NBA Offseason Stuff

[alfdogg 0]

Knicks will sign Jerome James to a five-year deal.

 

Link~

[Dangerous A 0]

Why get stuck with Chucky Atkins when Damon Jones, a better shooter, is still available.

 

BTW, word is Cleveland is interested and possibly looking to sign Damon Jones.

 

I don't know about the Knicks giving James a 5 year deal. Are the Knicks playing the Kings 82 times next season? If so, a great aquisition. Since that's not the case, I think it's a suspect move.

 

Also, anyone who has NBA TV, Summer league games start today on that channel.

[Guest news_gimmick]

..

[Dangerous A 0]

Yeah, Damon Jones is basically a Steve Kerr type. He is a specialist. If asked to be anything more than a spot up shooter and guy who can bring the ball up the floor, he doesn't fare as well. He fits perfectly in a system where you have one or two guys who command double team coverage.

[Ripper 0]

Damon Jones is fucking worthless. He can't dribble, he can't pass, he can't defend. All he can do is hit wide open 3's and he is streaky at that. Playing on a team where a Player had to be doubled on the post or another was driving to the lane and being collapsed on left him with wide open 3's. He got EXPOSED when teams left a player on him, and they abused him on the defensive end. If the Heat had grown a pair and benched his ass and started Rasul Butler again against the Pistons, they probably would have pulled it out.

[Guest news_gimmick]

...

[Spicy McHaggis 0]

Corrected for accuracy:

 

And Ripper says exactly what I was thinking, Jones will have to thank Wade for whatever he gets.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

It looks like the Lakers are tapping into some good potential... but potential is the key word.

[Guest news_gimmick]

...

[MrRant 0]

Nobody needs Chucky Atkins.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Chucky Atkins needs Chucky Atkins.

[Precious Roy 0]

Right, he was a nobody the past few years in Miami before Shaq got there, so I hope he reconsiders and sticks with his buddy Shaq in Miami.

 

Probably, since he never played for Miami before last season

 

The Knicks went out and gave a $30 million dollar contract to an average center, great. On the plus side, he's a big mofo who blocks shot and can rebound when he really wants to, on the downside everyone knows he played out of his mind in that Sacramento series, he won't bring that energy over an 82 game season, and his production is likely to be right around his career averages. The biggest thing is, he's never averaged more than 17 minutes a game in his career, because he racks up fouls like nobody's business. I hate to be a cynic, but this has Jim McIlvaine, Ike Austin, Calvin Booth, etc. etc. written all over it.

[MrRant 0]

Knicks will sign Jerome James to a five-year deal.

 

Link~

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

*snort* A 5 year deal based off a few games? Maybe he will Jimmy Mac them.

[Guest news_gimmick]

...

[Dangerous A 0]

Jerome James has that "I played hard cause it's a contract year" stigma going for him. He's as big a gamble as Kwame is for the Lakers.

[Guest news_gimmick]

..

[Guest Vitamin X]

I'm happy with the Lakers dumping Butler and either Atkins or George. Also heard today that Walton's agent announced Luke will be re-signing with the Lakers on a two-year deal as soon as the contract moratorium or whatever the fuck is over at the end of the month.

 

Now if they can just get rid of Brian Grant and get a decent point, that'd be great. I wonder if Kwame will be put in at center or at PF.

[Dangerous A 0]

I'd think they'd want him at the 4 because the West is PF heavy and Brian Grant isn't going to cut it against the heavy comp.(Duncan, Garnett, Kenyon Martin, Brand, Randolph, Boozer, Nowitzki, etc)

[Ripper 0]

I'm happy with the Lakers dumping Butler and either Atkins or George. Also heard today that Walton's agent announced Luke will be re-signing with the Lakers on a two-year deal as soon as the contract moratorium or whatever the fuck is over at the end of the month.

 

Now if they can just get rid of Brian Grant and get a decent point, that'd be great. I wonder if Kwame will be put in at center or at PF.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

okay, seriously. Caron Butler gave you guys 16 a game last year and was consistant when it came to playing time - production ratio. If he played alot of minutes, he was good for 20 plus a game. Less minutes, the less productive he was. Outside of Kobe, he was the most consistant player on the team. So why are Laker fans so quick to want to give him up for a guy that has proven not once, but twice that he can't be productive in a system with guards that demand the ball a majority of the time. The Lakers would be giving up (in Atkins and Butler) 30+ points per game for a guy that hasn't shown anyone anything. They would be better served to just go ahead and play Bynum.

