Category: Fantasy Basketball (Page 194 of 274)

      Vince Carter to the Blazers?

      February 18, 2009 /

      The Rockets and Spurs are known suitors for Vince Carter’s services, but apparently the Blazers have entered the fray.

      Sources say the Blazers and Nets have discussed a deal that would send Carter to Portland for Raef LaFrentz and his expiring contract along with Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez.

      LaFrentz’s $12.7 million comes off the books this summer and Outlaw is an upgrade to the Nets situation at the three. As for the Blazers, adding Carter gives them a veteran small forward who has more playoff experience than most of the players on Portland’s roster.

      See this trade in the ESPN Trade Machine.

      It seems strange to me that a young team like the Blazers would want to acquire the 32-year-old Carter. He is playing at a very high level, but his contract runs another two seasons at the tune of $33.6 million, which would severely impact the team’s salary cap space in the fateful summer of 2010.

      However, I can see why they might want to pull the trigger here. The Blazers are currently sitting in the 4th spot in the Western Conference playoff race and the two teams fighting for that spot — the Hornets and the Rockets — just lost Tyson Chandler and Tracy McGrady, respectively. With the Lakers safely in the #1 position, the Blazers may be looking ahead to a semifinal showdown with Kobe and Co. Having Carter in tow should help Portland’s chances of pulling an upset.

      Now, about next summer…Portland could be looking at the free agent class of 2010 and wondering if they have a legitimate shot of signing any of the five big-name free agents. LeBron is probably going to re-sign with the Cavs or jet to the Knicks or the Nets, D-Wade will probably re-sign with the Heat, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire play the same position as LaMarcus Aldridge and Joe Johnson plays the same position as Brandon Roy. Instead of holding out hope that they can sign an impact player next summer, the Blazers are thinking about adding one now, and all it’s going to cost them is a solid small forward (Travis Outlaw) and a young point guard prospect (Sergio Rodriguez).

      Why are the Nets thinking about this deal? Salary cap flexibility. Without Carter on the payroll, the Nets would only be on the hook for $27 million heading into 2010, with Devin Harris and Brook Lopez locked up for two more seasons. That’s an attractive situation for a big-name free agent (or two).

      During his chat yesterday, Chad Ford commented on the Blazers desire to upgrade at small forward.

      Sounds like their primary target is Gerald Wallace. The problem is that Charlotte wants them to take back Nazr Mohammed in any deal. Richard Jefferson is an easier get, but he’s got a bigger salary, is older and isn’t as good of a defender. I think Caron Butler is the best fit, but I’m not convinced Washington will let him go. Vince Carter is intriguing, but you have to worry about chemistry a bit with him. Bottom line, I think the Blazers will do a deal and I think it will be something that lands them Wallace or Jefferson.

      The Blazers, armed with Raef LaFrentz’s expiring contract (most of which is covered by an insurance policy) are definitely on the prowl for a small forward.

      Related content: Should the Spurs trade for Vince Carter?

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      T-Mac is done for the season

      February 18, 2009 /

      Well, it’s been another one of those years for Tracy McGrady — the guy just can’t stay healthy. Now he says he needs microfracture surgery on the same knee he had scoped in May of 2008.

      McGrady had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last May and has been slow to recover. The seven-time All-Star missed much of January trying to get the knee back in shape and had an MRI last week to try to discover why it was still bothering him.

      “The last couple of games, I’ve regressed,” McGrady said during halftime of last Wednesday’s game. “I’ve felt pain.”

      McGrady’s numbers are down across the board this season. He is the Rockets’ third-leading scorer at 15.6 points per game and is averaging 4.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest. He is shooting a career-worst 39 percent from the field.

      Recovery from microfracture surgery can be as short as four months for some patients to eight months or longer depending on the severity of the injury and damage to the surrounding cartilage. If McGrady has the surgery now, he’d have eight months to recover before the start of the 2009-10 season.

      The Rockets are currently 5th in the Western Conference playoff race, but are just three games ahead of the Suns, who are sitting in the 9th spot.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Tyson Chandler headed to Oklahoma City?

      February 17, 2009 /

      The answer is yes, according to Marc Stein’s sources.

      Sources with knowledge of the trade parameters told ESPN.com that the deal was approved by the league office Tuesday afternoon, with the Hornets receiving forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox in exchange for their best interior defender.

      ESPN.com reported early Monday that the Hornets — who have been looking to move Chandler mostly for financial reasons — were in talks with the Thunder on a trade that would net the expiring contracts of Smith and Wilcox. Thunder general manager Sam Presti is a long-time admirer of Chandler dating to his time with the San Antonio Spurs.

      The Thunder also possess numerous draft picks to sweeten trade packages — including five first-round picks in the next two drafts — but Presti was able to land an accomplished center to complement his promising young trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green without surrendering any major draft considerations.

      With a payroll at nearly $67 million this season and scheduled to reach almost $77 million next season, New Orleans felt it had to part with Chandler before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trading deadline regardless, even though dealing away the 26-year-old almost certainly takes the Hornets out of serious playoff contention in the West.

