SB Nation Blog: Truth About It

So much for pay cuts....the salary cap is shrinking.

Truth About It — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:15:37 -0000

4-years, $50 million to AJ.......ok.

Now, Mike Jones is reporting $127 million over six for Gilbert Arenas?

To get to that figure, the Wiz would have to pay Arenas about $16.255 in year one and give him the max 10.5% yearly raises.

Can they do that?

In 07-08, the max a player with seven years in the league could earn was $15,649,500 (30% of the salary cap).

A conservative estimate would be a 7.5% increase, putting next season's salary cap around $59,802,250. 30% of that is $17,940,675.

Is Gilbert's true max $140 million over 6 years? Who knows.

But factor in the salary on the books for next season, AJ's contract, along with McGee...and giving Gil $127 barely leaves the Wiz with enough money to use the Bi-Annual Exception (of $1.91 million), much less any of the mid-level exception.

It's becoming more clear that taking a pay cut for Jamison had noting to do with anything.

Signing Antawn Jamison: Speculation Behind Purported Numbers

Truth About It — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:42:00 -0000

4-years, $50 million.....seems like a lot, but AJ is worth it. But what will Jamison's cap number be for next year, and how much does that leave the Wizards for Arenas and others? Ivan Carter is reporting that Grunfeld have may have reacted to a 5-year, $100 million offer from Golden State by pushing his initial offer of $100 million to $124 over 6 years. But will the Wiz have money for anyone else? The chances are looking slim......so much for pay cuts.

Are the Jazz Happy They Drafted DeShawn Stevenson?

Truth About It — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:07:26 -0000

Utah has the 23rd pick this year. The last time they had "lucky" #23, a high schooler named DeShawn landed in their lap. While the Jazz haven't always been lucky when dealing with the number 23, GM Kevin O'Conner hopes this draft trend continues.

Gilbert Arenas Will Never Be On A Wheaties Box?

Truth About It — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:15:27 -0000

Looks like Cuzoogle is of the opinion that Gilbert will never be a winner......a new slight for Arenas to overcome? Add it to the list.

Three Years Later, We're Still Tripping With The Wizards

Truth About It — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:25:11 -0000

Over the weekend, I came across an old Tom Knott article clipping.....not three years ago, he was declaring that bad karma for the Wizards/Bullets had been purged. Is this the case for the franchise we know today?

Wilbon: Paying Arenas Hardly Guarantees Playing in June

Truth About It — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:35:18 -0000

Pretty much another Wilbon babble fest of throwing junk against the wall to see what might stick... Arenas for 'Melo Arenas for Iverson Arenas for Brand Arenas for Baron Davis and Andris Biedrins Arenas for Shawn Marion It's all there. Problem is, none of those players is getting you closer to playing in June either....although the Davis-Biedrins combo is the most intriguing, I'm not so sure Golden State bites.

Nick Young's summer jam gone wrong

Truth About It — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:17:07 -0000

That's our Bean Burrito....I mean 'The City' -- but who is the little girl laughing in the background?

The Brief History of Walter Sharpe

Truth About It — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:30:08 -0000

You're asking yourself....Who is Walter Sharpe? (Aside from being cognisant that the guy was scheduled to workout with the Wizards today.)

The Washington Wizards Blog gives a couple fast facts about Sharpe such as: "averaged 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 12 games during his senior season" and "played one season Mississippi State before transferring to UAB."

Ivan Carter had this to say on Wizards Insider : "Walter Sharpe (UAB, the same school that produced former Wiz guard and one of my all-time favorite guys Donell Taylor )."

As a fan of SEC sports, especially those pertaining to my alma mater, Mississippi State, I feel that it is my duty to share the brief and tumultuous history of Walter Sharpe.

Sharpe was a standout blue-chipper for Parker High in Birmingham, Alabama. Rivals.com rated him a 5.7 (out of 6.1) and he was ranked #44 in the Rivals 150. As you can imagine, Sharpe was heavily recruited by local schools, Alabama and the University of Alabama-Birmingham, but surprisingly chose to sign with Mississippi State. This sparked angry finger pointing in many directions as the signing of Walter Sharpe was just one of many battles in the perpetual basketball recruiting wars between Mississippi State and Alabama (two schools separated by about 90 miles).

Sharpe's freshman campaign in 04-05 started out with promise. Many at Mississippi State couldn't help but be excited about a smooth 6'10" player with sick handles, a sweet stroke, and athleticism to drool over.

The promise rapidly morphed into disappointment. Sharpe could never get his act together, as he had multiple issues from tardiness to academics. Despite missing a team flight to a tournament in California in December of '04, and skipping a practice, thus being left home for the NCAA tournament in March of '05, the door of chances was still open for the kid.

During Sharpe's sophomore year with the Bulldogs, he missed the beginning of the season due to academic ineligibility and only ended up dressing out six games (averaging 9.3 points and 5.0 boards) before ultimately being dismissed from the team in January of '06. Missing another practice was the final straw.

Next stop: UAB. Before even making it to UAB, Walter Sharpe was shot with a tiny bullet in the stomach in April 2006. Curiously, he tried to deny he was shot and attempted to hide his wound from police and medics. In August of 2007, Sharpe was one of five UAB Blazers arrested for disorderly conduct after a night on the town in Birmingham. UAB head coach, Mike Davis, credited the arrest with bringing his team together. No word if other college coaches have caught onto this phenomenon.

After sitting out a year and finally suiting up for the Blazers, Walter Sharpe averaged 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in UAB's first 12 games of the 07-08 season. However, in January of 2008, Sharpe was declared academically ineligible for the rest of the year. He was subsequently been diagnosed with narcolepsy, which has been used as an excuse for academic woes. Sharpe had hopes to receive treatment and suit up for the Blazers in 2008-2009, but for one reason or another, opted to declare for the NBA draft instead.

In addition to the Wizards, Sharpe is scheduled to workout for the Milwaukee Bucks this Friday.

A 6″11 Forward, from Long Island City…Jared Jeffries! LIC is supposed to be a c...

Truth About It — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:26:45 -0000

A 6″11 Forward, from Long Island City…Jared Jeffries! LIC is supposed to be a city, hence the name, but it isn’t; it’s just an increasingly expensive neighborhood that looks across at "the city." To that end, while Jeffries is supposed to be a defensive stopper that can guard 4 out of the 5 positions on the floor, he hasn’t lived up to his billing and often resorts watching other taller-building ballers (David Lee, Renaldo Balkman) play actual defense. This all about context: To the non-thinker (Thomas), it stood to reason that Jeffries was a defensive standout because he was arguably the best defender on the 05-06 Washington Wizards. The truth is those Wizards were a weak defensive team that relied on offensive prowess. In fact, Jeffries’s defense was kind of like the needle in a haystack of crap: shitty.

Big Surprise: NBA Hopeful Receives Bad Advice

Truth About It — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:32:26 -0000

What's to make of Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon opting out of the NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando? Looks like you can make another addition to a history of bad decisions by NBA hopefuls. Also, can a scout for Rivals.com be a trainer for pro prospects while remaining unbiased?