NBA Offseason Thread

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Is Chicago a big market too? Also I don't really think LeBron will go there, simply because he'd be considered the "next" Jordan-level star there as opposed to being the first star in Cleveland.

[nogoodnick 0]

I don't think Lebron would want to be #23 in Chicago. New York pretty much fucked themselves out of being an attractive free agent destination. I think he's staying in Cleveland.

[Guest Felonies!]

I don't think Lebron would want to be #23 in Chicago.

He can't, the number is retired. Lebron should've picked his own number, anyway.

[UZI Suicide 0]

The Clippers have signed Tim Thomas, and the Lakers have signed Vladimir Radmanovic.

[Guest]

A shooter? No way.

 

A good addition by Kupchak is something I can't believe. Doubling Kobe now has a price, and he fits great in the triangle.

[UZI Suicide 0]

I hate the deal, personally. I don't think Radmanovic is any better than Brian Cook, and this probably takes the Lakers out of the Marcus Banks sweepstakes.

[Guest]

The 5 year part is what I don't like. I hate Brian Cook, and I guess this means that they want Farmar to start.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I don't think Farmar is going to be ready to start, and say what you will about Smush Parker, but Laker fans are apt to forget he was productive offensively throughout most of last season when noone else but him, Kobe, and occasionally Odom put up numbers.

 

Radmanovic is at worst a great sixth man, and he can provide an excellent 3 point threat for a team ranked 19th in 3pt% (being the 5th most in attempts in the league).

 

I think Brian Cook should follow Odom wherever Lamar might go. But signing Radmanovic does make me question some things. Who are they planning to start at the forward positions? Is Kwame going to be a center permanently now with Mihm coming off the bench, or does Vlad become the new PF? I'd prefer it the first way, but regardless. I said it last year when the Lakers were trying to sign him, but Radmanovic is like the poor man's Peja.

[Guest]

I don't know what's going to happen now. Are they going to deal Mihm or Kwame? Will they deal Odom? Who's going to change positions?

 

I don't think Farmar is going to be ready to start, and say what you will about Smush Parker, but Laker fans are apt to forget he was productive offensively throughout most of last season when noone else but him, Kobe, and occasionally Odom put up numbers.

He can't dribble the ball. I mean that in the nicest possible way, but he has no killer instinct, no hands, and no confidence. He's a good defender, but when he had no confidence like in the playoffs, he got torched. He shouldn't be in a starting lineup, but a bench role is ok.

 

Also, this signing murders any hope of getting a big name FA in 08, because Buss won't go way over the luxury tax.

[naiwf 0]

I don't think Farmar is going to be ready to start, and say what you will about Smush Parker, but Laker fans are apt to forget he was productive offensively throughout most of last season when noone else but him, Kobe, and occasionally Odom put up numbers.

 

Radmanovic is at worst a great sixth man, and he can provide an excellent 3 point threat for a team ranked 19th in 3pt% (being the 5th most in attempts in the league).

 

I think Brian Cook should follow Odom wherever Lamar might go. But signing Radmanovic does make me question some things. Who are they planning to start at the forward positions? Is Kwame going to be a center permanently now with Mihm coming off the bench, or does Vlad become the new PF? I'd prefer it the first way, but regardless. I said it last year when the Lakers were trying to sign him, but Radmanovic is like the poor man's Peja.

 

Smush singlehandedly cost the Lakers the Phoenix series. I think that factors in a bit higher than having some productive games in an 82 game season. You can't win in the playoffs playing 4 on 5 on both ends of the court.

[UZI Suicide 0]

According to Joe McDonnell on AM 570 in LA, Mihm, Cook, and Mckie are gone to Atlanta in a sign and trade for Al Harrington and Sam Cassell is talking to the Lakers about a 3 year deal for only 3.4M but with the promise of a job on the coaching staff when he retires.

[Guest]

Oh shit, they want to contend.

 

Fuck yes. This and the Blake news has me giddy.

 

Kupchak, I take back what I said, for now.

[UZI Suicide 0]

Well, it's just a rumor, who knows if it will happen.

[Guest]

I know, but damn, it's nice to see the Lakers in rumors that could actually happen.

[teke184 0]

WTF? Peja Stojakovic has agreed to a contract with the Hornets.

 

I know that the Hornets need shooters, but Peja has a rep for being a bit of a pussy when it comes to injuries.

 

 

I just hope it's not another Baron Davis situation where he's good for probably 30 games a season then is on the DL, off and on, for the other 50.

