**Don’t forget to add your profile to the Yahoo! Fantasy Profile Registry if you have yet to do so**
It’s already been an eventful off-season in that seven trades went down before the NBA’s draft, and most of those trades involved players with sizable impacts in fantasy and/or real life. Let’s take a look at each trade and break down the expected ramifications for the affected teams and players. A reminder that you can view updated team depth charts here.
Phoenix trades Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, 2010 second-round pick, and cash
Cleveland moves spare parts for Shaq, pairing two of the most physically dominating players in the game at an uprecedented level. The details need to be worked out – issue No.1 being how Zydrunas Ilgauskas adjusts to life as a reserve – but you can’t blame them for making the move at this price. The Cavs were already in the league’s bottom-third in terms of pace, so it’s not quite the adjustment the Suns had to make – even though I expect LeBron James’ usage to fall slightly, he remains my second overall pick (after Chris Paul). As for Shaq, he’ll get more planned games off this coming season and will dip under 30 minutes, but he should post a similar per-game impact.
The Suns will once again let the reigns go under Alvin Gentry, so you can hand out upgrades across the board. Steve Nash has a few “very good” seasons left in him and you can’t help but love Amar’e Stoudemire if his eye injury heals completely and he doesn’t get traded. Where things get interesting is after the two headliners. As it stands now, there will be plenty of stats to go around for the following group of players: Jason Richardson, Leandro Barbosa, Earl Clark, Jared Dudley, Robin Lopez, Louis Amundson, Goran Dragic, Taylor Griffin, and Sasha Pavlovic. You know J-Rich and Barbosa are ready, but fantasy difference-makers could also emerge from further down the list.
Orlando trades Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie to New Jersey for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson
The Nets have now made a clean break from the past and move forward with a nice young core that includes Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Terrence Williams, and Yi Jianlian. The Magic are likely hoping that Carter can fill the hole that would be created if Hedo Turkoglu does not return. While you can argue that Carter is a finer individual talent, I don’t believe his positive impact within the Magic gameplan will be as substantial as Hedo’s was. Michael Pietrus is the obvious upgrade at this point, as he’ll likely take over as the starting small forward. One thing to not expect with VC around is Dwight Howard’s offensive touches rising exponentially. Anderson immediately becomes a deep sleeper – his inside/outside game should fit in well in Orlando and he’s the first (and only) big off the bench as it stands.
Lee immediately becomes one of the more popular breakout candidates – as a rookie, he made over 40 percent of his threes and played very good defense. There’s not much to dislike as a pairing with Harris. Lopez should also see his role increase in his sophomore season, and I expect to be very high on him when things like position rankings start to come together. There are still plenty of question marks for the Nets – what remains to be seen is what happens at the forward positions and how the hotly-contested backup minutes at guard are doled out.
Milwaukee trades Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, and Fabricio Oberto. Milwaukee trades Fabricio Oberto to Detroit for Amir Johnson
The Bucks’ motivation for the R-Jeff deal was obviously financial, as they acquired three expiring contracts for the two years and $29 million owed to Jefferson. Taking a chance on the 22-year-old Johnson does make plenty of sense for the Bucks, while the Pistons needed a center more than a platoon-mate for Jason Maxiell. There’s a good chance that Bowen is bought out, which would allow him to continue his decline with the Spurs. Thomas should prove to be a solid big for the Bucks behind the injury-prone Andrew Bogut – in 10 starts this past season, he averaged 6.3 points, 8.5 boards, 0.8 steals , and 1.1 blocks in 26 minutes, and Bogut is one of a handful of players where a handcuff can make sense in certain scenarios. Losing Jefferson means more looks for everyone else to go around, but it’s almost meaningless to speculate on the Bucks until Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva’s situations are addressed. As it stands right now, Johnson, Luke Richard Mbah a Moute, Joe Alexander, and Brandon Jennings are in line for substantial roles.
The Spurs helped themselves tremendously in real life while at least slightly downgrading every other one of their starters in terms of usage. Two things not to expect: Tony Parker to top 20 points per game and Manu Ginobili to approach 30 minutes per game. What you should expect is the steady Tim Duncan will remain at least “very good” for a few more seasons regardless of who he is playing with. The added offense also means that DeJuan Blair’s post-oriented game should be as much in demand as Matt Bonner’s outside shooting. Bonner managed a per-game rank of 99 in just 24 minutes last season, however, so he’s going to remain relevant either way. The Spurs will likely look to add another big body through free agency for more depth.
Atlanta trades Acie Law and Speedy Claxton to Golden State for Jamal Crawford
Don Nelson gets his wish and Atlanta gets some assurances at point guard in this deal. Nellie doesn’t have to rationalize not including Law or Claxton in his gameplan, something he had to do with Crawford. The Warriors have a formidable rotation on paper, with talent at all five positions and a fantasy-friendly system – the big question is if Nellie thinks Amar’e gives them a better chance to win than a package that includes Andris Biedrins and Brandan Wright.
Adding Crawford gave the team some leverage with free Agent Mike Bibby and the subsequent drafting of Jeff Teague could mean that Bibby is no longer in the team’s plans at all. If Crawford remains faithful to his resume, then you have to dislike the effect his high-usage ways could have on Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. The Hawks’ off-season is just getting started, though – they’ve got a number of possible free agents and plenty of holes on their depth chart that need to be filled.
Washington trades Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia, Oleskiy Pecherov, and 2009 No.5 to Minnesota for Randy Foye and Mike Miller
It’s tough to make heads or tails of this one from the Wolves’ perspective, particularly with their draft results in hindsight. They have too many point guards, too many bigs, and could potentially start two rookies in the backcourt. I love Al Jefferson, think Kevin Love will be very good in year two, and rank Ryan Gomes among my favorite “glue guys”, but what happens elsewhere? The resolution of the Ricky Rubio “situation” and corresponding moves will give us more clarity moving forward.
Foye gives the Wizards some structure at shooting guard, but being fourth in the pecking order doesn’t bode well for his fantasy numbers. You can take some solace in that he’s playing alongside a pair of injury-prone starters in Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, but it’s hard to be overly-optimistic when looking ahead to next season. None of Washington’s big three is affected greatly by the trade, but Foye and Miller should serve to squash the one-dimensional Nick Young’s upside and remove DeShawn Stevenson from the rotation completely. One position battle to look forward to is at center, where JaVale McGee could be ready to push Brendan Haywood for major minutes.
Philadelphia trades Reggie Evans to Toronto for Jason Kapono
This was a win-win for the teams involved in that each of their expendable parts filled a need for the other. Evans gives the Raptors some much-needed toughness and a defensive-oriented approach to the game as a reserve big. You may or not be aware of the fact that Evans’ career per-48 minute rebound rate (16.80) is slightly ahead of Dwight Howard’s (16.76), so he does serve a purpose on the court. That said, his fantasy impact as a one-category contributor should remain negligible if the Raptors stay relatively healthy.
Kapono is also a one-cat fantasy performer, but the three-point prowess that was redundant in Toronto was desperately needed in Philly. The 76ers have a new coach and a new system – everyone starts from scratch and they don’t have much depth on the wings. With Willie Green as his major competiton for minutes, Kapono should be able to carve out steady time next season. How the rotation works out will be worth monitoring – his fantasy impact peaked with a per-game ranking of 115 in 2006-07 (26 mpg, 10.9 pts, 1.6 3pt), something he could certainly approach with the 76ers.
Memphis trades Darko Milicic to New York for Quentin Richardson
This is another case of a mutually beneficial deal involving spare parts. The Grizz cleared out some room in the frontcourt for Hasheem Thabeet and added three-point shooting (they attempted the fourth-fewest threes last season). The Knicks needed a big body more than a chucker, and taking a chance on the 24-year-old Milicic makes a lot more sense than settling for Q-Rich’s standard contributions. Richardson isn’t looking at a consistent role in Memphis, particularly in the wake of their draft haul, so he’s not going to be on fantasy radars entering next season. Darko, on the other hand, suddenly looks like a front-runner for the starting center gig for the Knicks, particularly if David Lee is jettisoned and Jared Jeffries and Eddy Curry don’t emerge as different players in camp.
