SB Nation - Steven Hunter

Grizzlies Run Over Pistons, 115-94

AUrunna — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:46:01 -0000

More photos » by Nikki Boertman - AP

2 months ago: Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace (6) battles Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33), of Spain, for a rebound in the first quarter of an NBA preseason basketball game Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

Browse more photos »

AUrunna here, checking in for DJturtleface while he's away in Europe. Unlike my colleague, I do not share his unbridled enthusiasm for the Memphis Grizzlies, but I'm strong enough to cover for a few weeks.

Back to the story, the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Detroit Pistons handily Saturday night in a preview of the season opener for both teams.

Let's take a closer look on the other side.

The high octane tandem of Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo led the Grizzlies to a big win with 25 and 21 points respectively while being incredibly efficient from the field. Obviously they won't shoot that well from the field every night, but I think a key to their success if being able to get these two stars their points as efficiently as possible, and not having to dominate the ball for the whole game.

Zach Randolph followed up his first good game with another solid performance, hanging 17 on the Pistons and adding 12 rebounds as well. Mike Conley led the team with 7 assits, and seemed to run the offense with some authority. Marc Gasol was the only starter who really didn't impress tonight, but set the tone defensively, albeit it against Ben Wallace, with 2 blocks and a steal.

The team shot 52% overall for the game, and 40% from beyond the arc, both numbers that will translate into a lot of victories if they can stay close to that. These percentages were helped by some good bench performances from Marcus Williams and Steven Hunter who came up big off the bench. Williams' numbers can be deceiving though, as he was an overall -9 when on the floor; not a good sign for a guy who's suoopsed to run the show. DeMarre Carrol struggled tonight after a really good beginning to the preseason, being the only other Grizzly with a negative, but his hustle did show, even in the box score.

One thing to look for improvment in the upcoming preseason games must be defending the opposing guards. Ben Gordon, Will Bynum, and Rodney Stuckey got to the hoop at will and really kept the Pistons in it for a while. Against stronger teams, and teams at full strength, I'm afraid this will be a big concern, but hopefully we can see some improvement by the time the season starts up. This game will give an interesting glimpse at what changes in about 10 days for both teams.

OKC Thunder @ Memphis Grizzlies OPEN THREAD

Mr Pappagiorgio — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:30:17 -0000

TV: None | Radio: WWLS (98.1 FM, 640am in OKC, 97.1 FM in Tulsa)

Opponent Perspective: Straight Outta Vancouver

2009-10 Oklahoma City Thunder Pre-Season Roster
NUM	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	FROM	YRS
40	Ryan Bowen	F	6-9	218	11/20/1975	Iowa	9
4	Nick Collison	F-C	6-10	255	10/26/1980	Kansas	5
35	Kevin Durant	F-G	6-9	230	09/29/1988	Texas	2
22	Jeff Green	F	6-9	235	08/28/1986	Georgetown	2
13	James Harden	G	6-5	220	08/26/1989	Arizona State	R
	Mike Harris	F	6-6	240	06/15/1983	Rice	1
9	Serge Ibaka	F	6-10	235	09/18/1989	Congo	R
6	Tre Kelley	G	6-0	188	01/23/1985	South Carolina	R
12	Nenad Krstic	C	7-0	240	07/25/1983	Serbia & Montenegro	5
14	Shaun Livingston	G	6-7	185	09/11/1985	Peoria Central HS (IL)	4
23	Byron Mullens	C	7-0	275	02/14/1989	Ohio State	R
7	Kevin Ollie	G	6-2	195	12/27/1972	Connecticut	12
51	Michael Ruffin	F-C	6-8	248	01/21/1977	Tulsa	9
2	Thabo Sefolosha	F-G	6-7	215	05/02/1984	Switzerland	3
36	Etan Thomas	C	6-10	260	04/01/1978	Syracuse	7
5	Kyle Weaver	G	6-6	201	02/18/1986	Washington State	1
0	Russell Westbrook	G	6-3	187	11/12/1988	UCLA	1
3	D.J. White	F	6-9	251	08/31/1986	Indiana	1

2009-10 Memphis Grizzlies Pre-Season Roster
NUM	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	FROM	YRS
00	Darrell Arthur	F	6-9	235	03/25/1988	Kansas	1
1	DeMarre Carroll	F	6-8	212	07/27/1986	Missouri	R
11	Mike Conley	G	6-1	185	10/11/1987	Ohio State	2
31	Thomas Gardner	G	6-5	225	02/08/1985	Missouri	2
33	Marc Gasol	C	7-1	280	01/29/1985	Spain	1
22	Rudy Gay	F	6-8	222	08/17/1986	Connecticut	3
2	Trey Gilder	F	6-9	185	01/24/1985	Northwestern State-Louisiana	R
15	Hamed Haddadi	C	7-2	265	05/19/1985	I.R. of Iran	1
45	Steven Hunter	C	7-0	240	10/31/1981	DePaul	7
3	Allen Iverson	G	6-0	165	06/07/1975	Georgetown	13
55	Marko Jaric	G	6-7	224	10/12/1978	Serbia	7
32	O.J. Mayo	G	6-4	210	11/05/1987	USC	1
50	Zach Randolph	F	6-9	260	07/16/1981	Michigan State	8
21	Leon Rodgers	F	6-6	217	06/19/1980	Northern Illinois	R
24	Mike Taylor	G	6-2	165	01/21/1986	Iowa State	1
34	Hasheem Thabeet	C	7-3	267	02/16/1987	Connecticut	R
5	Marcus Williams	G	6-3	205	12/03/1985	Connecticut	3
4	Sam Young	F-G	6-6	220	06/01/1985	Pittsburgh	R

Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies

Mr Pappagiorgio — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:42 -0000

Finally, finally, finally! The Oklahoma City Thunder get their 2009-10 season underway tonight, in Memphis, against the Grizzlies! Who cares if its only the pre-season? Thunder Basketball is back, so get ready to Thunder Up! Sadly enough, at the time of this writing (Last night), we don't have any update as to whether or not this game will be televised anywhere that Oklahomans will be able to see, but at the very least we should all be able to listen on the WWLS, The Sports Animal, which should be carrying the game (although I haven't confirmed that yet either). I'm sure you are quite tired of hearing me complain about the game not being televised, but let's face it, if you are reading this blog on a regular basis, chances are you are a pretty big Thunderhead yourself and just as pissed off. So hey, I'm being your voice, and you just never know who is reading. I griped and moaned all season about games that weren't broadcast in HD and a quick look at the TV schedule for the upcoming season will show that perhaps someone was listening as every single game is listed as being in HD this season.

It is still just a pre-season game, so why should you even care? Well, I'm gonna take a few minutes and hopefully give you enough reasons to be interested. First and foremost is your Thunder Roster is very different than it was just a few short months ago as the team closed out its inaugural season. When you make the jump, you'll see the entire pre-season roster which will be cut down substantially before the season begins. Gone are the likes of Robert Swift, Malik Rose, and Earl Watson, and inserted in their place are a host of new players that you should be just as anxious to see such as Etan Thomas and Kevin Ollie. As young as this team was last season, it may have gotten even younger this year as James Harden joins the mix along with some other terrific young players including Serge Ibaka, and Byron Mullens, amongst others. So go ahead and make the jump to see the full roster, along with our continued preview which will have a few more reasons to be interested in tonight's game, because there are a few more, I assure you.

