“It is with great pride and humility that I announce my return to the Golden State Warriors, the place where it all started,” Webber said in a statement. “This organization and city has always had a special place in my heart because it is where my dream of being an NBA player first came true.”
Although there is widespread skepticism regarding Webber’s ability to keep up with Nelson’s run-and-gunners — given the mobility issues that have hampered the 34-year-old since a serious knee injury in the 2003 playoffs and subsequent microfracture surgery — Nelson insists that the Warriors need Webber’s passing and midrange game to get them unstuck when the game slows down or their countless three-pointers aren’t dropping.
Webber initially left the Warriors during Nelson’s last stint with the team after the two had a falling out, so it’s a little surprising that both parties agreed to reunite. Webber can still pass and shoot, but he has very little lift and speed left in those legs, so count me among those that are skeptical about the chances of him fitting in well with Golden State. Nelson has a point that Webber can help in the half court game, but I wonder if that will be at the expense of the up-tempo attack.
That attack is the Warriors’ identity, so let’s hope Webber doesn’t mess it up.
Who is the best shooter in the NBA? That’s a loaded question, but if you’re asking who the most efficient shooter is, I can give you an answer by utilizing the Points Per Shot statistic. PPS also tells us who the league’s worst shooters are.
The Cleveland Browns have extended head coach Romeo Crennel’s contract for two more years according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Bleacher Report makes some good points that extending Crennel might have been a mistake.
But does he really deserve a new contract? Shouldn’t he have to prove this wasn’t a one-year wonder, that he can keep it going for another year and actually get into the playoffs?
It’s not like Crennel would have entered next season as a lame duck. He had two years left on his original deal. And the Browns should have pretended they were playing a game of HORSE and made him prove it.
After all, the Browns went just 1-3 against teams that made the playoffs, and many of their victories were close, high-scoring contests won by their offense. Crennel is supposed to be a defensive guru, and yet that side of the ball ranked 30th in the NFL in yards allowed. In fact, Crennel’s defenses in Cleveland have declined every year, from 16th in 2005 to 27th in 2006 to 30th this season.
Before this past season, I think a lot of Brown fans were ready for Romeo to disappear. I agree with the article that with two years already left on his contract, Cleveland should have waited at least another year for him to prove that last season wasn’t a one-hit wonder. I wouldn’t go as far to say it was a bad move or a mistake, but it’s a curious one nonetheless. We should probably hold judgment on his defensive prowess until he gets more talent on that side of the ball, however.
He’s been playing innocent for the last few weeks, but Jason Kidd has finally confirmed that he does indeed want to be traded.
The rumor mill says the Lakers, Mavs, Nuggets and Cavs are interested. In the video, Tim Legler is talking about a deal where the Mavs would send DeSagana Diop, Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse/Jason Terry, but that only adds up to salaries in the $11.1 to $12.8 million range, which doesn’t approach Kidd’s salary of $19.7 million. In most NBA trades, the salaries need to be within 20% in order for it to work under the rules of the salary cap. That deal is also rumored to include another Western Conference team, so the Nets may be getting more than those three. If the Mavs are able to acquire Kidd and only give up Diop, George and Stackhouse, it would be a coup.
If I’m running the Nets, I would try to pry Devin Harris away from the Mavs, or at the very least, Terry. The deal is rumored to include picks, but if we’re talking non-lottery teams, those late picks in the first round aren’t worth that much.
The Lakers were considering a deal for Kidd last season, but weren’t willing to give up Bynum when most “pundits” (including myself) thought they should. Now Bynum is a budding star, so the Lakers will certainly balk at any deal including their young center. They could offer up Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown, which would allow the Nets to shed some salary after this season. The Nets should try to get Jordan Farmar if possible. He has been extremely productive this season and should develop into a good starting point guard in the next couple of years.
The Cavs always come up when a star demands a trade because the thinking is that they are a very good player away from seriously contending. Kidd would give the Cavs a true point guard, but LeBron handles the ball so much, I wonder if Kidd’s talents would be wasted. Mike Brown would have to drastically alter the offense to utilize Kidd’s skills, but he (Brown) hasn’t proven to be very adept at making offensive adjustments. And whom would the Cavs give up? Does anyone want Larry Hughes and his $12 million salary? Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejao are possibilities up front, as is Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Daniel Gibson is their primary young bargaining chip in the backcourt.
The Nuggets are an interesting possibility because Kidd’s arrival would allow Allen Iverson to play exclusively at shooting guard. He’s another guy who has to have the ball to maximize his talents, but with Kidd running the show, the Nuggets would be pretty scary offensively. The problem is what the Nets would accept in return. Kenyon Martin? Doubtful. The injured Nene? Maybe. Marcus Camby is a distinct possibility, but does Denver want to trade away the reigning Defensive Player of the Year? Camby has a very affordable contract, which makes him that much more valuable.
Kidd wants to be traded to a contender, which means whatever draft picks the Nets can acquire are probably going to be late in the first round. However, it sounds as if getting out of New Jersey is his #1 priority.
The New York Post says that the Nets are going to have a tough time finding a suitable trade partner.
“They’re in a no-win situation,” said another GM. “No one out there is going to give them a piece to grow with. Maybe expiring contracts and draft picks, but the teams that will bid – say Dallas, Cleveland – don’t necessarily have that.”
It seems the best the Nets can hope for is a good, young prospect and/or a first round draft pick. They will also want to shed salary as quickly as possible so they can go about the business of rebuilding.
The Slate has an interesting article dedicated to answering the question: Where did all those gorgeous Russians come from (ala Maria Sharapova)?
Though this is a fairly frivolous question (OK, extremely frivolous), I am convinced it has an interesting answer. To put it bluntly, in the Soviet Union there was no market for female beauty. No fashion magazines featured beautiful women, since there weren’t any fashion magazines. No TV series depended upon beautiful women for high ratings, since there weren’t any ratings. There weren’t many men rich enough to seek out beautiful women and marry them, and foreign men couldn’t get the right sort of visa. There were a few film stars, of course, but some of the most famous—I’m thinking of Lyubov Orlova, alleged to be Stalin’s favorite actress—were wholesome and cheerful rather than sultry and stunning. Unusual beauty, like unusual genius, was considered highly suspicious in the Soviet Union and its satellite people’s republics.
After watching a couple rounds of Sharapova, Anna Kournikova or Olga Poutchkova, I think I can speak for everyone when I say – It doesn’t matter where they come from, just keep em’ coming.
