Yardbarker: New Jersey Nets

Where is the Money?

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:56:23 -0500

These Boys are talking about Money! Go and get your Money boys. That is right, it is NBA Free Agency time, and we all know what that means! It's time to collect. Some major players in the NBA such as Corey Maggette, Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, and Elton Brand have decided to opt out of their contracts. They are ready to go and get some more cash, maybe with the same team or maybe with another. There is one big problem, THERE IS NO MONEY! Well there was no money. Every year players opt out to get money, and with the soft NBA cap, money always creates itself. This year the Warriors, Clippers, Grizz, Sixers, and maybe the Supersonics have cash. On top of cap space, the NBA also supplies each team with veteran exceptions and one mid level exception (which is the NBA average salary around 5.8 million). Baron Davis surprised everyone including the Warriors by leaving 17.8 million dollars while people like Shawn Marion and Ron Artest know that sticking around for one more year may make a bigger pay day next year. Maybe these guys aren't about money then, maybe they just want to win? Well lets talk about some major free agents and where they have gone, could go, or who is interested. Elton Brand and Baron Davis: There is alot of talk in the West now because Golden State and the LA Clippers could actually have money. With Maggette gone and Brand opting out, the Clipps signed Baron Davis first, then are trying to get Elton Brand locked up since he is a returning player and they could go over the cap to sign him. Both will be taking pay decreases in 08/09, but in the end would be making alot of money with raises each year. Brand will get attention until July 9th when he is allowed to sign from Philadelphia and Golden State who may not have enough money to pull Josh Smith from Atlanta. He could be that power post up player they are looking for. Brand could be using both teams to get a larger contract from the Clippers. Word is that Brand is close to being done with LA but the years seem to be the hold up. James Posey: The second most popular free agent? He may be, everyone wants a bench defender who can shoot. Posey may have made his case in the NBA finals this year by his stellar play and hustle. Is he a starter? Maybe, but not for the whole season, he is best played off the bench and in crunch time. Who is interested? Well the Lakers were a James Posey away from winning the championship. They only have a mid-level exception to offer though, will 3 years 20 million be enough? It may be a little larger than that. (Note that teams over the cap can use that mid-level and extend a long term deal using yearly increases that would be about a million dollar a year raise each year.) Posey's agent says that Boston and San Antonio are the finalists, but they both are in the same situation as the Lakers. Posey has to be ready to settle down, and stop moving around. Boston is where he wants to be, but they have to lock him up. Josh Smith: He is a restricted free agent, and the Atlanta Hawks have been saying that they will match anything that is thrown his way. The only teams that could take them out would be the 76ers and the Warriors, but they will not throw that much at him. Smith may not be big enough and is too little of a post player for them to give their whole cap allowance too. Andre Iguadola: He is in the same boat as Smith, he will not get a ton of money anywhere but Philly, but they will not overspend to sign him. Andre turned down a 5 year 60 million dollar deal last year with the Sixers and then under performed in the playoffs leading the Sixers to a first round exit. He did not bulk up his resume. Golden State is said to be cornering both Iguadola and Smith. Sixers could lose out on both or over pay on Andre due to the Warriors uping his price. Word around Philadelphia is very sour when his name is mentioned, but Andre can play. He works hard, does everything he can do to keep getting better, so he deserves a long term deal. The best bet for Andre may be a short deal, around the mid level, so he can promote himself for a larger future contract. Point Guards; Monta Ellis, Raymond Felton, and Shaun Livingston will all get good deals in some area of the MLE. Livingston is an unknown. He may be NBA ready or may not be, only a physical will tell. Ellis is a great talent, should go back to the Warriors unless a sign and trade is done. Mikael Pietrus and Matt Barnes: Both of these guys are