The NBA 2010 offseason/draft thread

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by stevew

suns sign and traded for childress from what i heard.

Interesting. Turkoglu can do really well in that system, with Nash setting him up.

Childress, though, not sure why they did that deal. He's a carbon copy of Richardson, and he's not a terrific outside shooter, which is what they need from the offguard position. Of course, Turkoglu gives them a better shooter at the 3, so maybe they're figuring to offset Barbosa's loss there?

Point is, though, they have Richardson, Childress, Turkoglu, and Grant Hill (unless he retired? I don't think he did). They also have free agents (restricted or unrestricted, forget which) in Dudley, Amundsen and that other European shooter-forward who did well in the playoffs, forget his name. Then they have a soft shooting PF in Frye. So they essentially have about 10 similar players (it seems) for three spots--and, what, just Lopez for an actual rebounder-post player?

I think they got Childress at a good price, and Turkoglu, while no way can he justify his contract, he can at least come closer playing with Nash. But this does nothing to address their issues in the middle without Stoudemire, and they're using that valuable trade exception to do this Childress-Turkoglu thing.

[Groundhog]

Jordan Farmar to the Nets, don't know how many years or how much though. With the signing of Blake and the presumed return of Fisher, not a big surprise.

Despite all the noise around the Nets and their new owner, so far it's Farmar, Outlaw and Petro.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Jordan Farmar to the Nets, don't know how many years or how much though. With the signing of Blake and the presumed return of Fisher, not a big surprise.

Despite all the noise around the Nets and their new owner, so far it's Farmar, Outlaw and Petro.

All reports I read says Favors isn't ready to handle a starting role yet. So my guess is the Nets will unnecessarily splurge on Harrington for the PF spot.

[Groundhog]

For the Suns, I actually think Warrick could start for them at PF. He's the kind of guy that could really do well in their system.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

For the Suns, I actually think Warrick could start for them at PF. He's the kind of guy that could really do well in their system.

Warrick, forgot about him. I think he can start for them, too, but I doubt he will, for the simple fact that, in that system, they need a lot of shooters, and Frye's a much better shooter than Warrick.

But Warrick at least gives them another option closer to the basket. Still not a real answer there, with respect to rebounding and post defense, but he's better than the other popgun guys they have on the roster, second only to Lopez, unless I am forgetting some center draft pick or something like that.

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I'm pretty sure with how they structured everything that they still will have $4-$5 million after those signings. That's why they're interested in Fisher.

I agree with what someone else said that Fisher wouldn't be at the top of my list. At the amount they'd have to pay him, I'm surprised they don't take a look at someone like Ridnour.

They are looking at Juwan Howard which would be a great signing. I would also look at Matt Barnes as I think he's a solid role player who can be had pretty cheap. They still need another big body inside to do some banging. Not sure who's available in that regard.

Rumor mill on Yahoo Sports says that if Miller signs a 5-year $30M deal, it will start at $4.9M, the Heat will only have around $4.3M left to play with.

Haslem is not coming back for cheap, too, given all the mid-level offers being handed to him, and will probably eat that $4.3M.

The Heat will have to rely on vets willing to take the minsal, and/or wait until the season starts and pick up players that are released.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Asik is an athletic (relatively speaking) energy guy. Strange pairing him up with Noah actually as they seem to pretty much share each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Is he NBA ready though? To at least give us 15 minutes a night? I'm a little concerned about burning Noah out and a recurrence of his Plantar Fascitis.

Just seeing if they should still try and bring back Brad Miller for another couple years or if Asik can step in as a backup C right away.

[whomario]

Not sure how i feel about the Suns moves ... Pretty the´ll go small again with Lopez/Frye at the 5 and then a comibination of Warrick/Hedo/Hill playing minutes at the 4 ( i mean, Boris Diaw played center after all )
But even then it´s a logjam ... They could trade Richardson (expiring contract) , but with Hedo/Warrick/Childress/Hill/Dudley, none of those can slide down to the 2 full time i´d say ...

Don´t think pegging Hedo as a shooter for Nash is accurate, he´s propably going to be especially helpfull taking up playmaking duties with Nash on the bench and playing the role of 2nd playmker with him on the court. Think Boris Diaw his first couple seasons with the Suns.

