• Hedo Turkoglu has been very instrumental in the Magic’s ability to win four of it’s past five playoff games, but what’s worth noting for fantasy purposes is that he’s likely to be in a different uniform next season. Fanhouse is reporting that he will opt out and, given their precarious position relative to the luxury tax threshold, will likely be out of the Magic’s reach as an unrestricted free agent. Detroit, Memphis, and Portland are mentioned as possible suitors with cap room.
• The Ricky Rubio situation continues to develop. Here’s an excerpt from a DraftExpress update:
“The bottom line here is that Ricky has a large buyout—5.75 million Euros, both for this year and the year after. Depending on the team that selects him, he’s going to make a decision on whether he comes over or not. If he’s not satisfied, there is a very real possibility that he doesn’t come. His buyout is going to cost him a lot of money, and if it doesn’t make sense for him, he won’t do it. He is going to have to pay for the privilege of playing in the NBA”
According to the source, Rubio’s decision is going to come down to two things: winning and the role he’ll play for the team that picks him. The size of the market of the team that drafts him is apparently irrelevant, since his appeal will be on a global scale, reaching far past his team’s city limits.
With that in mind, it appears that the Memphis Grizzlies will have to make a very strong sales pitch to Rubio for him to move off his initial stance of not wanting to play for them. Rubio’s concerns stem from a number of factors, ranging from the potential poor fit of playing alongside a very ball-dominant guard in O.J. Mayo, to the negative experiences conveyed to him by the likes of Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol.
The piece says that “the Grizzlies have not made it a secret that they consider O.J. Mayo to be their point guard of the future” and “At this stage, Rubio appears unlikely to pull out of the draft”, with teams like Sacramento, Dallas, Indiana, Portland and New York looking like his camp’s best-case scenarios. If anyone can point me to the evidence of the first statement, I’d greatly appreciate it. As for the second, a rumor already exists that the Grizzlies wouldn’t have a problem trading down in the upcoming draft if someone gave them enough cash-in-hand to make it worth their while. (Ironically enough, you’ll also find talk about how comfortable the Grizzlies are with Mike Conley as their point guard when you follow that link.)
• This Grizzlies blog post suggests that there are only three satisfactory outcomes for the team on draft day: acquire Blake Griffin, acquire Ricky Rubio, or deal the rights to Rubio for a major package.
• Two more items of note when you follow the first link: it’s becoming “increasingly clear” that Ramon Sessions won’t be playing for the Bucks next season, and the Warriors may be looking to bring Baron Davis back into the fold via trade.
• Josh Howard played with pain for much of the 2008-09 season and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle and left wrist on Friday. Howard is expected to be fully recovered for training camp, which opens roughly four months from now (September 28). Howard will be 29 entering the 2009-10 season and the question fantasy owners need to ask themselves is, even if he’s fully healthy, how much higher is his ceiling than what we’ve already seen?
• Point guard Nick Calathes, projected as high as pick 21 in early mocks, has signed a three-year deal to play in Greece. Check the details before you knock the move:
The deal, sources said, will pay Calathes around $1.1 million per year, in addition to providing him with a home, car and tax credits, making for a total package commensurate to what the NBA rookie salary scale provides a late-lottery selection. Golden’s State forward Anthony Randolph, the final lottery pick of 2008 at No. 14, made $1.424 million as a rookie.
With his Greek heritage and dual citizenship, Calathes figures to be a popular figure in Athens. In addition to joining arguably the world’s most elite overseas franchise, there should be endorsement opportunities aplenty, and the built-in honor to represent his country in international competition. Last summer, he played for the Greek National Team during the FIBA Europe Under-20 championships.
Cathales averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 boards, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals in 36 games as a sophomore for the Florida Gators this past season. Teams will still have the option to draft Cathales and retain his rights, so he could go somewhere in the second round, and his contract is also believed to include the same type of buyout clauses that were included in Josh Childress’ deal.
• The Knicks have to be unhappy with the news that LeBron James probably won’t have to leave Cleveland to become more of a global icon, after all.
• Click here for a detailed rundown of the Hornets’ current cap situation and their approach to the off-season. It appears that they are willing to go over the luxury tax threshold if it means remaining competitive, and that’s likely to be the situation they are presented with, as Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler, and Peja Stojakovic are owed a combined $49 million for the 2009-10 season just between the four of them. Peja’s contract is obviously the albatross, and a best-case scenario for the Hornets would be coming together for a buyout or his retirement due to continuing back problems.