 

 

 

Stojakovic agrees to terms with Hornets

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Associated Press

Posted: 25 minutes ago

 

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The New Orleans Hornets made the first splash of the NBA's free-agent signing period, agreeing to terms Saturday with three-time All-Star Peja Stojakovic.

 

Stojakovic, who last week opted to become a free agent instead of continue playing for Indiana, will sign a five-year deal worth about $64 million with the Hornets, said his agent, David Bauman.

 

Bauman said Stojakovic will sign as soon as the NBA's moratorium ends next week. NBA teams were allowed to begin negotiating with free agents on Saturday but cannot officially sign players until July 12.

 

"The Hornets are setting their cap room aside for Peja, and Peja is taking himself off the market," Bauman said.

 

Hornets general manager Jeff Bower was the first executive to call about Stojakovic after the negotiating period opened, Bauman said.

 

"The nature of NBA free agency is such that the faster you move, the faster you get what you want," Bauman said.

 

After playing his first seven seasons with Sacramento, the Kings dealt Stojakovic to Indiana in a midseason trade for Ron Artest. He averaged 19.5 points and shot 46 percent from the field in 40 games with the Pacers but then missed four of Indiana's six playoff games against the New Jersey Nets with a right knee injury. The Pacers lost each game he didn't play.

 

Peja will be donning a new uniform next season. (Ron Hoskins / Getty Images)

 

Prior to his trade, Stojakovic missed nine games with a variety of injuries including a protruding disc in his lower back, a sprained right pinkie finger and a strained groin.

 

Bauman said the Pacers had set Stojakovic up with a physical therapist to help him in Greece over the summer. The deal is contingent on Stojakovic passing a physical.

 

Stojakovic hasn't had swelling or pain in his right knee for the past month, and has been running, biking and doing "typical stuff on a beach," Bauman said. "He's not playing basketball. He's resting his body. His health is 100 percent."

 

Stojakovic, 29, opted out of the final year of his six-year contract in hopes of getting a long-term deal and a bump in salary. He had been due to earn $8.125 million next season.

 

He joins a Hornets team that had a 20-win turnaround and stayed in the Western Conference playoff race until the final week of the season before finishing 38-44.

 

"This was not just a money deal. He chose this deal because he thinks the team has a chance to win," Bauman said.

 

Stojakovic is one of the league's most prolific outside shooters, having hit 40 percent from 3-point range over his eight-year career. He and Seattle's Ray Allen are the only two NBA players to make at least 100 3-pointers in each of the past seven seasons.

 

Stojakovic has averaged 18.4 points and 5.1 rebounds for his career. He fills an immediate need for the Hornets, who struggled last season to get consistent scoring output from players other than leading scorers David West (17.1) and Paul (16.1) and finished 25th in the league in scoring and 26th in shooting percentage.

 

Coach Byron Scott had said the Hornets' top priority in the free-agent market was finding one or two players "that can make shots to open up the game for those two."

 

Last season, Stojakovic finished 13th in 3-pointers made (162), and was also second in free-throw shooting (91.5 percent).

[Guest]

That's out there. I don't think anyone saw that one coming.

[teke184 0]

As far as Harrington goes, that would be a win for the Lakers on the court, but probably a tough one money-wise.

 

 

The real losers on that would be the Hawks, who would be getting a handful of magic beans for Harrington. Mihm, McKie, and Cook don't seem to be more than role-players.

[alfdogg 0]

Oh well. More minutes for Danny Granger.

[Guest]

Mihm's cheap and they need a center. That's seriously the only reason to do it, and they know they don't need Harrington. You know what though, I find it odd that Brian Cook lost any part of a post game that he had at Illinois and found a perimeter game. Weird.

 

At least the Lakers are using their assets well, and not trading them for Brian Grant. The Peja thing is odd because I didn't see the Hornets wanting to spend that kind of money. They probably aren't done.

 

Also, I'd like Teke to talk about the Hornets staying in NO when a certain someone's around.

[Guest Vitamin X]

McKie is useless, and Mihm is a decent player inside, off the bench. Brian Cook could eventually develop into a good player as well, although he's definitely no Harrington.

 

So much for "no major changes" this offseason, eh?

 

We might see a starting five for LA being Cassell-Kobe-Harrington-Odom-Kwame. I like that, a lot.

[naiwf 0]

$64 million over 5 years for Peja? I don't know about that.

[Guest]

So much for "no major changes" this offseason, eh?

