preach on Brother Troy, ive said for years Iverson is the most overrated player. Camby and Iverson are the poster children for "stats are overrated". they get their "numbers" at the expense of the team, and they take more than they give

and by years i mean a decade +

I know that mello is more than a capable passer. When he and Nene work together they are unstoppable. My point is when the Nuggets get behind or Mello feels the need to put up 40 the offense just stalls. I guess I do notice the standing around that you talk about but to me it seems like they are creating an ISO situation for Carmello.

The Nuggets have a lot of nice offensive weapons. Mello doesnt need to be scoring 30 points per game forcing shots.

Just watching the All Star game the other night when the East took the 141-139 lead someone I was watching the game with said "I bet the west wins because Chauncey and Dirk have been scoring at will." I replied "Ill take the East because they will design a play for Carmello and he wont think about passing."

Carmello is one of the great players in the league but to me he just doesnt get it yet. I like Carmello but I expect a lot from him because he is so talented. Talentwise IMO he is right there with LeBron. As far as game smarts Lebron is far ahead of him.

Also I agree with everything you have said about Iverson. He is #1 on my list of most overrated players of all time.

Do a search for "Game Winning Shot Percentage" and you'll find Melo has been the best in the league over the last 5 years. By far and away the best in the league by the way.

Also, if you go to 82games.com last year and look up "clutch" stats, you'll find some revealing things. They defined clutch as +/- 5 points with 5 minutes or less in the game. Here are the top 5 players in points per 48:

Kobe - 56.7 points, 45.7% FG, 40% 3PT, 18.2 FTA
Lebron - 55.9 points, 55.6% FG, 42.1% 3PT, 20.8 FTA
Wade - 49.2 points, 47% FG, 28.1% 3PT, 22.3 FTA
Paul - 45.1 points, 49.4% FG, 37.5% 3PT, 17.5 FTA

Melo - 54.4 points, 56.5% FG, 58.3% 3PT (on 7 attempts per 48), 24.0 FTA

You can have your opinion, but when I look at the numbers above and watch the games, I think Carmelo "gets it" just fine.Don't get me wrong, this isn't a Melo love fest. I know the guy has certain problems.

I also know that in the decade before Melo came to Denver, the Nuggets hadn't made the playoffs one time in ten years. I know that they've made it every year Melo has been a Nugget. Just the fact of you saying "Carmelo won't think about passing" shows you simply don't watch Nuggets basketball a lot. You mention Dirk in you analysis and either ignore or don't care to know that Dirk is a far worse passer than Melo is.

Lebron is ahead of Melo. . . and the rest of the league. . . in athleticism. Yes, his basketball IQ is high, but he's simply got talent gifts others don't have. The guy is 6'8", 250 pounds, runs like a WR has the power of a full back and has ball handling skills comparable to a PG. He's a freak of nature. I'd argue that Melo "gets it" every bit as much as Lebron, but he will never have those physical gifts.

I did? I havent even made an analysis. It was a general observation from watching the All Star game the other night that Carmelo wouldnt pass. Was I right? He chose to try a double clutch three pointer with a man in his face over passing to 1 of 2 guys that were on fire at that point. Sure its the all-star game but its generally the same feeling I get a lot of times when I see him play.

If Billups is hot or JR Smith is hot is doesnt matter to Carmelo he is going to get his. Im sorry Nene you just got your 4 straight dunks it is my turn to shoot.

What physical gifts exactly does Lebron have that Carmelo doesnt? They are both 6 8', they are both rock solid, they both can jump out of the gym, they both are quick and fast as hell. Lebron may be a little stronger and have better straight line speed but I dont really feel Carmelo should be embarrassed athletically to Lebron.

In order to use a stat like you posted a larger sample size is needed. +/- 5 points in the last 5 minutes of a game over an 82 game season. Do you have the career marks of these guys? You could be cherry picking a stat for all I know.

jbergey I understand what you're saying, but that's the nature of team sport, basketball in particular. Carmello is a scorer, he's the best scorer on his team, and he's encouraged to score. When the ball is in his hands, he's thinking that he's going to be able to put it in the hoop, because that's what he does, and that's why he scores so many points. Nene might've just slammed it home 4 times in a row, but on any given possession I'd rather the ball be in Carmello's hands than Nene's if I need 2 points.

