http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/79 Recent articles about the Memphis Grizzlies en-us First there was the rumor that teams were talking to the 7'2" Iranian center, Hamed Haddadi. Then there was the word that the NBA sent a memo to teams saying that they were forbidden from talking with him. Next came the memo that said that teams were cleared to talk to Haddadi. Finally word is out that the Memphis Grizzlies have signed the Iranian center who led all players in the Olympics in rebounds and blocks. He will be the first Iranian to play in the NBA. The Hornets are still making moves. Of course, their biggest move was to lure James Posey away from the Celtics, but now reports out of New Orleans are that the Hornets have signed free agent forward/center Sean Marks. The 6'10" Marks is a 9 year veteran with career averages of 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per game while playing with four different teams—Toronto, Miami, San Antonio and Phoenix. Mitch Kupchak went to Atlanta to check on his young center, Andrew Bynum. Bynum is running on the track, hitting the weights, and doing basketball drills, and he shows no signs of any lingering problems from his knee surgery. The Lakers expect him to be 100% by the opening of training camp in the end of September. Kupchak's concern regarding Bynum's health extends further than having him help the Lakers this season. It's also a financial concern. The Lakers recently exercised a fourth-year contract option on Bynum, but his agent is seeking a maximum five-year, $80 million extension. Kupchak wants to wait and see how his young center plays after returning from the injury before committing that kind of money to him. Hearing that Bynum is looking for that kind of money makes me realize that Perk is not only a beast, he is also a bargain. It looked as though Luol Deng wasn't going to be able to play for the British national team, which would have bee a big blow to the team. But, after weeks of negotiating, British basketball has come up with the insurance premium that will allow Deng to play with the British National team in this summer's European Championship qualifiers with. Deng was on a Transatlantic flight late Thursday, heading to London to work out the paperwork and prepare to join the team. There is finally some news coming out of Boston. The Celtics young players, Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, Bill Walker, JR Giddens and Patrick O'Bryant are all in Boston working out in advance of next month's training camp. Walker has been working out in Boston for 2 months, shortly after his surgery right after the draft. At first, there was talk of stashing Walker in Europe, but his hard work and improvement this summer convinced Danny that he might be able to contribute this season. Even more impressive than his on court work, Scott Souza reports that Walker did most of the work on his contract himself. That takes me back to the stories of Larry Bird negotiating his own contracts and meeting with Red to hash them out. The more I hear about this kid, the more excited I get about him. Patrick O'Bryant is working hard with Clifford Ray and could surprise a lot of people this season. In some good news for Blazers fans, Greg Oden participated in his first 5-on-5 full-court scrimmages since last September's microfracture knee surgery, and he did just fine. Team owner Paul Allen was in town to watch the scrimmages. Oden has not experienced any swelling, soreness or other setbacks. However, the team is making him sit out every other day in order to protect the knee. He should be more than ready for the start of training camp and at this point is the front runner for Rookie of the Year. One of the reasons that the Suns were very anxious to get Goran Dragic into the fold and now picked up a 3rd point guard, is that Steve Kerr has a plan to get Steve Nash into the playoffs well rested. He plans to play Nash in only 70 games during the season. With Nash turning 34, they feel that the rigors of playing in 81 games and averaging over 34 mpg is wearing him down before the Suns even get into the playoffs. They are hoping that Dragic is good enough that they will be able to rest Nash and have him fresh down the stretch. Nice plan if it works but Nash isn't so sure it will. And the summer injuries continue. Rockets forward Chuck Hayes underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a broken nose sustained during a workout Thursday afternoon and is expected to be held out of competitive workouts for four to six weeks. He may be cleared in time for training camp where he is expected to be battle for playing time with Luis Scola, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey. We could see another player with a Rip Hamilton style face mask this season. Anyone who watched the Olympics couldn't help but be impressed with Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez. Fernandez averaged 13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field at the Olympics and proved to be a high energy player who could wear out defenders charged with chasing him around the court. This season he will be added to an already exciting Blazer team. No wonder just about every team in the West is pulling for Darius Miles to make it with the Celtics and stick it to the Blazers who could have considerable cap room next summer along with an exciting cast of players already in the fold. The Cavs' coaching staff is very high on rookie JJ Hickson. Ben Wallace has gone down hill in recent years and the Cavs are hoping that Hickson can play significant minutes at power forward. For almost four years, Drew Gooden was a staple at the four spot, but when the Cavs acquired Wallace, they moved him to the 4 because as the years of banging at the center spot have taken their toll, they felt he could be more effective at the power forward position. Hickson was explosive in the Las Vegas summer league but he may also be a year or two away from being a regular NBA player. Cleveland may have to throw him into the fire before he is ready unless Ben Wallace experiences a revival of sorts or unless the Pistons can pull off a trade as has been rumored all off season. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:30:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/315022 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/315022 Mike Conley Sr. can fly. This is the furthest I have ever seen anyone slam a basketball , and he still did it with "Authority". Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:29:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314990 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314990 Deadspin had the story recently that Iranian center Hamed Haddadi would not be able to play in the U.S. unless his club got a license to negotiate with one of our teams. Apparently someone's jumped through those hoops, because the 23-year-old Iranian has signed to play for the Grizzlies: Haddadi, 23, led all Olympians in [...] Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:17:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314921 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314921 The "Orange County Register" reported Thursday that Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak was all smiles after visiting with Lakers center Andrew Bynum this week. Bynum was lost for the season after injuring his left knee on January 13, in a win against the Memphis Grizzlies. After trying to repair the knee through rehab, [...] Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:01:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314912 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314912 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u2_daiFa2pQ/SLc0e0Wo3LI/AAAAAAAAAXw/LRReeTS6sgA/s1600-h/lol+chris+wallace.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_u2_daiFa2pQ/SLc0e0Wo3LI/AAAAAAAAAXw/LRReeTS6sgA/s400/lol+chris+wallace. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:45:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314841 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314841 The Warriors got some bad news as they learned that their point guard Monta Ellis will be out at least 3 months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn deltoid ligament in his left ankle. Ellis injured his ankle last Thursday playing pick-up ball in his native Mississippi and had the surgery on Wednesday. The Warriors have had a rough start to the off season, losing Baron Davis to the Clippers and it appears that they are having an even rougher end to the offseason with the injury to Monta Ellis . The Warriors are very interested in former Clipper point guard Shaun Livingston with Chris Mullin scheduled to fly to Chicago on Thursday to watch Livingston in a private workout. The Blazers signed former Celtic (albeit briefly) Luke Jackson, rookie center Steven Hill and rookie guard Jamaal Tatum. The Oklahoma City team, formerly known as the Sonics, will unveil its name and team colors in a ceremony set for September 3. It has been pretty much certain that the name will be the Thunder but the team refuses to comment on the rumors. I still prefer the old timey way of giving teams plural names like Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, etc. Even without a name, the franchise continues to make moves. On Wednesday they signed guard Kyle Weaver to a multiyear contract. Weaver was the 38th pick by Charlotte but traded to Oklahoma in August. The Timberwolves young players are apparently very serious about the upcoming season. Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson,Rashad McCants, Randy Foye, Rodney Carney, Corey Brewer, Chris Richard, Mike Miller, and Sebastian Telfair have been working out on a regular basis in preparation for the upcoming season. Though not actual practices, the players have been going through many of the same drills the team runs during the regular season, including some full court 5-on-5 action. I still miss Ryan Gomes and Big Al. In the meantime, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are hanging out at Blush inside Wynn Las Vegas. Pierce supplied several bottles of Dom Perignon Rose for a party that featured members of Team USA Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony complete with their gold medals. Ray Allen wasn't done there and turned up again at Pure inside Caesars Palace, bringing with him Corey Maggette, Cuttino Mobley, Antoine Walker, Charles Oakley, Chris Humphries, Tyrone Lue and Jermaine O'Neal. Hey guys, isn't it about time to get back to working out for next season? Training camp is only a month away and it appears Pierce and Allen are still celebrating. Here is the daily defection to Europe report. German champion Alba Berlin has signed free agent guard Casey Jacobsen, who played for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies last season. Jacobsen averaged two points per game last season with the Grizzlies. The Los Angeles Lakers have signed their second round draft pick, guard Joe Crawford. He was selected by the Lakers with the 58th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft after playing 4 seasons at the University of Kentucky. He averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 127 games for the Wildcats. Crawford started all 6 games for the Lakers Summer League team in Las Vegas this summer and averaged 11.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32.7 minutes. This gives the Lakers 16 players under contract. They plan to go into training camp with 18 and will be looking to bring in a couple more players on minimum contracts. One player they have considered is Shaun Livingston but the Warriors are also considering signing him now that Monta Ellis will be out for at least 3 months. Former Pistons' coach Chuck Daily said that he gets a kick out of the fact that people still remember the Bad Boys days of the Detroit Pistons. He also felt that the image of the Bad Boys is what has kept Laimbeer out of the NBA as a head coach. Laimbeer has been successfully coaching the WNBA Shock but hasn't been considered for any NBA coaching positions. Laimbeer is one of the players I just can't stand. He was such a dirty player and he always had that smirk on his face. I would cringe every time I saw him on the sidelines if he was ever to become the Celtics coach. I can see where Chuck Daily has a point but, it has more to do with Laimbeer's dirty play and smugness and not any Bad Boys image the team had. With Ben Gordon definitely on the outs in Chicago, Utah is being discussed as a destination for him. The Bulls and Gordon would have to agree to a contract and sign-and-trade arrangement. The Jazz would also have to decide he was worth a long-term investment. Andrei Kirilenko a[[ears to be Utah's most logical bargaining chip but Chicago might feel that he duplicates what they already have in Nocioni and Deng. If Gordon can't find any takers for his services, he may need to take the qualifying offer in Chicago and let the season play out, becoming a free agent next off season. