Tag: NBA rumors (Page 28 of 30)

      Is Jennings’ stock taking a hit?

      June 20, 2009 /

      Brandon Jennings has changed his mind about working out for a few teams recently, and it may be due to concerns that he’s going to slip in next week’s draft.

      In New Jersey, after avoiding the Nets for weeks, Brandon Jennings is expected to join a group for a workout Saturday. The Star-Ledger reports the reason for the about-face is, as one scout said, that Jennings is “sliding like a five-year-old in the park.” More evidence of a fall for Jennings comes from Phoenix, where The Arizona Republic reports Jennings will work out for the Suns, who hold the 14th pick.

      I called Jennings “the wild card” a few weeks ago, and it seems like he has one of the biggest ranges in the draft. He could go as early as #3 or #4, or he could slip to the mid-teens (or further). The point guard depth in this draft is excellent, but the teams at the bottom of the lottery aren’t necessarily in the market. Toronto (#9) has Jose Calderon, New Jersey (#11) has Devin Harris, Charlotte (#12) has Ray Felton and D.J. Augustin. Indiana (#13) and Phoenix (#14) could go with a point guard, but Detroit (#15) and Chicago (#16) likely will look to fill other needs.

      With six or seven guards vying for four or five picks in the top 10, someone is going to slip to Indiana or Phoenix in the middle of the round. I wouldn’t be surprised if Philadelphia has a shot at a good guard at #17.

      NBA, NBA Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Jefferson-for-Stoudemire, your dumb rumor of the day

      June 18, 2009 /

      Earlier today, the Boston Globe reported that the Suns and T-Wolves were working on a trade that would send Al Jefferson and the #6 pick to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire.

      Hours later, that rumor was shot down.

      An NBA source said today that Minnesota forward-center Al Jefferson is not being traded to the Suns with the sixth overall pick for Suns All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire. An NBA executive told The Globe on Wednesday that the teams discussed the trade. But another source acknowledged the discussion, but also said the Suns were quickly turned down.

      This is the sort of rumor that just doesn’t pass the smell test. Forget the #6 pick, why would the T-Wolves trade Jefferson, who is already a 23/11 guy at the age of 24 and is locked into a pretty reasonable deal for four more years at the tune of $13.5 million per, for Stoudemire, a 26-year-old 21/8 guy who can opt out of his contract after the season and has already had microfracture and eye surgery in his career? I wouldn’t even make that deal straight up, much less throw in the #6 pick.

      Ridiculous.

      NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Lawson, Williams & Henderson — moving up?

      June 18, 2009 /

      On his draft buzz blog, Chad Ford lists a few guys that may crash the top 10 next week.

      North Carolina’s Ty Lawson has taken some abuse during the draft workout process, but it sounds as though teams are starting to come around. Lawson was, without question, the most productive point guard in the draft. Teams are skeptical because of his size and his style of play. But he’s been great in several recent workouts according to sources and apparently is in the mix with the Knicks at No. 8 if guys like Curry and Hill are off the board. Lawson also is still on the board at No. 10 to Milwaukee and the Pacers at No. 13 and the Sixers at No. 17 are also giving him a serious look. If Lawson ends up crashing the top 10, that would probably push either Holiday or Flynn out.

      Louisville’s Terrence Williams is another player who is a potential lottery crasher. The Warriors have been high on Williams all year and will seriously consider him at No. 7. And Williams also seems to have seriously moved into the mix with the Nets at No. 11 and the Bobcats at No. 12. In fact, sources say that Williams has been invited back to Charlotte for a second time. One league source says that he’s leapfrogged Duke’s Gerald Henderson on Larry Brown’s board.

      The final guy to watch is Henderson, who is getting a serious look in New York, Toronto and Charlotte. In each case I think there are players ahead of him on each team’s draft boards, but under certain scenarios I think he could go 8 to 12. However, if DeMar DeRozan is on the board at No. 9, I think he’s going ahead of Henderson in Toronto. And, if the source on Williams is to be believed, it’s possible that Henderson could slide out of the lottery.

