According to a league source, the Lakers already have contacted the Kings regarding Artest and are believed to be offering forward Lamar Odom. As of Tuesday evening, the Kings had not returned the call. They are expected to insist on forward Kenny Thomas and his $18 million of remaining salary (over two seasons) being included in that potential trade. Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie declined comment on whether the Lakers had called. http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/1072665.html As much as I like Odom's rebounding, Artest is the better pure SF and brings tough defense. Frankly, with Ronny 99% gone, we need some rebounders and shot-blockers for the bench. OT: ESPN's Trade Machine is a fun little diversion for the offseason.
Damn, the Sacramento times or whatever its called is LATE. Remember when this was talked about like beginning of last month by ESPN? Btw, that would be a good trade. Not a big fan of Kenny Thomas and his contract but you get the brawler Artest.
It was, but it's a bit more recent and less speculative. I'm especially concerned about rebounding if Odom's gone. We hit a weak point in the playoffs and with Ronny gone, only Bynum and Pau are capable of getting double digit boards (Bynum more likely).
Ooo ok. Yeah, rebounding could be an issue. Last year, Odom averaged 10 boards a game compared to Artest's 5. Over their careers, Odom averages 8 to Artest's 5.
NBA Tidbits The New York Knicks want Center Jerome James to retire. Spurs Forward Brent Barry is not a target of the Suns anymore, however they still seek for a new wing player. Kwame Brown worked out for the Milwaukee Bucks. The New Jersey Nets have targeted Nuggets Forward Eduardo Najera. Knicks GM Donnie Walsh will not commit to Nate Robinson and David Lee. The Spurs have signed Wizards Roger Mason Jr. Orlando Magic Guard Keyon Dooling will not be back with the team for the upcoming season. The Indiana Pacers are shopping Jamaal Tinsley. Celtics FA James Posey could sign this week. Mitch Kupchack states that Andrew Bynum has not been cleared. Link. More News: Utah Jazz PG Dee Brown has signed an offer sheet from the Wizards. The Jazz have seven days to match.(Link) Wizards Guard Gilbert Arenas has stated that he will stay off the court until August. His knee has been aching. Arenas states he is about %95 healthy. Also, the Wizards have a preseason game in October and he was promoting it in Germany. The Wizards play the New Orleans Hornets. Arenas was his old self as he stated he would score 35 points in 20 minutes of play. (Link) Kings Brad Miller has been suspended 5 games due to violation of the leagues drug program. The substance used is undisclosed.(Link)
Kenny Thomas is garbage and worthless as ****, but I guess the Lakers would have to buckle up and take his contract. Ron Artest is a far better fit for what they're trying to do than Lamar Odom. Also, they should really look at bringing in Kurt Thomas to fill in the void left by Ronny Turiaf. G - Fisher G - Bryant F - Artest F - Gasol C - Bynum Yeah, they'll probably be back in the Finals next year.. playing against Boston.
Its funny, The teams wants Jerome James to retire but the fanbase cant wait for James to keel over trying to get up and down the court in D'Antoni's fun and gun offense. I think Nate Robinson could be a very dynamic player in this offense. Are the Pacers shopping Tinsley's gun collection on EBAY? I cant see anyone taking him until thats gone. The dude's a borderline criminal who cant hit a jump shot.
Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy appeared on the radio this morning discussing Elton Brand's signing with the 76ers. Brand text messaged all his teammates stating " lets team up, me, you guys and BD" (along those lines). Brand told team management that if they signed Baron Davis, he would be back. Dunleavy stated that Brand told him he wanted to be paid $75 million tops and he wanted to come back to LA. However, Brand's agent, Falk was asking for $120 million from Donald Sterling for his client. The Clippers were not going to spend that kind of money because of Brand's achillies injury. They believe he is healthy and a "very talented player but do not want to invest that kind of money into a player coming off an injury". Dunleavy told the radio station that they handed Brand's agent the contract and let Falk "twist any of the text in the contract". Once Falk gave his "version" of the contract, the Clippers agreed to it. Elton Brand verbally agreed with the contract and the Clippers state they have evidence. Dunleavy stated that it doesn't bother him that Brand left LA, it just bothers him that he gave them his word and then didn't even tell them he changed his mind. Dunleavy closed the conversation stating the Clippers were ready to move on and have a lot of money to invest in other players. They will be buyers in this market. He also stated that the team is Baron Davis's and they will do their best to provide talent around him. The conversation was on ESPNEWS earlier today. I memorized as much as I could so forgive me for not remembering the exact quotes by Dunleavy. I believe I covered every statement of Dunleavy's, just not in exact quotes.