If you can remember back a few short months, there was some extremely heated debate regarding who the Thunder should take, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden. Regardless of who we wanted or who we would have picked (although it does seem pretty clear that Harden had emerged as our guy shortly before the draft), the Grizzlies went ahead and made things a bit easier for us by picking Hasheem Thabeet with the #2 overall pick. So tonight will be our first chance at seeing these two guys match up head to head, even though they'll rarely be close to one another on the court since Harden plays guard and Thabeet is six million feet tall.

Another reason you are going to want to tune in is to check out Allen Iverson in his new home. We all know him, we all um, okay, so we all don't love him, but you still have to respect the guy on the court, no matter his flaws. For now he doesn't even seem to be a clear cut starter on the team, but it'll be interesting to see if that's a motivating factor for him in the pre-season. It'll also be fun to see how he works and interacts with guys like O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. Oh wait, that's what you could have looked forward to if he didn't get himself injured on Sunday, so I guess we'll have to look forward to seeing that later on in the year. The Grizzlies are quite possibly the most exciting young team in the league outside of our own beloved Thunder, so this game will definitely be intriguing as two of the leagues better, up and coming, young teams, square off head to head. I tend to think we're a bit further ahead in our cycle than they are and should come away with a win, even if it is just a pre-season game, but the fun part will be watching, err, listening tonight.

Also, we will have a Live Game OPEN THREAD for commenting tonight as I'm sure one way or another a lot of us will be either listening to or watching the game. Hell, if we are listening, there is no reason to not be on the site commenting, so you better get your ass into the thread by tipoff so we can get some nice live game commenting going. Also, we'll update this post and the live game thread with anymore information on TV and Radio Coverage as the information becomes available.

2009-10 Oklahoma City Thunder Pre-Season Roster
NUM	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	FROM	YRS
40	Ryan Bowen	F	6-9	218	11/20/1975	Iowa	9
4	Nick Collison	F-C	6-10	255	10/26/1980	Kansas	5
35	Kevin Durant	F-G	6-9	230	09/29/1988	Texas	2
22	Jeff Green	F	6-9	235	08/28/1986	Georgetown	2
13	James Harden	G	6-5	220	08/26/1989	Arizona State	R
	Mike Harris	F	6-6	240	06/15/1983	Rice	1
9	Serge Ibaka	F	6-10	235	09/18/1989	Congo	R
6	Tre Kelley	G	6-0	188	01/23/1985	South Carolina	R
12	Nenad Krstic	C	7-0	240	07/25/1983	Serbia & Montenegro	5
14	Shaun Livingston	G	6-7	185	09/11/1985	Peoria Central HS (IL)	4
23	Byron Mullens	C	7-0	275	02/14/1989	Ohio State	R
7	Kevin Ollie	G	6-2	195	12/27/1972	Connecticut	12
51	Michael Ruffin	F-C	6-8	248	01/21/1977	Tulsa	9
2	Thabo Sefolosha	F-G	6-7	215	05/02/1984	Switzerland	3
36	Etan Thomas	C	6-10	260	04/01/1978	Syracuse	7
5	Kyle Weaver	G	6-6	201	02/18/1986	Washington State	1
0	Russell Westbrook	G	6-3	187	11/12/1988	UCLA	1
3	D.J. White	F	6-9	251	08/31/1986	Indiana	1

2009-10 Memphis Grizzlies Pre-Season Roster
NUM	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	FROM	YRS
00	Darrell Arthur	F	6-9	235	03/25/1988	Kansas	1
1	DeMarre Carroll	F	6-8	212	07/27/1986	Missouri	R
11	Mike Conley	G	6-1	185	10/11/1987	Ohio State	2
31	Thomas Gardner	G	6-5	225	02/08/1985	Missouri	2
33	Marc Gasol	C	7-1	280	01/29/1985	Spain	1
22	Rudy Gay	F	6-8	222	08/17/1986	Connecticut	3
2	Trey Gilder	F	6-9	185	01/24/1985	Northwestern State-Louisiana	R
15	Hamed Haddadi	C	7-2	265	05/19/1985	I.R. of Iran	1
45	Steven Hunter	C	7-0	240	10/31/1981	DePaul	7
3	Allen Iverson	G	6-0	165	06/07/1975	Georgetown	13
55	Marko Jaric	G	6-7	224	10/12/1978	Serbia	7
32	O.J. Mayo	G	6-4	210	11/05/1987	USC	1
50	Zach Randolph	F	6-9	260	07/16/1981	Michigan State	8
21	Leon Rodgers	F	6-6	217	06/19/1980	Northern Illinois	R
24	Mike Taylor	G	6-2	165	01/21/1986	Iowa State	1
34	Hasheem Thabeet	C	7-3	267	02/16/1987	Connecticut	R
5	Marcus Williams	G	6-3	205	12/03/1985	Connecticut	3
4	Sam Young	F-G	6-6	220	06/01/1985	Pittsburgh	R

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

Atma Brother ONE — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:00:29 -0000

From LA-LA land to Graceland. GSoM's got you covered!

Thunder's teddy bear when he was growing up as a pudgy kid in the East Bay.

Put a little mayo on it and... JUMP for a look at the 2k9-2k10 Memphis Teddy Bears!

Before we start counting the ways of the super lotto balls for the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies, let's go back... way back.

You probably remember this:

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

A bear with a basketball under script

Or maybe even this:

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

But do you remember THIS?

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

FUN-ky piece!

Shout out to Chris Screamer's sportslogos.net for the Vancouver Grizzlies logo throwbacks.

AB1's Fav 5 Vancouver Grizzlies of All-Time

5. Bryant Reeves

The Grizzlies inaugural draft selection with the 6th pick in the 1995 draft was a big fella (7-feet 275 pound big) by the name of Big Country who had a pretty short NBA career ended early due to injury (i.e. the Oliver Miller problem). He's considered a bust with 6 year career totals of 12.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg and that insane 6 year $61.8 million contract [see Wikipedia for more].

Vansterdam Best: 2 seasons of 16 ppg and 8 rpg while sprinkling in a swat a game

I will take a second here and note the career averages of the #1 overall pick in that same draft were actually lower than Big Country's at 11.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg.

Who am I talking about? He'll be entering his 15th season in the NBA this year and he's no ordinary Joe! Well, I guess he was. Please put your hands together for...

Joe Smith: Sky was NOT the limit. Nice guy though.

via sports.tom.com

Who's a bigger bust in your book?

4. Mike Bibby

Before he was battling Shaq and the Lakers Bibby was a member of Canada's other NBA squad.

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

Vansterdam Career:

1998-1999 [age 20]: 13.2 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 stl
1999-2000 [age 21]: 14.5 ppg, 8.1 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 stl
2000-2001 [age 22]: 15.9 ppg, 8.4 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3

Oddly enough the closest Bibby ever got to those assist totals post-Vancouver was 6.8 apg with the Sacramento Kings in 2004-2005. During most of his post-Vancouver days his assist average was ~5 apg.

So why would you trade an up and coming PG with those kind of totals at that young age? If I remember correctly the Vancouver Grizz were in full blow-out mode and there was some serious beef between Bibby and fellow Pac-10 alum Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

3. Michael Dickerson

Before his sad early retirement at the age of 28 in Memphis [CBC Sports], Dickerson was a solid swingman teaming up with Arizona backcourt buddy Mike Bibby in the Vancouver backcourt. Because of injuries he only played a total of 10 games in his last two seasons with the Grizzlies when they moved to Memphis. It was abundantly clear that the hoops gods wanted Dickerson to be a VANCOUVER Grizzlie, not a MEMPHIS Grizzlie.

via www.grizzliesonline.com

Just ask the legendary Knick and Warrior John Starks.