And Carmello is a gifted athlete, sure, but he is not LeBron James. Not even close. LeBron is built like a linebacker, with the quickness of a 5'11 waterbug PG. Melo is tall and has decent straight-ahead speed, but he doesn't have the same burst as LeBron, not by a longshot.

I may not have seen hundreds of Nuggets games over the years, but with the amount I've seen since Carmello has been there - let's say 20 or 30 + playoffs - he's just stupidly deadly in the clutch. I don't need stats to tell me that, I've seen it enough with my own eyes.

I understand what you guys are saying as well. Maybe I just expect more than I should from Carmelo. I watch Kobe and Lebron play and I never have a doubt they did their best to give the team best chance to win sometimes when I watch Carmelo I end up shaking my head with frustration.

I'm not really a Nuggets fan but I do like to bet on them. Usually when I bet on them and lose I feel it was Carmelo that didnt bring his best game. So you are right I am probably missing the big picture.

I should take that back. There was a playoff game a few years back where Kobe just threw in the towel. He was pouting about not having enough talent and he quit on his team in the 2nd half against the Suns.

jbergey,

This is no BS, I've seen Carmelo throw the ball to Anthony Carter, Yakouba Diawarra and Linus Kleiza to hit game on the line shots. He was covered, they were open, he passed. (The first two guys missed, the last guy actually came through)

Carmelo's main job with the Nuggets is to score. He has secondary roles, but first and foremost, he needs to shoot the ball. Everything else the Nuggets do on offense is set up by Carmelo attacking the basket.

As for Melo quitting, I've seen it a handful of times in his career. Usually the scenario goes something like this: He gets beat to hell in the post for 2 and a half quarters, he picks up a stupid T, the guy who is beating him to hell in the post flops and draws a charge and Melo becomes a three point shooter.

Before anyone jumps in and screams refs are bad all the time and that Melo gets his share of calls, I know he does. I'm just telling you the recipe to make Melo start to shut it down.

I'll admit that I'm a Melo fanboy. I think he's been a very underappreciated player for a long time. My favorite Melo stats evolve around the 2006/7 playoffs.

Denver had a rough year. Kenyon Martin played 2 games. Nene was hurt for 1/2 the season. Melo and JR had long suspensions because of the brawl. yet the plugged away and won 45 games. In the East they'd have been battling for home court. In the West they played the 58 win Spurs in the first round. The Nuggets were taken out in 5 games by the Spurs. The Cavs went through the "L"east, their 50 wins gave them home court til the Pistons series. There they played a team just slightly better than they were. The Cavs ended up facing the Spurs. They were waxed in 4 games. The talk of the playoffs was Lebron. (I'll never, ever, ever forget that game against Detroit, wow)

Everyone looked at Melo as being a thug and a failure. Take a look at their numbers against the Spurs:

Melo - 5 games, 48% FG, 26.8 points per game, 19.6 shots per game
Bron - 4 games, 35.5% FG, 22 points per game, 22.5 shots per game.

Melo played as good of a series as he could have played against the Spurs. (By the way, Denver lost that series because of the selfish jack ass named AI, if AI had passed the ball more, Denver had a real shot to take that series at least to 7) Bron ran through a garbage conference and was the living God.

I understand WHY this happened. If I wasn't in Denver watching things, I'd have called Bron a winner and Melo a thug punk. What I don't understand is how Melo is now playing the way he did against the Spurs almost nightly, has elevated his game to superstar status, and still deals with the same BS he did in 2006. The good thing is the haters are fewer and farther between. The Nuggets are on enough now that most people see what kind of a player he is. But I still have that defense mechanism in me that wants to remind the doubters that he's a hell of a player too. If he'd gotten to play with Shaq in his prime, if he'd gotten to play in a garbage conference, if Dumars had been smart and picked him from the start and he'd have developed for a team in contention for multiple years. . . I don't think it'd have taken 6 years for people to realize how good he really is.

