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Billups Bias makes us look silly
Interesting findings in recent ESPN SportsNation poll ... Michigan fans call Chauncey the most clutch guy in the playoffs, but even Chauncey's current fans in Colorado have him THIRD behind LeBron and Kobe. As of this posting, Chauncey has 42% of the vote in Michigan, and only 12% nationwide.
A pretty good visual representation of how irrational Pistons fans are about their players, past and present. Chauncey's not a choker, but c'mon everybody
Lakers Tie Record
The Lakers have won each of their last seven road playoff games against the Nuggets: one game in 1979, two in 1985, one in 1987, two in 2008, and one on Saturday night. That equals the NBA record for consecutive road playoff wins against a particular opponent. The Lakers actually tied their own league record: they defeated the Spurs in seven straight road playoff games from 1982 to 1988.
More talk about PEDs and the NBA
Dave from BlazersEdge tackles the uncomfortable subject about whether there are steroids or other performance enhancing drugs being used in the NBA. It’s the second time I’ve linked to such a topic, but it’s not because I’m convinced there’s rampant abuse — it’s just the fact that no one is being caught (aside form the random “Lindsey Hunter taking diet pills” case) that makes me suspicious. In this day and age, that just seems too good to be true, no?
Ripple effect of Billups trade continues in NBA
The Pistons need a point guard, and that's the equivalent of tossing a bucket of gasoline on an already roaring fire. This is when the self-anointed curbside basketball geniuses proclaim -- for the millionth time -- that the Pistons never should've traded Chauncey Billups. Somehow, watching Billups lead Denver to that city's first conference championship series in a generation fosters the notion that the Pistons would've earned a seventh straight Eastern Conference finals appearance simply by keeping Billups.But nobody can say who would've played the role of dynamic scoring small forward Carmelo Anthony on the Pistons this season. Or who had Kenyon Martin's defensive intensity, for that matter. Billups still regularly speaks with Joe Dumars. And each time, he thanks him for trading him back to his Rocky Mountain roots.
NBA commissioner David Stern isn't sending Dumars any thank-you notes anytime soon. Stern's battling flop sweat because Billups might spoil his dream of a national television ratings gold mine of Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James in the finals. It was supposedly a guarantee. Nike's already running a marketing campaign featuring marionettes of The King and the Black Mamba titled Most Valuable Puppets. It would be hysterical if it ends up Denver-Orlando for the NBA championship. Under that scenario, a Detroit-Pittsburgh Stanley Cup finals rematch featuring Sidney Crosby (plus the subplot of Marian Hossa facing the team he jilted for less money in Detroit) would give hockey a better national story line than the NBA. Denver has got a shot against the Lakers because -- just as in 2004 when the Pistons shocked the basketball world when they precipitated the collapse of the Shaq-Kobe championship alliance -- L.A. doesn't have a point guard capable of containing Billups. The controversial Billups-Allen Iverson trade will become a national talking point once again should the Nuggets reach the NBA Finals. The heat will rain down upon Dumars for what everyone must concede now was a short-term disaster.
For Detroit, it's the long-term possibilities -- Iverson's expiring $21-million contract -- that'll ultimately determine the trade's success or failure. But it doesn't make it any easier watching Billups perform at a championship level while the Pistons still need a point guard. That's the best use for their first-round pick (15th overall) in next month's draft. Syracuse's Jonny Flynn, North Carolina's Ty Lawson or Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor should be available for the Pistons. It's clear now that Rodney Stuckey is better as a combo guard, but nobody would've known for sure if he hadn't been thrown into the fire this season upon Billups' departure.
Chris Kaman would add needed size up front
The Pistons are expected to cast a net far and wide this summer in an effort to return to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, testing the free-agent market and eying possible trade partners.Names like those of Toronto forward Chris Bosh, Utah forward Carlos Boozer and Chicago shooter Ben Gordon have been tossed out as Pistons targets, but the results of Tuesday night's NBA draft lottery may lead to one of the top centers in the league becoming available.
The L.A. Clippers have the No. 1 pick and could trade it, but if they go through with the obvious choice of selecting Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin, big man Chris Kaman could be moved. Griffin would be added to a collection of front-line players Marcus Camby, Zach Randolph (MSU) and Kaman. Randolph is owed more than $33 million over the next two seasons, so it's hard to figure anyone would take on that contract for basically an undersized power forward who can score. But Kaman, a former Central Michigan standout, is owed a relatively modest $33 million over the next three seasons.
With the Pistons' glaring needs up front, Kaman (if healthy) would add skilled size. A legitimate 7-footer, he boasts career averages of 10.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Yet he has failed to play 60 games the last two seasons and was plagued by a strained arch in his left foot last season.
