2006 NBA Draft/Offseason Thread

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Cavs lock up Gooden for 3 years at 7m/per. That's much more reasonable. It makes him very tradeable, and the fact that it's short term means that we won't see him slacking off and just cashing in his paycheck for the next 6 years.

As I've said a zillion times, I'm not a Gooden fan, but I'm very happy we held out made him sign a reasonable contract. I expect Chris Wilcox will now sign for a similar amount with the Sonics, and Reggie Evans will accept an offer from Denver for less than the mid-level.

I hate bringing back gooden, but I guess it was the only option for now. Watching him and Z play along with Eric Snow is the visual equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.

[stevew]

Sonics ink Wilcox for 3 years and 24 million. Which once again goes to show that a big guy that can produce, even for the most limited of times(around 30 games) will get PAID.

[dawgfan]

Actually, what Wilcox did with the Sonics was primarily the result of getting more minutes. His rate stats really didn't change much when he joined the Sonics. Had he not been stuck behind Elton Brand and had he gotten more floor time with the Clips, his numbers would've looked better.

That said, his game is a very good fit for the style of offense the Sonics are running under Bob Hill.

[Arles]

This is unbelievable:

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_ar...er_for_webber/

Knicks offered Q Richardson and the expiring contract of Maurice Taylor as a starting point for Chris Webber.

Can you imagine this lineup?

Marbury
Francis
Jalen Rose
Webber
Eddie Curry

These five would also come for the bargain-basement price of $78 million . My lord, that would be the most incompetant collection of overpaid has-beens in the history of the NBA (with Curry thrown in for the "never-will-be" quota). I don't think any GM has embodied the definition of insanity like Isiah. Wow.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Arles

This is unbelievable:

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_ar...er_for_webber/

Knicks offered Q Richardson and the expiring contract of Maurice Taylor as a starting point for Chris Webber.

Can you imagine this lineup?

Marbury
Francis
Jalen Rose
Webber
Eddie Curry

These five would also come for the bargain-basement price of $78 million . My lord, that would be the most incompetant collection of overpaid has-beens in the history of the NBA (with Curry thrown in for the "never-will-be" quota). I don't think any GM has embodied the definition of insanity like Isiah. Wow.

I still think that at some point this season, Jalen Rose/Mo Taylor/Frye and something else head out for Garnett/Numerous shitty wolves contracts. If only cause McHale is a worse GM than Isiah.

[stevew]

delayed dola.

If you read the article, it appears as if the Sixers were offering Webber out to everyone, and the Knicks merely offered that in repsonse as a starting offer.

If I could combine some longer contracts(James or Rose plus Qrich) with one expiring(taylor) for Webber, and get 22 million of expiring in 2 years, that's not that bad of a deal for the knicks. They don't figure to get anything at all out of Taylor or Qrich this year anyways, Webber is at least decent at this point.

The summarization of the article makes it appear that the Knicks were instigating talks for Webber, which doesn't seem to be the actual case.

[miami_fan]

Al Harrington is headed back to the Indiana.


The Pacers acquired Harrington and center John Edwards in a sign-and-trade deal Tuesday for a 2007 first-round draft pick. ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that Harrington's new contract is for four years and is worth $35.3 million. He has a player option in Year 4, meaning Harrington can return to the open market as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2009.

"We're very pleased to have Al back in Indiana," Pacers president Larry Bird, who coached Harrington his first two seasons with Indiana, said. "We think he brings an added dimension to our team. We know what he can do and he'll make us a deeper team and a better team. He's also a very good guy. It's a pleasure to have his personality back as well."

Arn Tellem, Harrington's new agent, told Stein on Monday night that the Pacers were "very close" to finalizing a sign-and-trade arrangement with the Atlanta Hawks that had been weeks in the making.

The most Harrington could have received from the Pacers is a six-year contract worth $57 million. But the fourth season of Harrington's new contract, sources say, will be at his option, meaning the 26-year-old will have the opportunity to return to the free-agent market in the summer of 2009 if he chooses.

"We feel this move brings us valuable assets, including additional salary cap flexibility as we move forward," said Hawks general manager Billy Knight.

"When Al came to us, he brought a winning attitude to our franchise and he always put the team first. We are certainly in a better position now having had Al as a member of the Hawks."

Harrington's return to the team that drafted him 25th overall in 1998 was considered inevitable in front offices leaguewide for much of July, prompting interested teams to gradually drop out of the bidding. As negotiations dragged on, Harrington severed ties with agent Andy Miller and hired high-powered Tellem to restart the process. Yet reports this past weekend that the Pacers had squandered their chance to reacquire Harrington proved unfounded because of Indiana's $7.5 million trade exception.

