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NBA beat: It's shopping season
There's no shortage of 'bigs' and 'long's in available players.
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, July 3, 2005
Now the third season begins.
There was the regular season, which morphed into "the real season" of the postseason, and now this.
The free-agency free-for-all. A year after a flurry of free-agent money was thrown to the wind, expect more of the same. Or, as Orlando Magic senior vice president Pat Williams says, "If you're not trying to make a deal, you're not trying."
Because there's always a desperate need for bigs in the NBA - if a player isn't "long," he's "a bigs" - there will be a crush to corner some of the centers on the market. Some are free agents, restricted or otherwise. Others are likely trade bait.
They include:
* Jamal Magloire, New Orleans - He's entering the final year of an $8.5 million deal. The center could be had in a trade, and he's intriguing because he's long and can block shots.
* Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia - The 76ers maintain that they're keeping him, at all costs, because he runs the floor and blocks shots.
* Stromile Swift, Memphis - Active, athletic, not much of a scorer, but sure to help someone. Made $5.9 million last season.
* Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland - Does LeBron James want the man or not? One week James insists he needs the 7-foot-3 All-Star on his side, the next he's suggesting maybe not.
* Tyson Chandler, Chicago - The front office has said the Bulls will match offers for Chandler, a nice shot-blocker who moves well but may never be much of an offensive force.
* Jerome James, Seattle - The James who slogged up the floor or rotted at the end of the bench for so many NBA seasons certainly intrigued some NBA suits with his inspired play against the Kings in the playoffs. Then he was more Jerome-like against San Antonio.
* Eddy Curry, Chicago - Not too long ago, Bulls management insisted there was no way Curry would leave town. He was their future. Then it was learned he had a heart condition. Now he's available. But any takers would surely want to examine the mountain of medical files on a man who seems to have upside but not always the drive.
* Kwame Brown, Washington - The Wizards can match any offers for the first pick of the 2001 draft, and, for now, a complete bust. Brown, long in body, short in desire, was suspended for the playoffs for saying he had to miss a practice with stomach cramps, only to be seen out dining later.
* And the amnesty casualties - A nice little quirk in the collective bargaining agreement allows teams to avoid a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax by cutting a player and not having to be socked by that tax. They still have to pay his salary, however, a win for the player and the teams that no longer want the guy.
What this means is players such as Theo Ratliff (three more years at $35 million) may be let go in Portland, liberating its luxury tax of a darn good shot-blocker.
Or Michael Finley, the Dallas shooter who may be pursued by Phoenix and Denver. The Suns need a gunner to replace Quentin Richardson, now that he's been shipped to New York for Kurt Thomas. The Nuggets are desperate for a shooting guard.
The Lakers may go this amnesty route with Brian Grant, a sore-bodied forward who has two years and $30 million remaining on his deal.
More talent on the market
Seattle very well may have coffee stricken from the menus if the SuperSonics let Ray Allen slip away. Only Michael Redd of Milwaukee is a more coveted shooter this summer.
Allen, a great shooter with the game's quickest release, is a must keep.
* Boston's highest-paid man, Antoine Walker, will be a curious pursuit. He has skills, and he rediscovered himself again in the Eastern Conference last season after looking lost in the shuffle in Dallas. But he made $15 million last season. And does Boston shop Paul Pierce? The swingman's stock has dipped since his boorish behavior this past season, the friction with his coach, Doc Rivers, and getting thrown out of a playoff game in Indiana in a series the Celtics could have had, but lost.
* And what about Joe Johnson of Phoenix? The Suns weren't the same after he cracked his head in a nasty fall in the playoffs. The Suns will likely keep him, with the allure of a sixth guaranteed year to offer. Otherwise, to lose Richardson and Johnson would be catastrophic.
Feel the Heat
The Miami Heat received maximum production from forward Udonis Haslem and ace shooter Damon Jones, both of whom will get offers elsewhere. Shaquille O'Neal has said he wants both back, and what Shaq says carries weight in Miami. Then again, O'Neal will opt out of his deal with the expectation that the club will re-sign him for enough cash to fund a large country.
Unsung guys; great value
There's plenty of that on the market, including Bobby Simmons of the Los Angeles Clippers, a shooting forward who had his best season, and point guard Earl Watson, a good defender and ball handler.
