NBA Rumors [05/29]

[greasybugsy]

Knicks shopping 6th pick

As he said on lottery night, Walsh is considering trading the No. 6 pick, and sources here indicate the Raptors will be active on June 26. The Raptors are beginning to shop PG T.J. Ford, according to a league executive. . . . Memphis' Joey Dorsey created a stir yesterday, saying he has inside information that the Bulls will take Michael Beasley with the No. 1 pick.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05292008...oni_112954.htm


Heat, Bulls deny rumor that Rose is headed to Miami

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Draft hopeful Joey Dorsey insists he has the inside scoop that former college teammate Derrick Rose will be bypassed by Chicago and fall to Miami in next month's NBA Draft.

Apparently, that was news to Bulls general manager John Paxson, whose team holds the top pick.

''There's absolutely no reason anyone would have any clue,'' Paxson said Wednesday at the NBA predraft camp. ``Nobody knows.''

Heat management also said nothing had been decided.

Rose is proving to be as elusive on the rumor mill as he was on the court in his lone season at the University of Memphis.

Dorsey's comments, followed three hours later by Paxson's vehement denial, spiced up festivities on the first full day of the predraft camp, where the focus remained on the top prospects who had yet to arrive instead of the ones fighting for NBA jobs.

Dorsey, a 6-8 forward who started on the Memphis team that Rose led to the NCAA title game, ranks as one of the higher-profile players competing in the scrimmages at the four-day event in front of dozens of NBA team executives.

That also made Dorsey one of the more sought-out players during the interview session that followed his team's game Wednesday morning.

Asked if he had any idea where Rose might land, Dorsey offered what he said was ''inside info'' on Chicago's plans to draft Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley instead of Rose, a Chicago native.

''Chicago's got a lot of pressure on them because Derrick's from Chicago,'' Dorsey said. ``But they're going to take Beasley. I've talked to [Rose], and [Miami is] where I think he's going to end up. You watch what I tell you. I know.''

Whereas Dorsey and Paxson spoke somewhat freely on the issue, Heat general manager Randy Pfund offered little insight on Miami's plans. Pfund said the Heat has not set up any postcamp workouts with top prospects or determined how many the team will evaluate.

Pfund also declined to discuss potential trade partners or draft preferences for the Heat's pick.

''The process will let us know what that number will be,'' Pfund said. ``It could be real small. It could be bigger, depending on a couple of answers to questions with some of the key people. We could try to get 10 people or we could make it simple and not bring in anybody.''

Beasley and Rose could speak for themselves Thursday, when the projected lottery prospects arrive for physical exams, measurements and some on-court drills.

Beasley, Rose, Southern California guard O.J. Mayo, Stanford center Brook Lopez and Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless were among the prospects who were excused from the three days of scrimmaging.

Paxson repeatedly has said that the Bulls have yet to decide if they will take Rose or Beasley.

But he did say the decision would come down to one of those two players. Beasley and Rose are the only players the Bulls plan to bring to Chicago for workouts after the predraft camp.

The Heat is expected to draft whichever player the Bulls leave on the board. Indications from officials with several league teams are that the Bulls are leaning toward Rose.

The Heat, which has only backup Marcus Banks under contract at the point guard position, would prefer Rose over Beasley because it has Udonis Haslem and Shawn Marion at power forward.

http://www.miamiherald.com/594/story/550332.html


Point-guard need preoccupies Kings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – There were no answers inside the gym Wednesday. D.J. Augustin did not play and Russell Westbrook did not play, and neither did Derrick Rose or Jerryd Bayless since both will be long gone anyway by the time the NBA draft is 11 picks along June 26.

Geoff Petrie stepped into the sunlight between games, stood in the increasing muck of early-afternoon central Florida humidity and was asked whether the hole about to blow open in his backcourt would directly affect what the Kings do four weeks from tonight. There were no answers outside, either.

"You know," the Kings' basketball president said, "when the season starts, we're going to have to have some point guards."

At least if they hope to get the ball across midcourt – and Petrie doesn't need to be reminded the Kings have none. Beno Udrih and Anthony Johnson, the starter and top reserve, respectively, at the end of the season, technically are on the roster but are free agents. They hit the open market July 1 amid the very real possibility both will be signed away.

The Kings like Udrih and will bid to re-sign him, with the advantage of being able to offer more than most any team. But it's also hard to imagine them in a bidding skirmish over a player with 57 career starts and averages of 7.1 points and 2.4 assists in 17.5 minutes over four seasons who compromises the salary structure when there may be replacement options through trade, free agency or the draft.

Or maybe not through the draft. The Kings pick 12th, after Rose goes first or second and Bayless goes third to seventh, if projections by personnel bosses hold. Augustin and Westbrook are in the next group, tracking in Sacramento's range.

