Category: NBA (Page 513 of 595)

NBA: Eye on the scoreboard (12/13)

In last night’s marquee matchup, the Lakers beat the Rockets, 102-94, behind 23/8/7 from Kobe Bryant. The team got some bad news when Lamar Odom left the game in the first quarter with a sprained MCL. It looks like he’s going to be out until the end of January. From a fantasy perspective, look for Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic to play a larger role for the Lakers.

The Bucks nipped the Sonics, 94-93, and are enjoying the return of Charlie Villanueva, who scored 15 points and grabbed six boards. Andrew Bogut had one of his best games of the season, posting 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the win.

It appears that Pau Gasol will return to action on Saturday against the Heat. His foot is ahead of schedule, but he’s going to have to play himself into game shape, so don’t expect monster numbers from the start.

Welcome to Rumorville, Pop. 31

The league is buzzing with Allen Iverson trade talk and there are rumors flying about almost every team. Here is a sampling:

1. The Clippers would send some combination of Corey Maggette, Shaun Livingston, Sam Cassell and Zeljko Rebraca for AI. If Livingston and Maggette were included in an offer, I don’t know how the Sixers wouldn’t jump on it.

2. The Celtics would trade Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Delonte West and Theo Ratliff to Philadelphia. West and Jefferson are two good young prospects, but the Sixers would rather not trade Iverson to a division rival.

3. The Nuggets are offering a package that would include J.R. Smith, Nene and Eduardo Najera. Only the Sixers are interested in Camby, not Nene, and the Nuggets don’t want to give him up.

4. The Kings would send Mike Bibby and Kenny Thomas to the Sixers.

5. Golden State is eager to get rid of one of their bad contracts (Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Adonal Foyle) but would have to give up Baron Davis, Jason Richardson or Monta Ellis in the process.

6. AI reportedly nixed a trade that would send him to Charlotte, only Iverson doesn’t have a trade clause in his contract. Go figure.

7. Wolves’ GM Kevin McHale has confirmed that he is in talks with the Sixers, but in my estimation, that makes it less likely that a deal will get done. If Minnesota does land Iverson, the deal will most likely include Randy Foye. Kevin Garnett loves the idea of playing with AI.

8. Contrary to internet reports, the Mavs are not interested in trading for AI.

9. Surprisingly, Isiah Thomas says the Knicks are not interested in Iverson. The more likely scenario is that the Sixers aren’t interested in anything the Knicks have to offer.

As you might have gathered, there’s a lot of speculation and very little substantial fact. With the internet, rumors travel like wildfire and they’ll keep circulating until The Answer finds a new home.

Oops! NBA will switch back to leather ball

NBA commissioner David Stern has apparently decided that the league will go back to the leather ball after using a microfiber composite ball for the first two months of the season.

Despite an avalanche of player complaints about the new synthetic model from the first day of training camp in October, skepticism was high among players that Stern would consent to a change during the season. But with a number of prominent players complaining of cuts on their hands caused by the new ball’s high-friction cover — Phoenix’s Steve Nash and New Jersey’s Jason Kidd among them — Stern was forced to concede that an in-season swap was unavoidable with the new ball inflicting injuries.

I guess Shaq was right, after all.

Couch Potato Alert (12/11)

With most of college basketball taking time off for finals, there isn’t a single Top 25 matchup this week. Thankfully, there is a nice slate of NBA games, highlighted by the Lakers/Mavs tilt on ESPN Wednesday night. MNF features the Bears and Rams and the NFL Network continues their Thursday night football with a matchup between the 49ers and the Seahawks.

NFL
Mon, 8:30 PM: Chicago @ St. Louis – ESPN
Thurs, 8 PM: San Francisco @ Seattle – NFL Network

NBA
Mon, 7 PM: Phoenix @ Orlando – local
Mon, 9 PM: Dallas @ Utah – local
Mon, 10:30 PM: San Antonio @ LA Clippers – local
Tues, 8 PM: Seattle @ Milwaukee – NBA TV
Tues, 8:30 PM: LA Lakers @ Houston – local
Tues, 10:30 PM: Sacramento @ Golden State – NBA TV
Wed, 7 PM: Phoenix @ Miami – ESPN
Wed, 9:30 PM: LA Lakers @ Dallas – ESPN
Wed, 10:30 PM: Utah @ LA Clippers – local
Thurs, 7 PM: Orlando @ Charlotte – TNT
Thurs, 9:30 PM: San Antonio @ NO/OKC – TNT

The Sixers intend to move Iverson this week

According to an ESPN source, the Philadelphia 76ers are entertaining trade offers and want to complete a deal this week.

A source close to Iverson has told ESPN.com that Sixers brass met Sunday to go over the various trade proposals that have come in over the past few days. One or two three-team trade proposals were expected to be explored Monday, and the source said the Sixers were inclined to pull the trigger shortly thereafter — either Monday night or Tuesday.

The source indicated the Minnesota Timberwolves were not seriously in the running, and the attention being paid to Denver and Boston was being overblown.

The Celtics have the advantage of being able to add Theo Ratliff’s $11.7 million contract into the mix, while the Memphis Grizzlies would be one of the few teams able to offer Philadelphia cap relief for next summer through Eddie Jones’ expiring $15.7 million contract — if not for the inconvenient fact that team president Jerry West’s hands are tied because of the pending sale of the team, precluding him from making trades.

Dallas also could offer a package starting with two expiring contracts (Jerry Stackhouse and Austin Croshere), as could New Orleans (Desmond Mason and Mark Jackson add up to almost $13 million), while the Charlotte Bobcats are far enough under the salary cap to take back Iverson in a trade in which the salaries would not have to even come close to matching.

Another team that can’t be totally dismissed is the New York Knicks, who are in the unique position of being able to take back both Iverson and Chris Webber in a trade. Because the salaries of Iverson and Webber add up to nearly $38 million, the Knicks would have to offer at least $30.4 million worth of contracts back — a total that could be reached with a package of Steve Francis, Quentin Richardson, Malik Rose and Channing Frye.

It would be great to see AI traded to Minnesota, but it doesn’t look like the Sixers are too happy with what they’d get in return (Ricky Davis, Mike James and Randy Foye). Philly loves Devin Harris, but Mark Cuban has said that they won’t trade him. AI’s big salary (~$18 M) limits the number of teams that are able to swing such a deal. All things being equal, the Sixers want to trade him out of the conference, but they’re going to take the best deal they can get. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like it’s going to drag out like the Ron Artest did saga last season.

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