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      Jazz ship Brewer to Memphis

      February 18, 2010 /

      One last deal of note…

      Ronnie Brewer has been dealt by Utah to the Grizzlies in exchange for a protected future first-round pick, according to Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune, Woj and a bunch of others with Twitter accounts.

      The deal makes sense: By trading Brewer, the Jazz ease their logjam — sorry, Kevin — of wing players, freeing minutes for Wesley Matthews, C.J. Miles and Kyle Korver. More significantly, the Jazz will ease their luxury-tax burden, with the Grizzlies having the cap space to absorb Brewer’s $2.7 million salary.

      “We had three or four players that were competing for minutes and we were able to turn that into a future asset,” Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor told Siler.

      Memphis needed a guard, and Brewer is a decent player, though his PER is down to 13.12 this season after a great sophomore (18.30) season and a solid third (16.19) year. (Remember, 15.00 is the league average.) The bottom line is that he’s playing the same minutes (31+) but his shot attempts dropped from 10.2 per game last season to 7.8 this season. That’s going to result in a drop in PER.

      On his Twitter page, Adrian Wojnarowski speculated about what this means for Rudy Gay:

      This means Memphis is unlikely to pay Rudy Gay this summer.

      I wouldn’t go that far, but it does give Memphis a solid starter if Gay does bolt this summer.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Who has cap space?

      February 18, 2010 /

      As the dust settles from the trade deadline, eight NBA teams have enough cap space to sign a “max” free agent this summer, according to FanHouse. With a salary cap of $53 million, the Knicks and the Heat will have enough space for two max free agents, while the Bulls, Nets, Kings, Clippers, Wizards and T-Wolves figure to have room for one max contract.

      Bill Simmons had this to say on his Twitter feed:

      Official LBJ Sweepstakes: Cavs, Bulls, NYK (favs); Mavs, Clips (sleepers); NJ, Mia, Hou, LAL(longshots). And so it begins.

      It’s going to be an interesting summer. It all starts with the Cavs — can they break through and win a title? Would that keep LeBron in town?

      Knicks fans are saying, “we better get LeBron,” but would they take Wade/Bosh or Wade/Stoudemire? Of course they would. I bet they’d even take Joe Johnson instead of Wade in either scenario.

      The Bulls are going to be a big player. They have cap space to sign a max player and a very nice core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. Chicago would be a great landing spot for LeBron, Wade or Bosh.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News

      Is Miles Austin worth two draft picks?

      February 18, 2010 /

      Let’s play NFL GM for a moment, shall we? Would a bona fide No. 1 receiver in his prime be worth first and third round compensation, plus the primo dollars it would take to sign him to a long-term deal? Because that’s the question many general managers face this offseason when it comes to Cowboys’ receiver Miles Austin.

      Thus far, Dallas has been adamant about not wanting to use a franchise tag on Austin (a restricted free agent) this offseason. What they’ll probably wind up doing is placing a $3.168 million tender on him, which means they have first right to match any offer made by another team. If another team offers more money and the Cowboys don’t match it, then Dallas is awarded a first and a third round pick as compensation.

      Legit No. 1 receivers that are 25-years-old aren’t easy to find. That’s why a team might be inclined to part with two draft picks in order to acquire Austin and make him their franchise receiver. After all, Austin appears to be a sure thing and as we all know, there is no guarantee that prospects (no matter how high they’re selected) will pan out.

      But if I could step into the GM shoes for a moment, I think it’s ridiculous to give up a first and third rounder to acquire a receiver – no matter how good of a player he is. Teams that have had consistent success often build from the inside out, meaning after they settle their quarterback need, the offensive and defensive lines take priority over the skill players. I’m not downgrading the value of a No. 1 receiver, but they wouldn’t be a priority over other positions on my team.

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      NFL

      Did Miami just blow its chance to re-sign Wade?

      February 18, 2010 /

      With their two biggest competitors for Dwyane Wade’s services — the Knicks and the Bulls — both successfully pulling off deadline deals to clear additional cap space, the Miami Heat scrambled to add Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer to the mix to keep Wade happy (and in town). We don’t know what they offered, but whatever it was, it apparently wasn’t enough, because the Heat will try to make the playoffs with the same lineup that has the team at 28-27 and in the #7 spot in the East. To make matters worse, Wade heard a “pop” in his calf on Wednesday night and could miss some time, further hindering Miami’s postseason hopes.

      Like the Heat, the Knicks now have enough cap space to sign two “max” free agents, and if LeBron is unavailable, they could go to Wade and ask him who he wants to play with — Chris Bosh? Amare Stoudemire? Carlos Boozer? — and sign both. Wade could get the same deal (and a little more money) from the Heat, but will he hold Miami’s inability to bring help this season against them? Meanwhile, the Bulls (Wade’s hometown team) unloaded John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas, clearing the way for a max offer this summer. Wade would look nice in a lineup with Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah.

      I give the Heat credit — they sure tried to acquire a big name. But they failed, and the fact that they were scrambling up until the deadline indicates that they think that losing Wade this summer is a real possibility. And they’re right.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Johnny Damon must think he’s Manny Ramirez

      February 18, 2010 /

      If Johnny Damon’s mission was to become the most annoying man in baseball this offseason, then he’s already succeeded.

      Damon is half a player. As he proved last year in New York, he can still swing a pretty good stick and he still has enough speed in his 36-year-old legs to be dangerous on the base paths. But he’s a liability in the outfield and his arm strength often resembles that of a T-baller. There’s also no guarantee that he’ll be a good hitter outside of Yankee Stadium, so writing that he’s even half a player might be too generous.

      How has this guy managed to turn the back half of the MLB offseason into the Johnny Damon hour? He’s the last big name on the market and I use the words “big name” loosely. He’s received offers from the Braves and Tigers, yet he still remains unsigned. Why?

      Damon is doing his best Manny Ramirez impression this offseason. Instead of coming to terms with his value and signing a fair deal, he has decided to drag out contract negations as long as possible. Spring training is ready to kick off and he’s still deciding on where and how much to sign for.

      Of course, this entire situation reeks of Scott Boras, who is also Manny’s agent. Boras battled with the Dodgers last year over Manny’s contract before finally caving in and settling for a two-year deal. Considering he’s about to do the same thing with Damon, it’s clear that Boras hasn’t learned his lesson yet. Damon was never going to get a multi-year contract for over $10 million like Boras wanted after last season. Yet Boras continues to overvalue his clients and drum up a false market for them by publicly stating tons of teams are interested in his free agents when the truth of the matter is they’re not.

      I’ve got a newsflash for both Damon and Boras: Johnny ain’t that good. He should stop with all of the, “I’m a difference maker” nonsense and take whatever deal Detroit currently has on the table. That’s not only advice, but it’s a plea too because I’m sick of reading about when he’s going to sign.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      MLB

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