'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol:12

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=1753

The New York Daily News (Mark Lelinwalla) reports: Just as Danilo Gallinari was beginning to draw a crowd in front of the Garden Wednesday, a Knicks fan shouted out a special request to the sixth pick of this year’s NBA draft. “Go hard!” the man yelled. “We need you, go hard!” Although Gallinari smiled and nodded graciously, he may not be able to fulfill that request immediately. Still nursing a sore lower back, the Italian rookie said he doesn’t know if he’ll be ready to practice when camp opens in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday.

InsideHoops.com editor says: It’s still unclear how many minutes Gallinari will get early on, once he’s healthy. I’d assume very few and that he’ll be deep on the bench. First he’ll have to prove himself to Mike D’Antoni in practice, and earn minutes from there. Of course, this is the case with almost all rookies.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=1752

The Orlando Magic will hold their 2008-09 training camp at the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, beginning Tuesday, September 30. In addition, the Magic have signed free agents Dwyane Jones (F-C, 6-11, 251, 6/9/83, Saint Joseph’s), Jeremy Richardson (G-F, 6-7, 195, 3/1/84, Delta State) and Mike Wilks (G, 5-10, 180, 5/7/79, Rice). The roster currently stands at 16 players.

Orlando begins the preseason at home on October 6 vs. Atlanta. The Magic open the 2008-09 regular season at home on Wednesday, October 29, also against the Hawks.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Those are good training camp signings. Better than what most teams add. Not that training camp additions matter too much, but still.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=1751

The San Francisco Chronicle (Janny Hu) reports: Monta Ellis was riding a moped when he severely injured his left ankle last month in his native Jackson, Miss., sources close to the Warriors guard told The Chronicle on Wednesday. The 22-year-old tore a deltoid ligament in his ankle and sustained a high-ankle sprain in what one of the sources labeled a “low-speed” accident. Ellis underwent surgery Aug. 27 and is expected to be sidelined for at least another two months… Since riding a moped is prohibited under the uniform player contract, the Warriors could move to terminate Ellis’ deal, though such a move seems highly unlikely. A possible punishment for Ellis is a heavy fine or suspension.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Who the hell gets hurt riding a moped? Don’t those things go like 20 miles an hour? What next, Stephen Jackson out for the season due to a tricycle incident? But seriously, the Warriors would only move to terminate Monta’s contract if the injury was going to really mess up his career. If it appears he’ll make a full recovery, they wouldn’t do it. He’s their best young player. As for a fine, if I owned the team, I’d fine him for the full amount of time he’s going to miss. No suspension. The team simply shouldn’t have to pay him if he can’t do his job for reasons due to this injury. And that’s it, move on from there.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=1750

The Atlanta Hawks today named four-time NBA All-Star and Georgia Tech legend Mark Price as a Shooting Consultant, and former Hawk and Yellow Jacket star Duane Ferrell as Player Relations and Programs Manager, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Sund. Price joins the Hawks after spending last season as the Memphis Grizzlies’ Shooting Coach, while Ferrell served in a player development role for the Washington Wizards from 2001-04. “Coach Woodson thought it was important that we add a shooting specialist to the staff,” Sund said. ”Mark is recognized as one of the premier shooters in the history of the league, and is a welcome addition to our coaching staff. We’re also pleased to enhance our basketball operations area with Duane’s experience. His work with the Wizards, coupled with his time as a player, adds another valuable asset to assist our guys with their development off the court.”

Price enjoyed an outstanding 12-year playing career, spending time with Cleveland, Washington, Golden State and Orlando from 1986-98, and averaged 15.2 ppg and 6.7 apg (.472 FG%, .402 3FG%, .904 FT%) in 772 games. He holds the NBA record for highest career free throw percentage in both the regular season (.904) and postseason (.944). The Cavaliers’ all-time leader in assists (4,206), he also ranks 19th in NBA history with a .402 career three-point percentage. Price appeared in four NBA All-Star games, was named All-NBA First Team in 1992-93, All-NBA Third Team three times and led the league in free throw percentage five times. In addition to having his number retired in both Cleveland and at Georgia Tech (where he played from 1983-86), the basketball arena in his hometown of Enid, Oklahoma is named after him. “We’re happy to have Mark on our staff, and we feel like he’s a great fit,” Woodson said. “As a player, he was one of the purest shooters to ever play the game, so we look forward to him working with our guys to improve their consistency from everywhere on the floor.” “I’m very excited and honored to accept this new position with the Hawks,” Price said. “I’m thrilled to join Coach Woodson and his staff and look forward to working with such a promising organization filled with incredibly talented and exciting players.”

