James Posey leaves Celtics for Hornets

Welcome to New Orleans, Mr. Posey. The Boston Herald and ESPN report that it’s a done deal. James gets 25 mil/4 years. He wanted a four year deal for the full mid-level exception and he got it - the Celtic’s management is probably regretting not offering him the full mid-level exception/four years.

Chris Paul, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler and James Posey (probably coming off the bench)…sounds good to me. The Hornets were a very good team last year already, but by acquiring Posey they can become a great team. You need guys off the bench who can score and defend like he does. Even if you don’t like him…it is better to have a guy like him on your side than to face him in the playoffs.

Great job, New Orleans Hornets. Who will Boston go after with their mid-level exception now? Drop your ideas/suggestions in the comments.

NBA Summer League Recap - 07/15/2008

Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks

59 - 73

Pistons:

• What happened yesterday? 59 points? Are you kidding me? Rodney Stuckey didn’t play (sore toe), but that can’t be an excuse
• They got outrebounded and turned the ball over 20 times
• The only good thing for the Pistons was the great play of Arron Afflalo - 18 points (only double digits scorer on the Pistons roster in this one), 5 rebounds and 4 assists

Bucks:

• If you want to win, keep your opponent to single digit points in 2 quarters - it worked for the Bucks
• Ramon Sessions, the guy who rocked the league assist-wise late last season, was spectacular - 21 points and 6 boards (4 off, 2 def)

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

81 - 73

76ers:

• After falling behind by 10 in the 1st quarter, they climbed back into this one with a great 2nd quarter effort and finished the Lakers off in the 4th - 3 good quarters are good enough to win in the Summer League
• Three guys scored a team-high 16 points - Mareese Speights (9 boards), Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith (Lorinza Harrington was only one point shy) - great team effort

Lakers:

• Coby Karl is still killing it - game-high 18 points (3/7 from3pt range)

San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Hornets

68 - 76

Spurs:

• They fell behind by 13 after one quarter, got back into the game in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, but it still wasn’t enough
• James Gist (1st time I saw this name) had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds)
• 4 players scored 10+ points

Hornets:

• 50% from 3pt range (9/18 shots) - well done
• 4 guys scored in double digits
• Bobby Brown lead the pack with 15 points and 8 assists - he is looking for his shot, but if he sees an open man, he will find him - good decision-making

Sacramento Kings vs. Portland Trailblazers

75 - 74

Overtime! Overtime! Overtime!

Kings:

• Quincy Douby is showing the NBA world that he can play! 24 points and 6 steals for the Kings guard
• Jason Thompson scored 17 points and grabbed 9 boards coming off the bench - he doesn’t look out of place on the court
• Thompson converted a three-point play with seconds to go in the overtime to give his team the win

Blazers:

• Jerryd Bayless scored a game-high 26 points to go with 6 boards
• Petteri Koponen still found a way to the top by scoring 18 points himself - maybe the Blazers will give him a roster spot after all

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Golden State Warriors

93 - 99

Bobcats:

• D.J. Augustin scored a day-high 30 points (tied with Belinelli) on 14 shots for Charlotte and added 6 rebounds for good measure
• Augustin was the only starter to score more than 7 points
• Three player off the bench scored 10+ points - Kyle Hines, James Mays and Marcus Slaughter
• 13-player rotation

Warriors:

• Marco Belinelli should get him some tattoo stating “King of the Summer League” or something like that - he scorched the Bobcats for a day-high 30 points (tied with Augustin) on 5 shots - he hit 3 out of 4 from deep and was perfect from the line - what is up with the kid? Why can’t he play even remotely close to that in a real game? I’m not expecting him to go and score 30 in an NBA game, but how about 5-10? Is that too much to ask for?
• C.J. Watson was spectacular himself - 23 points, 7 assists, 5 steals and 4 rebounds - probably yesterday’s MVP

He was the D-League’s Player of the Month after averaging 25.4 points (December)

Here is something else, O.J. Mayo’s 69 footer from the day before against the Spurs:

Marcus Camby is a Clipper?

