West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: westsiderider323 on June 30, 2010, 09:02:33 PM
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gentlemen, it has begun 8)
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I thought it'll be better to keep one thread for all the NBA free agent signings. Obviously if there are threads about some of the big names (LeBrom, Wade, Bosh) it's understandable. For a lot of the other ones though, we can keep one thread. Use your discretion on which signings should get its own thread and which can be put in here. Thanks guys!
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Rudy Gay Agrees to Max Deal with Grizzlies (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ale24QGNpH3w2xUBCa36Nl.8vLYF?slug=ys-gaygrizzlies070110)
Rudy Gay(notes) has agreed to a five-year, $81.6 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, his representatives at Octagon confirmed to Y! Sports.
The fifth and final year of the contract will be at Gay’s option.
“We have a verbal agreement on a deal,” said Gay’s agent, Jeff Austin.
The Grizzlies had the right to match any offer made to Gay because he’s a restricted free agent. But by reaching agreement quickly, they prevented another suitor – like the Minnesota Timberwolves – from front-loading a contract offer with a signing bonus that could have necessitated a first-year payment of $20 million.
NBA.com first reported the agreement.
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Drew Gooden signs with Bucks (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArNonMV5Zcsb1_5f0C4daxW8vLYF?slug=ys-goodenbucks070110)
Drew Gooden(notes) has reached agreement on a five-year, $32 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Gooden has played for eight teams in eight seasons, and hopes to find some stability with the fast-rising Bucks.
Bucks general manager John Hammond and agent Dan Fegan struck quickly on Thursday and cut a deal to help solidify Milwaukee’s frontline. Gooden will join a core of Andrew Bogut(notes) and Brandon Jennings(notes) that has added Corey Maggette(notes) and Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes) in the offseason. The Bucks are still negotiating with free agent John Salmons(notes) to return.
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Grizzlies and Hawks are out of their mind ... Max deal for Rudy Gay , are you fucking kidding me ... dude is worth 8-10 millions a year , not more
Joe Johnson new contract will be one of the worst in the history of the league....
Now a lot of players from superstars to role players are going to ask way more than they are actually worth :-X
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The Hawks offered more than 120 mil to Joe Johnson? lmao...
Yao will sign with the Rockets for sure...
Dirk will very likely sign with the Mavs...
From what it looks like, the Knicks might end up with a fucked up consolation prize like Amare and noone else... this would be funny as fuck
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If the Knicks dont get LeBron...I think they should just retire the entire franchise. Fuckit..
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If the Knicks dont get LeBron...I think they should just retire the entire franchise. Fuckit..
Move them to Seatte, a shitty ass team like the Knicks looks good when you don't have one :-\
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sounds like lebrons going back to cleveland and joe johnson back to atlanta
ugh i hate the NBA..neither dude is ever gonna win with those teams
and joe johnson ain't worth 60% of the 119 mill deal
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sounds like lebrons going back to cleveland and joe johnson back to atlanta
no surprise there the media just made a huge deal outta this bullshit
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The Toronto Raptors have come to terms on a five-year contract with Amir Johnson, according to Yahoo Sports.
It may not be the extension fans were hoping for but it's a good start to a summer of uncertainty for the NBA's lone Canadian franchise.
According to the report, Johnson's agent, Kevin Bradbury, told Yahoo Sports that the Raptors have signed Johnson to a five-year, $34 million deal.
Johnson enjoyed somewhat of a breakout season in Toronto in 2009-2010, averaging 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 17 minutes per game while appearing in all 82 games with the Raptors.
Bradbury reportedly told Yahoo Sports that Johnson considered "about four teams" before deciding on Toronto.
Johnson and the Raptors have to wait until July 8, when the league's signing moratorium ends, to finalize the deal.
As of July 1, Johnson, 23, was a free agent. The Raptors acquired Johnson in a a trade with Milwaukee last August.
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I like Amir and all, but I don't think he's worth that much.
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If the Knicks dont get LeBron...I think they should just retire the entire franchise. Fuckit..
Move them to Seatte, a shitty ass team like the Knicks looks good when you don't have one :-\
Yeah maybe. But the quality of basketball in Seattle has been as good as the basketball in NY as of late.
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Darko got way too much $$$
this league is a joke....you tell us you are 400 million in the hole but yet the owners are overpaying GARBAGE players like dark anything more than a 6 figure salary???
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If the Knicks dont get LeBron...I think they should just retire the entire franchise. Fuckit..
Move them to Seatte, a shitty ass team like the Knicks looks good when you don't have one :-\
Yeah maybe. But the quality of basketball in Seattle has been as good as the basketball in NY as of late.
I'm telling you man, after watching my team get stolen and watching the prospects we drafted blossom in the worst market in the US, I'm willing to take anyone, even a shit hole team like the Knicks.
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you guys gotta be kidding me
lol @ david stern moving the knicks to seattle hahaha that'd be hilarious
no sport can survive without an NY market
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Lebron To The Clippers. Just watch Tomorrow.....
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If basically all the big names sign with their former teams, I'm going to cancel my NBA-TV prescription.
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The Toronto Raptors have come to terms on a five-year contract with Amir Johnson, according to Yahoo Sports.
It may not be the extension fans were hoping for but it's a good start to a summer of uncertainty for the NBA's lone Canadian franchise.
According to the report, Johnson's agent, Kevin Bradbury, told Yahoo Sports that the Raptors have signed Johnson to a five-year, $34 million deal.
Johnson enjoyed somewhat of a breakout season in Toronto in 2009-2010, averaging 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 17 minutes per game while appearing in all 82 games with the Raptors.
Bradbury reportedly told Yahoo Sports that Johnson considered "about four teams" before deciding on Toronto.
Johnson and the Raptors have to wait until July 8, when the league's signing moratorium ends, to finalize the deal.
As of July 1, Johnson, 23, was a free agent. The Raptors acquired Johnson in a a trade with Milwaukee last August.
worst deal so far, wtf? no way amir johnson is worth 34 million over 5 years, lmao...the joe johnson deal is pretty bad, as well, but at least he's a borderline superstar and the face of the franchise...rashard lewis got a similar contract from orlando, and he's a 3rd or 4th option, so the joe johnson deal isn't as bad as people are making it seem...drew gooden is not worth 32 million over 5 years either, but at least he's proven as a solid rotation guy, and even played some of his best ball as the starting center for the mavs and clips last season. the amir johnson deal is just mind-boggling...as for rudy gay, he's vital to any possibility of success in the grizzlies foreseeable future, so it wasn't really a bad deal for them. darko also signed with minnesota for 4 years at 20 mill, which could be good or bad, considering even the most average centers usually come at a more expensive price, but rambis seems to like him, so it could turn out to be good. last but not least, channing frye just signed a 5 year/30 mill contract with phoenix, meaning he's getting less money than amir johnson, which is pretty insane LOL.
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^^ Joe Johnson contract is horrible because he's already 29 ... not only 21 , 5 , 5 in a player prime as a first option on the team is not worth 119 over 6 years but it's even more absurd when he is going to give you these type of numbers for only another 2 or 3 years at very best .... he probably will be around Richard Jefferson current level during the last three years of his contract...
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The Hawks just ruined their chance at ever getting a championship during the Joe Johnson era. They are settling for playoff teams and 5th-8th seeds for the next 3-4 years, and then as Johnson declines they are looking at never being able to sign someone to play next to him, and eventually they'll be stuck with a bad contract.
Gay to stay on the Grizzlies, okay, but a bad contract as well. I was kind of hoping the Wolves pick him up, I really want a decent team to watch in person when the Lakers come into town. After all, when I saw the Lakers vs. KG's Wolves, there was excitement and it was great basketball. Now it's one sided and there are more Laker fans than Wolves fans. But if I was the Wolves, I wouldn't sign Gay to a max contract. Max contracts should only be for players that not only win, but also give you money with jersey sales, and an increase in season ticket holders. Max contract guys, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Shaq in his prime, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd in his prime, evenually Kevin Durant, Maybe, and I mean maybe a Carmelo Anthony. There is no way in hell Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay fit the max contract standards. They are number 2 options that would be great next to a LeBron, or a Chris Bosh, but they are not someone you build a team around.
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Reports: Pierce agrees to 4-year deal
ESPN.com news services
Paul Pierce and the Celtics have agreed to a four-year contract extension, according to multiple reports.
Sources told ESPN.com Thursday that Pierce's agent, Jeff Schwartz, and the team were making progress in contract talks and expected a verbal agreement to be secured in advance of July 8, the first day free agents officially can sign deals.
That agreement appears to have come quickly with sources suggesting Piece never engaged in any serious dialogue with other teams despite introductory inquiries from a "few" teams.
The Celtics now have locked down two key leaders on the team in three days, after coach Doc Rivers agreed to return to the Boston bench Wednesday. The team now will turn its attention to unrestricted free agent Ray Allen -- and the rest of its seven remaining unrestricted free agents -- as it looks to keep the core together after winning a title in 2008 and coming six minutes away from another just weeks ago.
FoxSports.com and the Boston Herald reported the deal is worth $61 million.
Pierce opted out of the final year of his contract and sacrificed $21.5 million, but gets the long-term security of a deal that will pay him an average of $15.25 million per season. This could offer the Celtics some financial flexibility moving forward, and saves them valuable dollars on the luxury tax for being over the salary cap.
With a four-year deal, Pierce also nets a valuable no-trade clause that would further ensure he remains in Boston for the duration of his career. He will be on the backside of 36 when the new contract expires.
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Reports: Pierce agrees to 4-year deal
ESPN.com news services
Paul Pierce and the Celtics have agreed to a four-year contract extension, according to multiple reports.
Sources told ESPN.com Thursday that Pierce's agent, Jeff Schwartz, and the team were making progress in contract talks and expected a verbal agreement to be secured in advance of July 8, the first day free agents officially can sign deals.
That agreement appears to have come quickly with sources suggesting Piece never engaged in any serious dialogue with other teams despite introductory inquiries from a "few" teams.
The Celtics now have locked down two key leaders on the team in three days, after coach Doc Rivers agreed to return to the Boston bench Wednesday. The team now will turn its attention to unrestricted free agent Ray Allen -- and the rest of its seven remaining unrestricted free agents -- as it looks to keep the core together after winning a title in 2008 and coming six minutes away from another just weeks ago.