That exception -- created in July when Indiana persuaded the New Orleans Hornets to participate in a sign-and-trade for Peja Stojakovic instead of simply signing Stojakovic away outright -- established the Pacers as the only Harrington suitor that could complete a sign-and-trade without forcing Atlanta to take back significant salary. Other interested teams included Golden State, Denver, New York and the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA front-office sources say Atlanta's teetering ownership group, in the midst of a legal battle with former partner Steve Belkin to keep control of the franchise, had insisted from the start on taking back draft picks and/or cash as opposed to a player or two from Indiana's roster (such as center Jeff Foster or a more expensive veteran). The Warriors, for example, offered power forward Troy Murphy to the Hawks last month as part of a sign-and-trade that would have netted Harrington something closer to the six-year, $66 million contract he originally was seeking. But Murphy, who averaged a double-double in his past three full seasons, has nearly $51 million left on his contract over the next five years.

The Hawks eventually backed off their cash demands and told the Pacers they'd make the trade as long as Indiana sent them a first-round pick and agreed to absorb Edwards' salary. Atlanta's reluctance to deal with the other teams chasing Harrington maintained Indiana's position as the favorite to land the versatile forward, with the Pacers hoping the increasingly fast pace in today's NBA will permit Harrington -- at 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds -- to play plenty of power forward in an athletic frontcourt setup alongside Jermaine O'Neal and Danny Granger.

Acquiring Harrington is doubly crucial because he'd ease the burden on Granger when it comes to replacing Ron Artest. The Pacers' $7.5 million trade exception thus looms as one of the most valuable assets of the NBA offseason.

When Stojakovic gave the Hornets a verbal commitment to sign with them mere hours into free agency on July 1, Indiana faced the very real threat of having nothing to show for January's trade of Artest to Sacramento. But a payment to the Hornets believed to be in the $250,000 range -- coupled with the Hornets' knowledge that they'd likely be keeping Harrington away from a fellow West playoff hopeful such as Golden State or the Lakers -- turned the Stojakovic deal from an outright free-agent signing into a sign-and-trade, thereby creating the trade exception that set up Harrington's return.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[Groundhog]

Well, the far too long and boring phase of the offseason is over, and the first exhibition game has taken place today, with the Raptors beating the Wizards.

#1 pick Andrea "Next Dirk" Bargnani scored 8 points on 3-6 shooting (2-2 from 3pt) in 14 mins.

A couple of NBA teams also played games vs Euro teams, and the Sixers and Clippers both managed to lose... hooray for the NBA, home of the NBA World Champions.

[stevew]

Cleveland - The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced that the October 10th preseason game vs Boston will be carrried by Fox Sports Ohio. Game time is set for 7:00pm.

I need to remember to watch/tape this.

[Groundhog]

I need to remember that I wish I lived in the states sometimes so I could also watch games like that one.

[miami_fan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2620756

The NBA might have given its players something to complain about this season -- something other than the new basketball.

In an attempt to get players to curtail post-whistle whining, NBA referee representatives have made the rounds early in training camp to emphasize the league's zero-tolerance policy.

Commissioner David Stern, long fed up with players' histrionics over questionable calls, is threatening to hit them with quick technical fouls -- and later fines -- for those who curse, throw their hands up, or make other gestures that show disgust.

Rasheed Wallace, for one, told the Detroit News he took the league's crackdown personally.

"It's just another 'Sheed Wallace rule," Wallace, shaking his head, told the newspaper. "It just means I must be doing something right. Any time they change the rules of the game for one specific player, you must be doing something right."

Stern's fine system for offenders starts at $5,000 for each instance a player or coach publicly criticizes an official. For multiple technicals, the consequences now are more severe -- $1,000 fine for the first five, $1,500 for the next five, $2,000 for the next five, $2,500 for the ones that follow, and, in addition, a one-game suspension for every other technical after the 15th. The scale was introduced last season.

"What happens if I am one of the captains?" Wallace asked the News. "Does that mean I can't talk to them? You can't talk back to them like they're your mom and dad. It's like they're saying, 'If you say something to me I am going to put you on punishment.' That's how it is. I will come up with some way to tell them how I feel."

Wallace was issued 16 technical fouls last season and a one-game suspension. It's reasonable to think, if referees consistently show zero tolerance, he could double that total.

"It'll be an adjustment for everybody in the league," the Heat's Dwyane Wade told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Heat coach Pat Riley believes players will still be able to express their opinions to officials, but will have to police their body language and tone of voice.