The Kings not only have to decide whom to pick if they select a point guard at No. 12, they also have to decide the direction of the position before knowing what will happen with Udrih and, to a much lesser extent, Johnson. The timing works against them, with the draft five days before the start of free agency.

So, again, there is the question: How does the uncertainty of Udrih affect the plan for the draft, if at all?

"We'll look at the draft, we'll obviously look at our free agents, we'll look at trading and we'll look at signing," Petrie said.

Augustin and Westbrook were given the star treatment by the NBA and allowed to show only for physicals and interviews, as opposed to playing over four days against peers mostly hoping to push into the first round.

The University of Texas lists Augustin at 6 feet, probably making him closer to 5-foot-11 because schools routinely inflate measurements, making size the obvious concern. But he is strong, a leader and a true distributing point guard who gets the ball to the right place.

Westbrook is the contrast, for better and worse, a spectacular athlete who is bigger (6-foot-3, according to UCLA) and will physically dominate opponents on offense and would be the best defensive player in the Kings' backcourt on the first day of camp. But he has little experience at point guard, meaning he would need time to grow into the role.

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/972992.html


Sources: Dallas Mavericks, Cowboys team up to court 2010 NBA All-Star Game

The Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Cowboys have joined forces in an effort to bring the NBA All-Star Game to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington as early as 2010, multiple sources said Tuesday.

No bid has been submitted and executives stress all that has been done at this stage is to explore options. But the unusual alliance has piqued the interest of NBA officials and satisfies divergent goals for the local franchises.

The Cowboys have aggressively pursued a wide range of sporting and entertainment events for their new $1.1 billion facility in Arlington, which opens in 2009. Staging an NBA All-Star Game at the stadium is consistent with that approach and addresses one of Mark Cuban's biggest concerns.

The Mavericks owner has been reluctant to host the game at American Airlines Center because the league's corporate obligations would kick season ticket-holders out of their seats. Moving the game to Arlington removes that obstacle.

"It's important to me to find a venue that can support all of our season ticket-holders and all of the visitors who would come to Dallas for the game," Cuban said by e-mail. "We are exploring all of our options."

Principals in this process were hesitant to provide details. But one option would be hold the game at the Cowboys stadium and the lead-up events at AAC. Officials with the NBA recently conducted a site survey of the Cowboys stadium to get a feel for the facility.

A Cowboys spokesperson referred all questions about this collaborative effort to the Mavericks. The NBA office only acknowledges clubs or groups that have submitted bids.

"We have received no formal bid," said Michael Bass, the NBA's senior vice president for marketing communication. "I couldn't comment on bids we haven't received."

Phoenix will host the 2009 All-Star Game. No other game has been awarded.

That makes 2010 the first potential date. If the Mavericks and Cowboys are unable to pull that off, it's unlikely an NBA All-Star Game would return to North Texas before 2012.

The reason: Super Bowl XLV will be held at the Cowboys' new stadium in February 2011. The NBA All-Star Game is later that same month. It doesn't make strategic, logistical or marketing sense to schedule two major sporting events that close to each other at the same site.

The last football stadium to host the NBA All-Star Game was the Alamodome in 1996. Reunion Arena was the last North Texas facility to host an NBA All-Star Game in 1986.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...s.3b1e823.html


Trading down is way to go for Wolves

If I were Kevin McHale ... I'd quit. But that would make for a really short column.

So let's try a more complex hypothetical. What would I do if I were Timberwolves exec Kevin McHale, I held the third pick in the 2008 NBA draft, my team was generating TV ratings that read like windchills, and my roster held exactly one potential star-quality player?

I'd take a good look in the mirror, see Kevin McHale, and deduce the following:

• If I take a player with the third pick, he's probably going to remind me of Christian Laettner. And not in a good way. Hold it -- is there a good way?

• I'm not just trying to add new players, but I'm also trying to get rid of old mistakes. Few people know this, but Marko Jaric picked up that supermodel he was dating last year by saying, "Hey, baby, do you know just how overpaid I am?"

Rashad McCants is what we thought he was (I now owe Denny Green 38 cents in royalties) -- a streaky scorer who plays defense like Wasswa Serwanga. They've got to go.

• I'm not just one good young player away from contending in the beastly Western Conference. I need platoons of help.

Take those three thoughts, stir, and you come to this conclusion: If I'm Kevin McHale, I don't try to trade up. I try to trade down.

If McHale can swing it -- and that "if" has grown like oil prices the past 10 years -- he should package the third pick in the draft and one of his many problems. He should find a way -- and this is going to require creativity and possibly a three- or four-team transaction -- to get a couple of picks lower in the first round.