FoxSports.com and the Boston Herald reported the deal is worth $61 million.
Pierce opted out of the final year of his contract and sacrificed $21.5 million, but gets the long-term security of a deal that will pay him an average of $15.25 million per season. This could offer the Celtics some financial flexibility moving forward, and saves them valuable dollars on the luxury tax for being over the salary cap.
With a four-year deal, Pierce also nets a valuable no-trade clause that would further ensure he remains in Boston for the duration of his career. He will be on the backside of 36 when the new contract expires.
Well Pierce is one of those rare true max contract people, this is a bit surprising. I think that Pierce did this more for the team than himself. I see Ray Allen leaving, but with the extra money Boston can pick up a nice piece that maybe ensure Lakers/Celtics III, the rubber match,
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Considering how old Pierce already is, I say it's a dumb deal by the Celtics. Obviously they will never win a Championship with that core again, so why pay a 37-year-old Pierce 20 mil in 2015? It's stupid.
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you guys gotta be kidding me
lol @ david stern moving the knicks to seattle hahaha that'd be hilarious
no sport can survive without an NY market
It was obviously a joke, just anytime someone talks about shutting a team down I have to explain to them that actually having a team is better than not having one.
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Darko got way too much $$$
this league is a joke....you tell us you are 400 million in the hole but yet the owners are overpaying GARBAGE players like dark anything more than a 6 figure salary???
The league can be in a hole while the owners still have money. The league isnt paying the players.
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The Hawks just ruined their chance at ever getting a championship during the Joe Johnson era. They are settling for playoff teams and 5th-8th seeds for the next 3-4 years, and then as Johnson declines they are looking at never being able to sign someone to play next to him, and eventually they'll be stuck with a bad contract.
Gay to stay on the Grizzlies, okay, but a bad contract as well. I was kind of hoping the Wolves pick him up, I really want a decent team to watch in person when the Lakers come into town. After all, when I saw the Lakers vs. KG's Wolves, there was excitement and it was great basketball. Now it's one sided and there are more Laker fans than Wolves fans. But if I was the Wolves, I wouldn't sign Gay to a max contract. Max contracts should only be for players that not only win, but also give you money with jersey sales, and an increase in season ticket holders. Max contract guys, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Shaq in his prime, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd in his prime, evenually Kevin Durant, Maybe, and I mean maybe a Carmelo Anthony. There is no way in hell Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay fit the max contract standards. They are number 2 options that would be great next to a LeBron, or a Chris Bosh, but they are not someone you build a team around.
memphis has a ton of talent, with gasol, randolph, mayo , n gay, the grizzilies havnt gaven up on that core. the grizzlies is a very fun team to watch and alot more fun team than a wolves team with gay.
gays over paid but that contract isnt all that bad
PG - Conley
SG - Mayo
SF - Gay
PF - Randolph
C - Gasol
thats a playoff contender if they were in the east hands down.
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Whats frustrating is, the Spurs gave Manu that contract extension back in April. Now, Jefferson opted out, which puts us about 4 million under the cap. If they wouldnt have gave Manu that extention, right now we would be 16 million under and be in play for Lebron, Wade, Bosh or whoever. With the Spurs tradition, championships, coaching, etc...we would be in good shape to get one of the big names. Not to mention no state income tax in Texas. Whats even worse is, we would still have been able to resign Manu under the Bird rights and it wouldnt have count against the cap. I believe Jefferson too. Fuck..
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Whats frustrating is, the Spurs gave Manu that contract extension back in April. Now, Jefferson opted out, which puts us about 4 million under the cap. If they wouldnt have gave Manu that extention, right now we would be 16 million under and be in play for Lebron, Wade, Bosh or whoever. With the Spurs tradition, championships, coaching, etc...we would be in good shape to get one of the big names. Not to mention no state income tax in Texas. Whats even worse is, we would still have been able to resign Manu under the Bird rights and it wouldnt have count against the cap. I believe Jefferson too. Fuck..
LOL
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Whats frustrating is, the Spurs gave Manu that contract extension back in April. Now, Jefferson opted out, which puts us about 4 million under the cap. If they wouldnt have gave Manu that extention, right now we would be 16 million under and be in play for Lebron, Wade, Bosh or whoever. With the Spurs tradition, championships, coaching, etc...we would be in good shape to get one of the big names. Not to mention no state income tax in Texas. Whats even worse is, we would still have been able to resign Manu under the Bird rights and it wouldnt have count against the cap. I believe Jefferson too. Fuck..
Spurs are done, son...Yall had that nice run this past decade, but it's over for yall.
as of now...
Going up:
Portland
Oklahoma
Clippers
Dallas
Memphis
Kings
Houston
Going down:
Spurs
Suns
Jazz
Denver
Standing still:
Lakers
Minnesota
Warriors
New Orleans
West is getting better...I don't see San Antonio making the playoffs next year :-X
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Whats frustrating is, the Spurs gave Manu that contract extension back in April. Now, Jefferson opted out, which puts us about 4 million under the cap. If they wouldnt have gave Manu that extention, right now we would be 16 million under and be in play for Lebron, Wade, Bosh or whoever. With the Spurs tradition, championships, coaching, etc...we would be in good shape to get one of the big names. Not to mention no state income tax in Texas. Whats even worse is, we would still have been able to resign Manu under the Bird rights and it wouldnt have count against the cap. I believe Jefferson too. Fuck..
Spurs are done, son...Yall had that nice run this past decade, but it's over for yall.
as of now...
Going up:
Portland
Oklahoma
Clippers
Dallas
Memphis
Kings
Houston
Going down:
Spurs
Suns
Jazz
Denver
Standing still:
Lakers
Minnesota
Warriors
New Orleans
West is getting better...I don't see San Antonio making the playoffs next year :-X
We will make the playoffs. Our rebuilding stage is consisting of 50+ win seasons...not bad. You gotta remember how injured we were last year. Parker missed 26 games last season. Manu missed games, Duncan missed games. When we got healthy is when we went on that streak towards the end of the season beating Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, LA, Denver, etc. I like the position we are in right now. As far as us having some young talent waiting for when Duncan retires and to replace Manu. Blair will be a decent pro. Not a superstar, but if he gets into a starting role in the future he can be a 15-12 guy. George Hill looks like he could possibly replace Parker now...and with the trade rumors around Parker, that could be happening. I like the Anderson pick in the first round, a lot of people think he might have been the steal of the draft and even Ryan Richards in the second round. Ive watched some video on him and seems like he could be a good prospect...he will probably play in the D league this year though. And if Splitter is coming over, which it looks like he is...he could end up being a very good player. Current MVP in the Spanish league. But a year or two working with Duncan and he will be even better. If he signs, I wouldnt be surprised to see him starting at some point during the year along with Duncan. There is a strong possibility that Jefferson is gonna resign with us for less money this year...but a 4 or 5 year deal. So we wont be losing anyone, just gaining Splitter and Anderson. And possibly another FA shooter. They are looking at Anthony Morrow or Kyle Korver.
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AP source: Bucks, Salmons agree for $40M (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aqk2jtH1EVWdFvcepz11US68vLYF?slug=ap-bucks-salmons)
Main point of the article:
MILWAUKEE (AP)—Another day, another deal for the Milwaukee Bucks, who have suddenly become one of the biggest buyers during the most-hyped free agency period in NBA history.
The Bucks made another major move Friday, agreeing in principle to a $40 million, five-year deal with free agent guard John Salmons(notes), a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Friday because the deal can’t become official until next Thursday.
The move to lock up Salmons, who played for the final half of last season with the Bucks, came one day after free agent power forward Drew Gooden(notes) agreed to a $32 million, five-year deal.
You can read the rest of the article at the link. Basically talks about the Bucks' moves.
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Whats frustrating is, the Spurs gave Manu that contract extension back in April. Now, Jefferson opted out, which puts us about 4 million under the cap. If they wouldnt have gave Manu that extention, right now we would be 16 million under and be in play for Lebron, Wade, Bosh or whoever. With the Spurs tradition, championships, coaching, etc...we would be in good shape to get one of the big names. Not to mention no state income tax in Texas. Whats even worse is, we would still have been able to resign Manu under the Bird rights and it wouldnt have count against the cap. I believe Jefferson too. Fuck..
Spurs are done, son...Yall had that nice run this past decade, but it's over for yall.
as of now...
Going up:
Portland
Oklahoma
Clippers
Dallas
Memphis
Kings
Houston
Going down:
Spurs
Suns
Jazz
Denver
Standing still:
Lakers
Minnesota
Warriors
New Orleans
West is getting better...I don't see San Antonio making the playoffs next year :-X
I would never count the Spurs out. ESPN ranked them 3rd best overall franchise for a reason, they stay constitution, and no matter the rebuilding, the Spurs know how to pick the right players and they are a lottery ball away from another run at titles.
The Hawks just ruined their chance at ever getting a championship during the Joe Johnson era. They are settling for playoff teams and 5th-8th seeds for the next 3-4 years, and then as Johnson declines they are looking at never being able to sign someone to play next to him, and eventually they'll be stuck with a bad contract.
Gay to stay on the Grizzlies, okay, but a bad contract as well. I was kind of hoping the Wolves pick him up, I really want a decent team to watch in person when the Lakers come into town. After all, when I saw the Lakers vs. KG's Wolves, there was excitement and it was great basketball. Now it's one sided and there are more Laker fans than Wolves fans. But if I was the Wolves, I wouldn't sign Gay to a max contract. Max contracts should only be for players that not only win, but also give you money with jersey sales, and an increase in season ticket holders. Max contract guys, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Shaq in his prime, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd in his prime, evenually Kevin Durant, Maybe, and I mean maybe a Carmelo Anthony. There is no way in hell Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay fit the max contract standards. They are number 2 options that would be great next to a LeBron, or a Chris Bosh, but they are not someone you build a team around.
memphis has a ton of talent, with gasol, randolph, mayo , n gay, the grizzilies havnt gaven up on that core. the grizzlies is a very fun team to watch and alot more fun team than a wolves team with gay.
gays over paid but that contract isnt all that bad
PG - Conley
SG - Mayo
SF - Gay
PF - Randolph
C - Gasol
thats a playoff contender if they were in the east hands down.