Dickerson was quite the enforcer in Vancouver.

Vansterdam Best: 18.2 ppg in 1999-2000

2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Todd Bozeman's greatest Cal hoops recruit SAR was a supremely talented balla who took home Pac-10 player of the year honors as a freshman. Abdur-Rahim has had a very nice NBA career, but I was honestly expecting much more from him back in 1996. I was thinking potential Hall of Famer <sigh>, but things didn't exactly go down like that. His odd 1.5 season stint in Portland really seemed to be end of SAR's path to stardom. Back then any time spent in Jail(Blazers) would do that to you.

via www.slamonline.com

Vansterdam Career:

1996-1997 (All-NBA Rookie 1st Team) [age 20]: 18.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 ast, 1.0 blk, 1.0 stl
1997-1998 [age 21]: 22.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.9 blk, 1.1 stl
1998-1999 [age 22]: 23.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 blk, 1.4 stl
1999-2000 [age 23]: 20.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.1 blk, 1.1 stl
2000-2001 [age 24]: 20.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 blk, 1.1 stl

Quite a nice body of work from the young hoops prodigy who made a fun pit stop at The People's Republic of Berkeley. Compare SAR's early production to current and recent past young Warrior forwards and supposed "building blocks" of the mythically bright future... oh, I'll spare you the details.

1. Steve Francis

Stevie didn't exactly give Vancouver the thumbs up to select him with the 2nd overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.

Here's an often ignored fact for you. Stevie Franchise (questionable nickname) was turnover prone and made a ton of poor decisions with the rock during his stints in Houston (much to Coach Jeff Van Gundy's irritation which led him being shipped out), Orlando, and New York, but he didn't have a single of these during his (very brief) stop in Vancouver. The Grizzlies got the last laugh too [FanHouse].

I guess it all worked out in Graceland.

via media.commercialappeal.com

Vansterdam Best: ZERO turnovers

Which brings us fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you want to slice it with your Graceland bear claws) to the MEMPHIS Grizzlies...

Quick- which player would you rather have after seeing their rookie stats per 36?

Rookie A (per 36): 15.8 ppg (53.8 TS%), 12.9 rpg, 1.5 apg : 2.1 tov, 0.9 blk, 0.6 stl
Rookie B (per 36): 17.5 ppg (53.9 TS%), 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg :

(Thanks as always to Basketball Reference for the stats.)

Before the season began the Grizzlies banked on Rookie B O.J. Mayo and the Timberwolves went with Rookie A Kevin Love. Who's the winner of this trade so far? Well, that's a tough one. Who will be the winner of this trade 5-10 years from now? That's another tough one.

(Like how I just completely avoided my own questions?)

Regardless of how much you Love your Mayo, I'd go joyriding in a white Bronco with this O.J. any day. This guy just looks like he has the makings to become a very savvy and solid starting backcourt fixture for years to come at this level. I don't expect any buyer remorse from the Grizz about this trade.

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

24 wins - 58 losses

Good thing the Grizzlies stole Gasol from the Lake-show! It's already paying dividends.

One thing's for sure. The Grizzlies OWN the Warriors.

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

41 wins - 41 losses

You can do worse than a lineup of:

PG: Allen Iverson/ Mike Conley/ Marcus Williams

SG: O.J. Mayo/ Marko Jaric

SF: Rudy Gay/ DeMarre Carroll

PF: Zach Randolph/ Darrell Arthur/ Steven Hunter

C: Marc Gasol/ Hasheem Thabeet/ Hamed Haddadi

Not much worse defensively mind you, but offensively that ain't half bad.

29 other teams are going to feel dumb this season for not answering the call.

[photo: Grizzlies.com]

Allen Iverson: Maybe not THE Answer, but Definitely AN Answer

The biggest offseason news for the Grizzlies and during the annual super slow NBA September was Allen Iverson signing with the Memphis Grizzlies for a bargain basement 1 year rental fee of $3.5 million.

See SBNation.com story stream: Not Ready for the Rocking Chair: Memphis Introduces Iverson

The hoops world can be very funny sometimes. Somewhere along the way Chauncey Billups went from being a very solid and underappreciated point guard to the most overrated player in the entire NBA and Allen Iverson went from being a true warrior and one of the league's greatest players to spectaculary underrated. (See the discussion in Polling GSoM: Based on their stats Guard A or Guard B?)

Make no mistake. Age 34 Allen Iverson is not an age 34 Michael Jordan (last Chicago Bulls season + NBA Champion). Iverson is not going to lead a team to a title as the #1 guy. AI has some flaws in his game at this age, notably his defensive decline and intensity. He simply is not the ballhawk he used to be early in his career, routinely netting over 2.4 steals a game and being a regular menace of D. I think everyone knows that by know. But that doesn't mean he still isn't a very good NBA player. For the way NBA teams were avoiding him this offseason you would think he had the hoops skills of Mark Madsen.

Iverson is undoubtedly coming off the worst season of his NBA career (both in terms of hoops performance and team politics), but let's not forget that he is only one season removed from averaging 26 ppg (45.8% FG, 34.5% 3pt, 80.9% FT), 7.2 apg : 3.0 turnovers, 3.0 rpg, and 2.0 steals. If Warriors "building block" Monta Ellis dropped anything close to 26 ppg and 7 apg (with a 2:1 assist: turnover ratio compared to his lowly 1.37 ratio last season) we'd all be pleasantly stunned. Too bad it's not going to happen for Ellis and the Warriors.

Bold Prediction: A rejuvenated Allen Iverson fighting for his hoops legacy is going to put up better numbers than Ellis this season.

The Grizzlies bought low and I like what they did. In a league where the Boston Celtics added Stephon Marburry for a playoff run, it makes very little sense why none of the contending teams this year wouldn't even so much as take a chance on AI at such a low financial cost.

The Answer Vault:

Allen Iverson Age 20 vs. Stephen Curry Age 20

2009 NBA Free Agency: Warriors Expected to Use Midlevel Exception- Ramon Sessions, Jarrett Jack, Jason Kidd, and Allen Iverson

The Allen Iverson Trade: Throwing Up W's and L's

Rumor: Warriors Not Interested in Allen Iverson Anymore

Rumor: Warriors Could Be in on Multiteam Allen Iverson Trade

Why the Warriors Should Trade for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Baron Davis + Andris Biedrins for Allen Iverson Package Reports Were Bogus

Rumor: Warriors Could Have Allen Iverson for Jason Richardson

Rumor: Tony Mejia Thinks AI to the Warriors by Friday

Rumor: Warriors Offered Baron Davis, but Ready to Drop Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Tom Tolbert Says Warriors Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Sixers Targetting Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson

Rumor: Troy Murphy Not in Trade Talks

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors, Ben Gordon to 76ers, and Troy Murphy to Bulls

Rumor: Baron Davis, Andris Biedrins, and 3rd Unidentified Player for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, and Baron Davis for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Warriors Upped Offer for Iverson to Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu, and a 1st Rounder

Rumor: Ric Bucher Says Warriors Out of Running for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Dangling JRich and Adonal Foyle for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Stephen A. Smith Thinks the Warriors are the Frontrunners for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Looking to Move Dead-Weight Contracts for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors for JRich, Monta Ellis, or Baron Davis

Rumor: Warriors the Front-Runner in AI Sweepstakes

Rumor: Celtics, Warriors, and Kings Most Likely to Acquire Allen Iverson

Rumor: Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, or Jason Richardson + Monta Ellis for Allen Iverson

GSoM Talks to Preetom Bhattacharya about Allen Iverson Rumors

Rumor: Warriors, Celtics, and Pacers in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Contacted Warriors, Sonics, and Nuggets about an Allen Iverson Deal

Rumor: Allen Iverson Wants Out of Philly + Warriors Need The Answer

Rumor: 7-1 Odds on Allen Iverson for T-Double, Ike, MP2, and Zarko

Rumor: Sixers want Troy Murphy or Jason Richardson for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Iverson Will Play for Warriors

Rumor: 8 Team, 9 Player Super Trade brings Allen Iverson to the Warriors

Rumor: Warriors Won't Pursue Iverson

Rumor: Warriors' Youth + Bad Contract for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Sixers Listening to Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Want a Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Really After Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors

AN Answer for the Grizzlies

Pre-Iverson it would be all but a foregone conclusion that the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzles (barring some unforeseen leap to superstardom by sophomore Mayo) would be sitting out the big spring dance in the West again. They would simply be fighting for the meaningless 10th spot in the West with the likes of the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Thunder. Sure the Grizzlies would be young and potentially exciting in the eyes of hoops junkies, but again it would be meaningless.