Comments RSS
Loading ...
Gutsy pick in your yahoo mock draft.. You wouldn’t rather have Bosh than Jefferson?
I would.
can’t necessarily say i blame you, but i like aj jeff more
If he gets back to producing at the clip he was last year before injury, it’s all good. He’ll get that chance in Minnie
Yeah, I have to agree with Ashley here. I like the Bosh and Roy picks better than Pau and Al Jeff. They’re all great players but Al Jeff will be coming back less than 9 months from an ACL tear. Bosh was a beast down the stretch last year and is playing for a huge contract.
Also, I’m really surprised that you don’t think that Bynum will eat into Gasol’s numbers. I’m assuming that Bynum’s knee will be 100% healed by training camp. If that’s the case, check out Gasol’s #’s from the start of last season when he and Bynum were both getting their minutes. More importantly, compare their stats during Bynum’s explosion before his injury from Jan 21 – 30th. If healthy, Bynum will knock Gasol’s value down from round 1 status for sure.
Matt,
In liking Al Jeff more and I assume you expect him to be free of his knee injury, aren’t you a little worried how teams will probably collapse on him even more now with Foye/Miller gone? Unless a couple of guys emerge, I could even see him take his time coming back if the team appears well out of sync in preseason.
There’s just too much talent available in the 1st round. I wouldn’t want to risk that pick by taking someone coming off a major injury. Jefferson will probably be fine, but I think Bosh can put up numbers just as good, with less risk.
it’s june. i put the injury qualifier in the pick analysis for obvious reasons
I voted for Cleveland.
I don’t think VC instead of Hedo and an improving Courtney Lee makes the Magic better at all.
I don’t think Richard Jefferson makes the Spurs the 2nd best team in the west like everyone on ESPN keeps saying. He’s irrelevant to the Spurs’ success, honestly. If Ginobili, Duncan, and Parker stay healthy.. The Spurs will be a legit contender.
The Wizards would be my 2nd choice behind the Cavs.
The rest of the trades don’t really mean much.
I, too, voted for Cleveland (What?!? The Spurs homer voted for SOMEONE ELSE?!?!).
I just feel what it all comes down to is that a healthy Shaq is still Shaq – he’ll give quality numbers as long as the Cavs and Coach Brown use him wisely.
Now, I don’t know about the Spurs being the 2nd best in the west with a healthy big three AND Richard Jefferson – I feel it’s more a move for insurance than anything else. The one glaring fact that stood out from the Dallas series was that there were no more options beyond Duncan and Parker. If the Spurs at least had Jefferson when Manu was down, there’s a good chance they don’t lose to a team that scores only 88 points. There’s an even better chance they win a game where Parker goes off for 43 on 62% shooting, and Duncan still manages to pull 25 and 10 with 7 assists. Nobody else showed up in that series, especially in those two games. No one is asking Jefferson to be “the man” in SA – but if he can do what he’s done before, even when he was with Jersey, I feel more confidant we can win some games with 1/3 of the big three down for injury.
Course, the idea is to have ALL your guys healthy. So who knows, maybe we’ll end up with the “Big Four”!
It seems like Alston is getting the damaged goods label at this point. If his expiring contract gets moved before the trade deadline this year he might be worthy of full on locker room cancer status.
to be honest, you almost have to assume he won’t be around NJ much more than half the season. his $5.3M expiring deal is going to be awfully attractive to a team that needs a PG for the stretch
ive never understood the whole cancer to a team issue. everyone makes a big deal about marbury even though many people have said he really isnt much of a problem in the locker room. the knicks screwed him so he didnt play and i can understand that. the coach only wants to play you when the team has no one else…pshh. ive never heard too many bad things about alston and i think he is an underrated PG.
Fantasy wise I have a suspicion that Rashard Lewis’ numbers will take a hit with VC on board. I’d be skeptical of adding Pietrus because he was terribly inconsistent last year and seems to more a defensive contributor. Also, Crawford on teh Hawks make me like Joe Johnson a tiny bit less.
Foye was pretty clutch for me last year and looked to be on the rise, I agree with buser he’s going to take a huge hit.
lewis’ fate could be tied to what other moves the magic make. if they sign brandon bass, then he probably plays a lot more SF and continues to shoot high-volume threes. if they sign sheed, then he’ll definitely be further marginalized, which is amazing considering that he’s owed $85.4M over the next four seasons
Anyone know how common it is for a hall of famer to not have their number retired? Seems crazy, but the “most dominant player of his generation” Shaq may well miss out. He hasnt stuck around anywhere all that long, so about the only candidate would be LA, but would the Lakers really retire him? How about if he wins a championship against them?
of course the lakers will
IDK about “common”, but you peaked my interest so I did some reading on Wiki about Moses Malone (very interesting).
Houston officially retired his #24 jersey, even though they never won a championship with him (got to the finals in ’81). Philadelphia has “unofficially” retired his #2 jersey – basically they just don’t issue the number anymore and they have never had an official ceremony to honor that. Malone DID win a championship in Philly.
Charles Barkley had his jersey retired with both Philly and Phoenix (not to mention Auburn U), so I guess it depends on the organization.
It will be interesting to see how Orlando handles the issue – I think LA will for sure, maybe even Miami with their championship won – I doubt Phoenix will – depending on what happens in Cleveland, and how long he stays active, it could happen there as well.
that would interesting though, let’s say Cleveland does take it all next year. Shaq will be the “sidekick” to two of the most prominent dominating players in the sport. It won’t be Shaq did it, It will be Kobe did it with shaq and Lebron did it with Shaq. All the Saqitude aside I wonder if he will get his due, ya know?
Lebron isn’t a selfish player, he’ll give Shaq his credit if the Cavs win it all.
The only championship Shaq won as a sidekick was in Miami. Kobe was the sidekick when they had their dynasty in LA.
It was annoying to me how during the Finals Kobe was like, ‘yeah we couldn’t have won it all without Shaq, but we couldn’t have won it all without Fisher, Fox, etc.’
Not true. They would not have won without Shaq.. He was the biggest factor in those titles.
I wouldn’t say Shaq was the sidekick to Kobe during those title runs. That was Shaq at a very high level. I would say Shaq was the sidekick to D-Wade though when that title was won.
Wheres the Q-Rich Darko trade?
It was so funny during the Draft. All the new york fans got so excited when a trade was announced but then you could feel their hearts crushing when it was for Darko haha
forgot about it for whatever reason, but it’s updated now
hahaha come on admit it who voted for toronto
I’m more interested in finding out who thinks Fabricio’s “the man!”
Matt,
What do you think of the prospects for Jerryd Bayless and Darrell Arthur next year. Will Bayless get any burn with Steve Blake around even with the departure of Rodriguez? Will Arthur get 30+ minutes next year, or do you see potentially Gasol and Thabeet on the floor at the same time? Thanks for any info you can provide.
I’m also interested in Bayless, but with guys like Andre Miller, Mike Bibby and others available, I could see Portland pick one of them up and ruin his chances of making a splash next season.
word is that bayless is working on the “PG” part of his game this offseason, which is good to hear. if he doesn’t improve his decision-making and/or his outside shooting, then he won’t get a ton of run. but their trading sergio has to be looked at as a positive sign for him
i’ve said it before, gasol and thabeet sharing the floor would be a nightmare on transition (for the grizz, that is). gasol can be argued among the slowest players in the league and both players are true centers, so i just don’t see how it could work. as it stands now, arthur is in line for plenty of PT, although we should see a smaller lineup involving gay at PF and sam young at SF with some regularity
“gasol can be argued among the slowest players in the league…”
Yeah! Slow rocks!
