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      Giants, Lincecum avoid arbitration with two-year agreement

      February 12, 2010 /

      The Giants have reached a two-year, $23 million contract with ace Tim Lincecum, which allows the two sides to avoid an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for today.

      According to ESPN.com, Lincecum will receive $8 million this year and $13 million in 2011, as well as a $2 million signing bonus. He also has a chance to earn performance and award bonuses, although no details have been provided on what those incentives are.

      This is great news for both sides, as arbitration hearings can sometimes get messy between team and player. Lincecum had filed for $13 million in arbitration, which would have broke Ryan Howard’s mark of $10 million in 2008. The Giants submitted $8 million for Lincecum, which was viewed by many to be a lowball offer for a two-time All-Star and Cy Young winner. Lincecum also owns a 40-17 record and a 2.90 ERA with 676 strikeouts in only three seasons.

      After overpaying for Barry Zito, Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria (just to name a few) offer the last couple of seasons, the Giants made the right decision coming to an agreement with Lincecum before the hearing. Along with Pablo Sandoval, Lincecum is the face of the franchise and the ace of a fantastic pitching rotation that also features emerging star Matt Cain, top prospect Madison Bumgarner and 27-year-old Jonathan Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter in 2009.

      Now that they have come to terms with Lincecum, the Giants can focus on what hopes to be a successful 2010 campaign. They have enough pitching to challenge for a postseason berth, but their offense has been among the league’s worst for several years now. The club hopes that the moves they made this offseason (i.e. signing free agents Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff, as well as re-signing Freddy Sanchez and Juan Uribe) will be enough to get the Giants back into the postseason.


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      MLB

      Bucks interested in Troy Murphy

      February 12, 2010 /

      The Milwaukee Bucks are hovering around the #8 spot in the East and can probably make the postseason with their current roster. But according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal-Times, they’re eyeing Troy Murphy.

      The Bucks and Pacers have bandied about several players in exchange for the 6-foot-11 Murphy, who is averaging 14 points and 9.9 rebounds this season. One of those players is Ersan Ilyasova.

      The Pacers want Ilyasova, but the Bucks don’t want to give him up. Ilyasova is only 22, capable of playing both forward positions and has flashed signs of becoming a big-time scorer.

      While he is averaging a modest 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds, Ilyasova has had five 20-plus games this season, including 25 against the New York and 24 against Portland and the Los Angeles Lakers.

      He also had 20-point outing against Orlando and San Antonio, two of the best teams in the NBA.

      The Bucks would be wise to hold onto Ilyasova, unless they can get more of an impact player than Murphy. The Bucks aren’t the Cavs; they’re not looking for one missing piece to the championship puzzle. They’re building for the future, and Ilyasova could be part of that future. He can play either forward position, can hit the three (36%), is a pretty good defender and rebounds almost as well as Murphy (rebound rate: 17.1 to 15.3). Plus, he’s only 22, so he has room to grow.

      Milwaukee should be looking to upgrade at shooting guard and small forward. Caron Butler would be a good fit, but the Bucks don’t want to make the same mistake they did with Richard Jefferson. Unlike Jefferson, Butler’s contract isn’t a cap killer. Unfortunately, the Bucks don’t have the pieces to acquire Butler unless the Wizards are willing to give him up for expiring contracts and a mid-first round pick. I’m not even sure I’d include Ilyasova in a deal for Butler as I think he (Ilyasova) could be a starter on a good playoff team in a couple of years.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Is Julius Peppers worth a huge contract?

      February 12, 2010 /

      There’s no doubt that Julius Peppers will cash in on this year’s free agent market and in what should be a quieter-than-usual offseason, the defensive end would certainly be a huge catch.

      But the question that all interested parties will inevitably be faced with is: Is Peppers even worth the price tag?

      Peppers can be explosive at the point of attack and uses his speed to get off the edge to create havoc in an opponent’s backfield. He has great size and speed and can use a variety of techniques to disengage blockers and pressure the pocket. He’s also a better run defender than people give him credit for and simply put, he’s an athletic freak.

      That’s the good, but here’s the bad. He has been known to take plays off, he’s highly inconsistent, and he can be unmotivated at times. He also just turned 30 and is the same player that virtually took an entire season off in 2007 when he finished with just 2.5 sacks (by far a career low) in 14 games.

      Consider these stats from RevengeoftheBirds.com:

      Age 32 is a bit of a brick wall for defensive ends. Twenty-nine defensive ends are in the top 50 for career sacks. Those ends averaged 10 sacks at age 30, 9.8 sacks at age 31, but only 7.3 sacks at age 32. Only eight of those 29 reached double digit sacks at 32 and four were Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Michael Strahan and Chris Doleman-four of the top five leaders in career sacks. They totaled 54.5 sacks at age 32. The remaining 24 totaled 150 sacks and averaged just 6.3 at age 32.

      Peppers is the best free agent on the market and given the position he plays, he might wind up becoming the highest paid defensive player in the league this offseason. But let’s assume that he’s the norm and not the exception when it comes to defensive ends. Is he worth the hefty price tag? Is it worth it for some team to fork over millions of dollars when he might only be productive for the next two years? Sure, he may average 10 sacks over the next two years, but what happens after that?

      I realize all of this is hypothetical, but given Peppers’ history of inconsistent play, age, and price tag, he might not be worth a long-term investment in the end. In fact, he probably won’t be.


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      NFL

      LeBron claims he hasn’t lobbied for Jamison

      February 12, 2010 /

      After the Cavs’ 115-106 win over the Magic on Thursday, LeBron James denied ever lobbying that his team make a deadline trade for Antwan Jamison, or any other player for that matter. (Chris Sheridan, ESPN)

      Do the Cavs still need what’s known as a “stretch 4,” a power forward such as Antawn Jamison who can play inside and outside, another pricey piece to add to the puzzle in an effort not only to win a championship but also to convince LeBron James to stay in Cleveland past July 1?

      It’s such a good question, we went ahead and asked it of James after the power forwards currently on Cleveland’s roster, J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao, both had huge games in Thursday night’s 115-106 victory over the Orlando Magic.

      “I never said we needed one,” James said, immediately putting himself at odds with what is being whispered around the league — that James has made it known that he wants the Cavs to find a way to acquire Jamison. “I think our team is built to win a championship, and with the group of guys we have here, if we continue to get better we’re headed in the right direction.”

      “So I haven’t really thought about the trade deadline or what guys are on the board or whatever, so we’ll continue to play the way we know how to play,” James said.

      Hickson and Varejao combined for 36 points and eight rebounds Thursday night, outplaying the Magic’s PFs Rashard Lewis (19 points, 4 rebounds) and Ryan Anderson (5 points, 2 rebounds).

      That’s all well and good, but this is eerily similar to the pre-deadline position that the Cavs found themselves in last year. They were playing well and looking strong, so they elected to stand pat at the trade deadline. We all know how that turned out.

      I’m not saying that trading Hickson would be the right move. We just don’t know. But in Jamison we’re talking about a two-time All-Star who is averaging 20.5 points and 8.8 rebounds, even at 33 years old. I think it’s safe to say that he’s going to be better than Hickson for the rest of this season and next.

      The Cavs could just be posturing, hoping to get themselves the best possible deal next week. But if they lead another deadline pass without making a move, and this season ends the same way, it isn’t going to be pretty.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

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