Maybe losing Elton Brand wasn’t that bad after all? According to ESPN this is a done deal.

The Clippers get: Marcus Camby, defensive player of the year 2006-2007, who is averaging 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.68 locks and a steal per game. More than decent.

The Nuggets get: the right to swap second round picks in 2010

You read that right. The Clippers offered the Nuggets enough salary cap flexibility that they got Camby for, well, nothing. The Nuggets now have a trade exception worth 10mil they can use in the next 365 days. Actually not that bad.

Marcus Camby can’t replace Eltron Brand on offense, but he is a great interior defense guy and combined with Chris Kaman, the Clippers have a pretty nice frontcourt.

Question is: What will happen next with Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith? Who will help them out up front? Nene should be playing this year (at least I hope so) which makes things easier. Anyway, they better use their trade exception to get somebody who can help this team getting out of the 1st round in the playoffs.

NBA Live 09 - E3 Demo

I’m a 2k fan through and through, but here is a little YouTube video for you NBA Live fans out there. Dynamic DNA, baby…I’m more a fan of great gameplay and graphics, but you know…dynamic DNA…that’s why I’m a 2k fan. Who needs those gimmicks? Fix the gameplay first and than add stuff like that…but the video is worth watching and it’s quite funny.

LeGend James - YouTube Video

Hi there, I found something while surfing the net lately. A little LeBron James highlight reel - uploaded 4 days ago.

Enjoy!

Here are some LeBron career highs for you:

Category - vs team, M/D/Y

Points (one game): 56 - vs Toronto, 03/20/05

Assists (one game): 15 - vs Memphis, 01/26/05

Rebounds (one game): 19 - vs Charlotte, 01/11/08

Steals (one game): 7 - vs Memphis, 12/13/04

Blocks (one game): 5 - twice

FTs made (one game): 24 - vs Miami, 03/12/06

Trading Ron Artest - Part II

Now we will take a look at some other teams - if you want to read part 1 of this, click here.

• Milwaukee

The Bucks went for Richard Jefferson and why shouldn’t they try trading for Ron Artest? Not that Artest would want to go there, but like I said in the 1st part: most deals aren’t likely to happen, but they are at least possible. (No one wants to go to Milwaukee - ask Gilbert Arenas. Scroll down to the Richard Jefferson part.) They could a.) package Desmond Mason and Ramon Sessions or b.) trade Mo Williams and a pick. It wouldn’t be equal value either way, but Ron wants to leave and in the 1st case they would get back Desmond Mason, an athletic forward who can attack the rim and Ramon Sessions who averaged crazy assist numbers at the end of the season when the Bucks played for a better lottery spot - but he did it against decent competition, not against scrubs. Anyway, why not take a gamble on Sessions and hope he can produce like he did a few months ago?

Mo Williams would be a good addition for their backcourt. Kevin Martin, John Salmons, Beno Udrih and Mo Williams…it could be worse. Ask the Heat.

• New York

This one has plenty of upside for both teams. Zach Randolph in Sacramento and Artest in New York? Could happen, but the numbers don’t match. The Kings would have to throw in somebody like Shareef Abdur-Rahim or package Mikki Moore and Shelden Williams to make it work. Going after Stephon Marbury is even harder, because of his 20mil payday, but let’s be honest: he’s done anyway. The Knicks could trade Eddy Curry straight up for Ron. Would you pull the trigger on this one?

• Orlando

There is no chance in hell that this will happen, but who would get the better end of the deal if the Magic would trade Hedo Turkoglu for Ron Artest? Imagine Dwight Howard protecting the rim and Ron Artest going after the best perimeter player…scary good defense.

That’s it, folks. I hope that Ron will soon be shipped out of Sacramento. He is a great player (but as we all know: crazy) and he can really boost your teams performance on both ends of the floor. Here is a little article about the whole situation on ESPN.com. Enjoy.

