Tag: Los Angeles Clippers (Page 13 of 14)

      29 teams, 36 potential trades for Amare Stoudemire

      February 12, 2009 /

      The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 19, and the biggest name on the trading block is Amare Stoudemire. The Suns appear ready and willing to trade their former 1st Team All-NBA player (against my free, unsolicited advice), so I decided to play along and come up with a potential trade scenario (or two) for just about every team in the league. I’ll go through the league franchise-by-franchise and discuss the chances of each team actually making a play for the 26 year-old All-Star. Each blurb will also contain a link or two – if you click it you can see the trade in the ESPN Trade Machine. (I wore that thing out!)

      For the record, I don’t really care where he lands — I’m just happy that the Suns didn’t announce a deal as I was writing this opus. Now that would have been a bummer.

      Let’s roll…

      Atlanta Hawks
      The Hawks are pretty much set at every position except point guard. Mike Bibby’s contract is up this year, so that’s the only hole going into next season. That said, they’d be more likely to offer some combination of forwards than they would Joe Johnson. How about Al Horford (young star), Marvin Williams (young star) and Zaza Pachulia (cap relief)? I don’t think the Hawks would be willing to part with Joe Johnson or Josh Smith.

      Boston Celtics
      There’s no deal that would work unless the Suns truly covet Rajon Rondo. KG and Paul Pierce are untouchable. Rondo and Ray Allen for Amare and Alando Tucker would work, but since the trade offers no salary cap relief for the Suns, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Besides, if they trade away Ray Ray and Rondo, who’s going to play guard for the C’s?

      Charlotte Bobcats
      I think the Bobcats and Suns have already done all the deals they’re going to do. The only possibility is a trade that would include either Ray Felton or D.J. Augustin and Emeka Okafor. How about Felton, Okafor and Sean May for Amare? However, it’s highly unlikely that Stoudemire would re-sign with the Bobcats, so this trade is just a fantasy.

      Chicago Bulls
      The Bulls are actually one of the front runners to land Stoudemire and there are a number of different players that could be shipped to Phoenix. I keep reading that Phoenix is most interested in Tyrus Thomas, so let’s assume he’s part of any deal the two teams would make. How about Thomas and Kirk Hinrich for Stoudemire? Or how about Thomas, Ben Gordon and Drew Gooden’s expiring contract? (Note: The Bulls would need to receive consent from Gordon to execute this trade.) What about Thomas, Gooden and Luol Deng for Stoudemire and Robin Lopez?

      Cleveland Cavaliers
      The Cavs just don’t have the young stars to pull a trade off. The best deal I could come up with is Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract, J.J. Hickson, Daniel Gibson and maybe a first round pick or two for Stoudemire. It would give the Suns a ton of cap relief, but Hickson is a bit of an unknown at this point and Gibson has been up and down. I think the Suns can do better.

      Dallas Mavericks
      To deal with the Mavs, one would think that Josh Howard would have to be involved. How about Howard, Brandon Bass and Jerry Stackhouse for Stoudemire? I doubt the Suns would want to take on Stackhouse’s contract, but I don’t see another package that would work. It’s doubtful that the Mavs would want to bring Stoudemire in as he and Nowitzki play essentially the same position. (Amare can play some center, however.)

      Denver Nuggets
      The Nuggets lack young, affordable stars and expiring contracts, so the only deal that’s equitable is Carmelo Anthony for Stoudemire, but I don’t really see that happening.

      Detroit Pistons
      I don’t think the Suns bite on a deal with Detroit unless Rodney Stuckey is involved, and that might be a dealbreaker for the Pistons. Stuckey and Rasheed Wallace works, but would Detroit go for it?

      Golden State
      The Warriors have apparently been pursuing Stoudemire for the last couple of weeks, but what could they offer? Monta Ellis, Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright and Kelenna Azubuike would work – would both teams go for it? The Warriors would be left without a point guard, but would get an All-NBA big to replace Randolph and Wright. The Suns would get an All-Star caliber point guard to eventually replace Steve Nash and then get a couple of nice prospects in Randolph and Wright.

      If the Warriors don’t want to trade Elllis, they could offer up Corey Maggette, Andris Biendrins and Wright for Stoudemire. This trade wouldn’t give the Suns the cap relief they’re looking for, but they’d be getting three starter quality players. The Warriors could substitute Jamal Crawford for Maggette in that trade as well.