The REAL Melo has finally started to show up these past couple games against the Lakers.. Atleast he just made a wide open dunk. I hope he keeps milking his injury, it just makes him look like a weak crybaby. Man up.
haha yeah i think all the “melo has moved up a tier” talk was a bit premature, although it’s hard to argue with his overall production in the playoffs to this point. with that said, he’s got a ways to go before i change my mind about him
not sure what to make of his pair of stinkers in front of the home crowd – it will be interesting to see how he does in LA tomorrow
Michael Wilbon is getting on my nerves so much. I’ve decided he’s just as annoying as Skip Bayless. He flip flops SO much, it’s ridiculous. He has gone back and forth on Stan Van Gundy, the Nuggets, the Lakers, the Rockets, the Cavs, and the Magic (to name a few) just about every single day, and he admits it! He thinks Melo is the best pure scorer in the NBA and he keeps saying how Melo is finally turning into a complete, elite player.
Melo looks elite when he’s playing at his best.. But he doesn’t consistently play at that level. Billups is obviously the main reason for the Nuggets success, not Melo.
And I’m surprised Birdman didn’t shatter the backboard with that block last night. I love him, I hope I can get him on my team again next season.
“Melo looks elite when he’s playing at his best.. But he doesn’t consistently play at that level.”
that’s about the perfect way to sum up melo. and i still like wilbon, but i know what you are saying. i think both he and kornheiser are best suited for something casual like PTI, which i never miss btw
andersen made a lot of fans this season, and i suspect you will have to basically reach for him in most competitive leagues next year, probably turiaf too
As a Pistons fan, I would rather them look elsewhere than Hedu….
if you can find a taker for tayshaun, then obviously it makes a bit more sense. hedo, artest, and marion are probably going to sign for about the same when it’s all said and done, but i wonder how much more they’ll get than ariza
the pistons should have about $25M in cap and are allegedly shopping prince. as a pistons fan, how would you like to see it pan out?
I have a man love for Marion so I would much rather see him in a Pistons uni than Hedo.
I like Prince but I think we have seen what he can do. For him it is not about numbers as much as it is about doing what it takes. I really wonder if Joe is going to fill up the roster with 1 year contracts this year. I am sure it has to do with who hits the market and what kind of sign and trades or cap clearing moves become available.
If the Pistons have a lot of space next year what do you think our chances of nabbing Wade, Lebron or Bosh? I say slim.
bosh could be in play in the trade market if he declines an extension this summer, but i don’t see wade or lebron going anywhere. not sure the pistons have the pieces to make a trade work with TOR, though. and there aren’t many players of consequence that would accept a one-year deal
Well I’m a Dwight fan now. All I’ve wanted to see out of him is intensity like he played with tonight. He won me over when he got the technical for flexing and taunting after he dunked with Varajeo hanging over him. Dwight is normally too nice, and I don’t like nice guys. The other day he fouled out and he was joking with his teammates on the bench and that annoyed me. I want there to be a little Rasheed Wallace in him, opponents should fear him.
Poor Lebron.. Skip Bayless is going to bash him so much in the morning I’m sure. It’s funny how the Cavs looked so flawless in the first two rounds, and now it looks like Lebron is playing with a bunch of scrubs.
the cavs offense outside of james has just fallen apart. we’re talking about 3 games decided by a total of 4 points, and non-lebron cavs have shot .425 from the field and .231 from 3pt (lebron is at .509 FG and .333 3pt). meanwhile orlando is at .493 FG and .429 3pt after four games
And of course Bayless blamed everything on Lebron. Too predictable. I don’t like people bashing my keepers. I guess he expects Lebron to single-handedly win the Eastern Conference Finals. I guess averaging about 44 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast isn’t enough.
The Cavs have no low post presence. Ilguaskus only settles for 20 ft jumpshots, Ben Wallace panics when the ball is in his hands for more than 3 seconds, Varajeo can’t do anything. Delonte and Mo can’t make a shot. Wally and Gibson off the bench?? Seriously? It’s time to clean house if the Cavs lose.
You can tell Lebron isn’t having any fun and that he has no confidence in any of his teammates anymore.