Trading Ron Artest

You all know the ESPN Trade Machine, right? If you don’t: The Trade Machine can help you figure out which trades work under the salary cap and which don’t. It has all the teams rosters, unsigned draft picks, player contracts, trade restrictions and so on. You should give it a look, but be careful: addictive.

Well, there are some rumors that Ron Artest is about to leave the Sacramento Kings for a team that is “more commited to him”. I was a bit bored and tried a few things and here is what could work - I’m not saying that these trades are likely to happen, but they are at least possible.

• Charlotte Bobcats

Kings get: Gerald Wallace

Bobcats get: Ron Artest, Quincy Douby OR Ron Artest, Francisco Garcia

Artest would give the Bobcats the defensive identity they lack and improve them overall. Plus his contract is expiring (like Douby’s and Garcia’s) so the Bobcats get about 10mil off their cap if Artest decides to go into free agency next year (which he probably would - there is no way he would stay in Charlotte). I like Wallace, but I doubt that Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace will click on the court any time soon.

The Kings’ benefit is obvious. Gerald Wallace is a great, athletic player and they desperatly need someone like him. You can only settle for jumpshots for a while, but from time to time someone needs to take it to the rim hard and GW is that guy.

• Chicago

Artest would help them out big time, but there is hardly anything realistic they could offer the Kings. They could give up Kirk Hinrich now that they have Derrick Rose and make it match salary-wise if the Kings throw in Douby, but the Kings gave Beno Udrih a 22mil contract over several years recently. Why go for Hinrich who nearly disappeared last season and was shaky at best.

Larry Hughes has a way too big salary and he isn’t worth it…everybody (including the Kings) knows that.

Andres Nocioni is very good player, but 40mil/5 years? Don’t think so.

• Cleveland

If Cleveland would somehow acquire Ron Artest, they would be scary. Giving up Wally Szczerbiak would be a great start, but his salary is nearly twice the salary of Ron. Just thinking about Ron Artest and LeBron James playing together should strike fear into the hearts of the Eastern Conference teams. Artest could take over guarding the other teams best scorers and he would be a great addition to play off LeBron on offense.

• Dallas

Josh Howard for Ron Artest? Won’t happen. The Mavericks should keep Howard for the rebuilding process following next season.

• Detroit

The Pistons are trying to shake up their roster a bit and they could give the Kings a great player in return, but can you imagine trading for Ron Artest after the Palace Brawl? Me neither.

• Lakers

Of course…everybody knows that an Artest-Odom swap would be kinda nice, but it isn’t likely. Odom’s salary is twice the size of Artest’s. They could make the numbers work if the Kings add Mikki Moore or Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but I’m not sure they feel like it.

• Hornets

Kings get: Mike James, Melvin Ely, a pick

Hornets get: Ron Artest

Likely? Nope. Interesting? A bit. Mike James is a great guard and I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t mind coming off the bench to back up Chris Paul, but he would get way more minutes in Sacramento. All contracts will expire after a year so if it doesn’t work, you can head into another direction.

I’ll continue this post later…drop your ideas in the comments.

NBA Summer League Recap - 07/13/2008

Hi folks, here is a little recap and some stats and facts of yesterday’s summer league games. We will start with some stats so scroll down for the recaps:

Stats & Facts

Most points (player): 25 (tied - Marco Belinelli, Warriors/Arron Afflalo, Pistons)

Most points (team): 95 (Warriors)

Least points allowed (team): 66 (Pistons)

Best FG% (team): 50.9% (Pistons)

Most assists (player): 5 (Bobby Brown, Hornets)

Most assists (team): 16 (Mavericks)

Most rebounds (player): 10 (DeAndrew Jordan, Clippers)

Most rebounds (team): 40 (Mavericks)

Most steals (player): 5 (Julian Wright, Hornets)

