Injuries
Dante Exum (Jazz)
Exum's season seems to be done after he elected to have surgery on the shoulder he injured during a pre-season game. Man, his rookie contract is just about up and we've barely seen the guy. Oh well, hopefully next year he'll be able to stay on the court.
Gordon Hayward (Celtics)
Hayward broke his ankle and leg about 5 minutes into his Celtics debut and is out for the season. (Dang, that was ugly!) Bet the Celtics would like to have Avery Bradley and even Demetrius Jackson back now. The Celtics got a lot of untested rookies coming off that bench, they're gonna get tested sooner rather than later.
Jeremy Lin (Nets)
Ruptured his patella tendon, won't be back this year. He was definitely going to play minutes for the Nets, a big loss for the team (though not necessarily in terms of wins and losses).
Harry Giles (Kings)
Taking a page out of the Sixers playback, the Kings announced that Giles will rehab his knee for the entire year. So we'll see Giles as a rookie next year.
Luol Deng (Lakers)
Pectoral muscle surgery will keep Deng unavailable indefinitely. Not sure if he returns this season or not.
Fired
Earl Watson (Suns)
Watson was fired 3 games into the season. Yeah, I get that the Suns have looked pretty awful in the first 3 games but I can't say I was surprised by their awfulness--indeed, who was? Didn't we all know that the Suns were going to be pretty horrible this year? Apparently morale is low in Phoenix and Watson was the fall guy. To be honest: this is how Watson got the job 3 years ago and the guy that replaces Watson has got to know that this is how he'll go out eventually too. I have no idea if Watson was the guy for this job or who is, but I don't see any more reason to fire him now than to have fired him 3 months ago or 3 months from now. Suns management hasn't made much sense to me in years, this is just par for the course really. Suns name Jay Triano the interim head coach.
Signings
Lamarcus Aldridge (Spurs) signed 3yr/$50m extension (through 2020)
This was a bit of a shock considering the rumblings all summer long about the Spurs looking to trade Aldridge. But Lamarcus is still a good scorer, he's still likely to be of comparable value to anyone else they could've signed in that slot and signing him doesn't necessarily make him less trade-able. (And I believe the 3rd year is non-guaranteed)
Richard Jefferson (Nuggets) signed 1yr/$2.3m
I kinda thought Jefferson would end up with either the Warriors or Spurs but the Nuggets are young team that could use any/all veteran presence that they can get. Jefferson is well-liked well-respected guy in the league, this is probably an excellent fit (though they had to cut Jameer Nelson to make room).
Jameer Nelson (Pelicans) signed 1yr/undisclosed
Pelicans need all the perimeter ball handlers they can get and I think Jameer is a good fit for their two big guys.
Suspended
Bobby Portis (Bulls) for 8 games
Punching a teammate during practice (sucker punch by some accounts) and shattering bones in his face is a no-no in the modern NBA. Bill Romanowski had to go on 60 Minutes and put on a Forrest Gump routine to get over the stigma of fracturing the orbital bone (and career) of a Raider teammate, not sure what kind of penance Portis will have to perform.
Eric Bledsoe (Suns)
Bledsoe had a sit-down with GM McDonough and interim coach Triano and apparently things did not go well. Bledsoe has been indefinitely suspended from the team and is likely to be traded any day now (Nuggets, Bucks have already been mentioned).
Trades
Hawks get Richard Jefferson, Kay Felder, 2019 2nd rd pick, 2020 2nd rd pick (top 55 protected), $3m cash; Cavs get the rights to Sergey Gladyr and Dimirtios Agravanis
This is just a salary dump for the Cavs and a free $3m clerical exercise for the Hawks. Both Jefferson and Felder were waived by the Hawks and as far as those 2nd round picks go the first is not likely to be any good and the second is not to likely to actually exist. So they gave up the rights to two foreign players that don't have much of a shot at playing in the NBA for $3m, while the Cavs emptied their salary cap of two players. (Felder was claimed by the Bulls--because they needed another PG!)
