Official NBA Truth & Rumors Thread

Discussion in 'Other Sports Forum' started by alen1, Jun 13, 2008.

  1. HardKoreXXX

    HardKoreXXX Insensitive to the Touch

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    Wow I missed that comment Felix. Steve ****ing Blake?! C'mon bro :lol:
     
  2. Section126

    Section126 We are better than you. Luxury Box

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    don't know..I put alot of stock in FG% for big guys and his 51% is less than inspiring.

    If I were Milwaukee, I would have strong armed him a little....14.5 per is a death nell. he HAS to become an all-star to justify that contract.
     
  3. phunwin

    phunwin Happy kids are Dolfans. Luxury Box

    He's an RFA this year, and if he signs the one year tender, he's a UFA next year. Not quite sure what's going to happen with him; the Bobcats haven't made a long-term offer after he spurned their offer last offseason.

    You did get a steal: getting a second rounder who can contribute to your roster at all is a steal, since most of them are out of the league within 3 years. He'll be a good third guard. The fact that he's playing well in the Summer League is encouraging, but I'm not QUITE ready to call him the best second round pick since Gilbert Arenas.
     
  4. phunwin

    phunwin Happy kids are Dolfans. Luxury Box

    I agree that he has to become an all-star caliber player to justify that contract. But his 51% FG isn't bad. It was 8th among centers, and above a few pretty good offensive players (Duncan, Kaman, Ilgauskas, Okur).
     
  5. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    He's a RFA. When healthy, good shot blocker and defender overall. Will give you 14 and 10 every night. As of now, I believe that he and the Bobcats have had discussions but no negotiations. He is likely to end up signing a one year tender and then they try work something out next year. The Clippers will pursue him if their bid for Josh Smith fails.
     
  6. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    OK, so we would have to trade for him to aquire him this year? What would we have to give up to get someone like him?

    Would we have to give up to get him? Could we pull off Haslem and someone like Wright or Cook for him?

    Haslem and Okafor's numbers are pretty similar. I have no clue about the contracts though...
     
  7. Big E

    Big E Plus sized porn star

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    If we could get Okafor for Haslem and Cook, I would do it in a heartbeat. But I would also question the Bobcats decision making skills....
     
  8. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    LOL, you asked the same question in like three different ways.

    My guess is that the Bobcats would want Marion back. Then again, it is Jordan making the decisions.
     
  9. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    LOL! I got up and walked away a few times in the middle of writing that post... can you tell? lol!
     
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  10. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    Well, I honestly havent seen much of Okafor since hes been in the NBA... so I just was looking at his numbers.

    I'm assuming his play on the court is more than his stats? B/c statistically, hes not much more than Haslem...
     
  11. Big E

    Big E Plus sized porn star

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    I think Okafor has the talent to be a great PF in this league. I just dont think he's ever been used to his abilities wisely.
     
  12. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    He's a good defensive player. On offense, he shoots a pretty high percentage, around %60 percent. A lot of the baskets are right under the hoop though. His problem is health. This past year was the first one he has stayed healthy. He has had back troubles since his freshmen year at UCONN I believe.
     
  13. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    I remember his back thing at UCONN...
     
  14. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    NBA News:

    The Clippers have made contact with RFA Emeka Okafor. Baron Davis also officially signed his 5 year/$65 million dollar deal with the Clippers. (Link)

    The Lakers are not expected to match the 4 year/$17 milllion dollar offer sheet that was presented by the Warriors to Ronny Turiaf. The Lakers aren't expected to match due to them already paying $5 million in luxury tax. The tax for the 2008-09 season is at $71.15 million and the Lakers are currently at $75.1 million with only ten players on the roster.(Link)

    Chris Paul was offered a 5 year, $80 million dollar deal this off-season by the Hornets. He signed for a 5 year deal worth $68 million. The reason? He wants to make sure the Hornets have more flexibility so they are able to sign Center Tyson Chandler, Forwards Peja Stojakovic and David West.(Link)

    There are two sides of the Elton Brand - Clippers story. Brand's agent is stating that his client was offered an ultimatum offer of 5 years, $70 million. He stated that he was "surprised but not angry" that his client and franchise player was given the ultimatum. The Clippers (Mike Dunleavy's) side of the story is that they did offer a deal of $70 million but later raised up to $75 million and then $81 million. Dunleavy was quoted as saying " anything Elton ever wanted, I did for him". Brand would go on to sign a deal with the 76ers worth $79.6 million. (Link)

    The Celtics and James Posey talks are imminent. The Celtics are however drawing a line on the contract. They are holding the line on a possible fourth year of the contract. James Posey was asked about where he would sign (multiple suitors) and he replied " I honestly don't know."(Link)

    The Knicks have been dodging questions regarding PG Stephon Marbury's future. Donnie Walsh remains noncommittal.(Link)

    Hornets FA Jannero Pargo has drawn interest from at least four teams. The Hornets are still after Celtics James Posey and Pistons Jarvis Hayes. (Link)

    The Clippers have renounced rights to Shaun Livingston, Dan Dickau, Smush Parker, Boniface N'Dong, and James Singleton. (Link)

    The articles have been summarized. In parenthesis, links are provided to the articles.
     