George Karl has been diagnosed with cancer again. He will take a medical leave but hopes to only miss 9 games in the second half.

Looks like it's down to the Knicks or Bulls for McGrady.

Crossing my fingers.

For the Bulls to get him or not to get him?

I'll take that contract off our books after this year.

I'm counting on McGrady. I have him on my fantasy team. A late round pick who could really help me out the second half. I don't like TMac the player, i don't like TMac if my team wants to win in the playoffs. But damn, I could use something like 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists for my last guard the rest of the year.

All right, now I am swinging back full circle on this Clippers-Blazers deal, now that I see that both Outlaw and Blake are on expiring deals as well. I don't get the point of this deal at all. Was it just for the $3 M in cash? Typical Clippers. :(

The only upsides I see is that you do retain the bird rights to both Blake and Outlaw. Blake is really underated as a PG (might not be an NBA starter but a solid backup) and Outlaw does have some upside. But the likelihood of Sterling going over the cap are probably zero.

You also get to see what Craig Smith and DeAndre Jordan can do. And if you lose a ton of games, it just increases your chances of getting Wall.

It was probably a money move and I can see the frustration. But Camby is not a part of the future and the team wasn't going anywhere. I guess my issue is that I thought the Clippers could get more out of the deal. The Blazers had their backs up against the wall and after Haywood got traded, there weren't a ton of options left for them. I think you could have gotten a first rounder out of the deal which could be in the top 20.

I think it depends on who we give up. The deal I see Marc Stein reporting has us giving up Miller, Tyrus, and Jerome James. Three expiring deals too. That move doesn't seem to help us much unless Hinrich or Salmons is going somewhere else. We'd be stuck with 4 SG and no help inside (especially with Noah being hurt).

I'm also going back and forth on Hinrich being dealt for expiring deals. While I'd love to have the money for free agency, I just have a bad feeling we're not going to get anyone anyway. I think he's a solid player and while his contract is a little high, I'd hate to see him traded and us end up not being able to sign a big name in the offseason. I'd be begging anyone in sight to take Salmons off our books for next year.

I've seen so many other deals floating around too. Tyrus for Harrington. Al Jefferson for Deng and Tyrus. Salmons or Hinrich to the Bucks for expiring deals. Hinrich to the Lakers for expiring deals.

I'm just hoping the front office has a plan in place. I can't seem to figure out what they're trying to do.

Bill Simmons anual trade-value column : Bill Simmons: 2010 NBA trade value column - ESPN

highly interesting if you don´t expect everything to be 100% rational.

btw : Very awesome idea by Andrew Bogut (found the article via the simmons column) : Bucks Fans Respond to Bogut’s Incentive - Off the Dribble Blog - NYTimes.com

From a couple of rumors I've read, it looks like the Celtics are close to acquiring Nate Robinson for Eddie House plus filler on both sides.

I think this would be a slight upgrade for the Celts bench, Eddie really hasn't been good for most of the season. At the very least, Nate provides a spark/change to a team really struggling right now.

Certainly not the be all end all of moves going on around the league, but still an upgrade IMO.

Any picks coming back to NY?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression Nate Robinson is not a big team player?

interesting

He did keep his mouth shut during that period where D´Antoni didn´t play him though (at least from what i remember of it) and on the court, House´s job was to run arround and jack up shots for 15 minutes a night, not exactly a job description with a big emphasis on being a great teamplayer.
As the first guard off the bench for 20 minutes he can be very good if he accepts that role. The Celtics have huge trouble creating any scoring if 1 or 2 of their main guys take a breather.

Robinson can definitely put up a lot of points in not many minutes. If he buys into this being his shot, he could be a big pickup.

I'm not sure exactly how BYC players work, but I know the Celtics wouldn't have any bird rights for Nate this offseason correct? But they are allowed to offer him his current contract plus 20%, even with them being over the cap?