[Dangerous A 0]

And here is ESPN Insider Chad Ford on the upcoming potential sign and trade in the midst of Kwame for Butler and Atkins...

 

 

Now that a number of teams have flexed their muscles in free agency and used up a lot of their cap room, expect the second wave of free-agency moves to begin this week -- the sign-and-trade.

 

For free agents who want to change teams, but don't have suitors with cap room that they want to play for, the sign-and-trade is their best shot of getting a big deal and a change of address.

 

The sign-and-trade is a complicated process. It first requires a free agent to find a team willing to offer him an acceptable contract. Once that part is out of the way, the team wanting to sign the free agent must begin negotiating a trade that conforms with league rules with the free agent's former team. All three parties (the two teams making the trade and the free agent) must agree before the trade is completed. It's often a lot harder than it looks.

 

Over the past few years a number of free agents, such as Brad Miller and Jamal Crawford, have used it as a way to sign a big deal when their own clubs were unwilling to give them one.

 

This year there are several top free agents in that situation. Right now Kwame Brown is the first to get a sign-and-trade worked out.

 

Two sources close to the negotiations told Insider late Wednesday that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards agreed in principle on a trade that would send Brown, via sign-and-trade, to the Lakers for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins.

 

 

According to the same source, the Lakers agreed in principle with Brown on a two-year deal with a team option for a third year that could pay him a starting salary between $6 million and $7 million next season.

 

The Los Angeles Times, in Thursday's editions, is also reporting that the deal is done. If the deal happens, it's a bold and decisive move by both teams in an attempt to reshape their rosters.

 

The Wizards have been desperately trying to fill a hole at shooting guard since the free-agent defection of Larry Hughes to the Cleveland Cavaliers last week. While Butler's primary position is the three, the Wizards believe that he and Jarvis Hayes are interchangeable at both the two and three. Antawn Jamison likely will move to the four unless the Wizards land another of their free-agent targets, power forward Donyell Marshall. The Wizards' need for the trade only grew when another hotly pursued free agent, Cuttino Mobley, agreed to a five-year, $42 million deal with the Clippers.

 

Brown gives the Lakers a former No. 1 overall pick with lots of talent but disappointing production over his first four years in the league. Brown can play both center and power forward and will likely see time at both positions, behind Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom, for the Lakers. While the appeal of playing in Los Angeles for Phil Jackson might seem obvious, it will be interesting to see how Brown fares alongside Kobe Bryant. Brown often chafed under Michael Jordan's intense scrutiny and Bryant has a similar rep for being harsh toward other players. Several other teams, including the Grizzlies, Knicks, Raptors and Pacers, also pursued Brown this summer. After hearing that Brown had decided on Los Angeles, the Knicks moved quickly to address their own needs in the middle, agreeing to a five-year deal for roughly $29 million with Seattle center Jerome James, according to James' agent, Marc Fleisher.

 

Brown is just one of the free agents on the market looking for a sign-and-trade. Here are five other guys who might use the same vehicle to get to the team of their dreams this summer.

 

Eddy Curry, Chicago Bulls: Curry's heart ailment has reduced the chances that the Bulls are going to bring him back at his asking price. The fact that his contract is uninsurable is also a problem. One team in particular, Atlanta, appears to be more interested in Curry than the Bulls are. The Hawks have enough cash to sign Curry outright to a deal he would find acceptable. However, because Curry is a restricted free agent, it might be in their best interests to work out something with the Bulls. A Curry-for-Al Harrington swap has been rumored for weeks.

 

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Portland Trail Blazers: Abdur-Rahim wants to play in New Jersey but the Nets have struggled to work out a sign-and-trade with the Blazers that makes sense. The Blazers are asking for a first-round pick in return for Abdur-Rahim. The Nets have balked at the asking price. Other teams, including the Kings and Spurs, also have talked with the Blazers about a sign-and-trade. The Kings are willing to part with Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas or Brian Skinner. The Spurs are willing to throw Rasho Nesterovic into any deal. If the Blazers won't agree to a trade, Abdur-Rahim might be forced to settle for the mid-level exception somewhere.

 

Stromile Swift, Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies knew a year ago that Swift was going to defect. The issue right now is whether they still can get something in return. Swift is an unrestricted free agent, but he probably still needs the Grizzlies if he's going to get a contract for more than the mid-level exception. The teams most interested in Swift, such as the Knicks, Rockets and Nets, don't have the cap room to offer him more than the mid-level. The Grizzlies are hoping to swap Swift for a legitimate center to patrol the middle.