Dan Dickau has bounced around half the league but proved he belonged with some strong play at the point for New Orleans after Baron Davis was traded to Golden State.
High mileage, got game
Veterans with some serious mileage who will warrant some free-agent looks include Grant Hill, who has a player option to return to Orlando.
There's also 36-year-old Toni Kukoc of Milwaukee, who is older, sure, but still a good shooter. And long.
Dikembe Mutombo, who at 38 showed that there's still plenty of wiggle in that forefinger of his after blocking shots for Houston. At $18.7 million last season, he was the second-highest-paid man in the NBA, behind Shaq, though he'll have to budget wisely now as a likely mid-level exception of under $5 million.
Slick and Horry
And there's Nick the Slick and Robert Horry.
Nick Van Exel is always worth a risk because he can score, because he's fearless. Portland has the team option to keep him, but it's not likely. The guard has also talked of retirement; his knees ache so much.
Maybe the Kings should hire Horry so he could get cheered by those fans for once. Expect him to return to San Antonio, as he has a player option.
Baseline jumpers
* Best move of the NBA draft: David Stern. The commish mandated that players' posses be scaled down to moms and dads, all the better to thin out the chaos and humanity.
* Lakers first-round pick Andrew Bynum, all of 17, likens his game to Tim Duncan's or Shaquille O'Neal's, adding, "Except I hit my free throws." Zen may like this kid yet.
* Minnesota VP Kevin McHale insists that the only similarity between one-time Timberwolves draft bust J.R. Rider and new first-round hope Rashad McCants is that both showed up late for introductory news conferences. Rider was always tardy, with McHale saying, "This guy isn't another Rider."
* A dark-horse winner in the draft: Golden State. The Warriors got the Pacific-10's best player in Ike Diogu and a forward with first-round talent in Chris Taft.
* Want a scholar-athlete? Indiana draftee Danny Granger had a chance to go to Yale or Columbia, then studied civil engineering at Bradley before finishing up at New Mexico.
* Utah second-round pick C.J. Miles, a prep star from Texas, is a true rarity: He was introduced at a Jazz news conference but still hasn't signed with an agent, meaning he can go to college, get drafted again and have yet another introductory news conference. This time with a genuine smile.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13172193p-14015609c.html
There's no shortage of 'bigs' and 'long's in available players.
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, July 3, 2005
Now the third season begins.
There was the regular season, which morphed into "the real season" of the postseason, and now this.
The free-agency free-for-all. A year after a flurry of free-agent money was thrown to the wind, expect more of the same. Or, as Orlando Magic senior vice president Pat Williams says, "If you're not trying to make a deal, you're not trying."
Because there's always a desperate need for bigs in the NBA - if a player isn't "long," he's "a bigs" - there will be a crush to corner some of the centers on the market. Some are free agents, restricted or otherwise. Others are likely trade bait.
They include:
* Jamal Magloire, New Orleans - He's entering the final year of an $8.5 million deal. The center could be had in a trade, and he's intriguing because he's long and can block shots.
* Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia - The 76ers maintain that they're keeping him, at all costs, because he runs the floor and blocks shots.
* Stromile Swift, Memphis - Active, athletic, not much of a scorer, but sure to help someone. Made $5.9 million last season.
* Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland - Does LeBron James want the man or not? One week James insists he needs the 7-foot-3 All-Star on his side, the next he's suggesting maybe not.
* Tyson Chandler, Chicago - The front office has said the Bulls will match offers for Chandler, a nice shot-blocker who moves well but may never be much of an offensive force.
* Jerome James, Seattle - The James who slogged up the floor or rotted at the end of the bench for so many NBA seasons certainly intrigued some NBA suits with his inspired play against the Kings in the playoffs. Then he was more Jerome-like against San Antonio.
* Eddy Curry, Chicago - Not too long ago, Bulls management insisted there was no way Curry would leave town. He was their future. Then it was learned he had a heart condition. Now he's available. But any takers would surely want to examine the mountain of medical files on a man who seems to have upside but not always the drive.
* Kwame Brown, Washington - The Wizards can match any offers for the first pick of the 2001 draft, and, for now, a complete bust. Brown, long in body, short in desire, was suspended for the playoffs for saying he had to miss a practice with stomach cramps, only to be seen out dining later.
* And the amnesty casualties - A nice little quirk in the collective bargaining agreement allows teams to avoid a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax by cutting a player and not having to be socked by that tax. They still have to pay his salary, however, a win for the player and the teams that no longer want the guy.