I'm not even sure you'd want Nate around for another 4-5 years, but just thinking if he does work out for the C's, would we have to dip into the MLE?

I liked that Bogut article, it's cool that his idea seems to working out for the Bucks.

Best I can tell, Bird Rights are only lost when a player signs somewhere as a FA, not when he is traded.

His bird rights are gone cause he signed a qualifying tender IIRC.

Apparently Darko just got swapped for Brian Cardinal.

Washington Post is saying Jamison to the Cavs.

"Early reports are that Antawn Jamison is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a part of a three team trade.

Details haven't emerged as of yet, but early speculation is that Jamison is headed to Cleveland and newly acquired Drew Gooden is landing on a Western Conference roster. In return the Wizards are expected to get Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a first round pick."

Cavs get Jamison and Telfair

Clippers get Drew Gooden

Wash gets Illgauskas, Al Thornton and Brian Skinner and Cavs 1st round pick.

WTH are we going to do with Gooden?

Board consensus is, this guy sucks. I certainly haven't seen anything to suggest otherwise. We give up a solid forward in Thornton and a steady, younger PG in Telfair for this guy? What am I missing? Is Dumbleavy just trading to trade now?

Woot, I was about to post earlier saying that out of Amar'e, Troy Murphy, and Jamison I'd rather Jamison if we want to win this year. I hope Z gets waived and signs back with Cleveland.

Wait seriously? This is the Clippers saving money and not wanting to pay Telfair $2.7M next year; great deal for Was in getting Thornton + 1 pick; its not Hickson, but could be worse.

This seems like a much smarter move than Amar'e. I think the Cavs just became the favorite to win the East.

Yeah, Washington made out OK in this. Thornton has looked good at times but will be the odd-man out in LA, especially next season when Griffin is back. Assuming it's the Cavs own first rounder, it's going to be a low pick but hey, lately it seems that there have been some steals available in the late 1st round.

I REALLY REALLY hope Washington buys out Z's contract. Z has been with the Cavs in the best and worst times - there were so many years when Z was the "man" as a Cavs before James. He has come a long way since his foot surgeries.

The Clippers ineptitude knows no bounds. Wouldn't surprise me if Dunleavy is getting back at the team for forcing him out as coach by putting together a team that Hughes won't be able to do anything with the rest of the season.

GREAT deal for the Cavs and not a bad return for Washington. Cavs favorite to win it all now I think and if nothing else it proves to Lebron they are serious about surrounding him with talent.

We just bought a borderline all star for money and the 30th pick in this years draft. I'm not sure I could dream of a better deal.

I'm amazed that in seeing negative reactions from cavs fans.

Haven't read the reaction from Cleveland fans, but I imagine most of that would stem from losing Big Z? I'm a huge fan of Big Z, but come on, our chances of winning a title just jumped dramatically... people need to think with their heads, not their hearts. And odds are good that Z comes back anyway.

Mo Williams back soon, ditto with Leon Powe. If Powe can give us anything off the bench, I'll be happy.

Reports say John Salmons is going...somewhere. Team has told Salmons to stay at the team hotel tonight.

I have no doubt Ilgauskas is coming back; you need the big man for a potential Lakers/Orlando matchup anyway. No way CLE makes the deal without an assurance he gets waived, but its a good question as to whether he considers any other options (heck, there are a lot of teams that could use a decent passing big man).

I'm sure teams will express interest, but I'm thinking his relationship with both the city of Cleveland AND LeBron will keep him in Cleveland.

again - like i stated beforehand - i hate deals like this, or under-the-table agreements like this. they're shitty, and the league would be better off to eliminate them (say that a guy can't be traded and then resign with the team that traded him within say...6 months or something).

The entire contract system in the NBA is shitty, which is what causes deals like this. I doubt that's going to change anytime soon.

To the Bucks for Kurt Thomas and Elson. Great deal for the Bulls as they get Salmons contract off the books for next year. They'll have as much room as anyone going into the Summer.