 

Antoine Walker, Boston Celtics: With Danny Ainge looking for Walker to take a huge pay cut to remain in Boston, Walker's agent, Mark Bartelstein, has been burning up the phone lines trying to get a sign-and-trade deal for Walker. He's been talking to the Knicks, Rockets, Kings and Sonics. The problem will be getting Ainge to agree to a sign-and-trade. Walker might find the deal he wants in New York or Sacramento, but it doesn't mean that team has something it is willing to give up that the Celtics want in return. If the Celtics don't like what they're offered, Walker might have no choice but to take a big pay cut to return to Boston or sign for the mid-level exception elsewhere.

 

Vladimir Radmanovic, Seattle SuperSonics: Radmanovic is in a difficult spot as well. He's a restricted free agent, meaning the Sonics can match any offer. The Sonics aren't willing to come close to his asking price and he'd prefer to move to a team that could give him a starting job. That means Radmanovic has to find a team under the cap willing to offer him more than the Sonics can stomach (the Hornets are a possibility), or he has to work out a sign-and-trade. The Sonics would be willing to make that move if they could get back a young, athletic center in return. The Hornets' Jamaal Magloire could be a possibility. So could Eddy Curry of the Bulls.

 

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Knicks will sign Jerome James to a five-year deal.

 

Link~

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Isaiah Thomas has to go.

[Brett Favre 0]

Props on the post Dangerous A.

 

The Jerome James signing is a gamble. All it is. We're so far over the cap, that this signing doesn't matter. He's atleast a good shot blocker, something we were dead last at last year. If he plays something like inbetween his regular season and playoff perfomances (he'll probably get more minutes here), something like 8 and 8, and maybe 2 blocks a game, that'd be fine.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

He's FAT. He had a nickname in Seattle based off of him being FAT. Sacramento cut him because he was FAT. Jerome James is a FAT LOSER who had one good series and got a FAT paycheck. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK. WHY THE FUCK DO THE KNICKS HAVE TO BE THE ASSHOLES WHO PAY THIS GUY A BIG CONTRACT? DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT! I need to find a new favorite basketball team. A JOURNEYMAN CENTER GETS $30 MILLION? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE MY TEAM THAT DOES STUPID SHIT LIKE THIS? HE ISN"T EVEN GOOD FOR CHRIST"S SAKE! I was watching the Sacramento series and thinking how much of a fluke this guy was and now he's a FUCKING KNICK! MAKING $30 MILLION! FUCK!!!

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

He's FAT. He had a nickname in Seattle based off of him being FAT. Sacramento cut him because he was FAT. Jerome James is a FAT LOSER who had one good series and got a FAT paycheck. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK. WHY THE FUCK DO THE KNICKS HAVE TO BE THE ASSHOLES WHO PAY THIS GUY A BIG CONTRACT? DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT! I need to find a new favorite basketball team. A JOURNEYMAN CENTER GETS $30 MILLION? WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE MY TEAM THAT DOES STUPID SHIT LIKE THIS? HE ISN"T EVEN GOOD FOR CHRIST"S SAKE! I was watching the Sacramento series and thinking how much of a fluke this guy was and now he's a FUCKING KNICK! MAKING $30 MILLION! FUCK!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Seriously, Thomas is a freaking idiot. I'm not even a Knicks fan, but I think it would be great for the league to have a decent team in New York. I don't even think that this is a remote possibility with the team they are looking to put out on the floor. I subsribe to the Bill Simmons theory that if this guy was in your fantasy league you'd stop inviting him because it would be too easy to take his money.

 

And major props to Dangerous A for posting the insider stuff. I love hearing all these rumors and such.

[MrRant 0]

Well at least it's someone else's turn to sign fluke centers.

 

The Sonics have done it too many times.... makes me miss Ervin Johnson.

[Precious Roy 0]

If he plays something like inbetween his regular season and playoff perfomances (he'll probably get more minutes here), something like 8 and 8, and maybe 2 blocks a game, that'd be fine.

 

I would be THRILLED with 8-8-2 coming in 25-28 minutes a game, we've got enough scorers and that's exactly what we need out of our center. But I question whether he'll be able to get that much run. He didn't play more in Seattle not because Fortson, Collison and Evans were so hot, but because his conditioning and foul trouble prevented him from playing any more. I hope that changes, but at the moment there's no reason to believe it will....