If you took Lebron, Melo, Kobe, and Dwight away from their teams.. The Cavs are clearly the worst. If you put Kobe on the Cavs, I don’t think they’d be having much more success.
also VERY disappointed with the officiating in this series in the latter stages of the past two games. consistently questionable calls on both ends of the court in both games during crunch time
It’s been bad in both series. And I’m sick of all the technicals fouls. What Dwight did last night didn’t warrant a technical foul. The refs need to realize that the intensity is higher in the playoffs, they need to quit calling the little stuff. I’m tired of how after every single game there’s a flagrant or technical foul in question.
It seemed like Lebron wasn’t getting many calls for parts of the game.
The foul that sticks out the most to me from last night is when I think Lebron threw an outlet pass to Delonte, Alston cut off Delonte at halfcourt and knocked the ball away. Alston got the ball back and he was turning back up court when a foul was called. Alston got upset because he thought a foul was being called on him. But then he realized the foul was being called on Delonte and you see Alston with a surprised look on his face and he starts laughing.
Why are fouls like that necessary?? Delonte barely grazed Alston on that play. I hope the ref felt like an idiot, because Alston obviously didn’t even seem to notice he was fouled. Just let them play. Call the obvious fouls. Don’t call a flagrant foul unless it’s CLEARLY a flagrant foul. BE CONSISTENT.
But just as a player never admits he fouled someone, it seems like a ref will never admit he made a horrible call.
officiating has been similarly disappointing all year. the nba really need to clean up this act. it’s been pretty unpredictable and very frustrating.
on a related note, can we PLEASE tighten up on moving screens? The refs do not call moving screens on anyone except glen perkins and paul millsap. it has become ridiculous.
Kendrick Perkins? Glen Davis? A Glen Perkins hybrid would be interesting thou
lol, yeah, my bad.
kendrick. glen davis is one of the worst offenders with the illegal screen and almost never gets called.
Wow. The Magic have suddenly become a very tough team. Guess they learnt alot during that Boston series. In Dwight’s post game interview he said ‘we just keep fighting’ about 57 times, but hes right, these guys just keep coming at you. LeBron is making bad decisions in crunch time, and his supporting cast is imploding. There must be a cause, and I think that its the constant pressure the Magic are applying. I dont think I’ve seen teams grow like this during the post season before, and now we have 2 (Denver being the other). Interesting times.
I went into this thinking LeBron deserved the ring this year, and that he would waltz away with it without much trouble. But the way the Magic are playing, I cant begrudge them a shot. When all is said and done, as long as the Lakers dont win it all, I’ll be happy.
to be honest, what they are doing is shooting the lights out. the non-lebron cavs have been nearly non-existent and we’ve had 3 games decided by a total of 4 points
yeah, I realise that. Was I’m saying is that the Magic have shown up every night. In the first 2 rounds they mailed in a couple of games, but I think we’re seeing a different mindset here. Also, the Magic must be given credit for the non existence of the non-Lebrons.
the other thing I forgot to say….Magic up by 8 midish 4th quarter, and Cavs make a run to get back in front. The exact same thing happened in the Boston series, and the Magic wilted and lost the game. This time thou, they kept composure, made smart plays and closed out the game. To me, this is evidence that they have gotten stronger in the top few inches. It seems like they have gone from saying that they are out to win a championship, to *truely beliving* that they can win.
they seem to be playing with nothing to lose, too, as opposed to the cavs who look tentative when it gets to crunch time
That offensive foul on Billups was awful. And a no-call on Andersen’s put back should’ve been a foul, but whatever. That rejection of Odom’s dunk was great.
That’s what you call home court advantage. Shannon Brown’s dunk was great awesome though. My proudest Kobe moment was when he passed up an open 3 to get Odom an easy bucket+foul. He understood that it was more important to get Odom motivated for the remainder of the series. And it worked (did you see his face afterwards?).
I still don’t buy that Kobe is all of a sudden this great “team player”. Kobe is Kobe – he wants his, and he’ll do whatever he needs to do to get it.
The difference will be IF he can put his ego aside (like he did for 3 years with Shaq in LA) long enough to win another championship. It’s not a matter of IF he goes ego on LA, it’s when.
It’s a shame, though – he’s still one of, if not the best basketball player in the NBA.
i think kobe’s ego was in the developmental phases while they were winning championships. and don’t get me started on how he won the MVP last season in part because of how much he “allowed” his teammates do
Hey Matt,
What do you think the Clippers will do with their pick? What are some realistic trade scenarios you see happening?