Strictly talent wise they did a good job this offseason imo and i guess we´ll just have to see what they come up with. In any case, should be yet again interesting to watch as a neutral observer

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

A question for whomario...

What do you know about Tiago Splitter? Looks like the Spurs are locking him up tomorrow. Apparently, he was Spanish League MVP last season and Finals MVP in a previous year. Is he more Anderson Varejao or Pau Gasol or neither?

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Tiago is the best bigman in the 2nd best league in the world. From what I've seen of him in Spain (a handful of games) I'd say he's more Gasol than he is Varejao for sure, but I have no idea how he translates over to the NBA.

impact wise i think he´s going to be similar to Scola, easily the best player they had next to Duncan since the admiral retired. All at an absolute bargain price ...
Playing wise of course not all totally similar to Scola, but he has that same big strengths of running the Pick and Roll, running the floor (running in general you could say ) and finding open space around the basket. He´s going to love the amount of space in the NBA created by the 3 second rule and much more penetration and Pick & Role oportunities for the guards to set him up.

The difference is he´s capable of "finishing strong" and change shots defensively (although he´s not going to be great here i guess, just serviceable. Where he stands out is his ability to guard the Pick and Role, very quick feet and good timing) whereas Scola has to come up with 10 new scoop shots each game
Not saying he´s better than Scola but in the NBA setting his impact migh be a tad higher than Scola´s within a year or 2.

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Anyone know anything about Omer Asik?

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Asik is an athletic (relatively speaking) energy guy. Strange pairing him up with Noah actually as they seem to pretty much share each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Pretty much how i´d peg him. Do you mean "pairing up" as in C/PF or starter/backup ? I guess it´s way more likely he´s going to be 15 min backup at best for the first season, but truth be told i haven´t see a ton of games from him

[whomario]

speaking of Diaw, the Raptors aparently will aquire him from the Bobcats using simply the Suns Throw-in Jones, Bobcats aparently need to save money after signing Tyrus Thomas. Yeah, because Thomas >> Diaw, right ...
What a ridiculously dumb move.

Raptors basically turning an unhappy Turkoglu into Diaw and Barbosa who both have only 2 years left on their contracts and plenty talent. Barbosa had a terrible and injury-plagued year and still averaged 20 PPG per 36 minutes (and the injury was to the wrist which threw his shooting rythm down the tube, with an offseason to regain that he´ll be good as new)


in other news, every single member of last years US olympics roster has turned down the invitation to play in next months World Championchips in Turkey.

I don´t think that´ll end well...

[RainMaker]

Yeah, U.S. team will be vulnerable in Turkey. They are stacked at PG with Rose, Rondo, Westbrook, Evans, and Billups. Durant will be the main guy but they are really weak inside defensively.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by whomario

Pretty much how i´d peg him. Do you mean "pairing up" as in C/PF or starter/backup ? I guess it´s way more likely he´s going to be 15 min backup at best for the first season, but truth be told i haven´t see a ton of games from him

Oh yeah, definitely as a backup. I think 15 minutes is about all you could realistically ask of him in his first season, and even that might be too much. Tiago he ain't.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Rumor mill on Yahoo Sports says that if Miller signs a 5-year $30M deal, it will start at $4.9M, the Heat will only have around $4.3M left to play with.

Haslem is not coming back for cheap, too, given all the mid-level offers being handed to him, and will probably eat that $4.3M.

The Heat will have to rely on vets willing to take the minsal, and/or wait until the season starts and pick up players that are released.

yes, when your season hinges on whether Haslem wants to come back for cheap and you play the "wait until the season starts and pick up players that are released game", things are going great.

i'm gonna break it to you - i've seen this practice done before. it happens all the time in my fantasy football auction league. inevitably someone decides they want both Peyton Manning, Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, spends about $80 of a $100 salary cap and spend the next 5 hours - literally - having to fill out their roster by waiting until the end of the draft when everyone else has filled out their roster and done, picking up minimum salary 50 cent players.

and no, no one has ever won my league doing that which is why it isn't done anymore.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Anthony

yes, when your season hinges on whether Haslem wants to come back for cheap and you play the "wait until the season starts and pick up players that are released game", things are going great.

i'm gonna break it to you - i've seen this practice done before. it happens all the time in my fantasy football auction league. inevitably someone decides they want both Peyton Manning, Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, spends about $80 of a $100 salary cap and spend the next 5 hours - literally - having to fill out their roster by waiting until the end of the draft when everyone else has filled out their roster and done, picking up minimum salary 50 cent players.

and no, no one has ever won my league doing that which is why it isn't done anymore.

