Tag: Summer of 2010 (Page 55 of 63)

      Butler to the Bulls?

      January 4, 2010 /

      That’s the rumor, according to the Chicago Sun-Times…

      Rumors were circulating Sunday that the Washington Wizards, in an attempt to shake things up, are shopping swingman Caron Butler, with the Bulls and the Miami Heat being the likely trading partners.

      From the Bulls, the Wizards reportedly would seek guard Kirk Hinrich to provide some stability. The rumors also had the expiring contracts of Jerome James and Mike James being included, although the contracts of Butler ($9.78 million) and Hinrich ($9.5 million) are close enough to do the deal straight up.

      Once thought untouchable due to his skill level and affordable contract, the Wizards are actually thinking about trading the 29-year-old Butler away. Next season, he is set to make $10.6 million in the final year of his contract. That’s not bad for a guy who has proven that he can score like Butler has. (He posted back-to-back 20+ point seasons with Gilbert Arenas sidelined.)

      While I like Kirk Hinrich’s defensive mentality and willingness to share the ball, a straight up trade would be a coup for the Bulls if they can retain enough cap space to sign a big-name free agent (Dwyane Wade?) next summer. Butler’s salary next season is $1.6 million more than Hinrich’s, so assuming a cap of $50 million in 2010-2011, that would trim the Bulls’ cap space from around $12.5 million to less than $11 million. Of course, these figures assume that John Salmons does not terminate the final year of his deal (~$5.8 million).

      With a core of Rose, Butler, Deng and Noah, the Bulls would be a very attractive place for Wade to land. The post mentioned that the Heat are also interested in Butler, which is interesting considering the Butler-to-Chicago rumors.

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      NBA ticket revenues fall 7.4 percent

      December 28, 2009 /

      Per Ken Berger of CBSSports.com…

      Average paid attendance is down 3.7 percent in the NBA through the first quarter of the regular season, sending gate receipts plummeting 7.4 percent, according to league documents obtained by CBSSports.com.

      Why are gate receipts important? Bill Simmons explains…

      The attendance number doesn’t matter because it’s so easy to manipulate; teams either fib or boost the total by giving tickets away for absurdly low prices, hoping to recoup some of it through concessions and merchandise sales.

      Berger goes further…

      They’re also important because ticket revenue factors into the overall basketball-related income (BRI) figure that is used to set the salary cap and luxury tax thresholds for next season. The NBA has stood by its projection of a decline in overall revenue this season between 2.5 percent and 5 percent, which would result in the salary cap declining from its current $57.7 million to between $50.4 million and $53.6 million. But a bigger than expected decline in BRI would seriously hamper certain teams’ plans to be big spenders in the 2010 free-agent market.

      The article also has a statement from the NBA saying that the gate receipts are down less than the league’s projections, due to creative marketing campaigns used to boost attendance (i.e. lowering prices and hoping increase revenue from concessions, parking, etc.).

      The NBA’s statement suggests that the salary cap may not fall as far as the lower end of the aforementioned range (~$50.4 million). This is important to teams looking to spend next summer. For example, the Knicks would have $23.1 million to spend under a $50.4 million cap (not enough for two max contracts), but would have $26.3 million to spend under a $53.6 million cap (almost enough for two max contracts — Brandon Roy’s extension starts at $13.5 million next season).


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      NBA

      Wade and LeBron plan to “sit down and talk about” playing together in 2010

      December 23, 2009 /

      This came straight from Dwyane Wade, via Peter Vecsey of the New York Post…

      “A lot of times in this league, players usually wind up going where they can get the most money. We’re both blessed within that area. We’ve made a lot of money. So we wanted to base our decision on two things, the organization and the ability to win a title. And that’s what we’ll do. When the season is over, we plan to sit down and talk about it.

      “I’m not saying it will happen. But I’m intrigued by the idea.

      “I probably couldn’t have handled playing with someone like LeBron earlier in my career, but I’m older now. You’re talking about two big egos and meshing them. That’d take a lot of sacrifice on LeBron’s part and it’d take a lot of sacrifice on my part to succeed. But we would succeed because we know winning takes care of everything.”