Nick Calathes to Turn Pro in Greece?
Florida guard Nick Calathes, an All-SEC pick last season as a sophomore, has decided to turn pro.
Florida Today has learned that Calathes, who averaged a team-leading 17.2 points per game, is negotiating a deal to play for the Greek team Panathinaikos rather than return for his junior season at UF but is still interested in the NBA.
Chris Kaman Good Fit for Pistons?
Randolph is owed more than $33 million over the next two seasons, so it's hard to figure anyone would take on that contract for basically an undersized power forward who can score.
But Kaman, a former Central Michigan standout, is owed a relatively modest $33 million over the next three seasons.
With the Pistons' glaring needs up front, Kaman (if healthy) would add skilled size.
2005 FIRST ROUND PICKS – Restricted Free Agents
Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks – Without Marvin Williams the Hawks struggle, it's as simple as that. He's still a little raw, but he keeps improving. The thing is he and Josh Smith play very similar roles, playing the four spot without being true power forwards, and do you need to pay two of those guys on the same team? If Williams got the same deal as Smith that would mean a $4.3 million raise for him – but $10 million each seems like a bit much. Williams, in this writer's opinion, is the better fit, so if they want to keep him they may explore trading Smith.
David Lee, New York Knicks – I'm leaning towards this not happening, but Lee deserves a contract extension with the Knicks for all his contributions. Not only does he give 100% every time he steps on the floor, but he fits the system absolutely perfect. Sure, it would get in the way of the 2010 Plan, but Lee should be treated like part of the future rather than part of the problem. If there was justice, Lee would stay in New York and Eddy Curry would be gone.
Nate Robinson, New York Knicks – The sentiments here are similar to those for Lee. Robinson may not be anyone's ideal point guard or shooting guard, but as a sparkplug off the bench on an uptempo team there is no better fit. Again, probably won't happen. Some other team is going to get a great asset; hopefully they can use Robinson's talents as well as Mike D'Antoni did this past season.
EVERYONE ELSE
Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (Early Termination) – If there are any questions about whether or not the Lakers should pay Kobe whatever his agent says, check his history. They should at least ask about him taking a tad less to help the team have a little more flexibility, but if he says no, what are they going to do? Yep, pay him anyway.
Mehmet Okur, Utah Jazz (Early Termination) – Okur is a very talented player but he won't be as successful on just any team. He fits exactly what the Jazz need from the center position and he's willing to stay for a little less than market value. Take advantage of it Utah.
Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz (Restricted) – If Carlos Boozer opts out of his deal the Jazz should focus on Millsap. He's tough, he cleans the glass, he doesn't need plays run for him, and he's a solid defender. He will need to work on the pick-and-roll with Deron Williams a bit, but he'll get there.
Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers cannot afford to lose Lamar Odom. They have no other options to improve their team other than the MLE and while they can get help that way, it's only helpful if they keep the players they have. If they lose Odom, their bench gets incredibly weak.
Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic (Early Termination) – The Magic have stated they won't just pay Turkoglu whatever he wants, but at what point does the success of the team demand the Magic keep this team together? Are they already at that point? Turkoglu can be inconsistent, but he can also win you games.
Mike Bibby, Atlanta Hawks – Many teams would love a veteran point guard, but there is no denying the change in the Hawks since they acquired Bibby last year from the Sacramento Kings. Not only has he been a team leader, but he's been able to fill the point guard role in a way they haven't had since Jason Terry went to Dallas. Simply put, without Bibby the Hawks may not be a playoff team.
Glen Davis, Boston Celtics (Restricted) – Davis is going to get paid after his performance at the end of the season and in the playoffs with Kevin Garnett watching in street clothes. If the Celtics lose Davis they will have to replace him, and they don't have the money or the assets to find a replacement who can contribute as well.
Leon Powe, Boston Celtics (Restricted) – Ditto for Powe everything said for Davis. From the Celtics point of view Powe's injury helps them, because it's not likely too many teams make much of an offer while he's rehabilitating. Perhaps the Celtics can get a good player under contract for a good price.
Ramon Sessions, Milwaukee Bucks (Restricted) – The Bucks need to keep Sessions, plain and simple. He is a much better point guard than Luke Ridnour and he's still on scratching the surface. However, it will cost the Bucks at minimum the MLE, because a lot of teams would pay him that much. If they start a deal at $6 million they can keep him off the market. Then they can look into trading Ridnour.