[albionmoonlight]

Dan Gilbert:

Such an idiot that he could get JoninMiddleGA and Jesse Jackson to agree on something: Namely, that Dan Gibert is an idiot.

Jesse Jackson faults Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's*LeBron comments - NBA - SI.com

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Dan Gilbert:

Such an idiot that he could get JoninMiddleGA and Jesse Jackson to agree on something: Namely, that Dan Gibert is an idiot.

Jesse Jackson faults Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's*LeBron comments - NBA - SI.com

I don't know about Dan Gilbert being an idiot, so much as just being dumb in the heat of the moment, and few of us are at our best when we're angry. Not saying it wasn't stupid, but let's not call it stupid in a vacuum and not note the extenuating circumstances.

What I do know is that it's crazy to use any words that come out of Jesse Jackson's mouth as supporting evidence for any point (agreement with Jon or not). The guy is about as deceitful and biased and self-serving as they come.

Even if Jackson took me in front of a mirror and told me I was white, I still might reject the statement because it came from him.

[Anthony]

just saw bits and pieces of Knicks summer league game, and i'm now confident Toney Douglas isn't gonna cost us any games. it's summer league so stats don't matter, i'm just won't be afraid when he comes out on the floor. already a definite improvement over Chris Duhon. that Routins guy is gonna become a lesser version of Steve Kerr/Tim Legler OR a more controlled version of Nate Robinson -and i'm really happy about that. he might be our white Hubert Davis (reliable 3 pt shooter). didn't see any big men to write home about.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I don't know about Dan Gilbert being an idiot, so much as just being dumb in the heat of the moment, and few of us are at our best when we're angry. Not saying it wasn't stupid, but let's not call it stupid in a vacuum and not note the extenuating circumstances.

What I do know is that it's crazy to use any words that come out of Jesse Jackson's mouth as supporting evidence for any point (agreement with Jon or not). The guy is about as deceitful and biased and self-serving as they come.

Even if Jackson took me in front of a mirror and told me I was white, I still might reject the statement because it came from him.

I agree, basically. Jesse Jackson has < 0 credibility on any issue. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to needle Jon a little bit by pointing out to him that he agreed, in the main, with Jesse Jackson about any issue on Earth.

As for Dan Gilbert, I am sure that he regrets sending that letter in the heat of the moment. It was stupid b/c it gave the moral high ground back to James. But it was, I agree, something that he did without thinking. I mean, that letter was not even edited. Clearly, his PR guy had gone home for the night.

[spleen1015]

hxxp://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Jesse-Jackson-LeBron-James-Dan-Gilbert-slavery-comparison-071210

WTB more Jason Whitlock.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I agree, basically. Jesse Jackson has < 0 credibility on any issue. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to needle Jon a little bit by pointing out to him that he agreed, in the main, with Jesse Jackson about any issue on Earth.

Heh, I almost commented on how Jackson managed to do a pretty good job of making Gilbert look like less of a moron, but only by comparison to Jackson.

[jbergey22]

Wow this has gotten crazy. ESPN poll question today.

Who has done more to damage their reputation in the past year?
A Tiger Woods
B Lebron James

That is just insane. I dont agree with the decision he made and dont respect how he did it but I am not sure how these are even comparable.

[MikeVic]

I know, Tiger just got laid a bunch of times. LeBron killed a city.

edit: sarcastic winky.

