Around the NBA

Post #141 » by **thanumba2clippersfan** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:46 pm

I'm loving all the rumors I'm hearing. I can't wait for tonight. It just sucks that we will be without basketball for awhile

Ranma · Post #142 » by **Ranma** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:02 pm

Jonathan Givony just tweeted that a big deal is about to happen on the draftboard:

DraftExpress Twitter

Here comes the first “mock draft grenade” I’m hearing. And its a big one. Waiting for confirmation…

Ranma · Post #143 » by **Ranma** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:48 pm

Chad Ford Tweet

Corrected deal: Bucks get Beno, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston & 19. Bobcats get pick 7 & Maggette. Kings get 10 & John Salmons.

Post #144 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:05 pm

Ranma wrote:Chad Ford Tweet
Corrected deal: Bucks get Beno, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston & 19. Bobcats get pick 7 & Maggette. Kings get 10 & John Salmons.

Latest rumor is that Kings will then move Salmons and 10 to Spurs for Parker and Jefferson.

Then again, they may just want to draft Jimmer.

Post #145 » by **mkwest** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:00 am

David West is going to opt out of his contract and forgo the final season of his contract at $7.5M. He's coming off of a torn ACL. His doctor says that he is ahead of schedule, but still could be out until December. Being over 30, coming off of knee injury with the uncertainty of a new CBA is very risky. Otoh, this is going to be his last big contract, so I understand the urgency with him being 31 later this summer.

If West signs with another team, then all that means is that Paul is even more likely to want out when his contract is up (if he isn't already). The Knicks are said to only be in the market for 1 year contracts this offseason to preserve their 2012 cap space for Paul, Dwight, or Deron. We would love to have Paul throwing lobs to Blake and DJ, but it would not be a surprise for him to end up in New York after already implying that he would team up with Amar'e and Melo during Melo's wedding reception last summer. So, Paul to the Knicks could be just as orchestrated as last summer's Miami Heat. The positive about New York not signing free-agents this summer is that it will one less player for DJ. The Knicks were rumored to have had strong interest in him a few months ago. We can match anybody, but it would be nice to keep the price as favorable as possible.

adiedanny · Post #146 » by **adiedanny** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:41 pm

He also mentioned how jealous he was of Baron because of all the lob passes he could be giving to Griffin like he did to Chandler.

mkwest wrote:David West is going to opt out of his contract and forgo the final season of his contract at $7.5M. He's coming off of a torn ACL. His doctor says that he is ahead of schedule, but still could be out until December. Being over 30, coming off of knee injury with the uncertainty of a new CBA is very risky. Otoh, this is going to be his last big contract, so I understand the urgency with him being 31 later this summer.

If West signs with another team, then all that means is that Paul is even more likely to want out when his contract is up (if he isn't already). The Knicks are said to only be in the market for 1 year contracts this offseason to preserve their 2012 cap space for Paul, Dwight, or Deron. We would love to have Paul throwing lobs to Blake and DJ, but it would not be a surprise for him to end up in New York after already implying that he would team up with Amar'e and Melo during Melo's wedding reception last summer. So, Paul to the Knicks could be just as orchestrated as last summer's Miami Heat. The positive about New York not signing free-agents this summer is that it will one less player for DJ. The Knicks were rumored to have had strong interest in him a few months ago. We can match anybody, but it would be nice to keep the price as favorable as possible.

Post #147 » by **mkwest** » Sat Jul 2, 2011 8:56 pm

Sources: New agent for Deron Williams

New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams has chosen to sign with Jeff Schwartz as his new agent, according to sources with knowledge of the decision.

Williams recently parted ways with longtime agent Bob McLaren, who primarily works with Major League Baseball clients.

The decision to sign with Schwartz's Excel Sports Management means that the top three free agents in the summer of 2012 will all be represented by different agents. Orlando's Dwight Howard is represented by Dan Fegan, New Orleans' Chris Paul signed with Leon Rose last summer and now Williams is aligning with Schwartz, whose client roster includes top veterans Paul Pierce, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler and Lamar Odom, as well as young stars Blake Griffin and Kevin Love.

Marc Stein, ESPN

IIRC, Deron was considering switching over to Leon Rose and CAA (LeBron, Carmelo, Paul, etc.), but has decided to go with Jeff Schwartz. Out of his clientele, Blake happens to be the most attractive in terms of age, potential and his team having either the cap room or the assets to put Deron into a good situation. Deron may very well re-up with the Nets if they can add the right players (i.e. Dwight Howard), but I would seriously think think that his agent would steer him this way if things didn't work out for Deron in Brooklyn.