Most blocks (player): 2 (several tied)

Most turnovers (player): 7 (Mike Taylor, Clippers) - 6 (tied - OJ Mayo, Grizzlies/Julian Wright, Hornets)

Most personal fouls (player): 9 (Darrell Arthur, Grizzlies)

Most points in one half (team): 49 (Warriors, 2nd half)

Most points in one quarter (team): 27 (Tie - Warriors 4th quarter/Pistons 3rd quarter)

Charlotte Bobcats - New Orleans Hornets

75 - 77

Bobcats:

• 4 players in double digits - pretty rare in the summer league
• DJ Augustin scored a team-high 15 points, but tainted his performance with 5 turnovers
• Oriene Green was the surprise of the night in this game - 10 points in a little more than 14 minutes

Hornets:

• Bobby Brown scored a game-high 20 points, grabbed 5 boards and dished out 5 assists - probably yesterday’s MVP
• Julian Wright was a defensive monster (5 steals, 4 def. rebounds, 2 blocks), but 6 turnovers - way too much for someone who doesn’t have the ball that much

Dallas Mavericks - Golden State Warriors

86 - 95

Mavericks:

• James Singleton, remember the name - crashed the board for 8 rebounds (5 off, 3 def) and scored 17 points on 9 shot attempts in 25 minutes
• Gerald Green looked a bit better than last time - 15 points and 2 3s - showed some range

Warriors:

• If there was a Summer League All-Star Game or a Summer League Hall of Fame, Marco Belinelli would be the 1st voted into - he is killing it out there - they will retire his jersey some day - 25 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and hardly any mistakes
• CJ Watson surprised me (and his opponents) with his good D yesterday - 4 steals - but he has to work on his free throw shooting - 7/11 just isn’t good enough for a guard these days

Memphis Grizzlies - Los Angeles Lakers

76 - 85

Grizzlies:

• Everybody will be speaking about O.J. Mayo again, because he scored 15 points (3/5 from downtown) - great range, has the ability and confidence to knock down shots from everywhere on the court - but (and this is a mayor but) 6 turnovers and not a single assist? Scoring is important, but if you can’t pass it, at least don’t turn it over

Lakers:

• Coby Karl is one of those guys who can shine in the Summer League - a game-high 16 points (8 from the free throw line)

Detroit Pistons - Los Angeles Clippers

75 - 66

Pistons:

• Arron Afflalo - 25 points, 4 rebounds - 8/10 from the field - great! Everybody in Detroit loves Stuckey and soon they will fall in love with Afflalo as well. Amazing what Joe Dumars can do with low draft picks. It took him a year longer to get it going, but I’m pretty confident that he will develop into a good player
• Cheikh Samb really improved his game overall since last year, maybe we will see him on the court during NBA games in a few years
• BTW: The Pistons took only one 3 and won the game - most summer league teams settle for 3s 10+ times, the Pistons keep the number way lower and they won both games with a big lead - coincidence?

Clippers:

• DeAndrew Jordan was the only player to record a double-double yesterday - team-high 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds

Knicks trying to trade Randolph?

Here we go again, some rumors are floating through the world wide web. The Knicks are trying to move Zach Randolph and his big contract (48$ mil/3 years) to make some room under the salary cap to be ready to go after some big names in 2010. According to this article the Clippers have shown some interest in replacing Elton Brand with Zach Randolph. What can they offer? Uhm, nothing? I don’t like Randolph and if the rumors are true, the Knicks don’t like him either.

Anyway, they should get rid of him and start rebuilding for real. Getting big name free agents every second year isn’t helping, right? Do it the right way. Get rid of this bum and try to get as much talent as possible in return.

BTW: Whats up with Stephon Marbury? Is there anyone out there who would still trade for him?

YouTube Classic: Vince Carter vs. Gary Payton Nike Commercial

Here we go again - You Tube Classics, boy. Enjoy - Old School.