[Neon_Chaos]

Michael Jordan weighs in on LeBron James and Kobe Bryant - Ball Don't Lie - NBA* - Yahoo! Sports

[stevew]

Haslem staying in Miami.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by stevew

Haslem staying in Miami.

and Quentin Richardson going to the Magic, propably for the rest of their mid level (paid Duhon from that)
Might mean they won´t match the bulls offer for Redick or might mean that they simply see Richardson as the replacement for Matt Barnes.

and it now the Raptors actually do a "real" trade with the Bobcats, Calderon/Evans --- Diaw/Chandler.
If he can stay healthy Chandler is still a pretty good player and would allow Bargnani to play the 4 a bit more and gives the Raptors an option not to force-play Amir Johnson 35 minutes.

Calderon is kind of a so-so thing. Definitely a very good player, but not on a team that needs drible penetration which he just can´t provide (or defense for that matter).

[Arles]

I like the Suns moves. They need more of an outside shooter/Pick-n-roll 4 and Hedo fits that. With Lopez in the middle and Warrick, it seems like a good fit. Hedo also waived almost $6 mil of his trade kicker/guarantee to come to Phoenix. That means the deal is 4/$40 million from now on - below market for a quality player (basically a little more than Gooden got in FA).

They also got Childress for 5/33 - also well below market. He seems to be a good fit for the "Shawn Marion" role in their offense and will help defend and get offensive boards. Basically, the moved Amare and Barbosa's $14 mil for Hedo, Childress and Warrick. Not terrible moves given all 3 came on the fairly cheap. Here's what they have now:

Nash/Dragic
Richardson/Childress
Hill/Dudley
Hedo/Warrick
Lopez/Frye

With Earl Clark and Gani Lawal as the other rotation guys.

It's a lot longer, better rebounding and better defense. Instead of having to pair the 6'2 Barbosa at SG with Nash, they now have length up and down the roster. If Hedo+Warrick can make up Amare's scoring, they may actually be better. There's no doubt they will be a better defending and rebounding team with this lineup. Plus, Dudley and Frye can really shoot the 3 off the bench and are tougher matchups than Barbosa was.

[DaddyTorgo]

DUDDERS!!!

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Arles

They also got Childress for 5/33 - also well below market. He seems to be a good fit for the "Shawn Marion" role in their offense and will help defend and get offensive boards. Basically, the moved Amare and Barbosa's $14 mil for Hedo, Childress and Warrick. Not terrible moves given all 3 came on the fairly cheap. Here's what they have now:

With Earl Clark and Gani Lawal as the other rotation guys.

It's a lot longer, better rebounding and better defense. Instead of having to pair the 6'2 Barbosa at SG with Nash, they now have length up and down the roster. If Hedo+Warrick can make up Amare's scoring, they may actually be better. There's no doubt they will be a better defending and rebounding team with this lineup. Plus, Dudley and Frye can really shoot the 3 off the bench and are tougher matchups than Barbosa was.

It might be better defensively but this Suns team is a bad bad rebounding team.

[MrBug708]

And Fisher is coming back to LA

[whomario]

I really don´t think that this would make the Suns a better rebounding team, Hedo´s career average is 5.4 RPG per 36 minutes and his teams have been consistently better (just rebounding) with him off the court.
The Magic had Lewis defending PFs and Lewis isn´t exactly a legit 4 either.

Not saying he won´t help them, just don´t think it´s going to be with rebounding or such. On offense he´ll be a great adition though, i really think his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands will be a huge plus on a roster where everyone but Nash depends on others (well, Nash) to set them up.

Childress is an ok rebounder for a SF though (not a-level but good) but still isn´t a good shooter. Aparently it´s not in the water in Europe

But overall they´ve done good going from the Stoudemire loss. Didn´t give up much flexibility either for when Nash´s contract runs out (though the way he´s going he´ll propably be playing MVP level again by then ... )

[Arles]

Originally Posted by whomario

I really don´t think that this would make the Suns a better rebounding team, Hedo´s career average is 5.4 RPG per 36 minutes and his teams have been consistently better (just rebounding) with him off the court.

They're replacing Amare (10.3 R/40), Barbosa (3.5) and bench fodder with Warrick (8.1), Hedo (6.0), Childress (7.0) and Earl Clark (6.5). So, while they may lose a bit from Amare to Hedo/Warrick, they will gain a ton with Childress and Clark getting Barbosa's minutes. Don't forget the increased role of Robin Lopez (10.1) - who missed 30 games due to injury last season.