 

We might see a starting five for LA being Cassell-Kobe-Harrington-Odom-Kwame. I like that, a lot.

I've learned to never listen to the management of a sports team, ever. Oh and Cassell was at 3.4 for the whole deal from what I understand, with the coaching thing. I'd do that without hesitation.

[Guest Princess Leena]

So, the Clips lose Radmanovic and gain Tim Thomas. Kinda risky, but I think it will work out.

 

Thomas looked a lot better with Phoenix since their fast system hid his obvious weaknesses. That should also work with the Clips, as long as he behaves.

[Guest Felonies!]

Also, I'd like Teke to talk about the Hornets staying in NO when a certain someone's around.

Yeah, good idea, we haven't been baiting Damaramu enough in college football threads, college basketball threads, NFL threads, baseball threads, the LSD folder, and so on, so let's give him shit about wanting the Hornets to do something logical.

[Guest]

I don't want a flame war, I'm more interested in what Teke has to say because I already know what Dama thinks of it. I'm just curious of the opinion of the New Orleans side of this instance. I should have left the Dama part out entirely, but I want to know what Teke thinks about the issue.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

Apparently Jeff Van Grumpy as on Mike James' doorstep the first minute of free agency. Given the TJ Ford trade, Mike's apparent desire to come back to Houston (offseason home, family's hometown), the Rockets' need for shooters, and the only real rival for his services (Dallas) can only offer the same (the MLE), I think it'll get done. Of course, the Rockets still have a fairly gaping hole at the 4, but at least it would be something.

 

Edit: Apparently the Rockets also contacted Speedy Claxton and Fred Jones. Fred's a RFA, so I doubt anything will happen there. Speedy's an interesting option though if Mike James falls through for some reason.

[therealworldschampion 0]

McKie is useless, and Mihm is a decent player inside, off the bench. Brian Cook could eventually develop into a good player as well, although he's definitely no Harrington.

 

So much for "no major changes" this offseason, eh?

 

We might see a starting five for LA being Cassell-Kobe-Harrington-Odom-Kwame. I like that, a lot.

 

McKie's been useless for the past 3 years, so his uselessness isn't too much of a recent thing.

 

Anyways the Lakers are set if they get Cassell. Heck, they probably would've made the WCF if Sam was their PG last year.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Clippers re-sign Cassell for 2 years at $13 Million matching the offer made by the Hawks

[Guest]

Well, that was a nice pipe dream. I thought Livingston was ready.

[teke184 0]

I don't want a flame war, I'm more interested in what Teke has to say because I already know what Dama thinks of it. I'm just curious of the opinion of the New Orleans side of this instance. I should have left the Dama part out entirely, but I want to know what Teke thinks about the issue.

 

I think George O'Shinn seems to be taking the "piss everone off" roadshow to every major city without an NBA team.

 

 

 

New Orleans took him in when Charlotte told him to go fuck himself and, initially after Katrina, seemed to be the good guy for talking about returning while Saints owner Tom Benson was playing footsie with San Antonio.

 

However, once Oklahoma City showed them such good support, he quietly started changing his tune.

 

 

If nothing else, this whole mess should convince David Stern to start putting pressure on Shinn to divest himself of controlling ownership of the franchise to someone who isn't a PR disaster waiting to happen, much like MLB with Marge Schott. (She had to sell down to 49.5% and stay out of the day to day business, IIRC)

 

 

 

 

As far as the city of New Orleans' lack of support, take a few things into account.

 

1. New Orleans isn't a huge city... sports in the Big Easy require support from fans that live in the surrounding area (pretty much the whole state of LA and parts of MS and AL), and most of that area is in piss-poor shape as well these days.

 

In addition, it's easier to support the Saints because they play 8 games in the city either on Sundays or Monday night. The NBA's schedule makes it tougher for "casual" fans to own season tickets and attend every game.

 

2. Shinn's team pretty much fell apart once he brought them to NO. Don't expect fans to flock to a franchise that seemed to suck as soon as it arrived in the city. At least the Saints have nostalgia and tradition going for them when it comes to sucking.

 

3. The few games played in New Orleans and Baton Rouge were poorly attended, IMHO, because they weren't publicized enough. I'd have gone to see the Hornets against the Heat at the P-Mac if I'd known about it longer than 2 hours before gametime.

 

 

 

 

The NBA needs to do what the NFL has done and tell the owner "You aren't moving for the forseable future. If you don't like it, there's franchises for sale elsewhere you can buy instead."