If you're not going to land a superstar at No. 3, you'd be better off landing a couple of promising players later.

The favored NBA cliché holds that you build around superstars, but look at the league's final four. These teams win because they have cultivated winning cultures.

Detroit has zero superstars, and three of its four core players started elsewhere. The Pistons play exceptional defense, share the ball and make big shots.

Boston has three supposed superstars, but it's the Celtics defense and unselfishness that has allowed them to survive the frequent disappearing acts of Ray Allen and the occasional, expected sabbaticals of Kevin Garnett.

The Spurs have one star in Tim Duncan and two players -- Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli -- who might not be anything close to what they are now if they hadn't played for Gregg Popovich. The Spurs win because they're the toughest, best-coached team in basketball.

The Lakers have Kobe, but they're threats to win it all this year because Kobe has become the best all-around player in the game -- a guy who makes his teammates better -- instead of just the best scorer. He has changed the Lakers' culture.

Consider the players the Wolves might select at No. 3, and ask yourself if you wouldn't rather have two similarly good players:

• USC freshman O.J. Mayo: Let's see, a guy from SoCal named O.J. who hangs out with shady people and is about to write a book titled "If I Did It (Took Lots of Money at USC)." No thanks.

• Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless: Nice player, but how is he different from Randy Foye? Other than, the Wolves didn't trade Brandon Roy to get him?

• Italian star Danilo Gallinari: Would follow in a long line of Italian basketball stars, like Christiani DePauli and D'Amare Stoudamirioli.

• Stanford center Brook Lopez: This is what the Wolves need -- more centers from Stanford.

The earliest rumors (or lies) from NBAland offer the possibility that the Bulls will take Memphis' Derrick Rose, the Heat will take Mayo and Kansas State's Michael Beasley could fall to the Wolves at No. 3. If that happens, disregard all of the above.

Beasley is the player I want. If he's not available, the Wolves get creative, trade down, get rid of one of their problems and take a couple of guys who might be just as good as the player selected No. 3.

Then, next year, when the Wolves have the first pick in the draft, they can take a star.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wo...r=Timberwolves


LeBron James needs offensive help

The Cavaliers' season and future were defined by General Manager Danny Ferry's blockbuster deal at the trading deadline that added Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace, Joe Smith and Delonte West.

Several factors forced Ferry to break up a team that went to the NBA Finals the year before, including the team's inconsistent play and Larry Hughes' demand to be traded. Also, LeBron James was dissatisfied that no moves had been made to upgrade the roster.

Shortly after the 11-player, three-team trade, Ferry told the media he made the deal because the previous roster was not good enough to win a championship.

"I thought we had a very good team," Ferry said in February. "But I do believe if we have a chance to make ourselves better we should try. Was it a risk in doing so? Yes, it was a risk. But we're going to have to make some decisions that have some risk in them if we want to continue to build and grow."

The Cavs were 22-19 after the trade, including a 7-6 mark in the playoffs. At best, the trade was a wash. The Cavs' interior defense improved and they had more depth, but an already weak perimeter defense became weaker and issues with the offense did not go away.

James was not pleased with last year's off-season but chances are he'll get satisfaction this time. When James spoke about the team's need to improve following the loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Ferry was in the back of the room. Since the February trades did not make the Cavs a championship team, Ferry will look to continue to improve the roster with more trades.

After the NBA Draft on June 26, the Cavs will have to make decisions on restricted free agents Daniel Gibson and West. Since they are short on point guards, the team more than likely will retain both.

Thc Cavs cannot look to free agency for improvement because they are about $26 million over the cap. The Cavs have two exceptions (a $5.5 million midlevel exception and the $1.8 million biannual exception) but the draft, free agency and cap exceptions are not nearly enough to fix what ails this team.

The Cavs can improve the most with a change in offensive philosophy. The so-called hockey assist, which was to promote more movement and reward players for making the initial pass that led to the traditional assist, looked good in theory, but the Cavs would often fall back into the stand-and-stare offense. That's when James would bounce the air out of the ball at the top of the key as the other four players stood and watched.

How would things have changed if the Cavs had acquired a point guard like Mike Bibby? Was he to dribble upcourt, pass to James and go stand in a corner while James decided to shoot, drive or pass once he was double-teamed? Since James is the team's best finisher, he should not be the primary distributor.

An offense led by a point guard who can break down defenders off the dribble would create easier baskets for James. An offense where James could occasionally set up on the block would provide additional scoring. An offense that includes more than one pass would also improve on what the Cavs did with the ball this past season.