available and are right in that mid-level exception area. They are both restricted, but will probably not be matched by Golden State. Pietrus may be a poor mans James Posey, teams who miss out on him will get Mikael. Kurt Thomas: He is available and should be a solid defensive addition to a team with front court need. He will get a 3 year around 9-12 million dollars and it will probably be late in the summer. Corey Maggette: He is restricted, but with the now signing of Baron Davis, he will be gone. The Magic are said to be the team that will sign him, but they do not have a dollar. Sign and trade? maybe, but they don't have the pieces to do it. Teams with money could court Maggette, but it just does not match up. Memphis, yes, if Corey is ready to be terrible. They have young pieces who play his position. Philadelphia? Yes, if the Sixers choose to let Iguodola go, and have to trade for a big man. Then they could use the extra cap room on Maggette. Golden State? They don't know what to do with their own free agents at this point. Maybe not your best move Corey, but thanks to you the Clippers are headed to the playoffs. The latest has Maggette going wherever posey does not, which means Boston or San Antonio. Maggette may have to settle for the MLE, but he will wait as long as possible to see if Golden State, Memphis, or Philadelphia will use their cap on him. LA Clippers: Are they trying to be this years Boston Celtics? They could be trying, but they only have two pieces. Kamen is a good big man but Mobley, Rookie Eric Gordon and the disapointing Tim Thomas just do not add up. They will be playoff bound, and that is huge for you Clipper fans. Miami Heat: Right now the heat are pretty happy with the draft. But they are a couple pieces short of a full team. Lacking real starters at center and point guard, the Heat are poised to go after Monta Ellis. They are also trying to add Diop, the former Maverick and Net. The Heat may have to ask the nets to sign and trade him, because he wants to go to Dallas. Ellis wants to play in Miami, and the Heat may try and get him for more than the Warriors can afford. Miami is trying to clear room for the 09/10 off season, so they can sign Chris Bosh then max out Wade while they already would have Michael Beasley and maybe Monta Ellis. Or they are trying to Get Boozer next offseason. Carlos is said to be interested in Miami, and the heat are interested too. They will have money next year at the rate they are going. While the Heat sit back and wait while players are being signed, one thing is for sure, they are doing more than nothing. Kirk Hinrich, Andre Miller, and Monta Ellis are all within the Heats reach with a trade of Udonis Haslem or Shawn Marion. The Heat could be in the works of remaking this team from top to bottom. For right now though, they may start Haslem, Marion, Beasley, Wade, and then with the signing of Ellis, him. They have a Marcus Banks who they want to send away, Mark Blount, who they will pay to get rid of, then promising young Dorell Wright and rookie guard Mario Chalmers who could turn into a big minute player off the bench. The Heat's goal is to not start Chalmers or Banks at the point. Chicago Bulls: Let's not forget about them. Duhon is free and a knick, but Hinrich (trade), Tyrus Thomas(trade), Ben Gordon who is restricted and Deng is also Restricted. Deng will stay. Hinrich will be traded. Duhon will go to the highest point guard bidder. Thomas is a wild card. But right now the most interesting rumor is Ben Gordon to the Spurs. This would change them dramatically, well not really, but he is sure better than Michael Finley. The Spurs could then try and sign a couple guys with Veteran minimums like Robert Horry. Going back to the Bulls, Nocioni is being talked about by New Jersey. They are looking to get him with a trade. That is in the Preliminary talks. Nets are also looking to sign and trade Nenad Kristic. The very under performing Kristic has been playing with pain. He once has so much potential, now is a big question. The Sixers are interested. The Returns to Sender: Jose Calderon of the Raptors, Gilbert Arenas and Antwan Jamison of the Wizards, Beno Udrih or the Kings, Eddie Jones with the Mavs, Ron Artest decided not to opt out with the Kings, and the Bobcats are hoping to keep Okafor and Dave Hollins and started by making qualifying offers. Contracts can not be signed until July 9th, but negotiations can take place between now and then. Well hoop fans, this is the best time of year so sit back enjoy, and here is to your team pulling a free agent prize.