Go Tortoise v. Gasol!!!
Boozer opts in. Dammit. Jazz are deep in luxury tax land now, Okur seems likely to opt out. Jazz made a qualifying offer to Millsap, but it’s hard to imagine they’re financially capable of matching OKC or Detroit.
what is certain is that either millsap or okur won’t be with the team next season, and boozer will be gone at this point next season
goodbye Millsap
Buser,
Is there anyway the Nugs could pull Millsap, That would be the PF we are missing.
The spectacular Steven Hunter opted in for $3.7M and their main focus is on re-signing the Birdman to a multi-year deal. I never like to say that there’s a 0% chance because as Kevin Garnett so eloquently put it “Anything is Possible!”…but it’s extremely unlikely that the Nugs even speak to Milsap about an offer.
What’s even more interesting here is that after signing Birdman, they probably won’t have enough room to keep Kleiza around. I know they were keen on not including Kleiza in any trade last year, even for Lee or Artest, but now it looks like they might lose him for nothing. Anyone got the inside scoop? Kleiza could be a nice (somewhat cheap) addition for any team really.
Apparently the Raptors (the team you follow, I think) are interested in Kleiza. I think he’d fit in well there as either a SF or PF when Bosh shifts to C. This leads me to believe that the Raptors will not be overpaying for Marion.
Yeah, just read that, he’d be a welcome addition to Team International, and apparently the feeling in mutual. He’s definitely an upgrade from Kapono, and not a bad replacement for Marion. Do it up BC, the gold medal is ours!
There ya go Cap, keep up the positive attitude!
I’ll be the first to sign your petition allowing the Raptors to represent Canada at the FIBA World Championships!
yeah i always figured that marion would only end up back in toronto if both he and the raptors didn’t make progress anywhere else and had to “settle” for each other
Assume that Avery Johnson becomes the head coach of the Pistons now that Curry’s been canned. You think this has a hurts Rodney Stuckey’s fantasy values (a la Devin Harris)?
I would think that if the “Little General” becomes coach in Detroit, it would help Stuckey’s value – unless of course, having been a PG himself, he thinks Stuckey just flat out sucks at running the point (which I wouldn’t put past Avery given his supposedly high standards).
On the other hand, if Bill Laimbeer gets the nod, Stuckey becomes a spectator.
At least, that what I think.
D’oh! Dropped an “s”!
Turkoglu looks like he may be going to the Blazers. Unless Portland makes a trade, there will be a big log-jam at SF with Turk, Batum, Outlaw, and Webster. I also think that this would be bad news for Roy’s fantasy value. Turk needs the ball in his hands and this will definitely hurt Roy’s scoring and assists.
its probably fair to assume that a trade would follow a turk signing. the main ingredients being blake+SF for an upgrade at point
My main worry as a Bulls fan is that we will be the sucker team that trades for that mediocre duo. Although recent developments seem to suggest that Gordon is headed to Detroit and, if that happens, I think that the Bulls should and will most likely hold onto Hinrich as their back-up PG/SG. At this point, I’m really hoping that Gordon goes and the Bulls keep Hinrich. Starting five of Rose, Salmons, Deng, Tyrus, Noah with Hinrich and Miller as the 1st 2 off the bench sounds really good to me. Add in the major expiring contracts that the Bulls hold ($25M between Jerome James, Tim Thomas, and Miller) and I think that the Bulls could land a star player before the trade deadline.
As a blazers fan, i dread that trade too (and lots of talk about trying to get kirk). i think hinrich is a vastly overpaid version of steve blake (w/ slightly better defense and slightly worse shooting) and t-bo outlaw is an underrated (for price) scoring option off the bench.
Maybe Portland should take a lesson from the Minnesota Timberwolves, considering the way they have masterfully handled their own log-jam in their backcourt.
Oh…wait. That’s not right…
blazers would be better off not signing turk (b/c of the terrible contract he will require) and just going at it w/ batum/outlaw/webster.
Raptors are reportedly offering Turk a 5 year $60 million deal, better than the Blazers’ 5/50. He’s said he prefers somewhere warm, but he’s also said he wants to take care of his family first and foremost. Rudy Fernandez is threatening to walk if the Blazers sign Turk, and the Pistons are likely to sign the cheaper Villaneuva, so I’d say the Raps are the front runners right now. None of Orlando, Sacremento, Detroit, or Portland will be able to offer him that much. If they can land Turk and Kleiza that would be a pretty sneaky team.
Hm, lot of chatter this rumor’s false, but the Rudy storyline could count for something, and Detroit’s officially off the market.
With slow moving young centers on my mind, does anyone have some projections on Roy Hibbert? I would imagine a chunk of his value depends on his ability (inability) to stay out of foul trouble. Will his year two bump make him ownable in a standard yahoo league?
I think Hibbert will be a very good late round flier pick. If he can cut down his fouls, I can definitely see him starting and carving out a decent role for himself on the Pacers (anywhere from 20-30 min a game). The potential is there for 7+ boards and 1.5+ blocks (similar to Brendan Haywood from 07-08). Since you can most likely get him in the last 2 rounds, there’s no worries if he doesn’t work out and you have to dump him onto the waiver wire after the first couple weeks of the season.
I agree – a good C3 candidate with the possibility of growing into a decent C2. And if he doesn’t pan out, it won’t kill you to make the drop.
yep these two posts pretty much sum up my feelings
The Lakers payroll is already at $76M without Ariza and Odom. There’s no way that they’re going to be able to sign both. There’s even a chance both may be gone if each gets a solid offer elsewhere.
this concept has been completely ignored every time i see the situation mentioned, and i have yet to figure out why. obviously people don’t want to just walk away from the champs, but economics may dictate what happens. they are on the hook for $67 the year after next, as well
Looks like Memphis is going to make a strong push for David Lee. I think his #’s would hold up pretty well there. What do others think?
I think that drops him out of the 2nd/3rd round in most fantasy drafts.
whoops…was sposed to be embedded in the previous post about Lee
Z-Bo to the Grizz for Q-Rich. One less prospect for David Lee and Paul Missap?
blake griffin = stoked. and yes lee and millsap will need to look elsewhere for employment. perhaps one lands in OKC
Where would LA teams be without the Grizz?
Is Wallace hopping to run for office there or something?
lol! that’s exactly what my friend said.
NO MORE ZACH! MORE BLAKE!
I’m renewing my tickets tomorrow!!!
I understand why OKC thinks Lee and Millsap are good but why would they need either when they have Green at PF? Do they plan on trading Green or moving him to the bench as 6th man? Sounds OK, but they still need a better C than Krstic… which I believe is a bigger need than an overpaid PF who makes Green a sub… or not?
Green is a lanky PF they need a bruiser
Yeah, Green is a SF, not really a PF. I was actually really surprised when OKC (then Seattle) took him at #5 in 2007 after they just took Durant at #2. It seems to have worked for them so far though. Maybe the Rubio/Flynn back court will work after all….
yea but centers are not easy to find they did make that draft day trade for that BJ guy
“And with the 24th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks select..”THAT BJ GUY”! (New York fans booing in the background)
Cool – I like that!
Why would the Grizzlies do this? With Mayo and Gay it’s not like the team passes the ball a whole lot as it is. Z-bo is quite the ballhog himself and cannot possibly be a good influence on those younger guys.
…maybe they’re going for a Sports Illustrated cover too.
