Nov

3

ESPN: Denver Nuggets React To Iverson Trade

Filed Under ESPN Reports, NBA Trades | Leave a Comment

Nov

3

Pistons Nuggets Trade; Who Wins, Who Loses And Why?

Filed Under NBA Analysis, NBA Trades | 4 Comments

The first major trade during the 2008-2009 NBA campaign took place on Monday as according to various news outlets, the Denver Nuggets, and the Detroit Pistons have consummated what has to be referred to as a blockbuster deal. According to reports, the Pistons will send point guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess, and center Cheikh Samb to Denver. In return Detroit will receive guard Allen Iverson.

It is not surprising that Detroit and Denver were willing to shake up their rosters. Rumors and reports of imminent deals that that the Nuggets were entertaining surfaced all Summer. Detroit President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, held a press conference after the Pistons were eliminated in the playoffs. Dumars said that were no sacred cows on his roster, any player was available for the right offer. Despite all the talk of transactions, no deals came to fruition. Both rosters with minor changes started the regular season last week.

The only thing that perplexes me is why these two teams put this trade together? Does either team get the better end of this deal? Did either team improve because of this trade? What’s the short term and long term results of this deal? 

At first glance I can make more of a case that the Nuggets got the better end of this deal. Denver was without a true point guard to run the offense and distribute the ball. (Anthony Johnson the current starter is an adequate back-up. He is not however a starting point for an upper echelon team.)  Billups is one of the best pure point guards in the Association.

There are reports that McDyess will ask to be released by the Nuggets so he can “retire” which will mean a buy out at a reduced rate. (His “retirement home” could very well be the Pistons, as he could sign with them after becoming an unrestricted free agent upon his release. Neither McDyess or the Pistons will even allow these words into the ozone, after seeing how Jerry Stackhouse nearly scuttled the J-Kidd trade last February. Stack was in the original proposed trade between the Nets and the Mavericks. The deal was supposed to be New Jersey would release Stackhouse, and after sitting out 30 days he would re-sign with Dallas. Only the veteran told reporters, which brought up talk of tampering, and the deal was hastily re-worked.)

But just how much better does Denver become? Good enough to challenge the Lakers, Hornets, or Rockets? I don’t believe so. Billups is 32, he is owed $50 million over the next four seasons, including the present one. What does Billups have left in the tank? How does Chauncey make the Denver Nuggets a team that can reach that upper echelon, of the three teams mentioned above?

The handwriting has been on the wall for a while, that A.I. would probably not last the campaign with Denver. One of the most telling signs was having his team captaincy taken from him last week. A.I. is a very proud man, but he is also a very insecure man, much like his former coach in Philadelphia Larry Brown. And like Brown, when Iverson feels slighted, unwanted, unloved, he wants to leave, immediately. Iverson went through various episodes in Philadelphia where it seemed he was destined to leave the Sixers, only for there to be a last minute reprieve. But the 76ers finally pulled the trigger, and sent him to Denver.

The Nuggets brain-trust had visions of Melo and A.I. leading them to a trip to the Finals. Things never did quite work out though. Eventually they found out A.I. was not the “Answer” in Denver. Now does Dumars think he may be for the Pistons?

Where does Iverson play in the Detroit lineup? He has never been a true point and last season he made a pronouncement that he was a shooting guard. Does he take Billups spot in the starting lineup? If so you have him and Richard Hamilton as your back court, neither one with a pass first shoot second mindset. Detroit’s point guard of the future is Rodney Stuckey, he had a great rookie campaign even though he missed most of the first half of the season due to injury. That is why they deemed Billups expendable. If Stuckey and Iverson becomes your starting tandem at guard, Hamilton could very easily shift over to small forward. But then where does that leave Tayshaun Prince? He certainly can not play power forward, does he become your sixth man?

Are the Pistons ready to increase the size of their locker room? They will have to in order to fit both Iverson’s and Rasheed Wallace’s ego. A team can win with one male diva, as the Pistons proved with Wallace, but can they win with two? Under a rookie head coach?