I wouldn't be too sure. Dallas has interest in him with Dampier hurt. And I believe he has to wait 30 days before he can sign with Cleveland.

And I think that deal is good for Washington everyone involved except the Clippers. I think Thornton is a solid player and Jamison is a nice piece for Lebron to work with.

30 days is ridiculous...it should be like 180

Dallas can only offer vet minimum, cavs have more to offer with the BAE, and I dont know him but I would guess he would rather come back to the only team he has ever played for and where he has a home.

Indeed. Good deal, more cap room for the Bulls, and offloading a guy who, while I had nothing against, has not been a good contributor this year.

Duncan with 4-23 shooting today... sheesh. 26 rebounds but 11 of those off the offensive glass, I'd wager mostly his own misses. ;)

Hate to use Twitter for news, but Adrian Wojnaroski is saying the Clips are buying out Gooden so it was purely for cap reasons.

http://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/statuses/9258046429

SI

Hard to tell what the Clips are doing. Obviously they are trying to save cash (as usual), but having said that, Thornton and Camby made for a clogged frontcourt with Kaman and Griffin, so I can sorta see why they'd move those guys, and the fact that they were reluctant to let go of Deandre Jordan - who has shown glimpses when given time - means that at least they aren't completely stupid and out to cut costs.

I just don't understand how they weren't able to acquire a few draft picks out of these deals though, at the least. Christ, even 2nd rounders.

Obviously so they can take Tayshaun Prince from us for a bag of balls. I'll evne spring for postage.

I don't think the decision to move Camby and Thornton was a bad idea per se, but like you say to not get any draft picks or young guys back is absolutely criminal.

Cap space is nice, but when you are the joke of the league and not going to be able to use any of that cap space anyway and you have the cheapest owner in the country, FFS get some young guys and build around them. Griffin and Gordon is a good core to be competitive in 2-3 years.

As a sometime Clippers fan I see no rhyme or reason in any of these moves except to save Sterling some $$$. At this point I don't know why anyone is still going to the games.

It only makes sense if you are able to grab a stud free agent. I have to admit, while the Clippers reputation is in the shitter, you guys do have an intriguing team for a guy like Lebron. Kaman is a solid Center and Gordon and Griffin are young studs that can grow around Lebron. It would give him a solid nucleus for the next 4-5 years. It's a major market and L.A. is L.A.

If winning is priority #1 in his mind, the Clippers make a strong case to be his choice.

Yeah, I tossed something like this around for gristle near the start of the season. Gordon, Griffin, Kaman, B-Davis, a new lottery pick this year and an estimated $23-26 M in cap space--or enough to bring on two superstars. And in LA, competing head to head with the Lakers in the same building.

But, it's the Clippers...the bleepin' Clippers...

huge day ... First off : I hate the "30 day and returning", players shouldn´t be allowed to return for the rest of the season.
Really mindblowing that this loophole still exists.

If Z returns, how do they get everyone playing time btw ?

There´s no PT at SF for Jamison behind Lebron, you have Shaq,Varejao,Hickson and Z up front.


Another deal : Kevin Martin to the Rockets for Tracy MacGrady and Carl Landry ... (other throw ins : Rodriguez, Armstrong, Thomas for the Kings, Joey Dorsey for the Rockets)
Still a possibility the Knicks will be involved to get T-Mac. And maybe Rodriguez, Antoni is a huge fan of him.

Not too sure about this ... Landry is a favourite and was having an amazing season and also would have worked very well with a healthy Yao as he was extending his game ...
Rodriguez i love, but he clearly isn´t more than a fringe NBA player for now and has no place with Brooks/Lowry... Hilton Armstrong imo just doesn´t have the smarts to be more than a 10-15 mpg energy guy and kenny thomas isn´t getting younger or bigger ...

If Yao gets healthy this might just work Martin (when healthy ... The irony ...) can score off the ball and is a great scorer to take pressure off of Yao to be the man offensively. Plus Adelman coached him before.
Will be interesting to see.