It will take more than a few reinforcements for the Cavs to improve next season. They also have to revamp an offense that appears to be a remnant of the NBA before the shot clock.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/plaind...580.xml&coll=2


Will guard Davis be Baron of NY?

There is little doubt that the Knicks will shop for a point guard this summer, but at least one has come shopping for them. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Warriors' Baron Davis has made inquiries into the interest of certain teams around the league, including the Knicks.

Davis, 29, has an opt-out clause for this summer that could make him a free agent, but the Warriors don't believe he would walk away from the final year and $17.8 million, which is money the dynamic but oft-injured guard likely wouldn't make on the open market. So Davis' only other play is to see if another team would pursue a sign-and-trade for him.

According to the source, his representation, after a preliminary discussion with the Warriors, has put out feelers to gauge the interest of teams in need of an upgrade at point guard.

With a new regime in place and plans for a major roster overhaul, Stephon Marbury's Knicks future is tenuous. But team president Donnie Walsh won't explore a trade or buyout of the final year and $21 million left on his contract unless he has a replacement in place.

Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar, has said Davis would prefer to remain a Warrior, but initial discussions with executive Chris Mullin have not developed into extension talks. With only seven players under contract at $47 million (counting Davis' salary), Mullin doesn't have much cap space to use for his higher priorities: getting restricted free agents Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins signed to long-term deals.

Ellis, 22, also might look to explore other options when the July free-agency period begins. A league source told Newsday that the athletic combo guard, who has flourished in Don Nelson's fast-break system, definitely has eyes for Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo style.

The cap-restricted Knicks, however, could give Ellis only an offer sheet at the mid-level exception. The Warriors could match it but wouldn't have much left to give Biedrins a raise above his $3.6-million qualifying offer and add seven more players. Or the Knicks could look to acquire Ellis in a sign-and-trade.

The questions are, of course: Is Walsh willing to use his mid-level exception when he's trying to get under the cap by 2010? What would the Warriors want in return?

Reports have suggested that Denver is shopping Carmelo Anthony and is in exploratory discussions with the Nets about a deal. This would be a situation the Knicks would want to monitor - if only it were accurate.

According to a league executive, the Nuggets have no plans to move Anthony. The source said the Nets called Denver with a proposal that would involve Anthony going to New Jersey and Richard Jefferson joining the Nuggets. "There is no 'Melo dialogue, has not been and will never be," the source said. "It's a figment of their imagination."

The same apparently goes for the story that Toronto was listening to offers for former No. 1 pick Andreas Bargnani. A different league executive said Bargnani has never been discussed in any conversations with the Nets.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/b...,6037503.story

[2-4]

propz man, its a shame TJ has to go but Calderon is the man in T-Dot, we could find another bench PG

[coca86]

propz i think ellis or baron is going to go. the knicks may snatch one of them up they got too much money

[greasybugsy]

Originally Posted by 2-4

propz man, its a shame TJ has to go but Calderon is the man in T-Dot, we could find another bench PG

Ford won't play as a backup, and at around 8 million.. thats one hell of an expensive backup PG.. The Team has other needs that need to be filled,I'd love to see them get a high draft pick for him, and maybe another player.. The Raps have a few expiring contracts they could throw in as well...Ford is too much of a shoot first guard, he takes a lot of bad shots & he can't feed the ball to his team mates like Jose... Jose also dropped a word on his personal blog that he wants to be a starter in the NBA.. and hell, he deserves... Let me be the first to say, with him starting at the Point..He will make the All star Team, he should of this year!

[greasybugsy]

Originally Posted by coca86

propz i think ellis or baron is going to go. the knicks may snatch one of them up they got too much money

They will try and hold on to Ellis.. lot of upside to his game, he's cheaper that Davis.. I could see Baron get shipped off, He would make any team better... He gets hurt a lot though, thats a downside.

[lil Fantastic]

Fuck Calderon

[greasybugsy]

Originally Posted by lil Fantastic

Fuck Calderon

Thats a pretty educated & fact driven statement isn't it? lol..

You can say "Fuck Calderon" all day & night, he'll be counting his paychecks & enjoying his time at next years all star game, where you gonna be?

[lil Fantastic]

Calderon is overrated....

[2-4]

Originally Posted by lil Fantastic

Calderon is overrated....

haha in what way? 8/1 assist/TO ratio is pretty damn good, his EFF is at +15 compared to Nash's +17

[Tha Hustla]

Originally Posted by greasybugsy

Thats a pretty educated & fact driven statement isn't it? lol..

You can say "Fuck Calderon" all day & night, he'll be counting his paychecks & enjoying his time at next years all star game, where you gonna be?

So if I don't say "Fuck Calderon" will I be making millions? Cough, where you gonna be? Cashing his checks?