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SHAREPosted: Friday July 18, 2008 12:00PM; Updated: =
Friday=20
July 18, 2008 12:00PM
| Ian Thomsen | > |
INSIDE THE NBA
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Weekly Countdown (cont.) |
4 Questions rescued from the spam4. Now that the Sonics are on their way to Oklahoma City, =
what city=20
without an NBA team is most likely to get a franchise? Is =
Vancouver or=20
Mexico City a possibility? Seattle obviously wants another basketball team. Well, why =
not put=20
an expansion team in Seattle? The "new" Sonics could play in the =
Western=20
Conference. This opens up a need for a new Eastern Conference =
team. Why=20
not put the new team in Little Rock, Ark.? We already have a =
suitable=20
arena (Alltel Arena) and just look at the support the fans give =
the=20
Razorbacks. Arkansas doesn't have a pro team and it is about time =
we get=20
one. There aren't going to be any new teams domestically. If the = league is=20 to expand, it will be to grow new franchises in Europe per = commissioner=20 David Stern's vision. I can't imagine an existing team moving to Mexico City or = Vancouver,=20 which lost its franchise to Memphis and isn't going to get another = chance.=20 It's in the best interest of Oklahoma City owner Clay = Bennett to=20 find a team to move into Seattle over the next five years, which = would=20 prevent him from having to pay $30 million in franchise alimony to = the=20 city of Seattle for bailing out on his lease. But the most likely = home for=20 the next nomadic franchise is Kansas City, which has an arena = owned by the=20 Anschutz Entertainment Group, which has deep NBA connections. 3. Obviously, one of Donnie Walsh's goals for the Knicks is =
to be=20
under the cap by 2010 so that he can go after LeBron James and =
other free=20
agents. I was looking at the salaries of the current Knicks =
players for=20
the next several years and noticed that Eddy Curry, Quentin =
Richardson,=20
Jamal Crawford and Jared Jefferies all have player options for =
either the=20
2009-2010 season or the 2010-2011 season. What is the likelihood =
that any=20
of those players would not accept those option years? Highly unlikely. Each of those players would have a hard time = finding a=20 team with cap space to award him a salary equal to or greater than = he is=20 receiving from the Knicks today. Their value may rise as the team=20 improves, but for the moment Walsh is going to have to clear space = via=20 trades. 2. When players are bought out of their contracts in the =
middle of a=20
multiyear deal, how does that affect the salary cap of the team in =
future=20
years? The terms of the buyout are applied to the cap. If a player = making $8=20 million per year agrees to a buyout worth $6 million per year, = then his=20 value on the salary cap will be $6 million annually. 1. Do you like the Celtics to repeat as champs next=20
season? They're going to miss James Posey (see below) ... but = next week=20 I'll be coming out with my early predictions for the upcoming = season. 3 Stories making news3. New Orleans signs James Posey to a four-year contract = worth $25=20 million. This looks like the perfect signing for a team that = needed=20 depth, experience and toughness -- all of which Posey has provided = to=20 championship teams in Boston and Miami over two of the last three = seasons.=20 While the Celtics won't find anyone to replicate Posey's = versatility, they=20 can go into next season expecting even better performances from = youngsters=20 Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and=20 Glen (Big Baby) Davis. As the Eastern version of the = Spurs,=20 they'll be able to recruit bargain-priced veterans who want to = play for a=20 championship, much as P.J. Brown did last season. 2. Brandon Jennings signs with Pallacanestro Virtus Roma of=20 Italy. The move abroad by this high school point guard has = created=20 speculation of an exodus by American teenagers seeking to make = quick money=20 while preparing for the NBA draft and avoiding the NCAA rule book. = I don't=20 buy this as the beginning of a major trend. European teams with = the money=20 to recruit players like Jennings are under pressure to win every = game.=20 When those clubs don't win, they fire everybody -- the management, = the=20 coach and the players -- at a much faster rate than teams in the = NBA.