Post #148 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jul 7, 2011 5:50 pm

Deron Williams To Sign With Besiktas

A Turkish website is reporting that Besiktas is close to signing Deron Williams to a contract.

Update: Marc Stein of ESPN has confirmed with sources that Williams intends to play for Besiktas if the lockout continues.

Players under contract have typically needed a letter of clearance from FIBA to play elsewhere, but the Players Association believes they need no such clearance during a work stoppage.

"If they try to stop him," one source said of Williams, "the union will fight it."

Sources tell Stein that Williams will not need to report until August or September and that he will be allowed to leave the club once the lockout is resolved.

Besiktas signed Allen Iverson last offseason.

Zaza Pachulia will also sign with Besiktas, according to the report.

Williams is scheduled to become a free agent in 2012.

RealGM / NTVspor.net

Supposedly, he'll play around 1-2 games a week while taking in about $200K monthly. If he goes through with this, then it will be interesting to see what other players follow suit. Will there be somewhart of a domino effect? We've heard random players mention playing overseas, but D-Will is the biggest so far. The players are more prepared this time around and may end up being harder to break during the CBA negotiations.

The major issue would be what happens if he or another player under contract suffers an injury. If the NBA season is completely lost, then the injury issue doesn't really matter as much in D-Will's case (unless it was career-threatening) as he may be a free-agent anyway.

Post #149 » by **thanumba2clippersfan** » Fri Jul 8, 2011 4:24 pm

I'm curious to see how many players actually go over seas. If we don't have a season I think it could end up being a significant number of players. Only time will tell, so I will wait and see.

Post #150 » by **mkwest** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 12:52 am

Teammates react to Yao Ming's retirement

Chuck Hayes, via the Houston Chronicle: "Michael Jackson was before my time. Elvis (Presley) was before my time. But if I had to guess, it was like being around Yao Ming. He was big. Everyone wanted to see him. He graced us with his presence in the NBA. It was unbelievable. It was great."

Shane Battier, via the Chronicle: "He's one of the few guys that I'll be proud to tell my grandkids I played with. Top-to-bottom, from the first day I met Yao to the last I played with him, he was nothing less than a superstar should be. He was the hardest worker ever for a superstar and had tremendous compassion for his teammates. He truly felt happiness and joy when teammates had success. I can't think of a superstar who had those two qualities.

Tracy McGrady, via Yahoo! Sports: "I feel very honored to have not only played with one of the greatest big men in our league, but to also call him my friend. I wish Yao continued success in all his ventures in life.”

Carl Landry, via Twitter: Yao Ming is a great person & also a great player…you will be truly missed…#much love"

AOL Sports/Sporting News

There's a lack of clarification of whether Yao has officially retired or not. With a lockout, he may have more time to fully recover and give it another go. If he is gone for good, I'll miss him. He was a fun player to watch over the years. He wasn't just another tall guy in the NBA, he was truly a special player. His impact on the game of basketball went far beyond what he actually did on the court.

Damn injuries.

Post #151 » by **thanumba2clippersfan** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:09 am

If Yao can get healthy I'm sure he will try to play basketball again. Since there is a lockout he has time to recover from his injury.

Post #152 » by **mkwest** » Wed Jul 13, 2011 7:17 am

Kevin Durant is reportedly organizing a huge streetball game next month between two legendary streetball tournaments, and the presence of NBA stars has ESPN interested according to the organizers. SI reports: “The perceived hopelessness of the labor situation is at the root of these ruminations, with players eager to find alternate outlets for their competitive juices. Durant did just that this week, when his plan to create an East vs. West streetball championship came to fruition in the form of an Aug. 20 faceoff between the Drew League and the D.C.-based Goodman League. The D.C. native and back-to-back NBA scoring champion has been a regular at the Goodman League for years, but he stopped by the Drew League on June 20 to see what the West Coast hype was all about. His presence caused quite a stir even before tip-off, with people piling in to see the Oklahoma City star in action. He played in the noon game, then was so impressed by the quality of the play that he asked league commissioner Oris ‘Dino’ Smiley to add him to a second game later in the day. Somewhere between his now-legendary off-the-backboard, alley-oop-to-himself dunk and his flight back east, Durant came up with the idea to create the kind the exhibition game that team officials might have advised against if the lockout hadn’t prevented them from speaking to their players. Los Angeles natives [Dorell] Wright and Baron Davis are handling the logistics. Wright says he wants to make it a ‘huge, huge, huge deal,’ and the game is expected to take place on the court where the likes of Durant, John Wall, Michael Beasley and DeMarcus Cousins so often play in the inner-city D.C. neighborhood known as Barry Farm. Smiley said ESPN has shown some interest in airing the game. The best NBA players from both leagues are expected to team up with some non-NBA players. The trash talk already has begun.”

