What happens when you draft a player who doesn’t want to play for your team? Ask Bucks GM Larry Harris, who finds himself engaged in a standoff with draft pick Yi Jianlian, the Chinese import who apparently wants nothing to do with Milwaukee. In my latest column, I discuss who’s to blame for the continuing standoff.
Category: NBA (Page 496 of 595)
The blockbuster trade that we discussed yesterday is now in the books:
The Celtics acquired Garnett, a 10-time All-Star and the NBA MVP in 2004, from Minnesota in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, a 2009 first-round draft pick and a return of Minnesota’s conditional first-round pick previously obtained in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade.
The Celtics, now with three hungry vets looking for rings (Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen), quickly become a legimate contender in the East. Minnesota will add Al Jefferson (as well as Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes) to a core group that also includes Randy Foye and Corey Brewer. The ‘Wolves are clearly in full rebuilding mode.
But back to the C’s, who definitely got the better end of the deal in the short term. As part of the trade, KG agreed to a three-year extension which will keep him in Boston through the 2011-12 season.
Garnett in green? This is going to be fun to watch.
(Kobe has to be pissed.)
Remember that KG-to-Boston deal that was killed after Garnett said he wasn’t interested in playing for the Celtics?
That deal would have included the C’s #5 pick in this summer’s draft, but it was sent to Seattle in a trade that brought Ray Allen to Boston. Ironically, that might have been the trade that made KG re-think his position:
A Celtics official went so far as to confirm to the Boston Globe’s Jackie MacMullan that a deal was in place.
Multiple sources told ESPN.com that the Wolves are believed to be getting Al Jefferson and Theo Ratliff’s expiring contract.
It’s believed that the latest incarnation of the deal also would have Minnesota acquiring youngsters Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes.
The Wolves would also receive a future first-round pick from Boston and take back the future first-round pick it sent to the Celtics in the Wally Szczerbiak-Ricky Davis trade in January 2006.
Sources indicated late Sunday that Garnett was warming to the idea, raising hopes on both sides that the deal will finally go through.
See the deal in ESPN’s Trade Machine.
Understandably, Garnett is more willing to consider Boston now that the C’s have two All-Stars (Allen and Paul Pierce). If the deal goes through as described, that would leave the likes of Tony Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, along with draft picks Gabe Pruitt and Glen “Baby” Davis, to fill in the holes around the team’s Big 3. While that list isn’t exactly oozing with talent, it does have some upside that could contribute to a championship-caliber squad. The Celtics would basically need to find a point guard and a center capable of meshing with Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen.
If this deal goes through, it will have a huge impact on the pecking order in the East. The Celtics would immediately rise to contender status in the conference. For the ‘Wolves, the combination of Al Jefferson, Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes plus two first round picks is reasonable compensation for KG. The team will now build around Jefferson, Randy Foye and Corey Brewer (and to a lesser extent, Green and Gomes). In a few years, that team should be able to compete for a playoff spot.
But Kevin McHale will find a way to screw it up, right?
With eight of the 10 players I highlighted in my free agency preview already inked to new deals, I thought it would be a good time to hand out my free agency report card. What grade did I give the Magic for signing Rashard Lewis? Did the Nets make the right call by resigning Vince Carter? Take a look.
In his latest column, ESPN’s Bill Simmons gives his take on the NBA referee scandal. He starts off with a humorous movie pitch:
On Friday afternoon in southern California, you could hear the cacophony of frustrated screenwriters pounding their desks in disgust. The Tim Donaghy scandal doubled as the easiest movie pitch ever.
Imagine how simple it would have been to sell that script. A white NBA referee with a gambling problem (Matt Damon) loses too much money to a bookie (Timothy Olyphant) who’s connected with a dangerous family of mobsters (led by head boss Alec Baldwin). One of their muscle guys (Turtle from “Entourage”) threatens to beat up the ref unless he gives them inside information. Which he does. Now they have him. They tell him to start throwing a couple of games or they’ll go after his wife (Evangeline Lilly) and daughter (the little girl from “Little Miss Sunshine”). He agrees to affect the over/under of games by whistling more fouls than usual, which should drive the scores above the over/under because everyone will be shooting more free throws. For a couple of games, it works. Eventually, they want more. Fearing for his life, he crosses the line and helps fix a few outcomes without realizing the mobsters will never say, “All right, we’re good, nice working with you.”
Meanwhile, a renegade FBI agent (Ryan Gosling) overhears the ref discussing one of the games on a tapped phone line, then gets tipped off by a mob informant (Joe Pantoliano) that they turned an NBA referee. They track the weasel for a solid year, gather all the evidence they need, then break the news to the NBA commissioner (Ron Silver) and his staff that their league has been compromised. It’s too late. Too much damage has been done. The referee resigns, the feds swoop in and that’s that. The movie ends with a sobbing Damon going to jail, Gosling getting promoted and Silver glumly watching the tape of a pivotal playoff game from the previous spring, a horribly officiated game that could have potentially affected the championship … and the sight of that same compromised referee jogging down the court, ready to blow the whistle at a key moment.
The end.
You wouldn’t know it by the smug attitude of David Stern, but the NBA has taken several big hits lately. Aside from a couple of series (Dallas/Golden State, San Antonio/Phoenix) the playoffs were a joke, ratings are down, and now the FBI is investigating a referee (with apparent mob ties) who is involved in a major gambling scandal.
Stern has a lot of work to do.
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