      Houston Rockets
      The Rockets don’t have the pieces to pull off a deal for Stoudemire. Their only major expiring contract is Ron Artest, so they’d have to ship him, Carl Landry, Luther Head and maybe a first round pick to make things even. Landry is a very productive player, but Artest is a wildcard and the Suns would have to be willing to re-sign him to make it worth their while (and that offsets the value of his expiring deal).

      Indiana Pacers
      The Pacers are another team that lack the young stars that the Suns would be interested in. They have Danny Granger, but he’s pretty much untouchable at this point. How about T.J. Ford (solid point guard), Brandon Rush (prospect) and Rasho Nesterovic’s expiring contract?

      Los Angeles Clippers
      The Clippers just don’t have the expiring deals to give the Suns the cap relief they want, so they’d have to give up a couple of big pieces like Baron Davis and Al Thornton to make the trade worthwhile for the Suns. Since Steve Kerr is still in love with Steve Nash, it’s doubtful that he’d want to bring in a point guard like Davis.

      Los Angeles Lakers
      The Lakers aren’t going to make a deal of this magnitude given their current record and Phoenix would probably refuse to trade with a division rival. However, a straight Gasol-for-Stoudemire deal would work, as would a deal that included Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar and a first round pick.

      Memphis Grizzlies
      The Grizzlies have a number of young talented pieces that the Suns might be interested in, but they don’t have any expiring contracts to provide Phoenix with salary cap relief. However, the Suns might go for a deal that included O.J. Mayo, Kyle Lowry and Darko Milicic, wouldn’t they? If the Grizzlies didn’t want to give up Mayo, they could offer up Gay instead, though I think that would be a mistake.

      Miami Heat
      Miami is considered one of the teams with a real shot at landing Stoudemire, but it looks like they’d have to give up Michael Beasley to get him. (And it appears that the Suns aren’t all that high on the rookie.) If the Heat were to offer up Beasley and Shawn Marion’s expiring contract, the Suns would have to throw in a couple of small contracts like Alando Tucker and Goran Dragic along with Amare to make the numbers work. This deal would give the Suns the salary cap relief they’re looking for and a young star to build around. The Heat would be able to pair Stoudemire with Dwyane Wade, giving the team a championship-caliber duo.

      One thing working against this trade is that the Heat should be able to sign a big-name free agent (along with Wade) this summer or next if they simply let Marion’s deal expire. That would give them Wade, Beasley and whoever they sign to build around. However, if they were to pass on Stoudemire here, they run the risk of not being able to sign a big to go along with Wade in the summer of 2010. Miami is a pretty attractive place to play, so they do have a good shot at Amare or Chris Bosh in 2010 if they just stand pat.

      If Steve Kerr is dead set on moving Amare, this is a pretty sweet deal. Beasley is a budding star.

      Milwaukee Bucks
      Why am I even bothering? My beloved Bucks don’t have the pieces to pull off a deal. Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson are overpaid, and Milwaukee simply doesn’t have any expiring contracts that would be of value to the Suns. If Phoenix REALLY liked Charlie Villanueva and Luke Ridnour, this deal would work, but I’m not going to hold my breath. If the Suns liked Charlie V AND Andrew Bogut, and didn’t care about the cap ramifications (yeah, right), a deal that included Villanueva, Bogut and Damon Jones would work (for Stoudemire plus Tucker).

      Minnesota Timberwolves
      I don’t think the T-Wolves would part with Al Jefferson, so any potential deal would probably have to include either Kevin Love or Randy Foye. How about Love, Mike Miller and Jason Collins expiring contract for Amare? That deal would give the Suns a starter-quality player (Miller), a nice young prospect (Love) and salary cap relief (Collins).

      New Jersey Nets
      Does Steve Kerr still consider the lying-about-his-age Yi Jianlian to be a good prospect? If so, a deal that included Yi along with Brook Lopez and the expiring contracts of Stromile Swift and Jarvis Hayes would provide the Suns with some salary cap relief and a couple of young prospects.

      New Orleans Hornets
      My guess is that David West is untouchable at this point, so I don’t really see a legitimate trade offer coming from the Hornets. They could offer up Tyson Chandler and Julian Wright, but that wouldn’t give the Suns any cap relief.