"They are going to be very conscious of player complaining," Riley said last week. "That's one of the big things with them. Every call, there's always 10 guys complaining to the officials. They're just telling them to cut it out."






I am noticing that David Stern like to spark a little controversy right before every season. I like the rule in principle but I would like to see it in action. The NBA has long been a league where the "superstars" could get away with a little more. Would any ref (well besides Joey Crawford ) really hit a guy like Kobe or Wade with a double T in the first quarter of the game on Christmas day? What if the captain argues the call too much? Like I said, I like the rule from the standpoint that I think it should improve the flow of the game.

[stevew]

I'm all for any rules that curtail the rediculous amount of bitching. Even LeBron is pretty guilty of this one. The only person spending any time talking with the refs about calls should be the captain, or the coach.

On year Sheed picked up something like 40 tech's, so I don't think this rule is unreasonable, to try to stop that. I would also favor changing the rule to make a Tech count as one of your 6 personal fouls if it doesn't count already(hs rule).

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I need to remember that I wish I lived in the states sometimes so I could also watch games like that one.

I fell asleep at like 7:20 last night and totally missed it. Doesn't seem like the cavs did that well. Supposedly Brown and Gibson looked solid, but Pavlosuck, Luke, snow, etc all looked like typical ass.

[dawgfan]

This rule will probably be the final straw on Danny Fortson's career.

[jbmagic]

The new basketball they are using this year sucks.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...v=ap&type=lgns

[stevew]

INDIANAPOLIS -- Stephen Jackson's apology wasn't enough.

The Indiana Pacers' guard was charged with a felony for criminal recklessness and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct Wednesday by the Marion County prosecutor, five days after he fought with another group of men outside a strip club.



Jackson


On Tuesday, Jackson apologized for the fight, saying he was "happy to be alive." His comments came hours after police arrested another man on several charges related to the fight.

Pacers president Larry Bird said Jackson was upset by the charges.

"He knows it's a major embarrassment for the franchise," Bird said. "This is a big blow for Stephen. He didn't expect this."

Teammates Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter were also at the club, but were not charged.

Jackson was hit by a car, and police say he fired a gun in the air at least five times. He originally told police he was punched, but later said he was not, prosecutors said.

"Firing the shots in the air at that point is criminal recklessness," Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said. "Those bullets, once they come up, have to come down, and they come down at least 90 miles per hour, and they do absolutely have the ability to take someone's life."

Brizzi said between 30 and 35 people were in the parking lot.

Jackson was expected to turn himself in Wednesday or Thursday, prosecutors said. He was scheduled to be in court Thursday morning to face the charges. The felony count carries a prison term of six months to three years.

The charges were another setback for Jackson, who has struggled to shake off the effects of the 2004 brawl with Detroit Pistons fans at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

In September 2005, a judge in Michigan ordered Jackson to serve a year's probation for his role in the brawl, but the court ordered him to serve an extra year of probation because he did not complete the terms of his sentence.

Brizzi said Jackson could be ordered to serve three months in jail if authorities there determine he has violated his probation.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league was monitoring the situation and would do its own investigation.

Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said the NBA typically lets players continue to play until such cases are resolved.

Police on Tuesday charged Deon Willford, 23, in the fight. He faces felony counts of criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, and a misdemeanor count of driving without a license.

Willford drove a car that hit Jackson, sending him tumbling over the hood, police Sgt. Matthew Mount said.

Jackson returned to training camp Tuesday with stitches in his lip and scrapes and bruises. Prosecutors say the injuries were all caused by the car hitting him.

Officers said they found a small amount of marijuana in the passenger-side door of point guard Tinsley's car. But no arrests were made at the time because there were three others in Tinsley's car and police could not determine who had the marijuana.

None of the other players were charged but were listed as witnesses for the prosecution.

Tinsley and Hunter told investigators they heard gunshots, but did not see who was shooting, according to an Indianapolis police report. Daniels told police he saw Jackson struck by a car, but was not sure if he heard any gunshots.

The Pacers were to open the preseason Wednesday night against the New Jersey Nets, but Jackson was not expected to play. Coach Rick Carlisle said he expected Jackson to practice Thursday and he could play Saturday when Indiana plays host to Utah.

In charging information, prosecutors said Jackson kicked a man who police said has a deformed arm. Jackson told police that the man, Quentin Willford, started the brawl.

Another man, Raymel Mattox, was charged with misdemeanor counts of battery, disorderly conduct and marijuana possession. Prosecutors said Mattox started the fight by striking Willford.