The other possibility is that Detroit acquired A.I. for a one year rental. His contract which will pay him $21.9 million this season will expire once Detroit is eliminated. Is this just a move to give them salary cap space in 2009? Or could it be that Dumars looks at this as an experiment; if it pays off we sign him long term, if not we get the cap space?

It will be interesting to see how the dynamic plays out with both teams. My initial response is this does not make the Pistons better than they were 24 hours ago. We will see the results very soon.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Nov

3

Iverson Now A Piston

Filed Under NBA Trades, SDC Breaking News | Leave a Comment

Nothing like a major NBA trade to open up a Monday, is there?  Well folks, a big one went down today as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Denver Nuggets has traded guard Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheick Samb; Samb was thrown into the deal to make the financials between the two teams equal out.

Iverson was traded to Denver in December 2006, but was not able to help the Nuggets get past the first round of the NBA playoffs during his two seasons there.  Billups had more successful path as he led the Pistons to the Eastern Conference finals during each of his previous 6 seasons with Detroit; interestingly enough, Billups played previously for the Nuggets in 58 games from 1998-2000.  McDyess also has a history with Denver as well as he has had 2 previous stints with the Nuggets, having began his career there in 1995.

The trade will afford the Pistons some salary cap flexibility as Iverson’s contract, worth $21.9 million, expires in July while Billups’ contract is worth $36.3 million over the next 3 seasons - and has an additional $14.2 million team option for 2011-12.  McDyess will earn $6.8 million each of the next 2 seasons.

Oct

11

Pacers Trade Shawne Williams To Dallas

Filed Under NBA Off The Court Issues, NBA Trades | Leave a Comment

The Indianapolis Pacers announced Friday on the team website that they have traded controversial forward Shawne Williams to the Dallas Mavericks. The Pacers received veteran Eddie Jones, two future second-round draft picks and cash considerations in return for Williams.

Pacers Team President Larry Bird said he had given the matter a lot of thought. Bird said “It was something we’ve been talking about for a couple of months and I was very reluctant to do it because of talent but when it came right down to it, we get a couple of second-round picks, get some money (off of the team’s salary cap) next year. I was at a crossroads whether we were going to pick up his option for next year and if we didn’t do that, we figured it might not be a good season for him. So it’s probably best to go ahead and do the deal and move on.”

Williams may have sealed his fate back in July when he was pulled over by police and a passenger in his car was for possession of marijuana. Williams and his passenger Darrell Smith Jr. were pulled over in Carmel, a northern suburb of Indianapolis. Smith a friend of Williams from his home town of Memphis, Tennessee was arrested after officers found him in possession of a small amount of marijuana. The 21 year old Smith was charged with a misdemeanor and is not in police custody. Williams was written up for a seat belt and window tint violation, but was not arrested.

Bird was extremely upset by the incident. He had earlier said that Williams was on “thin ice” with the Pacers, and this latest incident, did not help the player who recently completed his second year in the Association. Bird released a statement through the team that stated “While Shawne Williams was not involved in any arrest or any criminal wrongdoing, we are extremely upset and hugely disappointed he once again has put himself in a position that jeopardizes Shawne’s future as a member of the Indiana Pacers.”

 © Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Oct

5

Bucks Will Keep D-Jones On Roster

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The “Milwaukee Journal Sentinel” has reported that new Milwaukee Bucks General Manager John Hammond, told reporters that the team would carry 15 players on the roster in the upcoming season. That of course is the maximum amount of players a NBA team can have, consisting of 12 active, and 3 inactive players. Hammond told reporters that one of the roster spots will be occupied by veteran guard Damon Jones.  Jones was traded to the Bucks during the Summer in the deal that sent guard Mo Williams to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jones was asked not to report to training camp this past week, as Hammond and new coach Scott Skiles have determined that he does not fit into the team’s plans. Jones is in the last year of his contract, and is reportedly owed $4.4 million. The Bucks will hold onto Jones, rather than waive him and have to pay his entire salary. Rather they will wait and hope that a need for a guard comes up for another team in the Association. Their best case scenario is that another franchise would offer Jones the NBA veteran minimum salary, about $1.2 million, and see if they can get a buyout at a reduced rate. Jones has played 10 seasons in the Association, the last 3 with Cleveland.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Sep