Slam Online

Craig Smith and Bobby Brown are a couple of players with Clipper ties that could be involved. Derozan, Beasley, Daye, Artest, Steve Blake, Shannon Brown, Javale McGee, Marcus Williams, Durant, Harden, Tyreke Evans, Dorell Wright, Wesley Johnson, Jeremy Tyler and Derrick Williams have all participated in the Drew League this summer.

Post #153 » by **mkwest** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 6:33 pm

Cuttino Mobley Wants One More Shot at the NBA

Former NBA guard Cuttino Mobley, who retired in 2008 because of a heart ailment, would like another shot at playing in the NBA.

"Mine is not serious at all. As you can see 11 years of playing and still playing three years later after they said you shouldn't play. You shouldn't run. You shouldn't do this. You shouldn't play that. A lot of different things they said you shouldn't do."

"At first I was cool with it because I didn't do research on it, but then doing research and getting different opinions, then I became upset because the corporation, the big company trying to get as much money as they can and do different things like that, for me I don't think that was right," Mobley said.

"You either waive me, you don't take me in, you let me go somewhere else, let me create my own destiny like I did in 1999 when I came to the Rockets. Let me create my own decisions. Don't make the decisions for me, clogging my heads with different things.

"I'm not upset now because I know it's a business and that's how they treat it as a business, but it's two and a half, three years I haven't played. It's been a waste."

Mark Berman, My Fox Houston

I do see where he's coming from to an extent. If he can play, then I would like him to accomplish that. Cat has been one my favorite Clippers and I was sad to see him traded in the first place. I always thought that he could become a decent assistant coach in the league, but his mind isn't there at the moment. Nobody wants to see something tragic happen to the guy, so I can understand the hesitancy to take a risk.

Post #154 » by **thanumba2clippersfan** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 5:39 pm

I'm with you MK, if Cuttino comes back I wouldn't want to see something happen that could be avoided. I would be a risk, but it's up to Cat and any team willing to sign him. If he makes a comeback hopefully nothing bad will happen.

Post #155 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:16 am

Not your average pick up game. Blake Griffin, OJ Mayo, Paul George, Jordan Farmar, James Harden, and of course Toby Bailey @ UCLA Mens gym. link

BG nearly hits his forehead on the rim off an oop...looks like he's in pretty fair shape. link

Sean Nami via Twitter

Post #156 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:33 am

Blake recently participated in a Kenny Smith Basketball Camp at UNC...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qalYt1y0xoU[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODqIj7ZGPMg[/youtube]

Post #157 » by **mkwest** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:30 pm

Taylor Griffin working to join brother Blake in NBA

A former University of Oklahoma basketball player, Griffin is working with professional shooting instructor Steve Bontrager, a former Oral Roberts guard. He's trying to improve as a forward overseas or return to the NBA as a perimeter player.

"I've got to work on pretty much everything, because obviously I want to make it back to the NBA," Griffin said. "But in the meantime I'm playing overseas, so I've got to concentrate on every position."

"I'm waiting to find a deal overseas ... but it's just taking a while for teams over there because they're trying to get that NBA player they didn't expect to get," Griffin said. "It's really affecting basketball across the world."

After playing together at Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond and at OU, the brothers have adjusted to being on different teams. But Taylor Griffin would love if they were reunited.

"We had a lot of fun in college," he said. "If that happened on down the line it would be incredible."

Kelly Hines, Tulsa World

Post #158 » by **mkwest** » Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:08 pm

Not exactly NBA news yet, but Santam Singh Bhamara (along with the Bhullar brothers) could be India's hope of having representation in the NBA.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvknOlKuBjw[/youtube]

7'1 & 280lbs at the age of 15. His dad is 6'10, so size definitely runs in the family. He has played with the Indian national team under former NBA Assistant coach, Kenny Natt. He now resides in Florida and is looking to develop his skills. He has a long way to go, but his size (assuming that he continues to grow) alone will spark some interest.

Post #159 » by **thanumba2clippersfan** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:02 am

I'm interested to see how these big men from India develop. I'm curious if they will become NBA material. Only time will tell.

Post #160 » by **mkwest** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 8:26 pm

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuJpz66cME0#t=02m00s[/youtube]

Skip to 2:00 mark.

Dwight Howard tips his hand of where he wants to play in 2012? When asked which 4 players he would like to team up with, he names Chris Paul, Stephen Jackson, Deron Williams and Anthony Morrow. He adds a 5th player in Monta Ellis. Monta and Orlando were linked in trade rumors last year. Stephen Jackson could be had if Orlando really wanted him. Paul and Williams are obviously the big free-agents along with Howard. Morrow just so happens to play with Deron on the Nets. Hmm...