I don't know why everyone expects D'Antoni to immediately recreate Phoenix. D'Antoni did what he could to maximize the effectiveness of his best player, Steve Nash. The Panties have nothing like that. They're not going to run up and down the court all night.
They have made contact with Thomas's agent. I would believe they'll intensify that with Turiaf likely too costly. But we will lose out in terms of shotblocking. And it would make me sick if we went to Kwame Brown again... And we were already outrebounded several times in the playoffs. Just don't really have a hustling PF because that's a weak point.
I think I would in a second if I were the Lakers. He's friends with Kobe, so maybe that and winning will keep him sane for a season.
Was this posted yet? http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8332046/Clippers-renounce-rights-to-Livingston
His shots also increased in those years. I am just saying that Haslem is much more than your run of the mill average PF. It is not about boxscores for him.
If the Bucks signed Kwame Brown for nothing I won't be mad. In fact I am pretty sure the Bucks will be in the hunt for the 7-8 spot next year.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...nYcB?slug=ap-clippers-davis&prov=ap&type=lgns That ladies and gentlemen, is a man with class. I could not say the same for Elton Brand. Davis has not only said the right things but made the ethical moves. That last line there highlights all that there is to say and something Dukies should probably learn.
Something to watch: The Knicks have invited former stanford star Danny Grunfeld to their summer league. The son of former Knicks GM, Ernie Grunfeld, he messed up his knee his senior year. On a personal note I really hope he makes it. I coached him in a sleepaway camp where I was teaching basketball and baseball during the summer of 98 and I remember him and his dad were both very nice people.
Former Bruin and OKC Top Pick Westbrook Dominating http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Orlando-Day4-080710 There is a bright side for OKC fans.
For those interested, here is Mike Dunleavy calling out the Brand move. It's the same thing that I posted earlier in the quote above.
Just playing a little bit of catchup. I LOVE Turiaf. I love his energy and his attitude on life and basketball. But if I am the Lakers, I would be stupid to match that offer. He will fit in and be loved with the Warriors, but that is such a desperation contract. The Warriors are notorious for doing this and I think they will look back and wonder if the 17 million they spent on him will be worth the 6-8 points a game he may get if they are lucky. Having said that, I don't think I can imagine a scenario where I am rooting against Turiaf. Unless he ends up a Celtic... I also am not sure on this Artest-Odom deal either. If L.A. has to take Kenny Thomas as well, it is a bad deal. I really think they don't gain or los emuch swapping those players and it smacks of making a move for the sake of making a move. I think L.A. is in good shape. Once Bynum comes back, the front lne is ginormous with Bynum-Gasol-Odom. Of course if Sacramento or any other team wants to take Puke Walton off of our hands...I am willing to listen. I am surprised on the lack of news about Emeka Okafor, unless I missed something. The guy gives you 14 ppg to go with 11rpg. Considering the type of money lesser players are getting, and the fact that he is 25, I assumed he would generated more interest. Actually, I would love to see him in L.A. if they can move Odom. Sure, he is too big to play the 3 a ton, but the rebounding and big body he posseses would help L.A. when going up against bigger frontlines. If he would accept the MLE, I would call Kupchak myself to get the deal done. I don't know, he just seems like a good, young talented player sitting out there with very little news surrounding him.
According to reports, the Lakers will not match because they are already over the tax and have only ten players under roster. Phunwin made a good post about the signing earlier in this thread. Like Regan said, the rebounding would worse because Odom is a better rebounder than Artest. Actually doubled Artest's rebounds per game last year. Okafor has drawn interest from I believe three teams tops, one of the three being his current team. He is having discussions with the Bobcats but no negotiations. Another team that has contacted Okafor is the Clippers. The Clippers are interested in him as well as Hawks Josh Smith.
Westbrook will not disappoint. And with his highlight reel ability, should generate some nice exposure for OKC on ESPN. I love Turiaf too but really, it'll depend on whether the FO thinks he has a high enough ceiling to warrant that salary. Heck, I'd dump Space Cadet and Mihm in a heartbeat if it'd be enough to keep Turiaf. Artest and someone other than Kenny Thomas (Rahim?) for Odom makes some sense for me. We need a true SF defender and a SF who can hit a 3 at the same time. Artest brings both. But I'm fine with Odom as it stands. Okafor? I think it's the Clippers making an attempt on him because he sure isn't going here for the MLE. Bobcats would likely match that and we have Pau anyways so Okafor would be on the bench. As you said, too big for the 3 and that's why we had trouble against swifter SF's in the playoffs. Doesn't have any shooting range either which is key to play the SF spot (Pippen, Fox, Rice were all decent 3 point shooters who could play D, less so for Rice but he was okay). It's really the restricted tag he's got which has everyone backing off save for the Clips who now have loads of cash.
