I’m not sure who is worse off after this move – fans of the Dallas Mavericks of fans of the New York Knicks?
Are the Knicks really better after signing an ancient point guard? It also sounds like they’re going to pay big money to keep Jeremy Lin. He’s a good player but will he be worth the salary? The Knicks are still a mess.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks that won a title last year are officially dismantled. They made a big push for Deron Williams, but that smart strategy didn’t pan out. Now Kidd is gone along with Jason Terry and most of the gang that surrounded Dirk for the title run. Now what?
I really have no idea how Nash is going to fit in with the Lakers as currently constituted. We’ll have to see how the rest of the off-season plays out.
But Kobe Bryant isn’t getting any younger, and I like the idea of adding a dynamic player like Steve Nash to the mix, even if he’s 38 years old. It’s “win now” time in LA. Mike Brown is a lame offensive coach, but now he has another playmaker on the court to help him out. It will be fun to see if he can teach Nash how to play defense.
I’m guessing most people are sick of hearing about Dwight Howard and the drama he creates. Fans of the Orlando Magic have to be totally disgusted at this point, but this is the modern NBA.
Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard told Yahoo! Sports he will not re-sign with a team outside his preferred list that trades for him, and emphatically denied that he ever used the term “blackmail” to describe how Magic officials convinced him to waive his early termination option.
As the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and other teams prepare possible trade offers for him, Howard told Yahoo! by phone that, “There’s only one team on my list and if I don’t get traded there, I’ll play the season out and explore my free agency after that.”
Howard wouldn’t specify the team, but multiple league sources believe that it is the Brooklyn Nets.
Naturally this makes it even harder for the Magic to get fair value for Howard, which is probably what he wants.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics have resigned Kevin Garnett and are hoping to lock in Ray Allen and Jeff Green to extensions. O.J. Mayo may be a stretch for them as he can get more elsewhere, while Jason Terry could be an option.
Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors are going all in trying to bring Steve Nash back home to the Great White North.
Here’s an interesting story that gets into the behind-the-scenes drama of Portland’s max contract offer to Roy Hibbert.
One big fish will be Deron Williams who will be choosing from among a number of teams including the Mavs and the Nets.
Erin Andrews is moving to Fox Sports. SI.com has learned the network hired the former ESPN personality to host a new 30-minute prime-time college football studio show, which premieres Sept. 1 before Fox Sports’ coverage of Hawaii at USC. Andrews will also have other assignments at Fox Sports, including a role in its NFL and MLB coverage.
“This was a difficult move but it was the right move because it’s allowing me to do so many things that I probably would not have been able to do had I stayed at ESPN,” Andrews told SI.com on Sunday night. “It’s a different way to expand my role. I’m not tired yet. I don’t want to hang it up. I just need to get better and these were different opportunities that I would not be able to find anywhere but at Fox Sports.”
Andrews would not say what her specific role is on the NFL (Fox has sideline openings) but that announcement is expected to come this week. “The NFL was a huge thing; it’s always been a dream,” Andrews said. “I always wanted to work in the NFL and they are offering me a role in it.”
SPORTSbyBROOKS reported several days ago on Twitter that Andrews “recently tested for a hosting role on ‘X Factor’ – and will land at FOX regardless.”
I wouldn’t be surprised to see her land a gig on the entertainment side to go with her sports duties. She’s gorgeous and has plenty of talent. She did well on “Dancing With The Stars” so she already has a following outside the sports universe.