Oregonians 4 Blazer Games, petition against Comcast

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:57:18 -0500

We are signing this petition to voice our concern over the issue that most Oregonians cannot view our Portland TrailBlazer games. We wish that Comcast and the Satellite dealers would please settle whatever differences they have so us Oregonians could view our beloved team play. Please click the link and sign the petition. www.petitiononline/blazer22/ Thanks,

Free Agent News Updates

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:47:39 -0500

The Mavericks have been busy so far in the free agent market. First, they signed Gerald Green to a one year contract and now they have reached a verbal agreement with DeSagana Diop for the full mid-level exception in a five-year deal starting at nearly $6 million. I like Diop, but it seems a bit high to me. MySA reports that the Spurs are offering Corey Maggette the full MLE in a multi-year contract that begins around 6 million a year. In the meantime, the Herald refutes the reports that came out yesterday saying that Ainge made an offer to Maggette. A Celtics source, disputing several published reports, insisted today that Danny Ainge has not made a contract offer to free agent Corey Maggette - noting instead that Ainge has talked to several players, including the former Clipper, without making an offer. This tidbit comes by way of Redz on CelticsBlog: I just got a phone call from SShorefan who just got off a plane at logan. He spotted Chris Andersen there and asked him what was up. Andersen said he was in town to talk to the Celtics and SShorefan told him he hopes he signs here and Andersen said "me too". And for what its worth he was wearing snake skin boots and a Colorado Rockies hat (Andersen, not SShorefan - though he may have been too). Chris Andersen is meeting with Danny. I would like to see Danny sign him for the veteran's minimum. Andersen has to know that this would be a great place for him on a contender and playing with KG. The Hornets also want to resign Andersen so it may come down to which team he would rather play on. On Sports tonight, Marc Spears, who knows Andersen, said that he really wants to play here and that the Boston fans would love him. He went to dinner with Danny last night and today they will see if they can work something out. I think he would be a great fit for this team. The Knicks are busy. They have offered 2 years and 6 million to Chris Duhon but word is the Magic have offered 3 years. The Knicks have also contacted agents for Eddie House, Jannero Pargo, Tyronn Lue, and Sebastian Telfair. D'Antoni loves Lue and would like to get him, but I think Telfair would be the best fit there because of his New York ties. He still has a big following there and should come a lot cheaper than Duhon. I'd like for the Celtics to sign House. He played very well for the Celtics and could back up both guard spots if Pruitt can't handle the back up point. My second choice would be Lue although the Suns are rumored to have him at the top of their to do list. According to the Miami Herald, the Heat are also interested in both Lue and Telfair. Marc Bartlestein represents James Posey, Eddie House, JR Giddens and half the free agents the Celtics want to sign. The Celtics did another of his clients a big favor when they did the sign and trade to Miami for Antoine Walker to get him that big contract. It's time for Bartlestein to return the favor and help us out with getting the deal done with Posey. Come on Marc... for old times sake. Detroit is looking to make some moves to try to overtake the Celtics. According to the Detroit News, the Pistons have their eyes on at least three free-agent perimeter scorers: Mickael Pietrus, James Jones and C.J. Miles. They are also very interested in James Posey. According to the LA Times, the Lakers are willing to give Posey that long term full MLE contract he is looking for. Can the Celtics come close enough to lure him back? Who knows. I know Danny doesn't want to give him 4 or 5 years. I can imagine that he also wants to keep back a little of the MLE to be able to offer Walker a 3 year contract as he has with Gomes, Pruitt and Powe. Posey says he wants to stay in Boston but will he be willing to take less than he wants to do so? I don't think so. Poor Richard Jefferson is not happy with the trade that sent him to the Bucks. The Journal Sentinel reports that they haven't even been able to get him to come to Milwaukee to meet with them. You have to feel sorry for the Bucks. Last year they had to beg to get Yi to come there and now it is Richard Jefferson. I remember too many years when the Celtics couldn't get free agents to give them the time of day. Monte Ellis is asking for a $10 million long term contract extension. If the Warriors balk at it and don't give him what he wants, he can come back on the final season of his rookie contract and become an unrestricted free agent next season and go anywhere he wants. The tricky part of that is you need to have a great season before going out on free agency so if he doesn't get the contract done, look for Monte to have a great season. The Bulls have made their priority to resign Luol Deng who has already turned down a 5 year 57 milliion dollar offer. It was the Bulls' reluctance to include Deng in with any deal that kept them from making several trades last season including the KG trade. They better be willing to pay to keep him or they missed out on a lot for nothing. The Sixers are rumored to be making an offer for Elton Brand and are meeting with Josh Smith as well. Along with the moves being made by the other Atlantic division teams, the teams in this division will look a lot different this season. With new management and a real coach, the Knicks could make some noise. New Jersey will look a lot different. The Raptors have made some improvements and now the Sixers appear to be willing to use their cap space to make a move for some of the top free agents. And, of course, the Atlantic Division is now the home of the reigning world champs. Titanic division no more.