  15. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    Yeah, still troubling him. Last season he played all 82 games so that could be a positive sign for things to come.
     
  16. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    So it would really take Marion to get Okafor? I'm suprised it would take that much... I always considered Marion a much better player.
     
  17. Big E

    Big E Plus sized porn star

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    Wow....see Paul is a class act, takes less money to keep key players on the team, see thats how it should be. I still dont buy into the theory that you take as much money as you possibly can etc.
     
  18. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    I would think they would ask that. I can't imagine their best player or second best player being traded for Haslem and Cook. I'm not really sure what the Bobcats would ask for, my guess would be Marion. Maybe a Marion-Okafor swap? Okafor makes $5 million this year compared to Marion's $16 million. The Bobcats would have to re-sign him and then trade him for Marion.
     
  19. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    I think that theory should run when your still a younger player years old. Once you get to 27-29, you should go for the best possible shot at a championship.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2008
  20. phunwin

    phunwin Happy kids are Dolfans. Luxury Box

    I'm reasonably sure that the Bobcats would giggle and hang up at that offer. Even an executive as dim-witted as Jordan would refuse that deal.

    They've got Gerald Wallace giving them basically the same thing, but at half the price. I don't know that Marion makes much sense for them.

    The cult of personality that surrounds Haslem on this board is truly amazing. Haslem is essentially a league-average power forward; he has a 13.9 career PER over 5 years. (14.0 is league-average PER) He is now 28 years old, and there's absolutely no reason to expect further improvement.

    Okafor, meanwhile, has a 17.6 career PER, and will probably build on that a bit, considering his first two years were lower than his last two, thus weighting it downward a bit. He averaged 15 points and 11.6 rebounds per 36 minutes last year, while Haslem averaged 11.7 and 8.8, and with a far lower field goal percentage.

    The idea that the two are comparable is laughable.
     
  21. Section126

    Section126 We are better than you. Luxury Box

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    It's Haslem's Hustle and his defense that is appreciated and doesn't show up in the boxscores phunwin.
     
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  22. HardKoreXXX

    HardKoreXXX Insensitive to the Touch

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    Haslem is a fan favorite. His numbers may seem inflated because of this. The guy is also a great defender who locked down Dirk in the finals a couple years ago.

    I agree he is not comprable to Okafor in talent, but the fans respond to the guys heart and desire. Not too mention he is from Miami (that usually doesnt hurt)
     
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  23. HardKoreXXX

    HardKoreXXX Insensitive to the Touch

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    You beat me bro :up:
     
  24. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    Relax bro. As I said in that post, I openly admitted that I havent seen or heard much of Okafor since he was at UCONN.

    I was trying to ask what Okafor's value is, b/c like I said, I have no clue how good he is currently as a player. I just know he is the type of player we could use(defense/rebound). All I had to go by were there ppg and rpg... which is where I got Haslem from, based on those 2 stats.



    Its not me overestimating Haslem's value... its me know knowing the value of Okafor...
     
  25. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    With Wallace possibly heading out, why wouldn't he make sense?
     
  26. phunwin

    phunwin Happy kids are Dolfans. Luxury Box

    His defense is good, very true. But his premature decline as an offensive player seems to cancel out much of that value. I'm all for having a hustle guy, but it seems like every time I turn around, there's another "hey, let's see if they'll take Haslem for Star Player X"!

    If Wallace is heading out, then yes, a trade built around Marion for Okafor would make some sense. I'm just operating on the (questionable) assumption that the Bobcats would smarten up and realize that Wallace is a damn fine basketball player, and there's little point in trading him just for the sake of change.
     
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  27. DonShula84

    DonShula84 Moderator Luxury Box

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    It boggled my mind as well...
     
  28. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    Yeah, they have been shopping him around and almost got a deal done on draft day with an undisclosed team but it fell through.

    I also agree that he's a very good basketball player. I don't understand the reason they would move him. Maybe its his contract? Didn't they give him a big deal a summer or two ago? They maybe want to move him to free up space to go after other FA's and give it to Okafor.
     
  29. Section126

    Section126 We are better than you. Luxury Box

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    Not so sure he is declining offensively either. he shot a bad % last year (46%) due to the circumstances IMO. On a bad team and forced to shoot more.

    You gotta remember that his offensive game consists of open jumpers and put backs. he needs others to set him up.

    You can win a championship with Udonis as your starting PF.

    He is no Drew Gooden...etc....Stat sheet be damned.
     