      New York Knicks
      There appears to be some bad blood between Steve Kerr (or Robert Sarver) and the Suns former coach, Mike D’Antoni, so it is unlikely that the Suns will deal with the Knicks. But if New York offered David Lee, Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler and Malik Rose’s expiring contract, the Suns would have to think about it, right? The downside for Phoenix is that Lee and Robinson will need to sign new contracts soon, so that offsets the salary cap relief they’d get from the deal. For the Knicks, it would be a heck of a lot easier to sign LeBron next summer if Amare is already in New York.

      Oklahoma City Thunder
      The Thunder would have a tough time re-signing Stoudemire, but they have the expiring contracts and young players to make a deal work. Would the Suns go for an offer of Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox’s expiring contract? I think they might. The deal would give the Thunder a very dangerous duo to build around, assuming they can convince Amare to stay.

      Orlando Magic
      I don’t see a deal happening here. Orlando’s stars are all locked up to long term deals, so unless the Suns really covet Hedo Turkoglu (and are willing to pay him big bucks next season), it’s just not feasible. An offer of Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson and Redick would work, but the Magic aren’t going to go for that.

      Philadelphia 76ers
      The Sixers made their big move last offseason when they signed Elton Brand, and that hasn’t turned out very well (yet). Philly might be able to squeeze Amare out of the Suns if they offered up Andre Miller (and his expiring contract) and rising star Thaddeus Young, but eventually Brand and Stoudemire would have to play together and I’m not exactly sure how that would work.

      Portland Trailblazers
      Reportedly, the Blazers are considering a trade that would send LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless and Raef LaFrentz’s huge expiring contract for Stoudemire and a throw-in. That’s a pretty good deal for the Suns, as it would give them salary cap relief, a young star (Aldridge) and a good prospect (Bayless). I’m not sure that I would do that deal if I’m Portland, but it’s a simple preference between Aldridge and his upside and Stoudemire’s current ability.

      Sacramento Kings
      Would the Kings be willing to trade away their affordable star, Kevin Martin, for a shot at Stoudemire? How about Martin, Jason Thompson and Bobby Jackson’s expiring contract? That wouldn’t leave the Kings with much, but they didn’t have much to begin with. The real challenge would be to get Amare to re-sign next summer.

      San Antonio Spurs
      A deal with the Spurs just isn’t going to happen. They would need to be willing to give up either Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili, and they simply aren’t going to take the risk. The Spurs look like the second-best team in the West, so why tinker?

      Toronto Raptors
      There has been a lot of talk about Chris Bosh wanting out of Toronto, but he denies telling the team that he’s not going to re-sign next summer. A straight Bosh-for-Stoudemire swap would work, but the Raptors probably aren’t going to go for it. Bosh is a better defender and is more likely to re-sign than Amare would be. They might as well hold onto Bosh and hope for the best. The Raptors apparently want to pair Bosh with Stoudemire, but I think it’s going to take an offer of Jose Calderon, Andrea Barngani and Anthony Parker’s expiring deal to get the Suns to bite.

      Utah Jazz
      Boozer is going to opt out this summer. He may elect to re-sign, but the Jazz run the risk of losing him without compensation. What about a Boozer-for-Stoudemire swap? Boozer is more injury-prone, so the Jazz might have to throw Ronnie Brewer in to make it equitable (and to make the numbers work).

      Washington Wizards
      I don’t think the Suns would want to take on Gilbert Arenas’ balky knees or Antawn Jamison’s big contract, and the Wizards don’t have any expiring deals to speak of, so they’d have to do it with talent. How about Caron Butler, Nick Young and Javaris Crittenton for Amare? I love Butler’s game, so if I’m the Suns I’d have to think about it. Of course, if I’m running the Wizards, Butler is pretty much untouchable.

      So what do you think? Are any of these trades completely unreasonable? If your favorite team were offered a shot at Stoudemire, would you want them to jump on it? And if you’re a Suns fan, which trade seems to be the best?

