NBA Offseason Thread

[Mik 0]

It's on ESPN.com right now that LeBron has signed the max contract extension to stay in Cleveland. Looks like Bill needs to rewrite the last 200 words or so of his column.

[Ripper 0]

Its being reported that the Pistons could have done a sign and trade with Wallace but he nixed it. So basically, he said "I am getting more money and I am going to make sure you get nothing in return for me too."

 

Once again...thats just being a dick.

[Ripper 0]

Oh, and John Lucas has another monster game, Novak continues to prove that he is going to be HUGE for the Rockets this season and Casey Jacobsen continues to make me shed a tear after that DUMBASS Bryan Colangelo traded him and a pick and two front court players for Jim Fucking Jackson.

[Fökai 0]

I can't imagine anyone talking sign-and-trade with Wallace, because no one in their right mind would want to do it. You'd have to assume his contract and give away players that are possibly equivalent, even if it is combined. Even then, the Bulls and Cavs are out of the picture because there's no way that the Pistons trade within their division.

 

A writer from the Detroit News claimed it was simply an unfounded rumor, but I'm not sure how credible that paper is.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

well I'd figured that Ben actually WANTED to go to Chicago, with their style of play and organization and whatnot. As I understand it, Knicks and Philly (two teams with bad management) were the ones who Detroit woulda tried to S&T with. It's not a surprise he'd say no to those two.

[Fökai 0]

That's what I read, but that sounds off the bullshit meter already. Who in the hell would New York and Philly give up? And really, would Detroit really want any of the potential guys available? (since Frye and Iguodala would likely be untouchable).

[Ripper 0]

Actually I read the sign and trade was with Chicago...probably for Tyson Chandler.

I am just going to say that would have been a much better deal for the Pistons than what they got now. Plus it is feasable considering that their salaries are somewaht close. And they had no intreast in keeping Chandler.

 

I do think it worked out better for the bulls, but pretty dickish move by Ben.

[Guest]

Well, why should Ben weaken his team in a sign and trade when they can use those pieces elsewhere, in this case to the Hornets? It's a business.

[Guest NYankees]

Oh, and John Lucas has another monster game, Novak continues to prove that he is going to be HUGE for the Rockets this season and Casey Jacobsen continues to make me shed a tear after that DUMBASS Bryan Colangelo traded him and a pick and two front court players for Jim Fucking Jackson.

 

 

I thought players signing with their original teams make more money than signing with another team?

[Ripper 0]

Well, why should Ben weaken his team in a sign and trade when they can use those pieces elsewhere, in this case to the Hornets? It's a business.

 

I am sure thats why he did it.

[alfdogg 0]

http://www.gambling911.com/Michael-Jordan-...ike-070806.html

 

Michael Jordan look-alike sues NBA superstar

 

A Portland, Ore., man is suing Michael Jordan and Nike founder Phil Knight for a combined $832 million. Allen Heckard filed suit, contending he has been mistaken for Jordan nearly every day for 15 years and he's tired of it. "I'm constantly being accused of looking like Michael, and it makes it very uncomfortable for me," Heckard said. Heckard is suing Jordan for defamation and permanent injury and emotional pain and suffering. He's suing Knight for defamation and permanent injury for promoting Jordan. At 6 feet tall, Heckard is 6 inches shorter than Jordan. But he does bear a resemblance with a shaved head, an earring in his left ear and conditioning from, yes, playing basketball. How he decided to sue for $416 million each? "Well, you figure with my age and you multiply that times seven and, ah, then I turn around and, ah, I figure that's what it all boils down to."

 

A Jacksonville, Florida news station conducted a poll on its website in which a whopping 91% of respondents said they did not see a resemblance.

 

 

I'm not seeing it.

[Guest Princess Leena]

So, you can sue someone for just looking like you?

 

Neato.

[Guest NYankees]

Why is he just suing Nike and Michael Jordan? Shouldn't he also sue the NBA, the Chicago Bulls, Gatorade, McDonalds, Wheaties, Hanes, the Chicago White Sox, Jerry Reinsdorf, David Stern, Phil Jackson, EA Sports for making the Michael Jordan video game? Last time I checked every company and person promoted Michael Jordan. This asshole should sue them all for 800 million each. It must be tough when someone goes you look alot like Michael Jordan once a month. Poor Guy!!!!!

 

Edit.

 

This guy should also sue the Nike Logo for Jordan doing the dunk from the free throw line. I hope Jordan counter sues this guy for defamation and injury.