Iverson makes the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies season non-meaningless (I think the word I'm looking for is meaningful, but that feels a little too strong for the Grizz so please excuse me). On paper the Grizzlies now look like they have what it takes to fight with the New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and LA Clippers for the lower playoff seeds in the West. For a franchise that has won 22, 22, and 24 games the past 3 seasons that's a big upgrade. Are the Grizzlies Iverson's last stop in the NBA or will they just be a bridge to a glorious finish with a championship contender in 2010 and beyond? All eyes will be Iverson and the Grizzlies.

All eyes on the Grizzlies? I don't think that has ever happened. You have to give the Grizzlies front office a ton of credit for ending their streak of meaningless-ness.

Golden Predictions

You heard it (predicted) here first. The Grizzlies will trade Rudy Gay this season. He's uber-talented and has all the physical tools, but I'm not sold he will ever make that commitment to making that big step or turn on the defensive intensity to ever reach his potential. It's kind of sad really.
Allen Iverson puts up 20 points and drops 6 dimes per game. All through February, March, and April contending teams are kicking themselves for not picking him up at a bargain basement price. Talking heads around the league start calling him a big impact free agent in the 2010 free agent class.
O.J. Mayo raises his dime total to 5 apg.
Michael Conley becomes... Mike Bibby Lite.
Rookie Hasheem Thabeet barely plays, but ends up having a solid NBA career when it's all said and done.
Warriors outcast Marcus Williams barely plays, but at least he doesn't steal R Dizzle's laptop.
Zach Randolph puts up another empty 20-10, but blocks less shots than Charlotte point guard Raymond Felton. (Seriously look up last year's totals- what an oddity.)
Marko Jaric stays a very happily married man.
Hamed Haddadi is a Warrior Killer on Wednesday November 4, 2009, Tuesday December 22, 2009, and Saturday March 20, 2010, but not on Wednesday March 24, 2010. Fourth time's the charm for the Warriors defense!
Marc Gasol raises his stats from 11.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg to 14 ppg and 8 rpg. The "Kwame Brown trade"? I laugh. It was clearly a Gasol for Gasol trade with the Grizzlies just wanting to get younger. Clearly.
Sophomore power forward Darrell Arthur makes a lot of teams wish they didn't pass on him in the 2008 NBA Draft.

For more on the Memphis Grizzlies (and hopefully a little bit about the Vancouver Grizzlies) let me direct you to our brother site Straight Outta Vancouver...

I wonder what they'd do with their blog name if Vancouver somehow got another NBA team some day.

2009-2010 Around the Association

Introduction
Atlanta Hawks: Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. The Hawks are for real.
Boston Celtics: Sheed in Green + Another Answer
Charlotte Bobcats: They Do Exist
Chicago Bulls: Ring Around the Rose-y
Cleveland Cavaliers: Now or Never
Dallas Mavericks: The Curse of the Dampier
Denver Nuggets: If it ain't broke...
Detroit Pistons: The Return of the Bay Boys
Houston Rockets: Yao-ch!, that's gotta hurt
Indiana Pacers: A One Man Show
Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors South No More
Los Angeles Lakers: Big Brother, Little Brother
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets
New Orleans Hornets
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Super Sonics
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia Sixers
Phoenix Suns
Portland TrailBlazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Rewind

Poll

What feels the most golden?

Vancouver Grizzlies

103 votes

Memphis Grizzlies

45 votes

San Jose Grizzlies

182 votes

Seattle Grizzlies

64 votes

Grizzlies? GRIZZLIES?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GRIZZLIES MAN?!

141 votes

535 votes | Poll has closed

Grizzlies Acquire Denver's 1st Round Pick

djturtleface — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:27:40 -0000

So what is the biggest issue at hand? The way I see it, Heisley really needs to be concerned with beefing up the public relations department.

Well apparently Heisley did get the memo, because yesterday the Grizzlies traded a conditional 2nd round pick to the Denver Nuggets for Steven Hunter and a conditional first round pick in 2010. According to the Commercial Appeal, Denver's pick is protected if they get into the lottery for the next two years, then is protected up to the top 10 from 2012 to 2015, and finally becomes fully unprotected (meaning if Denver gets an early enough pick, the pick will be retained and traded in a later draft). This is not worrisome, since Denver is projected to be a top 10 team again this season.

The Grizzlies also acquired Steven Hunter, who might see some rotation minutes if Hadaddi doesn't play well. But make no mistake, this trade was for the pick. Denver essentially gave us their first round draft pick to take Hunter's contract off the books. Other teams cut costs too you know.

I don't see how this could be a bad trade for the Grizzlies. Hunter's contract expires this season, so it could become another trade chip, and the Grizzlies move up in the draft at the cost of around $4 million dollars this year. And, in famous Michael Heisley fashion, the Grizzlies also got an unannounced amount of cash considerations in the deal, so they might not be paying a dime.

Sorry for getting this good news out to you late, but this is definitely a fine trade for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Identifying Potential Late Season Pickups

JakeTheSnake — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:00:40 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Though he didn't help them to a championship, Joe Smith was a great late season addition for the Cavs last season after having his contract bought out with the Thunder.

Browse more photos »

If you're looking for an evidence to support your claim that the NBA is a league where the rich get richer, look no further than the trend of veteran players signing with elite contenders after having their contracts bought out. Just last year we saw as Joe Smith, Drew Gooden, Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore among others sign with contenders after their cellar-dwelling teams bought out the end of their contracts.

With the cap going down and plenty of free agents hitting the open market, it's safe to assume that several teams will be looking to negotiate buyouts with players. Obviously, there won't be as many players available in the late-season market as there are right now, but there's a good chance that there will be some better talent available to sign for the veteran's minimum in February than there is right now to sign to the low level exemption. Of course, signing someone is contingent on being a contender before they sign. Otherwise, they'll just sign with a team that has a better chance of getting a ring.

After the jump, we'll narrow down the options and see what players could hit the open market later this season.

Beofre we begin, here's a list of all the free agents for the 2010. This is where the pool for our buyout candidates will come from, since there probably won't be any owners looking to buyout more than the last half of a season off of any player's contract. Just to be safe, we'll exclude restricted free agents and players who have options on their contracts. We'll also exclude guards and wings who might be nice additions, but don't address any critical needs in what's already a very deep backcourt.

Now that we've taken care of all the disclaimers, let's start paring down who's left to see what's available.

