1. Chicago Bulls
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Toronto Raptors
4. Miami Heat
5. Boston Celtics
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
7. Milwaukee Bucks
8. New Jersey Nets
9. Orlando Magic
10. Atlanta Hawks
11. Washington Wizards
12. New York Knicks
13. Charlotte Bobcats
14. Indiana Pacers
15. Philadelphia 76ers
The picture here is a very funny one of Dirk Nowitzki. I have Dallas winning the conference again but yet again don't expect post-season success.
These picks are basically identical to last year's but I feel like it's always status quo in the elite west.
Here are my predictions:
1. Dallas Mavericks
2. Phoenix Suns
3. San Antonio Spurs
4. Utah Jazz
5. Houston Rockets
6. Denver Nuggets
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. New Orleans Hornets
9. Los Angeles Lakers
10. Golden State Warriors
11. Sacramento Kings
12. Portland Trailblazers
13. Seattle Super Sonics
14. Memphis Grizzlies
15. Minnesota Timberwolves
The trade is Ricky Davis and Mark Blount traded by Minnesota to the Miami Heat for a 1st round pick, Micheal Doleac, Wayne Simien and Antoine Walker.
The two biggest names are Ricky Davis and Antoine Walker. Ricky Davis probably would be the most sought after player as he is still on the right side of 30 yet he has been everywhere. The problem with Davis is that people are worried that he will be a negative influence on the young ones and I don't mind the T-Wolves making this move.
Antoine Walker I expect to have some bad years ahead of him. Which makes sense to why he was traded by the Heat. This move is also about dollars as well.
The Twolves acquire two young pieces in former 1st round pick Wayne Simien (who does have a chance to be productive) and a 1st round pick that may be useful as a trade piece and overall starting over.
Blount has 3 years and around 22 million left on his terrible contract. Miami accepts this excess salary in order to get better. Walker has 4 years left on his contract however it'll be only for 2 years as it's a team option. Doleac basically replaces the production that Blount leaves but at a much cheaper price.
I think both teams win here so it's not too exciting to talk about. Always fun to rip someone.
The Greg Oden Injury first and foremost is a huge blow to the NBA fans. He was absolutely dominant as a Freshman in the NCAA especially in the tournament. If you watch him play you understand that he will be a dominant NBA player...if he can get away from the injury bug.
Oden had an issue earlier this summer with having to remove his tonsils, now he's out for the season after undergoing microfracture knee surgery.
I've read some articles where they compared Oden to Sam Bowie as if they passed on Michael Jordan. Let's get this clear, while Durant will likely be an all-star he is no MJ. He earned college basketball's top honor as a freshmen but he didn't dominate in the NCAA tournament.
Now people are saying that NBA scouts knew all along that his body has been battered, he has a leg that is longer then the other etc. It makes it all the better that he is sitting out the year and resting up.
Just remember Oden will be back and he's still young. There is nothing wrong with him being out now rather then later down in his career. Amare Stoudemire proved that he can come back from the injury without missing a step.
Oden in 2008 isn't so bad! Besides Portland wasn't going to have a dominant team just yet and it's actually better for them.
Darko Milicic had a HUGE outbust against international referees after a tight game against Greece where Serbia lost by 1 in overtime. They were eliminated and finished winless in 3 games.
Sometimes newspaper and television doesn't do justice when it comes to important videos. Both have to conform to certain laws when it comes to language. Milicic's remarks are UNPRINTABLE even for this blog but I can still show it in a video and thankfully the internet has things like YouTube.
Here's the video:
I actually like Darko more then I did before seeing this video. It was pretty badass and funny at the same time at how pissed off he was. In no way do I say that what he said was appropriate but it's better to look at it with the lighter side of it.
Obviously he has gotten himself in trouble. He was fined $10000 euros and it was not well received by the Memphus Grizzlie's brass.
Thank god for videos as no article on the internet explains the type of the content found in this video. Recommended for sports fan.
Note: The subtitles are terrible but from what people believe it is very close to the message being conveyed by Darko and is just as explicit with a proper translation.
I have not discussed the Tim Donaghy big news stories on this blog because eventually it will be forgotten.
I was reading an article on how Donaghy got into gambling.
The real thing that shocked me was how much NBA referees are earning. Donaghy being a veteran does make $260,000 a year more then your average politician and some referees make even more as they have been part of the NBA much longer.
Whether it is 200,000 or more that's a lot of money for referees. It is a tough job but when you are being paid like a doctor and you break a rule when it's a privilege to be an NBA referee you deserve to be bitch slapped (even tea-bagged).
Reggie Miller has called it quits on returning to the NBA after doing some fitness testing. I have to say “Thank god”. I was a big Reggie Miller fan (when he didn’t play against the Raptors) and I would have felt sick if I saw him in a Boston Celtics uniform.