The Grizzlies might still be an exciting team, as I did not say the Grizzlies would suffer, if they are willing to spend the money on the other players too. But Gay is not a max contract person, that should only be for your Bryants, LeBrons, Carmelos, Pierces, Duncans. Hell, Pierce worked out a deal that he doesn't get max contract anymore for more years with the Celtics. Grizzlies messed up giving Gay max money, and in 3-5 years they'll regret it.
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today i learned why Boston resigned pierce
if they didn't they would have to eat that 21 milly on their cap space
fucking salary cap....just abolish it and make a salary MINIMUM instead
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today i learned why Boston resigned pierce
if they didn't they would have to eat that 21 milly on their cap space
OR they could have signed a much young player with their cap space instead. LOL
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Whats frustrating is, the Spurs gave Manu that contract extension back in April. Now, Jefferson opted out, which puts us about 4 million under the cap. If they wouldnt have gave Manu that extention, right now we would be 16 million under and be in play for Lebron, Wade, Bosh or whoever. With the Spurs tradition, championships, coaching, etc...we would be in good shape to get one of the big names. Not to mention no state income tax in Texas. Whats even worse is, we would still have been able to resign Manu under the Bird rights and it wouldnt have count against the cap. I believe Jefferson too. Fuck..
Spurs are done, son...Yall had that nice run this past decade, but it's over for yall.
as of now...
Going up:
Portland
Oklahoma
Clippers
Dallas
Memphis
Kings
Houston
Going down:
Spurs
Suns
Jazz
Denver
Standing still:
Lakers
Minnesota
Warriors
New Orleans
West is getting better...I don't see San Antonio making the playoffs next year :-X
I would never count the Spurs out. ESPN ranked them 3rd best overall franchise for a reason, they stay constitution, and no matter the rebuilding, the Spurs know how to pick the right players and they are a lottery ball away from another run at titles.
Counting out the Spurs is kind of like counting out the Patriots. Well run franchises, whether it be us, you guys, the Patriots, the Steelers...etc...dont really reBUILD. They reLOAD. Rebuilding is when you get to a point where you cant win with a roster, and completely start over fromt scratch. What the well run franchises do is...continuously add pieces at the right times, so that as their aging vets get closer to retirement...they already have someone to replace them. The Spurs can still win over 50 games. If healthy last year, they would have won at least 5 more games. They have a good young group of players who will take over. Hill will be an All Star, Im convinced. Im sure the Spurs are too if they are considering moving Parker. Blair is only going to get better, and he was already solid off the bench this year. Splitter if he comes over, will eventually replace Duncan. I think Anderson is gonna be a very good player in this league. Anyways, they are basically just transitioning to a new era...while still having Duncan, Manu, Parker to hold things down. Again, they will be in the playoffs next year...barring some sort of big injury to Duncan or Manu or something.
And apparently Amare is really trying to convince Parker to go to NY and play with him. We have GOT to trade Parker. There is no reason to not get ANYthing for him if he is gonna leave after this year. I think he does want to be in NY (Im sure Eva is in his ear). The problem is, the Knicks dont have anything we want. A Sign and Trade for Lee might be ok...but I dont know if that will happen. I think a third team would have to be involved.
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Nowitzki’s adviser: Dirk staying in Dallas (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArsyS25SLla.G4vY7t6qxLU5nYcB?slug=ap-mavericks-nowitzki)
DALLAS (AP)—Dirk Nowitzki(notes) is sticking with the Dallas Mavericks.
Next question: Will he and Jason Kidd(notes) be able to lure anyone to join them?
Nowitzki’s adviser, Holger Geschwindner, told The Associated Press late Saturday night that Nowitzki and Mavs owner Mark Cuban have agreed “to get it done.” Teams and free agents can strike deals at any time, but can’t sign them until Thursday.
According to a person familiar with negotiations, the deal is for more than $80 million over four years, with a no-trade clause. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the NBA’s moratorium until Thursday. Team officials couldn’t comment because of that same rule.
“I think it’s a great deal,” Geschwindner said. “We’re pumped.”
The deal was first reported by ESPN.
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today i learned why Boston resigned pierce
if they didn't they would have to eat that 21 milly on their cap space
OR they could have signed a much young player with their cap space instead. LOL
no moron, they can go over the cap to resign their own guy under the Bird rule
if he goes to another team Boston is on the hook for that 21 mill regardless
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today i learned why Boston resigned pierce
if they didn't they would have to eat that 21 milly on their cap space
OR they could have signed a much young player with their cap space instead. LOL
no moron, they can go over the cap to resign their own guy under the Bird rule
if he goes to another team Boston is on the hook for that 21 mill regardless
how is this making sense? if he opts out and goes to another team, boston aint paying him shit
and if they had not resigned pierce, they woulda had cap space... not 21 mil obviously, but still some
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Dirk re-signs with the Mavs and leaves 15 mil on the table after being offered the max
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2010/07/03/nowitzki-agrees-to-dallas-deal/
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go google "the bird rule"
i'm sure it will shed some light on your questions
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go google "the bird rule"
i'm sure it will shed some light on your questions
I know that rule you fucking dickhead - just accept that it was a dumb contract extension. Acting as if I didn't know what an NBA salary cap is doesn't make this ridiculous extension any wiser.
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it was not boston's choice for PP to opt out and make them look at 21 mill on the cap without a player attached to it
now go to church and pray mark cuban signs Chris Bosh
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Johnson staying put, will sign with Hawks
Posted Jul 4 2010 5:08PM
ATLANTA (AP) -- All-Star guard Joe Johnson had agreed to a maximum contract to stay with the Atlanta Hawks, his agent said Sunday.
Arn Tellem confirmed an entry he wrote for the Huffington Post website, in which he said Johnson "announced his intention to re-sign with the Hawks for six more years.''
Tellem wrote that Johnson chose to remain in Atlanta over Chicago and New York, where he would have been reunited with Mike D'Antoni, his former coach in Phoenix.
The Hawks could pay him nearly $120 million, while other teams could only give Johnson five years and pay him about $25 million less.
That made it easy to stick with the Hawks, who have reached the second round of the playoffs the past two years with Johnson as their top player. He's a four-time All-Star and has averaged more than 20 points in each of his five years with Hawks.
"His priorities are his family, his friends and his game,'' Tellem wrote. "Joe could have forced a sign-and-trade deal for five years with another team, but he decided that winning in Atlanta would be more meaningful. When the Hawks offered the maximum - six years - he happily reciprocated.''
The Hawks would not comment, citing the NBA's moratorium on signings. Deals can't become official until July 8.
Johnson has been at the center of the Hawks' resurgence since arriving in Atlanta from Phoenix in a sign-and-trade deal on Aug. 19, 2005. A 13-win team the season before he arrived, the Hawks doubled that the next season and went 53-29 in 2009-10 before getting swept by Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Johnson averaged 21.3 points during the regular season but played poorly during that series, creating speculation he may have cost himself max dollars. And there was thought he may want out of Atlanta, anyway, since he turned down a $60 million extension last summer and was critical of the team's fans this season.
Instead, Tellem said Johnson was impressed by the commitment of Hawks ownership and new coach Larry Drew, and said Johnson is equally committed to the team and its players.
"For his next act, Joe plans to actively recruit other top free agents to Atlanta, a place not unlike his hometown, where he feels comfortable and appreciated,'' Tellem wrote.
Johnson, a first-round pick of Boston in the 2001 draft, has averaged 17.6 points for his career.
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it was not boston's choice for PP to opt out and make them look at 21 mill on the cap without a player attached to it
now go to church and pray mark cuban signs Chris Bosh
please explain to me what you think. i'm sure it is wrong, but i'm sure what it is.
do you think the 21 mil he was owed if he had not opt out STILL count against their cap and luxery tax, even though he opted out of the contract and is playing for another team? is that what you think?
or do you think they couldn't have signed anyone that makes more sense than an aging pierce with their cap space money?
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Amar'e Stoudemire has agreed to sign with the New York Knicks, according to Sports Illustrated.
Stoudemire will be reunited with his former coach in Phoenix, Mike D'Antoni. He is expected to sign a five-year contract worth about $100 million, according to SI.com's Jack McCallum.
Stoudemire, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Suns, averaged 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season.
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Amar'e Stoudemire has agreed to sign with the New York Knicks, according to Sports Illustrated.
Stoudemire will be reunited with his former coach in Phoenix, Mike D'Antoni. He is expected to sign a five-year contract worth about $100 million, according to SI.com's Jack McCallum.
Stoudemire, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Suns, averaged 23.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season.
i dont see it amare period, like lebron, 2 yrs ago KG, dirk, kobe, wade, melo, he just doenst have the flair and its not in his personality to single handly take over a game.
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
wait.... joe johnson, nash, amare, marion, j-rich, AND SHAQ plus barbosa was on the same team at ONCE????
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
wait.... joe johnson, nash, amare, marion, j-rich, AND SHAQ plus barbosa was on the same team at ONCE????
not at once, but they definitely had a good core at one time.
I think they had Nash, Joe Johnson, and Marion all together (and I think Barbosa as well).
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
wait.... joe johnson, nash, amare, marion, j-rich, AND SHAQ plus barbosa was on the same team at ONCE????
not at once, but they definitely had a good core at one time.
I think they had Nash, Joe Johnson, and Marion all together (and I think Barbosa as well).
Yeah.. Johnson was there at the beginning with Nash and Marion - I also think Barbosa, Bell and Diaw - later they traded Diaw for Richardson and Marion for Shaq.
Fact is, Amar'e has had his share of great talented teammates... much more so than he will have in New York, unless they also sign LeBron, Melo or Wade
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Amare will suffer without Steve Nash. No question. His game isnt geared to produce without a solid PG giving him easy buckets. He doesnt have a good enough mid range game, and cant take anyone off the drible like Bosh. He really needs someone to get him easy buckets.
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
Probably just Duhon. Lee is as good as out of there with this signing. The Knicks will go after a perimeter player if anything. Amare thinks he can get Parker to come to NY. The Spurs say they arent trading Parker. But Im still holding onto the hope of a three way deal....sending Parker to NY, Sign and Trade Lee to Toronto, Sign and Trade Bosh to SA :D
I dont mind keeping Parker, if they extend his contract. But I dont wanna hold onto him for just one year...and have him leave at the end of this season.