Step 1: Eliminate anyone on a contending team

Players already on contenders are already doing enough to make their teams good which gives the team no reason to want to get rid of him and the player no reason to hop ship for a team with a shot of winning it all. I'm only including Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, the Lakers, San Antonio, and Denver as true contenders at this point, though other teams could always insert their name into the discussion as the season goes along.

This eliminates: Brian Scalabrine, Shaquille O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Steven Hunter, Brian Cook, Chuck Hayes, DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell, and Matt Bonner.

Step 2: Eliminate anyone who wouldn't be desirable even if they become available

Needless to say, there would probably be some venom spewed if these players were brough in as the final piece of the puzzle.

This eliminates: Randolph Morris, Jerome James, Mark Blount, Francisco Elson, Malik Allen, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen, Etan Thomas, Mouhamed Sene, Kenny Thomas, Patrick O'Bryant

Step 3: Eliminate anyone who won't be bought out because they're just too good

Even if the player has a 100% chance of walking away in free agency, the negative PR backlash of buying out these players would just be too much to bear.

This eliminates: Carlos Boozer

Step 4: Eliminate all young players

You won't see any of these players bought out because their age still makes them valuable. Besides, do you think the veterans already on the team want to deal with another young player after last year's debacle?

This eliminates: Craig Smith, Amir Johnson, Louis Amundson

So who's left?

A mish-mash of veterans who can give the team something if they think the Wizards have a shot of giving them what they want: a championship. First, let's take a look at the guys with an outside chance of being buyout material if their respective team's find themselves in an unexpectedly down year.

Brad Miller
Kwame Brown (not that he'd come to D.C., but I had to throw it out there...)
Udonis Haslem
Jermaine O'Neal
Al Harrington
Darko Milicic

The chances of seeing any of these fine men bought out are extremely, extremely low. They'd have to be out of the playoff hunt very early and more than likely burn a few bridges with their current team. But in uncertain times, anything is possible so it would be premature to eliminate any of these possibilites.

Then there are the respectable players stuck on floundering teams who have the best shot of being buyout material. Since they have the most realistic shot of winding up on a contender, they deserve the most focus. So after a few hundred words of talking about who won't be bought out, let's take a look at the players with the best shots of being contributors to a contender one by one.

Marcus Camby: Camby is on tap to make nearly $10 million this season from one of the more tight-fisted owners in the league in Donald Sterling. On top of that, his presence (together with Chris Kaman's) creates a logjam in the low post where Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan need minutes to develop. He'll be beneficial at the start of the year as he helps the young guys to understand the league better, but the reality is that the team likely isn't going to go anywhere this season and Griffin & Jordan have to be given the chance to sprout their wings at some point.

The Spurs nearly made a deal for Camby at the deadline last season and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see teams inquire about making a trade for him this season as well. The Clippers will probably do all they can to boost his trade value in order to get something useful in return, but it's hard to see anyone giving up a prospect and swallowing the rest of Camby's contract for what amounts to a rental. If Camby doesn't get traded, it probably won't take long for both sides to start talking about a buyout.

Kurt Thomas: San Antonio saved Kurt from lottery land in 2008 when they traded Brent Barry's expiring contract to Seattle for his services. Of course, Barry ended up having the rest of his contract bought out and he returned to San Antonio just in time for their final push last year. Now Thomas finds himself on the other side of the deal, sent to Milwaukee as part of the Richard Jefferson deal. His contract isn't terrible, (he's due to make $3.8 million) which makes it much easier for Milwaukee for the Bucks to work out a buyout without breaking the bank, but it also makes him much easier to trade for than Camby.

Tony Battie: Like Thomas, Tony Battie went from a great situation with a contender to finding himself on a lottery team after being included as part of the Vince Carter deal. He'll be a nice addition to a shallow frontcourt, but I don't think anyone is kidding themselves into thinking that they'll be contenders next season or that the 33 year old Battie has any kind of long-term future with the team. As is the case with Camby and Thomas, I wouldn't be shocked to see the Nets do everything they can to boost his value and get prospect for a late season rental, but in this market, I don't see many teams looking to buy at Battie's price (just over $6 million). Of the thee players listed, Battie probably has the most buyout potential

It will be interesting to see if these players do get bought out where they will land. Camby seems like a natural fit for San Antonio and the Spurs have a knack of getting the players they want. If he hits the open market, I don't think it will take long at all for him to end up in the Alamo, but you never know who might make a push to sign him. Thomas and Battie are much more interesting. If the Spurs do end up getting Camby, his presence along with the addition of Antonio McDyess would eat up most, if not all of his minutes. Likewise, it would be hard to see Battie returning to Orlando now that they have Ryan Anderson, Brandon Bass at their disposal, and they still have Marcin Gortat.

If the Wizards can stay healthy and show that they're an elite Eastern Conference squad next season like they think they can be, it might make sense to wait and see who has their contract bought out after the trade deadline. Not only will the players available at that point likely be better than the ones available for the LLE right now, but they'll come at a cheaper price.

2009 NBA Free Agency: Warriors Expected to Use Midlevel Exception- Ramon Sessions, Jarrett Jack, Jason Kidd, and Allen Iverson

Atma Brother ONE — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:52:19 -0000

Now that all of the 2009 NBA Draft madness is over it's time to turn our focus towards 2009 NBA Free Agency.

Looks like an interesting read. Anyone read it? [Amazon.com]

Jump like LB23 will be jumping from the midwest to NY in 2010!

In Chad Ford's list of Top 25 free agents for this summer over at ESPN.com he notes that only a handful of teams such as the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to use their midlevel exception this offseason. In the list he notes that the Warriors are interested in two restricted free agents in particular: 1) Ramon Sessions and 2) Jarrett Jack.

Ramon Sessions, Bucks (RFA)
Teams Interested: Bucks, Mavericks, Warriors, Rockets, Heat, Blazers
Salary Range: $3-5 million per year
Teams are always in pursuit of point guards, especially ones that aren't going to break the bank, and Sessions has caught the eye of a number of teams. With the Bucks struggling financially, they may not be able to match.

via www.tiricosuave.com

Sessions is indeed intriguing. Some have even called him The Greatest Basketball Player On Earth [Tirico Suave] which is pretty impressive for a guy who the Warriors passed up 4 times in the 2007 NBA Draft for Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, Jermareo Davidson, and Stephane Lasme (see Golden State Warriors 1st Round Draft History and Just My Imagination). In all seriousness, Sessions is an upgrade over both Acie Law and C.J. Watson. Maybe if he comes here San Ramon can give him the city key too. If $3-5 million is the asking price, the Warriors should be buying.

Check out: How much do the Bucks want Ramon Sessions back? [Brew Hoop]

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Ramon Sessions	79	27.5	4.4	9.8	44.5	0.1	0.4	17.6	3.6	4.5	79.4	0.8	2.6	3.4	5.7	1.9	1.1	0.1	2.0	12.4

Jarrett Jack, Pacers (RFA)
Teams Interested: Pacers, Hawks, Raptors, Sixers, Warriors
Salary Range: $3-5 million per year
Jack beat out T.J. Ford for the Pacers' starting point guard position at the end of the season. He might get offers in the range of the midlevel exception, and it's not clear whether or not the Pacers can afford to re-sign him. One team to watch is the Hawks, who could bring him back to Atlanta, where he played college ball at Georgia Tech.

Jack is about 3 years older than Sessions and provides a very steady hand in the backcourt. There's nothing spectacular about this signing, nor is their much upside. It would still be a solid one nonetheless. The fun money would go to Sessions, but Jack is no slouch either. This is a guy who finished off the 2008-2009 season in a tear. 17.3 ppg. 4.9 apg, and 1.4 stls (post All-Star break) capability is more than adequate for a backup guard.