Marcin Gortat, Orlando Magic (Restricted) – Gortat brings rebounding and defense off the bench, plus he has some okay moves in the post. He will absolutely get interest across the league, especially for the group that either misses out on David Lee or can't afford him. The Magic really have to think about this; if they don't keep Gortat, how do they fill that role? They have no draft picks and only the MLE to offer in free agency. Might as well spend it on Gortat, right?
Jackson, who is clearly tiring of questions about his 7-footer, said that Bynum is only conditioned enough to play in four to five minute spurts and is still limited by his right knee that suffered a torn MCL in January.
On Friday Bynum admitted that he can make more out of the time he's been given. "If he's going to play me in the minutes I'm going to play, I can do a llittle bit better out there," he said.
Jackson is implementing the put up or sit down approach. If he plays well he'll have more time," Jackson said. "We'll do what we have to do for our team to sustain an effort."
On this date in 1999, the late Chuck Daly retired from coaching when he stepped down from a two-year stint with the Magic. Daly compiled a 74-58 record and went 1-3 in one postseason appearance in 1999.
Mark Cuban's battle with SEC heating up
The Dallas Mavericks are out of the NBA playoffs, and the spotlight is now following the team's controversial owner, Mark Cuban, to a different venue -- federal court. The insider trading suit filed against Cuban by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last year is scheduled to receive its first hearing Tuesday when attorneys present oral arguments on a motion by the billionaire owner to have the case dismissed. The hearing will provide yet another window to a case that has captured the attention of the country's legal minds, some of whom believe it represents an unprecedented step by the SEC. "The basis on which they're going after Cuban hasn't been tried before," said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit who formerly worked as an attorney in the SEC's enforcement division. "Whether the SEC is going to be able to stretch (its authority) that far certainly remains to be seen." The SEC alleges that Cuban engaged in insider trading when he sold his shares in a Canadian Internet search engine company, Mamma.com Inc., after receiving confidential information that the company planned to sell additional shares through a private offering in 2004. Cuban was able to avoid more than $750,000 in losses by selling his shares, according to the SEC. The government's case is based on the contention that, by violating an oral agreement to keep the sensitive information confidential, Cuban committed insider trading. Cuban and his legal team, while not admitting that the facts detailed in the suit are true, say the government's premise is wrong. They say Cuban, whose shares represented a 6.3 percent stake in Mamma.com, was never an "insider" because he didn't have a fiduciary or similar duty in his relationship with the company.
Cuban's motion to have the case dismissed has sparked a series of pleadings and briefs in which he has attacked the government's position and the government has pushed back with equally sharp elbows. The SEC argues that a confidential agreement is sufficient to establish a fiduciary relationship and derides Cuban's attempt to say it isn't so. "Cuban's argument that a person can promise confidentiality and then deliberately and furtively break that promise by trading on the confidential information is shameless," the SEC stated in a memo opposing his motion to dismiss. "Cuban accepted a duty of trust and confidence to the source of the information and was therefore legally obligated to abstain from trading or first disclose his plan to trade." Five respected law professors have filed a brief in support of Cuban's position. The professors -- Alan Bromberg of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Stephen Bainbridge of UCLA, Allen Ferrell of Harvard, Todd Henderson of the University of Chicago and Jonathan Macey of Yale -- weren't compensated for signing off on the brief, according to the document. In an interview with The Associated Press, Bromberg said he researched the case after being contacted by Cuban's attorney, Ralph Ferrara, and came to the conclusion that the SEC has gone too far. "It's like if somebody from company X called you and mentioned there's about to be an acquisition at a very attractive price but asked you not to tell anybody," Bromberg said. "You might say, 'Well, sure, I never spill information I get from prospects or contacts,' or you might say, just as a courtesy, 'I'll keep this information confidential.' Does that make you an insider? We don't think so."
Thomas Lee Hazen, a law professor at the University of North Carolina who has written extensively on securities law, said he believes the SEC is on solid ground. "What you've got is a rule that clearly covers people who are under a duty of confidentiality," Hazen said. "It would seem to me that a contractual duty could easily be enough (to charge someone with insider trading)." Cuban did not respond to an e-mail from the AP seeking comment. Ferrara, his attorney, declined comment, saying he did not feel comfortable discussing the issues publicly before they are argued in court. SEC spokesman John Nester said the agency would have nothing to say beyond its court filings. No matter where legal experts stand, they agree on one thing: If Cuban doesn't prevail, Tuesday's hearing could be the first chapter in a long and contentious case. "Frankly, the district court is probably just a way station to the Fifth Circuit or even the Supreme Court," Henning said. "Mark Cuban has some pretty deep pockets."
Chris Kaman in Piston’s blue?