Showing posts with label rumors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rumors. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
NBA Transactions and Rumors
Blazers send Batum to Hornets for Vonleh and Henderson. Nicolas Batum is one of my favorite players in the league to watch....when he's not hurt. Healthy he's one of the great tenacious wing D'ers in the league, quick to turn the counterattack, unfortunately his injury-prone-ness has made that contract a bit suspicious. Looks to me like the Blazers are in full-blown rebuild mode. The Hornets clearly never thought much of Vonleh, took forever to debut, never really got regular run once he finally got in there, disappointing debut on a disappointing team; I really have no feel for what he offers the Blazer besides a cheaper contract. Henderson is one of those irrational confidence guys and guys like that need new environments to play in, Blazers should have plenty of minutes for him, he can be a useful rotation player.
Speaking of the Blazers: Afflalo's out, Batum's out, Matthews and Lopez seem set for new cities...but Steve Blake opts in when I thought he could probably make more money elsewhere. They making room for Kevin Love? Is Aldridge down with these moves or is he getting weirded out? The biggest domino has yet to tip.
Monta Ellis opted out of his contract with the Mavs. Apparently the relationship deteriorated last year (yup, I would've pissed about bringing in Rondo, too) and the word was that even if Ellis had opted in he would've been a trade chip. Who needs Monta? Grizzlies, never know what the Blazers will look like next year, ditto the Raptors. I think he fits the Sixers: veteran scorer that doesn't care that all his teammates are still too young to drink beer because...Monta doesn't pay attention to his teammates anyway. But I can't imagine the Sixers would ever pay the money Monta will want.
Kevin Love has opted out with the Cavs. I suspect a sign-and-trade is coming. Love wants to maximize his contract but doesn't really want to play in Cleveland with Lebron and Kyrie. The Cavs are willing to play the game because they know somebody will pay. It'll be tough for the Cavs to take back max money, they'll need a mid-price contributor and an expiring contract they can jettison (like say, Gerald Wallace?). I think Love moves on from the Cavs with everyone's blessing. Blazers are making moves, they Love-able?
Magic send Ridnour to Grizzlies for the right to Timma. I don't speak ill of players very often but I'm gonna let this fly: Luke Ridnour is the worst player in the NBA! WORST! He fools you because he's a fine athlete, moves well around the court and has good handle on the ball like a for-real PG. But watch him: he is NEVER where he ought to be. He never makes the right pass, never takes the right shot, is routinely beaten like a mule on defense. He's a fine athlete but he is not good at this thing called basketball. I really have no idea why the Grizzlies want him except that he'll be an energetic practice player and a reliable human being. But on the court he is a disaster, he is the worst player in the league. For the Magic to get the draft rights to a dude I never heard of is plenty more than enough for Ridnour. I'd rather have a VHS copy of whatever draft that dude was in than Luke Ridnour.
I'm not a bitter fanboy, I'm not a hater, I'm not one to call for the firing, trading, dismissing, etc., of any of these people. There are personalities occasionally that warm me (or irk me) but in general I just watch the game on the court. My dislike of Ridnour is entirely as a guy that watches a lot of basketball. Dude sucks. Think I've made my point.
Ed Davis opted out with the Lakers. I did not watch the Lakers at all this season (hmmm, seriously, I'm not sure I watched them even once) so I don't know much about Davis as a player. But my basic osmosis-like understanding is that he can probably get more than the $1.5 (or so) he was due next year from the Lakers. Also, the Lakers seem keen on getting rid of any and all contracts to make room for...Cousins? Love? Aldridge? Deandre? Well, whoever it is, it ain't Ed Davis. Where does Davis go? Plenty of teams need a young athletic center, if he can come off the bench and rebound and/or block shots, I'd think he can get $2.5-$3.5m this summer. (A lot of C's on the market this summer, not sure if that works for or against Davis's hopes for a raise)
JR Smith opted out from the Cavs, now the chatterers are saying he's looking to re-up with the Cavs. I dunno, if the Cavs keep Love that really hamstrings their spending this summer and moving Love may or may not loosen up more cash. Either way I didn't think Smith was the guy the Cavs would want. Perhaps Lebron likes Smith, otherwise I think they can do better (or at least cheaper) with that roster spot. I think Smith to the Grizzlies or somewhere is more likely but we'll see how the rumors play out.