[Brett Favre 0]

Seriously, Thomas is a freaking idiot.  I'm not even a Knicks fan, but I think it would be great for the league to have a decent team in New York.  I don't even think that this is a remote possibility with the team they are looking to put out on the floor.  I subsribe to the Bill Simmons theory that if this guy was in your fantasy league you'd stop inviting him because it would be too easy to take his money.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, there's your problem. The guy is funny, but an Isiah and Knick hater, so any move Isiah will make, will be bashed. I really don't get how trading a 33 PF in Kurt Thomas for two guys who haven't even hit their prime, one of them busting ass in the Summer League, really is a bad trade. But it was a trade the Knicks made, so it's bad!

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Seriously, Thomas is a freaking idiot.  I'm not even a Knicks fan, but I think it would be great for the league to have a decent team in New York.  I don't even think that this is a remote possibility with the team they are looking to put out on the floor.  I subsribe to the Bill Simmons theory that if this guy was in your fantasy league you'd stop inviting him because it would be too easy to take his money.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, there's your problem. The guy is funny, but an Isiah and Knick hater, so any move Isiah will make, will be bashed. I really don't get how trading a 33 PF in Kurt Thomas for two guys who haven't even hit their prime, one of them busting ass in the Summer League, really is a bad trade. But it was a trade the Knicks made, so it's bad!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They have a payroll of $100 million and won what, all of 33 games last year? He just spent $30 million on a guy who averages 4 points and 3 rebounds a game! People bash Isiah because he makes stupid moves all the time. He's been there like two years now and hasn't made one deal that has improved the team or their cap situation. So now he deals his only reliable big man for an undersized point and another who duplicates what you already have and we are supposed to praise him? Give me a break.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I'm happy with the Lakers dumping Butler and either Atkins or George. Also heard today that Walton's agent announced Luke will be re-signing with the Lakers on a two-year deal as soon as the contract moratorium or whatever the fuck is over at the end of the month.

 

Now if they can just get rid of Brian Grant and get a decent point, that'd be great. I wonder if Kwame will be put in at center or at PF.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

okay, seriously. Caron Butler gave you guys 16 a game last year and was consistant when it came to playing time - production ratio. If he played alot of minutes, he was good for 20 plus a game. Less minutes, the less productive he was. Outside of Kobe, he was the most consistant player on the team. So why are Laker fans so quick to want to give him up for a guy that has proven not once, but twice that he can't be productive in a system with guards that demand the ball a majority of the time. The Lakers would be giving up (in Atkins and Butler) 30+ points per game for a guy that hasn't shown anyone anything. They would be better served to just go ahead and play Bynum.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Looking at his stats, Butler averaged 35.7 minutes a game in 77 games last year, the other 5 he missed due to either being benched or suspended. He's a okay shooter (shot 44.5% on 12.9 attempts per game), and the main thing he was brought over for last year, his defensive ability, was completely nonexistent last year. There's two main reasons why I don't mind dumping Butler for Brown: First off, Butler, despite averaging a career high in PPG, was incredibly inconsistent. You'd have one game where he'd be on fire, and him and Kobe would just be clicking like there was no tommorrow, and do great, but he'd then disappear for at least a few games before having another game like that. It's not that he wasn't getting enough minutes; they were there. He's a young guy, and the midseason coaching change probably didn't help either, and what I saw in Butler was a player who has a shitload of potential, but just didn't fit in with the roster the Lakers have. Hell, Caron was part of the nucleus the Heat were going to build off of for the future, along with Odom and Wade, before getting shipped off in exchange for Shaq, there's no doubting his capability. But ever since the rosters were set at the beginning of the season last year, the Lakers had/have a ridiculous surplus at forward, and pretty much no guards or inside presence.

 

That brings me to my next point, I'd agree moreso with the Lakers trading Butler and Devean George than Butler and Atkins, because there's pretty much noone at the point right now outside of last year's top draft pick Sasha Vujacic and a couple other scrubs. This trade frees up a bit more cap room and balances the roster a little more, which is essential. Now they just need to find a guard via either another trade (Come on Mitch, dump Medvedenko already!) or free agency, where it's reported they're taking a look at Antonio Daniels. Atkins was another inconsistent player whose best quality was being able to go on periods of shooting three's for a while, then disappear for the rest of the game in any other place, especially defense. With a young roster that's not going anywhere anytime soon, the Lakers can afford to take a gamble, and if Brown doesn't work out for however long he signs with L.A., by that time Andrew Bynum will be ready and then they'll go from there.

 

Not to mention that Atkins is a cancer no matter where he goes, and that's saying quite a lot considering where he is/was.