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
Probably just Duhon. Lee is as good as out of there with this signing. The Knicks will go after a perimeter player if anything. Amare thinks he can get Parker to come to NY. The Spurs say they arent trading Parker. But Im still holding onto the hope of a three way deal....sending Parker to NY, Sign and Trade Lee to Toronto, Sign and Trade Bosh to SA :D
I dont mind keeping Parker, if they extend his contract. But I dont wanna hold onto him for just one year...and have him leave at the end of this season.
Eva though is a Texas native. I think she is in charge of where Parker goes. I think he stays in SA. I see Carmelo in NY by tip off next year though.
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
Probably just Duhon. Lee is as good as out of there with this signing. The Knicks will go after a perimeter player if anything. Amare thinks he can get Parker to come to NY. The Spurs say they arent trading Parker. But Im still holding onto the hope of a three way deal....sending Parker to NY, Sign and Trade Lee to Toronto, Sign and Trade Bosh to SA :D
I dont mind keeping Parker, if they extend his contract. But I dont wanna hold onto him for just one year...and have him leave at the end of this season.
Eva though is a Texas native. I think she is in charge of where Parker goes. I think he stays in SA. I see Carmelo in NY by tip off next year though.
Yeah, But Eva would be the main reason Parker leaves Texas. LA or NY would be better for her career. He has said before that at some point he wants to be able to do whats best for her career.
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Hawks Offer Shaq Two-Year Deal (http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/67863/20100705/hawks_offer_shaq_two_year_deal/)
The Hawks have offered Shaquille O'Neal a two-year contract that starts at $5.8 million per season, according to NBA sources close to both the team and the player.
"I think he wants to see how everything shakes out with all the free agents, but he's seriously considering Atlanta's offer,'' said the source who asked that his name not be used. "He wants to play two more years, and he wants it to be with a contender. He thinks he can help them become a serious one."
Read more: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/67863/20100705/hawks_offer_shaq_two_year_deal/#ixzz0ss4ZKhpK
Shaq's new nickname will be the Big Hawk if he signs the deal.
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lol someones willing to give a 38yr old shaq 5.8 mil per year for 2 years? as a back up center?
man thats insulting to AI and T-Mac IMO these guys can barely get any offer like that
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Amare will suffer without Steve Nash. No question. His game isnt geared to produce without a solid PG giving him easy buckets. He doesnt have a good enough mid range game, and cant take anyone off the drible like Bosh. He really needs someone to get him easy buckets.
cosign
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Amare will suffer without Steve Nash. No question. His game isnt geared to produce without a solid PG giving him easy buckets. He doesnt have a good enough mid range game, and cant take anyone off the drible like Bosh. He really needs someone to get him easy buckets.
cosign
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They also have to add Wade or at least Melo to be a force in the east. With Amar'e and a bunch of scrubs they ain't doing shit. Amar'e played with Joe Johnson, Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson and Shaq and still didn't go to the Finals. You can't give him Duhon and Lee and think you make a run in the playoffs.
Probably just Duhon. Lee is as good as out of there with this signing. The Knicks will go after a perimeter player if anything. Amare thinks he can get Parker to come to NY. The Spurs say they arent trading Parker. But Im still holding onto the hope of a three way deal....sending Parker to NY, Sign and Trade Lee to Toronto, Sign and Trade Bosh to SA :D
I dont mind keeping Parker, if they extend his contract. But I dont wanna hold onto him for just one year...and have him leave at the end of this season.
Eva though is a Texas native. I think she is in charge of where Parker goes. I think he stays in SA. I see Carmelo in NY by tip off next year though.
Yeah, But Eva would be the main reason Parker leaves Texas. LA or NY would be better for her career. He has said before that at some point he wants to be able to do whats best for her career.
I ain't going to lie though, if that woman was my wife, I'd move to NY for her career. His got a fine wife and if he moves for her, I ain't mad at him.
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Chris Duhon agreed to a contract with the Magic. In the meantime Denver and Melo are working out a contract extension. Looks like Amar'e will have to play all by himself. :laugh:
Word on the streets is also that LeBron is a loyalist and tries to lure Chris Bosh to Cleveland via sign-and-trade...
Horrible Free Agent Frenzy so far. It's all a huge let down. Most niggas stay put or switch to worse teams.
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lol someones willing to give a 38yr old shaq 5.8 mil per year for 2 years? as a back up center?
man thats insulting to AI and T-Mac IMO these guys can barely get any offer like that
I would LOVE to have AI or T-Mac sign with the Spurs as a backup. They would just need to put their egos to the side for a team. Look at Manu. An All Star type player who comes off the bench because thats whats best for the team. Having a good bench is big.
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Hedo + Bosh + Jack for Jamison + West + Varejao + 3mil + picks?
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Magic reach deal with former Knicks PG Chris Duhon (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqljE3GziIVSL6x7.AXknrG8vLYF?slug=ap-magic-duhon)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—The Orlando Magic tried to sign Chris Duhon(notes) in free agency two years ago only to watch him go to New York.
They finally got their man Tuesday.
Duhon reached an agreement with the Magic for a $15 million, four-year deal, his agent said. Teams can’t officially sign free agents until Thursday.
Agent Kevin Bradbury told The Associated Press that the chance to play for a championship contender was enough to sway Duhon to the Magic this time. Duhon fills a much-needed role behind starter Jameer Nelson(notes) and could step into the starting spot should an injury occur.
“The last time Chris was a free agent, the Magic obviously pursued him hard,” Bradbury said. “Chris didn’t forget that, and he has a lot of respect for that team. The Magic called right away.”
ESPN.com first reported the deal.
Duhon spent the last two years starting for the New York Knicks, never really living up to expectations and falling out of favor with coach Mike D’Antoni. He averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 assists per game last season.
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it was not boston's choice for PP to opt out and make them look at 21 mill on the cap without a player attached to it
now go to church and pray mark cuban signs Chris Bosh
please explain to me what you think. i'm sure it is wrong, but i'm sure what it is.
do you think the 21 mil he was owed if he had not opt out STILL count against their cap and luxery tax, even though he opted out of the contract and is playing for another team? is that what you think?
or do you think they couldn't have signed anyone that makes more sense than an aging pierce with their cap space money?
lmao
the answer is yes...boston is still on the hook for most of that 21 mill counting against their tax. learn up on the bird rule sonny.
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Amare will suffer without Steve Nash. No question. His game isnt geared to produce without a solid PG giving him easy buckets. He doesnt have a good enough mid range game, and cant take anyone off the drible like Bosh. He really needs someone to get him easy buckets.
but they got no other scorers on that team
watch the shot attempts go up and he'll still pull down ATLEAST his 20 and 9 a game. if not 25 and 9 instead.
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it was not boston's choice for PP to opt out and make them look at 21 mill on the cap without a player attached to it
now go to church and pray mark cuban signs Chris Bosh
please explain to me what you think. i'm sure it is wrong, but i'm sure what it is.
do you think the 21 mil he was owed if he had not opt out STILL count against their cap and luxery tax, even though he opted out of the contract and is playing for another team? is that what you think?
or do you think they couldn't have signed anyone that makes more sense than an aging pierce with their cap space money?
lmao
the answer is yes...boston is still on the hook for most of that 21 mill counting against their tax. learn up on the bird rule sonny.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Bird_rule
it's amazing how you can be so blatantly wrong regarding facts and still not know it, while talking shit in the process
it's like me saying december is the hottest month in spain and telling you to look it up
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man, NY better find a PG FAST and someone who can get Amare some easy buckets...
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7 even you fucking moron
Instead, Pierce's deal averages out at less money than what Gay is making. Regardless of how it escalates, Pierce's salary in 2010-11 will undoubtedly be lower -- much lower -- than the $21.5 million he was set to earn, and will save Boston's ownership twice the difference in luxury tax dollars, a potential huge savings for the team.
And while we all expected Pierce back, the Celtics can breathe a sigh of relief because there was no quality Plan B. If Pierce had walked away, the team would have been bound by the salary cap and it was unlikely they could have secured a player of his talent -- at least without cutting ties with Allen as well -- particularly in this deep-pocketed market where free agents are receiving head-shaking amounts of money early in the process. It might only get worse as the pickings get slimmer for cash-gushing teams that spent much of the past season clearing space to lure a superstar, but could get left scraping for whatever is leftover.
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man, NY better find a PG FAST and someone who can get Amare some easy buckets...
Either that or make a really strong push for Wade or LeBron.
if both those plans fail, they might want to look at Felton.
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7 even you fucking moron
Instead, Pierce's deal averages out at less money than what Gay is making. Regardless of how it escalates, Pierce's salary in 2010-11 will undoubtedly be lower -- much lower -- than the $21.5 million he was set to earn, and will save Boston's ownership twice the difference in luxury tax dollars, a potential huge savings for the team.
And while we all expected Pierce back, the Celtics can breathe a sigh of relief because there was no quality Plan B. If Pierce had walked away, the team would have been bound by the salary cap and it was unlikely they could have secured a player of his talent -- at least without cutting ties with Allen as well -- particularly in this deep-pocketed market where free agents are receiving head-shaking amounts of money early in the process. It might only get worse as the pickings get slimmer for cash-gushing teams that spent much of the past season clearing space to lure a superstar, but could get left scraping for whatever is leftover.
Isn't English your motherlanguage? Nowhere is this text backing up what you said. LOL, you dim-witted piece of shit.
All this text is saying, that for the following season, the Celtics are saving money compared to the situation if he had not opted out. Nowhere did I argue that. But he DID opt out, which means the Celtics didn't owe him shit. Don't you understand this?
Also, the Celtics would have been under the cap with him leaving - meaning they could have signed a younger player instead.
Stop being stupid as fuck and accept that I have been right all along and you have been dead wrong.
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06 Jul 2010
Somethings Brewing…
By Sam Holako
I’m not one to perpetuate rumours, but it looks like a deal has been made for Chris Bosh.
Rich Bucher of ESPN is reporting that a sign and trade with Miami is a done deal:
To Miami
Chris Bosh
Jose Calderon
To Toronto
Mario Chalmers
2 x 1st round picks
Trade exception (around $24mill or so if my math is right)
Normally, this would go into the bucket with all the other crap, but Chris Bosh just tweeted:
Today is GREAT day!