Today there were reports about the NCAA suggesting a plan whereby college players can go to the pre-draft camps and then return to college. This is good for the players and we should applaud the fact that they are better off. But should we praise the organization that has held them down all this time? Just because the NCAA is finally going to get it right doesn't mean we should let them off the hook for decades of tyranical power over collegiate athletes. Let me hit you with a concept: if you want to be a professional basketball player then going to the pre-draft camps is just part of the job. Why has the NCAA been keeping young students from bettering themselves within their chosen profession? Are there NCAA-like institutions designed to keep computer programmers from meeting with potential employers? Or architects? Chemical biologists? Everyone else is free to pursue their opportunities within their professions, so why do we allow this phoney-baloney imaginary authority called the NCAA to yoke these young men (and do they treat the women this abominably?) rather than helping them move to the next stage of their careers? (Man I am hating tonight! One last blast) Fuck the NCAA. Some day a mighty revolutionary will appear and strike down this utterly foolish windmill called the NCAA and collegiate athletes will be allowed to flourish and live reasonable lives instead jumping through the NCAA's arbitrary hoops for no discernible reason. Seriously: fuck the NCAA. I can't wait for somebody to put them out of our misery. And will we miss the NCAA when it is gone? I assure you, we will not.
The heating-up rumor of the moment is Cousins to the Lakers in all kinds of various (imaginary) ways. I doubt this happens. In basketball its easy to forget the divisional alignments because it generally doesn't seem that important. But the Kings trading one of the biggest, bestest stars in the league for less than he's worth (I personally believe Cousins' contract is easily one of the best in the league for the next coupla years) to one of their divisional rivals is pretty implausible regardless of what the Kings get back. Why would they help the Lakers when they've been down lately, hell, now's the time for the Kings to block any and every opportunity the Lakers have to get ahead. I don't think the Kings trade Cousins (I cannot conceive of the possible deal that would be better than having Cousins in a Kings uniform for at least the next two years) and if they were dumb enough to do so, they'd trade him East, certainly not to another Cali team.
Speaking of the Blazers: Afflalo's out, Batum's out, Matthews and Lopez seem set for new cities...but Steve Blake opts in when I thought he could probably make more money elsewhere. They making room for Kevin Love? Is Aldridge down with these moves or is he getting weirded out? The biggest domino has yet to tip.
Monta Ellis opted out of his contract with the Mavs. Apparently the relationship deteriorated last year (yup, I would've pissed about bringing in Rondo, too) and the word was that even if Ellis had opted in he would've been a trade chip. Who needs Monta? Grizzlies, never know what the Blazers will look like next year, ditto the Raptors. I think he fits the Sixers: veteran scorer that doesn't care that all his teammates are still too young to drink beer because...Monta doesn't pay attention to his teammates anyway. But I can't imagine the Sixers would ever pay the money Monta will want.
Kevin Love has opted out with the Cavs. I suspect a sign-and-trade is coming. Love wants to maximize his contract but doesn't really want to play in Cleveland with Lebron and Kyrie. The Cavs are willing to play the game because they know somebody will pay. It'll be tough for the Cavs to take back max money, they'll need a mid-price contributor and an expiring contract they can jettison (like say, Gerald Wallace?). I think Love moves on from the Cavs with everyone's blessing. Blazers are making moves, they Love-able?
Magic send Ridnour to Grizzlies for the right to Timma. I don't speak ill of players very often but I'm gonna let this fly: Luke Ridnour is the worst player in the NBA! WORST! He fools you because he's a fine athlete, moves well around the court and has good handle on the ball like a for-real PG. But watch him: he is NEVER where he ought to be. He never makes the right pass, never takes the right shot, is routinely beaten like a mule on defense. He's a fine athlete but he is not good at this thing called basketball. I really have no idea why the Grizzlies want him except that he'll be an energetic practice player and a reliable human being. But on the court he is a disaster, he is the worst player in the league. For the Magic to get the draft rights to a dude I never heard of is plenty more than enough for Ridnour. I'd rather have a VHS copy of whatever draft that dude was in than Luke Ridnour.