Vince Ellis writes in this morning’s Frees Press that perhaps we should add Michigan’s own Chris Kaman to our offseason possibility lexicon. The Clippers won the Draft Lottery and will look to add Oklahoma PF Blake Griffin to an already talent saturated front court. Kaman’s size, game, and contract ($33 mill over 3 years) will most likely make him the Clipp’s most attractive trade bait. I hope those out there not as familiar with Kaman’s cred don’t judge him on his appearance. Looks can be deceiving. Just because the dude’s a 7′ white guy doesn’t mean he’s slow and awkward. He may look like your buddy’s old man, but the difference is that Chris can ball. I’m mean sure, he’s not Dwight Howard, but he’d still be a good pick up.
Kaman is not too far off from being a career double-double guy with averages of 10.4 points and 8.3 boards per. In 2007-08 Chris only played in 56 games but he made the most of them averaging 15.7 ppg (.483 FG%), 12.7 boards, and 2.8 blocks. The real concern is his durability. As Ellis points out Kaman has had durability issues having played in less than 60 games in each of the last two seasons. He’s been bothered with feet problems which is never good for a big man. But, If anyone can offset nagging injuries it’s the Piston’s own Arnie Kander.
Video as well in the link above^.If we draft a point guard — it looks like Dumars has already scratched the “Stuckey is our PG of the future” — and things don’t pan out with Rasheed, McDyess, or Kwame then we’ll be small ball’n whether we want to or not. We need to start thinking big now. OT: Chris isn’t a big fan of puns.
Dumars: Stuckey is a combo guard
The news is a few days old, but Joe Dumars has apparently given up on the “Rodney Stuckey is the point guard of the future” idea. “What this year confirmed is he’s a combo guard,” said Dumars, “We have to play him on the ball and off the ball.”
New Orleans Hornets say they are prepared to pay the luxury tax 'if we need to'
With his team's player payroll projected at $76 million next season, Hornets owner George Shinn might have to pay a luxury tax bill of more than $5 million.
The Hornets could pursue a similar course that Denver did last summer to restore its financial flexibility. The Nuggets traded starting center Marcus Camby, who was owed more than $15.6 million over the next two seasons, to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Denver's choice to swap second-round draft picks in 2010.
Teams projected to be below the cap this summer include Detroit, Portland, Sacramento, Toronto, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Minnesota, New Jersey and Memphis. All of those teams have projected payrolls of less than $52 million. Detroit has the lowest projected for next season at $33 million, but it has been speculated the Pistons are aiming to stay below the salary cap to make a push next summer for either Cleveland's LeBron James, Toronto's Chris Bosh or Miami's Dwyane Wade, all who will become free agents.
Jackson calls Bynum’s conditioning into question
Phil Jackson said he had a chat with Andrew Bynum after practice Friday and feels fine about them moving forward together. “This is all overdone, tremendously overdone,” Jackson said about issues over Bynum’s playing time.
Jackson said Bynum, whose conditioning the coach questioned back at the start of the season, is struggling on that front again after his long layoff from injury and still is limited to short spurts on the court. “Andrew’s tolerance level on the floor is about four to five minutes, maybe eight minutes maximum,” Jackson said. “So we’re trying to monitor that.”
Jackson said he and Bynum sit next to each other during film sessions and have clear communication. Jackson said he doesn’t have “any trouble” with Bynum’s desire to play more, but he said Bynum’s “activity level shrinks considerably” when he gets fatigued.
Little injuries mount for Nene
Nene is quietly dealing with multiple injuries. The latest is a sore right calf that requires the use of a sleeve to keep it warm and loose. He ices it on the bench.
The Nuggets big man said he feels "a little pull" when he runs, but added, "It's OK, though. I'll be OK."
Nene had 13 points and six rebounds Saturday night in the Game 3 loss to the Lakers. As has been the case recently, he started strong and faded in the second half. Part of that could be due to the calf. He is still dealing with a lingering bruised left hand.
Back to school?
Don't be surprised if Saint Mary's sophomore point guard Patrick Mills returns to school. The Australian's draft stock was hurt when he missed nine games with a broken hand; also, the draft is loaded with point guards. Mills has until June 15 to withdraw his name.
Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen Davis are among the 24 players invited to take part in USA Basketball's minicamp in Las Vegas July 22-25. Participating players will be candidates for the team that plays in the World Championship in Turkey in 2010 and the 2012 London Olympics. Those who decline to participate this summer will probably not be considered.
While Davis has accepted the invitation, it's uncertain whether Rondo (family reasons) and Perkins (left shoulder, prior commitments) will take part.
"I don't know," said Rondo. "I got to decide."