I have about 2 weeks to renew my God-forsaken season tickets before they give my seats away. What do you think?
not a lot of rumors floating around right now with much specificity, to be honest. one trade that someone mentioned to me that could make sense for both teams was zach randolph for richard jefferson. both players are signed for two more years, the salaries allow a 1-for-1 to work, LAC needs to shed a big to make room for griffin, and MIL will have zero depth at PF/C after they decline to match what charlie v is offered as a FA. both players are drastically overpaid, but this would at least help both teams from a rotation perspective
both MEM and OKC have room to take on salary, but does bringing on z-bo or baron davis make enough sense for either team to deal up to #1? OKC bringing in kaman makes some sense, but $34M is a lot for a young team to gamble on whether or not he can stay healthy
Randolph to the Bucks would be classic! Skiles couldn’t even deal with Tyrus Thomas, Noah, and Ben Wallace; how on earth would he be able put up with Z-bo?? Either Skiles head will explode on the sideline after Z-bo jacks up his 4th 3 five seconds into the 24 second clock or Randolph will eventually attack him Sprewell style. Needless to say, it would not end well and I would be shocked if this trade happened.
Yeah! Sprewell rocks!
Go Asphyxiation!!!
BTW, Chriskim4, dude – DO NOT give up the season tix! Especially if you can afford them.
Even if the Clips traded the pick for a six pack of Falstaff and a sponge, I’d keep ‘em.
Take your own advice and enjoy 41 games worth of NBA talent – who just happen to be playing against “your Los Angeles Clippers!” (crowd cheering in the background)
Hehe. I really want to renew my seats, but I’m so frustrated with the organization and Mike Dunleavy. I want them to beg me to renew (which they might do)
haha i thought about that, but it’s not like he’s been dealing with defensive stalwarts in MIL to this point, rjeff included
Just pay some random guy however much Clippers season tickets are and let him kick you in the nuts. It’ll save you a lot of time. Better to deal with that pain all at once than over an entire season.
LOL. As bad as the Clippers were, I still had a good experience watching opposing teams at the Staples Center.
But yea, the Clippers SUCK! However, if they get rid of Mike Dunleavy and Zach Randolph before the season begins, I’m renewing my tix in a heart-beat.
i see that you put the blazers into the mix for Rubio, do you think that KP and company will be making some trades to move up? would they be giving up players or would they more likely be giving up some of their 85 draft picks this year? I know they have some trade exceptions and some spare pieces that could be moved in a package (sergio rod, bayless, webster/outlaw, maybe a sign/trade of frye).
Personally, I think the blazers should be targeting andre miller, but i would love to see rubio on the 2nd string with Rudy if they didn’t have to break up the core to do so. I’d also like the blazers to make a reasonable pitch for TPrince, since he could continue his role as a lanky defender/spot up shooter without having to take on a heavy scoring burden.
well apparently his camp likes portland because of his buddy rudy, but i’m not sure they have what it takes to move that far up though (those pieces you mentioned aren’t going to do it)
i can see a vet like miller helping their team, but i think roy’s game necessitates that their PG be able to shoot the three. regardless, they need to start figuring out which of their young players they are going to completely commit to – i know, for example, that sergio rod wants them to give him PT or let him go somewhere where they will
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/05/sergio_rodriguez_wonders_if_he.html
i agree they have too many young talents and not enough playing time to give out, so they definitely need to let some people go. rodriguez will be gone so i consider him part of the team like raef was last year. i don’t really know if bayless is the PG of the future for the blazers, and since he was a lottery pick, he may still have trade value (also had a string of good games while blake was hurt). the only way i can come up with that they can move up that far would be if they moved their first, a second, and maybe a player/cash to move up to the back end of the lottery, and then repeat to get up towards mid-lottery, and so on. i agree the PG will need to be able to shoot the 3, but having blake as the starter just won’t get it done in the playoffs (and he shoots it as good as anyone) and there is no improvement in long range shooting on the market (bibby is not what the blazers need). at least miller is solid assist guy, solid defense, and will chip in on the boards, and won’t turn it over. Miller can hit from about 20 and leave the 3s to rudy/webster/roy/batum/outlaw.
Ultimately if the players they have continue to improve, they could be good enough to go to the finals without any major moves.