      Regular readers know I’ve been high on Lawson throughout this entire process despite all the negative feelings towards his game. Given his production and performance at North Carolina, I think he’d be a steal for a team in the middle of the first round looking for a point guard. The Pacers (#13), the Sixers (#16) and the Hawks (#19) all would be good fits. I’d be surprised if he cracked the top 12, as the Bobcats (#12), the Nets (#11), the Bucks (#10) and the Raptors (#9) already have their point guards. (Though Milwaukee may be in the market if they are dumb enough to let Ramon Sessions walk.)

      As for Williams, he’s not much of a scorer, but he can play defense, distribute the ball and rebound really well for a wing. I’d still take Henderson over Williams because he is just as athletic and has proved that he can improve his offensive game. Williams has the better handle and is the better passer. There is a lot of margin for error when trying to predict where these guys will go because this draft is relatively thin at shooting guard. The only true shooting guard in the top 10 is Harden. Curry, Evans and Holiday are considered to be combo guards, and DeRozan looks like a swingman. Then there are Henderson, Williams, Budinger and Ellington to round out the first round.

      NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip

      NBA Rumors: Bosh and Wade talk about 2010, David Lee to Portland, and more

      June 17, 2009 /

      Chris Bosh discussed Miami as a possible destination next summer.

      “As of right now, I’m not sure. I like Miami, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t know what comes along with being a part of that organization. I don’t even have any friends in Miami, which was the funniest part. A close friend of mine hit me yesterday and was like ‘Hey there’s another article out’ and I was like ‘What now?’ ‘Apparently a friend in Miami said you’re going to Miami.’ He sent me the article and I read it, and I’m like, ‘now they’re just making stuff up.'”

      For Heat fans, re-signing Dwyane Wade and signing Bosh would be a dream scenario next summer. The best thing Miami has going for it (other than South Beach, of course) is Wade, so if Bosh signs he better hope that Wade doesn’t pull an Elton Brand and bolt. Speaking of…

      Dwyane Wade discussed his hometown of Chicago as a possible destination next summer.

      “I’m not ruling out a lot of places, including Chicago, but I’m not really thinking about those places. Like I said, 2010 is the year when I will sit down and open up my options and, hopefully, I’m still blessed and healthy to have those options and then go from there. But Miami is my number one option and I’ve made that clear. That’s where I want to be and, hopefully, we can get everything right here in Miami.”

      Wade is just keeping his options open. He has said repeatedly that he’d like to stay in Miami, but he’s keeping the organization’s feet to the fire by insinuating that he still might leave if the franchise is unable to surround him with good players. The Heat are projected to have significant cap space next summer, so they could conceivably sign Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or even LeBron James.

      Continue reading »

      NBA, NBA Draft, News, NFL Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Does Ben Gordon have a promise from the Pistons?

      June 17, 2009 /

      The answer is yes, at least according to Sam Smith.

      But I also heard that Gordon’s agent allegedly has been saying he has an $11 million promise from the Pistons.

      First off, when a writer says that he “heard” that someone has “allegedly” been saying something, beware. But let’s assume for a moment that the report is accurate.

      On the surface, the Pistons’ interest doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Why replace Rip Hamilton with Ben Gordon? Isn’t Hamilton better?

      Gordon does have one thing on Rip — youth. He is 26, five years Hamilton’s junior. If Joe Dumars is planning to make a splash in free agency next summer, then he’s planning for a franchise resurgence in 2011, and Hamilton would be 33 at that point. If he signs Gordon, Dumars is just trying to make the Pistons younger.

      Hamilton still has a lot of value right now. He’s a sharpshooter and a pretty good defender, and there are more than a few teams that could use him. This is pure speculation, but how about a Hamilton for Boozer swap with Utah? The Jazz already have Ronnie Brewer — would they even go for it? The Spurs, Rockets, Cavs, Wizards and Hornets might be interested as well (though New Orleans is trying to trim salary, not add it.)

      Hamilton’s contract runs through the 2012-13 season but the final year isn’t fully guaranteed.

      I prefer Hamilton right now. Gordon can make some impossible shots, but he sometimes shoots the Bulls out of games. He averaged 24.3 points against the Celtics in this year’s playoffs, but he only shot 39% from the field (and 29% over the last three games). He did shoot better than 45% from the field during the regular season, which is solid for a shooting guard. I think $11 million per season is too much to pay in this market; given his faults (shot selection, suspect defense), I’d estimate Gordon’s value to be around $8 million per season.

      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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