Ferrell played 11 NBA seasons for the Hawks (1988-94), Indiana Pacers (1994-97) and Golden State Warriors (1997-99). His best pro season came in 1991-92, when he averaged 12.7 ppg and 3.2 rpg, appearing in 66 games with the Hawks. In 583 career games, he put up 6.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg (.480 FG%, .750 FT%). He is Georgia Tech’s ninth all-time leading scorer (1,818), where he played from 1985-88. “It’s a dream situation for me to return to the organization where I saw my most success as a pro,” Ferrell said. “I played here for six years, and have been proud to call Atlanta my home since 1984. I want to do anything I can to help the players, coaches and franchise to reach their ultimate success, and I think this group is headed in that direction.”

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=1749

The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have signed guard Salim Stoudamire. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Stoudamire, 6-1, 175 lbs., has spent his entire three-year NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks. Last year he appeared in 35 games, averaging 5.7 points in 11.5 minutes. He scored in double figures in nine games including a season-high 18 points vs. Golden State on 2/22. Stoudamire enjoyed his best season in 2005-06 when he played in 61 games, averaging 9.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.3 minutes. For his career, he has appeared in 157 games, averaging 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.0 minutes per game.

Originally selected by Atlanta with the 31st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Stoudamire played four seasons at the University of Arizona where he played in 129 games, averaging 15.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Stoudamire finished his collegiate career in ninth place in NCAA history in career three-point field goal percentage (.458, 342-747) and tied for 18th in career three-point field goals made. As a senior he led the nation in three-point shooting (.504, 120-238) and ranked fourth nationally in free throw percentage (.910, 122-134).

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=1748

The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed free agent center Didier “DJ” Ilunga-Mbenga, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak.

Mbenga, a 7-foot, 255 pound native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Lakers last season on January 21 and February 1 before signing for the remainder of the year on February 11. In 26 games with the Lakers, Mbenga averaged 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.62 blocked shots in 7.8 minutes while totaling four points and five rebounds in 10 minutes over seven postseason games.Earlier in the season, Mbenga signed with the Golden State Warriors on November 17 after spending three seasons with the Dallas Mavericks prior to their request for waivers on him October 30. In 16 games with the Warriors prior to his release January 6, Mbenga averaged 1.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.63 blocked shots in 8.1 minutes.

After signing with Dallas as a rookie free agent in 2004, Mbenga, 27, played 79 games over three seasons with the Mavericks, totaling 106 points, 75 rebounds and 35 blocked shots in 374 minutes. In his rookie year of 2004-05, he averaged 4.10 blocks per 48 minutes played while improving to 5.00 blocks per 48 minutes in 2005-06. In 2006-07 he was limited to just 21 games after missing the first 16 games of the year with a left foot tendon strain and suffering a torn right ACL 2/7/07 vs. Memphis. In 121 career games including two starts, Mbenga is averaging 1.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.50 blocked shots in 5.8 minutes. The Lakers preseason roster now stands at 19.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=1747

Denver Nuggets guard Chucky Atkins underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today. The surgery, performed by Nuggets orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Steve Traina, repaired torn cartilage and cleaned out loose bodies.

Atkins began experiencing discomfort in the knee two weeks ago while playing pick-up games in preparation for the season. An MRI was performed on Monday and revealed surgery was necessary.

Atkins will be sidelined for approximately six weeks.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketbal ... 4367.story

The Knicks are also working on parting ways with a few other veteran players. The team is still trying to get oft-injured Jerome James to retire to free up a roster spot and clear the remaining two years and $12.6 million left on his contract off the salary cap. Forward Malik Rose, who has one year and $7.6 million left on his deal, is also a buyout candidate.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks ... adlin.html

The Knicks first training session on Tuesday in Saratoga will include several familiar names; Ewing, Houston and Grunfeld. All we need is a Van Gundy, a Starks and one Oakley and it would be 1997 all over again.

Allan Houston, who is bound to set the world record for longest comeback, should be signed either today or tomorrow and will be in camp. Houston has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2004-05 season and is a long shot to make the roster. He tried to make a comeback last season but he showed up one week after training camp began and only played a few minutes of one exhibition game before shutting it down.