I love the Blazers. I don’t see any reason to break up their team, or trade up in the draft. Their owners have done a spectacular job of putting together some great young talent. They’re way under the cap, and have Roy, Aldridge, Fernandez, Oden, Przybilla, Webster, Bayless and Rodriguez all locked up for the next 2-3 years. Throw in a resigned Outlaw and there’s your team for the next 10 years, I think they could afford all of them with some smart negotiating. The only blemish is Webster’s contract, which isn’t even bad given his potential. If Sergio demands more PT they can live without him, but I’m sure Rudy doesn’t mind his 6th man role. They just need to stand pat and let this team gel. Once some of these young guys realize their full potential this team is gonna be VERY scary. If anything, they should shop Blake, Outlaw, Webster, Sergio, Batum, and Frye for the best PG they can get, but I don’t see that landing anyone on Miller’s level. Felton or Hinrich if their lucky, but Udrih or Daniels more likely, and I’m not sure either are better than Blake at this point. Tinsley maybe?
no thanks, wouldn’t take anyone else besides miller for PG from FA pool and the guys you mentioned. I agree they should leave most of the team alone to grow together, but i’d be willing to part with any/all of the current PGs and to a lesser degree, 1 of the SF not named batum. i consider Sergio gone, so i guess the question is do you think blake/bayless is enough? will bayless turn into a devin harris type that the blazers would regret trading? with so many young players (freeland might be coming over for next year as well), i think they are in the enviable position of having too much young talent, so someone will likely need to be moved. how many guys can KP really stash over in europe? maybe they want to draft enough guys staying in europe that they can eventually create a euro-trailblazers team… I trust them to make smart decisions, but i think there will be someone that will be gone before next year.
if they are smart they will get rid of oden. that 65 year old is terrible
Yeah! Old people rock!
Go Geritol!!!
First of all, you can never have too much young talent in the NBA, ask any GM. If players demand more PT then you consider a move, but other than Sergio, I doubt anyone else isn’t on board for the long haul.
As for Batum, he sucks, Outlaw should definitely be starting over him.
And it’s way too early to give up on Bayless, the kid is only 21, and has a ton of upside. It doesn’t make sense to jeopardize the future of the team to ‘possibly’ win one championship next year when they could be contenders for years to come. A 33 year old Miller, as good as he is, is not the answer.
And getting rid of Oden makes even less sense. As foul-happy as he is, you gotta think he’ll take huge leaps forward in the next 2-3 years.
see, your problem is that you haven’t realized that Batum is actually far-far superior to outlaw. As much as i like TO b/c he is a freak athlete and when he gets going he is unstoppable offensively, there are some serious problems with TO: he is not all that bright, he doesn’t play good defense, he doesn’t rebound, and he isn’t very bright, so he will never be anything more than a great scoring option off the bench (which is great to have). if he is down with that, i’m totally down with him.
the key role player is Batum, and i’m pretty sure he is the next pippen. his work ethic is incredible, he already defends better than TO or webster, and he spends hours and hours and hours working on his game. unlike TO/webster, he is in the gym working with the assistant coaches all the time. from where he was at the beginning of last year to where he ended, his progress proves that he will be something special (and will only be 20 next year!).
i like bayless, but am not convinced he is the next great PG. it could be that he just won’t fit in with all the other scoring options since he is definately a score-first PG. even if he is the backup PG for the next 2 years, you still need a starter and i can’t see blake as the starting PG for a championship team (maybe the backup PG). blake played at his top capacity last year, and while he was solid he made a bunch of costly turnovers late in the year and in the playoffs.
2-3 years of having all these guys under contract will come to an end a lot quicker than you think.
i liked the lineup of roy/rudy as the guards, since roy essentially plays the point anyway and rudy gives the shooting and bigger guard defense that the blazers need at the point (kinda like ron harper was for the bulls/lakers).
I agree on Outlaw – I don’t see “starting lineup” material there just yet. Keep him coming off the bench.
As far as the rest of the team goes, they do have a solid, young group who, with the right direction, could develop into a great team, even with that old fart, Oden in the middle – that one’s for you Gasolved!
The only thing I see is that they’ve kind of worked their way into a hard place – in order to trade for ANYBODY worth considering, they would have to give up some of that young talent. There is a chance that they could land a great FA, though (considering where they are under the cap), but that’s no guarantee – just gotta cross your fingers there.
West game 6. What a disapointing effort.
Now THOSE are the Denver Nuggets we’ve all grown to know and love.
Here’s pulling for the underdog…Go Magic!