But for this season i´m not sure swapping landry for Martin is a good thing as their perimeter scoring was ok overall...


as for game action :

- CJ Watson scores 40 (16-23 shooting). Only for Don Nelson ...Curry bounces back from a bad game to score 24 with 15 assists

- Memphis finally wins again, beating toronto. The +- numbers are hilarious and tell the story 100% : The Grizzlies bench just isn´t any good.

- Dwight Howard with a beastly game, 33/17, 7 blocks and only 1 TO.

- another strange thing about Duncan´s line : 23 FGAs without a FT ?

- Wade goes down with an injury

- Rockets beat the Bucks, Ariza (6/7) and Battier (6/6) combine to shoot 12 of 13 from downtown, whoa.
Landry 19/7 ...

The Knicks are now working to get TMac from the Kings.

Two questions about the Kings-Rockets trade

Is there a Cot's style website for the NBA? That's a great site for baseball but with basketball contracts, it would be indispensable. The best I could find was (which is actually pretty good):
HoopsHype - NBA Salaries

I don't know much about the spare parts coming back in the Kings trade. Anyone with a scouting report on Sergio Rodriguez and Hilton Armstrong?

SI

Rodriguez is basically everything you want in a PG if you don´t expect him to be able to shoot, finish or defend :D
Very good ball handler, impressive court vision and terrific passer. Decent agility and size, but small frame hurting him defensively.
And he isn´t a good shooter (although he showed some good things this season and scored efficiently), just doesn´t have the range. And inside his frame is hurting.
Shot selection is good though, not forcing it and looking to pass first.

Very exciting player when he gets it going and can put people in great scoring positions until the other team plays off of him, definitely a player worth taking a flyer on at only 23 years.

I kinda hope he lands on the Knicks though, wouldn´t be surprised if he´d get big minutes there... With the Rockets he´d be stuck behing Brooks/Lowry (when is he coming back ?)

If he ever learns how to shoot or defend he´ll be a starter, propably a good one as well.

I still have this thought that Morey is trying really hard to showcase Brooks this year to trade him because he doesn't really fit what the Rockets want to do. That way they can ditch him, get some more parts, and get a distributing PG who can dish down low to Yao and now they can kick back out to Martin.

SI

Don´t think Rodriguez would fit with a lowpost-scorer either i think as he needs action at the top of the key to create passing angles, is best on the break and in early offense and a great Pick and Roll guy. He´d work nicely with Scola, work wonders for him (Scola himself was the best Pick and Roll finisher in Europe for years and would be great there with a PG that could, you know, pass the pall).
I agree that Brooks doesn´t work if your focus is on Yao and also doesn´t work next to Martin at all. He´d need a SG with playmaking ability next to him.
You won´t win much if your best passer in the starting lineup is Battier (who is a great passer but doesn´t move with the ball) or Ariza (who is to uneffective to handle the ball a lot).

Brooks would have been the ideal 20-25 MPG bench PG/scorer behind a PG that could defend 2s (and play with Brooks), will never be available for that role for the Rockets once he gets a new contract plus now he thinks of himself as a starter.

Rodriguez would get a lot of burn with the Knicks. I think the Rockets now have some comedy gold. You get Battier, one of the top defensive players in the league, playing with one of the single worst defenders in basketball. (Martin) Not that I don't like the deal. Martin will improve the Rockets offense immeasurably.

Loved the Cavs trade. Didn't really think a lot of the Mavs one. It'll be interesting to see what happens the rest of the day. Rumors are Denver wants Ben Wallace. The Lakers look like they'll hold serve. (I think that's a mistake, I think their PG situation is dreadful. I know they won last year with it and they may again, but if there are options out there to improve it, I think you have to look at them)

Stoudamire likely stays a Sun. This is REALLY good news for those of us in the Thunder division. The Thunder get the Suns first round pick and it is unprotected. If Amare stays, they likely stay in the playoffs and the pick is low. If they deal Amare, they likely fall out of the playoffs and if OKC were to get lucky in the lottery. . . . I really don't want to think about that.