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:57:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314380 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314380 New Orleans Hornets What went right: Chris Paul decided to call New Orleans home through 2012. Locking up the league's best point guard with a three-year deal, including a fourth year at the player's option, should ensure that the Hornets remain a playoff regular. It also serves as a tasty carrot to attract difference-making free agents. James Posey placed a bet on the next big thing. With a plethora of title aspirants interested in his services, the league's new Robert Horry opted for the Hornets' potential. Yes, a four-year, $25 million contract helped, especially when most of Posey's other suitors weren't offering more than the midlevel exception of $5.6 million per season. Still, Posey knew what he was doing by eschewing the likes of his hometown Cavs and his previous employer, the Celtics, who won their first title in 17 years with Posey's help. Posey has that "it" factor, which teams on the cusp of the Finals feel could be their missing ingredient. His defense will be crucial in defending the West's many weapons and his three-point shooting will prove a welcome burst of offense from a previously underpowered bench. But counting on a Finals berth will be asking a lot from a 31-year-old bench player who hasn't shot better than 43 percent in any of the last four seasons. The fans bought in. Overlooked amid the NBA's show of support for New Orleans is a clause in the Hornets' lease that allows them to leave if they don't average at least 14,735 fans per game from December 2007 through the end of the '08-09 season. With 10,000 season tickets sold for the first time since the team arrived in New Orleans in '02, and after selling out most of last season's second half, the Hornets are a lot more likely to remain in the Big Easy and not embarrass the league by packing their bags and moving on. What went wrong: Jannero Pargo got his passport stamped for Russia. Following in Josh Childress' footsteps, the six-year veteran decided to play overseas next season, inking a one-year contract with Dynamo Moscow, reportedly for almost $4 million. Ostensibly a point guard, Pargo rarely found a shot he wasn't willing to take -- a trait that shot the Hornets out of some games (see: Game 7, 2008 Western Conference semifinals) -- though his itchy trigger finger did provide a necessary boost of adrenaline for a bench that often offered little support on the scoreboard. George Shinn still owns them. Not only did Shinn dismantle a solid Charlotte franchise to make leaving town a lot easier, but also he got an escape clause in his New Orleans lease -- and this is a guy who claims that he's tired of moving his teams. No fan can feel secure in his team's long-term viability when Shinn is the owner. Grade: A- Try as we might, we just couldn't find a whole lot this team didn't do right during the offseason. The Hornets locked up Paul to a new deal, addressed their iffy bench and overall tenacity with Posey, and moved a good deal closer to remaining in New Orleans for longer than its owner perhaps wanted. With good health, this team will be in the Western Conference finals next spring. Dallas Mavericks What went right: Rick Carlisle took the helm. After back-to-back first-round playoff knockouts, and a helpful nudge from Jason Kidd -- who reportedly told a friend, "When I got [to Dallas], the players all thought [Avery Johnson] was crazy. And he was" -- the beleaguered coach was shown the door after four seasons. Shuttled in from the broadcast chair was Carlisle, who has won 57 percent of his games as an NBA coach and doesn't just talk defense, but knows how to coach it. Then again, Carlisle also knows how to rub teams the wrong way with his demanding ways, a trait that paved his way out of Detroit and Indiana and may not sit well with the notoriously headstrong Kidd and the oft-sensitive Dirk Nowitzki. Josh Howard is still a Maverick. After Howard's dismal postseason performance and poorly-timed admission -- in the middle of the Mavs' first-round playoff series against New Orleans -- that he'd used marijuana during the offseason, rumors arose that Dallas was entertaining the thought of trading away the versatile small forward. Owner Mark Cuban may be many things, but he isn't stupid, which is why Howard is still a Mav. Small forwards who can score inside and out, attack the glass, and are willing to play defense are hard to find. What went wrong: DeSagana Diop received a raise. Employing a player who has never averaged more than three points per game or as many as six rebounds is common practice in the NBA, but paying him $31 million for the next five years is uncommon exuberance, to put it nicely. Cuban has never been shy about blowing through the salary cap and into the luxury-tax stratosphere, but deals the likes of Diop's clog the avenues a team needs to make further moves. Flexibility will be vital for Dallas in the tightly-packed Western Conference. Jason Kidd didn't get any younger. Look, Kidd once was the league's best point guard, capable of turning a team's fortunes around to a degree surpassed only by Shaquille O'Neal in his prime. But anyone from LeBron James to the Mavericks' front office crew who thinks that Kidd can make a similar impact now didn't watch him last season. They didn't see him mail in the first 51 games while shooting a career-low 36 percent from the field or that he was benched late in games after he arrived in Dallas because he's a shadow of his former