I understand his desire to win a championship but to see him in anything but a Indiana Pacers jersey is just wrong. If he came back to help the Pacers (insert joke here) I would certainly approve.
I would have bashed Miller for returning to the NBA and I was ready to pounce with a blog post but thankfully, I can still respect him. I understand his want to win a championship badly but like some players who play their whole careers with one team then all of sudden decide to join a team with their career on the decline is mostly forgettable and we want to throw up when we remember Jordan on the Wizards.
Good choice Reggie Miller!
Some teams usually throw away the future when they make signings and deals in some people’s opinions. It usually means that the team will win now and they take a chance to go far in the playoffs but the main thing is that they are trying to win.
The other extreme with disregarding the future is generally involving a salary dump. Sometimes salary dumps involve getting no players back, which I have no problem with at all. However, what the Phoenix Suns have been doing recently almost makes me want to vomit.
The Phoenix Suns unwillingly to add $3 million or so to their salary will disregard their first round draft picks and trade them away for cash or future first round picks. They had Luol Deng before but opted to take a future and lower first round pick. Wouldn’t Luol Deng look nice on this team?
They traded James Jones and first round pick Rudy Fernandez for $3 million. Jones had a salary of $3 million for this season if you take the luxury tax they probably saved $12 million by giving up a first round pick. Financially it makes sense but from a team and organizational approach, it doesn’t.
The latest trade, which occurred on my birthday, was trading Kurt Thomas and 2 first round picks for a conditional 2nd round pick. Two first-round picks and Thomas for nothing like my title says. I wanted to save this rant for some time, as it’s been somewhat lost in the shuffle.
The Suns get nothing but saving money now while disregarding their future. What stupid is first round picks are a cheap way to get help without dipping into the free agent market where you can SAVE money. Phoenix only cares about dollars.
Thomas gets paid 8 million so Phoenix saves 16 million on his contract plus the 9 million in the trade exception that Seattle gives to Phoenix. $25 million is a lot of money but wasting two first round picks just to save some money on bad moves is terrible.
I feel bad for GM Steve Kerr who was probably forced to cut salary and seems to be a pawn into making horrible trades. In the end Phoenix does save money but they are causing future problems to fix “problems” now. If Phoenix doesn’t win a championship you can blame the ownership for being cheap and the philosophy of trading away your future. This team would’ve been awesome with Luol Deng.
Penny Hardaway signed with the Miami Heat recently marking a return back to basketball. My first thoughts was WTF?! He couldn't even play for the Knicks due to an injury when he was being paid $16 million a year.
It upsets me that he will probably contribute more for the Heat then he ever did with the Knicks who paid him tons. If Penny doesn't play at all the Heat look stupid for signing a washed up player.
I really don't know what to say but I dislike this move basically because Hardaway is a shell of what he was like 10 years ago and he could've had a great career but injuries derailed it. I have nothing against him but he has earned tons of money for doing nothing the last 5 years. He has actually made over $120 million over his career and most of it during in decline. I wish the best for him but I am not optimistic on this one.
Samuel Dalembert recently became a Canadian citizen and I couldn’t be more happier!
I am excited that we actually have a guy who is willing to represent his country unlike the other big NBA players who generally opt out due to having contract concerns or what not.
Dalembert probably earns more then he will ever deserve but now that he’s Canadian I could care less as I will root him no matter what. He’s an exciting defender with his emphatic blocks and he could use some work on his offense. He will probably look as a mistake by the 76ers for giving him $9.7M, $10.5M, $11.4 M, and $12.2M for the next 4 years but Dalembert has no excuse but to play for us.
The Team Canada basketball team needs a short in the arm and more star players so we can get better in the future. I think Canada does have a bright future in basketball and having more NBA players represent us will only benefit us. We need to lobby to get Magloire on this team.
The Celtics made a huge splash by acquiring yet another superstar in Kevin Garnett. To land arguably one of the NBA's best players the Celtics traded Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, top 3 protected first round pick and returns Minnesota's first round pick in the Ricky Davis/Wally deal.
For the Celtics, I am glad they didn't include Rajon Rondo in the deal as they needed a point guard at least. They can have a filler in the centre spot with a mix of Brian Scalabrine. They are an instant contender and while they don't have the strongest supporting cast I feel they didn't give too much away for KG. They gave a fair amount but I think it will pay off and you can't blame Danny Ainge for trying as the last two moves have taken some huge balls. They didn't need Gomes, Ratliff, Telfair and Green so they traded away spare parts. Al Jefferson seems to be best player they gave up but he played the same position at KG.
For Minnesota, they needed to rebuild and you can't go wrong with acquiring young players like Green and Jefferson. Getting the two first round picks should help improve their future. I like this trade for both sides, the Celtics are going to be a playoff team for sure now (not sure about success in the playoffs) and Minnesota have more young guys to build around.