So while I’m in the camp for keeping Bosh in Toronto, this trade makes some sense on a few levels:
1. Mario would be a great back-up to Jack
2. Hedo would become the sole creator on offense
3. I am trying to get this checked out, but the Raptors could go out get a David Lee or Carlos Boozer while also keeping the trade exception (who know’s, we could make a play for Chris Paul…just a thought)
4. a $24mill (or so) trade exception
So we will see shortly if this deal goes through or not, but if it does, you can bet that there will be more to come from BryCo in the coming weeks.
http://raptorsrepublic.com/2010/07/06/somethings-brewing/
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yes english is my mother's language and it's also my langauge
and the article even indicates that the celtics would have been bound to the 21 million on their cap REGARDLESS of if Pierce stayed or not - meaning THERE WAS NO PLAN B
stupid people like you give Europe a bad reputation on this forum.
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06 Jul 2010
Somethings Brewing…
By Sam Holako
I’m not one to perpetuate rumours, but it looks like a deal has been made for Chris Bosh.
Rich Bucher of ESPN is reporting that a sign and trade with Miami is a done deal:
To Miami
Chris Bosh
Jose Calderon
To Toronto
Mario Chalmers
2 x 1st round picks
Trade exception (around $24mill or so if my math is right)
Normally, this would go into the bucket with all the other crap, but Chris Bosh just tweeted:
Today is GREAT day!
So while I’m in the camp for keeping Bosh in Toronto, this trade makes some sense on a few levels:
1. Mario would be a great back-up to Jack
2. Hedo would become the sole creator on offense
3. I am trying to get this checked out, but the Raptors could go out get a David Lee or Carlos Boozer while also keeping the trade exception (who know’s, we could make a play for Chris Paul…just a thought)
4. a $24mill (or so) trade exception
So we will see shortly if this deal goes through or not, but if it does, you can bet that there will be more to come from BryCo in the coming weeks.
http://raptorsrepublic.com/2010/07/06/somethings-brewing/
If Wade ends up in Miami, those 2 first round picks wont amount to very good picks. I dont know what to think about this trade. I think Lee really likes Minnesota. So I dunno if he will be in Toronto. Maybe Boozer tho. I guess its better than getting nothing for Bosh tho. I guess this would kill any "Bosh to SA" hopes I had lol. We could still end up with Al Jefferson if Lee goes to the Wolves in a 3team deal. There are also rumors of Parker going to ATL for Josh Smith and another player. I actually like that if Splitter is signing.
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yes english is my mother's language and it's also my langauge
and the article even indicates that the celtics would have been bound to the 21 million on their cap REGARDLESS of if Pierce stayed or not - meaning THERE WAS NO PLAN B
stupid people like you give Europe a bad reputation on this forum.
who gives a shit anymore?! lol Pierce is a Celtic still. End of story.
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that rapist 7even cares lol
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shaq with the mavs would be the best choice in terms of advancing in the playoffs,
i really wonder where AI is goin this free agency. willing to play for any team and any amount, but he needs to go to a contender i know hes not gonna take the backseat on a shitty team and he doesnt deserve to. although i didnt like his attutide last year because he was told there was a chance he might play off the bench and he left, but if it were a contender especially with somebody with a big ego (ie kobe, wade, etc etc) than i know itll be kool.
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shaq with the mavs would be the best choice in terms of advancing in the playoffs,
i really wonder where AI is goin this free agency. willing to play for any team and any amount, but he needs to go to a contender i know hes not gonna take the backseat on a shitty team and he doesnt deserve to. although i didnt like his attutide last year because he was told there was a chance he might play off the bench and he left, but if it were a contender especially with somebody with a big ego (ie kobe, wade, etc etc) than i know itll be kool.
Id be all for a Parker/McDyess for Josh Smith/ Bibby trade. ATL is looking for an All Star calliber PG and this rumor has been out there. The salaries matchup. Make the trade, resign Jefferson...and sign AI in a backup role.
That would give us...
PG Hill / Bibby / Temple
SG Manu / AI / Hairston
SF Jefferson / Anderson
PF Smith / Blair
C Duncan / Splitter
I know typically AI has been at the point...but for the sake of ball movement I would rather him be at the 2. The rookie Anderson is really a SG, but we can use him at the 3 and play small ball with the second unit. Bibby, AI, Anderson, Blair, and Splitter will bring a ton of energy and our starting 5 would definitely be solid.
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shaq with the mavs would be the best choice in terms of advancing in the playoffs,
i really wonder where AI is goin this free agency. willing to play for any team and any amount, but he needs to go to a contender i know hes not gonna take the backseat on a shitty team and he doesnt deserve to. although i didnt like his attutide last year because he was told there was a chance he might play off the bench and he left, but if it were a contender especially with somebody with a big ego (ie kobe, wade, etc etc) than i know itll be kool.
Id be all for a Parker/McDyess for Josh Smith/ Bibby trade. ATL is looking for an All Star calliber PG and this rumor has been out there. The salaries matchup. Make the trade, resign Jefferson...and sign AI in a backup role.
That would give us...
PG Hill / Bibby / Temple
SG Manu / AI / Hairston
SF Jefferson / Anderson
PF Smith / Blair
C Duncan / Splitter
I know typically AI has been at the point...but for the sake of ball movement I would rather him be at the 2. The rookie Anderson is really a SG, but we can use him at the 3 and play small ball with the second unit. Bibby, AI, Anderson, Blair, and Splitter will bring a ton of energy and our starting 5 would definitely be solid.
thats a pretty balanced line up, young guys with a good amount of vets on the team, well i only put AI as point for def purposes, you know on the offensive end hes a 2 guard, he CAN play the point but thats not his game and itll make his game suffer.
and im sure pop would keep iverson in check, and iverson would be alright with it given that hes on a contender with that line up, but i dont see that trade happening. mcdyess for josh smith? cmon now.
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shaq with the mavs would be the best choice in terms of advancing in the playoffs,
i really wonder where AI is goin this free agency. willing to play for any team and any amount, but he needs to go to a contender i know hes not gonna take the backseat on a shitty team and he doesnt deserve to. although i didnt like his attutide last year because he was told there was a chance he might play off the bench and he left, but if it were a contender especially with somebody with a big ego (ie kobe, wade, etc etc) than i know itll be kool.
Id be all for a Parker/McDyess for Josh Smith/ Bibby trade. ATL is looking for an All Star calliber PG and this rumor has been out there. The salaries matchup. Make the trade, resign Jefferson...and sign AI in a backup role.
That would give us...
PG Hill / Bibby / Temple
SG Manu / AI / Hairston
SF Jefferson / Anderson
PF Smith / Blair
C Duncan / Splitter
I know typically AI has been at the point...but for the sake of ball movement I would rather him be at the 2. The rookie Anderson is really a SG, but we can use him at the 3 and play small ball with the second unit. Bibby, AI, Anderson, Blair, and Splitter will bring a ton of energy and our starting 5 would definitely be solid.
thats a pretty balanced line up, young guys with a good amount of vets on the team, well i only put AI as point for def purposes, you know on the offensive end hes a 2 guard, he CAN play the point but thats not his game and itll make his game suffer.
and im sure pop would keep iverson in check, and iverson would be alright with it given that hes on a contender with that line up, but i dont see that trade happening. mcdyess for josh smith? cmon now.
the two main players in that trade are Parker and Smith....with Parkers salary being the highest. He is around 12 mil and Dyess over 4. Smith is around 10, and Bibby around 6. So the salaries fit. ATL is looking to upgrade at the PG position, and Parker would be the best player in that trade. So it helps both teams.
My only concern with that trade, is it doesnt address our outside shooting. We need more shooters. Anderson is gonna be solid of course. But we wouldnt have a real deadly 3 point guy in the starting lineup.
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shaq with the mavs would be the best choice in terms of advancing in the playoffs,
i really wonder where AI is goin this free agency. willing to play for any team and any amount, but he needs to go to a contender i know hes not gonna take the backseat on a shitty team and he doesnt deserve to. although i didnt like his attutide last year because he was told there was a chance he might play off the bench and he left, but if it were a contender especially with somebody with a big ego (ie kobe, wade, etc etc) than i know itll be kool.
Id be all for a Parker/McDyess for Josh Smith/ Bibby trade. ATL is looking for an All Star calliber PG and this rumor has been out there. The salaries matchup. Make the trade, resign Jefferson...and sign AI in a backup role.
That would give us...
PG Hill / Bibby / Temple
SG Manu / AI / Hairston
SF Jefferson / Anderson
PF Smith / Blair
C Duncan / Splitter
I know typically AI has been at the point...but for the sake of ball movement I would rather him be at the 2. The rookie Anderson is really a SG, but we can use him at the 3 and play small ball with the second unit. Bibby, AI, Anderson, Blair, and Splitter will bring a ton of energy and our starting 5 would definitely be solid.
thats a pretty balanced line up, young guys with a good amount of vets on the team, well i only put AI as point for def purposes, you know on the offensive end hes a 2 guard, he CAN play the point but thats not his game and itll make his game suffer.
and im sure pop would keep iverson in check, and iverson would be alright with it given that hes on a contender with that line up, but i dont see that trade happening. mcdyess for josh smith? cmon now.
the two main players in that trade are Parker and Smith....with Parkers salary being the highest. He is around 12 mil and Dyess over 4. Smith is around 10, and Bibby around 6. So the salaries fit. ATL is looking to upgrade at the PG position, and Parker would be the best player in that trade. So it helps both teams.
My only concern with that trade, is it doesnt address our outside shooting. We need more shooters. Anderson is gonna be solid of course. But we wouldnt have a real deadly 3 point guy in the starting lineup.
anderson = ryan anderson?
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shaq with the mavs would be the best choice in terms of advancing in the playoffs,
i really wonder where AI is goin this free agency. willing to play for any team and any amount, but he needs to go to a contender i know hes not gonna take the backseat on a shitty team and he doesnt deserve to. although i didnt like his attutide last year because he was told there was a chance he might play off the bench and he left, but if it were a contender especially with somebody with a big ego (ie kobe, wade, etc etc) than i know itll be kool.
