Category: NBA (Page 252 of 595)

      Michael Redd doesn’t want out

      January 6, 2010 /

      When I saw DIME’s juicy headline, “Michael Redd Wants Out of Milwaukee, and I Don’t Care ” I was surprised. Redd has always been a class act and it’s not like him to go to the press demanding a trade. As it turns out, he didn’t. Not even close.

      DIME pounced on this quote:

      “I do feel like I have to figure out where I fit with this team now,” Redd tells HOOPSWORLD. “My thing is, I want to win. I want to win regardless of anything else. I want to win, to play on a contender, and I feel like we had our chance earlier in the season when we went 8-3, but we’ve slipped since then. We’ve got to get back to where we were at the beginning of the season and keep fighting.”

      DIME writer Aron Phillips then went on to question Redd’s decision-making skills…

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      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Maurice Brooks’ ROY Watch

      January 5, 2010 /

      The ESPN editor updates his Rookie of the Year standings…

      1. Tyreke Evans, Kings: After missing three games with a bum ankle, he returned to the Kings’ lineup in Saturday’s loss to the Mavs. He didn’t shoot well but provided his usual goodies in the rebound and assist columns. (Last week: 1)

      2. Brandon Jennings, Bucks: Critics point out that his game slumped a little in December. Considering how well he played in November, averaging 22.1 ppg, he can afford to slip up some more and still not finish any lower than second in the Rookie of the Year voting. (Last week: 2)

      3. Omri Casspi, Kings: Kudos to the Kings’ front office for drafting not one but two studs. He is averaging more than 18 points and eight boards while shooting almost 50 percent from 3-point range in his last five games. (Last week: 5)

      No arguments here. I think Evans’s strong December pushed him ahead of Jennings, who has tailed off a bit. Jennings averaged 22-4-6 in November and 17-3-6 in December.

      And Casspi is also impressive. When was the last time the same team had two strong ROY candidates?


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Great Quotes: Rev. Al Sharpton

      January 5, 2010 /

      Whenever a black celebrity makes headlines, the Rev. Al Sharpton has to comment. Here is what he said about the lack of outrage about the Gilbert Arenas/Javaris Crittenton standoff in the Washington Wizards locker room late last month.

      “If it had been a white player pointing a gun at a black player, there would have been much more of an uproar. It’s almost as if people are saying, ‘Well, we don’t expect anything better from our black athletes.'”

      — Rev. Al Sharpton, via NYDailyNews.com

      Duh. Anytime you add race to an issue it’s going to create more of an uproar. If it had been a white athlete pulling a gun on a black athlete, or vice versa, it would have created a bigger stir because now race is added to the mix. If Sharpton wanted to make a stronger point, he should have said that there would have been more of an uproar if two white athletes were involved. Not that I agree, but at least the point holds some water.

      I think the story came and went quickly due to the timing (during the holidays) and the fact that no shots were fired. We hear stories all the time about athletes firing shots (or being shot at) outside of bars or strip clubs, but this is the first time (that I can remember, anyway) that one athlete pulled a gun on another at work.

      Sharpton does have a point about how President Obama attended a Wizards game at the same time that Arenas was storing guns in his locker, but that doesn’t have anything to do with race.

      NBA, News

      Bulls beat writer shoots down Butler-for-Hinrich rumors

      January 5, 2010 /

      Mike McGraw of the DailyHerald.com doesn’t think the Bulls would trade Kirk Hinrich for Caron Butler.

      The only benefit to the Bulls in this one is Hinrich’s deal runs two more years, while Butler is done after next season. Otherwise, it makes no sense for the Bulls and I’m reasonably certain it’s not happening.

      Butler has played small forward his whole career, so plugging him in at two guard is a stretch. Then if the Bulls are intent on building a defensive base, which GM Gar Forman has promised several times, they wouldn’t trade one of their best defenders for someone from a team that has consistently refused to play defense over the years.

      The biggest drawback is Butler makes about $1.5 million more than Hinrich next season and the Bulls can’t afford to squish their cap space next summer.

      Butler is a prototypical small forward, so plugging him in at two guard is indeed a stretch. When I heard the rumors, I thought the Butler move would be a long-term replacement for John Salmons and (possibly) Tyrus Thomas. The Bulls don’t have a low post scorer, so their best bet is to go up-tempo and run Luol Deng at power forward.

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      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Jazz looking to shake things up

      January 5, 2010 /

      The Utah Jazz are willing to trade just about anyone on their roster, per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports…

      Concerned about a lackluster start that has left them in ninth place in the Western Conference and motivated not to pay a hefty luxury-tax bill for moderate success, the Utah Jazz appear willing to trade anyone on their roster but point guard Deron Williams, multiple league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

      Carlos Boozer, who is making $12.6 million in the final season of his contract, has attracted interest, but sources said the Jazz have yet to enter any substantive trade talks involving the forward. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has told management he’d prefer to keep Boozer for the season to help with the team’s playoff push, but ownership wants to avoid paying as much luxury tax as possible.

      Rival executives think the Jazz have been asking for too much for Boozer, and that most teams who trade for him would want assurances they have a good chance to re-sign him over the summer.

      Utah’s payroll is pretty reasonable next season (~$58 million) so presumably they’re looking to trim salary this season. With a payroll of $77 million, the Jazz are going to have a tough time getting below the luxury tax threshold (~$70 million), but any money they can save will also reduce the tax they’ll have to pay.

      The Jazz aren’t going to get equal value for Boozer for a couple of reasons: 1) the general consensus is that he’s leaving after the season, and 2) Chris Bosh looks more likely to leave Toronto, and Bosh is more coveted around the league due to his age and durability (i.e. teams like the Heat may elect to wait and see how the Bosh situation develops before exploring a deal for their Plan B). Look for the Jazz to execute a deal that cuts $1-$2 million in payroll and lands a decent young prospect or a first round pick.

      Then again, Jerry Sloan would like to keep Boozer for a playoff push and he has more than a little pull in Salt Lake City.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

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