self. At 35, Kidd won't find an extra gear this fall. Grade: C Clearly this team had tuned out Johnson. But will the hard-driving Carlisle have its ears for very long? Of course, he may not need very long with Kidd sliding toward the end of his career. For a team that boasted one of the youngest and talented cores only two years ago, the title window appears to be closing. It will be hard to keep it propped open with the more balanced Lakers and Hornets emerging as the dominant Western powers. If Carlisle can't get this club past the first round in the spring, a housecleaning could be next. Houston Rockets What went right: Ron-Ron's in town. To some, Ron Artest is the embodiment of all that sent the NBA's stock plunging in the post-Jordan era. To the Rockets, he's the catalyst who can get them past the first round of the playoffs. Yes, his mercurial ways will be a risk to locker room harmony, but defense like his isn't found in a 10-day contract, nor is his ability -- and willingness -- to score. On a team filled with useful but limited role players, adding a third point of attack can only help navigate the deep Western waters. Yao Ming healed. After seeing his second straight season come to an early end due to injury (a broken left foot in February), Yao Ming appeared to have recovered by the Olympics, where he averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds and more than a block per game. That's good news for a club that was forced to employ 41-year-old Dikembe Mutombo as its starting center in the playoffs. They added some size. Big men don't come cheap once they are in the league, but the draft still offers a chance to beef up at a reasonable rate, something the Rockets demonstrated in dealing for defensive-minded power forward Joey Dorsey during the draft and fellow rookie forward Patrick Ewing Jr. and his 42-inch vertical leap via the Artest deal. Neither may reek of superstar potential, but they will bolster the understaffed frontcourt. What went wrong: Dikembe Mutombo is still the backup center. Not many people could average three points, five boards and more than a block per game in the NBA, and there's only one who did it at the ripe old age of 41 last season. But that doesn't mean he should be a title contender's primary backup to Yao, who hasn't taken the floor for more than 57 games in a season in three years. Not when there are spry Amare Stoudemires to slow down or dominating Tim Duncans to wrestle. Carl Landry and the team faced off. Landry, a 2007 second-round draft pick who averaged 8.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and shot better than 61 percent as a rookie, has spent most of the summer waiting and wondering. Why won't the Rockets make an offer more lucrative than the one-year qualifying amount until he undergoes an extensive medical examination of the sore right knee that caused him to miss seven games last season? Would they match any outside offers for the restricted free agent, as they've said they will? Is Europe a palatable option for landing the lucrative contract Landry feels he's earned? Until those questions are answered, one of the league's most underrated big men will sit and a frontcourt that's low on experienced size will suffer. The bench needs dentures. Houston's reserve corps is long on grit, but short on bite. Brent Barry, Shane Battier and Luther Head can seal a game with their shooting, but just as easily blow it when they go cold. Clearly this didn't stop the Rockets from reeling off 22 consecutive wins last season, but it will be the sort of shortcoming GM Daryl Morey must address at the trading deadline. Grade: B+ This team will only go as far as a healthy Yao can take it. Artest doesn't change that equation, but he gives the Rockets another weapon for getting through the long regular season and, perhaps, locking up some games early enough to keep Yao on the bench. A bench that lacks punch, though, will test those efforts. It's a weak spot that the Rockets' draft may help a bit, but for a team with aspirations as large as this one has, rookies likely won't make much difference. Morey will. He's subtly added useful support pieces (Luis Scola, Artest) to make Houston more than the two-man team that it was. His work isn't done, but he got off to a good start this summer. Memphis Grizzlies What went right: A new brand of Gasol. Part of the return for trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers, and handing them the West title, was Pau's younger brother, Marc. A 7-foot, 280-pound center who averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and almost two blocks per game last season in Spain, the younger Gasol comes at a cheaper price and, if his performance at the Olympics is any indication, with a lot more aggression in the low post. Mayo in the mix. No matter what T-shirt slogan the No. 3 overall draft pick inspires, the 6-4 combo guard gives Memphis the promise of one of the West's most dynamic backcourts. With Mike Conley at the point, Mayo will be free to create or fire away from outside, which he did to the tune of 41 percent in his one season at USC. Mayo's ego has been fed by carte blanche coaching from AAU to the Pac-10, so catering to it will be vital. The Grizzlies' struggles on the floor are likely to tempt the upstart rookie into trying to take over before he, or his teammates, are ready. They were prudent financially. For all of the heat that GM Chris Wallace took for trading Gasol, he rightly assessed that the Grizzlies were a lot farther from Western contention than a player or two. Rather than blow the cap space he earned in the Gasol deal on a field with few appealing unrestricted free agents and a slew of restricted ones, Wallace banked the dough, presumably for a time when talent is more available and Memphis is a more attractive option for free agents. (He really banked it after his five-year, $58 million offer to RFA Josh Smith was matched by the Hawks.) A season of letting a club with an average age of 24 percolate and mature should better allow Wallace to assess how best to allocate those millions next summer and beyond. What went wrong: They were prudent financially. The Grizzlies could have opened their pocketbook a little, if for no other reason than almost anybody they bring in can help a team that won only 22 games. Further, Memphis' war chest of cap space may not go as far next summer when as much as half of the league could have space to play with. The bank didn't have to be broken, but it wouldn't have hurt to shake it a bit. The point guard still has three heads. Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry battled all of last season to win the starting role only to be rewarded with a third contender for the job: rookie Javaris Crittenton, who arrived via the Gasol trade. With more than a few teams in desperate need of a point man, the Grizzlies held onto their bounty as if it were the last piece of a tasty cake. Potential, though difficult to give up on, is often easier to trade than a player who has been relegated to the bench after the victor in a job battle has emerged. The front line is still thin. Adding Gasol the Younger and drafting promising Kansas forward Darrell Arthur added needed size and athleticism to the frontcourt, but Memphis likely won't address the scoring needs of a line that sports but a single player who averaged more than 12 points a game last season: Rudy Gay. Grade: B Rebuilding takes time, and the Grizzlies appear determined to take as much time as they can. For the most part, that's a sound strategy, given the deep organizations ahead of them in the West. But the key to being a successful GM is knowing when to capitalize on the right opportunities at the right time. Rolling into the season with three potential starting point guards and a boatload of unused salary-cap space suggests that Wallace is like a fantasy owner who has been left with too much money at the end of an auction. He's a good judge of talent, and his steps this summer were under-the-radar savvy, but they had better only be the start. San Antonio Spurs What went right: Kurt Thomas returned. After escaping Seattle at the trade deadline, Thomas re-upped for another two years in San Antonio. There was no reason not to. Thomas did his penance for seven years in the Knicks circus before soldiering through a tenure on a Suns team that wasn't geared to utilize his low-post talents. It's about time he spent some time with a club that not only knows how to use him, but needs his abilities. Duncan is 32 and sporting significant wear on his tires, so sparing him as many regular-season minutes is crucial to the Spurs' postseason fortunes. Rugged 6-9 forwards such as Thomas, who average almost 10 points and more than 7 rebounds a game, can help in that cause. The backcourt expanded. Free-agent signees Roger Mason and rookie George Hill may inhabit the lower tiers of the Spurs' depth chart for now, but injecting athleticism and shooting range into a backcourt so thin that it had to add Damon Stoudemire in the middle of last season can only help. Remember, this is a team that must deal with the varied styles of its Western rivals. Michael Finley returned. Maybe Finley isn't quite the dirty-work glue guy that many consider Posey to be, but career 37 percent three-point shooters aren't easy to find. The Spurs have one, and they were wise to keep someone who can produce some offense from the bench while stretching a defense at the same time. What went wrong: They didn't turn back the clock. If being the league's oldest team -- average age 29 -- isn't enough to test the Spurs' legs, the fact that San Antonio has played an average of 15.5 playoff games a season in the Duncan era sure will. There isn't much the Spurs can or should do as long as they remain a title contender, but their odometer will again lead to Gregg Popovich limiting the minutes of his best players, even if it costs a win or a playoff seeding. The foreign pipeline dried up. Regularly drafting late each June (the downside of garnering high playoff seeds), the Spurs have long tapped relatively unknown foreign talent and let it mature overseas until both parties needed each other. That influx of fresh blood dried up this year when Tiago Splitter, a 6-11 Brazilian center drafted No. 28 in 2007, re-signed with Spanish league club Tau Ceramica through 2012. That means no relief for a starting power forward-center duo that averages 32 years of age, and more strain on the future of a team whose success limits its ability to restock the cupboard. The Lakers got healthy. Kobe Bryant and company needed only five games to take care of the Spurs, and they did it without blossoming big man Andrew Bynum, whose knee injury ended his season early. With Bynum presumably healthy, and Gasol avoiding the brunt of the low-post bump-n-grind, the Lakers would appear to have enough weapons to battle the Spurs' frontcourt to a draw next season. That will leave things largely in Kobe's hands, and, well, there aren't many opposing teams that survive when things are left in the hands of the reigning MVP. Grade: C It wasn't the best nor the worst of summers for the Spurs. That won't be a problem in the short term, but it could make keeping their main cogs in one piece through the long season a bit of challenge. Popovich is a master at monitoring his stars' health in addition to motivating his players, but there's only so much opposing talent and young legs that San Antonio's moxie and guile can overcome. Last season revealed the Spurs' limits and this one could do so again. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:52:44 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314376 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/314376 The Redeem Team came out with gold at the Olympics in Beijing. With the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey less than 2 years away, Henry Abott from TrueHoop takes a look at who will be coming back and who might make their Team USA debut, including a certain Yardbarker from the Blazers we know. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:51:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313757 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313757 Another rumor has surfaced that the Memphis Grizzlies are interested in New York Knicks power forward, Zach Randolph. The proposed trade would have the Knicks acquiring former first round pick Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric for Zebo. These players are being tossed in trade rumors because their roles look to be diminished next season. By acquiring O.J, Mayo, Darrell Arthur and Marc Gasol the Grizzles are looking to build a young up-tempo team full of athleticism and should pass both Serbian players on the depth chart General Manager Chris Wallace would be unwilling to include any of its core players such as Rudy Gay, Mike Conley and Hakim Warrick. Memphis has concerns about Zebo's attitude and poor defensive play. However, he possesses outside range, can score from the low-post and rebounds well. Last season, the Grizzlies ranked 18th in rebounds per game. Milicic has never lived up to his potential as the number two overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He did not receive playing time early on in his career with the Detroit Pistons and has been playing out of position with the Grizzlies. He is not a center and is strong suit is not playing with his back to the basket. Darko would be better suited in Knicks coach, Mike D'Antoni's offensive system as a big that can run the floor and catch and shoot. The seven-footer is still only 23-years old and registered 1.6 blocks per game last season. As a team, the Knicks were last in the NBA with 2.59 blocks per game. Milic agreed to a three-year contract worth $21 million with Memphis last off-season. Marko Jaric has been in the league for six seasons and would provide the Knicks with size and a three point shooter in the backcourt. The 6'7" Serb shot 36% from downtown last season and could be a solid player off the bench in the new offensive system. By adding Randolph, the Grizzles would be adding beef to the power forward position. Warrick and Arthur both stand 6'9" but weigh less than 225 pounds each. The 260 pound Randolph averaged a career best 23.6 points and 10 rebounds during the 06-07 season in the western conference. The former Portland Trailblazer is still only 27-years old and would form a formidable front court with budding star Rudy Gay and center 7"1" center Marc Gasol. The Knicks have put Randolph on the block for a while now and Donnie Walsh be pleased to get rid of the $48 million left owed to him, but only for good value in return. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:21:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313737 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313737 Sounds as if the question is would Walsh take on Jaric's contract. He's due $7.6 million in 2010-11 and Walsh has been adamant about not adding salary. But to rid themselves of Z-Bo's contract would be enormous in the quest to get under the cap. Twan's contract has a team option after this year, so it's unclear whether Memphis would let that just "walk" away. I'd bring in Jaric just so I can see his girl, Victoria Secret model Adriana Lima walking around MSG. But hey, executive decisions aren't made such way. Maybe they should be. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:12:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313728 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313728 We start todays update with some very sad news. Former Portland Trailblazer Kevin Duckworth,44, has passed away. Duckworth was in Lincoln City to host a free basketball clinic for kids and was found unresponsive in his room. Duckworth was a two-time All-Star who starred on Western Conference Championship teams in Portland in 1990 and 1992 and was one of the most popular and most recognizable players to ever wear a Blazers uniform. There will be an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Our prayers and condolences go out to the Duckworth family and to the Blazers' organization and fans. Former NBA player, Wayman Tisdale. also 44, had part of his right leg amputated Monday because of bone cancer. Tisdale played 12 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. Tisdale is now an award-winning jazz musician and has been battling the cancer for over a year now. He is hoping that by removing the part of his leg with the cancer that he will be able to beat it and be able to resume touring soon. Thoughts and prayers also go out to Wayman Tisdale. Word is that PJ Brown might not be ready to retire just yet. He is leaving the door open for a late season return just as he did last year. As of right now, the Celtics have 15 players but by midseason it may be clear that one or more aren't going to live up to expectations and PJ could find himself recruited once again for the stretch run. Of course it is all conjecture right now but something to think about during the slow times. The Grizzlies gave Josh Smith an offer sheet that the Hawks quickly matched and they have been linked in talks to the Iranian center, Hamed Ehadadi, who is now available to talk to teams. Now there is word that they are in talks with the Knicks concerning Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies are willing to part with Darko Milicic who was their big free agent signing last year, in a package that wouldn't involve any of their core players. The Grizzlies seem to be debating whether Randolph would fit the team's style on and off the court but they definitely could use an inside player like Randolph. The Grizzlies have also been in talks with Portland. The Blazers need a point guard and the Grizzlies are loaded with them. The Blazers are willing to part with Travis Outlaw in return for a point guard. The Blazers would probably want Conley because he is the purest point guard that the Grizzlies have and Portland would love to reunite Conley with former teammate and best friend, Greg Oden. The Celtics made it official by signing JR Giddens to a contract. Giddens, whose defense and athleticsm are considered NBA-caliber right now, will be expected to fill in the void left by James Posey's departure to New Orleans. Hopefully he will live up to expectations and contribute this season. Dwyane Wade would like to see Mario Chalmers as Miami's starting point guard this season. The Heat will give him a chance to compete against Marcus Banks for the position. Miami also expects Chris Quinn back and may add a veteran. My money is on Chalmers beating out Banks, who hasn't come anywhere near reaching