Childress is an ok rebounder for a SF though (not a-level but good) but still isn´t a good shooter. Aparently it´s not in the water in Europe

Childress will play SG, with Dudley and Frye playing the "shooting" role in the second unit. He will be more of the "Matrix" in he will guard the best scorer, offensive rebound and be more of a cutter/slasher. At SG, he's a phenominal rebounder - better than double what Barbosa gave.

But overall they´ve done good going from the Stoudemire loss. Didn´t give up much flexibility either for when Nash´s contract runs out (though the way he´s going he´ll propably be playing MVP level again by then ... )

If anything, this offseason has shown cap room is overrated. Clippers, Nets, Knicks, Bucks, Wolves and others had a bunch and came away with very little. It's better to get market deals for guys like Childress (5/33), Hedo (4/40) and Warrick (3/18) via trade than be forced to overpay Drew Gooden, Amir Johnson or Wes Mathews because everyone has cap space and not anyone to spend it on.

If you assume extensions with Nash and Dudley (which have been talked about). Phoenix will have a core of Nash, Hedo, Lopez, Dudley, Dragic, Childress and Warrick for the next 3-4 seasons - with only Nash and Hedo making $10 mil and no one else near that level. Plus, they have Richardson's $14 mil expiring this season to use as well if a deal is out there (ie, Iguadala). Going into the next 3 seasons with most guys making between $2 and $6 million and your "stars" making under $12 is a great spot to be with the new CBA.

[jeff061]

Slightly more interesting feedback from Gilbert.
Dan*Gilbert opens up about his scathing reactions to LeBron - Ian Thomsen - SI.com

Sorry if it's been posted.

"I asked [Bulls owner] Jerry Reinsdorf, 'Did certain things happen with Michael [Jordan]? Did he not return your calls?' " Gilbert said. "He said, 'No, that would never happen, never.' I did hear this was very unusual,'' Gilbert said of his inability to communicate with James.

That's really about as negative as it gets.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Arles

They're replacing Amare (10.3 R/40), Barbosa (3.5) and bench fodder with Warrick (8.1), Hedo (6.0), Childress (7.0) and Earl Clark (6.5). So, while they may lose a bit from Amare to Hedo/Warrick, they will gain a ton with Childress and Clark getting Barbosa's minutes. Don't forget the increased role of Robin Lopez (10.1) - who missed 30 games due to injury last season.


Childress will play SG, with Dudley and Frye playing the "shooting" role in the second unit. He will be more of the "Matrix" in he will guard the best scorer, offensive rebound and be more of a cutter/slasher. At SG, he's a phenominal rebounder - better than double what Barbosa gave.


If anything, this offseason has shown cap room is overrated. Clippers, Nets, Knicks, Bucks, Wolves and others had a bunch and came away with very little. It's better to get market deals for guys like Childress (5/33), Hedo (4/40) and Warrick (3/18) via trade than be forced to overpay Drew Gooden, Amir Johnson or Wes Mathews because everyone has cap space and not anyone to spend it on.

If you assume extensions with Nash and Dudley (which have been talked about). Phoenix will have a core of Nash, Hedo, Lopez, Dudley, Dragic, Childress and Warrick for the next 3-4 seasons - with only Nash and Hedo making $10 mil and no one else near that level. Plus, they have Richardson's $14 mil expiring this season to use as well if a deal is out there (ie, Iguadala). Going into the next 3 seasons with most guys making between $2 and $6 million and your "stars" making under $12 is a great spot to be with the new CBA.

Clark for sure isn't starting, and Warrick probably won't, as the Suns go with Frye for his shooting. 6 reb/40 is not all that great for a 6-11 guy like Turkoglu, and even if we accept the importance of SG rebounding, where does that Childress number come from, three seasons ago? Plus, Childress might not be starting either.

I have to agree with the others: the Suns aren't going to be a very good rebounding team. And if they give the guys who can rebound a ton of minutes, they'll be awful at the one thing that keeps them above much of the rest of the West--shooting off of Nash's excellent passes.