[Brett Favre 0]

Seriously, Thomas is a freaking idiot.  I'm not even a Knicks fan, but I think it would be great for the league to have a decent team in New York.  I don't even think that this is a remote possibility with the team they are looking to put out on the floor.  I subsribe to the Bill Simmons theory that if this guy was in your fantasy league you'd stop inviting him because it would be too easy to take his money.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, there's your problem. The guy is funny, but an Isiah and Knick hater, so any move Isiah will make, will be bashed. I really don't get how trading a 33 PF in Kurt Thomas for two guys who haven't even hit their prime, one of them busting ass in the Summer League, really is a bad trade. But it was a trade the Knicks made, so it's bad!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They have a payroll of $100 million and won what, all of 33 games last year? He just spent $30 million on a guy who averages 4 points and 3 rebounds a game! People bash Isiah because he makes stupid moves all the time. He's been there like two years now and hasn't made one deal that has improved the team or their cap situation. So now he deals his only reliable big man for an undersized point and another who duplicates what you already have and we are supposed to praise him? Give me a break.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Kurt Thomas wasn't going to be here when we do make a run at the title, so why not get rid of him for youth?

 

What Isiah has done is built a young foundation for the future. Something we didn't have here with Layden. Frye is 22, Lee is 22, Robinson is 21, Q-Rich is 25, Crawford is 24, Sweetney is 23 (was here before Isiah, only one), Marbury 28, Ariza at 20, and Jackie Butler at 20. That's 9 players. 9. And that's the core. So yes, we now have something to look forward to.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Seriously, Thomas is a freaking idiot.  I'm not even a Knicks fan, but I think it would be great for the league to have a decent team in New York.  I don't even think that this is a remote possibility with the team they are looking to put out on the floor.  I subsribe to the Bill Simmons theory that if this guy was in your fantasy league you'd stop inviting him because it would be too easy to take his money.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, there's your problem. The guy is funny, but an Isiah and Knick hater, so any move Isiah will make, will be bashed. I really don't get how trading a 33 PF in Kurt Thomas for two guys who haven't even hit their prime, one of them busting ass in the Summer League, really is a bad trade. But it was a trade the Knicks made, so it's bad!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They have a payroll of $100 million and won what, all of 33 games last year? He just spent $30 million on a guy who averages 4 points and 3 rebounds a game! People bash Isiah because he makes stupid moves all the time. He's been there like two years now and hasn't made one deal that has improved the team or their cap situation. So now he deals his only reliable big man for an undersized point and another who duplicates what you already have and we are supposed to praise him? Give me a break.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Kurt Thomas wasn't going to be here when we do make a run at the title, so why not get rid of him for youth?

 

What Isiah has done is built a young foundation for the future. Something we didn't have here with Layden. Frye is 22, Lee is 22, Robinson is 21, Q-Rich is 25, Crawford is 24, Sweetney is 23 (was here before Isiah, only one), Marbury 28, Ariza at 20, and Jackie Butler at 20. That's 9 players. 9. And that's the core. So yes, we now have something to look forward to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's nice that you look at those guys as the core, but I don't think that it's a stretch to say those 9 you mentioned aren't exactly a playoff group. There is some youth there, but none of them have shown the ability to carry a team to next level.

 

The problem is you are still on the hook for Allan Houston (who will be released), Tim Thomas, Penny Hardaway, Malik Rose and Jerome Williams for the next couple years and will have no room to make moves that can get you to the next level. This isn't exactly a situation like in Boston where you have the core, the experience and future cap room to work with.

 

I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I am just trying to illustrate that Thomas hasn't really done anything except traded good role players for unproven youth and bad contracts.

[Styles 0]

YEY on the trade! If the Lakers think they can tap into the potential of this perrenial disappointment, all the power to them.

Meanwhile, the Wiz got the best deal they could hope for. Caron Butlet has the potential to surpass what Larry Hughes did for us last year which was a huge hole to fill. We lose some speed but we gain a shooter. Everything I've heard from Laker fans about his attitude and work ethic is very encouraging, like the anti-Kwame, Butler and Arenas together should be a good tandem. Getting Chucky Atkins is actually very usesful too since another need was a dependable backup PG, and he gives us a 3 point threat off the bench.

Hopefully the Wiz can get this rumored deal done with Donell Marshall at the 4 so Jamison can play at his natural 3.

 

Arenas

Butler

Jamison

Marshall

Haywood

 

I actually like that lineup a lot, it's gritty and gives us a lot of shot options on the outside. Haywood is already far more of an inside force than Kwame could ever project to be. Kudos to Ernie Grunfeld for turning a potential disaster (the loss of Hughes) into a positive (Kwame for Butler and Atkins, and hopefully the signing of Marshall).