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/9737/index.htm
So let’s see, there were the New Orleans “Aint’s” of the seventies, your Los Angeles Clippers on the cover here…somebody help me out, but I know I’ve seen the “Bagheads” somewhere else. Can’t quite put my finger on it…
no clue. randolph isn’t someone that you work into your system, he interjects himself into your gameplan. the grizz are taking the ball out of their young players’ hands in favor of this guy – they need to move gay now, because he’s going to be completely ignored
I actually don’t think this was THAT bad a move by the Griz. Realistically, it was between Z-Bo and Lee, and Lee would have warranted a longer contract. If it doesn’t work, at least they only have to pay him for 2 years, instead of 4-5 to Lee, and by then his expiring contract will be worth a lot, and Thabeet and Gasol should be much improved.
Their lineup of Conley, Mayo, Gay, Randolph, and Thabeet has no holes really, so it’s just a matter of chemistry. I know Randolph’s not a character guy and will probably take shots away from their youngins, but he’s a consistent 20/10 guy who’s entering his prime, and they got him for next to nothing, you can’t call that a mistake, especially when it’s just a short term move, and they could be in the running for most improved team next year. Trading Gay away would be a mistake imo, Randolph won’t be around past 2010.
Zbo is a 20/10 guys b/c he misses multiple layups and as to occasionally put them back. i don’t understand how a team can function with some many offensive black holes…
He was having a career year in NY, and before his injury in L.A., with the occassional 35/15 line mixed in, and he’s added a 3-point shot to his arsenal. I’m not saying he’s the best guy to have in your locker room, or that he’s gonna be a great influence on any of their young players or anything, but adding him over Lee was the cheaper option with less commitment, and probably a good decision in the long run.
yeah if it doesn’t work, you’ve only wasted two formative years of your young nucleus. why sign a solid, young PF like lee or millsap as part of that nucleus when z-bo will be gone soon enough… nope, i’m not buying that logic
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s a great move, obviously Lee or Millsap would have been a better long term investment, just being devil’s advocate here.
Realistically, they’re only experimenting with Z-Bo for one year, so I don’t think it’s gonna hinder the long term development of their nucleus too much. After next year, they’ll have a $17.3 million trade chip on their hands, and you can’t tell me a contender with cap space wouldn’t want to rent him out for 1 year with that kind of relief on the horizon. Why would they want to sign Lee or Millsap to a big money long term contract when they got two young, capable, cheaper PF/Cs already in Thabeet and Gasol? By going the Z-Bo route, they’re getting the post help they need, and giving themselves way more options next year. And like I said, despite his shortcomings, he’s actually turning out to be a pretty good player. I won’t hesitate to draft him in the 4th-5th round next year if I miss out on the big name PFs.
Not trying to be argumentative or anything, but you guys sound shocked and appalled at this move, when I can see some valid reasoning behind it:
1) They’re essentially trading Darko for Z-Bo, and that’s a huge upgrade they’re getting for free, chemistry or not.
2) More flexibility, sooner, if Gasol pans out. No commitment past 2010.
3) When healthy, Z-Bo’s simply a better player than Lee or Millsap at this point.
4) He’s more of a post threat than Lee, which is what they need most, and his double teams should actually open things up more for Mayo and Gay.
So what’s the downside really? You really think he’ll hinder the long term development of Mayo and Gay that much over one year?
The only one of those I really disagree with is #3. Z-Bo can score more than those guys can but I think he’s a significantly worse defender and a less effective rebounder. His rebounding #’s look fine overall but I’ve never seen him really be a hustle rebounder like Lee and Millsap are. I feel like the Memphis doesn’t really have any hustle players on that roster and they had a shot to sign one of the better ones.
You’re right though that Randolph is obviously an upgrade from Darko, but if they had the money to spend I’d rather see them make an offer for Lee instead.
True, he’s easily a worse defender, and he’s usually a casualty of the infamous Curry Line, but his ceiling is higher I think, and more importantly, how would the Griz look in two years when Gasol is pretty much at Lee’s level if not better, and they’re locked into Lee for 5 years at 4 times the price? I love Lee’s hustle, and I hope the Raps can get him now, but I can see why Memphis went for Z-Bo instead.
dude! When have you seen a contender with $17 mill worth of cap space? Contenders get where they are by being stacked with (expensive) talent. Honestly, I’m amazed that teams keep finding takers for this guy at that price. He’s OK in fantasy, but can anyone think of a team he’s been on that hasn’t mailed in the season within a months? We’ve had the Isaiah Knicks, the Clipps, and now the Grizz, so we are fast running out of idiot franchises. Still, Kahn only has 2 PFs so there’s room for one more. How bout you MJ? Interested?
And will 1-2 years of Z ruin the impressionable Mayo, Gay and pals? I dont know, but we’ve seen what a year of good influence from the Big 3 can do for the likes of Rondo, Perk, and Baby. Its a fair guess that the opposite might be true.
“We’ve had the Isaiah Knicks, the Clipps, and now the Grizz, so we are fast running out of idiot franchises.”
Don’t forget that the Timberwolves and Bucks are fast moving up that list!
I think you need to broaden your definition of contender these days. I can definitely see a team looking to get over the hump trading for Randolph next year to give them a quick boost, with no strings attached. His contract seemed ridiculous last year, but now it’s not that bad, especially for teams not in the running for 2010. He could turn into Melo or West or Terry or Carter in 2011. Can’t argue with your idiot franchise comment though, the Gasol trade says it all, just think this move wasn’t as bad as you all think.
Detroit gets Gordon and Charlie.V.
Big yawn…..
hahaha seriously. That team is so terrible
OK, now DET has a depth chart of
Stuckey
Hamilton/BG
Prince/CV
??
Kwame
considering the starting caliber players at their best position. Though I could argue Kwame is not starting caliber and PG is not Stuckey’s best position…
I assume CV will play the 4. He did it all of last season in Milwaukee. And do those signing signal Rip may be gone? Perhaps a complete team overhaul or something?
You have to think that the Gordon signing signals the end of Rip as a Piston but there’s not going to be big market for a past-his-prime 31 year-old SG whose contract runs through 2013 for nearly $50M (4 more seasons at around $12.5M per season).
If the Raptors are serious about winning now and trying to keep Bosh, he’d be a great fit there – giving Derozan time to develop. Maybe the Pistons and Celtics revisit a big swap of players?
Is this official? I am from Detroit, I am not sure what Dumars is doing, I certainly hope he packages Prince and Rip for expiring contracts next year. Not many teams will want to give up cap space for FA ’10 though. I would rather have Charlie V than Boozer. not excited about it though
I’m not sure what Dumars is doing either. I would LIKE to think that whoever he hires as head coach will come in and make a move to alleviate some of this tension (both position-wise and chemistry-wise).
Otherwise, I could see the Pistons becoming the soap opera currently known as the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Piston’s situation does not look good. They should have just dumped Curry after their horrible playoff performance and had their new coach set before the draft. Now they’ve signed 2 high-scoring, poor defensive players to big contracts and their top choice for head coach is a hard-headed, defensive minded guy (Avery Johnson). Charlie V and Avery are going to get along real well….They might as well swing a deal for Gay and Thabeet, pull Marcus Williams from the scrap heap, sign Calhoun to coach, and relocate the team to Hartford….
Yeah! Hartford Rocks!
Go Whalers!!!
Artest to the Lakers? And the rich get richer. How sick is Kobe, Gasol, Artest, and Bynum.
that looks pretty crazy. fills in on the defensive end for ariza and is a lot more dangerous offensively. it might hurt some fantasy values however.
Big Phil is gonna earn his paycheck juggling those personalities.
Man, I still cant believe what a gift Gasol was- all that talent and no ego. Karma has gotta bite LAL in the ass some time soon.
Com’n Ron-Ron! Punch Sasha in the face! Punch Sasha in the face! You can do it!
De-ja-vu, anyone?
Beginning to look a lot like the Chicago Bulls of the late nineties, don’t you think?
All we need now is for Artest to die his hair fluorescent green.
Oh sweet mother of pearl! I meant to say “dye” his hair.
