NBA Draft
Where do the Suns, Mavs and Nuggets go from here?
Watching the once-proud Suns and Mavs (and the not-so-proud Nuggets) lose their first round series with a combined 2-12 record, the opening lyrics from “Games People Play” (the ol’ Alan Parsons Project song) popped into my head. I realize I’m dating myself, but here they are:
Where do we go from here / now that all other children are growing up
And how do we spend our lives / if there’s no one to lend us a hand
I don’t wanna live here no more / I don’t wanna stay
Ain’t gonna spend the rest of my life / quietly fading away
So where do these three teams go from here?
THE SUNS
Bill Simmons just wrote a good, long piece about the downfall of the Suns where he discusses all the questionable moves that the organization made to get where they are now. I agree with most of what he says, except his claim that the Spurs were the better team in last year’s series with the Suns. (You know, the one where Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended for the crucial Game 6 in Phoenix when the Suns were up 3-2 and had a chance to put the Spurs away on their home court.) I firmly believe that the Suns would have won that game had Stoudemire and Diaw played, so I never liked their decision to trade Shawn Marion for Shaquille O’Neal (which Simmons defends). The funny thing is that suspension may have completely altered the NBA landscape. Teams around the league were starting to mimic the Suns’ breakneck offensive attack, but the perception after that series was that it wasn’t effective in the playoffs. If the Suns’ win the title that year, the overall pace of the league would have continued to rise.
(Read the rest after the jump.)
Tyler Hansbrough staying in school
Naismith POY Tyler Hansbrough has decided to return to North Carolina for his senior year.
However, sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will declare for the NBA draft, but will not hire agents — leaving open the possibility of their return.
Hansbrough, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds. He led the Tar Heels (36-3) […]
Denver Nuggets: Good defensive team?
The Warriors got off to a great start in the first quarter, but as soon as the Nuggets switched to a zone, the momentum shifted and Denver coasted to a 114-105 win in Oakland. The win gives Denver a full game lead on the Warriors, but the Nuggets also own the head-to-head tiebraker, so they […]
Is Derrick Rose the new #1 pick?
Derrick Rose had a wonderful NCAA tournament, but was less than spectacular against Kansas. He may have been bothered with a stomach ailment, but he just didn’t look like himself. In a recent column, ESPN’s Chad Ford discusses Rose’s draft stock:
NBA scouts and GMs say that, overall, Rose helped himself more than anyone else in […]
Expiring contracts: Who’s got ‘em?
When the Grizzlies gave away Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown’s expiring contract, it proved just how valuable salary cap flexibility can be in the NBA. In my latest column, I identify several players with expiring contracts that could be moved before the trade deadline, perhaps for another Memphis player.
It’s official: Kidd wants out
He’s been playing innocent for the last few weeks, but Jason Kidd has finally confirmed that he does indeed want to be traded.
The rumor mill says the Lakers, Mavs, Nuggets and Cavs are interested. In the video, Tim Legler is talking about a deal where the Mavs would send DeSagana Diop, Devean George and Jerry […]
Yi Jianlian signs with the Bucks
After a long, drawn out saga (which I outlined in a recent column), Yi Jianlian finally agreed to terms with the Milwaukee Bucks.
[Team owner, Senator Herb] Kohl, Bucks general manager Larry Harris and team vice president Ron Walter met with Yi, Chinese Basketball Association officials and Guangdong Tigers owner Chen Haitao on Wednesday in Hong […]
East vs. West: Has the power shifted in the NBA?
Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen and Zach Randolph are all in the Eastern Conference now, which has many NBA fans wondering: Has the balance of power shifted from West to East? Things have definitely evened out a bit for next season, but what about the long-term outlook? I explore these questions in my latest […]
The Yi Jianlian debacle
What happens when you draft a player who doesn’t want to play for your team? Ask Bucks GM Larry Harris, who finds himself engaged in a standoff with draft pick Yi Jianlian, the Chinese import who apparently wants nothing to do with Milwaukee. In my latest column, I discuss who’s to blame for the continuing […]
Is KG headed to Boston?