What this means is players such as Theo Ratliff (three more years at $35 million) may be let go in Portland, liberating its luxury tax of a darn good shot-blocker.
Or Michael Finley, the Dallas shooter who may be pursued by Phoenix and Denver. The Suns need a gunner to replace Quentin Richardson, now that he's been shipped to New York for Kurt Thomas. The Nuggets are desperate for a shooting guard.
The Lakers may go this amnesty route with Brian Grant, a sore-bodied forward who has two years and $30 million remaining on his deal.
More talent on the market
Seattle very well may have coffee stricken from the menus if the SuperSonics let Ray Allen slip away. Only Michael Redd of Milwaukee is a more coveted shooter this summer.
Allen, a great shooter with the game's quickest release, is a must keep.
* Boston's highest-paid man, Antoine Walker, will be a curious pursuit. He has skills, and he rediscovered himself again in the Eastern Conference last season after looking lost in the shuffle in Dallas. But he made $15 million last season. And does Boston shop Paul Pierce? The swingman's stock has dipped since his boorish behavior this past season, the friction with his coach, Doc Rivers, and getting thrown out of a playoff game in Indiana in a series the Celtics could have had, but lost.
* And what about Joe Johnson of Phoenix? The Suns weren't the same after he cracked his head in a nasty fall in the playoffs. The Suns will likely keep him, with the allure of a sixth guaranteed year to offer. Otherwise, to lose Richardson and Johnson would be catastrophic.
Feel the Heat
The Miami Heat received maximum production from forward Udonis Haslem and ace shooter Damon Jones, both of whom will get offers elsewhere. Shaquille O'Neal has said he wants both back, and what Shaq says carries weight in Miami. Then again, O'Neal will opt out of his deal with the expectation that the club will re-sign him for enough cash to fund a large country.
Unsung guys; great value
There's plenty of that on the market, including Bobby Simmons of the Los Angeles Clippers, a shooting forward who had his best season, and point guard Earl Watson, a good defender and ball handler.
Dan Dickau has bounced around half the league but proved he belonged with some strong play at the point for New Orleans after Baron Davis was traded to Golden State.
High mileage, got game
Veterans with some serious mileage who will warrant some free-agent looks include Grant Hill, who has a player option to return to Orlando.
There's also 36-year-old Toni Kukoc of Milwaukee, who is older, sure, but still a good shooter. And long.
Dikembe Mutombo, who at 38 showed that there's still plenty of wiggle in that forefinger of his after blocking shots for Houston. At $18.7 million last season, he was the second-highest-paid man in the NBA, behind Shaq, though he'll have to budget wisely now as a likely mid-level exception of under $5 million.
Slick and Horry
And there's Nick the Slick and Robert Horry.
Nick Van Exel is always worth a risk because he can score, because he's fearless. Portland has the team option to keep him, but it's not likely. The guard has also talked of retirement; his knees ache so much.
Maybe the Kings should hire Horry so he could get cheered by those fans for once. Expect him to return to San Antonio, as he has a player option.
Baseline jumpers
* Best move of the NBA draft: David Stern. The commish mandated that players' posses be scaled down to moms and dads, all the better to thin out the chaos and humanity.
* Lakers first-round pick Andrew Bynum, all of 17, likens his game to Tim Duncan's or Shaquille O'Neal's, adding, "Except I hit my free throws." Zen may like this kid yet.
* Minnesota VP Kevin McHale insists that the only similarity between one-time Timberwolves draft bust J.R. Rider and new first-round hope Rashad McCants is that both showed up late for introductory news conferences. Rider was always tardy, with McHale saying, "This guy isn't another Rider."
* A dark-horse winner in the draft: Golden State. The Warriors got the Pacific-10's best player in Ike Diogu and a forward with first-round talent in Chris Taft.
* Want a scholar-athlete? Indiana draftee Danny Granger had a chance to go to Yale or Columbia, then studied civil engineering at Bradley before finishing up at New Mexico.
* Utah second-round pick C.J. Miles, a prep star from Texas, is a true rarity: He was introduced at a Jazz news conference but still hasn't signed with an agent, meaning he can go to college, get drafted again and have yet another introductory news conference. This time with a genuine smile.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13172193p-14015609c.html