Haha I think Phil knows what he’s doing. I was a diehard Bulls fan, but I still think the ’09 Lakers are better now. Sounds like they might keep Odom too, thanks to Ron taking a BIG pay cut.
How is this even fair? Spurs get RJ, Magic get VC, Cavs get Shaq, Lakers get Ron, Celts will get Sheed.. and they were all already contenders! Seems like next season could be one of the most lopsided ever. This is seriously a collection of some of the best overall teams I’ve ever seen. Should be some great bball.
Just remember, Cap, the old saying goes “Life isn’t fair”.
And I agree – this season’s gonna be goooood!
I can’t believe Artest betrayed Lebron and signed with the Lakers! The NBA is going to be so top-heavy next year…
maybe he hasnt. Plenty of time for RonRon to implode the Lakers. He may yet do Bron, the Spurs and C’s a favour.
I’m leaving the Magic out at this stage. VC for Hedo and Lee doesnt make them better. Also, they will loose Gortat and Battie is already gone so who backs up Dwight now? Baring health problems, I’m looking forward to one hell of an eastern final tween C’s and Cavs.
I read the Magic will match any offer for Gortat.
That’s the type of knee-jerk reaction that happens when another team’s coach shows up at a player’s house at 12:01 am with a jersey with that player’s name on it.
Of course they’ll match any offer – now that they know other teams want him!
I dunno…dallas offered 5 years starting at the mid-level. Not sure orl can match even if they want to.
Yeah, I think ORL was just saying that to try and dissuade other teams. Too bad Gortat didn’t blow up next year. I wonder if he’s even worth that money though, he really hasn’t proven anything yet, these teams are going on pure speculation and per-48 minute numbers. Could he be another Diop?
We’ll see.. But apparently the Magic’s owner is willing to absorb the luxury tax.
Hawks said they’d match any offer for JSmoove last year.. Unfortunately they weren’t lying.
But I hope Gortat leaves. The Polish-Hammer needs more face time.
They’d have to be crazy to re-sign an unproven backup center for that kind of money. That has Gadzuric written all over it.
Ariza to rockets. artest to the lakers. ugh…. i have officially joined the “portland must sign hedo in order to have any chance what-so-ever” group. i feel dirty…
Haha, I love Portland, but I agree, they’re no match for the 4 or 5 All Star teams that have emerged this year with their current roster. The good thing is they’re set up for the future nicely, they just have to wait until Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, and KG/Pierce retire, then they only have to battle Lebron and Howard. Blazers in 2015!
Hopefully before 2015. The landscape of the league seems to change so much b/w years, you never really know who will be good and who will suck in a couple years (boston, portland, lakers, etc have all sucked in recent years, and are now some of the best teams in the league). i don’t see the spurs still being viable contender in 3 years, lakers are beastly but don’t think they will stay together (especially phil) for too many more than 2-3 years. Personally i am hoping Ron-ron causes problems there, but i don’t think he will be an issue. If hedo can help Oden develop into 75% of Howard, then i think the blazers could be contending as soon as 2011 or 2012.
Rockets and Lakers reminiscent of GSW and Clipps last yeah. You nab my guy, I grab your guy.
Difference is a mid-level Ariza is a decent buy for the Rockets where they are now, whereas throwing all that money at Maggette was just plain dumb. Looks like Houston is looking to the future now. Still, they have some nice pieces, and are a top-notch organisation. Let McGrady expire and be a player in FA10- Bosh maybe. I dont think they’ll be down long.
Yeah, Houston’s definitely got to look towards the future now that Yao is a huge question mark – I don’t blame them.
T-Mac’s good, but I’ve never been THAT geeked up about him as a big “All-Star” type player (I’d prefer Bosh over him). It’ll be interesting to see who courts him in FA10 – you know SOMEONE will be desperate enough to give him whatever he asks for.
I agree, Ariza was a great move for Houston, they’ve got some nice young pieces to build around now (Ariza, Scola, Brooks, Landry, Taylor), and I actually still think this team is capable of winning 40-50 games without Yao and T-Mac.
Their best course of action is to trade T-Mac now for a couple of rookies and hope they find a diamond in the rough. I can see Jermaine Taylor being a really nice player down the road, and the rest of those guys I listed above all have major upside, so they’re not totally screwed by all means.
As for Bosh, I know he’d love to play in Houston, but I have a sneaking suspicion he’s gonna follow Lebron, no matter where he goes.
As for T-Mac, next year is gonna be crucial for him to show he can still play at a high level. There’s a reason Boozer didn’t get the money he wanted, and the ice is even thinner for T-Mac. If a healthy Marion has to go from 17.8 million to 7, then a fragile T-Mac could go from 23.3 million to like 7 or 8 too, if he’s lucky.
lots of cap room coming and a solid organization at the top. you can’t help but be down with what has happened to yao and t-mac, but i agree that i don’t see them not making a quick turnoaround
You know, I’ve been thinking about this whole Artest to LA thing and I’ve come to a conclusion/opinion.
I feel that this is a MASSIVE train wreck waiting to happen.
Let’s put aside for a second, the fact that “on paper” this team is LOADED – arguably the best team talent-wise since the Bulls 70-win team (you could maybe even throw in the C’s championship team from a few years back). No doubt, THIS is the team to beat, regardless of what the Cavs, Spurs or rest of the league does.
On paper.
But let’s really think about this a second – we now have three of the most dysfunctional people in the northern hemisphere “attempting” to co-exist with one another “professionally”. You’ve got one who’s hot-headed, short-tempered, with a mouth big enough to fit the feet of the entire starting five in (whose only picture the drive-by sports media happens to show us is the one where he’s eating Kobe’s left cheekbone during the playoffs). You’ve got another one who believes he’s God’s gift to basketball and marketing (who’s first in line for Kobe Underoos!). And then we have Philip. Remember people, Philip has decided to do his duty to king and country PART TIME!
Now, I would looooove to be in the locker room the night LA rolls into Charlotte, gets thumped by 30, and has a huge, smak-down talking to from Philip via speaker phone.
What, what?! Speaker phone?!?!
“Uh, OK guys, I’m kinda short on minutes here so I’ll be brief – YOU SUCKED! See you at Staples.”
Coaching by committee has never worked before, and it won’t work this time, especially considering the fact that you have two of the biggest “magnets” gonna try and repel each other constantly, 24-7.
So let’s recap and keep things in perspective here. This team is going to need a full time babysitter or nanny (which is not on Philip’s resume). Artest is going to have to learn to control himself with regards to the opponent, his teammates, the coaching staff, the ball kids, that guy three rows behind the visitor’s bench with the megaphone, etc., etc., etc. Kobe’s going to have to deflate that ego of his down a notch or three (last I heard, natives from some Polynesian island were looking for one of their “Big Head” statues in the Los Angeles area).
And Philip? Well, let’s just say the good news is it looks like he’ll be making that trip to Charlotte when LA gets thumped by 30.
This is either going to be Dr. Buss’s crowning achievement in basketball operations, or his worse nightmare.
And remember this – the only difference between this team and the Bulls 70-win team is that Philip only had one problem child to deal with – MJ had no ego (doesn’t need one). If Pippen had one, it was humbled by the two years without MJ in the mix. So it was just Rodman v. Philip – and apparently Philip won.
Of course, he wasn’t coaching just home games at the time, so what do I know.
Please, get your facts straight. It has been SPECULATED for PHIL Jackson to coach mainly home games, with Asst. Rambis doing road games. Said idea has now proven to be bologna as he squandered the notion and will now coach full-time, gimpiness aside. I do not know why there are so many doubters. Even Bill Plaschke has his doubts. As this is only an opinion, I believe the Lakers will fare fine this upcoming season. I am not only stating this as a diehard Laker fan. Sure, we lose an integral hometown hero in Ariza, but were they willing to pay an excessive amount of bucks for a role player who exceeded mainly in the playoffs? Check out the latest podcast on the “LakersNation.com,” as they offered respectable analysis. When you compare Ariza’s stats in the season, or for the matter, for their entire career, Artest gets the nod. One example is for the 08-09 regular season, Artest had more accuracy from downtown at a 40% clip compared to Ariza’s.