      The Heat will have the cap space to re-sign Wade and sign another max contract free agent, but other than that, there aren’t any teams out there with that kind of flexibility. If the Knicks can shed Jared Jeffries’ contract (which seems more likely than moving Eddy Curry at this point) they would also be able to sign two max players.

      If the Heat were able to sign both Wade and LeBron, I think they’d have to agree beforehand to take the same money, so the two are on equal footing. (The Heat can offer Wade an extra year since they hold his rights.) It’s not often that two swingmen of this caliber are paired together, but it worked pretty well in Chicago with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and I don’t see why it couldn’t work in Miami (or New York, for that matter). The Jordan/Pippen combo was a bit different as MJ was the clear alpha dog while Pippin was tasked with being the team’s defensive stopper, though with their Team USA experience, LeBron and Wade are going into next summer with open eyes. They know they can play together.

      Cavs fans shouldn’t hold out hope that Wade will land in Cleveland. The team doesn’t have the cap space necessary to sign a free agent of his caliber, so it would have to be done via sign-and-trade (i.e. the Heat would have to agree to trade him). The chances of that happening are slim to none.


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      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Great Quotes: Tracy McGrady

      December 17, 2009 /

      T-Mac speaks out about where he wants to be next season, via Fanhouse…

      “Money is not an issue for me…If it boiled down to it, I got a great, great adidas contract. So money is not an issue. I just want to win. That’s my main focus…At this stage of my career, it’s all about winning. I don’t care about a max contract or nothing like that. I want to play basketball, and I want to win. … There’s no question (about wanting to return to Houston). I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket, but definitely this is where I’d love to be.”

      — Tracy McGrady

      McGrady is in the final year of his contract and is making $23 million per season, so he’s right to not expect a max contract — the market simply won’t bear it. Whether or not the Rockets want to bring him back will depend on how well he can fit into the team concept that Daryl Morey and Rick Adelman have created in Houston.

      McGrady played a few minutes the other night, but seems a long way away from competing at the level that he was at prior to his injury. The Rockets would be wise to ease him back into some minutes and see what his trade value is. If they can pry a first round pick or a good young prospect away from another team and not take on any additional long term salary in the process, they should pull the trigger.

      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Amare Stoudemire staying in Phoenix?

      December 15, 2009 /

      When asked whether or not he’ll make a move prior to the February trade deadline, Suns GM Steve Kerr said the following (via FanHouse)…

      “I don’t think we’re going to do anything,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with this group.”

      Kerr was asked if that means Stoudemire, who can opt out of his contract next summer and become a free agent, is safe from being moved.

      “I’d be pretty surprised if we did anything,” Kerr said. “We’re playing well. You always want to get better and you never say never (regarding a move). But we’re playing well.”

      For his part, Stoudemire says that he’s not sure that he’s going to opt out at the end of the season.

      “I’m right in the middle,’ he said. “There’s no particular way I’m leaning.”

      “It’s up to them to approach me about whatever situation they think, whatever they’re thinking,” Stoudemire said. “Until then, I’m just going to keep playing and keep trying to win. The ball is pretty much in their court. Whenever they’re ready to discuss anything, just let me know. If not, I’m just going to keep playing.”

      What a difference winning makes. The Suns are 16-8, an impressive mark considering Phoenix has only played eight home games thus far. They’re getting good play from Stoudemire (19-8, 56% shooting), Steve Nash (18-3-11, 53%) and Jason Richardson (16-5-2, career-high 48% shooting). Grant Hill (12-6-2) and Channing Frye (12-6) round out a pretty balanced starting five.

      If the Suns can keep winning, Kerr is unlikely to make any moves. I’ve been hard on him over the last couple of seasons (mainly for trading Shawn Marion and letting Mike D’Antoni slip away), but the proof is in the pudding. He realized that the Shaq trade got the Suns away from what they do best — push the ball. The Suns are running again (4th in the NBA in pace) and that style suits their personnel.

      If Amare is still on the roster after the trade deadline, then it’s up to the Suns to decide whether or not they want to commit to him long term. He’s still likely to opt-out, especially if he stays healthy and continues to play well. There are too many teams with salary cap space to let an opportunity for a long-term contract pass him by.


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      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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