Category: NBA (Page 535 of 595)

The Denver Nuggets have agreed to terms with Nene for 6-yrs/$60 M. Think the market for big men is tight? Nene is a career 11/6 guy…Ben Wallace was disappointed with the Pistons’ offer (4-yrs/$48 M) and he’s thinking about taking the Bulls’ offer of 4-yrs/$52 M. I’m surprised that Wallace is considering leaving Detroit – $12 M a year is pretty good money for a 32 year-old center that shoots around 40% from the free throw line…Bobby Jackson agreed to a deal with the Hornets, terms undisclosed.

Carmelo Anthony has already accepted the maximum contract extension from the Denver Nuggets, so why hasn’t LeBron James done the same thing?

Appearing at a Cavaliers’ press conference scheduled to introduce the team’s new draft picks (Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson), James wouldn’t comment on the status of the extension.

“I’m not talking about it today,” a smiling James said at a news conference held by the Cavaliers to introduce new draft picks Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson. “You’ll have to ask them [the Cavaliers].”

But the team, fearful of doing anything to upset James or break the league’s gag order during the free agency moratorium from July 1-12, is reluctant to discuss much about the star’s future.

“This is one you don’t want to stub your toe on rules,” general manager Danny Ferry said. “We’re going to make a call and allow things to unfold from there. Rushing is not a necessity.”

But Cleveland fans aren’t as patient. They’ve been burned before, crushed by promises made by the likes of Art Modell, Jim Thome and Carlos Boozer, who all said they would stay and left anyway.

If James is sure he wants to re-sign, I’m not sure why he would be playing it so coy. He must want something from the team to make them sweat like this. Does he want more say in front office decisions? More power over the direction of the franchise?

He must know that every day he waits, his fans in Cleveland will grow more and more worried about what he’s going to do. Why would he put them through that if he’s intent on re-signing? I wouldn’t say that something is up, but something might be up.

Or maybe he’s having trouble getting his agent, Leon Rose, on the phone. Rose represents #1 draft pick Andrea Bargnani and Allen Iverson, who has been the subject of a ton of trade rumors. Maybe Rose is the guy holding up the deal. James even joked about his agent:

“I hope he [Rose] can find some time for me,” James said.

This might be an interesting couple of weeks in Cleveland.

Peja Stojakovic, once considered a lock to re-sign with the Indiana Pacers, agreed a 5-year/$62 M contract with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. This gives the team a sharpshooter to play alongside Chris Paul and David West, but $12 M a season seems like a lot to pay for the 29 year-old…the signing means that the Pacers didn’t get anything in return for Ron Artest, other than half of a season from Stojakovic…Jason Terry re-signed with the Mavericks for $50 M over six years. Will this delay the development of Devin Harris?…Vladimir Radmanovic is staying in L.A., but won’t be playing for the Clippers. He and the Lakers agreed to a 5-year/$30+ M mid-level exception deal…The Clippers wasted no time in replacing Radmanovic, agreeing to a 4-year/$24 M deal with Tim Thomas, while also locking Sam Cassell into a 2-year/$13 M deal.

The speculation for weeks now were that the Bucks were offering up Jamaal Magloire and Mo Williams in the hopes of landing an athletic power forward. With that in mind, Milwaukee started dealing with Toronto, but the Raptors wanted T.J. Ford instead, and they got their man.

Ford averaged 12.2 points and a team-high 6.6 assists in 72 games last season following a spinal-cord injury that sidelined him for a season and a half.

The 6-foot-11 Villanueva, selected seventh overall in the 2005 draft, averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 81 games for the Raptors. The former Connecticut star set Toronto rookie records for points with 48 on March 26 at Milwaukee and rebounds with 18 on April 2 against New Orleans.

“Acquiring Charlie takes care of a primary need we had going into the summer,” Harris said. “He’s a gifted power forward who knows how to score both inside and outside. … The outstanding rookie season he had last year is only the beginning of what he’s capable of achieving.”

Ford is a dynamic player and a fan-favorite in Milwaukee. There will be many Bucks fans that will be upset about the move. In Ford, the Raptors got a Steve Nash-like point guard to fill the same role in GM Bryan Colangelo’s up-tempo system.

Pending another move, the Bucks could start Williams, Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Villanueva and Bogut, giving the team one of the best young lineups in the league. It is important for Milwaukee to lock up Williams before his stock gets any higher.

NBA free agency starts tomorrow and teams have a two-week span in which to negotiate with players. No formal contracts can be signed until that period is complete. Unrestricted free agents can sign with any team they wish, while restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet with any team they like, but their current team has the right to match the contract and keep the player. This makes signing a restricted free agent a dicey proposition. You want to get the player for as little as possible, but you want the contract to be big enough to scare off their old team.

ESPN’s Chris Sheridan has a list of the top free agents, but here are five guys that I think will be undervalued this summer:

Jared Jeffries, WAS (restricted)
The stock of this 6’10” swingman rose significantly with his defensive play on LeBron James in the playoffs. He’s rangy and can defend without being too physical (and having to foul.) He’s not a big scorer, but wasn’t asked to take many shots with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler on the team. Still, he shot 45% from the field and 32% from the 3PT line. His FT% (59%) is the only major hole in his game. I envision him signing a contract with a $5 M-$7 M average salary.

Marcus Banks, MIN (unrestricted)
Banks’ play after the All-Star break – 12.2 ppg, 5.2 apg, 47% shooting – earned him many admirers around the league. But there are plenty of point guards available, so his value will be somewhat depressed this summer. He’s young (24) and he’s more of a pass-first point guard, which makes him worth mid-level money ($5-$5.5 M per season). Whoever locks him up should have a good point guard for years to come.

Chris Wilcox, SEA (restricted)
In 29 games with the Sonics, Wilcox averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, while shooting 59% from the floor and 79% from the free throw line. He proved that all he needed was consistent minutes to be productive and that the main reason he didn’t play for the Clippers is that he was buried behind Elton Brand and Chris Kaman. My guess is that Wilcox will sign a contract averaging in the $7 M-$9 M range, and he’ll be worth every penny.

Speedy Claxton, NO (unrestricted)
Claxton might end up being the best value on this list. He’s not the best shooter (42% lifetime), but he’s more of a setup man than a scorer. He averaged 12.3 points and 4.8 assists playing alongside Chris Paul for the Hornets. In three games as a starter, he averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 assists on 51% shooting. Speedy is a great guy to bring in if you have a few other stars you want to feature. I wouldn’t be surprised if he, like Banks, signs for mid-level money ($5 M-$5.5 M).

John Salmons, PHI (restricted)
If the Sixers do trade Allen Iverson away, they’d be smart to re-sign Salmons soon. He played very well as a starting guard, averaging 10.6 points and 5.2 assists per contest, and played even better in games that Iverson missed. A team that needs a complimentary, versatile swingman could sign Salmons to a deal in the $5 M-$7 M range and get good value for the duration of the contract as he continues to improve.

There aren’t as many quality big men available this summer, so four of the guys on this list are guards or swingmen. Expect the price of centers to be extremely high, especially considering the contracts that Tyson Chandler and Samuel Dalembert signed last summer.