 2009
11:24 am
Astro – Why would Toronto want a bunch of pick #30 from the Cavs?
Melvin
June 5th, 2009
11:32 am
Is it me or does Toronto seem like a revolving door for NBA players. Seems that no superstar player wants to play there. They may need to relocate to Seattle.
Astro Joe
June 5th, 2009
11:34 am
JerryWest, because they may not get a better offer, especially if they throw in Big Ben. I don’t know what else Cleveland has of value to Toronto… maybe JJ Hickson? Pavlovic? In the scenario I gave, they could look to replace Bosh with Carlos Boozer (as an example). I just don’t see Toronto getting anywhere near equal value back for Bosh.
I just read that Dejuan Blair has potentially damaged knees from ACL injuries suffered in high school. His agent is quick to point out that he didn’t miss any games in college due to ACL issues. But one would think that the combination of his weight and damaged knees won’t result in him being a lottery pick.
ant banks
June 5th, 2009
11:36 am
guys i hear all of the predictions and possibilities that you all have suggested, but i haven’t heard of anything that would make us appreciably better or even able to compete with the big 3-clev, orlando, and boston plus miami will be on the rise, chicago, and indy are goin’ to be alot better.
IMUS- are you still high on us gettin’ Javale Mcghee from washington?
Astro Joe
June 5th, 2009
11:39 am
Melvin, funny. I recall that Minnesota had the same issue. Even KG couldn’t recruit free agents to that team. Toronto will likely need to figure out a way to get under the salary cap and then trade for some brand name players.
ant banks
June 5th, 2009
11:48 am
do you all really think that 18 other teams will pass on ty lawson and will leave him available for the hawks.
also, what is the diff between ty lawson and law IV? why would woody play lawson and he didn’t play law IV as a rookie?