      “…even though dealing away the 26-year-old almost certainly takes the Hornets out of serious playoff contention in the West.”

      This is the first time that I can remember (though I’m sure there have been other cases) that a serious title contender traded away one of its best players for financial reasons. The Hornets are on the hook for almost $77 million next season and they needed to cut salary to stay under the luxury tax threshold. In the process, they are sacrificing a legitimate shot at an NBA championship. This move just goes to show how the bad economy is having a direct effect on NBA personnel decisions.

      The Hornets do get Chris Wilcox as part of this deal, and he is having an off year after having three very productive seasons. There’s a chance — albeit a slim one — that the Hornets could still keep their darkhorse status headed into the playoffs if Wilcox gets back to his 14-point/8-rebound days. He isn’t in the same league as Chandler on the defensive end of the court.

      I like this trade for the Thunder. They’re getting one of the league’s best defensive centers at a fairly reasonable price. Along with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green, the Thunder have a nice core to build around.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Should the Spurs trade for Vince Carter?

      February 17, 2009 /

      There has been some talk of late that the Spurs are interested in acquiring Vince Carter.

      Duncan says he would love to have Carter as a teammate, and why not? At age 32, Carter remains one of the NBA’s most productive small forwards, averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

      Duncan hedges when the price for Carter reportedly includes Roger Mason Jr., Bruce Bowen, George Hill and Fabricio Oberto.

      “I’d hate to see that many guys go,” Duncan said after an All-Star appearance he enjoyed, largely because of its brevity.

      If general manager R.C. Buford can find a way to get Carter from the Nets without including so many rotation players — a Robert Horry sign-and-trade could be part of such a solution — it is easy to imagine Duncan giving such a deal the blessing Popovich likely would seek.

      Here’s a look at the proposed trade in the ESPN Trade Machine. Kurt Thomas could also be substituted for Oberto.

      Of the four Spurs that would be heading to New Jersey, the team would miss Roger Mason, Jr. the most. He’s playing over thirty minutes a game and has hit several clutch/game-winning threes this season. In fact, he’s shooting almost 45% from long range; he’s exactly the kind of player that the Spurs need to space the court for Duncan, Ginobili and Parker in crunch time. There is no doubt that Vince Carter is a better player, but he’s also a different player, and that’s what should scare Spurs fans about this deal. San Antonio is 26-9 since the beginning of December and they are arguably the second-best team in the West. Their current roster is capable of giving the Lakers fits if the two teams were to meet in the playoffs, so is it worth the risk to add Carter to the mix?

      Hill is the piece that San Antonio is most likely to miss in the long term. He has played very well in his rookie season and has finally given the Spurs a proper backup to Parker. He looks like he’ll be a starting-caliber point guard in a year or two, so they’d be giving up on his potential as well. Bowen can still defend in spurts and hit the corner three and Oberto is a big, beefy backup on the front line (though he isn’t playing much this season).

      Without those four, the Spurs would have a rotation that would include Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, Carter, Finley, Thomas, Bonner and Udoka. I think Gregg Popovich trusts those eight guys, but what happens if one of them gets injured? Does he have faith in any of the other guys further down the bench?

      My guess is that the Nets would do the deal if Mason, Hill and (maybe) a first round pick were included. It would give the team incredible cap flexibility in the summer of 2010. With Devin Harris and Brook Lopez already on board, New Jersey would become an attractive landing spot for one (or two) of the big name free agents that should be available that summer.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Bosh to Chicago?

      February 17, 2009 /

      The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Bulls are talking about a deal that would allow them to land Chris Bosh.

      The Amare Stoudemire trade talk still has the Bulls among the teams most involved, but a new scenario making the rounds has the Bulls taking part in a three-team deal that would bring Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh to Chicago.

      The rumored swap would send Stoudemire to Toronto and land the Phoenix Suns a package of players and draft picks from the Bulls, likely to include Drew Gooden and his expiring $7.2 million contract, Tyrus Thomas and a first-round pick.

      Maybe I’m wrong, but this just sounds like wishful thinking by Brian Hanley, the writer of the article. He doesn’t even say that he has a source — he just calls it a “rumored swap,” which means he might have read about it on some fan blog somewhere. (Not this one, of course.)

      The Raptors have said all along that they don’t want to move Bosh and with the recent actions by the Suns indicating that they may in fact keep Stoudemire, I don’t really see how this deal goes down. Besides, if you’re the Suns, wouldn’t you rather do a straight up Bosh-for-Amare swap than to do a three-team deal and trade for Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden and a few other pieces? Bosh’s trade value is higher than Stoudemire’s because he’s two years younger, hasn’t had microfracture surgery and has a reputation for being a solid defender.

      If I were a Bulls fan, I wouldn’t hold my breath. This just sounds too good to be true.

      2/18 Update: Toronto GM Brian Colangelo says there is “no truth” to the trade rumor.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

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