I'm not a bitter fanboy, I'm not a hater, I'm not one to call for the firing, trading, dismissing, etc., of any of these people. There are personalities occasionally that warm me (or irk me) but in general I just watch the game on the court. My dislike of Ridnour is entirely as a guy that watches a lot of basketball. Dude sucks. Think I've made my point.
Ed Davis opted out with the Lakers. I did not watch the Lakers at all this season (hmmm, seriously, I'm not sure I watched them even once) so I don't know much about Davis as a player. But my basic osmosis-like understanding is that he can probably get more than the $1.5 (or so) he was due next year from the Lakers. Also, the Lakers seem keen on getting rid of any and all contracts to make room for...Cousins? Love? Aldridge? Deandre? Well, whoever it is, it ain't Ed Davis. Where does Davis go? Plenty of teams need a young athletic center, if he can come off the bench and rebound and/or block shots, I'd think he can get $2.5-$3.5m this summer. (A lot of C's on the market this summer, not sure if that works for or against Davis's hopes for a raise)
JR Smith opted out from the Cavs, now the chatterers are saying he's looking to re-up with the Cavs. I dunno, if the Cavs keep Love that really hamstrings their spending this summer and moving Love may or may not loosen up more cash. Either way I didn't think Smith was the guy the Cavs would want. Perhaps Lebron likes Smith, otherwise I think they can do better (or at least cheaper) with that roster spot. I think Smith to the Grizzlies or somewhere is more likely but we'll see how the rumors play out.
Today there were reports about the NCAA suggesting a plan whereby college players can go to the pre-draft camps and then return to college. This is good for the players and we should applaud the fact that they are better off. But should we praise the organization that has held them down all this time? Just because the NCAA is finally going to get it right doesn't mean we should let them off the hook for decades of tyranical power over collegiate athletes. Let me hit you with a concept: if you want to be a professional basketball player then going to the pre-draft camps is just part of the job. Why has the NCAA been keeping young students from bettering themselves within their chosen profession? Are there NCAA-like institutions designed to keep computer programmers from meeting with potential employers? Or architects? Chemical biologists? Everyone else is free to pursue their opportunities within their professions, so why do we allow this phoney-baloney imaginary authority called the NCAA to yoke these young men (and do they treat the women this abominably?) rather than helping them move to the next stage of their careers? (Man I am hating tonight! One last blast) Fuck the NCAA. Some day a mighty revolutionary will appear and strike down this utterly foolish windmill called the NCAA and collegiate athletes will be allowed to flourish and live reasonable lives instead jumping through the NCAA's arbitrary hoops for no discernible reason. Seriously: fuck the NCAA. I can't wait for somebody to put them out of our misery. And will we miss the NCAA when it is gone? I assure you, we will not.
The heating-up rumor of the moment is Cousins to the Lakers in all kinds of various (imaginary) ways. I doubt this happens. In basketball its easy to forget the divisional alignments because it generally doesn't seem that important. But the Kings trading one of the biggest, bestest stars in the league for less than he's worth (I personally believe Cousins' contract is easily one of the best in the league for the next coupla years) to one of their divisional rivals is pretty implausible regardless of what the Kings get back. Why would they help the Lakers when they've been down lately, hell, now's the time for the Kings to block any and every opportunity the Lakers have to get ahead. I don't think the Kings trade Cousins (I cannot conceive of the possible deal that would be better than having Cousins in a Kings uniform for at least the next two years) and if they were dumb enough to do so, they'd trade him East, certainly not to another Cali team.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Thoughts on a Rumor, Part 2
The new scuttlebutt is not unlike the rumor I posted earlier with a coupla wrinkles.
Cavs get K Love
Sixers get Anthony Bennett
Wolves get Wiggins, Thaddeus Young, Sixers 2015 1st round pick
A little bit less to go around but the Cavs still get the guy they want, the Wolves get a decent haul for the star they're going to lose anyway and the Sixers get younger and cheaper (which at the moment is all they want out of life).