Lebron as a Net

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:06:25 -0500

This is what King James will look like when he laces up for the Nets.

hey, coaches need extensions too

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:15:33 -0500

so danny ainge is not only negotiating contracts with players, but with his coaching staff as well. the herald reports that he's inking an extension for doc, and new deals for all 3 assistant coaches. i worry that thibodeau is in such high demand that he would go elsewhere, but i want him to stay, just like everyone else in this town. also, on espn's rumor central, the initial offers for posey from the celtics "weren't enough," and that other franchises offers are being considered more seriously (to be honest, i think i could see him being a part of the nets next season. i've been getting that feeling with the promise of another megastar in a few years. weird). i can't say that this is a surprise, obviously, but i can say that i really want maggette in boston, badly. the thoughts of maggette in celtic green were enough to get me out of the "posey doesn't want to be with us anymore" funk i was in yesterday. the spurs are drawing up a contract offer for maggette, as are the magic, but i would absolutely love to see him in boston. i didn't expect danny to make a move for him, but it's pretty awesome. maggette is an excellent athlete, and i think that if posey were to leave boston (which is looking more and more likely as the days pass) that maggette could be a great person to put in his place. no new news on the birdman front. also, i don't want tyronn lue in boston. i just don't think it's a great move. more blips: gerald green, last season's afterthought, is headed to the mavs, along with desagana diop. the nuggets are interested in jannero pargo, but still don't have their PG option.

THE AFTER PARTY

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:08:04 -0500

The curse of being Joey Harrington. (Throwing Into Traffic)
Top 10 reasons the NFL salary cap must stay in place. (Bad News Bloggers)
Wayne Rooney and his WAG honeymoon in Vegas. (on 205th magazine)
10 biggest Little Napoleon Complexes in sports. (Undrafted Free Agent)

LeBron's new video game. (The Dave Burba Revolution)
MLB Movie Awards. (Blue Monkey Disco Party)
Insane baseball commercial from Japan. (NESW Sports)
Homer Simpson threw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium. (Home Run Derby)
Red Sox fan caught flipping the bird on TV. (Red Sox Monster)

Who will be the first pitcher to 20 losses in 2008? (Rumors and Rants)
The 10 best moments of celebrities playing sports. (All Balls)
Your first look at LeBron on the Nets. (Where's Ubaldo?)
The 50 hottest pictures ever taken of Stacy Keibler. (WND)

Jefferson not happy about getting traded to Bucks

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:27:49 -0500

The New York Post says that Ex-New Jersey Net Richard Jefferson is unhappy about the trade on draft day that sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn has not spoken to Jefferson yet, but said "He didn't seem very happy," "I spoke to his agent, I called him, texted him. I like Richard. He was here for a long time and I'm sure he still expected to be here. Unless you are the one pushing for it, it's always difficult when you are traded. You are going to a new place, have new teammates. It's hard at first". It looks to me like the Nets are making cap room for King James????

Lebron to Brooklyn; No Kidding

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:45:23 -0500

Monday afternoon while in New York City's Rockefeller Center doing publicity for the United States men's Olympic basketball team, Lebron James had this to say about the city that never sleeps: "My favorite borough? Brooklyn. Brooklyn is definitely a great place here in New York City, and some of my best friends are from Brooklyn, so I stick up for them."

Brook Lopez, “Pulling a Brady Quinn”

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:10:57 -0500

It seems that Brook Lopez, recent draft pick of the New Jersey Nets, has no intentions of being like Brady Quinn. He was ranked high (as high as one of the top-three picks in some mock drafts) going into the 2008 NBA Draft only to see his stock fall all the way to #10 and the Nets. Here is a video of him waiting around for his name to be called. The best part has to do with another highly-ranked draft prospect that fell into the hands of the Cleveland Browns. Hopefully, "pulling a Brady Quinn" becomes a household saying for rookies who plummet to better teams for less money. Boo-hoo. At the very least, I'm going to start using the "pulling a Brady Quinn" line.