=20 There may be an exception here or there, but for the most part = clubs in=20 Spain, Italy or Russia aren't going to throw money at young = Americans who=20 aren't schooled in the fundamentals of team basketball. The only motive I can imagine for the club would be to = negotiate a=20 $500,000 NBA buyout in the American player's contract. When the = player is=20 ready to go back home, his NBA franchise would pay $500,000 to his = team in=20 Europe. Maybe the European teams can make a little bit of money = that=20 way. 1. The Nuggets trade Marcus Camby to the Clippers for the = right to=20 switch second-round picks next year. How often have we been = able to=20 say that the Clippers outsmarted somebody? This was a steal of=20 Auerbachian proportions. They went from having no certain = options=20 to replace Elton Brand, to landing one of the league's best = defenders as well as one of the NBA's finest community = representatives in=20 Camby, who is among the league leaders in charitable work. I have learned that the Clippers' offer to the Knicks for =
Zach=20
Randolph last week was much more audacious So why did the Nuggets say yes? They're out of the luxury tax = next=20 season, that much is true. But couldn't they have bartered a = first-round=20 pick in the deal? How does coach George Karl get the=20 high-maintenance foursome of Carmelo Anthony, Allen = Iverson,=20 Kenyon Martin and Nen=EA to band together when = management just=20 tossed out its only defender for absolutely nothing? The Nuggets = still=20 have a high payroll, no flexibility, a $10 million trade exception = they're=20 unlikely to use and a team with zero chance of contending. 2 Professional opinionsI asked two experts to tell me who they liked in the opening = week of=20 summer league here. 2. Anthony Randolph, Warriors. "This is a long, = multiskilled guy=20 with freaky athleticism,'' a Western Conference GM said. "He can = put it=20 down on the floor and he can pass it. He has a good feel for the = game.=20 Because of his size [6-10], athleticism and versatility, he can = hurt you=20 in a lot of different ways. He plays with a lot of energy too. = People were=20 saying that he might be too skinny [at 205 pounds] to have an = impact, but=20 in his one full game here he went right at everybody. Look, he = isn't going=20 to move Yao Ming off the blocks, but with his speed, = quickness and=20 smarts, he'll find ways to hurt you.'' 1. Jerryd Bayless, Trail Blazers. "He is a great fit for = them, a=20 tremendous scorer,'' a Western advance scout said. "He can spot up = for the=20 three-point shot, and he has a quick first step to get to the = basket off=20 the dribble or get to the foul line. The other guy I've seen here = who does=20 that well is Eric Gordon of the Clippers. They both have = NBA bodies=20 with strong legs, and in the lane they know how to shift their = bodies and=20 draw contact while still being able to finish the play. Bayless = looks like=20 he's built like a running back that way. "The Blazers are building for the future, and that future may = be now.=20 Bayless isn't a true point guard, but he can back up the position = a little=20 bit. He's made some nice passes off the pick-and-roll here. And he = can=20 play in the backcourt along with Brandon Roy, with Bayless = covering=20 the point guards while Roy leads the offense.'' 1 Story about Nick Van Exel1. Seattle, 1993. Van Exel was in Seattle for a predraft = tryout=20 with the Sonics. "We had a breakfast about 7:30 in the morning,'' = recalled=20 George Karl, a former North Carolina Tar Heel who was coaching the = Sonics=20 at the time. "And Nick had made a comment in his senior year about = Dean=20 Smith being just an ordinary coach. So during the breakfast I = kind of=20 ripped him -- for an hour -- on some of his questionable = characteristics=20 in his life. I was really hard on him. He was pretty good about = it, but I=20 was really tough on him.'' After breakfast, Van Exel went up to his room to dress for the = workout.=20 Downstairs in the lobby, Karl was threatening to cancel the = workout and=20 drive Van Exel back to the airport, to punish him for his heresy = against=20 the Carolina godfather. "So I'm waiting for him in the lobby,'' Karl said, "and he = walks off=20 the elevator wearing a Duke hat.'' He came out of the locker room and walked right past Karl = without=20 making eye contact, his Duke turned sideways on his head. "He said it was coincidence,'' Karl said. "But he knew what was = going=20 on. I said to my assistant, 'That's really bull----! But it's good = bull----.' " Van Exel had an excellent workout for the Sonics, and he went = on to=20 have a strong 13-year career for six teams other than Seattle. But = this=20 week he has been an assistant coach for the summer league team of = the=20 Nuggets, whom Karl now oversees as head coach. "He's pretty good as a coach,'' Karl admitted grudgingly. "He = knows the=20 game.''
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