[Hawk 34 0]

So, you can sue someone for just looking like you?

 

Neato.

 

Should I warn Teagan?

[Guest Felonies!]

Big deal, EVerybody knows all black people look alike.

[Precious Roy 0]

Who cares if Ben Wallace wants to deny the Pistons a sign and trade?

 

Seriously, what the fuck? I can't believe people in this day and age buy into this bullshit. Ben Wallace can do whatever the fuck he wants to do. If he wants to be "loyal" to the Pistons he can do that. If he wants to tell them to go fuck themselves he can do that too. How is it any of our concern? Who knows what went on behind the scenes between him and the Detroit ownership/management. Obviously he had his reasons for bouncing, and personally I don't give a fuck. He's free to make his own decisions in an open market, he doesn't owe the Pistons jackshit.

[Sideburnious 0]

After all the pussy he's probably gotten from looking like Jordan, he really shouldn't complain.

[teke184 0]

Who cares if Ben Wallace wants to deny the Pistons a sign and trade?

 

Seriously, what the fuck? I can't believe people in this day and age buy into this bullshit. Ben Wallace can do whatever the fuck he wants to do. If he wants to be "loyal" to the Pistons he can do that. If he wants to tell them to go fuck themselves he can do that too. How is it any of our concern? Who knows what went on behind the scenes between him and the Detroit ownership/management. Obviously he had his reasons for bouncing, and personally I don't give a fuck. He's free to make his own decisions in an open market, he doesn't owe the Pistons jackshit.

One of the times I actually agree withn Roy...

 

 

Wallace, as an *unrestricted* free agent, is under no obligation to the Pistons to accept a sign-and-trade if he can get an equally good or better deal from a team on his own.

 

This is slightly different from, say, Ron Artest, Vince Carter, or someone else under a valid contract refusing to play unless they're traded or a traded player refusing to report to their new team.

[alfdogg 0]

LeBron's extension is for 4 yrs/$60 million, with a player option after the third year. This according to ESPNNEWS

[bobobrazil1984 0]

which basically means "get me to the Finals in the next 3 years or I'm gone".

[alfdogg 0]

The Pacers claimed Orien Greene off waivers.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

LeBron's extension is for 4 yrs/$60 million, with a player option after the third year. This according to ESPNNEWS

 

Supposedly the deal is set so that Lebron can option out the year the new CBA would kick in, where he would likely be eligible (don't know how they've figured this out already) for a 6 year, $150 million contract. Sounds like LBJ has some good people advising him afterall.

[the pinjockey 0]

Today's Billy King stroke of genius

 

(Willie) Green, a fourth-year pro, is expected to agree to a five-year, $16 million deal similar to one he was on the verge of signing when he tore his left ACL playing summer league ball in Detroit last July.

 

What has Willie Green done to deserve a five year deal other than blow out his knee? Don't get me wrong, I am a Willie Green fan. To steal a Bill Simmonsism he can be a homeless man's Ben Gordon, come off the bench and score in small bunches. But this 5 year deal, along with Dalembert and Korver's five year deals last year and all of a sudden you are tying up a more than nominal portion of your future cap on mediocre players. Sign him for two years with a couple options in case he works out, not 5 guaranteed.

[Ripper 0]

The bright side is that he was going to give him 25 million if he hadn't blown out his knee, so the team saves some money there. He didn't deserve that contract pre blown knee and he doesn't deserve it now.

[Rendclaw 0]

Who cares if Ben Wallace wants to deny the Pistons a sign and trade?

 

Seriously, what the fuck? I can't believe people in this day and age buy into this bullshit. Ben Wallace can do whatever the fuck he wants to do. If he wants to be "loyal" to the Pistons he can do that. If he wants to tell them to go fuck themselves he can do that too. How is it any of our concern? Who knows what went on behind the scenes between him and the Detroit ownership/management. Obviously he had his reasons for bouncing, and personally I don't give a fuck. He's free to make his own decisions in an open market, he doesn't owe the Pistons jackshit.

One of the times I actually agree withn Roy...

 

 

Wallace, as an *unrestricted* free agent, is under no obligation to the Pistons to accept a sign-and-trade if he can get an equally good or better deal from a team on his own.

 

This is slightly different from, say, Ron Artest, Vince Carter, or someone else under a valid contract refusing to play unless they're traded or a traded player refusing to report to their new team.

 

I took a vacation from the NBA threads because I was sickened by what happened with the Pistons. But now I am back. Yay me.