Over at Indy Cornrows don't miss:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Jarrett Jack	82	33.1	4.7	10.4	45.3	1.0	2.7	35.3	2.7	3.2	85.2	0.5	2.8	3.4	4.1	2.2	1.1	0.2	2.2	13.1

Another name to toss out is Jason Kidd as my esteemed colleague R Dizzle has already done: Bring Back Jason Kidd to the Bay! ...Why not?

Jason Kidd, Mavericks
Teams Interested: Mavericks, Blazers, Lakers, Rockets, Knicks
Salary Range: $5.5-7 million per year

Kidd continues to claim that the reports of his demise are exaggerated, and his solid play last season backed him up. Still, he's a 36-year-old point guard.

The Mavs are one of several teams willing to pay for a point guard with court vision. It remains to be seen where he wants to be and whether he'll command more than a midlevel deal.

Don't let anyone tell you Kidd is old, washed up, and not good anymore. Take a look at the facts:

he’s morphed into a very nice 3pt shooter- 40.6% 3pt last season
he’s still an elite passer with nearly 9 dimes a game to only 2 turnovers
6.2 rpg last season
2 steals last season
played in 321 out of 328 possible games the last 4 seasons

Unlike the Warriors other 2 primary ball handlers Monta and Jack, no one is ever going to accuse JKidd of being a black hole or regularly making dumb decisions with the rock.

He’s a perfect PG guard alongside Monta. Kidd is still a phenomenal distributor and he’s big enough and still able to guard the non-elite 2 guards in this league. Think Monta will love running out on the 1 man fast break will Kidd rebounding the rock and dishing a laser pass to him? Think Corey Maggette will love finishing the fast break or long lobs from Kidd? Think everyone will be complaining a lot loss about Jack's turnovers?

I think so.

At this point in his career Kidd's looking for a championship as he should, so I highly doubt he'd even be the least bit interested in coming back to the Bay to play for Cohan and Rowell's disaster. However, as Eric B and Rakim will tell you- this ain't no joke:

PG: Jason Kidd
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Stephen Jackson
PF: Anthony Randolph
C: Amare Stoudemire

Bench: Anthony Morrow, Corey Maggette, Stephen Curry, Ronny Turiaf, Kelenna Azubuike

Check out Mavs Moneyball for more thoughts on Jason Kidd's recent play.

Kidding around in the GSoM Vault:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Jason Kidd	81	35.6	3.2	7.6	41.6	1.6	4.0	40.6	1.1	1.3	81.9	1.0	5.1	6.2	8.7	2.3	2.0	0.5	2.1	9.0

A final name I'll toss out is the one and only Allen Iverson. It really doesn't appear teams are that interested in him right now. His stock is at its lowest point... ever.

Allen Iverson, Pistons (UFA)
Teams Interested: ???
Salary Range: $3-5 million per year
Iverson's late-season disappearance didn't help his reputation. He's still a good player, but two nagging questions will hurt his case for a big deal: One, with the exception of that magical season in Philly under Larry Brown, is Iverson a winner? Two, does he have much left? The answer to Question 1 seems to be no. The answer to Question 2 seems to be a qualified yes. But I can't find a team that is willing to stick its neck out for him. I think retirement for Iverson isn't out of the question.

If the Warriors can add AI for $3-5 million that would be quite the steal. Last year was a frustrating and injury-riddled one for the Answer, but before that he was actually putting up some of the best numbers of his career. He's one season removed from putting up 26.4 ppg (45.8% FG- 2nd highest of his 13 year career, 34.6% 3pt- career high, 80.9% FT), 7.2 apg : 3.0 to, and 2.0 thefts. in another high octane offense over in Enver. For comparison's sake Monta Ellis' career high ppg is 20.2 and last season he distributed 3.7 apg with 2.7 turnovers (unacceptable distribution totals for a starting point guard in the NBA) and 1.6 steals. A healthy Iverson is a better player than a healthy Ellis in 2009-2010. The big question of course is- will either of these 2 guards be healthy?

Also don't believe the hype that swapping AI with Chauncey Billups miraculously improved the Denver Nuggets and vaulted them to the Western Conference Finals. Billups is wildy overrated and Nuggets just got very lucky in the 1st two rounds of the playoffs. If they faced the Lake-show in the 1st round of this past year's spring dance it'd be the same broken record- bounced in the 1st round faster than you can say "Muppet". Flip back to Polling GSoM: Based on their stats Guard A or Guard B? and if you think I'm a lunatic for holding these stances, I'm sure there's plenty of smart folks over at Pickaxe and Roll who will agree with you.

For a different look on AI see: The Truth About The Answer? [Motown String Music]

I might be the biggest AI fan in the Bay Area and I'm all for bringing Iverson here. Will he guarantee that the Warriors crack the Elite 8 and our playing well beyond the first week of April? Of course not. But who cares? If this team is going to continue to suck (missing the playoffs in 14 of the past 15 seasons) then let's at least have a wildly entertaining team. There's very few players in this league who can entertain more than AI. Plus, who can resist this smallball lineup?

PG: Stephen Curry

SG: Allen Iverson

SF: Monta Ellis

PF: Stephen Jackson

C: Anthony Randolph

Bench: Andris Biedrins, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf

Hey if you're going to suck, then at least do an entertaining job at it.

Also it's probably worth noting that the more star power the Warriors add (e.g. Jason Kidd or Allen Iverson) the easier it might be to convince Amare Stoudemire that playing for the Warriors isn't the worst thing in the world- I mean there's always the Clippers! (Don't sleep on the excellent SBN blog for Warriors South)

Let's do this.

AI to the Warriors ain't nothing new:

The Allen Iverson Trade: Throwing Up W's and L's

Rumor: Warriors Not Interested in Allen Iverson Anymore

Rumor: Warriors Could Be in on Multiteam Allen Iverson Trade

Why the Warriors Should Trade for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Baron Davis + Andris Biedrins for Allen Iverson Package Reports Were Bogus

Rumor: Warriors Could Have Allen Iverson for Jason Richardson

Rumor: Tony Mejia Thinks AI to the Warriors by Friday

Rumor: Warriors Offered Baron Davis, but Ready to Drop Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Tom Tolbert Says Warriors Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Sixers Targetting Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson

Rumor: Troy Murphy Not in Trade Talks

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors, Ben Gordon to 76ers, and Troy Murphy to Bulls

Rumor: Baron Davis, Andris Biedrins, and 3rd Unidentified Player for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, and Baron Davis for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Warriors Upped Offer for Iverson to Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu, and a 1st Rounder

Rumor: Ric Bucher Says Warriors Out of Running for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Dangling JRich and Adonal Foyle for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Stephen A. Smith Thinks the Warriors are the Frontrunners for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Looking to Move Dead-Weight Contracts for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors for JRich, Monta Ellis, or Baron Davis

Rumor: Warriors the Front-Runner in AI Sweepstakes

Rumor: Celtics, Warriors, and Kings Most Likely to Acquire Allen Iverson

Rumor: Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, or Jason Richardson + Monta Ellis for Allen Iverson

GSoM Talks to Preetom Bhattacharya about Allen Iverson Rumors

Rumor: Warriors, Celtics, and Pacers in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Contacted Warriors, Sonics, and Nuggets about an Allen Iverson Deal

Rumor: Allen Iverson Wants Out of Philly + Warriors Need The Answer

Rumor: 7-1 Odds on Allen Iverson for T-Double, Ike, MP2, and Zarko

Rumor: Sixers want Troy Murphy or Jason Richardson for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Iverson Will Play for Warriors

Rumor: 8 Team, 9 Player Super Trade brings Allen Iverson to the Warriors

Rumor: Warriors Won't Pursue Iverson

Rumor: Warriors' Youth + Bad Contract for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Sixers Listening to Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Want a Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Really After Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors

Data for this widget is not currently available

Poll

Which of these free agents would help the Warriors the most in the 2009-2010 season?