I tend to agree that the Lakers should try to improve there if they have the opportunity. That said, the triangle doesn't really use a PG in the traditional sense. A PG as one is now defined is only needed for the Lakers to bring the ball up and make the first pass, and that be anyone competent enough to bring the ball up (Fisher first choice, with Farmar and Brown off the bench; Kobe and Odom can also bring it up if need be). None of the options are true lockdown shooters, though, and that would be the idea sort of get for the Lakers to go after. Even if it's a SG, if it's someone who is very dangerous form outside, that would improve the offense.

On defense, they still don't have anyone to guard the quick, smaller guards in the West (Paul, Roy, Williams, etc.), but they're quick enough to at least be competent in front of older/slower PGs like Billups and Nash. And the offguard position is one they're well suited for defensively, with several decent to very good options for shutting down swingman roles.

I don't tihnk the Lakers' issue is getting a PG per say, but just the fact that their talent lead may have been trumped yesterday with the Jamison deal. They can no longer count on always being the more talented team on the floor, and that might necessitate a deal.

I heard a Bosh for Bynum rumor a while back. That one seemed to make a lot of sense. The Lakers get Bosh, making them a superteam for the next 2-4 years. And, since Bosh is leaving anyway, Toronto gets a potential franchise center for him.

Why didn't this deal happen? I must be missing something.

I like Bosh a lot and I'm in denial that he's leaving, that's why. :(

according to yahoo´s adrian wojnarowski the Bobcats get Tyrus Thomas and give up Flip Murray, Law and a future 1st.
Likely would mean that DJ Augustin stays a Bobcat.

http://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/9292019102

T-Macs agent is apparently putting huge pressure on the Kings to involve the Knicks, he also represent a few Kings players ...

update :


Jeffries, ugh ...

ESPN reporting TMac trade done:

Knicks get Rodriguez, TMac
Rockets get Martin, Jeffries, Hill, right to swap 2011 1st rounders with Knicks, 2012 1st round pick from Knicks (unprotected)

Kings get Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, Larry Hughes

Oh man, not Carl... :(

So the Knicks get rid of Jeffries' contract and bring in a huge expiring contract in McGrady.

How much money are they going to be able to play with in next year's free agency? Enough to pull in two max contracts?

NY better land two stars that can coexist this summer or those picks will look really bad.

Knicks should be at about 21 mio in payroll this summer. 11.5 of those go to Eddy Curry :D
They also only have 5 players signed including Curry...

edit : scratch 2.5 for hill off the book and make that 4 players including Curry.

2 max contracts possible but then they are going to have to fill it out with minimum guys. They have to resign their rights to guys like Lee as well or they are on the books 3-times their current wage until getting a new contract ...

wow. crazy day!

Off of Yahoo Sports NBA twitter page:

Heat-Jazz-Wizards are apparently working on a deal.

And it's going to be even funnier when those two "stars" are Johnson and Stoudamire or two others of that "paid a max contract but not a franchise player" guys. (I believe this thought was stolen from Bill Simmons trade column yesterday)

If I were an elite player, why the heck would I go to New York? If I'm LeBron or Wade? I can pick where I want to go and that organization is a disaster.

SI

Charlotte Gets: Tyrus Thomas
Bulls Get: Acie Law, Flip Murray, Protected 1st

I would assume they would shift Lebron to shooting guard to get Jamison his PT.

Who do the Wizards have left?

Kind of bummed that the Knicks were able to free up the cash. That's more competition for the Bulls. Some had reported here that the only reason the Bulls were interested in the T-Mac sweepstakes is because they wanted to stop the Knicks from being able to clear the Jefferies contract.

I would assume Hickson's minutes would just dry up, which is OK. It's nice being able to get him time right now, but he's the 3rd best PF on this team.

Kind of iffy on the deal. Would have rather had Al Harrington from the Knicks for the rest of the season. However, if we are throwing in the towel for this season, getting the Bobcats 1st round pick is nice. Will leave us with two picks in the 10-20 range next year.