In addition, I believe Artest is one of the perfect acquisitions this team needs to defend the title. A scrappy, tough-nosed defender (pun intended) from Queensbridge can finally brush off w/e “soft” image the City of Angel ever had. But hey, belief is belief, and everyone is entitled to their own and must respect it. Of course, re-signing the versatile Candyman Lamar “The Goods” Odom is a top priority as of now, and perhaps re-signing Shannon “Chris Brown” Brown as well.
PS: Don’t be jealous all you (SAS) acquired was an offensive force in RJ, whereas we (LAL) acquired an offensive AND defensive force in Artest. The Cavs and Lakers, in my estimation, lead the arms race thus far. The Spurs pale in comparison bro
Let’s be honest. How hard is it to say, “Ok, Scottie, you bring the ball up, then pass to Michael. Michael, you score.” or “Ok, Kobe and Shaq, go out and win.” Not to take anything away from the ‘best coach in history’, but a monkey could have sat in his seat and won 10 championships. Even if he is just a head on a screen, they’ll still win 60 games.
This is a great signing for the Lakers though. You got your offensive juggernaut in Kobe, your ideal C in Pau, and now your defensive specialist in Artest. I’d even go as far to say this trio could be one of the best all time. Throw in Odom and Bynum just for the hell of it, and even Bron and Shaq don’t stand a chance.
OK, first of all, I understand that Jackson only coaching home games was “speculation” due to the fact that he had recent hip surgery. My Boss had hip surgery a few years back, and he was laid up for a couple of months afterward, so I get that. And I understand the desire to work in Kurt Rambis, who in my opinion should be a great candidate to take over as coach in LA – if he coaches anywhere near the way he played, he should bring more of that tough, scrappy mentality to the coaching staff that the Lakers team needs.
Second, it’s no secret that Artest is a better player and Ariza. It’s pure speculation (there’s that word again!) that Ariza will, or will not, have a breakout year in Houston. Artest, however has a proven track record. Given that, I’ll take Artest over Ariza any day, any draft. But if you’re gonna argue the point, PLEASE don’t pull out Artest’s 3PT average at 40% when his FGA is 40.1% – what, did he just make 3′s all season long last year!?! Ron Artest is as you said, “A scrappy, tough-nosed defender”, but he is NO offensive force.
Which brings me to my final point – if you think I’m jealous, as a Spurs fan, because all we got was RJ, dude you need to do some more digging. If you read the posts here regularly, you’ll know from the last poll, that even I, the Spurs fan, voted that the Cavs got the better deal (up to draft day, of course). I’m excited that we got RJ in a great deal made by the front office – but I’m not all geeked up about it. Hell, we got DeJuan Blair, in the second round of the draft no less, and everybody and their grandmother is trying to convince me that it’s “the steal of the draft!” (except for Ashley – thanks Ash for keeping the bandwagon in check!)
Do I think we’ve made ourselves the best team in the west? Dude, I ALWAYS think we’re the best team in the west – difference is I know that two things have to happen for us to win a championship. 1. We need to stay healthy. And 2. We need to shoot the ball well – our team’s offense is built around penetration and kicking it out to the open man. If we don’t shoot the long ball well, we lose (obviously you weren’t watching anything beyond Laker playoff games this past season). Why did we lose a playoff game to a Mavs team which only scored 88 points? Because we didn’t shoot the ball well. End of story. Good night, and good luck. So ask yourself, Laker fan, where does Artest fit in the triangle offense (I hear rectangle and trapezoid are available names). Someone’s shot selection is gonna suffer – who’s it gonna be? Kobe? Don’t think so. Artest? Not that “offensive force”. Gasol? More than likely. Rest of the team? Take your pick.
So basically, I decided to vent on a deal which I think is going to kill a championship team. I hope Artest does to the Lakers what Terell Owens did to the Cowboys. Sad part is though, common sense dictates that this will probably be the best deal of the year, even the decade. Artest will make this team so dominant, to the point of even record setting status (72-10 could be in jeapordy, and I’m serious about that!). And the Lakers will more than likely repeat as champions.
And as a true Spurs fan, all I can say is…THAT SUCKS!
My man from So-Tex, I still dont get why ur down about Blair. I dont follow college and I’ve never seen him play, but what I do know is you got a guy who was projected to be a lottery pick in the mid-2nd round of the worst draft of this century. Who would you have prefered?
More importantly, I’m surprised you’re so high on the Lakers. 72-10 in jeapody? Wow! I’m unhappy that Ron-Ron goes to LAL too, but thats mostly cause I like cheering for the guy but now I cant cause he’s with ‘the enemy’. However, while he is clearly a better player than Ariza, I dont see how he improves the lakers substantially. Yeah he can create his own shot, but its usually a long jumper that clangs of the rim (40%FG), and anyway if there is one thing the Lakers dont lack its a wing who can create. Ron has also lost some of his lateral quickness. He’s still strong, but cant really stay infront of the quicks like he used to, so at this stage Im not sure hes much of a devensive upgrade on Ariza. What will be really interesting is to see how his leadership integrates. Ron seems to be a natural leader, and I’m not sure that helps LAL. Kobe wants to be the man, but isnt really the inspirational type that others happily follow into battle. I wouldnt be surprised if some tensions arise from Kobe’s ego taking a hit from being around a more natural leader.
In any case, the Lakers’main weakness is still there. They are still woefull at the PG spot. None of the guys they have there are going to do a credible job against the likes of Rondo and Parker.
So the Lakers still have holes, and many of their major competitors have improved (more than they in my opinion). They were good enough to win it all last year and good for them, but I still feel like they caught alot of breaks along the way- C’s breaking down, Yao breaking down, Cavs not taking Shaq at the deadline, and catching a highly inexperienced oponent in the finals. No doubt they will be in the mix again next year, but no way does artest make them a dominant favourite in my mind. In my opinion, this season will be the most competitive we’ve had for a long time, with 4-5 teams with close to an even chance of winning it all.
Touche bro, I forgot to mention what excellent steals u got in this yr’s draft…so far. We have yt to see them perform their entire careers. As for the Spurs as being the best in the west…that’s another topic…just to start it off a bit, they are one of the oldest teams in the league, whereas the Lakers are farely young, at least younger than SAS. And as far as me watching playoff games, you must be omniscient since you know all these things. And as for you losing to the Mavs, it could be b/c of that, but I believe it is due in large part to nobody else essentially stepping up besides TP and TD. RJ helps give you guys a legit 3rd/4th option in case GINOBILIIII!!! goes out again. And as stated in the last segment of your post, I sense no animosity b/t us, which is chill b/c I constantly get badgered on the threads on ESPN. Quoting BEP: “Where is the Love?” So, let’s all take a backseat to all the wheeling and dealing in the arms race known as the NBA.
(Saddam) Dasein:
My man Artest is basically the same age as Kobe and the Goods, so take a chill pill. As for Artest causing tension in the leadership standpoint, you must be on something. Where was he last yr when we got beat by Beantown? Yes…pretty much on Kobe’s and Lakers’ nuts. Where was he when the Lakers beat him in this yr’s playoffs? Hanging like Denzel and Jack in the City of Angel. If he was on his best behavior in Houston, LA should be an after-thought. As for defending against the PG’s, granting Shannon re-ups, we can project to be at least respectable in that regard. As for the competition, excellent point, cannot wait, esp. for the historic offseason following. Keeps getting better and better.