I also don't think the deals for Turkoglu or Childress are good market deals at all.

As for the cap space issue, this is not a typical year. Most of those teams you named with "overrated cap space" were necessarily holding onto cap space for LeBron, and only one team could get him. If they had that cap space and weren't being held hostage by an indecisive James, that cap space would have been spent much quicker.

If you don't think cap space is important in today's NBA, I just don't know what to say to that.

[Chief Rum]

BTW, not saying the Suns won't be good in many areas. They're a bit of a wildcard with the lsos of Stoudemire and all the new faces. Not sure if they'll be as good, better or worse. But I am pretty sure they will rebound poorly and their defense probably takes a step back, too. Plus, Nash isn't getting any younger.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Clark for sure isn't starting, and Warrick probably won't, as the Suns go with Frye for his shooting. 6 reb/40 is not all that great for a 6-11 guy like Turkoglu, and even if we accept the importance of SG rebounding, where does that Childress number come from, three seasons ago? Plus, Childress might not be starting either.

I have to agree with the others: the Suns aren't going to be a very good rebounding team. And if they give the guys who can rebound a ton of minutes, they'll be awful at the one thing that keeps them above much of the rest of the West--shooting off of Nash's excellent passes.

I also don't think the deals for Turkoglu or Childress are good market deals at all.

As for the cap space issue, this is not a typical year. Most of those teams you named with "overrated cap space" were necessarily holding onto cap space for LeBron, and only one team could get him. If they had that cap space and weren't being held hostage by an indecisive James, that cap space would have been spent much quicker.

If you don't think cap space is important in today's NBA, I just don't know what to say to that.

Good stuff. And if Lopez misses anytime for injury, the Suns will easily be the worst rebounding team in the NBA

[Groundhog]

I've seen a lot of Childress these past 12 months, and I think he's definitely an improved player. Still an iffy shooter, but his overall game is stronger. I think he should be a good pickup at that price.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Clark for sure isn't starting, and Warrick probably won't, as the Suns go with Frye for his shooting. 6 reb/40 is not all that great for a 6-11 guy like Turkoglu, and even if we accept the importance of SG rebounding, where does that Childress number come from, three seasons ago? Plus, Childress might not be starting either.

Even if you think moving Amare's minutes to the 7-foot Lopez, 6-10 Hedo and 6-9 Warrick is a big drop on rebounding (which is debatable), taking the 18-20 minutes Barbosa had and giving it to Childress and Clark are huge rebounding increases. At worst, they net out and are similar to last season.

I have to agree with the others: the Suns aren't going to be a very good rebounding team. And if they give the guys who can rebound a ton of minutes, they'll be awful at the one thing that keeps them above much of the rest of the West--shooting off of Nash's excellent passes.

They have a great combo of length (outside of PG, they are 6-7 or taller everywhere), shooting (Nash, Dragic, Frye, Dudley, Richardson, Hill, Hedo) and defense (Hill, Dudley, Childress, Lopez) that should work will in Phoenix's system. Arguably, their best season (when Amare was hurt and Tim Thomas+Diaw manned the 4) came with this recipe.

I also don't think the deals for Turkoglu or Childress are good market deals at all.

Really? $10 mil per for 4 seasons is a lot for Hedo? $6 mil for 5 for Childress and $4 mil for 4 for Warrick? In this market, getting a solid player for $4-6 mil is almost stealing. Darko got $5 mil, Gooden got $6 per, Amir got $7 and Brendan Hayward got $9 mil.

As for the cap space issue, this is not a typical year. Most of those teams you named with "overrated cap space" were necessarily holding onto cap space for LeBron, and only one team could get him. If they had that cap space and weren't being held hostage by an indecisive James, that cap space would have been spent much quicker.

No, there are 4-5 guys worth cap space and most will go to LA/Chicago/NY/Miami. Most teams will end up blowing their cash on guys like John Salmons, Dorell Wright, Amir Johnson and Drew Gooden.

If you don't think cap space is important in today's NBA, I just don't know what to say to that.

Well, it's not if you aren't in Miami, NY, LA or Chicago. Tell me one impact FA signed by a non-Miami/LA/NY/CHi team in the past few seasons? You get good players via trade for expirings/TE - not pure FA deals.