Remember that KG-to-Boston deal that was killed after Garnett said he wasn’t interested in playing for the Celtics?
Well, it’s back on…sort of.
That deal would have included the C’s #5 pick in this summer’s draft, but it was sent to Seattle in a trade that brought Ray Allen to Boston. Ironically, that might have been the […]
Mo Williams’ big decision
It might just be agent-speak in order to drive the Bucks’ price up, but Mo Williams is apparently considering taking less money to play with Shaq and Dwyane Wade instead of re-signing with the Bucks. The Heat are over the cap, so all they can offer is their mid-level exception, which works out to about […]
Bulls land Weird Al
With the ninth pick in the draft, the Chicago Bulls took forward Joakim Noah out of Florida. Is it just me or did Noah look like Weird Al Yankovic before he put the Bulls hat on? Anyway, even though he’s not expected to dominate at the next level offensively, Noah has a non-stop motor, will […]
Sonics select Durant, will acquire Green
With the second pick in the NBA draft, the Seattle Sonics selected Texas forward Kevin Durant. Even though Greg Oden was selected first overall by the Blazers, many believe Durant has the best chance to win Rookie of the Year honors.
Seattle is also expected to ship Ray Allen to Boston for the rights of […]
Blazers select Oden
With the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Portland Trailblazers selected OSU center Greg Oden. Expected to be a defensive specialist at first, the thought by many analysts is that Oden will eventually win multiple championships for this franchise, but that’s always the idea when you take a player first overall isn’t […]
Reports about Oden going #1 false?
ESPN.com has a story on its main page that the Blazers will select OSU center Greg Oden with the first overall pick in tonight’s NBA Draft. Oden’s agent, Mike Conley Sr., is saying different, however.
“We haven’t been told that,’’ Mike Conley, Sr. said late Wednesday night. “(ESPN) can have their opinion, but the Blazers […]
NBA Draft predictions
In Bullz-Eye’s Mock Draft, I discussed which player each team should take in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, but I thought it would be fun to try to predict who the first seven teams will actually draft. Here’s the latest scuttlebutt:
1. Portland Trailblazers: Greg Oden
Oden’s workout with the Blazers didn’t go so […]
If it ain’t broke…
Kevin Garnett seemingly put the kibosh on a potential trade to the Celtics when he told the team he didn’t want to play in Boston. KG doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but he can opt out of his contract after next season, so any team attempting to trade for him better be damn sure he […]
NBA Draft Preview
The NBA Draft is almost upon us. After a lackluster regular season and an anticlimactic Finals, the league needs a shot in the arm and the 2007 Draft just might do the trick. Considered the deepest draft since 2003 (when LeBron, D-Wade, ‘Melo and Chris Bosh hit the scene), this year’s version promises to have […]
What to do with Kobe?
Kobe Bryant met Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss in Barcelona recently and reiterated his wish to be traded. A video has also surfaced which shows Bryant badmouthing the Lakers, GM Mitch Kupchak and even center Andrew Bynum in a profanity-laced tirade.
This situation has gone from bad to worse. Apparently, the team is trying to go through back channels to see if there is any way to repair the relationship with the disgruntled superstar. It doesn’t appear that they are having much luck.
So what do the Lakers do? Many pundits don’t believe that they’ll trade him, but there seems to be a growing feeling amongst GMs that they might. If the team refuses to move him, Kobe has the ability to make life hell for the foreseeable future.
For a while, it looked like Kobe just wanted the team to acquire some help. There are two personnel moves that keep popping up:
The first is a trade for Jermaine O’Neal. Reportedly, the talks with the Pacers have stalled because the Lakers do not want to give up Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown for O’Neal and Troy Murphy. Some reports also have the Lakers including the #19 pick in this year’s draft. This move would put the Lakers’ payroll at $61 M in 2007-08 and at $66 M in 2008-09 (not accounting for re-signing Luke Walton, which will probably cost around $5-$6 M per year).
Greg Oden or Kevin Durant?
So who’s it going to be: Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? In my latest column, I pit the Ohio State center against the Texas swingman to figure out who the Portland Trailblazers should select #1 overall. So who came out on top? Well, it wasn’t an easy choice.