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals, Rumors & Gossip

      Five worst officiating calls of 2008

      December 17, 2008 /

      Ed HochuliYeah, officials have blown a lot this year. But here are just five incidents in 2008 when they blew big time:

      1. Washington vs. BYU, Sept. 6: Granted, Washington lost every game this season, but they clearly had a shot to beat BYU in September. The Huskies’ quarterback Jake Locker scored a touchdown with two seconds left to bring his team within one. After diving into the end zone, Locker threw his hands — and the ball — into the air in, what appeared to be, a natural reaction of pure excitement. The ref, however, ruled the ball-flipping and jumping up and down to be “excessive celebration.” As a result, kicker Ryan Perkins was placed an extra 15 yards back, his game-tying extra point was blocked and the Huskies lost.

      2. 2008 World Series, Game 3: An error by the first base umpire in Game 3 of the Fall Classic nearly gave the Tampa Bay Rays a series-turning win over the Phillies. It was the top of seventh, Rays at bat. Carl Crawford led off and tapped a well-placed bunt up the first-base line. The Phillies near-46-year-old Jamie Moyer dashed down the line, dove to field the ball and, in one graceful motion, tossed it to Ryan Howard at first, who snatched out of the air bare-handed with his foot on the bag. It looked as though Howard — with ball in hand — stood on the base awaiting Crawford’s arrival. The umpire thought otherwise. Safe! The Rays scored two subsequent runs to come back within one, but the Phillies managed to hang on to their lead for the win and, well, you know the rest.

      3. Georgetown vs. Villanova, Feb. 11: Like Holmes’ catch, this one was all about the line. With the score tied at 53 apiece and only a second left on the clock, Georgetown’s Jonathan Wallace sped up the floor, dodging Villanova defenders. Still 70-something feet from the basket, Wallace heard the ref blow the whistle and, thinking there was no way a foul would be called in such a tight situation, Wallace assumed he stepped out of bounds. And when you assume you … I won’t go there. In short, the ref did the unthinkable and called a foul on ‘Nova’s Corey Stokes, gave Wallace two freebies at the line and handed Georgetown a 55-53 win.

      4. Heat vs. Clippers, Nov. 29: Sometimes a bad call is any call. With Miami trailing 97-96 and the clock reading 7.6 seconds, Los Angeles’ Baron Davis inbounded the ball after a Miami score. With none of his teammates open, he heaved the ball down court, hoping a Clipper would miraculously take control. Dwayne Wade got it instead. As he grabbed the ball out of mid-air and was falling onto the scorers’ table, Wade threw the ball toward the three lone Heat players near the basket. The ref thought Wade had stepped out of bounds but, after reviewing the play, the steal was upheld. Unfortunately, the breakaway play was cut off, and the Heat was forced to inbounds, which resulted in the Clippers fouling and, ultimately, the Heat losing.

      5. Broncos vs. Chargers, Sept. 14: Here you go, Ravens fans. If you thought your call was bad, think about how the Chargers felt on this one. With less than two minutes remaining, the Broncos lined up on the Chargers 1-yard line with the chance to tie the game. As Jay Cutler dropped back, the ball slipped out of his hands and into those of San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins. As soon as the ball touched the ground, referee Ed Hochuli quickly — too quickly — blew his whistle. Hochuli ruled an incomplete pass, though the replay clearly showed it was a fumble. So, Denver regrouped, scored a touchdown, followed with a two-point conversion and won 39-38. Hochuli later apologized for his error.

      You’ll never get a Charger fan to say this but I still feel bad for Hochuli. That guy has been a great ref throughout his career but he’ll always be remembered for this one mistake. Albeit it was a massive mistake, but still…

      General Sports, MLB, NBA, NFL

      Bill Simmons lambastes Mike Dunleavy, Sr.

      November 28, 2008 /

      In the Sports Guy’s latest column, he talks about all sorts of NBA storylines, but finishes with this gem about Clipper coach and GM, Mike Dunleavy.

      10. In the post-Isiah era, is Mike Dunleavy the single most destructive coach/executive in the NBA right now?

      Forget that he’s a mediocre coach and an even worse GM, that Clippers fans openly grumble about him during games, that he dresses like a movie usher, that he forced out Elgin Baylor (only an NBA icon and the most beloved employee in the organization), that he clearly has nude photos of somebody important and that can be the only explanation for all of this.