Ramon Sessions

687 votes

Jarrett Jack

190 votes

Jason Kidd

914 votes

Allen Iverson

380 votes

2171 votes | Poll has closed

Random thoughts on some Nuggets news

Nate Timmons — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:13:58 -0000

After reading the Nuggets Briefs in the Denver Post I wanted to share some thoughts in the jump on some Nuggets news.

I'm going to put some snippets from the article in and then comment on them sort of Snippet and Answer style!

The Nuggets' top priorities are re-signing center Chris Andersen and likely working on a contract extension with coach George Karl, according to NBA sources.

Well, it's good to hear that the Nuggets will be focusing on allowing the Birdman to give and not get some ink when he signs his new contract.

Extending Karl ... hmm ... I wouldn't mind letting Karl coach through his current contract, which runs out at the end of this next season, before giving him a new expensive deal.

Denver could give Andersen an extra year if it means paying him less money next season to help with the salary cap.

I like this idea. Allow the front office and Andersen's agent to get creative with his contract and perhaps the Nuggets can use some MLE money on another player or two.

Meanwhile, the agent for unrestricted free agent Dahntay Jones said the "goal" is for Jones to return to Denver, but that Jones desires a multiyear deal. He signed with Denver last summer for one year at $926,678.

It's always seemed funny to me that after having just one mediocre season with a team that a player or his agent thinks his guy is now worth a "multiyear deal." They should call this the Erick Dampier or Adonal Foyle or Brian Cardinal rule.

Hey, I played pretty solid for a couple of months after being a pretty major disappointment for X number of years ... now give me millions and let me put a stranglehold on your salary cap!

I'd let Dahntay walk.

Nuggets center Steven Hunter, injured this past season, is another (Mark) Bartelstein client. Hunter is set to make $3.8 million next season but can opt out July 1. His agent said he won't opt out.
"As of right now, we're not planning on doing anything," Bartelstein said.

For once I'd like to see a player say, "You know, I'm not really worth anywhere near the $3.8 million I'm scheduled to make and by not opting out I'm really going to hurt this team that is on the brink of being a title contender."

You know ... sort of like how Latrell Sprewell did when he infamously turned down a multi-million dollar extension because, "I've got a family to feed."

But instead, you have to do what is best for you because that team will trade you at the drop of a hat given the chance. And the Nuggets should trade Hunter ASAP. The only thing his contract is worth is the cap space number it represents in a trade.

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is joining buddies LeBron James and Allen Iverson on the client list of Leon Rose, a powerful NBA player agent, according to multiple sources.

Anthony's previous agency was Bill Duffy Associates, where he was represented by Duffy and Calvin Andrews. Anthony's camp confirmed he was leaving BDA and signing with Creative Arts Agency, which also employs the agents of Andersen and Renaldo Balkman.

Keith Glass discusses this EXACT thing in his book ... PLAYERS LEAVING AGENCIES WITH ZERO CONSEQUENCES. I'm not familiar on the ins-and-outs of Melo changing agents, but if he's leaving his former one while still under contract with them then he's doing exactly what Glass hates.

Agents work very hard to sign players, yet they have no protection from other agencies swooping in and undoing all of their hard work. Just imagine building something up from the ground and having it taken away just as soon as it's completed. Must be frustrating. (Although I realize it wasn't very difficult to market Melo!)

Anthony is busy in the coming weeks. MTV just filmed an episode of "Cribs" at his Denver home.

This should be pretty interesting. I wonder when they are going to rename this show, "Stuff you'll never be able to afford" ... haha. I enjoy watching Cribs and seeing what these folks do with their houses. Usually pretty interesting and I'm a sucker for MTV ...

I believe this will be Melo's second stint on the show ... I believe his first appearance came when he was living in a penthouse in Downtown Denver.

Because the Nuggets' salaries were under the luxury-tax line of $71.15 million, Denver was one of the NBA teams that received a share of the money paid into a pool by teams over the line (those teams paid dollar for dollar). Warkentien estimated Denver received somewhere between $2 million and $3 million.

This is very interesting to me. I wonder if Kroenke will be even more willing to spend some extra loot next season because his front office did such a great job getting the team this extra cash. It's basically found money and there is nothing people love more than blowing found money ... just ask plastic surgeons.

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith received a $600,000 bonus this season for playing more than 2,000 minutes and the Nuggets winning over 42 games.

This bonus basically says to me that whoever wrote up J.R.'s deal may have had this thought, "If this kid plays more than 2,000 minutes then we probably are not doing very well ... so no way will we win 42 games!"

All joking aside, it's been great to see J.R. develop so well and earn himself a little bonus along the way. (Can't believe I just said $600,000 is a little bonus ... the NBA, Where Playing with Monopoly Money Happens.)

ntimmons73@yahoo.com

Orlando Magic Ranked #15 in John Hollinger's All-Time NBA Franchise Rankings

erivera7 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:00:14 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Browse more photos »

Yesterday, John Hollinger of ESPN.com revealed his system for ranking every NBA franchise from best to worst in history. Here's how he went about ordering the teams ..

Intro to all-time NBA franchise rankings

.. and here's what Hollinger had to say about the Orlando Magic.

NBA Franchise Rankings: Orlando Magic No. 15 [ESPN Insider]

Orlando tends to see itself as a star-crossed franchise, and you could certainly make an argument for that. From Nick Anderson's four missed free throws in the 1995 Finals; to Shaquille O'Neal's shady free-agent departure; to the injury woes of Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill; to the bizarre Hockey Guy years; to, perhaps, the missed layup by Courtney Lee in Game 2 of the 2009 Finals, a common thread does seem to run through most of the franchise's history.

But to focus on that is to ignore the biggest story: The Magic have been the most consistently successful of the league's early-'90s expansion teams, and have done it while showcasing several of the game's biggest stars. Shaq, Penny, Tracy McGrady and Dwight Howard would be all-timers in most franchise's pantheons; Magic fans saw all four in a span of a dozen years.

Orlando won 31 games in its second season, was at .500 in its fourth thanks to Shaq, and was in the Finals by Year 6. That was when Anderson's four misses in the final seconds of Game 1 against Houston blew a game in which they had led by 22 points; the Magic never recovered, losing in four. What appeared to be a budding dynasty fizzled when Shaq fled for L.A. two years later and Penny's knees started troubling him, and as a result the Magic didn't get past the first round of the playoffs again until 2008.

They still won, though. Orlando has won at least 36 games in 16 of the past 17 years, and even managed to be decent when "Hockey Guy" John Weisbrod was mangling the roster with deals like trading McGrady for Steve Francis. And with the current edition in the Finals, Orlando seems well poised to move several rungs up the NBA franchise ladder in the near future.

I thought the ranking was fair. Middle-of-the-pack is where I would have placed the Orlando Magic, as well. Having followed the franchise since its inception, I consider myself blessed to experience the numerous peaks and valleys of the team.