Danny Grunfeld, the son of former Knicks player and president Ernie Grunfeld, is also expected to be added to the training camp roster. Grunfeld was scheduled to play with the Knicks in the Vegas Summer League but an injury forced him to withdraw. Patrick Ewing Jr., acquired earlier in the month from the Rockets, has a good chance of making the final roster.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl- ... 9856.story

Three weeks after angering NBA officials with their behavior at a league symposium, Miami Heat rookies Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers reiterated their regret over starting their careers on such a note. "My immaturity played a factor," Beasley, the No. 2 overall selection out of Kansas State, said today during an informal interview session before an evening workout at AmericanAirlines Arena. "It was just a mistake," said Chalmers, the Kansas national-championship point guard who was drafted in the second round, "being at the wrong place at the wrong time, something we look back and we regret to the fullest."

Beasley was fined $50,000 and Chalmers $20,000 by the NBA for violations at the league's Rookie Transition Program in Rye Brook, N.Y.

The league cited the presence of improper guests in a hotel room where Beasley, Chalmers and Memphis Grizzlies forward Darell Arthur were present. The scent of marijuana was also present in that hotel room, although that was not cited by the league in the issuance of the fines, with privacy issues involved in the NBA's substance-abuse policy.Arthur also was fined $20,000, with Beasley given a steeper fine for initially refusing to cooperate with the league investigation.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6021605.html

The Rockets had requested that Landry undergo a more complete and invasive examination on Landry’s right knee. Morey said Thursday that he was unsure if they would make that request again, saying it would depend on the doctor’s recommendation.

Other Rockets players that had off-season surgery have been cleared to begin training camp on Tuesday.

McGrady (shoulder and knee) has been scrimmaging and Rafer Alston (ankle) went through Thursday’s informal scrimmage. Shane Battier (ankle) worked out Thursday morning though he has not had his physical and Steve Francis (knee) said he is hoping to be cleared this weekend.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/allan_ho ... 92508.html

New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that guard Allan Houston has been re-signed as a free agent.

Originally retiring on Oct. 17, 2005 following training camp three seasons ago, Houston is the team's fourth leading scorer in franchise history during the regular season (11,165) and eighth leading scorer during the playoffs (1,139). Only NBA legends Patrick Ewing, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Willis Reed have scored more points during their regular season careers with the orange and blue. On Oct. 4, 1999, he was named a team captain, and held that title for six seasons. He was selected to be a member of the 2000 and 2001 NBA All-Star teams and was a member of the Gold medal-winning United States team at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. On May 16, 1999, the Louisville, KY native authored one of the most memorable shots in club history with a game-winning runner at Miami in the closing seconds of Game Five in the first round of the 1999 NBA Playoffs. After defeating the Heat, the Knicks went on to defeat the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals and Indiana Pacers in the conference finals to make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1994.

Recognized for his work through the "Father Knows Best" program offered under the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation, Houston was recently named as the national spokesman for the National Fatherhood Initiative. Houston will be wearing jersey No. 14 in honor of his father, Wade, one of the first African-American basketball players at the University of Louisville. "My father has been a great model of a man, and hopefully I can continue to carry what he taught me back to the court with the Knicks. Off the court, this is also symbolic to encourage men to be committed fathers as their role remains one of the most important factors in the lives of our youth."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/dan_grun ... 92508.html

The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that free agent guard/forward Dan Grunfeld has been signed to a contract. As per club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.

Grunfeld, 6-6, 215-pounds, was undrafted out of Stanford University and spent the last two seasons playing overseas. The River Hills, WI native spent the 2007-08 season in Spain, where he averaged 14.7 points and 3.3 rebounds for Aguas De Valencia. Grunfeld averaged 12.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game for Oldenburg in Germany during the 2006-07 campaign. As a collegian, Grunfeld played four years at Stanford, highlighted by his junior season in 2004-05 when he earned First Team All-Pacific 10 Conference honors after averaging 17.9 points per game.

Grunfeld is the son of current Washington Wizards president, Ernie Grunfeld. The older Grunfeld was a part of the Knicks organization for over 17 years as a player (1982-86), broadcaster (1986-1989), assistant coach (1989-1990) and general manager (1991-1999).

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/kings/news/Francisco ... 92508.html

The Sacramento Kings and swingman Francisco Garcia today reached an agreement in principle on a multi-year contract extension, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We are all gratified we were able to reach an agreement in principle with Francisco on a contract extension,” said Petrie. “He embodies a lot of qualities we feel are necessary for our team to continue to improve. He’s a competitive leader and he’s gotten better every year. We’re looking forward to watching him grow even more this season.”