      Forget that he only succeeded for one season with the Clippers — when Sam Cassell was basically running the team — and screwed up the 2006 playoffs with the forever-indefensible substitution of an ice-cold rookie named Daniel Ewing during the biggest moment of the Phoenix series (when Raja Bell hit the game-tying 3-pointer in Game 5 over, you guessed it, Daniel Ewing).

      Forget that he spent $65 million on Baron Davis this summer — a player who only thrives in a specific type of freewheeling system — then saddled him in a half-court offense with two centers and about 500 plays. Well done. Way to know your personnel, Mike. Maybe that’s why, within five games, poor Baron was regarding you with the same contempt that somebody’s wife would have if their husband showed up at 7 in the morning reeking of booze and cigarettes and wearing the previous day’s clothes. He couldn’t be more bummed out. It’s not possible. You did this to him.

      Forget that he blew the only asset he had after Elton Brand screwed over the team — cap space — by acquiring 34-year-old Marcus Camby, as if this team had a chance to contend or something, when he already had another starting center making $10 million a year named Chris Kaman. Forget that he blew any chance they had for a superstar in the Summer of 2010 by dumping Cuttino Mobley’s corpse and Tim Thomas’ corpse to New York for Zach Randolph, leading to a Camby-Randolph-Kaman logjam down low that should go great with Baron’s run-and-gun game. And forget that Camby and Kaman now have matching discount signs around their necks and Dunleavy pretends he isn’t shopping them to other teams.

      (Quick tangent: The previous two paragraphs were just an incredible sequence of events. There was no rhyme or reason to those three moves other than, “I have no plan whatsoever.” It was like watching someone open an Irish bar in downtown Boston, then serve wine, cheese and caviar to the confused customers. I gotta say, I loved it. As a season-ticket holder who only attends Clipper games to see opposing teams and prays for as much unintentional comedy as possible, this season has been a godsend … and Randolph hasn’t even thrown a punch at Ricky Davis yet. Is it too late to sign Ruben Patterson and Michael Richards? I might send them an extra $2,000 as a “Thank you!”)

      Again, forget all these things. Just come back with me to two Mondays ago. The Clippers are tied with a depleted Spurs team. Less than 29 seconds remain on the clock. I’m talking to the disgruntled father-son combo behind me (Lenny and Jessie) and make the mistake of saying that the Clips might pull this one out.

      “No!!!!!” Jessie screams.

      He grew up going to Clipper games, like me with the Celtics, only the bizarro experience. He knows better.

      “You don’t understand!” he continues. “They’re going to make the go-ahead shot, and we won’t even get a shot off! That’s how this game is going to end! And it’s going to keep ending this way until you alert the entire country that MIKE DUNLEAVY IS A TERRIBLE COACH AND NEEDS TO GO!!!!!”

      Well, then. I think I said something like, “Hey, how ’bout those Mets!” and turned back to the game. The Spurs came out of timeout and ran a high screen with Duncan and Roger Mason. Both defenders went with Duncan — of course they did, it’s a poorly coached team — and Mason nailed a wide-open, go-ahead 3-pointer. Eight seconds left. I turned back to Jessie, who was nodding maniacally and screaming, “See! See! Now watch this. We won’t get a shot off!”

      Dunleavy called timeout to set up a play that obviously should have been, “Baron, we’ll set you a double screen, beat someone off the dribble, pull up and drain a 3-pointer.” Again, Baron Davis is on this team. He lives for these moments.

      They come out of the huddle. The first sign of trouble: Three-point specialist and 12th man Steve Novak has entered the game for the Clippers. Why? I have no idea. This is a Dunleavy speciality — throw the coldest bench guy in the game in the biggest possible spot. With the Spurs still trickling onto the court after the timeout, we watch in horror as Novak is STRETCHING to get himself loose. He’s stretching! He looks like a 45-year-old guy who just got called into a Thankgiving touch football game. That’s followed by a 20-second timeout, which gives Novak time to perform an impromptu pilates session at the top of the key. At this point, I would have bet my life on a Novak airball to end the game. And thank God nobody took the bet, because this is the play they ran:

      Ball goes into Baron near midcourt. He dribbles left and hands the ball off to Ricky, who’s coming the other way and stops. A couple of problems here: First, Ricky might be the worst swingman in the league right now. (Look at his stats. He’s an abomination. He’s 29 years old going on 47. Through 13 Clipper games before he was mercifully benched, Ricky was shooting 27.2 percent from the field and 27.3 percent on 3-pointers. At least he’s consistent.) I guarantee that, in the Spurs huddle, Popovich never said the words, “Look, be careful with Ricky Davis, don’t let him beat us!” You can imagine his delight as Ricky killed time at midcourt. Meanwhile, the clock was dwindling. 5 … 4 … 3. The fans started screaming in horror. This was like watching a little kid wander into traffic.

