Month: February 2009 (Page 21 of 57)

      Breaking down the Chicago/Sacramento trade

      February 18, 2009 /

      According to ESPN sources the Bulls and Kings have agreed to a multi-player trade. There aren’t any so-called “big” names in the deal but there are a number of starter-level players involved.

      The Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings have reached tentative agreement on a trade sending Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to the Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons, front-office sources said on Wednesday.

      The Kings would then turn around and ship Ruffin to the Portland Trail Blazers for forward Ike Diogu and cash considerations, sources told ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

      One source told ESPN.com that the Bulls players were pulled off the team bus Wednesday afternoon and were told they had been traded.

      The trade centers around Nocioni, Gooden (or at least his expiring contract), Miller and Salmons. The Bulls’ big “get” here is probably Brad Miller, who is still a pretty good center. Salmons is a dynamic wing who is playing very well this season, but it will be interesting to see how the Bulls plan to use him. He is not nearly the same player coming off the bench.

      For the Kings, they will get immediate salary cap relief as Miller’s $12.3 million will come off the books for next season. Nocioni’s contract runs another three years at the tune of $20 million, so they must see him as an upgrade to Salmons. Nocioni is capable of starting, but has spent most of his time in Chicago coming off the bench in large part because he plays the same position as Luol Deng.

      Is there a winner here? Not really. The Bulls got the better end talent-wise, but the Kings got a nice mix of talent and salary cap relief. It looks like a win-win for both sides.

      The big news here is that without Gooden’s expiring deal, the Bulls are probably out of the running for Amare Stoudemire’s services. But as the week has worn on it is looking less and less like the Suns are going to move him before the trade deadline.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Salmons, Hinrich trade talk

      February 18, 2009 /

      In Marc Stein’s latest trade deadline column, he discusses potential new homes for Sacramento’s John Salmons and Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich.

      San Antonio, meanwhile, is in the hunt as well, pursuing Salmons — with an offer of Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka — as a far more affordable trade target for its perimeter rotation than Vince Carter. New Jersey’s Carter has tempted the small-market Spurs for days but can be absorbed by them only in a hugely expensive and complicated deal.

      There is another complication for interested parties: Sources revealed Tuesday that Salmons has a 15 percent trade kicker in his contract that would require the team that acquires him to pay him a bonus of nearly $2 million and add that figure to its payroll. Salmons otherwise would rank as one of the league’s better bargains, earning just $5.1 million this season while averaging 18.3 points and shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 41.8 percent on 3-pointers.

      Salmons is playing heavy minutes this season and isn’t the same player coming off the bench, so if the Spurs were to acquire him, it would behoove them to insert him in their starting lineup. This might be a tough pill to swallow for a franchise that is all about chemistry and players knowing their role. If the Spurs can find a way to add Salmons without losing Roger Mason or George Hill, it would be a pretty nice move. Salmons can start, but he may not finish if Gregg Popovich goes with Mason and Manu Ginobili in crunch time.

      Minnesota, according to NBA front-office sources, has strong interest in Hinrich and is pursuing the 28-year-old to address a void at lead guard that hasn’t been filled by Randy Foye (whose success this season came after a shift to shooting guard) or the undependable Sebastian Telfair.

      The Wolves also have two expiring contracts of their own (Jason Collins and Rashad McCants) that they’re prepared to shed.

      Wow, it’s interesting sometimes to see how far a guy’s stock has fallen. Kirk Hinrich has a very affordable contract — $26.5 million over the next three seasons — but an injury got him off to a slow start this season and he isn’t shooting the ball particularly well, so the Bulls may be willing to trade him to Minnesota for cap relief. Derrick Rose is the future at point guard and the move would allow them to re-sign Ben Gordon (though that ship has probably already sailed).

