Jul

2

76ers Pursuing Hawks’ Smith

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??????????????????????????????????Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith

Give Philadelphia 76ers president and general manager Ed Stepanski his props; one cannot accuse him of looking at his current roster and calling it a day.? The team, according to Joe Juliano of the Philadelphia Inquirer, immediately contacted Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith and his representation and plan to meet today; the 76ers have also contacted Smith’s teammate Josh Childress and are hoping to bring him in for a meeting, as well.? Smith’s agent, Brian Dyke, confirmed that he had met with the Hawks, who hold the right to match any offer given to Smith by the 76ers or any other NBA team.

Jul

2

Artest Having Second Thoughts About Opting Out

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??????????????????????????????? Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest

Ron Artest, to his credit, is never dull.? On the other hand, one could add the term naive to the superlatives that have been heaped onto him during his NBA career.? Apparently Artest is second-guessing himself lately, especially after Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand and soon-to-be Clipper Baron Davis put themselves on the free agent market; according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Artest now wishes that he had opted out of his current contract instead of playing out the final year - which pays him $7.4 million?next season.?

Artest may have thrown the first salvo in what may be his last season in a Kings uniform by telling ESPN.com, “I think I made the biggest mistake by staying in my contract and I have to live with it.? I had some misleading information [in making the] decision on not opting out. [But] I still thank God for all his blessings and being able to play basketball and help people.”? Artest let slip past him the opportunity to opt out of his current contract this past Monday - under the assumption that the Kings would sign him to an extension this summer, although there haven’t been any real signs by the team that they would do so.? Artest also assumed that he would only draw interest from teams at the mid-level exception level, under the thinking that the Kings or another team would sign him long-term if he had a big season.

By declining to opt out of his current contract, Artest just increased the likelihood of playing somewhere else between now and the February 2009 trading deadline - a “sign-and-trade”, if you will.? And you can rest assured that Artest will draw plenty of interest should that scenario play itself out.? The Lakers may revisit the opportunity to obtain Artest, in light of the fact that their defense has been singled out on occasion and the fact that Artest and Kobe Bryant are good friends.? So in the grand scheme of things, I would say at this juncture that it is a matter of when, not if, Artest gets traded from the Kings.? Artest just needs to know that playing the “blame game” will not exactly endear you to the general public.

Jul

2

Paul, Hornets Near Contract Extension

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???????????????????????????????????????????New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul

The New Orleans Hornets are getting closer to locking up their franchise player to a long-term agreement as according to Brett Martel of the Associated Press, Chris Paul’s agent, Lance Young, has stated that he - and I suspect Paul - plan to travel to the Big Easy Wednesday to finalize a contract extension?with the team that would keep the hornets’ point guard in New Orleans for an additional three-to-five years.? What Paul is seeking is the maximum pay allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement - in this case 25% of the NBA salary cap - with 10% raises going forward; a deal as described would earn Paul anywhere from $60 million up to more than $80 million, depending on the length of the contract.

Last season, Paul was the Hornets’ second leading scorer, averaging 21.1 PPG while also averaging 11.6 APG and 2.7 SPG; he also finished second in MVP voting - just behind the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.? to illustrate how important Paul is to the team, he - after being drafted by New Orleans 4th overall in 2005 - went on to become the NBA’s Rookie of the Year while helping the Hornets increase their win total from 18 to 38.? Locking in Paul to a long-term deal will help an otherwise solid core of players - including David West and Tyson Chandler- and keep the Hornets competitive for an extended period of time.?

You also have to be mindful of the fact that the Hornets are gradually getting better in the playoffs, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the playoffs last season.? And also factor in that the Hornets’ braintrust has come to the realization that locking in Paul now will ensure future success for the franchise - the franchise that came thisclose to nearly relocating to Oklahoma City.? So in a lot of ways, the Hornets have improved by leaps and bounds; what is so ironic about the team’s franchise is that they’re enjoying all of this success under the guidance of the team’s current owner - George Shinn.? And to think there was a time not that long ago that they ran?him out of Charlotte.? So perhaps he has learned his lesson about team ownership after the Charlotte debacle.? Only time will tell; he needs to get Paul signed ASAP and only then will the New Orleans public embrace Shinn completely.

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Jul

2

Udrih Hits Jackpot As He Signs New Contract with Kings

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To me the most amazing part of the whole story is he was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves!? Beno Udrih was traded during the off-season from the San?Antonio Spurs to the T-Wolves, who held onto him for literally 10 minutes, before waving him. Sacramento found themselves in a bind at the beginning of the season?when they lost starting point guard Mike Bibby to injury just before the campaign started. So?the?Kings signed Udrih as an emergency replacement for Bibby and put him in the starting lineup. Udrih was so good, that after Bibby recovered Sacramento traded Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks. Udrih was rewarded for? his work last season, on Tuesday according to “ESPN.com“. The point guard who took?advantage of every minute out on the court has reached a verbal agreement withe Kings. According to the report, the deal is for 5 years, using the teams mid-level exception, he will receive $ 33.3 million. Again the T-Wolves owned this young man as a player but?did not realize what they had.

? Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net


Jul

2

ESPN: Baron Davis Thanks Bay Area Before Heading To L.A.

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Jul

2

ESPN: Report: Baron Davis To Sign With Clippers

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Jul

2

Reports Say Davis Will Be New Baron Of L.A. After Deal With Clippers

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The “Associated Press” reported Tuesday night that veteran point guard Baron Davis has reached a verbal agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers which will result in a five year deal. Monday Davis opted out of the final year of his contract with the Golden State Warriors, believed to be worth $17.8 million. There have been reports of friction between Davis and Warriors head coach Don Nelson, which may have played a part in the decision to make the move. Davis who played his college ball with UCLA,?may have a vastly improved team around him with the Clippers. The team is reported to coming to terms with Elton Brand who opted out his deal with the Clippers on Monday.

? Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net???

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