Garcia, a three-year NBA veteran, amassed career averages of 8.1 points (.440 FGs, .357 3FGs, .792 FTs), 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game through 225 outings with the Kings. His best year, statistically, occurred during the 2007-08 campaign when he averaged 12.3 points (462 FGs, .391 3FGs, .779 FTs), 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game over 79 contests. Garcia started in 20 games last season (2007-08), averaging 16.4 points (.448 FGs, .370 3FGs, .798 FTs), 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He recorded a career-high 31 points in 35 minutes at Phoenix on November 21, 2007. “I feel great,” explained Garcia. “It’s good to know that I’m going to be here for years to come. This is a great organization that’s moving in the right direction. We have the best owners in the league. Our general manager is one of the best. And we have a good coaching staff with a lot of talented players. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season.”

Garcia was selected in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Kings as an undergraduate out of Louisville. He enjoyed a three-year career for the Cardinals, averaging 14.4 points (.448 FGs, .369 3FGs, .849 FTs), 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.48 steals per game through 98 outings, of which he started 80. “It’s very exciting to sign Francisco to a contract extension,” said Kings’ Owner Gavin Maloof. “He’s been a wonderful member of our organization both on and off the floor. We love his tenacity and leadership skills. He’s never afraid to take the big shot or make the big play. Francisco is a major part of our young core going forward.”

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/sixers/news/080925_t ... _camp.html

Philadelphia, Pa. – September 25, 2008 – Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the team has signed five free agents, rounding out the roster for training camp, which runs from Sept. 30 through Oct. 5 at Penn State University. With today’s additions of Andre Emmett, Justin Reed, Jared Reiner, Maureece Rice and Antywane Robinson, the Sixers roster now stands at 19.

Emmett (6-4, 216) was originally selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by Seattle (now Oklahoma City). He appeared in eight games for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2004-05 season. Most recently, Emmett averaged a league-high 23.9 points per game for Belgacom Liege Basket of the Belgian League. Emmett played four seasons for Texas Tech, with the final three coming under the tutelage of Bobby Knight. He finished his career as the Red Raiders all-time leader in scoring with 2,256 points. Reed (6-8, 238) was selected by Boston with the 40th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. In three seasons with the Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves, Reed has appeared in 136 games with nine starts, averaging 3.5 points (40.4% FGs, 75.2% FTs) and 1.4 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game. Last season, Reed appeared in three preseason games for the Houston Rockets before joining the Austin Toros of the D-League. In a combined 30 games for the Toros and Bakersfield Jam, he averaged 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Reed spent his collegiate career at the University of Mississippi, becoming the first player in school history to earn All-SEC honors in all four seasons. Reiner (6-11, 245) attended the University of Iowa and was not selected in the 2004 NBA Draft but signed as a rookie free-agent with the Chicago Bulls for the 2004-05 season. In two seasons with the Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, Reiner has played a total of 46 games with four starts, averaging 1.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game. This past summer, Reiner participated in the Sixers entry in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 1.4 points and 2.2 rebounds. Last season, Reiner played abroad in both Spain and Germany.

Rice (6-1, 224) is best known for his career at Strawberry Hill High School, during which he tallied 2,681 points, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia school record of 2,206 points. Rice went on to attend The George Washington University, where he was named Atlantic-10 Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore and A-10 All-Conference Third Team as a junior. He was not selected in the NBA Draft this past June. Robinson (6-8, 220) played all four seasons at Temple University, earning Atlantic-10 All-Conference Second Team honors his senior season. For his career, Robinson had 85 steals to 54 turnovers in 116 games played. He has yet to appear in an NBA game after going undrafted in 2006, but played preseason games for the Atlanta Hawks in 2007. After being waived by the Hawks, Robinson joined the Sioux Falls Sky Force of the D-League before playing overseas for Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez of the French League.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Trail_B ... -1218.html

The Portland Trail Blazers signed forward Shavlik Randolph, General Manager Kevin Pritchard announced today. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

A member of the Philadelphia 76ers for three seasons, Randolph averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 79 games, including seven starts. He averaged careers highs of 4.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.77 blocks in 13 games in 2006-07. Randolph, 24, played three seasons at Duke University, averaging 6.3 points, a .506 field-goal percentage, 4.3 rebounds and 1.40 blocks during his college career. The 1.40 blocks per game are seventh all-time in Duke history. The Raleigh, N.C., native shot .591 from the field in a sophomore season that saw the Blue Devils reach the Final Four in 2004.

The signing of Randolph sets the Trail Blazers’ 2008 training camp roster at 18 players. He will wear jersey number 42.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets ... 07-34.html

After months of speculation, the Carl Landry saga has finally reached its conclusion. The verdict: The explosive second-year forward will indeed be donning Rockets' red once again.