Id be all for a Parker/McDyess for Josh Smith/ Bibby trade. ATL is looking for an All Star calliber PG and this rumor has been out there. The salaries matchup. Make the trade, resign Jefferson...and sign AI in a backup role.
That would give us...
PG Hill / Bibby / Temple
SG Manu / AI / Hairston
SF Jefferson / Anderson
PF Smith / Blair
C Duncan / Splitter
I know typically AI has been at the point...but for the sake of ball movement I would rather him be at the 2. The rookie Anderson is really a SG, but we can use him at the 3 and play small ball with the second unit. Bibby, AI, Anderson, Blair, and Splitter will bring a ton of energy and our starting 5 would definitely be solid.
thats a pretty balanced line up, young guys with a good amount of vets on the team, well i only put AI as point for def purposes, you know on the offensive end hes a 2 guard, he CAN play the point but thats not his game and itll make his game suffer.
and im sure pop would keep iverson in check, and iverson would be alright with it given that hes on a contender with that line up, but i dont see that trade happening. mcdyess for josh smith? cmon now.
the two main players in that trade are Parker and Smith....with Parkers salary being the highest. He is around 12 mil and Dyess over 4. Smith is around 10, and Bibby around 6. So the salaries fit. ATL is looking to upgrade at the PG position, and Parker would be the best player in that trade. So it helps both teams.
My only concern with that trade, is it doesnt address our outside shooting. We need more shooters. Anderson is gonna be solid of course. But we wouldnt have a real deadly 3 point guy in the starting lineup.
anderson = ryan anderson?
Naw, James Anderson. The Spurs 1st rd draft pick outta Oklahoma St. Regarded by many to be the best shooter in the draft, and the steal of the draft. He should be solid.
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yes english is my mother's language and it's also my langauge
and the article even indicates that the celtics would have been bound to the 21 million on their cap REGARDLESS of if Pierce stayed or not - meaning THERE WAS NO PLAN B
stupid people like you give Europe a bad reputation on this forum.
Ok I will break this down for you very very slowly, because obviously you are just too stupid to understand it... :-\
1.) This article is very-pro Celtics, probably from a fan-site. Which means they are trying their best to make this contract extension look great.
Now let's do this slowly, cause apparently you are just dumb as hell and won't get it otherwise.
Instead, Pierce's deal averages out at less money than what Gay is making. Regardless of how it escalates, Pierce's salary in 2010-11 will undoubtedly be lower -- much lower -- than the $21.5 million he was set to earn, and will save Boston's ownership twice the difference in luxury tax dollars, a potential huge savings for the team.
This means the 2010-11 salary will be lower than it would have been if he had not opt out. Okay? But his salary now continues throughout 2014-15. Get the twist?
And while we all expected Pierce back, the Celtics can breathe a sigh of relief because there was no quality Plan B.
Key word: Quality. Get the twist? It's also subjective. It's Celtics-fan-site-bias.
If Pierce had walked away, the team would have been bound by the salary cap and it was unlikely they could have secured a player of his talent -- at least without cutting ties with Allen as well -- particularly in this deep-pocketed market where free agents are receiving head-shaking amounts of money early in the process. It might only get worse as the pickings get slimmer for cash-gushing teams that spent much of the past season clearing space to lure a superstar, but could get left scraping for whatever is leftover.
Do you understand that this implies that they would HAVE HAD CAP SPACE?? Do you understand it? Or does it fly over your head like usual? They would have had cap space, it is just that the author of this CELTICS FAN SITE article claims that it would have been hard to get a good free agent or something because so many teams have cap space due to the free agent frenzy.
But since Boston ain't winning shit regardless, you don't have to sign LeBron just cause you don't sign Pierce.
Now let's do a little bird rule 101, cause you seem to don't get what this rule means, even though your stupid ass keeps telling me I should look it up. LOL
All the Bird Rule basically stands for is the mechanism that teams can sign their own players who they have bird rights on, even though signing them brings them over the cap (even if they already are over the cap prior to signing them). This is it.
However, if players are waived, they still don't count against the luxery tax. Meaning, a player who is not actually playing for the team, but is waived and still collects pay-checks from the team, doesn't even count against luxery tax.
Your dumb ass could have read this in the link I posted:
In the summer of 2005, the new CBA provided an amnesty clause: a one-time opportunity for each team to waive one, and only one, player and avoid having him count against the team's luxury tax calculation.
So in the summer of 2005 you could even waive a nigga and not pay luxery tax. How much sense does it make that now you pay luxery tax for a player who opted out on his own terms and signed a NEW contract with a DIFFERENT TEAM?
So you still think Pierce's 21 mil would have counted against the Celtic's luxery tax, even if he had opted out, not been re-signed and started to play for another team? DO YOU STILL BELIEVE THAT? ARE YOU REALLY THAT DUMB?
You know, what's even crazier is that you have the nerve to call me stupid, while all I am saying in this argument is 100% right and backed up by facts while you are misunderstanding things left and right even though English is your motherlanguage and I have never been to a country in which people speak it, not even on vacation.
Do you realize how sad this looks for you?
Edit:
Here I've got it pointed out more easily for your dumb ass:
32. When do free agents stop counting against the team's cap?
When any one of the following three things happen:
* The player signs a new contract with the same team. When this happens, the player's effect on his team's team salary is based on his new salary.
* The player signs with a different team. As soon as this happens, the player becomes the new team's problem, and his salary no longer counts against his old team.
* The team renounces the player. (See question number 33)
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Source: Bulls to sign Boozer (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Avd4ptTtc6VLINooSy1YTJi8vLYF?slug=ys-boozerbulls070710)
The Chicago Bulls have reached agreement with Carlos Boozer(notes) on a five-year contract worth $80 million, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Bulls moved quickly to secure a commitment from Boozer after Dwyane Wade(notes) decided to re-sign with the Miami Heat and bring Chris Bosh(notes) with him.
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if lebron doesnt head to miami, hes gonna ask himself "what if" his whole life.
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if lebron doesnt head to miami, hes gonna ask himself "what if" his whole life.
I honestly don't know what to think of LeBron at this point.
On the one hand, it's cool for some player to stick to his team even though it will never ever win a ring, ala Nowitzki. On the other hand, it's just dumb to pass on 4-5 rings and at least 3 finals MVPs just because you want more attention... whatever. I'd be very sad if Lebron stays in Ohio.
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Another great article by America's best NBA writer, Bill Simmons - hailing America's best radio reporter, Stephen A. Smith:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100708
Careful; this column will self-destruct at 9 p.m. on Thursday night. I can't remember writing a column that had a shorter shelf life. Twelve hours and it turns bad like leftover sushi. Let's call this "Twenty-Three Random Thoughts Before Tonight's LeBronocalypse."
1. A few weeks after the 2008 Summer Olympics, Someone Who Knows Things told me the following rumor: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Chris Paul became such good friends during the 2007 Olympic trials, and then during their 2008 Olympics excursion in Beijing, that they actually made a pact in China to play together. You know, like one of those pacts in a chick flick where two friends agree to get married if both of them are single when they turn 40.
As the rumor went, the 2010 free agents (LeBron, Wade and Bosh) would sign with the same team (at that point the Knicks if they created enough cap room), then Paul would join them in 2012 (or sooner). I thought this was the craziest thing I had ever heard -- so crazy, I only mentioned it once (in a November '08 column). It reminded me of being in my mid-20s in Las Vegas, gambling in the wee hours with my single high school buddies, then all of us drunkenly saying, "We should all pick one city and live there, we'd just go out and kill it every night!" Then you wake up the next morning and forget it was ever discussed. So even if the China rumor was true, that didn't mean it was actually going to happen. Or so I thought.
2. Fast-forward two summers: If LeBron says the word "Miami" tonight, does that mean the rumor was true? Or at least discussed by those guys? Because how could anyone make up something that loony? In 2008, you and I could have sat in a room for 10 hours trying to make up the craziest possible sports rumor and never come up with "Bosh, LeBron, Wade and/or Paul all made a pact in China to play together" without throwing in some improbably bizarre addendum like, "And they did so right after covering up the shooting of Jayson Williams' chauffeur." Was the rumor accurate? Did they stick to their guns? Will we ever find out the truth? Because if they did make a pact, that means …
3. Stephen A. Smith wins the Woodward & Bernstein Award for reporting last week that Wade/LeBron/Bosh in Miami was "done." I thought it was ridiculous. How could it be "done"? Bosh and LeBron were committing to an owner, president and coach without meeting any of them?
My guess at the time: Smith got word that Miami was in the lead, took it and ran with it, then hoped he was right. If he was right, he became the big winner of the summer of 2010. If he was wrong, he could always claim that he WAS right, but that something got screwed up and things changed. I busted his chops a few times on Twitter about it; when he reported one week later that Bosh might be heading for Houston, it sure seemed like Smith was talking out of his butt like Ace Ventura. But if LeBron announces Miami tonight? Then Smith is vindicated and I'm giving myself the byline "William J. Simmons" in my next column as an apology. Although …
4. I'm still not crazy about any report that says "done" unless it's definitely, 100 percent done.
Quick tangent: I like the engagement-ring corollary for all sports reporting. If a friend calls me and says "I'm engaged," I always want to know if they actually got the ring. Give her the ring, you're engaged. If not, "Let's get married" may have been something thrown out there during a drunken dinner, right after sex, during a makeup session after an argument … who the hell knows? I want to see that ring. Once you get the ring, there's no going back. You're locked in. You can get out, but it's almost impossible, and even worse, you might have a one-carat diamond whipped at you at 65 miles an hour.
Had Smith said, "I learned tonight that Miami is the prohibitive favorite to get all three; someone would have to go back on their word for this not to happen," then it played out the way it had, he would have been the NostradamuSAS of this thing. But he tried to get engaged without the ring. Still, he gets a partial credit for sniffing it out. Nobody else had the Miami scenario. And if Smith DID have accurate intelligence and it WAS done, then that means the guys panicked and concocted every event these past eight days -- every waffle, every leak, every extra meeting -- just to throw us off the scent.
Did they willfully snooker the general public? Four red flags indicate they may have (assuming LeBron signs with Miami, of course).