Can we PLEASE give Stephen Jackson a year off to think about what a fucking jackoff he is? They give Birdman 2 years off cause he was addicted to meth or something, yet he wasn't exactly giving the league the type of blackeye that Jackson has and is.

[Groundhog]

I'm all for the rule change as well, as long as the refs don't abuse it. Team captains should be allowed to approach officials in a calm manner and discuss things.

Rondo is looking good for the Celtics too. All you need to do is go back a few pages to see me bagging on him and hoping that the Cavs don't draft him, but he just hit a shot to force overtime vs the Raptors, and has 24pts 4rebs 5asts and just 1 turnover. He also played well against the Cavs.

Atlanta is also blowing out the Grizzlies right now, although the Griz are fielding an awful team. I think the Hawks should be a fair bit improved this year. They won't win over .500, but they upgraded the PG spot with Speedy Claxton who should do well here, and Marvin Williams figures to improve. What they lack are veterans and another player of Joe Johnson's level.

Shelden Williams - a guy who I thought would be a solid pro before playing amazingly bad in the summer leagues - is having his best game yet since leaving college, with 8pts 5rebs (though 5 fouls and 4 turnovers).

[Sublime 2]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Rondo is looking good for the Celtics too. All you need to do is go back a few pages to see me bagging on him and hoping that the Cavs don't draft him, but he just hit a shot to force overtime vs the Raptors, and has 24pts 4rebs 5asts and just 1 turnover. He also played well against the Cavs.

He has been quite Amazing! I thought his game against the Cavs was great, and then he just had this beauty. Now, as soon as the Celts get rid of Doc, we're all set!

[Groundhog]

Jay Williams played his first game for the Nets today too, in his drive to re-join the NBA after his accident. He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting and pulled in 2 boards, yet had 4 turnovers and 0 assists in the Nets' 89-103 loss to the Pacers.

Marcus Williams (aka. the dude the Knicks should have drafted) had 8pts on 2-10 shooting with 3 boards and 7 assists.

[sterlingice]

"It's just another 'Sheed Wallace rule," Wallace, shaking his head, told the newspaper. "It just means I must be doing something right. Any time they change the rules of the game for one specific player, you must be doing something right."

Man, he's carrying around quite the ego. Not only does he think they're going after him exclusively with a rule that applies to roughly half the players in the league but he then reaches the exact wrong conclusion of "well, I must be doing something right". What an idiot

SI

[stevew]

And Jay Williams is out of the league again. Not too suprising.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by stevew

And Jay Williams is out of the league again. Not too suprising.

Yeah, not a great shock. I watched a Nets game last week where he got some court time and he was a non-factor. He wasn't even handling PG duties at the time, with rookie Marcus Williams bringing it up while Williams played off the ball, and he didn't contribute much at all.

[Neuqua]

** shameless bump **

2006-2007 NBA Preview up at http://hothand.org/

[jbmagic]

Stern says new ball is staying

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...v=ap&type=lgns

[miami_fan]

First we had the "Rasheed Wallace rule", now it's the Mark Cuban rule

To date, the NBA has fined Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban more than a dozen times totaling in excess of $1.5 million. Now the league is on the verge of enacting a rule to further curb the behavior of outspoken owners.

At its meeting last week, the NBA Board of Governors passed legislation aimed at regulating the behavior of owners at games. The new rules come at least partially in response to the actions of Cuban, who, during the regular season, and at last season's NBA Finals, sat courtside, participated in team huddles and frequently berated referees.

Cuban did not attend the meeting.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank told ESPN that the final language of the legislation has not yet been worked out, but it's expected that commissioner David Stern will soon announce the policy aimed at assuring that owners refrain from entering the court, taunting players or officials, and generally maintain a level of decorum mandated by the league.

Cuban, who was fined $250,000 during the NBA Finals for what the league called "several acts of misconduct" and has repeatedly drawn the ire of Stern, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he had no idea about the code of conduct's content. Cuban said Stern gave him no clear-cut answers as to the repercussions for owners who break the new code.

"When asked what the specifics of it were, the commissioner was unable to give any details," Cuban told the newspaper. "So I really don't know."

Cuban believes certain owners are trying to make an example out of him.

"Some owners don't like the way I do my business," Cuban told the paper, "except, of course, when their organizations ask me to come speak to their customers and season-ticket holders to help them sell tickets and suites."

Cuban has been fined by the league numerous times since he bought the Mavericks in January 2000. He was fined $200,000 last May after Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series against San Antonio for going onto the court and for criticizing the league's selection process for playoff officials.