Think about it. In 20 years, the Magic have had two franchise centers (Dwight Howard, Shaquille O'Neal), two exciting but troublesome wing players (Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady), a fallen superstar (Grant Hill), and more. Who can forget Orlando's first-ever draft pick Nick Anderson, most infamous for The Steal and The Four Missed Free Throws. Who can forget the Heart and Hustle group, led by Darrell Armstrong, Bo Outlaw, and others. Who can forget the plethora of draft picks gone wrong, like Johnny Taylor, Jerryl Sasser, Steven Hunter, and others.

From hitting the jackpot thrice to playing in the NBA Finals twice, it's been a fun and interesting ride for the Magic the past two decades. Usually, you have to experience failure before success in anything you do. Not the case with Orlando, who got to experience success early and often in the early-to-mid 90's, leading people to believe it could be too good to be true. Winning the NBA Draft lottery in back-to-back years? Playing in the NBA Finals during the franchise's sixth year in the league? It almost felt like people took things for granted. Who could blame them?

Good fortune seemed to have a permanent residence in the City Beautiful.

Then fate came to pay the city a visit.

Shaq and Penny left. Goodbye dynasty. Hello mediocrity. Credit former general manager John Gabriel for trying to "reboot" the team, shrewdly maneuvering the Magic roster to clear space for Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, and Grant Hill. Of course, Orlando could only have two of the three free agents and we all know the story there. Duncan stayed in San Antonio. McGrady came and Hill limped in. Talks of a dynasty being reborn were replaced quickly with talks of a franchise in despair. Things got so bad that the Magic were threatened with the possibility of being sold and moved to another city, Kansas City being the main threat to the franchise.

And then something happened. Orlando struck gold, again.

Dwight Howard happened. Jameer Nelson happened. Slowly but surely, the Magic were in the process of reinventing itself to be better, bigger, bolder. Then Billy Donovan happened. It seemed the process was ending before it was beginning. The process of regaining glory. The process of restoring order to the city. The process of bringing back Orlando to the forefront of the basketball world. It was all being compromised. Then something funny happened. Good fortune paid a visit again, in the body and name of Stan Van Gundy. An outcast, of sorts, from Miami.

.. then he went to work. Told Dwight Howard to defend and rebound. Placed Rashard Lewis at power forward and demanded he spaced the floor. Put Hedo Turkoglu at small forward and gave him free reign with the basketball to create for himself and for others. Played Russian Roulette at shooting guard, using Keith Bogans, Maurice Evans, Mickael Pietrus, and Courtney Lee at that spot. Oversaw the development of a point guard evolve from a role player into an All-Star .. Jameer Nelson. Let a Polish Hammer, Marcin Gortat, start as a worthless bench player to finish as a valuable role player (and possibly a starter elsewhere in the Association). Two years. Two division titles. One conference title .. and the sky's the limit with the Magic franchise.

All in all, that's one doozy of a quick look at a franchise 20 years old.

What does the community think about the ranking? Fair? Unfair?

Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below.

Going Big with the MLE

Seth — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:56:52 -0000

Today's big ruckus is about Magic center Marcin Gortat, who will likely depart Dwight Howard's shadow this summer for greener pa$tures. Everybody knows the Knicks need frontcourt help, and the Post has the scoop on the possibility of Donnie Walsh using his mid-level exception on Gortat.

The Knicks had no interior defensive presence, and that's Gortat's strength. He also blocks shots and rebounds. (The Knicks were last in blocked shots the past two years).

The Polish big man originally was drafted by coach Mike D'Antoni's Suns in the second round of 2005, but they traded his rights. Gortat probably will not be re-signed because he plays a smallish role as Dwight Howard's backup and the Magic can't pay him accordingly.

Gortat said the Knicks could be an ideal spot. Gortat (four points, three rebounds) played 15 minutes last night as Magic coach Stan Van Gundy often used a twin-tower alignment to combat the Lakers' size.

Magic general manager Otis Smith can match any offer, but said he knows it will be a financial challenge to retain Gortat.

"He's got the best job in America, playing behind my best player, playing 8 to 10 minutes," Smith said. "He goes out and does his job and probably has the best work ethic of anyone in the locker room. Can he start for another team? Yeah he can.

I'm often skeptical of stories that declare New York's intentions without quoting any Knick personnel, but I'm pretty sure Donnie Walsh would be tampering if he said anything about Gortat right now. Weird, too, for Otis Smith (and Gortat, if you read the article) to be discussing this stuff in the middle of a Finals run. That is, unless these words are taken from a past interview, which they very well might be. I digress.

Gortat's a solid big man and pretty much fits the bill as far as the hole in the paint is concerned. He blocks shots, grabs boards, and doesn't try to overextend himself on offense. He's also a 7-foot bald Polish man, which has a charm all its own (and should lead to some excellent Poland-related Knicks trivia, you feel me?). Should he command the full MLE (upwards of $5 million), though? Is there anyone else out there who might better suit D'Antoni and the Knicks? Tommy Dee, for one, has some questions and an alternative in mind:

The Knicks are desperate for a center. If Donnie Walsh believes that Gortat is the answer, then I will trust him. But Gortat, 25, played just over 12 minutes per game this season. In the playoffs, those numbers jumped slightly. Without a real track record, is he worth that kind of money?

I would love to see Walsh go after RFA Ryan Hollins, who I think can be a good shot-blocker and come at 1/2 the price of Gortat. But if Gortat is the guy, I cannot complain too much. He has the ability to block shots. But can he play 30-35 minutes a night? If Donnie thinks so, then I am on board. Bring him here. If not, then spend the money in better places.

Hollins was immensely entertaining as a Bobcat, and gained some legitimacy as a Maverick this Spring. He's also got some serious defensive chops, though he's more of a springy, vicious shot-blocker than a sturdy, astute guy like Gortat. I would tag Gortat as most likely to contribute immediately, while Hollins probably has a higher "ceiling", for whatever that's worth. Now, what else is there in the way of relatively cheap free agent centers? Let's have a look.

Chris Andersen- Birdman found himself back in good graces with relatively focused play this season. Andersen defended and finished with all of the gusto, but less of the insanity as previous years. That said, Denver will probably re-sign him as soon as possible, and he may very well command more than the mid-level. Hard to say.

Stromile Swift- Swift can probably be had on the cheap, and can block shots pretty well, but has failed to make it work on a number of teams.

Theo Ratliff- He'd probably work, but that's sooooo boring.

Francisco Elson- Any black Dutch guy named "Francisco" has my attention. He's also a decent shot-blocker and seems like he has very good manners. That goes a long way.

Hakim Warrick- Warrick's not really a center, but he blocks shots and can definitely run the floor.

Steven Hunter- It seems like everybody who's ever had anything to do with DePaul ends up on the Knicks, so this would be the next logical move. Hunter's also quite tall.

Joel Anthony- He does block shots, but...I don't know, just look.

Jerome James- You know you miss him.

The upshot is that Gortat is one of many big men looking to get paid this summer. Assuming that Hasheem Thabeet is out of reach in the upcoming draft, don't be surprised to see Donnie Walsh go big with his mid-level exception. What remains to be seen is who fits both the defensive needs and the D'Antoni system, and the cost of such a player.

Who you got? Did I forget anybody? Is my understanding of NBA free agency somehow completely flawed? Let me know in the comments.

For your perusal: A list of free agents, salaries, and a cat that plays piano.

SB Nation - Steven Hunter

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Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

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Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200 A bear claw holding a basketball

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Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199 A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

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Step 3: Eliminate anyone who won't be bought out because they're just too good

Step 4: Eliminate all young players

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Which of these free agents would help the Warriors the most in the 2009-2010 season?

Ramon Sessions

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Orlando Magic Ranked #15 in John Hollinger's All-Time NBA Franchise Rankings

Going Big with the MLE

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle