Category: NBA (Page 493 of 595)

Shawn Marion is grumbling again. Only this time, he’s officially requesting a trade.

Marion is fed up with another summer of the Suns considering to trade him. Marion is irked that the team is not willing to talk about a contract extension. After eight years in Phoenix, Marion wants to leave the Suns and has let the team know in recent weeks.

“I’m tired of hearing my name in trades,” Marion said by phone from his Chicago home Tuesday night. “I love my fans in Phoenix but I think it’s time for me to move on.”

It was apparent that over the last few years, Marion has been increasingly frustrated with the (perceived) lack of attention he gets playing in Phoenix along Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. Earlier this year, almost a year after Nash won his second MVP award, Marion vented some frustration to ESPN’s Chris Palmer.

“Steve is the MVP of the league,” says Marion, “but I’ve had people tell me I am the MVP of the team.”

“I want the recognition,” says Marion, who got fewer votes for February’s All-Star Game than Shane Battier. “I feel I’ve done what it takes to get it, but for some reason it hasn’t happened.”

I’m not sure what Marion’s beef is here. He’s due to make $33.6 million over the next two years, and is the Suns’ highest-paid player. Phoenix is on a very short list of legitimate contenders and was one game (and two bench clearing infractions) away from upsetting the Spurs in last year’s playoffs. His current situation looks pretty good and there are any number of players that would jump at the chance to switch places with him.

He’s going to be 31 in the summer of ’09 when his contract expires and he is rumored to want a three-year, $60 million extension. Who can blame the Suns for wanting to wait and see what Marion’s game is like in two years before committing to such a Shaq-like contract?

He’s also upset about his name being bandied about in trade rumors, but that has a lot to do with his attitude about his current situation. Besides, trade rumors are a part of the NBA and players have to learn to live with them.

There are several interested teams, including the Lakers (who would swap Lamar Odom) and the Jazz (who would swap Andrei Kirilenko), but the Suns seem content to stand pat. They’re not going to give Marion away unless they’re able to get a really good player and some salary cap relief in the process.

Marion needs to realize he’s in a terrific situation. He needs to work his ass off this year, get his ring, and then deal with his future next summer.

The New York Knicks sexual harassment trial is underway and in a videotaped deposition, Isiah Thomas said that it isn’t as bad for a black man to call a black woman a bitch as it is for a white man to do the same thing. [video]

Prosecuting Attorney: Do you also find it offensive for a black male to call a black woman a bitch?

Thomas: Not as much, I’m sorry to say. I do make a distinction.

Regular readers know that I’ve been hard on Thomas in the past, mostly for his amazingly poor general manager skills, but this videotaped answer takes the cake.

Someone needs to tell Isiah that even when he’s under oath, he doesn’t have to say every stupid thing that pops into his head. It’s like he has that same disease as the old lady on “The Golden Girls.”

I’m sure he’s being honest when he says that he finds it more offensive when a white man calls a black woman a bitch, but that’s probably true for any derogatory term. Besides, the question was, “Do you also find it offensive for a black male to call a black woman a bitch?” He wasn’t asked, “Is it as offensive?” In other words, he wasn’t asked to compare the two.

The simple answer is, “Yes, I find it offensive.” Next question.

It’s no wonder the Knicks are in the state they’re in.

About a week ago, I wrote a memo to Larry Harris telling him to go ahead and sign you already. Now you’ve gone and signed an offer sheet (worth $18 million over five years) with the Miami Heat, which the Bucks have seven days to match. Moreover, your agent, Mark Bartelstein, is saying that “the waters have becomed [sic] poisoned” and that you don’t want to be in Milwaukee anymore. Once you signed the offer sheet, you stated, “If it was my choice, I would be in Miami. I don’t know if I can give it my all to play in Milwaukee.”

I’ve been an advocate for you, Charlie. I like your game and I like what you bring to the Bucks. I believe that with you, Maurice Williams and Michael Redd, the team has the makings of a championship-caliber backcourt. But you need to realize that the NBA is a business. It’s Larry Harris’ job to get the guys he wants and the best price possible. It’s your agent’s job to get you the biggest offer he can. Sure, Bartelstein is going to claim that your camp made a fair offer to the Bucks. Every agent thinks any offer they make is fair. That’s what agents do. But Larry Harris knows that there is a limited market for restricted free agents and that he can match any offer you can get. Negotiating with restricted free agents is a dicey proposition. Just look around the league – Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao are all restricted free agents and are still looking for new deals.

For his part, Harris has said all along that he wants to bring you back with a multi-year deal. After hearing your comments, he had this to say:

“Hearing this is very disappointing from an organizational standpoint,” Harris said. “We understand what Charlie meant to the team last year.

“It’s an emotional time, for him as well as for us. We still want him to be part of this team this season.”

So, Charlie, if he decides to match the Heat’s offer (and I think he should), then cut him some slack. He’s just doing his job. And you’ll get to do yours, and make some nice scratch in the process.

This year’s #1 pick, Greg Oden, underwent arthroscopic surgery this week to identify the cause of pain in his right knee.

According to the team’s website, further damage was revealed and Oden underwent microfracture surgery to repair a small area of articular cartilage damage.

“Greg had an arthroscopy and a micro fracture surgery today,” said team physician Dr. Don Roberts, who preformed the surgery. “He was found to have articular cartilage damage in his right knee. The area of injury was not large and we were able to treat it with micro fracture, which stimulates the growth of cartilage. There are things about this that are positive for Greg. First of all he is young. The area where the damage was is small and the rest of his knee looked normal. All those are good signs for a complete recovery from micro fracture surgery.”

Obviously, this is a huge blow to the 2007-08 Trailblazers. Since Oden is so young, he has a great chance to make a full recovery. This is the same surgery that Amare Stoudemire had two years ago, so complete recovery is not unprecedented. Let’s just hope he’s able to heal quickly and get back on the court where he belongs.

You’ve had a pretty good offseason as the Milwaukee Bucks GM. You re-signed Mo Williams, one of the best up-and-coming guards in the league, and you executed a patient, effective negotiation with Yi Jianlian. The Bucks are a young, talented team that is poised for big things in the next few years if they can stay healthy. There’s just one last piece of the puzzle.

Charlie Bell visited Greece last week and was offered a two-year, $6.9 million offer from Olympiakos, one of the most storied franchises in Europe. He is seriously considering accepting the deal if the Bucks are unable to meet or beat that offer. Bell, 28, had his best season as a pro in 2006-07, averaging 13.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. When Williams and Michael Redd were injured, he stepped in and played big minutes for your team. He has improved his ball handling and he’s a gritty defender. He’s a perfect fit as Milwaukee’s third guard.

So go ahead and offer Bell a three-year, $10 million contract and call it a day. We both know he’s worth it.