In the end, I must defend my hometown. All there is to it. Unless it’s something completely outrageous of course (*cough* Manny *cough*)
PS: See, even mbuser feels me
ahh…gotta love lakers fans. The smallest knock on kobe becomes a personal affront. Thought it was strange we didnt seem to have many here, so welcome
Not sure exactly what you were trying to say in that 2nd paragraph, but I think you got me wrong. I wasnt saying Ron is gonna misbehave, in fact Im pretty sure he’ll be fine. I was drawing a question mark over Kobe with another strong personality in the mix. We all know how that worked out last time. Maybe he’s grown up now, maybe he hasnt- just putting it out there.
Saddam, had me scratching my head for a minute. Dasein isnt arabic, its a german word so you pronounce it something like in Seinfeld. Nice try though
Thanks d – for the record, I’m very “cautiously optimistic” about Blair. The Spurs staff are really, really excited about this guy, and after 4 championships you’ve gotta believe SOMEONE over there knows what they’re doing. And I have said before, it’s one of those cases where if something negative comes out of it, it doesn’t hurt the team. If it works, look out! A potential lottery pick who goes in the second round has a lot to play for, and I’m sure he’ll be looking to get his.
And, OK, MAAAAYBE I reached a bit on the 72-10 thing – you know I like to exaggerate to make a point, and sometimes that gets the better of me.
It’s not that I’m so high on the Lakers – I forget to explain myself a little better sometimes – I, for obvious reasons (Go, Spurs, Go!) don’t want this deal to work. However, more than likely it will. Compare it to the feeling you get when you WANT one thing to happen, but you KNOW something else will, and more often than not does. You want the Patriots to win the 85 Superbowl, but the reality sets in as the Bears win big. You want the US to advance in the World Cup on it’s own soil, but the reality is a Brazilian 2-0 victory.
So that’s kinda where I’m at with this Artest/Laker deal. I’m hoping for chaos, but chances are everything will be fine, and worse case, nothing happens regardless of whether LA wins another championship or not. So I’ll just leave it at that and see where the basketball chips fall.
And BTW, mr.gm – I wouldn’t even bother with those a-holes over at the ESPN threads. Yes, it is possible to have heated debate without resorting to name-calling and such. Besides, you strike me as NOT the type to be jumping on police cruisers and setting things on fire (sorry buddy, but I couldn’t resist that one!)
You may be a Laker fan, but you’re ALWAYS welcome here! And I’ll be first in line to shake your hand! That’s just the So-Tex way.
Ya, typical San Antonio man: comical and classy. I think it was mainly like the thugs and gangsters who stupidly lit garbage bins, newspaper stands, and police cars ablaze. As for dasein, ya, I tried to make fun of your name, but obviously failed in that regard
. Apologies if you were offended. If you guys are interested, hit me up on my e-mail:
sgdfinc@yahoo.com
I need more managers for my league…so far it’s me, my dad, and some friends only…
Yeah! Thugs and Gangsters DO NOT Rock!
Go LAPD!!!
no worries mate, no offense here.
I agree with So-Tex on the espn thing- give it a miss. Life is too short to argue agaisnt 12 yr-olds with anger management problems. Buser’s house is where you wanna be.
I’d definetly be keen to get into a league with some fellow Buserers, so we’ll see. (Un)fortunately I’ll probably be travelling around draft time next season. Guess I’ll have to build a solid rank list before then…
Oh for sure. No hurry. There was FINALLY ONE guy who got my back. His username was Dodgy. It was about this upcoming season’s sleepers list. They were pretty harsh there. Yep…big props to mbuser for making this site happen.
PS: Nice avatar. Btw, So-Tex Spurs hit me up…were you interested in this upcoming season as well? I didn’t even know he was ranked on the 1st page in the Fantasy Profile Registry…NICE GOING
how often was artest out of line as a rocket this past season? wasn’t he a model teammate and didn’t he step up when t-mac was lost? i just don’t see a very hungry artest being a problem for a team looking to defend its championship, and it will have nothing to do with phil and kobe, even though they’ll get all the credit
Artest was basically the leader of the Rockets last year. He did what T-Mac has never been able to do by leading his team out of the 1st rd. Artest plays with a lot of heart and passion, his teammates love him. I think he’s a minimal liability and once again, he brings much needed toughness to the Lakers. I can’t wait to see him on the team.
Artest will fit perfectly with the Lakers. He cracks me up and I’m glad he’s finally in a big market. He brings the toughness that LA needs. I think Artest is a better fit in LA than he would’ve been in Cleveland, and he’s a definite upgrade over Ariza.
Ariza will regret walking away from LA for the rest of his career.. What an idiot.
That true, he will probably regret it, but how much of that was Ariza walking out, and how much was L.A. pushing him out the door? I feel for the kid, he was instrumental in them winning this year and they showed him no love. He might have made a rash choice, but I can’t blame him.
I thought the Lakers offered him like 5 or 6 million a year. I doubt he’s making a lot more in Houston. It’s just funny to me how most of these athletes grow up broke, then they make it to professional sports and suddenly $4 million a year to play a game isn’t good enough for them. I know it’s partly their agents’ fault, but still.. It’s pretty disgusting.
3 out of 5 players are broke 5 years after retiring from the NBA anyways, so I guess the extra $1-2 million a year that they chase is pretty irrelevant.
You gotta consider that Ariza has 1- won a championship, 2- is looking to get paid, 3- Texas has no State Tax. thus he will get significantly more money (despite the same contract) than Artest. It is why agents tend to push players towards texas and florida, b/c everyone comes out with more money.
The Lakers refused to go above their mid level at 5.6 mil for 5 years, which is what he got from Houston, but obviously pissed him off cause he was looking for 7 or 8 mil, and he really felt (as do I) that there was no way they would have won without him. He went 40-84 3PT% in the playoffs. They’re not champions without him, so they should have rewarded him. Then Ron takes a massive pay cut and usurps him, and Ariza’s forced to take the same deal from Houston. Toronto reportedly offered him a “substantially larger offer”, but he said it wasn’t about the money, it was about respect. For a 24 year old career 6.9 scorer, you can blame him for trying to get a little bonus from one of the richest, most successful franchises ever, after what he did. Even if he’s not worth it, $12 mil’s a lot of money to him, and pittance to them.
Lakers made the right move.. Let’s see how many wide open 3′s Ariza get’s in Houston now that he doesn’t have Kobe drawing all the attention.
True
Reward him for helping the Lakers win the championship? I thought that was the original idea when he started receiving checks from the Lakers. Sure he went out and did a great job but come on – they don’t owe him anything. By playing lights out on a national stage, he did himself the favor and is looking at a hefty pay raise albeit with some questions regarding his game in a down economy.
He should fire his agent though as he cost him a chance for more championships plus endorsements.
Of course they owe him something. Yes it’s a down economy, but how much more money did he make the Lakers by winning them a championship? To the victor go the spoils. It’s not like they couldn’t afford it.
He’ll still get plenty of endorsements in Houston I think, he went from being an afterthought, to being the man. It could actually help his recognition. Championships.. that’s another story.
I don’t think it’s his fault. Perhaps his agent. Thoughts?
I think the Kings should really pitch this trade to the Raptors: Kevin Martin and Kenny Thomas for Chris Bosh. The numbers work. The Raptors need a shooting guard and the Kings need another big body. Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes are the Kings only 7 footers. Chris Bosh already rejected a contract extension from the Raptors so they would be willing to trade him. Even if Bosh only plays one season in sacramento, the Kings would have so much cap space for the 2010 free agency that we could sign another really good player. Getting rid of Kevin Martin would allow Tyreke Evans to play his natural position at shooting guard. If Hedo Turkoglu really does sign with Toronto, the Raptors would still need a shooter. Kevin Martin could fill that role for them
i’m not sure they need a shooter that bad, with calderon and bargnani also on board. the things i see limiting their potential for success the most are depth and defense
nobody wants to go to sacramento
AI might. If he is ‘interested in’ the grizz, he must be up for anything.