 

Being a Piston fan, Roy is right. He basically made a decision to take care of his family by going to Chicago. Don't buy into any other explanation either he or his agent give, because Joe Dumars wasn't going to compromise the future of the franchise for anyone. Not even Ben Wallace, who is an offensive liability, and has been throughout his career. He is too old to want to change, even though it would have been in his best interests to spend the majority of a summer or three developing a close- to mid-range game. Fuck, if I (who was the geeky, nerdy kid who was always picked last) could develop a decent mid-range game, Ben Wallace (who is 50x the athlete I could ever dream to be) could do so as well.

 

But in the end, he chose to take the money and run, and the Bulls are going to have salary problems within the next three years by giving him the max deal. I wish him the best, but I can;t help but being a little sad and angry that he did so.

[Rendclaw 0]

LeBron's extension is for 4 yrs/$60 million, with a player option after the third year. This according to ESPNNEWS

 

Supposedly the deal is set so that Lebron can option out the year the new CBA would kick in, where he would likely be eligible (don't know how they've figured this out already) for a 6 year, $150 million contract. Sounds like LBJ has some good people advising him afterall.

 

Amen. That was the main concern of mine when he came out, aside from him living up to the massive hype machine and all that.

[Ripper 0]

My thing is, players are quick to bitch about franchises not looking out for them and blah blah blah. Fine, then hows about looking out for the franchise that made your two weeks away from being in Europe ass a star. If it weren't for Joe Dumars, Ben Wallace would not be shit. Dumars put the necessary offensive weapons around him to make it okay for a guy that is a black hole offensively to be on the court. They played 5-4 offense, and not once did they say, "You know been..you could at least try to work on your freethrows...or passing...or something offensively." They gave him a pretty damn good contract that he was coming off of and they weren't that far away from what Chicago offered him. All I am saying is that this is a team that made ALOT of sacrafices for him, the least he could do was agree to allow them to do a sign and trade. It wouldn't have cost him one penny. Instead he was all "Yeah, I realize this team gave me a chance to be a star and I realize that you traded away Darko, a very promising talent just so you could have enough money to sign me back, along with Carlos Arroyo, but you know what...fuck you guys."

 

I mean seriously...stephen fucking jackson had the decency to agree to a sign and trade when the team he wanted to go to could work out a deal with the Hawks(who allowed him to display his talents to get the contract).

 

When stephen jackson shows more loyalty than you....I don't know what to say.

[bob_barron 0]

I'm sorry but bitching to an athlete for not doing a sign and trade is really reaching.

 

Without Ben Wallace, the Pistons wouldn't have a won a title. It goes both ways.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Sign and trades aren't usually done to benefit the team the player is leaving either. They are done in situations where the signing team doesn't have the financial resources to accomodate the player's demands, or the player is restricted and the former team can match the new offer sheet.

 

Ben Wallace was an unrestricted free agent. Chicago had the money to sign him and he wanted to leave Detroit. He didn't owe a thing to Detroit. Why would he weaken the team he is choosing by agreeing to do a sign and trade?

 

They could have worked out an extension last summer when Wallace got rid of his agent and hired a lawyer to work out a new deal with Detroit. It's their own fault things turned out like this.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

With the crowd inside the Cox Pavilion anxiously waiting for something spectacular, Robinson bounced the ball, caught it and dunked it all in one motion. When asked later if he would have chosen style over substance with Brown on the bench, Robinson smiled and said, "I knew that was coming. That's just who I am. Honestly, I think I would. This is summer league. But in (a regular-season) game, I would never do that."

 

Robinson's new coach, however, is encouraging the 5-9 guard to show his creative side in the fall and not only during exhibition games. Isiah Thomas said basketball is show business and that players like Robinson have a "responsibility" to entertain. Somewhere, Brown is shaking his head.

 

"Just because you're having fun and you're enjoying what you're doing does not mean you're out of control," Thomas, the Knicks' president/coach, said yesterday. "Heck, if I was 5-5 or whatever he is and I could bounce it on the floor and dunk it, I'd try it, too. It's a pretty unique thing that he can do that. I'm glad he did it, and I hope he gets the opportunity to do it again."

 

Oh yeah, this going to turn out really well for the Knicks.

 

On another note, Carmelo Anthony is now considering the same offer that Lebron took (4 years, $60 million with an option after year 3). Someone should tell Carmelo that he's not Lebron and should just take the money and run.