[jbergey22]

I agree with a lot of what you say Arles however Hedo for 10 million a year is a terrible contract for them to take on. He is a career 42.5 percent shooter and only getting worse. The way he played in Toronto last year I wouldnt want to see him in the court too much.

[Arles]

Well, they moved Barbosa ($14 mil over the next two seasons) for Hedo ($40 over the next 4). In order to stay competitive, they needed a competent 4. They're options were to pay Barbosa $7 mil for 2 seasons and Amare $25 mil for 5 or Hedo $10 for 4 and Childress $6 for 5. I'd rather have Hedo and Childress for $16 than Amare+Barbosa for $32 next season (and even longer). Hedo was a 19-5-5 guy in Orlando when he was a part of their offense. He was just a bad match for Toronto. I have a hard time believing that Nash and the Suns can make Boris Diaw, Tim Thomas, Raja Bell, Matt Barnes, Q Richardson and J Richardson quality performers but won't be able to do the same with Hedo.

If they let Amare walk and didn't bring in a solid 4, they would have no chance at the playoffs. They should be 4-7 seed now with the team they have. Their window is about 3 seasons with Nash and they will have a lot of cap flexibility once that window ends. There's no reason not to make one more playoff run for the next few seasons with Nash.

[Groundhog]

Gani Lawal was fairly underrated going in to the draft due to who he played next to, I think the Suns might have gotten a steal with him too.

John Wall is looking a clear couple of steps above the guys he's playing against in the summer league. Rose didn't look nearly as impressive out of the gate.

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

And Fisher is coming back to LA

Yes!

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by stevew

Haslem staying in Miami.

Bill Simmons compared it to the Joe Smith deal, and I have to also think something fishy is going on here. This is Haslem's last longterm deal, and he was getting offered a substantial amount more to go elsewhere.

[stevew]

Jordan is apparently ready to renege on a Bobcats/Raptors deal that would send Chandler and Diaw for Calderon and Reggie Evans(i think).

The players were already informed that the deal was done.

[Groundhog]

lol @ Jordan. Although Diaw is the best player involved in that trade, getting rid of Chandler AND getting a starting PG would probably be in the best interests of the Bobcats. Trust Jordan to strike once again.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Bill Simmons compared it to the Joe Smith deal, and I have to also think something fishy is going on here. This is Haslem's last longterm deal, and he was getting offered a substantial amount more to go elsewhere.

No doubt something fishy is going on there. Wonder how common this sort of stuff is around the league.

[Anthony]

ESPN Insider has some (probably) made up rumor about Carmelo+CP3 to the Knicks. doesn't mention if it's this season or next. i'd crap myself if that ever happened, but probably as made up as Lebron's chances of going to NY.

[Anthony]

hmmm, apparently this came straight from CP3's mouth at a toast for Melo's wedding. didn't necessarily mention NY, but he suggested starting their own big 3 of CP3, Melo and Amare. Amare is in NY now and ain't going anywhere for quite some time, so it looks like this could have some legs.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

No doubt something fishy is going on there. Wonder how common this sort of stuff is around the league.

Honestly, I don't think it goes on too often because I think guys generally go with the be$t offer. But this is a pretty unique situation.

Also, I wish people would stop praising Bosh and LeBron for taking pay cuts to sign. From what I understandthe tax breaks they'd get in Florida account for any "hit" in salary they took coming to Miami.

[Groundhog]

...though I do wonder sometimes. Over here the tax laws and privacy make it very difficult to police sporting salary caps. We recently had a rugby league team very harshly punished for breaching the salary cap substantially (all the more controversial because they've played in the last 4 finals, winning 2 of them), and it's a running joke in our basketball league that a few of the teams in recent history have had players who earn nearly the entire salary cap on their own - if not more.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

LOL, Kahn did it and actually gave up something to acquire Beasley (switching draft picks sometime when the Cavs will be a lottery team and the Heat will not). Going to be a fun year in Minnesota with all those SF/PF hybrids and no sign of being able to trade a pissed off Jefferson yet.

Beasley for two 2nd round picks. Not too bad ...