  30. Regan21286

    Regan21286 MCAT's, EMT's, AMCAS, ugh

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    Good to see the Clips back on track and I knew fellow Bruin alum Davis will back his word no matter what unlike Dukie players. :wink2:

    Curse the Warriors for handing out overinflated desperation contracts. I really like Ronny's hustle and his improvements offensively. When Pau and Bynum went down, he really stepped up and I would've thought he'd get more time in the Finals.

    I tend to believe Dunleavy's side more considering they have proof to back it up that they did everything for Brand (getting Davis for example). Brand's agent is a real SOB and an example of a crooked agent.

    The rest is predictable but Livingston must really be in bad shape if they dropped him so soon.

    Agreed 100%.
     
  31. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    Okafor is a star player? Really?

    Like I said, I havent seen much of Okafor in the NBA... but I was under the impression that he was more of a role player than a player you build your team on... which is why I was interested in him in the first place.

    We just need a decent role player that is a rebounder/defender at the Center position.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2008
  32. Regan21286

    Regan21286 MCAT's, EMT's, AMCAS, ugh

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    He can be good 2nd or 3rd option down low.
     
  33. phunwin

    phunwin Happy kids are Dolfans. Luxury Box

    His FG% has declined three straight years. And noticeably, too:
    2004-5 - .540
    2005-6 - .508
    2006-7 - .492
    2007-8 - .467

    I'm well aware that you can win a championship with Haslem as a starting PF. In fact, the Heat did just that. Of course, that's like saying that you can win a championship with Derek Fisher as your point guard, or Nazr Mohammed as your center. I didn't say Haslem sucked, I said he's basically an average power forward, and that his offense is showing signs of decline. (Edit) And that I don't understand why the natural instinct of many Heat fans on this board is to assume that he can be traded for significantly more than what his actual value is.
     
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  34. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    Yeah, I'm glad he stuck to his word. Verbally agreeing about the second day of FA and wet through the whole process.

    Lol, yeah. I was surprised in Turiaf. I always liked him in Gonzaga but was pretty impressed with him when Pau went down. He has a nice mid-range jumpshot.

    Yeah, did you see the "revenge" story I posted a couple pages back? Where Brand's agent did not extend the offers made by the Clippers to Brand?


    He's actually taking on light practices. I think they renounced their rights so they could free up space for other free agents and try to give him a smaller contract.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2008
  35. Regan21286

    Regan21286 MCAT's, EMT's, AMCAS, ugh

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    That's why he's a classy guy who deserves some applause for his integrity. Brand deserves to be stoned the next time he comes to Staples.

    I was really pleased at him developing a mid-range game. Really thought he'd make a fine starting PF in the future. That really makes me want us to keep him even if it does make us over the cap. We still have an MLE to get other players anyways.

    I did. It's why Falk is turning into the Drew Rosenhaus of the NBA.

    Possibly, but with the Brand fiasco, they might've wanted to take less risk. And Livingston was committed to Duke too. :wink2:
     
  36. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    I agree. Still somewhat upset over Brand leaving. God I sound like a Clippers fan.
    Yeah, I don't recall him being able to do anything but dunk and play D in Gonzaga. I didn't get to see many of their games because they were so late at night.

    Eh, can't stand Drew Rosenhaus. Next Question...

    Maybe. Ouch, I would hate to be a Dookie. He was one of my favorite players coming out in the NBA draft.
     
  37. Regan21286

    Regan21286 MCAT's, EMT's, AMCAS, ugh

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    I'm sure DonShula84 will tell you it's okay. :lol: I'm not that big a Clippers fan but what Falk and his accomplice in crime Brand did is repulsive for any NBA fan to hear. I can be sure that if Dwyane Wade or Dwight Howard pulled the same stunt, Heat or Magic fans will be in an uproar. (DISCLAIMER: I'M NOT SAYING WADE OR HOWARD WILL DO THAT, I'M USING AN ANALOGY THAT WILL BE MORE PERTINENT TO THE MAJORITY ON THE FORUM SO DON'T GET YOUR PANTIES UP IN A BUNCH)

    Looking at him in the NBA level, you can see he's improved. I just wish he hadn't so he wouldn't have gotten a ridiculous contract.
     
  38. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    :lol:

    Lol yeah.
     
  39. DonShula84

    DonShula84 Moderator Luxury Box

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    I think you have to believe Dunleavy in all this. The LAT really painted Falk, Brand's agent, as an *******. I'd feel bad for Brand because it does look like he got manipulated by his agent some, but he's a big boy, you cant put it all on the agent.

    As far as renouncing the rights to Livingston I think that was done to clear up more money for Brand so they could up the offer. That's how they could go up to 81 mill I believe. Hopefully it isnt that the healing process is going to poorly that they think he's done. We'll see if they try to resign him and let him learn from Davis/back him up.
     
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  40. alen1

    alen1 New Member

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    You are correct. As for the healing process, Livingston said a while ago he feels good and was cleared to play. I remember us talking about how he was taking light practices.
     

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