The Sixers could absorb Kevin Martin or JJ Barea but I doubt they'd be willing to throw in the draft pick (maybe a swap of 2015 1st rounders, giving the Wolves the right to the better pick). Just think: if the Sixers could talk the Wolves into swapping the expiring contracts of Jason Richardson and JJ Barea, then the Sixers' 3 highest paid guys (Bennett, Embiid, Noel) would have 0 career NBA starts and combined earn less than Kevin Love.
Seems like the Cavs would have to throw in a little more salary but I could be wrong about that. The upshot is Dion Waiters appears to be off the table, as apparently Lebron likes his game (even if Kyrie doesn't....hmmmm.....).
The Wolves probably thought they were going to get more for Love or at least get rid of other contracts they'd rather not have. But a solid PF, the top prospect in the game and a great pick in
next year's draft isn't bad. Would you rather have David Lee, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes? (I don't think I would: Lee is already the poor man's Kevin Love at a Kevin Love price, Thompson is good but Wiggins has that beautiful unknown-ness about him and Barnes is definitely not better than a top 10 pick)
And supposedly this has all been sealed with a handshake and, you know, that's like a binding thing.
Cavs get K Love
Sixers get Anthony Bennett
Wolves get Wiggins, Thaddeus Young, Sixers 2015 1st round pick
A little bit less to go around but the Cavs still get the guy they want, the Wolves get a decent haul for the star they're going to lose anyway and the Sixers get younger and cheaper (which at the moment is all they want out of life).
The Sixers could absorb Kevin Martin or JJ Barea but I doubt they'd be willing to throw in the draft pick (maybe a swap of 2015 1st rounders, giving the Wolves the right to the better pick). Just think: if the Sixers could talk the Wolves into swapping the expiring contracts of Jason Richardson and JJ Barea, then the Sixers' 3 highest paid guys (Bennett, Embiid, Noel) would have 0 career NBA starts and combined earn less than Kevin Love.
Seems like the Cavs would have to throw in a little more salary but I could be wrong about that. The upshot is Dion Waiters appears to be off the table, as apparently Lebron likes his game (even if Kyrie doesn't....hmmmm.....).
The Wolves probably thought they were going to get more for Love or at least get rid of other contracts they'd rather not have. But a solid PF, the top prospect in the game and a great pick in
next year's draft isn't bad. Would you rather have David Lee, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes? (I don't think I would: Lee is already the poor man's Kevin Love at a Kevin Love price, Thompson is good but Wiggins has that beautiful unknown-ness about him and Barnes is definitely not better than a top 10 pick)
And supposedly this has all been sealed with a handshake and, you know, that's like a binding thing.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
NBA Transactions (rumored and otherwise)
Since the action has already begun, thought it would be a good idea to check in on the announced moves so far.
The NETS traded Coach Jason Kidd for two 2nd round draft picks (2015, 2019) and hired Lionel Hollins today. Just between you and me, I'm not even sure what it is an NBA coach actually does; football, baseball, even NCAA basketball are coach's games, lots of hands-on stuff. But the NBA? I dunno, fiery speeches, heart-to-heart talks, some x' and o's (the on-court and ego-love kind)? Yeah, that doesn't really seem like so much. And, well, I guess the Nets valued Jason Kidd's contribution to two 2nd round draft picks, so I guess they agree with me. But gotta love the fact that this whole brouhaha supposedly arose because Kidd was jealous of the big money deal for first time coaches Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher and the Nets just gave Kidd's replacement waaaaaaay more than they were paying him. Ha! I betcha dollar the Nets trade both those picks for 'cash considerations'.
WIZARDS re-signed Morcin Gortat to 5 yr/$60m. I like Gortat, he fit nicely with the Wizards last year, a team that didn't get going til the end of the year. I didn't think they'd be able to afford Gortat and Ariza, I thought Gortat the more irreplaceable of the two, so I think they did well for themselves here. Does Gortat have 5 years left in him? Maybe. But $12m per is a reasonable figure. (Word is maybe they can have Ariza too, so do you bring them both back to see if this lineup can grow together or do you mix it up just for the sheer sake of mixing?)
