McGrady to NY helping the way for LeBron posted by john howard

New York unloaded a lot more money on Thursday in hopes of landing LeBron.

Here is what transpired: 

New York gained:  Tracy McGrady and PG Sergio Rodriguez

New York lossed:  Jordan Hill, Jarred Jeffries and draft consideratoins in 2011 and 2012

Houston gained:  Kevin Martin and C Hilton Armstrong and draft considerations from NY in 2011 and 2012 Jarred Jeffries and Jordan Hill

Houston lossed:  Tracy McGrady Cal Landry and Joey Dorsey

Sacremento gained:  Cal Landry, Joey Dorsey, Larry Hughes

Sacramento lossed:  Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong

New York is taking a gamble, but a good one.  What they got isn't working.  They have a lot of contracts that are going to expire and unloaded more salary.  So, they will have enough money to sign 2 free agents the maximum.  LeBron James is the first choice.  The other could be McGrady as he gets to audition for the big money for the next 30 games.  That is smart for all parties involved.  New York gets to see if McGrady is a fit.  McGrady gets to prove how good he is. And, Houston is rid of his contract and got something out of it.

Sacramento puzzled me a little here.  They unloaded Martin's salary of 10 mil per year.  But, for how good he is, that is a bargain.  Larry Hughes is up and down.  They did get some youthful talent in Landry and Dorsey, but that wasn't worth Martin.

The big winner was Houston.  They are in the playoff hunt and just got better now and for the future.  They got Kevin Martin, a guy who is immediately there go to guy.  That was SMART.  They gave up proven inside talent Landry for potential inside talent in Hill.  Hill could be better in time.  That get weaker for now, but Martin makes up for it.  Hilton Armstrong provides some size which they currently have none.  Houston did very very good today.

The Sacramento Kings are the latest team rumored to be in the hunt for the Phoenix Suns Amare Stoudemire posted by Ryan Greyslak

The latest rumor according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports has the Sacramento Kings discussing a trade with the Phoenix Suns for their All-Star Forward Amare Stoudemire centered on a returning piece of Kevin Martin. The Sacramento Kings would be an interesting trade partner with the Suns and have the ability to offer young talent, draft picks, and ending contracts, all of which the Suns reportedly want back for Stoudemire.

The main piece in this trade involves Stoudemire and The Kings Kevin Martin. There are no other issues discussed regarding this trade but it would probably look something like this…

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yf48xo5

Phoenix Suns trade:

Amare Stoudemire

Sacramento Kings trade:

Kevin Martin 4 years 9.7 million

Jason Thompson 2 years 2 million

Hilton Armstrong 1 year 2.8 million

Unprotected first round draft pick

Kevin Martin has all-star potential but is consistently injured and because of this has missed many games over the past few seasons. He is a great shooter and could thrive in a situation where a good point guard created open shots for him. However he is not a great defender or rebounder and is still owed a considerable amount of money over the next 4 years. (Kind of like an Amare at the Sg position, can put up points but don't expect much else on a consistent basis) The Suns would really be biting the bullet taking on Martin and would not help their lack of defensive toughness. His contract and injury history is enough to scare most away.

Allen Iverson Is Unhappy (again) posted by Scott Shepherd

From the who-didn’t-see-this-coming-department, Allen Iverson is not happy with his role after his first game in with the Memphis Grizzlies.

After coming off the bench and playing just 18 minutes in the Grizzlies 127-116 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings last night, Iverson dropped this gem to reporters after the game:

 “Go look at my resume and that will show you that I’m not a sixth man,” Iverson said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It’s just who I am. I don’t want to change what gave me all the success that I’ve had since I’ve been in this league.” 

First of all, what did Iverson expect? He barely played in the preseason and then missed the first three regular season games with a partially torn hamstring. Even superstars would be eased back into the rotation after something like that. Iverson is far from a superstar these days. 

Secondly, if A.I. could guard anyone anymore maybe there would be more minutes for him. Kevin Martin scored 48 points on the Grizzlies last night. I doubt Lionel Hollins was thinking, “This guy is scoring at will on us right now. Maybe I should put my old, injured, six-foot, one-dimensional malcontent out there to slow him down.” 