      At the two-second mark, Ricky passed to Baron Davis, who had just sprinted a lap around halfcourt — going from the top of the key to the left corner, then under the basket, then to the right corner, and now he was popping out in front of the Clippers’ bench. Normally, this would have been an awesome play if, you know, Baron Davis didn’t have to run a half-court lap in five seconds. I don’t even think Usain Bolt could do this. So Baron catches the pass and has to immediately hoist up a three while flying full-speed the other way after having broken the world record for “fastest half-court lap ever.” As the pass is heading toward Baron, Tim Duncan — one of the smarter players of all time — realizes that, “Hey, there are only two seconds left, as soon as Baron catches this, he has to throw it up.” So he jumps out on Baron.

      Now Baron catches the ball with his body going 35 mph away from his own basket and two players jumping at him, one of whom is 6-foot-11, so he rushes up a 25-foot 3-point shot. You’re not going to believe this, but it didn’t go in. It didn’t even hit the rim. The good news was that Steve Novak got some solid stretching in.

      And as we were filing out of the Staples Center in complete and utter disgust, wondering how the Clippers could possibly run a play that took 12 seconds to execute — minimum — when they only had eight seconds, I turned to see a disgusted Jessie again.

      “Hey, at least the shot hit the backboard,” I joked. “Moral victory!”

      Jessie couldn’t speak. He’s about 15 more home losses away from pulling a Reverse Artest, charging the court, tackling Dunleavy and serving the mandatory prison sentence.

      My point is this: Somehow, someway, in one of the most inexplicable turn of events that’s ever happened in this league, Mike Dunleavy is the only person currently coaching an NBA team and handling personnel decisions at the same time. Mike Dunleavy! How does this happen? My head hurts.

      Humor, NBA

      Concerns over Mobley’s heart condition holding up Randolph trade

      November 25, 2008 /

      Zach Randolph has joined the Clippers, but he can’t play until Cuttino Mobley sees a heart specialist.

      The source said Mobley would see a heart specialist on Tuesday.

      When asked about ESPN.com’s report by reporters after the Clippers game on Monday, coach Mike Dunleavy said: “From the standpoint of Cuttino’s concern, there’s nothing they have or don’t have that hasn’t been known to us or hasn’t been approved by us and all the other teams he’s played for. Neither one of those guys has had any issues with any of the things that are even being talked about.

      “All I know is that if Cuttino has anything, he’s been asymptomatic,” Dunleavy said. “He’s never had any issue with us. There’s never been one time that he missed a practice or missed a game or had any issues in any physical of any kind for us. I mean, I’ve been told by our doctors that the things that are under concern is not something that we haven’t known about or have had any issues with. So hopefully, it won’t be an issue.”

      Another source told ESPN.com that Mobley’s condition has been present throughout his career and has never been a grave concern, although the Knicks were prudent in their diligence.

      On the surface it would be hard to imagine the Knicks wanting to void the trade because they achieved their goal of clearing Randolph’s contract (which carried two more years and $33.3 million after this season).

      No disrespect to Cuttino Mobley, but why would the Knicks even care if he has a heart condition? This trade is mostly a salary dump, though there is the possibility that Mobley and Tim Thomas may see some minutes this season. But really, if Mobley weren’t able to play, would the Knicks really take Randolph (and his salary) back?

      If your goal is to free up cap space to make a run at LeBron James in 2010, and you’ve successfully found a sucker to take on Zach Randolph’s contract, then why would you jeopardize it by holding up the deal?