PACERS sign CJ Miles for 4yrs/$18m (or thereabouts). Miles is fine for them, a nice piece of the bench. Supposedly they've offered Lance Stephenson 5yrs/$44m, which is more than I thought they'd be willing to spend. But adding Miles suggests they've got more than I realized. They also added Damjan Rudez, a European prospect (no idea who he is, sorry). The problem with the Pacers is they're just not as good as the Heat and they have very little roster flexibility. So they've got to hope that whatever Miami does it creates some weird mismatch the Pacers can exploit. I'm not guessing that's gonna happen but unless the Pacers pull off a trade (I don't see it) then adding Miles off the bench is as much upgrading as the Pacers can achieve. Well, if the Bulls can't make a move at least the Pacers should be runner-up in the East again.
Rumor is the WARRIORS have signed Shaun Livingston to the mid-level exception, which I think would be around $5m per year; haven't seen the details yet so I don't know the length. Is this a move to replace some production lost if Klay Thompson gets shipped out? It certainly seems like more than an adequate improvement on Steve Blake coming off the bench, but Blake didn't actually play much so what will Livingston do? I like Livingston and I think he fits the vibe of Golden State but with Klay and Harrison Barnes still around what is Livingston's role? I think I've hinted enough at the answer: Klay and Barnes are getting traded. In that case I think Steph Curry and Livingston can play together, a pair of combo guards available for kick-outs. But none of that other stuff has happened....yet. With Love and without Thompson and Barnes, I think I really like the addition of Livingston and whatever the years are the price is affordable. (Maybe a series of option years built in? I don't think there's a limit on years for an MLE but the price is a strictly graduated affair with no room for bonuses)
CAVS signed Kyrie Irving to a 5-year extension because...well, I mean....what else were they gonna do? They're not gonna trade him, he wouldn't sign for less money, so there you have it. Good move, Irving is not perfect but he's a baller and he's played his options well. You gots to pay him because he's in his gots-to-get-paid year. (The truly talented ones understand how this stuff works)
The MAGIC sign Ben Gordon to 2 yrs/$9m after waiving Jameer Nelson and Doron Lamb. I can see shipping out Afflalo for Evan Fournier on draft night, I can see letting go of Nelson after drafting Elfrid Peyton, I thought Lamb was cheap enough to keep but they've got enough good youth to develop. But Gordon? Man, this guy was overrated in his prime--and that was years ago! I don't get this one at all. I just don't see what Gordon provides. The money's not huge, fine, he's affordable but I think even at that price point they could've done better then Gordon. I just don't see what he provides: he's not gonna start or play big minutes, he's a notorious crabby locker room guy, he's been MIA that last coupla years on the court. I don't get it.
RAPTORS traded John Salmons and a 2015 2nd round pick to the HAWKS for Lou Williams and the rights to Lucas Nogueira. A minimal deal, they just swapped an expiring contract and a so-so prospect, the upside is entirely within the organization. Maybe Salmons gives the Hawks a little more size, maybe Williams gives the Raptors a a reliable backup or maybe they see something in Nogueira that the Hawks thought could be replaced by the #50 pick in next summer's draft. I dunno. None of these guys mean enough to me at this point to see their impact though I suspect Williams gets more playing time than Salmons (and don't be surprised to see the Raptors trade Nogueira down the line).
PISTONS declined the option of Chauncey Billups. Yeah they did. Why they gave him a 2year deal in the first place was bonkers--and they actually tried to play him at the beginning of last year! Dios mio. I liked the Pistons bringing in Josh Smith but I thought trading Knight for Jennings was a mistake and I thought bringing back Billups as anything other than an assistant coach was just silly. Well, apparently Stan Van didn't even want Chauncey as an asst.
SPURS sign Patty Mills to (something like) 3yrs/$12m. Good for the Spurs. I thought the Spurs would bring back Boris Diaw but let Mills go, just figured he was up for a bigger raise than they'd be willing to pay and he'd be off. Now the buzz is they're after Pau but they still gotta bring back Diaw. They already stomped everyone, but pay off the little guys and add Pau Gasol? Throw in a potato and you got yourself a stew!
CELTICS bring back Avery Bradley for 4yrs/$32m. I gotta admit: I didn't watch the Celtics much this year--only so much Khris Humphries a man can take. So this deal surprises me. My gut feeling is that $8m per is too much for Bradley, especially since they just drafted Young and Smart. Do they really need four more years of Bradley if they have those prospects waiting? I'm guessing they'd love to trade Rondo but who wants him?