WCBias.com's Fav Five NBA Free Agents

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:37:39 -0500

Golden State's motto just became "We Can't Believe." Warriors point guard Baron Davis shocked coaches, teammates and Bay Area fans when he officially became an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday, forgoing the final year and $17.8 million left on his contract. To make a long story short, Davis – who earlier in the year wrote on his blog that he wanted to stay in the Bay – is free to sign with whomever is interested. As the Chron's Gwen Knapp writes, the move kindles a "temptation to curse Baron Davis' name and burn his agent in effigy may feel overwhelming." But for a veteran guard looking to land a long-term deal in this what-have-you-done-lately league (a guard who wasn't too happy Nelly benched him late in the season), it was a necessary business move – as painful as that is for Warriors fans to realize. It's the same thing Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and James Posey did this week. There's even talk Davis could stay on the West Coast and fly south to L.A. (that being the Clippers there disgruntled Lakers fans) and that the Warriors could snag Agent Zero, but those are all rumors at this point. There's talk Davis wants to stay in Golden State, too, but that might just be wishful thinking on the part of the "We Believe" fan club. Whatever the talk is, there's sure to be a lot more of it, which should make for a very interesting summer. And you thought basketball season was over. * * * It's not all bad news for West Coast hoops fans. While the Warriors and Clippers could get smacked by free agency, the Lakers have made an offer to fan favs Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, although Andrew Bynum is looking for more dough. * * * WCBias.com's Fab Five free agents, keeping in mind all five of these guys could easily stay where they're at: 1. Elton Brand, Clippers I'm not making a huge deal about this because it sounds like he wants to re-sign, although the 76ers have been mentioned as a possible new employer. 2. Baron Davis, Warriors If Davis goes, it could throw the things into a frenzy, opening up the door for Agent Zero to head west, etc. 3. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards Like Brand, Arenas has battled injuries and is likely staying put, but the sharpshooter is definitely a "name" some franchises would be interested in. 4. DeSagana Diop, Nets After seeing what the Celtics did with a little post defense, the young forward could cash in with someone who needs some "D." How about Cuban's boys in the Big D? 5. James Posey, Celtics Talk about a "timely" shooter. Posey's Finals performance just helped him break the bank. Posey got his ring in Miami, got a ring in Boston, who's ready for the next one?

Rasho's call to arms

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:20:20 -0500

The Slovenian national basketball team could probably be pretty good. Certainly not on the level of the US, or even Argentina and Spain, but they certainly could be pretty good in the sense that Germany, France, Lithuania, Greece and China are pretty good. Their only problem? It seems to be apathy, as many of their best players have declined to play in this month's Olympic qualifier.

Bidding On Posey Begins

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:40:53 -0500

It is July 1st so that means the bidding war for James Posey has officially begun. It also seems clear that the price has been outlined. He's going to get the full Mid Level from someone, it is just a matter of how long the contract is. I think the Celtics would like to keep it to 3 years, but everyone knows that. Will someone offer him 4 or even 5 years to jump ship? Here's a list of bidders from the Herald (http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1104305 srvc=rss). Posey’s hometown Cleveland Cavaliers are said to be putting together an offer, in addition to the Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets. New Jersey, which came close to signing Posey last summer before he was talked into going with the Celtics, also may revisit the situation, though like most teams the Nets are carving out cap space for 2010, when big names like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade could hit the free agent market. Seems like our biggest hope is that teams are indeed trying to save cap space for future years. Still, it only takes one team to add in an extra year.

New York bound, but not for New York

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:40:57 -0500

Look… I know that the interwebby abounds with people who don't want to believe that LeBron James is headed for the Big Apple, who will even scoff at the very notion. I've had friends when presented with all the information regarding why he'll leave, and then nod knowingly, smile, and state with supreme confidence "Yeah, but he's from Cleveland…".

The Top 10 Reasons Basketball Will Become Americas #1 Sport in the next 5 Years

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:17:35 -0500

It will take over Basebal and football as the #1 sport

Rating NBA Free Agents for Fantasy Purposes

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:19:14 -0500

In this article, the Roster Doctor takes a look at NBA Free Agents and tries to find out which guys may gain the most value through their impending move to a new team. Gilbert Arenas will be Gilbert Arenas wherever he goes, but what about the other guys that may see a significant spike if they move this offseason?