I am a big fan of Darko Milicic when I first saw him play. I really see the talent and potential he has which he has had a hard time achieving getting very little playing time in Detroit and just has gotten his feet wet with the Orlando Magic.
Milicic signed a report 3 year deal worth 21 million and I think this is a great signing. This is the perfect contract and a perfect situation for Milicic. At 7 million per year, Darko is not cheap but some people thought that his asking price might’ve been 10 million. Also with Darko being just 22 a 3 year contract will take him to 25 which is where he will be given every opportunity and minutes to fulfill that vast potential. I think that after the 3 years he will solidify himself as part of that famous 2003 draft in which everyone around him has become a superstar or at least an all-star.
He will most definitely be a 10 point per game player next season and it will be interesting to see how good he becomes. I am for one am rooting for him!
The Toronto born Jamaal Magloire joined the dark side recently when he signed with the A**hole Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets.
I can’t say I really like this because I am a big Magloire supporter since he is from Toronto but now he is going to play for a division rival in which we really hate. I guess I’ll root for the Nets to lose still since Vince cancels out my likeness for Magloire.
Why did you have to go to THAT team? I know it’s a good situation for Magloire but still…
The 29-year old Big Cat will probably have a “comeback” in his career but how can I root for him now?
Maceo Baston was given a $3.8 million 2-year contract as Toronto signed him an offer sheet this off-season.
So who is Maceo Baston? There are some things I know about him but I don't really.
Here's what I could find:
He was Mr. Irrelevant in the 1998 Draft as the last pick of the 2nd round 58th overall.
He played 4 seasons at Michigan from 94-98 averaging 10.7 points and 6.6 rebounds.
He made his NBA debut with the Toronto Raptors at age 27 in 2002-2003 playing in only 16 games.
He returned last year with the Indiana Pacers.
Apparently is good dunker (video below) and a good defender though he's likely not going to get a lot of minutes.
Played with Anthony Parker a starter for our Raptors.
Was first signed by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2000 and was then waived later in the year.
Here are his former non-NBA teams:
Quad City Thunder (Continental Basketball Association) from 98-2000
Joventut Badalona (Spain) from 2001 to 2003
Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) from 2003 to 2006
Here is the play of the year for the Euroleague by Maceo Baston:
When I first heard that the Orlando Magic was going to sign Rashard Lewis for a 5 year 75 million dollar deal, I was ready to praise them. However when it was made official it changed my mind because it was a sign and trade deal. I often don’t agree with sign and trade deals because it makes the contracts more costly and it’s always better to get someone for free rather then giving something up.
The Orlando Magic give up a 10 million trade exception which can be used by Seattle to acquire more talent through whatever avenue this wish to. The 10 million trade exception is what was used in the Jason Richardson deal.
Instead of being a 5 year 75 million deal originally reported it is now a 6 year 110 million dollar deal. With Rashard Lewis having injury concerns and he isn’t so young (28 in August). This is just a mediocre deal now as Lewis has to be healthy and not struggling to earn this hefty contract. There is a great deal of risk with giving a player 18 million a year and hasn’t reached total superstar potential yet. Remember that he didn’t carry the SuperSonics.
Morris Peterson was a fan favorite here in Toronto and is leaving after a rough season where the Raptor's finally had success. He was lost in the shuffle when he should have taken the starter's job and ran with it. However I don't fault him as he was there the last time we were in the playoffs and was there in the tough times.
He played the most games as a Raptor in our short history and we'll miss his clutch and streaky shooting as well as his emphatic dunks and always somehow managing to get the fans going. We'll miss ya!
Best wishes to you in New Orleans. I don't really do these types of posts without analysis but MoPete is well deserving!
The Raptors haven’t released any salary figures but they signed Jason Kapono to a believed 5 year deal worth 5.36 annually which is the maximum for the mid-level exception. Let’s do some analysis!
The good:
Jason Kapono is only 26-years of age.
The contract is certainly affordable and fair market valye.
Kapono is a very good shooting SF which is exactly what they needed.
He can probably be featured as playing some PF and really makes Toronto’s lineup even more versatile then it already is.
He is a good free throw shooter (89% last year and a career 85%)
Should only improve with more playing time
The bad:
May have some big shoes to fill basically replacing fan favorite Morris Peterson
Career average is 5 points per game
Last year could be a fluke as he posted numbers uncharacteristically high in all areas that will be hard to maintain (3FG%- 51 percent is high)
Had had a down year after having a very nice season
Never had more then 10 points in a game
Only averaged 5 points per game in the playoffs
The movie is certainly a good move but there are some issues when analyzing it that you should worry about. He is probably expected to the starter but he might not be ready for that as last season was the first that he averaged over 20 minutes per game. I know it’s easy to praise Colangelo right away and all but there is a chance this deal can flop but like most people, I know this one will work out cause he is one of the league’s best GM making the better smaller moves (that’s how GMs should win with the small moves).