Technically we could match and get the tax since we have Bird rights and Buss has shown a willingness to go over. But it's the lack of signed players that's causing us to potentially pass.
That makes sense, I didn't realize that Emeka was an RFA. I think he would be a good fit for the Clippers and playng alongside Davis would only help him. Of ourse, far be it from me to try and see the Clippers get better...
This is a great point. If you look at the current Knicks' roster, it's not exactly chock-full of players who fit the offense he ran in Phoenix. Nate Robinson, sure. Jamal Crawford and Chris Duhon...maybe. David Lee and Renaldo Balkman, yes. And now, Danilo Gallinari. That's pretty much it. I go back and forth on an Odom-Artest deal. The cap implications are negligible, since both are in the final year of their contract, though the Kings would have to kick in about $4M worth of salary to even it out. Artest can succeed without having the ball a lot, which is crucial on an LA team where Bryant and Gasol will take most of the shots, and Bynum will want the leftovers. And having Bryant and Artest would give the Lakers two of the best defending swingmen in the game, and Artest's size and strength would allow him to guard 3s who like to post up. (Of course, one can say the same for the 6'10 Odom.) So either he's taking worse shots, or he's losing his touch. Neither choice particularly impresses me. Or am I supposed to believe that Udonis Haslem is suddenly drawing plenty of attention from defenses? In any case, you're entitled to your opinion. To me, he's an average power forward, and nothing more.
The Metro News (Toronto, I assume) is reporting that the Pistons are making a big pitch for Tracy McGrady. Rasheed Wallace would be a good fit in a frontcourt with Yao Ming, and my guess is that he'd almost certainly be involved in that deal. I would think the Rockets would want Chauncey Billups as well, as they've got a rather forgettable cast of point guards.
Does anyone know what Dumars is doing. I can see going after C. Anthony, but trying to acquire McGrady seems like a desperate move. Dumars must really think Stuckey can play because they are really pressing to move Billups it seems.
I like Stuckey, I dont know about him going full time on the point, but....Dumars has mad almost every right call so far, minus a couple of bumps in the road. T-Mac to Detroit would be big, IMO. Have the Pistons announced a head coach yet, btw?
I don't know why you'd think it's desperate. Before he a down season last year, McGrady was the better player by a fair margin. McGrady's injury history is a bit more checkered than Anthony's, but then Anthony's personal life seems to be a bit cloudier. Essentially, Dumars is trying to do what he should have done last year; shake things up. It's clear now that Detroit has achieved as much as they can with the current core. They had a nice window of opportunity for the team-first, no-one-scorer concept, they got a championship out of it, and now that's passed. So, they're looking for a star to build the team around, a player who they can look to for a basket when the offense is stalling. That's one problem the Pistons have had over the last few years: when the offense is out of sync, they can't score. They can't give it to one guy, and count on him to pull them through. And I don't know if Billups is part of that deal; that's just conjecture on my part. But there's no denying that they've shopped him. They do think Stuckey can play the point and in fact can be a star. They hired Michael Curry a few weeks ago.
Least McGrady would finally get out of the 1st round if this trade went through. Wallace on the Rockets though? Not sure, but he'd work well with Yao.
I understand what you are saying, but the problem I have is that when this comes up and the "average" power forward discussion gets going..somebody ALWAYS says that Drew Gooden is better than Haslem. Since Drew Gooden is the poster child for the "average PF". there is no way anybody can convince me that Drew Gooden is better than Haslem.,,or the inevitable Juwan Howard comparison.
NBA News: Brent Barry has signed with the Houston Rockets. He is the third family member to join the Rockets. (Link) Bulls top pick Derrick Rose will miss the remainder of summer league play due to knee tendinitis.(Link) Celtics Paul Pierce was asked of his opinion on the Stephon Marbury - Knicks situation and he stated that the Knicks have to dump Marbury. The reason for the statement was because "he makes the biggest contract and he's one of the oldest players on the team". He stated he would trade him or buy him out. (Link)
Not quite sure why Barry would sign with Houston. Maybe SA didn't want him back. Anywho, good luck trying to work with T-Mac to get past the 1st round