      Hinrich could provide solid leadership in Minnesota. Prior to this year, he has averaged at least 6.0 assists for five consecutive seasons, and if the T-Wolves feel that Foye is really an off guard, then Hinrich should be a nice complement. With a core of Hinrich, Foye, Al Jefferson and Mike Miller (if Minny keeps him), the Timberwolves could be competitive.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      A-Rod Pre-Steroid Training Tapes

      February 18, 2009 /

      Before making it to the big leagues as a star player for the Mariners, Rangers and Yankees, Alex Rodriguez showcased his raw talents for scouts in this pre-steroid training tape for Atom.com. The footage is shocking.

      A-Rod Pre-Steroid Training Tapes

      And people say that steroids don’t help baseball players that much. This footage should put an end to that debate.

      MLB, Video

      What went wrong in Washington?

      February 18, 2009 /

      The Washington Wizards are involved in some trade rumors as tomorrow’s deadline approaches.

      The Wizards, sources said, quickly rebuffed Cleveland’s offer of Wally Szczerbiak’s $13.8 million expiring contract for former All-Star forward Antawn Jamison.

      One source with knowledge of the Wizards’ thinking said Tuesday that team president Ernie Grunfeld is determined to continue resisting interest in Jamison and Caron Butler because the club has renewed hope that injured starters Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood will play in a small handful of games before the season ends, affording the Wiz an opportunity to evaluate the full team they hoped to field this season.

      Looking at Washington’s payroll, the team is in a really bad way. They owe the injury-prone Arenas a mind-boggling $96 million over the next five years and they owe the 32-year-old Jamison around $40 million over the next three seasons.

      I watched Ernie Grunfeld run my beloved Bucks for four seasons and he did a poor job. He picked a few first round busts — Joe Pryzbilla, Marcus Haislip — and was responsible for breaking up Milwaukee’s big three — Ray Alllen, Glenn Robinson and Sam Cassell. Combined, he traded those three players away for Toni Kukoc, Leon Smith, Desmond Mason, Anthony Peeler, Joe Smith and the about-to-be-a-free-agent Gary Payton. Ridiculous. His only saving grace was that he found a gem in he second round of the 2000 NBA Draft when he selected Michael Redd with the 43rd overall pick.

      Now, after almost six years of running the Wizards, the team is in last place in the Eastern Conference and has one of the ugliest payroll situations in the league. And he doesn’t want to make a move because he wants to “evaluate” the core of Arenas, Butler, Jamison and Haywood? Wasn’t it that same core that failed to get out of the East the past few years? What is there to evaluate? The East is better now and that core isn’t going to get it done.

      At 32, Jamison isn’t going to get any better, so they should trade him while they can. At least they can get some salary cap flexibility if they move him. They should build around Arenas (his contract is virtually unmovable unless he comes back strong) and Butler (one of the league’s best bargains) and hope they can get competitive before those two guys get too old. Arenas is 27 and Butler turns 29 next month, so they have a three- or four-year window in which to make another run.

      NBA, NBA Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Chiefs switching to 3-4 – is it a mistake?

      February 18, 2009 /

      Derrick JohnsonUnder new defensive coaches Gary Gibbs and Clancy Pendergast, the Chiefs are planning to move to a 3-4 defense, which is a scheme new GM Scott Pioli is used to coming over from New England.

      But considering the Chiefs’ personnel on defense, is the move wise?

      Kansas City’s best linebacker is Derrick Johnson, who operates best in space and when given the opportunity to run around and make plays. In a 3-4, he’s more likely to stay put and allow the action to come to him, which may or may not be something he can excel at.

      The Chiefs also drafted defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey with their first round pick last year and it’s uncertain at this point how he fits into a 3-4 front. He’s probably not big enough to play nose in a 3-4 and lacks ideal size to be an end in the scheme as well. At LSU, he excelled as a three-technique pass rusher and someone that is better when he reads and reacts. By implementing a 3-4 scheme, KC is really playing away from Dorsey’s strengths.

      There is no arguing that the 3-4 can be an effective scheme. Baltimore, New England and Pittsburgh have been running the front for years and have been incredibly successful in doing so, but they also have the personnel to pull it off. Granted, Pioli has an entire offseason to get players that fit his scheme, but it’s unclear at this point how some of the better KC defenders will fit in.

      NFL

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