I am sick of tired of people bashing the Boston Celtics for finally making a move and getting a superstar. To acquire a superstar requires taking a player with question marks and ultimately proving people wrong and Ray Allen will shut people up. He had a year lost due to injury and may have some injury concerns with Allen but they are a better team that they made this move. Let’s do some analysis.
Allen has 3-years left on his contract and will turn 32 on my birthday! Currently his contract has 16 M for this season, 17.4 million, and 18.4 million in the last year. The issue is not with his play as he is a star shooter who gives teams headaches just trying to cover him and hoping he misses or has an off night. Allen averages around 25 points per game so when he’s on the court he earns his money. The injury concerns are rubbish because this contract becomes valuable in 2 years so if he doesn’t produce in that amount of time a team will look to acquire the cap relief. That said Allen is worth the risk for this Celtics who is stacked with young players but just couldn’t win.
Ray Allen will play well with Pierce it’s a fact stop speculating that they may have chemistry issues. Every move has that whether you make a small trade or you acquire someone in free agency there will be the start where it takes time to gel but otherwise it gets on track.
The Celtics also received 2nd round pick Glen Davis and may be a decent rotation player. Also, the players they gave up were nothing special in my opinion.
Going the other way was Wally Szczerbiak who has 2 years/25 million left on his deal so Boston acquires an extra year for a player who’s going to be injured as well. I don’t see the logic in this media attack on Danny Ainge. Delonte West I like but he projects as a backup point guard in my opinion but he can start at both PG/SG so he’s a decent player but nothing more then a role player. The main player in the deal for Seattle is getting the #5 pick Jeff Green from Boston.
I am not much of fan of the prospects available at the #5 area. I also don’t like the fact Seattle took a SF when that is Durant’s natural position and where I think he’ll have the most success. Jeff Green I am not high on, he isn’t that good of a shooter and he projects like Lamar Odom with elite passing skills but I feel like none of the credit goes to Roy Hibbert who’s stock should be higher. I just don’t think Jeff Green will be that good other then a starter for awhile. It was a win for Seattle too as Ray Allen wouldn't have done anything while they go through some more tough times.
Getting a superstar who still plays like one is always a good thing especially if there isn’t much risk and there isn’t with the Celtics taking one extra year and trading two guys who are good but have no real value on the Celtics. It’s just pissed me off with all the writing against the Celtics. They came out a better team and didn’t hurt their cap situation so what’s the crying all about? -Other teams wishing they got Ray Allen!
The Knicks made a very good deal and rightfully so they got praise around the league for trading Steve Francis and Channing Frye for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau and Fred Jones.
Francis is expected to be bought out and he has 16.4 and 17.1 million left on his deal. It’s a huge contract to take on for Portland but they rid themselves of the extra 2 years that Randolph had. Frye had the burden of expectations placed on his last year after a successful rookie season and was overshadowed by the emergence of Curry and Lee.
Frye should be a solid contributor behind Oden and Aldridge and it should be scary.
The Knicks acquired Randolph and 4 years and 61.3 million on his contract. However he is going to contribute more then Francis could and will be force at starting. His only problem is that he may have attitude problems but Thomas knows how to get a family type thing going so hopefully that goes well in New York. Dickau and Jones are role players who can contribute and it probably means New York doesn’t need to sign anyone.
This trade is win-win for both teams. Portland basically gives the reigns to Oden, Roy, and Aldridge which is important into their development as superstars. For New York they saved themselves 33.5 million which they would have used to buy out Francis and they only gave up one young guy for 3 players who will contribute.
Say what you want about the Knicks and their salary cap but they will never be under it and who cares if they spend money and a 90 million salary is much better then 120 when around 40 million came off the books from non-roster players. You can’t really argue with the Knicks taking on more salary because they can afford it and they get high value deals by dumping expiring contracts to a team for a superstar with question marks.
The Raptors made no significant moves in the draft but they did acquire the #58th pick by San Antonio Giorgos Printezis for a 2nd round pick. Does anybody have any information on him? I have never heard of him until now and from my sources here's what I gather:
He's a small forward at 6'8 from Greece and is 22 years old He played for Olympia Larissa this year averaging 11.5 points and 3.9 rebounds and should stay in Europe to play for Euro powerhouse Olympiacos.
He sounds like a Jorge Garbajosa in that he gives maximum effort with a great attitude but isn't really good at anything other then he works hard and should be a coaches favourite.
Not sure if giving up a 2nd round pick was worth it here but maybe we will see him maybe we won't.
