Tag: 2010 NBA free agents (Page 10 of 54)

      Al Jefferson, the anti-Boozer?

      July 16, 2010 /
      Feb. 05, 2010: Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson finished with 15 points during an NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX Minnesota defeated Dallas 117-108.

      Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune thinks so. Here, he compares Jefferson to Carlos Boozer:

      Nobody wants to beat down the guy who was here before, while propping up the newcomer, but the former cared much more about his personal investment in himself than his personal investment in his team. Jefferson is a whole other thing.

      Here’s why that matters: Teammates pick up on that stuff. They know about concerns regarding financial security, about taking care of No. 1, and that certainly has an important place. But, at some point, a pillar of a team has to have strong, authentic feelings — convictions, really — about winning and sacrificing and paying the competitive price for the guys who are on the court and in the locker room with him.

      Jefferson is that.

      Assuming his knees are okay, Jefferson should be a nice addition to the Jazz and an overall ‘better deal’ than Boozer. Deron Williams is said to be very happy with the acquisition, and that’s important for the franchise.

      Jefferson has played for losing teams for much of his career, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in Utah’s winning environment.

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      Wade to Gilbert: LeBron didn’t ‘quit’

      July 16, 2010 /
      Jul 14, 2010 - Miami, Florida, U.S. - Host DWYANE WADE at the Summer Groove Golf Classic for the Summer Groove kick off charity event. Seminole Hard Rock Presents The Summer Groove July 14-18 is 5 days of non-stop action to benefit local and national programs that enrich the lives of youths.

      Dwyane Wade has come to the defense of his new teammate, responding to accusations by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert that LeBron James quit against the Celtics in the playoffs (and against the Magic in last year’s postseason).

      Wade said he watched every game in Cleveland’s second-round series against Boston, the team that eliminated the Heat in the opening round of the postseason. The Celtics used a similar defensive scheme against James as they did against Wade to open the playoffs, throwing a slew of challenges in the way of both.

      “LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, guys like that understand what Boston’s defense was about,” Wade said. “Their defense was built on not letting one player beat them. You either settle for the outside shot or you pass to your teammates. LeBron had one bad game in the playoffs. Other than that, he did what he could do with the defense all watching him.”

      “I don’t see where you can get where he quit,” Wade said. “He just had one bad game. It happens. Kobe had a bad game in the Finals. They won. It didn’t matter. LeBron’s teammates didn’t help him out that game and it made the way he played even worse. But he’s not a quitter. He didn’t quit.”

      LeBron was dreadful in Game 5 (3-of-14 shooting) as the Cavs were blown out at home, but he did post a triple-double in Game 6, which is not usually the kind of line that a quitter delivers in an elimination game.

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      It’s official: Mike Miller signs with the Heat

      July 16, 2010 /
      Feb. 19, 2010 - Washington, China - (100220) -- WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2010 (Xinhua) -- Nene Hilario (L) of Denver Nuggets defends Mike Miller of Washington Wizards during their NBA game in Washington, the United States, Feb. 19, 2010. Wizards won the match 107-97. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun.

      It looked a little dicey there for a bit, but sharpshooter Mike Miller has signed a five-year deal with the Miami Heat.

      Miller announced it on Twitter, saying “It’s official” and thanking Heat owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley.

      The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter becomes the latest player to take less money than he could have made elsewhere to play for the Heat. James, Wade, Bosh and Udonis Haslem all left millions on the bargaining table in order to ensure the Heat would have flexibility to sign players like Miller.

      Terms were not immediately disclosed, but Miller’s deal was expected to be worth around $25 million.

      It’s all about spacing. Every championship team has had a player or two who specializes in knocking down open jumpers; someone who can make a team pay if the defense leaves them open. Teams won’t be able to double-team off of Miller because he’s going to hit 40% or so of his three-point attempts.

      Miller turned down more money to play with the Super Friends. Along with Udonis Haslem, the Heat now have a good core, and can add a few savvy veterans to the mix.

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      David Kahn learns not to compare Darko to C-Webb

      July 15, 2010 /

      Chris Webber probably overreacted a little bit, but T-Wolves GM David Kahn created an uncomfortable minute or two when he compared Darko Milicic’s career to Webber’s.

      C-Webb’s response when Kahn said that Milicic was the “best passing big man” that he’s ever seen?

      WOW.

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      What was Richard Jefferson thinking?

      July 15, 2010 /

      Apr. 14, 2010: San Antonio Spurs forward Richard Jefferson during an NBA game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX Dallas defeated San Antonio 96-89.

      Jeff McDonald and Chris Mannix have some news/rumors about Richard Jefferson.

      Jeff McDonald: FWIW, source close to the process sets odds of Jefferson returning to SA at 95 percent.

      Chris Mannix: Contrary to some reports, Richard Jefferson does not have any kind of deal in place with Spurs to return for more years at lesser salary.

      Chris Mannix: I’m told Jefferson is open to returning to SA but his first priority is a long term deal at the best annual salary he can get.

      Jefferson raised more than a few eyebrows when he opted out of the final year of his contract with the Spurs (at the tune of $15.2 million) in order to become a free agent and secure a long-term deal. He overestimated the market for the services of a 30-year-old swingman who averaged 12-4-2 and shot 32% from long range.

      The Clippers are reportedly interested, but McDonald seems pretty sure that he’s headed back to San Antonio, which is curious because Jefferson has said in the past that the Spurs’ offense does not showcase his abilities. Maybe he doesn’t care if he has a long-term deal in place. Jefferson’s market seems to be about three or four years at the mid-level ($18-$24 million total), which makes one wonder why he’d leave a one-year payday of $15 million on the table.

      At this point, he might as well play for the Heat at the veteran’s minimum. At least that way he can say he opted out for the chance to win a ring instead of looking foolish for overestimating his value.

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