      Click here for an in-depth analysis of how the Randolph trade affects the Knicks’ future salary cap flexibility.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      For Knicks, Randolph trade is all about 2010

      November 24, 2008 /

      GM Donnie Walsh has pulled the trigger on another trade. After trading Jamal Crawford for Al Harrington, Walsh sent Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to the Los Angeles Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas. The Knicks have long been looking to rid themselves of Randolph and his fat contract (which runs an additional two seasons at the tune of $33 M), even going so far as to “feature” the forward this season, allowing him to post near-career numbers (20.5 points, 12.4 rebounds), despite shooting just 43% from the field. If there are any Knicks fans wondering why Mike D’Antoni was playing Randolph 35 minutes but only giving 28 to David Lee, this is probably the reason why.

      By allowing Randolph to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, the Knicks were simply baiting another team to trade for him. In this case, it was the Clippers that came knocking. The team is 2-11, and still clearly reeling from offseason loss of Elton Brand. Randolph is sort of a “Brand Lite,” in that he can do a lot of the same (offensive) things as Elton, he just can’t do them very efficiently.

      But this trade should be examined from a fiscal standpoint, because in this case it’s all about the money. Mobley and Thomas both have contracts that expire in the summer of 2010, when a number of high-profile free agents (including LeBron James) should hit the free agent market. By trading away Randolph, the Knicks are now only on the hook for $20 million. In fact, no Knick is currently under contract for the 2010-11 season, but Eddy Curry ($11.3 million) and Jared Jeffries ($6.9 million) are likely to exercise their player options. And based on his improved play this season, the team is likely to exercise its option on Wilson Chandler’s rookie contract. These three deals roughly equal $20 million. There is also Danilo Gallinari’s rookie contract to consider, but the team will likely take a wait-and-see approach given the young forward’s balky back.

      The trade also allows the Knicks to re-sign David Lee and Nate Robinson if they choose to do so. Over the past couple of seasons, the conventional wisdom was that the franchise would not be able to keep both players if they hoped to have the necessary salary cap space to make a run at one or two big-name free agents in 2010. With only $20 million committed, the Knicks could sign one or both players, but they need to be careful not to overpay.

      Lee’s Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is down from a terrific 18.18 last season to a below-average 14.25 this season. Looking at his stats, his numbers have taken a dive in two categories: rebound rate (17.5 to 12.9) and true shooting percentage (60.6 to 56.2). The TS% is not guaranteed to bounce back, but with the departure of Randolph, there should be plenty of rebounds for Lee to gobble up.

      So what is he worth? Well, it would be a coup if the Knicks could sign the 6’9” forward to a deal somewhere in the range of $6-$7 million per season. He’d be a nice fit alongside LeBron on the front line, but the truth is that Lee is the kind of player that can fit in with just about anyone.

      While Lee has struggled with some of his numbers this season, Robinson is having a career year in D’Antoni’s system. His PER (18.07) represents a healthy jump from his numbers last season (15.70) and is currently the 12th-best amongst point guards. This rise can be mainly attributed to his better shooting and passing under D’Antoni.

      Robinson has shown promise, he’s still just 5’9”, so the Knicks need to be careful not to pay him the kind of salary that a bigger guard (posting similar numbers) would command. Still, his production in D’Antoni’s offense has been terrific, so a salary in the $5-$6 million range seems appropriate if the team views him as its point guard of the future.

      So, conceivably, the Knicks could have a core of Lee, Robinson and the improved Chandler, along with a payroll of about $33 million heading into the summer of 2010. Assuming a salary cap of $60 million (which is a conservative estimate), that’s plenty of space to sign LeBron. Given the Nets struggles with the move to Brooklyn, it suddenly looks like the Knicks are LeBron’s most likely landing spot. Playing in Manhattan would only serve to boost his monstrous profile – remember, he said his top goal is to be a “global icon” – and he’s already comfortable with D’Antoni after the two worked together the last few summers as part of Team USA. Moreover, D’Antoni’s up-tempo attack would be a perfect (and attractive) fit for LeBron’s skill set.

      The Knicks would have an additional $18 million in 2011 once the contracts of Curry and Jeffries are off the books, but if the team is able to rid themselves of those contracts prior to that fateful summer, or if they elect just to re-sign only Lee (or only Robinson) they would have the cap room to sign not one, but two superstars.

      Just imagine a lineup of LeBron, Lee, Robinson and Chandler along with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire, and D’Antoni’s decision to move to New York instead of Chicago becomes much more clear.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

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