The Grizzlies are a terrible fit for Iverson, and everyone can see it. They already have three ball-stopping scorers on the floor at all times in Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Zach Randolph. There is no need to play a fourth. 

Iverson isn’t dumb, he realized this all summer and held off on signing with Memphis as long as he could hoping that some other team would make him an offer. But that’s what happens when you burn bridges everywhere you go. Eventually, no one wants you anymore. 

Grizzlies fall in OT; Iverson gripes posted by Brad Hurt

I was wrong about Allen Iverson.  I gave him too much credit.  I bought into his offseason talk about just wanting to play somewhere for the love of the game.  When he signed here, I bought his statement that he would do whatever the team needed him to do.  His caveat, of course, was that the team had to win games.  Four games, and three losses, into the season, we have our first disgruntled Iverson outburst.  Iverson now says he is not a bench player, not a sixth man, and he doesn't want to change anything about himself.  I'm sure someone has videotape of him saying just the opposite at his introductory press conference, and I would love to see his reaction to viewing that.  But we knew this would happen eventually.  It's his nature.  I am just surprised it has happened so soon.  Iverson has played on bad teams before.  He just can't fit his ego around the fact that he is not the star in town. 

Iverson played 17 minutes on Monday in Sacramento, scoring 11 points in the Grizzlies' 127-116 overtime loss.  Once again, the Kings' Kevin Martin lit up the Grizzlies for 48 points.  I don't care how good he is, there is no excuse for allowing anyone not named Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Michael Jordan to score 48 points against you.  Defense is proving to be the Grizzlies' Achilles' heel.  They have no problem scoring this season.  They just can't keep their opponents from scoring.  They are now giving up 115.8 points per game.  Even though scoring has been up across the league over the last few years, unless the Grizzlies can consistently score 116, there is no excuse for allowing so many points.  Although they are shooting the ball well, they are just not consistent enough offensively to score 116 every night.  Interior defense is probably the strongest area for the Grizzlies.  Zach Randolph has been impressive.  They just need to stop transition and guard the perimeter better.

Iverson to play tonight posted by Brad Hurt

Allen Iverson will make his Grizzlies regular season debut tonight in Sacramento, according to a post on Twitter.  His long-awaited appearance in a Grizzlies uniform should provide a spark to the team as it tries to bounce back from last night's loss at Denver.  The Grizzlies need a veteran presence on the floor to settle them down when things start to unravel, as evidenced last night.  I don't expect huge numbers from him since he hasn't seen much action, but once he gets into a rhythm, he could be very beneficial to the team over the course of this road trip.Continue reading "Iverson to play tonight"

It's official, Lakers' Ron Artest is a Celine Dion fan!!!!!!!!!!! posted by Devin

Celine Dion and Ron Artest go together like cereal and mayonnaise yet somehow the self proclaimed "thug", Artest, makes it work.  The guy is known for his wild antics such as going into the crowd and beating up a fan, but it seems that Artest is beginning to display a softer side.  As a Laker fan I love that we are bringing a little crazy on our team because a team can always use a little crazy, right? Although he can't carry a tune and the video is clearly irritating you get a sense that he means what he is singing which makes is somewhat enjoyable to watch.  I am going to stop talking about it and just let you watch it:

This is going to be an entertaining 5 years for us Laker fans.  Artest is bringin' the crazy.

Devin

Top 10 Reasons Kobe and Artest will work out posted by Chris Strickland

10) They were spotted in Kobe's escalade at an 'N and Out drive-through. And yes, they both got "animal style."

9) When on road trips in Denver, Kobe's got Artest covered for booty calls.

8) Kobe's beer preference is bottles - meaning, he'll never pour anything in a plastic cup.

7) Kobe & LeBron's Nike "puppet campaign" is being replaced by "Kobe and Ron," a new puppet ad-series. However, Nike's yielding to "Crank Yankers" for the directing of this one.

6) Like Kobe, Artest is practically another Dobermamba on defense. Only difference is, Artest may bite.

5) As a peace offering, Artest bought fellow teammate and candy-lover, Lamar Odom, a year's supply of Cookies 'n Cream.

4) Finally, Kobe has a legit MC to battle Shaq with.

3) Ron Artest also prefers Aston-Martin jumping...jump-starting them, that is.

2) Forget a "safe word," Kobe's got a "safe sentence." All he has to say is "I helped bury Michael Jackson," and Artest will back off.

1) When it comes to crazy people, Bryant's got experience. Kobe's dealt with Jack Nicholson for years.

Sacramento draft Evans posted by john howard

The Sacramento Kings desperately need a point guard.  Beno Udrih isnt' the answer and Bobby Jackson is aging and a free agent. Instead of drafing Ricky Rubio, they took Tyreke Evans who was shooting up everyone's draft board.  He is an athletic player that will add to the defensive end of the floor.  In order for him to get on the floor, he is going to have to play some point. Kevin Martin is the shooting guard, and a very good one.  With the 23rd pick they took Omri Casspi a 6-9 scrapper from Israel.  He is a slasher and likes to bang it up.  In time, he will be a good one. Then the 31st pick came.  They traded it to Portland to move down 7 picks and also received Sergio Rodriguez, who can help at the point. The Kings drafted Jon Brockman, 1 6-7 physical player from Washington. I don't know if he will make the team.  If he does, he will add some backbone.  This team was looking to erase it's soft image and got accomplished what it was seeking to do.  The lineup is taking shape, but there is a lot of work to do.  They need an inside presence but, there wasn't any in this draft.Continue reading "Sacramento draft Evans"

Sacramento Kings draft chances posted by john howard

The Sacramento Kings have a lot to gain in this week's NBA draft.  They have almost 3 first rounders (they have the first pick in the 2nd round). They have 3 unrestricted free agents, Bobby Jackson, Calvin Booth, and Cedric Simmons.  Only Bobby Jackson really played this year and he only started 10 games.  So, they aren't loosing anything.  The starting five consist of pg Beno Udrih, sg Kevin Martin, sf Anres Nocioni, pf Jason Thompson, and C Spencer Hawes. 

This team is in store for a lot of improvement.  Nocioni was only there for part of a season as was Martin (due to injury).  Thompson is a young player still developing.  Udrih and Hawes may get better, but they are really bench players forced into action.  Sacramento has the 4th, 23rd, and 31st picks of this years draft.  The best situation the Kings can hope for is for Ricky Rubio to fall to the 4th pick.  This may happen. Whether it does or not will be seen. Instead of guessing who they may get, let's look at how successful these positions have been:

4th pick--In the past 14 drafts, 5 all-stars and 10 starters have been produced.  This is a very good spot to draft from.  Only 2 have been flops. 

23rd--This too is a decent slot.  It has produced 10 productive players with 2 of them being starters. 

31--This is interesting because it gave us an all-star in Gilbert Arenas and 4 bench players.

Based on history with these 3 picks, they almost have a 50% chance of landing an all-star.  Most likely they will get a starter and a bench player.  Not bad King fans.

Tisdale leaves a lasting legacy posted by Andy Charles

Tisdale leaves a lasting legacy

In amongst all the NBA play-off  heroics of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s head-to-head clashes with Carmelo Anthony, the NBA lost one of its true characters last week with the sad passing of Wayman Tisdale from cancer at the age of only 44.

Tisdale was one of few people who can honestly claim to have reached the top of two professions, combining a leading career in the NBA and an Olympic gold medal with being one of the leading bass players of his generation.

Tisdale was a great hoopster from his high school days, going on to become an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and then a gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles alongside Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing.

One of the most consistent big men of his era, Tisdale went on to a 12-year long career in the NBA having his best season with the Sacramento Kings in 1990 when his partnership with Mitch Richmond was one of the best in the league.

Sadly for him, the teams he played for were often losing ones, but scoring over 12000 points and pulling down more than 5000 rebounds was more than a decent career – just lacking in trophies, rings and All-Star votes.

But Tisdale knew he had something to fall back on when he eventually retired from the sport, having taught himself how to play the bass and also turning himself into a fine writer and producer of music.

His first album, named Power Forward after his position on the court, was a Billboard chart success before the end of his career and, his transition completed by his retirement, he would go on to hit the top of the charts with Face To Face.

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