So, at the end of the day, Bulls traded LaMarcus Aldridge for Acie Law, Flip Murray, and a Protected 1st. :(

We also got Victor Khryapa out of the deal!

And a hell of a season he's having too! For CSKA Moscow, anyhow. :D

Ronnie Brewer to the Griz for a draft pick? Nice move, that'll help their bench. Hasn't had the best year for the Jazz, but I think he's a nice player.

And the right to not give Aldridge $65 million at the height of a plummeting market.

And he's apparently playing with Trajan Langdon, who's shooting 50% from behind the arc.

Yeah, CSKA Moscow are a powerhouse. Former Jayhawk Sasha Kaun in the middle, Khryapa at the 4, Siskauskas (great Lithuanian wing) at the 3, Langdon, and Russian/American J.R. Holden at PG. Former NJ Net Zoran Planinic and former NBAer Pops Mensah-Bonsu off the bench.

Seen a few of their games over the past couple of months, watching Euro basketball at their level is very entertaining.

They overpaid, yeah, but Aldridge is young and talented. There are plenty of worse players locked into contracts like his. He played well with Roy out.

Bulls get: Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander
Bucks get: John Salmons

Warrick and Alexander are both expiring contracts (hence the trade), but Warrick is probably the best scoring PF the team has had since Elton Brand?

Rumour of another minor trade:

Bucks get: Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec, 2nd rounder
76ers get: Jodie Meeks, Francisco Elson

I think Jodie Meeks is one to watch. He'll get minutes in Philadelphia and might prove a steal. Just no minutes for him in Milwaukee.

They wanted Kirk H, but the Bulls didnt want either Sasha or Walton so the Lakers couldnt afford it

As I see it:

Winners at trade deadline:

1) Cavs. They got better, Pretty simple equation really: The Lakers, Celtics, Magic, Nuggets, etc did not get better.

2) Knicks, Bulls, Heat, Clippers - All of them have cap space for the monumental FA class. They may not strike it rich, but they all gave themselves a chance.

3) Blazers - I don't like Camby at all, but they needed a rebounder and they got one.

4) Anyone who doesn't want to see the Thunder go on a title spree. They may still go on that title spree, but if the Suns had dealt Amare and faded and the Thunder had the lottery balls bounce their way, they'd be ridiculously scary to deal with.

5) TMac. He gets to go play for the next 20+ games and show if he has anything left. Better than sitting out all year and getting nothing on the open market.

6) Rockets. I don't like how they lost Landry, but Martin is a big upgrade for them. They also got a kid who might be a fit with a change of scenery and assets in the Knicks picks they can use down the road.

LOSERS

1) Suns. A week ao they could have gotten Iggy in a deal for Amare. 3 days ago they could have gotten salary relief. Now they have him for another first or second round playoff exit and if he gets hurt, he'll exercise his 17 million dollar option for next year. Ugly. Really, really ugly.

2)) Pacers/Sixers - You have two teams who are mediocre and were too scared to take any type of risk in the trade market. Look boys, you need to rebuild and until you realize that, you are going to be at the bottom of the conference. Stupid.

3) Clippers fans. Sorry Chief, but they've given you the one dangerous thing for any damaged fan. . . hope. As a Clippers fan, I'd think they have a shot at Bron. A young nucleus, an upcoming lottery pick, Blake coming in next year. . . yeah, Bron will probably sign there, then him and Blake will go up for a rebound in a preseason game and blow their achilles. Hope is a dangerous thing.

im sad the rockets lost Landry, he was one of the few NBAers i like. but if the Knicks live up to their end, it might be a lottery pick :)

I have yet to read anyone who dislikes this trade on the whole which is what really makes me happy. My favorite might be Bill Simmons on twitter:
"Serious question for @dmorey - were you wearing a black ski mask and holding a gun when you made that Knicks trade? "

SI

Scores tied, 43 seconds left to go in Cavs-Nuggs, and LeBron is having a fairly OK game with 37-12-15.

dola

No Jamison.

great game

I'm thinking for this next shot, let's have someone who ISN'T LeBron try their hand at a 3?