Less than twenty four hours after the Charlotte Bobcats signed Landry to a three year offer sheet - with the third year being a team option - Rockets GM Daryl Morey announced that Houston will match the deal. "We’re really excited to have him back," Morey says. "We wanted to sign him long-term out of the draft last year; because we didn’t have mid-level we weren’t able to get that done. So now we’re excited to get that done and we’re going to have a great set of players in for training camp. "We had a lot of time obviously to think about what range of money we would match and this fell into that. Also, training camp coming Monday, we want to get him in here and get the physical finished and get him here starting Monday for camp. There was a chance that this could drag out and we didn’t want that to happen. We felt like we had to get Carl in at a number that didn’t hurt our ability to maneuver long-term and we feel like this does that, so we were willing to wait and I’m pleased. I’ve said all along that it’d be nice if someone would just sign him so we could match and get this over with."

Landry burst onto the scene during the second half of the 2007-2008 season, using his tremendous athleticism to become a true force at the power forward position. The product of Purdue averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while posting eye-popping efficiency numbers which placed him at the top of last year's rookie class. And while some have raised concerns over the state of Landry's sometimes-troublesome right knee, the Rockets will have an opportunity to ensure its health when he arrives for his physical. "Obviously, him having played for us, we’ve got a good sense of the state of the knee," says Morey. "But we feel like we’re in a season where we’ve gotta take risks and we’ve got to bring in all the best players possible. We feel like this has a chance to be a special season and we’re excited Carl will be a part of it." One other important note to realize about this deal: Should the Rockets decline the option for Landry's third year, he will still be a restricted free agent.

[nasty daddy]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/b ... ref=si_nba

Houston Rockets point guard Rafer Alston underwent tests during the offseason to rule out a potential heart condition, league sources told SI.com.

Two doctors examined Alston and both cleared him to play, according to the sources. Alston has been scrimmaging with the Rockets this week and will participate in training camp. "Rafer had a few extra tests on his physical," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told SI.com. "Everything came back negative. They were precautionary."

Morey declined to comment on the nature of the tests. A call to Alston's agent, Dan Fegan, was not immediately returned. Alston averaged 13.1 points and 5.3 assists in 74 games with the Rockets last season.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10067

Garcia Agrees to Extension with Kings:Breaking news thanks to our friend Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: The Kings and swingman Francisco Garcia have agreed to terms on a five-year, $29.8-million contract extension. Garcia's game grew significantly this past season as he was able to show a myriad of skills with so many injuries to the Kings roster and provided tons of energy off the bench.

Under head coach Reggie Theus last season, Garcia had a career year across the board, averaging 26.3 minutes per game while producing 12.3 points on .463 shooting, .391 from beyond the arc. Theus was on Rick Pitino's coaching staff at Louisville, where he coached Garcia and saw what he was capable of doing on the court for highly successful Cardinal teams.

Garcia's new deal begins next season and will expire in 2014.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10067

AI Could Be Dealt: Interesting bit of news coming out of Denver: Allen Iverson acknowledged that he could be traded this season. With a massive $20.8-million expiring contract, the Nuggets could easily decide that the tandem of Iverson and Carmelo Anthony simply isn't worth spending money on. Considering the team's difficulty in moving through the playoffs (five straight first-round exits) and the large chunk of payroll owed to Iverson and Anthony, a move has become a distinct possibility. This becmae even more clear after the Nuggets decided to move Marcus Camby's large deal to increase their financial flexibility.

Iverson himself identified the conceivability a trade on Wednesday in an interview with the Rocky Mountain News. "It's a possibility," he said. "We'll just see what happens. I wouldn't be upset either way because it's a business. . . . The one thing about a trade is when somebody trades for you, they want you. That's what you want as an athlete." But before anyone begins wondering how nice it would be to have the most fearless player in the league on their team and starts mocking up possible trade destinations and packages, it's important to realize that Iverson would like to remain in Denver. His representatives presented the Nuggets with the option of Iverson opting out of his deal this summer so he could take a pay cut to sign a long-term deal with the Nuggets.

The team, however, did not put an offer on the table, which didn't sit too well with Iverson. "I was kind of bothered by it," he told the Rocky. "Being the fact that, from the time that I got here (in December 2006), I gave them everything I had. Obviously, I did some good things. . . . I thought they would at least make an offer for me to turn down. I thought they'd at least offer me a dollar or something." In the end, though, the Nuggets are in a situation where they need to make some decisions about where they'll be going in the not-too-distant future. Should the AI-Melo duo continue to get shots at success? Should the team be looking in a different direction?