the expectations that Boston had when they drafted him. The Heat are also still considering big men with Jamaal Magloire, Lorenzen Wright, and DJ Mbenga all waiting for word from them. Mbenga has a minimum level contract to consider from the Lakers, but was hoping to get a little more from the Heat. Kobe Bryant is expected to decide when he will have surgery to repair the ligament damage in his right pinky finger by the end of this week. Bryant had hoped to be recovered from his surgery for the start of training camp but with camp starting on September 30 and his recovery will probably take longer than 4 weeks, he might not be 100% in time to start camp. Phil Jackson has coached Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher, Karl Malone, Rick Fox, Steve Kerr, Bill Cartwright, and other stars. But after receiving an honorary doctor of letters degree from his alma mater, University of North Dakota, Phil talked about the greatest athlete he ever coached and it wasn't any of the above. The player Jackson called the greatest that he has coached is that none other than Detroit Bad Boy, Dennis Rodman. That one leaves you scratching your head. That kind of analysis proves that all those championships he won wasn't because of his intelligence and coaching. After all, he did get way out coached by Doc Rivers this season and his best strategy was whining about the officiating. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:04:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313663 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/313663 Any Denver fans who entertained notions that Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson would ever lead the Nuggets to playoff glory received a very rude awakening when Nuggets management "traded" starting center Marcus Camby to the L.A. Clippers for the right to swap second round draft picks in 2010. Camby is 34 years old but he is still a highly productive player: he won the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Award and he has led the NBA in blocked shots the past three seasons and four times overall during his 12 year career. Last season, Camby averaged a career-high 13.1 rpg to rank second in the league. He has been selected to the All-Defensive Team for four straight seasons, including First Team nods in 2007 and 2008. Contending teams do not simply give away a valuable asset like Camby--and that is precisely the point: the Nuggets are not a contending team and their management is painfully aware of that fact. Much like the Memphis Grizzlies got rid of Pau Gasol to clear salary cap space and essentially hit the "reboot" button, getting rid of Camby was the first step in what will soon be a total makeover of Denver's roster. Iverson will either be traded this season or allowed to walk in 2009 when his contract ends, thus freeing up even more salary cap space. The Nuggets are deep into luxury tax territory--paying a dollar for dollar penalty for exceeding the salary cap--and that is the last place a team wants to be when it cannot even get out of the first round, let alone meaningfully contend for a title. From an intellectual/economic standpoint it is very easy to figure out what the Nuggets are doing--but this still has to be hard for Denver fans to accept, particularly those who have spent a lot of money on season tickets. Without Camby anchoring the paint there is a good chance that the Nuggets won't even make the playoffs in 2008-09 and even though Denver will soon have money to spend there is no guarantee that when the dust settles the new look roster will be substantially better than the recent Denver teams have been. It seems like half of the teams in the NBA are clinging to the pipe dream that if they clear enough salary cap space that they will be able to sign LeBron James or Dwyane Wade in a couple years; meanwhile, these teams are intent on spending as little as they can until that time, essentially writing off this season. There is not much that the league can do about this now but an economic system that encourages teams to not spend money--and thus field a mediocre or worse product--while hoping to hit the "jackpot" and sign a big-time player is not good or efficient. Moreover, these teams are going to have a lot of explaining to do if they subject their fans to 82 games of bad basketball and then fail to sign a franchise player with all of the money that they have sitting around. As for the Clippers, adding Camby and free agent Baron Davis goes a long way toward making up for the loss of Elton Brand. In fact, since Brand only played eight games last year, the Clippers could significantly improve on their 23-59 record if Camby and Davis both stay healthy. OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK MLB Authentic Collection Partners With "Music For Relief" - The Biz of Baseball MLB.com Smashes Online Ticket Sales Record - The Biz of Baseball A-Rod Jumps to William Morris Agency to Boost Image - The Biz of Baseball Rays Minor Leaguer Suspended 50 Gms for Amphetamines - The Biz of Baseball Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from A's/Yankees Game - The Biz of Baseball Chicago's Wrigley Field to Host Next Outdoor Classic on New Years Day - The Biz of Hockey Jaromir Jagr First Major NHL Player to Crossover to Continental Hockey League - The Biz of Hockey Free Agent Signings - July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey NHL Free Agent Listing As of July 1, 2008 - The Biz of Hockey Ducks owner Henry Samueli Suspended by NHL - The Biz of Hockey NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey Commissioner Roger Goodell to Be First American Sports League Exec to Visit Iraq - The Biz of FootballDan Patrick and Keith Olbermann to Reumite for NBC's "Football Night in America" - The Biz of FootballXM Satellite Radio Locks Up SEC. Adds Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Vanderbilt - The Biz of Football Don Imus, "Pacman" Jones and Media Correctness - The Biz of Football 15,000 General Admission Tickets for London NFL Game Sell Out in 30 min. - The Biz of Football Papa Replaces Gumbel as NFL Network's Play-by-Play Announcer - The Biz of Football TNT Lands Full Slate of Sponsors For â€?"Wide Open Coverage" Telecasts - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports David Friedman is a weekly contributor to the Business of Sports Network. To read more of his basketball articles, just take a 20 Second Timeout. His general sports commentary can be found at Best Ever Sports Talk, where â€?"Favre May Discover That 38 is Not So Special for Quarterbacks," â€?"Michael Young Helps Major League Baseball Avoid its Worst Nightmare: Another All-Star Game Tie," â€?"Morneau Wins Home Run Derby but Hamilton Steals Show" and â€?"Eric Davis: 'Like Having an Atomic Bomb Sitting Next to You in the Dugout'" are among the subjects that have been recently discussed. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:03:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/312219 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/312219 In light of Rudy Fernandez' ridiculous flying slam on Dwight Howard in the 2008 Beijing Olympics basketball final, it is time to review The Top 5 Greatest Latin Guy Dunks Ever. Upon reviewing footage, I have concluded that Kevin Garnett is a masochist who likes getting posterized by tall Latin dudes. Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:03:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/311825 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/311825 This game had it all : three-point shooting, fastbreaks, even a great white guy dunk. The US threatened to pull away, but Spanish guards Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez made key baskets to keep Spain in the game. With less than 2:30 to go, the Spain was within 4, but the US hung on, and won 118-107. Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:20:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/311803 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/311803 United States (GOLD) -Kobe Bryant took over. Props to my friend Dave for telling me last weekend that Kobe wouldn't let Team USA lose the gold medal. I kind of dismissed that idea because A) I didn't think the U.S. would ever be in a tight spot like Spain put them in, and B) I thought Kobe's defense and team play would be more important than him hitting key shots down the stretch. When the Olympics started, I also wondered why the Chinese basketball fans were admiring Kobe so much more than everyone else, but he pretty much proved why he's the best player in the world. -Dwyane Wade is back! He looks better than ever right now and if you think the '08-09 version of D. Wade & the Miami Heat is going to even remotely resemble last season's version, I suggest you think again. -Even on the highest stage, LeBron James never fails to amaze. What if LeBron could have played other sports in the Olympics. Team handball? LeBron could beat handball teams single-handedly probably! -Chris Paul & Deron Williams are just going to get better and better, mainly because they have each other to learn from & compete against. -Chris Bosh played very well in these Olympics. He was very active on both ends of the floor and physically, Boshosauras looks stronger than ever. -Dwight Howard didn't dominate the paint as much as I expected him to in the Olympics and he's shooting free throws worse than ever before. Unless Jameer Nelson has improved by leaps and bounds, I'm not sure if the Man-Beast will be much better in '08-09 than he was last season. -I feel bad for Carlos Boozer. The guy barely played at all and the man responsible is his former college coach. The most minutes he played was 11 against lowly Angola, and in that game, he had 2 points, 3 fouls, and 2 turnovers. Ouch! Spain (SILVER) -I don't see why there's so much hype surrounding Ricky Rubio. I realize that he's only 17 so it's way too early to jump to any conclusions, but the last time I checked, it took more than just nice ball handling ability, court vision, and an excellent "feel for the game" to prove worthy of being a #1 overall pick. He's listed at 6-feet-4, 180 pounds, but he doesn't look that tall and seems pretty weak physically. I don't think he has the body type to put on a lot of muscle either, so he better work on his core strength and balance a la Steve Nash. Of course, one area where Rubio can't even sniff Nash's game is shooting ability. In the Olympics, Rubio shot just 9-32 from the field (28.1%) and 2-12 on threes (16.7%). It's easy to see why Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, and LeBron James are #1 talents, but it's going to take a lot more for someone to sell me on Rubio. -Rudy Fernandez is no joke. I was highly intrigued by his YouTube highlight videos, but now I'm downright impressed. His offensive repertoire is sick and he's a lot of fun to watch (did you see his dunk on Dwight Howard?!?). His moves seem unorthodox at times, but it obviously works for him. With him and Brandon Roy playing together, that's an extremely versatile backcourt. I'm tired of people calling BOTH Jerryd Bayless & Fernandez sleepers, because more than likely, only one of them will get enough minutes in '08-09 to make a major impact. I've already made my decision, and that man is Fernandez. -To follow-up on Jose Calderon, the guy averaged just 7.3 points, 3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, .5 steals, 1.3 turnovers, and 20.5 minutes in 6 Olympic games before partially tearing the adductor muscle in his groin. Is this the same guy people are considering using a Top 20 pick on? -Marc Gasol is definitely a big dude with a nice shooting touch and some offensive skills, but he doesn't seem like much of a shot-blocker, which is going to limit his fantasy value. Argentina (BRONZE) -If the Bulls don't want to give Andres Nocioni big minutes, then someone needs to trade for the guy and let him loose. As a 6th man bruiser/energizer alongside talented teammates, Noce could have a killer season. -Luis Scola is an incredibly skilled offensive player. With he, Yao, Artest, and Battier, the Rockets have one of the most talented frontlines in the league. -Manu Ginobili is awesome, but can he go more than a month without injuring something? Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:03:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/311784 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/311784