That is the same attitude Chris Webber had. He ended up having his best years in Sacramento.
Never thought I’d see Rasheed Wallace in a Celtic uniform. Isn’t that an oxymoron?
SHEEEEEEEEEEEED!
thats the news I’ve been waiting to hear. Now fingers crossed nobody tries to overpay Baby so we can keep him. Not sure if its financially possible, but if we can add someone like Anthony Parker or Delfino we’ll be set.
Oh no wonder. You were a C’s fan. Didn’t know ha
Oh for the love of Pete!
First the left coast, now the east coast…
Sheed’s going to the Celtics – man, someone is rolling in a grave somewhere, the planets are falling out of orbit, the natural balance of things has been disrupted!
I blame it on global warming.
Here’s one I find very interesting, and not just because I’m a Spurs fan – McDyess to SA for the MLE.
I like McDyess and his game, but he’s another one of those walking injuries waiting to happen. The upside here is IF he’s stable and playing the way he has the last season or two, he wouldn’t have to worry so much about breaking down because his minutes would be reduced.
I think he would compliment Duncan well coming off the bench to back him up, and his health shouldn’t be an issue with the reduced load (something which Detroit openly struggled with – running him into the ground with huge minutes).
not bad. the pickings are getting slim in terms of bigs that are going to help, and mcdyess is still a productive player when he’s healthy. drew gooden and brandon bass are still out there, and i don’t think either one would be a bat fit, either
Well, I was hoping for Gooden to come back but I really haven’t heard anything on that front for me to think it’s going to happen – doesn’t mean that it won’t though.
But I wouldn’t mind settling for McDyess if it came down to it.
way I hear it, Dice is an onery old man who doesnt like change and doesnt want to move house anymore. Thats why he went back to Detroit last year when he clearly had better options to win. Interesting to see if this changes now that Detroit are going nowhere.
Speaking of Detroit, can we now all agree that Dumars has officially torn off his ‘GM genius’ moniker and sh#! all over it?
After firing Curry on the basis of ‘we need a more experienced coach’, he finds that he cant hire one because nobody has confidence that they’ll be given enough time to do anything- after Jo has burnt through 6 coaches in 10 years.
Add in Darko at 2, AI for Billups, big extension for Rip, big free agent splurge on the fearsome BG and CV. Am I missing anything out?
I think you (and a lot of other people) are being a little harsh on Joe-D. Let’s not forget the 2004 Championship he won, and SIX straight Eastern Conference finals appearances he orchestrated, not to mention him turning an injured Grant Hill into a 4 time defensive player of the year named Ben Wallace.
Trading Billups for AI was actually a good move too, that enabled him to land CV and BG. I’m not saying CV and BG were fantastic pickups or anything, but they’re not bad by any means, and in 2 years Billups (and Rasheed) will be done, while CV and BG will just be getting started. If anything, getting the cheaper Villaneuava instead of an overpaid Turkoglu or Boozer should be considered smart.
As for Darko, it’s generally assumed that ANY GM picking #2 that year would have taken Darko after Lebron, so cut him a ‘little’ slack there.
As for the coaching changes, if there’s one thing I hate it’s when a GM is afraid to admit he’s wrong, or has made a mistake. That’s why I respect Colangelo so much, he brought in T.J. Ford, but when Calderon blew up he didn’t hesitate to flip him into J.O., then when J.O. didn’t work, he did the right thing and dumped him too. Coaches are the same thing, if it’s not working, you need to make a change. You can knock Dumars for not finding the right guy in the first place, but I can respect him making changes if they’re needed.
That being said, it’s hard to keep expectations so high after all the success the Pistons have had recently. I don’t think the CV and BG signings were that bad, especially if he can flip Rip (and/or Tayshaun) into something useful. I think he realized the chances of him landing Bosh or Amare were dwindling, so he went out and got two of the best FAs out there this year. Could have done a lot worse.
Interesting article right on Yahoo’s front page:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-winnerslosers071109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Look’s like Portland’s GM has gone into full
mode. (Told you I’d be using them little things!) 
Man…first, Portland goes through a soap opera type free agency summer, now one of their draft picks breaks his foot on the first day of camp.
I feel for the dude, and for you Blazer fan. I don’t know what you guys did, but you have some serious karma working against you.
Yeah, im mind boggled as to to why Por are trying to pay starters wages to back up one of their stars
I like the school of thought that says go get Odom. It simultaneously fills a need and hurts the Lakers, so win-win-win. But Pritchard seems to be like one of these guys that was over-weighting youth on our keeper rankings a while back. If he gets Milsap its a great screw-up all round. It doesnt help Por much, screws Utah and screws fantasy owners. Who wouldnt want to see Odom, Milsap and Boozer all with starters gigs? C’mon Pritch, help us out.
No, not my Odom
Ya, negotiations seem to be stalling w/ my beloved Lakers as Candyman seems to still want more dolla dolla bills.
As for Millsap, how do you think the following rotation would pan out IF he were to land in Portland? It has already been stated Roy and Aldridge are the main components for years to come, so I am assuming (not to make an ass of “u” and me):
PF: Aldridge (35 min)/ Millsap (25 min)
C: Przybilla (18 min)/ Przybilla (18 min)
PM24 is versatile and can finish games at the 5 and play some 3 at times
I meant to type Oden in there…oopsie daisy
nobody’s perfect 
With Dahntey Jones going to the pacers, where do you see JR smith’s draft position at 5th, 6th round?
Off topic, but I’d like to hear a bit of discussion about favoured scoring categories, i.e which do u like, which do u hate and why. I’ve been tinkering with these in the league I run every year but I’m still not happy with them. These might get your brains working…
- FG% and FT% are standard, but 3pt% isnt. Why is this? Are u for 3pt% or not?
- Speaking of 3PM, if this cat is included, a made 3 counts towards 3 categories (3PM, Pts, FG%). Does this make 3′s unreasonably valuable? Maybe including 3P% is a way to balance this as it would tend to penalise high volume shooting teams.
- TOs, to use them or not? I feel like its wrong to ignore them but including them isnt much better. I hate them in Roto because you cant make moves to reduce their number. H2H isnt so bad, but I’ve found it often isnt far removed from a coin toss. While I like the idea of Ast/TO ratio, its too highly correlated with Ast, so if you play with both it effectivly doubles the value of assists. A nice compromise might be to use TOs as a tie breaker, but this is only relevant for ‘most cats is a win’ whereas Yahoo uses only ‘every cat is a win’.
- Total rebounds or OR and DR split. I kinda like the latter because you get 2 nice unambiguous cats.
- Ive heard of people using Technical Fouls, but I’m not a fan. Its such an infrequent event (relatively) that I think it would become another coin toss.
- Do you prefer lots of cats, a few cats, or the standard cats so u dont have to crunch your own numbers?
Think I’ll run with the following for now,
FG%, FT%, 3pt%, Pts, OR, DR, Stl, Blk, Ast, 3PM (for roto)
for H2H i’d add TO if its ‘every cat is a win’. If its ‘most cats is a win’ id make TO the tie break. Comments?
feel free to respond to this in the new post
http://busersports.com/2009/07/13/adventures-with-league-settings/
I think turnovers are stupid and I’ve never heard a good argument for them. Wade, LeBron, Dwight, CP3, Deron all averaged 3+ turnovers a game. If the elite players averaged 1-2 TO a game, and the lesser players averaged 3+ TO’s a game.. Then I’d have no problem with that category. But what’s the point of having a category that has an inverse relationship with the elite players??
And no, I don’t like AST/TO either. Is there a category for TO per possession?
But regardless, it’s a pointless category in my opinion.