5. Red Flag No. 1: Wade and Bosh (who have the same agent, by the way) hired documentary crews to follow them around. As any reality-show junkie knows, if there's no drama, you have to manufacture it. Well, how could a free-agency documentary (or reality show, or web series, or whatever they do with this footage) have drama if both guys decided where they were going weeks ago? You'd have to center it around Wade's upcoming divorce, or Bosh struggling to decide whether to stay with his girlfriend or hook up with those gorgeous half-Cuban models that only exist in South Beach. And neither guy would ever do that. So what works? Indecision. Meetings. More meetings. A lot of "agonizing." If this footage ever sees the light of day, I bet the acting is worse than your average episode of "The Hills." You wait.
6. Red Flag No. 2: Wade's second visit with Chicago (the old "I really might do this, look, I'm meeting with them again!" trick) was a textbook reality ploy. Look, I've logged my fair share of reality TV over the years. It's one of my vices, along with gambling, Sour Patch kids, Sly Stallone movies and unprotected sex in hotel saunas. (Fine, I made that last one up.) If I were producing Wade's documentary, I would have told him, "After we meet with the Bulls, let's leak information that you want to meet them a second time, and that you want to be closer to your kids post-divorce, then after the meeting we'll shoot a scene of you walking along Lake Michigan deep in thought like you're deciding what to do. Just trust me. It will be great TV." That's what you do when you fake reality. And that second Chicago meeting sure seemed fake.
(Also helping this theory: Multiple teams -- that's right, multiple -- believe Wade went through the free-agency process partly to spy on Miami's competitors for Pat Riley. And if he did? Savvy. Why not? Did you ever think an NBA free-agency period would include the word "spy"? That would have been the wackiest thing that happened this summer if Darko Milicic, Channing Frye, Amir Johnson and Drew Gooden hadn't signed for a combined $114 million on the same day Atlanta offered Joe Johnson $120 million to thank him for leading the Hawks to a four-game sweep in Round 2 in which they were outscored by 25 points per game.)
7. Red Flag No. 3: Wade is 28 years old and just finishing a bitter divorce. He's earned max money for exactly three years and doesn't have a second payday looming in 2016 like Bosh and LeBron do. As we learned with Antoine Walker and Allen Iverson, "wealthy" superstars are never quite as wealthy as we think. Walking away from a sixth guaranteed year in Miami (and no state income tax) when he's battled serious injuries in the past? No way. This was his one chance to bank as much money as possible. It was always going to be Miami.
8. Red Flag No. 4: Bosh clearly wanted to emerge from this summer more famous than he was. I know this because he hired his own documentary crew. Because he made an "Entourage" cameo last month. Because someone who attended one of Bosh's free-agent meetings told me that Bosh was considerably more concerned with his camera crew than hearing the team's pitch. Because he asked his Twitter followers where he should play next year -- a slap in the face to everyone in Toronto who supported him these past seven years -- and because I attended two different 2010 Lakers games at which Bosh inexplicably walked a complete lap around the court while holding hands with his girlfriend, like someone who just wanted to be seen. And it worked. You see a 7-foot basketball player strolling 0.02 miles an hour around a basketball court, you're going to notice him.
If you want fame, then attaching yourself to Wade and/or LeBron in a major market is the way to go. That's what Bosh did. Orlando's Stan Van Gundy even hissed yesterday that Bosh followed Wade around for two weeks like a "lapdog." Doesn't sound like someone who ever seriously considered anywhere but Miami. Add those four red flags together and it's pretty clear, in retrospect, that Wade and Bosh never seriously looked elsewhere. You know, because any time you can play in a city with such rich basketball tradition, you have to do it. It's hard not to get inspired during the national anthem when you see Rony Seikaly's number in the rafters.
9. If one more person refers to Bosh as a "superstar," I'm going to scream. His résumé: seven seasons, 11 career playoff games, one second-team All-NBA selection, never played in a big game in his life other than the gold-medal game of the 2008 Olympics. Now he's fleeing frigid Toronto for South Beach, no state income tax, Dwyane Wade, max money and the playoffs … and this makes him a "superstar"? Did we really drop our standards that low?
Look, I need my NBA superstar to sell tickets, generate interest locally and nationally, singlehandedly guarantee an average supporting cast 45-50 wins, and potentially be the best player on a Finals team if the other pieces are in place, which means only LeBron, Wade, Howard, Durant and Kobe qualify. There's a level just a shade below (the Almost-But-Not-Quite-Superstar) with Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Roy, Chris Paul and Deron Williams. (Note: I think Derrick Rose gets there next season.) Then you have elite guys like Bosh, Gasol and Amare Stoudemire who need good teammates to help them thrive … and if they don't have them, you're heading to the lottery.
You know what we call these people? All-Stars. Although if LeBron picks Miami, we have to call Bosh something else: "lucky." On a good team, he could absolutely thrive like Pau Gasol did on the Lakers, although he's not as sure a bet because Gasol played in so many big games overseas before the Lakers stole him. (Bosh had the opposite experience: He's never played in a Sweet 16, a Game 7 or even Round 2 of the NBA playoffs.) Hearing Bosh referred to as a "superstar" these past few weeks left me with the same face Jake had on Monday's "Bachelor" special when Vienna wouldn't shut up and kept undermining and emasculating him. If Chris Bosh is your third-best player, you're in tremendous shape. Just don't think you can win a title with a 228-pound big man who doesn't block shots and grabs 10 rebounds a night. You need more help than that. Which brings us to …
10. Let's say LeBron signs with Miami. Can you even make the Finals with LeBron, Bosh, Wade and nine minimum-salary guys? Because that might be next year's team … and if that's what happens, the answer is "no effing way." You don't win titles just because of your top three. That belittles the meaning of guys like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, John Paxson, Brian Shaw … you could go on for hours naming role players who swung a title. The 2008 Celts lucked out by getting James Posey, Eddie House and P.J. Brown for practically nothing; Miami wouldn't have that luxury this summer, not with so many role players jockeying for contracts one year before the possible lockout. Nobody is taking less money to showcase themselves for a summer that might not happen. Even if Miami could spin Michael Beasley for a fourth guy (say, Trevor Ariza), that's still not enough. They'd need one more rebounder, point guard, a 3-point shooter and a center. Good luck.
11. Another problem: You realize how many minutes these guys would log on a three-man team? 42-44 minutes for 100 games … and if anyone missed an extended stretch of games, then that would put even more pressure on the other two. Crazy. No way they win more than 50, especially with teams gunning for them every night. We've also never seen two perimeter superstar alpha dogs coexist for an NBA title -- not even when Jerry West and Elgin Baylor teamed up with Wilt Chamberlain against the aging Celtics in 1969. LeBron would have to accept becoming Mega-Pippen to Wade's Jordan. (Yeah, right.) Even during the final quarter of the 2008 gold-medal game, when everyone on the American team was staring at each other wondering who was going to step up against a red-hot Spain team, there were a few minutes of tentative, "I don't want to step on anyone's toes here" basketball before Kobe said "Screw it, get out of my way" and took over the key portion of the game.
Well, at some point, Wade and LeBron will have one of those 2008 Spain moments … but what happens if both guys say "Screw it, get out of my way"? You need to have a special type of mentality to want that moment; that's why Scottie Pippen melted down in that 1994 Bulls-Knicks playoff game, because Phil Jackson had spent that entire year building him up and making him think "We can win without Jordan, you're just as good, we can DO THIS," then designed the biggest play of the season for someone else. It was a slap in the face. Pippen reacted terribly, but still, don't you want him to be pissed there? Isn't that what being an alpha dog is all about? Don't you need a special level of swagger and confidence to carry that load every night? And once you reach that level, doesn't it become impossible to share the spotlight with someone else? Of course …
12. Maybe LeBron knows that he isn't wired that way.
Maybe he wants to be an unselfish creator like Magic or a do-it-all wingman like Pippen. Maybe he has too much Doctor J in him, as I theorized after Game 6. Maybe he believes that if Wade carries the crunch-time load, it will free LeBron to do LeBron things and average a triple-double every game without having that burden of "I've gotta create every shot for us in the final four minutes." Maybe he thinks it's his best chance to win. And if so …
13. I think it's a cop-out. Any super-competitive person would rather beat Dwyane Wade than play with him. Don't you want to find the Ali to your Frazier and have that rival pull the greatness out of you? That's why I'm holding out hope that LeBron signs with New York or Chicago (or stays in Cleveland), because he'd be saying, "Fine. Kobe, Dwight and Melo all have their teams. Wade and Bosh have their teams. The Celtics are still there. Durant's team is coming. I'm gonna go out and build MY team, and I'm kicking all their asses." That's what Jordan would have done. Hell, that's what Kobe would have done.
In May, after the Cavs were ousted in the conference semifinals, I wrote that LeBron was facing one of the greatest sports decisions ever: "winning (Chicago), loyalty (Cleveland) or a chance at immortality (New York)."
I never thought he would pick "HELP!"
14. LeBron joining Wade after his 2010 playoffs flameout, in my opinion, is like Conan O'Brien getting kicked in the teeth by NBC, then overreacting and forming a late-night version of "The View" with Chris Rock, Adam Carolla and Jeffrey Ross over trying to create his own show somewhere else. (Note to Carolla and Ross: Don't get excited, it's only a hypothetical.) Total cop-out. The move of someone who, deep down, doesn't totally trust his own talents any more. And maybe he doesn't.
15. What should LeBron do? Pick Chicago. That's where the rings are. The fact that he didn't say to Bosh, "Come to Chicago with me, we'll play with Rose and Noah and win six titles together" was the single most disappointing outcome of the summer. That team would have been a true juggernaut with pieces that actually complemented each other, unlike this pickup-basketball situation that's brewing in Miami. Even with Boozer there in Bosh's place -- and I think he's a great fit for them, with or without LeBron -- it could still translate to multiple titles, because Rose could have been the best second banana since Kobe in 2001.
Just know that Kobe would have caught a whiff of those rings and gone to Chicago. Same with Jordan. Same with Magic and Bird. Chicago had the biggest competitive advantage of anyone: room for two max guys along with an under-23 franchise point guard and one of the only elite defender/rebounder big men in basketball. How can you care about winning and NOT go to Chicago?
