Category: Rumors & Gossip (Page 76 of 225)

      Mike Brown fired

      May 24, 2010 /

      Per Brian Windhorst of Cleveland.com…

      In a move expected since the team lost three consecutive games to be upset by the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals, the Cavs fired coach Mike Brown on Sunday according to a league source. The news was first reported by ESPN.

      Okay, no shocker there. What was the reason for his dismissal?

      Some Cavs’ players, including LeBron James, also seemed to lose patience with Brown after some of his adjustments and rotations didn’t work against the Celtics in the playoffs.

      However, James is not believed to have made a personal push with management for a coaching change. He left it to the front office to make the final decision.

      Brown seemed to struggle with his rotations after having to incorporate Shaquille O’Neal back into the team in the playoffs after O’Neal missed the final six weeks of the season. He started a lineup in the first game of the playoffs that he hadn’t used all season and the turbulence from multiple players changing roles appeared to upset the balance of the team.

      Those problems plus, according to sources, some disagreement over some game plans for playoff games with some of the team leaders eventually led to some discord in the locker room during the Celtics series.

      I put that bit about LeBron in bold because it may hold a clue to his future. If it’s true that he left Brown’s fate up to management, then it seems like he’s not all that interested in who’s coaching the Cavs, and that’s a bad sign for Cleveland fans that are hoping he re-signs.

      Mike Brown will land on his feet. He bungled the playoff rotations, but that was partly because he had too many good players he had to play, especially when the Celtics started picking the Cavs apart.


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      Mark Cuban fined for comments about LeBron

      May 23, 2010 /

      Per ESPNDallas…

      The NBA fined Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $100,000 Saturday for his recent comments about Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.

      Cuban confirmed the fine through his Twitter account shortly before the league announced its punishment for Cuban’s remarks which violated the league’s anti-tampering rules.

      “For those of you who care about these things, NBA just fined me 100k for comments regarding another teams’ players,” Cuban wrote.

      What’s funny is when he was asked if this was tampering, Cuban replied via email, “not even close.”

      What exactly did he say about LeBron?

      “Come July 1st, yeah, of course, anybody would be interested in LeBron James,” Cuban said in the interview. “And if he leaves via free agency, then it’s going to be tough. If he does like I’m guessing, hoping he will, which is say, ‘I’m not going to leave the Cavs high and dry,’ if he decides to leave — there’s still a better chance he stays — then he’ll try to force a sign-and-trade and that gives us a chance.”

      The NBA’s maximum fine is $5 million and the league can prohibit a team from pursuing a free agent if it is justified. So this is basically a slap on the wrist.


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      Arenas-for-Curry actually makes some sense

      May 23, 2010 /

      After the Washington Wizards won the right to pick John Wall, the first question on everyone’s lips was what about Gilbert Arenas?

      This is pure speculation, but one idea that is circulating is that the Wizards could trade Agent Zero to the Knicks for Eddy Curry’s expiring contract. This would have to happen after July 1, because Curry has to opt in to the final year of his contract. (And he will opt in.)

      This should be a no-brainer for the Wizards because they can put Arenas’ tumultuous season behind them and start to truly rebuild around Wall. Arenas has four years and $80 million remaining on his contract, so if they were able to move him for an expiring deal, they’d have a ton of cap space in the summer of 2011.

      For the Knicks, the decision is not quite as easy, but it is intriguing. A healthy Arenas could fit into Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo system as a two guard who could also run the point if necessary. GM Donnie Walsh has the cap space to sign two big-name free agents, and he shouldn’t use this space to acquire Arenas. He should sign the two best players he can in July, and then think about adding Arenas to that mix, if he’s a fit.

      As Alex David (of Buckets Over Broadway) writes, Walsh may be served to wait and see how Arenas looks at the start of the season.

      If it were to happen at all, most likely it would go down during next season. That would enable Walsh to see if Arenas still has it, and similarly give Washington some time to see if perhaps Gil & John Wall can work as a dynamic duo. Also, hopefully Walsh would be smart enough to hold out for a draft pick too if we’re gonna take this huge contract off the Wiz’s hands.

      So take a deep breath. This trade likely ain’t gonna happen. And if it does, it won’t be for a while.

      I thought the deal that the Wizards gave Arenas was ridiculous even before the ink was dry, but the Knicks don’t care too much about payroll once they lock in their two big-name free agents this summer. Maybe it will be LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Or maybe it will be Rudy Gay and Carlos Boozer. Either way, Arenas, if healthy, is an All-Star caliber player that could be a very dangerous combo guard under Mike D’Antoni. Once the Knicks have their stars and are over the cap, it won’t matter if he’s making $10 million or $20 million a season.

      Do I think that Gilbert Arenas will ever win an NBA championship? No. But he can help the Knicks become relevant again.


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      Deadspin breaks down the LeBron/Delonte rumors

      May 22, 2010 /

      This is a good read. It certainly puts Terez Owens’ report and Calvin Murphy’s “confirmation” into some perspective.

      Friday, May 14, 1:30 p.m. Sports gossip site Terez Owens runs this item:

      It is, verbatim, taken from the chain emails circulating; though by calling it “exclusive” and claiming it comes from “[his] source in Cleveland,” it gains legitimacy in the eyes of those who don’t understand how this thing works, or just want to believe it.

      And…

      Wednesday, May 19 Calvin Murphy, who could not dig up a character witness for his own trial for allegedly molesting 5 of his 14 children, goes on a sports talk radio show. He says that the Delonte West/Gloria James story is “absolutely true,” that he’s got multiple sources, and that West wasn’t the only person intimately involved with James’s mother.

      Terez Owens cites this as confirmation.

      We’ll never know for sure what did or didn’t happen, but it sure seems like this report was false from the start. Deadspin certainly thinks so.

      The perplexing thing is Murphy’s confirmation. Why would he say what he said if he had any doubts? Of course, we’re talking about a guy who was accused of molesting five of his children. He was acquitted, but still.

      Where does this story/rumor go from here? Will we ever hear from LeBron or Delonte on the subject? Should they even bother to respond?

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      GM confirms Bosh’s list, agent denies it

      May 22, 2010 /

      Per the Toronto Star…

      Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo admits there are a group of teams that Bosh would like to go to should he decide to leave the Raptors as a free agent in July.

      ESPN.com reported Bosh’s agent, Henry Thomas, has told Colangelo that Bosh would like to go to the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat or New York Knicks should he decide not to re-sign with Toronto.

      “It has been narrowed down to a handful of teams, including us,” Colangelo said, not going into any more details.

      Of course, Bosh’s agent, Henry Thomas, denies that he has given the Raptors any list. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

      Agent Henry Thomas on Friday denounced a report by ESPN that stated he had narrowed down a list of preferred destinations for Toronto Raptors free-agent client Chris Bosh.

      Thomas, who also represents Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, another pending free agent, said he has not forwarded any such list to Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo.

      “I haven’t closed the door on anything,” Thomas insisted. “I haven’t given Bryan any lists. There is no list. This is a process that is ongoing.”

      I still think it’s funny that Bosh gave Colangelo a list of teams he’d like to play for while also saying that he’s open to re-signing with the Raptors. Has he really not made up his mind about staying put? You’d think that at this point, with the regular season over for a month now, that he would know whether or not he wants to stay or go. Maybe he’s waiting to see what trades the Raptors can make during the Draft.

      And, of course, there’s the matter of Bosh talking out of both sides of his mouth. He says it’s all about winning, but he wants to force a sign-and-trade so he can make the most money (which is only going to hurt his new team in the process by taking away good players and/or draft picks).

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