RAPTORS re-sign Kyle Lowry for 4yrs/$48m. The sinking feeling that all the free agent talk is just some bluster before nothing happens is even sharper now since I assumed Lowry was out of there. I thought Lowry was probably the biggest piece out there in the free agent world but if he's heading back to Toronto then most of the pieces on the chessboard are probably staying put.
Rumors du jour: Cavs to max Gordon Hayward (I think Jazz would match), Pau to OKC (not bad, but Pau to the Spurs would be even juicier), Cavs/Nets are talking of a Jarret Jack for Marcus Thornton swap (the Nets are just trying to look busy and the Cavs are off-loading salary), Twitter-verse is calling the amnesty of Carlos Boozer a 'done deal' (and the internet is ALWAYS right!), Clippers are courting Ed Davis (eh, not the star power move they're probably looking for but I dunno, I guess he fits for them), Wizards are after Sefelosha (Sef did not look good in the playoffs last year, not sure what the Wizards are seeing in him), Josh Howard on the Pelicans summer league roster (wow, forgot about that guy, isn't he too old for the summer league?).
The NETS traded Coach Jason Kidd for two 2nd round draft picks (2015, 2019) and hired Lionel Hollins today. Just between you and me, I'm not even sure what it is an NBA coach actually does; football, baseball, even NCAA basketball are coach's games, lots of hands-on stuff. But the NBA? I dunno, fiery speeches, heart-to-heart talks, some x' and o's (the on-court and ego-love kind)? Yeah, that doesn't really seem like so much. And, well, I guess the Nets valued Jason Kidd's contribution to two 2nd round draft picks, so I guess they agree with me. But gotta love the fact that this whole brouhaha supposedly arose because Kidd was jealous of the big money deal for first time coaches Steve Kerr and Derek Fisher and the Nets just gave Kidd's replacement waaaaaaay more than they were paying him. Ha! I betcha dollar the Nets trade both those picks for 'cash considerations'.
WIZARDS re-signed Morcin Gortat to 5 yr/$60m. I like Gortat, he fit nicely with the Wizards last year, a team that didn't get going til the end of the year. I didn't think they'd be able to afford Gortat and Ariza, I thought Gortat the more irreplaceable of the two, so I think they did well for themselves here. Does Gortat have 5 years left in him? Maybe. But $12m per is a reasonable figure. (Word is maybe they can have Ariza too, so do you bring them both back to see if this lineup can grow together or do you mix it up just for the sheer sake of mixing?)
PACERS sign CJ Miles for 4yrs/$18m (or thereabouts). Miles is fine for them, a nice piece of the bench. Supposedly they've offered Lance Stephenson 5yrs/$44m, which is more than I thought they'd be willing to spend. But adding Miles suggests they've got more than I realized. They also added Damjan Rudez, a European prospect (no idea who he is, sorry). The problem with the Pacers is they're just not as good as the Heat and they have very little roster flexibility. So they've got to hope that whatever Miami does it creates some weird mismatch the Pacers can exploit. I'm not guessing that's gonna happen but unless the Pacers pull off a trade (I don't see it) then adding Miles off the bench is as much upgrading as the Pacers can achieve. Well, if the Bulls can't make a move at least the Pacers should be runner-up in the East again.