16. I need to make that point a second time: How can you care about winning and NOT go to Chicago? Unless …
17. LeBron picks New York. Ballsiest move. Fulfills his "global icon" wishes, puts him in the best possible basketball city, allows him to live a relatively normal life in our biggest city, gives him the biggest possible challenge (saving basketball in New York) and the biggest possible reward (going down in history as the guy who saved basketball in New York). I wouldn't love the thought of him crushing Cleveland for a similarly shaky situation, but if he spun it the right way, you could talk me into it. And here are the words I'd want to hear:
"Bringing New York a championship -- and doing it in the biggest city in America, in the best arena to play basketball -- would mean more to more people than anything else I could do as a basketball player. It's a challenge I could not resist."
Say that and I'm signing off. Anything less … no.
18. I ruled out the Knicks last week after details trickled out about LeBron's comical New York meeting, which sounded like a "Saturday Night Live" sketch because of Donnie Walsh being in a wheelchair and wearing a neck brace (he just had neck surgery), and James Dolan being James Dolan. Now the Knicks are gaining momentum thanks to the "He's coming!" buzz that drove MSG's stock price up 6.5 percent Wednesday. Where did this buzz come from? As far as I can tell, nowhere. But there's buzzing. You have to believe me. My BlackBerry practically blew up yesterday with e-mails from sports-industry friends with "KNICKS???" in the subject heading.
If he spurns them, then suddenly we're looking at the most disastrous decade in the history of New York sports -- first the Layden Era, then the Isiah Era, then Donnie Walsh spending two years gutting the team so he could spend $100 million on a guy with a bad knee and a bad eye who hasn't played defense in six years. Do you realize the Knicks will have given away top-10 lottery picks in 2004, '06, '07, '09, '10 and, potentially, '11 and '12 without making the playoffs or landing one superstar? How is that even possible?
(Important note: The fact that David Stern stuck Rod Thorn in New Jersey, Walsh in New York, David Kahn in Minnesota and Stu Jackson in Vancouver has to be added to his Wikipedia page. Like, right now. He's the Pied Piper for putrid GMs.)
19. I always thought the goal was winning rings. That's what Russell, Bird, Magic and Jordan taught us. That's what I grew up believing. But sports are different now. You're a brand as much as an athlete. In the past 72 hours, with the suspense building for his announcement, LeBron created a Twitter account, launched his own website and agreed with ESPN on a one-hour live selection show that, incredibly, was the exact same idea that a Columbus reader named Drew had in my Thanksgiving '09 mailbag … but I thought he was kidding. Now I think he's Nostradamus. Or even NostradamuSAS.
Drew from Columbus looked into the future, and here's what he saw: A world in which it was totally conceivable that an NBA superstar would sell an hour-long show in which he picked his next team and tainted his legacy in the process. I played along and pushed a "Bachelor"-type setup ("The LeBrachelor!") in which LeBron whittled 29 teams down to six, then four, then two, then one over the course of six episodes. Hell, have him hand out roses. Why not? It's not like this would actually happen, right?
20. Seven months later, it's happening. I can't wait to watch for the same reasons I couldn't turn away from O.J.'s Bronco chase or the Artest melee: it's Car Wreck Television. If LeBron picks anyone other than the Cavaliers, it will be the cruelest television moment since David Chase ended "The Sopranos" by making everyone think they lost power. Cleveland fans will never forgive LeBron, nor should they. He knows better than anyone what kind of sports anguish they have suffered over the years. Losing LeBron on a contrived one-hour show would be worse than Byner's fumble, Jose Mesa, the Game 5 meltdown against Boston, The Drive, The Shot and everything else. At least those stomach-punch moments weren't preordained, unless you believe God hates Cleveland (entirely possible, by the way). This stomach-punch moment? Calculated. By a local kid they loved, defended and revered.
It would be unforgivable. Repeat: unforgivable. I don't have a dog in this race -- as a Celtics fan, I wanted to see him go anywhere but Chicago -- but LeBron doing this show after what happened in the 2010 playoffs actually turned me against him. No small feat. I was one of his biggest defenders. Not anymore.
And here's where I really worry, because I don't think LeBron James has anyone in his life with enough juice to hurl his or her body in front of the concept of "I'm going to announce during a one-hour live show that I'm playing somewhere other than Cleveland." It's the best and worst thing about him -- he has remained fiercely loyal to his high school friends, but at the same time, he's surrounded by people his own age who don't stand up to him and don't know any better. Picking anyone other than Cleveland on this show would be the meanest thing any athlete has ever done to a city. But he might. Assuming he's not malicious, and that he's just a self-absorbed kid who apparently lost all perspective, that doesn't make him much different than most child stars who became famous before they could legally drink -- or, for that matter, Tiger Woods. That's just the way this stuff works. Too much, too fast, too soon. You don't lose your way all at once; just a little at a time. Then one day you look up and there's a TMZ photo spread with 15 of your mistresses, or you're agreeing to stab an entire city in the heart on a one-hour television show.
(When Kevin Durant announced his own five-year, $86 million extension with an endearingly simple tweet yesterday, we all had the same thought: "Now that's how it's done." Pretty sad that an NBA star stood out for being humble and only caring about basketball.)
21. I don't think LeBron will pick Cleveland for the simple reason that he didn't want to meet with Tom Izzo a few weeks ago. If he was staying, he would have wanted to meet someone who may have been his next coach. He didn't care. That tells me he's gone. But what do I know?
22. I think he should pick Chicago, and if not the Bulls, then New York. But I live in a dream world where NBA superstars only care about winning titles and/or playing in the biggest basketball cities with sophisticated fans and tons of history. The truth is, New York might not mean anything to LeBron, just like college football recruits don't care about Notre Dame any more. He isn't old enough to remember Frazier's Knicks, or Bernard's Knicks … hell, he's barely old enough to remember Ewing's Knicks. And he might be too egotistical to follow Jordan in Chicago, like it was the sloppy seconds of NBA cities or something. But what do I know?
23. Before I heard that tomorrow's announcement was taking place in Greenwich, Conn., I would have bet anything on Miami … as well as my next column having the byline "William J. Simmons." The Greenwich thing threw me for a loop. I am still picking Miami. Cautiously. Then again, what do I know?
(Actually, I do know one thing: By going for 24 thoughts instead of 23, I have to nail only six of them to win the LeBronocalypse MVP. Let's go one more.)
24. The goofiest part of these past few weeks: The way media people have been speculating in a way that seems like a cross between learned information and opinion, except we're never really sure what's real and what's conjecture. Thanks to Twitter and the 24/7 news cycle, the lines have been blurred completely. Chuck Klosterman thinks the true hero of the LeBron saga is Brian Windhorst, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter who cranked out articles and Tweets by the boatload -- never speculation, always facts, always backed up by sources, and there were a couple of times when he made you wonder, "Wait a second, is Windhorst hiding under a table in LeBron's office right now?" Maybe he was.
Sifting through the various reports and tweets, trying to figure out fact from fiction, glancing at my BlackBerry every 15 seconds to see if anyone e-mailed me … that's what I'll remember from the LeBronocalypse more than anything else. And also, who knew anyone could keep a secret for this long in the Twitter/TMZ Era? Even yesterday, when I was batting around LeBron theories with my buddy Connor, we were breaking down the Greenwich thing and had this exchange:
-- Connor: "Greenwich, that's nine minutes from the Knicks' practice facility. That has to mean something."
-- Me (thinking): "Maybe they KNEW it was nine minutes from the Knicks' practice facility, so they put it there to throw people off the scent."
I mean … what the hell kind of sporting event is this? It's like college signing day crossed with JFK's assassination. LeBron's team wanted to keep people talking and promote his website, and really, that's what happened. The man nearly exploded Twitter and melted ESPN. He transcended free agency, the World Cup, everything. He will draw a massive television audience tonight; he's the only professional athlete who could have pulled that off.
What a week for LeBron's brand. I just hope he remembers to wipe the blood off the knife after he pulls it from Cleveland's back.
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if lebron doesnt head to miami, hes gonna ask himself "what if" his whole life.
I honestly don't know what to think of LeBron at this point.
On the one hand, it's cool for some player to stick to his team even though it will never ever win a ring, ala Nowitzki. On the other hand, it's just dumb to pass on 4-5 rings and at least 3 finals MVPs just because you want more attention... whatever. I'd be very sad if Lebron stays in Ohio.
He should NOT go to Miami. I mean, yeah it would be cool to win some rings. Of course. The thing is, in Miami...anything less than a ring is a monumental failure. It will be a no win situation really. Not to mention, we would have to judge any titles he wins in Miami the same way we judge Kobe's titles with Shaq. I know its a LITTLE different, because LeBron will still be the best player on that team..where Kobe was number 2. BUT, LeBron winning a title with Wade AND Bosh wont be as impressive as winning in Cleveland....or even NY with Amare.
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might be another attention whore move from Lebron ... gonna basically say that despite the fact playing with Wade and Bosh would be a great opportunity , he's staying in Cleveland because that's his town , family blah blah BS
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tony allen is gon be playin for the grizzlies
kyle korver joinin boozer in chicago
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tony allen is gon be playin for the grizzlies
kyle korver joinin boozer in chicago
im glad memphis didnt let go of gay, even though he was overpaid. i love the memphis grizzlies ever since they got OJ mayo. their scary yyoung talent and to have tony allen come off the bench makes them even more dangerous. i hope they reach the 8th spot this year in the playoffs.
C - Gasol/Thabeet
PF - Randolph
SF - Gay
SG - Mayo/Allen
PG - Conely/Young
wish they kept warrick as a back up 4
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jordan farmar to the nets
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jordan farmar to the nets
he got a raise, but unless harris moves to the 2 guard , i doubt farmars gonna start which makes his whole move pointless
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Suns to Acquire Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress
Acquiring veteran forward Hedo Turkoglu from the Toronto Raptors for guard Leandro Barbosa and agreeing to a trade with the Atlanta Hawks that will bring restricted free agent Josh Childress, whose rights the Hawks still hold, to Phoenix in exchange for a second-round pick. Childress will receive a five-year, $34 million deal from Phoenix. Childress will receive a five-year, $34 million deal from Phoenix. Because Phoenix received an eight-figure trade exception for agreeing to give Stoudemire an extra year on his $100 million contract, the Suns could bring in Turkoglu's $9.8 million salary for next season while only giving away Barbosa's $7.1 million contract, the final year of his deal.
http://www.nba.com/news/features/aldridge.2010.freeagency/#hedo