Rumor is the WARRIORS have signed Shaun Livingston to the mid-level exception, which I think would be around $5m per year; haven't seen the details yet so I don't know the length. Is this a move to replace some production lost if Klay Thompson gets shipped out? It certainly seems like more than an adequate improvement on Steve Blake coming off the bench, but Blake didn't actually play much so what will Livingston do? I like Livingston and I think he fits the vibe of Golden State but with Klay and Harrison Barnes still around what is Livingston's role? I think I've hinted enough at the answer: Klay and Barnes are getting traded. In that case I think Steph Curry and Livingston can play together, a pair of combo guards available for kick-outs. But none of that other stuff has happened....yet. With Love and without Thompson and Barnes, I think I really like the addition of Livingston and whatever the years are the price is affordable. (Maybe a series of option years built in? I don't think there's a limit on years for an MLE but the price is a strictly graduated affair with no room for bonuses)
CAVS signed Kyrie Irving to a 5-year extension because...well, I mean....what else were they gonna do? They're not gonna trade him, he wouldn't sign for less money, so there you have it. Good move, Irving is not perfect but he's a baller and he's played his options well. You gots to pay him because he's in his gots-to-get-paid year. (The truly talented ones understand how this stuff works)
The MAGIC sign Ben Gordon to 2 yrs/$9m after waiving Jameer Nelson and Doron Lamb. I can see shipping out Afflalo for Evan Fournier on draft night, I can see letting go of Nelson after drafting Elfrid Peyton, I thought Lamb was cheap enough to keep but they've got enough good youth to develop. But Gordon? Man, this guy was overrated in his prime--and that was years ago! I don't get this one at all. I just don't see what Gordon provides. The money's not huge, fine, he's affordable but I think even at that price point they could've done better then Gordon. I just don't see what he provides: he's not gonna start or play big minutes, he's a notorious crabby locker room guy, he's been MIA that last coupla years on the court. I don't get it.
RAPTORS traded John Salmons and a 2015 2nd round pick to the HAWKS for Lou Williams and the rights to Lucas Nogueira. A minimal deal, they just swapped an expiring contract and a so-so prospect, the upside is entirely within the organization. Maybe Salmons gives the Hawks a little more size, maybe Williams gives the Raptors a a reliable backup or maybe they see something in Nogueira that the Hawks thought could be replaced by the #50 pick in next summer's draft. I dunno. None of these guys mean enough to me at this point to see their impact though I suspect Williams gets more playing time than Salmons (and don't be surprised to see the Raptors trade Nogueira down the line).
PISTONS declined the option of Chauncey Billups. Yeah they did. Why they gave him a 2year deal in the first place was bonkers--and they actually tried to play him at the beginning of last year! Dios mio. I liked the Pistons bringing in Josh Smith but I thought trading Knight for Jennings was a mistake and I thought bringing back Billups as anything other than an assistant coach was just silly. Well, apparently Stan Van didn't even want Chauncey as an asst.
SPURS sign Patty Mills to (something like) 3yrs/$12m. Good for the Spurs. I thought the Spurs would bring back Boris Diaw but let Mills go, just figured he was up for a bigger raise than they'd be willing to pay and he'd be off. Now the buzz is they're after Pau but they still gotta bring back Diaw. They already stomped everyone, but pay off the little guys and add Pau Gasol? Throw in a potato and you got yourself a stew!
CELTICS bring back Avery Bradley for 4yrs/$32m. I gotta admit: I didn't watch the Celtics much this year--only so much Khris Humphries a man can take. So this deal surprises me. My gut feeling is that $8m per is too much for Bradley, especially since they just drafted Young and Smart. Do they really need four more years of Bradley if they have those prospects waiting? I'm guessing they'd love to trade Rondo but who wants him?
RAPTORS re-sign Kyle Lowry for 4yrs/$48m. The sinking feeling that all the free agent talk is just some bluster before nothing happens is even sharper now since I assumed Lowry was out of there. I thought Lowry was probably the biggest piece out there in the free agent world but if he's heading back to Toronto then most of the pieces on the chessboard are probably staying put.
Rumors du jour: Cavs to max Gordon Hayward (I think Jazz would match), Pau to OKC (not bad, but Pau to the Spurs would be even juicier), Cavs/Nets are talking of a Jarret Jack for Marcus Thornton swap (the Nets are just trying to look busy and the Cavs are off-loading salary), Twitter-verse is calling the amnesty of Carlos Boozer a 'done deal' (and the internet is ALWAYS right!), Clippers are courting Ed Davis (eh, not the star power move they're probably looking for but I dunno, I guess he fits for them), Wizards are after Sefelosha (Sef did not look good in the playoffs last year, not sure what the Wizards are seeing in him), Josh Howard on the Pelicans summer league roster (wow, forgot about that guy, isn't he too old for the summer league?).
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