23

Reports State That Randolph To Memphis Deal Looks Dead In The Water

Filed Under NBA Trades | Leave a Comment

Monday “Newsday” reported that the Memphis Grizzlies had decided that they were going to pass on the deal that would have brought New York Knicks forward Zach Randolph to Memphis. Earlier this month there were reports of a proposed deal  that would have sent Randolph to Memphis in exchange for Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric. The Grizzlies were also asking for the Knicks selection in the first round of the NBA Draft. New York Team President Donnie Walsh reportedly did not want to give up the draft pick. Whether that is what tabled the deal or Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace had a change of heart but the reports are that Memphis has decided not to make the trade. Randolph came to the Knicks on the night of the 2007 NBA Draft, in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Sep

22

Dumars Will Go Into Season With The Same Nucleus; Is That Good Enough?

Filed Under NBA Free Agents, NBA PLAYOFFS, NBA Trades | Leave a Comment

I have always had a great deal of respect for Detroit Pistons Team President Joe Dumars. During his playing days, with the Pistons which took place in the the “Bad Boys“era he was one of the few players on that team that actually epitomized class. Dumars along with Vinnie (the microwave) Johnson, and for a short period of time Adrian Dantley, allowed Laimbeer, Mahorn, and Rodman to be the bad guys, while they took the high road.

Since going into the front office for the Pistons, Dumars has built the team from the Motor City into a powerhouse. This decade Detroit has consistently been one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. They played in two NBA Finals, going 1-1 in the process.

They have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals the last three seasons, and were beaten by three different teams. The Miami Heat en route to winning a Championship, did it in 2006. The Cleveland Cavaliers after years of trying finally beat Detroit in 2007, only to be swept by the Spurs in the Finals. Boston defeated Detroit this past season, and won their first NBA Title since 1986 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dumars spoke to the media in June, and said there would be big changes for Detroit in the off-season. He proclaimed that the only player off limits was rookie Rodney Stuckey. The rest of the team could be had, for the right price (players in exchange.) The only player that the Pistons have acquired since July 1, is journeyman center Kwame Brown.

In a column I wrote last week on our sister site  Le Basketbawl I wrote an article entitled Detroit Being Left Behind As Rest Of East Improves. In that piece I discussed what other teams in the Eastern Confernce had done during this off-season.

We started out with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers who gave Detroit all they could handle in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, are now a much better team than they were at the end of last season. Philadelphia shocked the planet, when they stole forward Elton Brand in broad daylight away from the Los Angeles Clippers. Brand, if healthy and all indications are that he is will be a difference maker in the East.

The team also signed their own two restricted free agents Andre Iguodala, and Louis Williams.The Sixers have also strengthened their bench with the additions of guards Royal Ivey and Kareem Rush, and veteran big men Donyell Marshall, and Theo Ratliff.

Marshall’s former team the Cleveland Cavaliers, have also gotten a big boost in the off-season, by improving an area of need, their back court. Cleveland now has their strongest back court in the LeBron James era. Last month they traded for Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks, and Friday they signed their own restricted free agent Delonte West.

Last month they locked up LBJ protege guard Daniel Gibson to a long term deal. Earlier this month they signed former Memphis Grizzlies guard Tarence Kinsey to contract as well as rookie Darnell Jackson who was a member of NCAA Champion Kansas last season. My sources out of Cleveland tell me that Anderson Varejao is being shopped, which means they would need another young power forward. With arguably the Association’s best player in James, the only question marks are veteran big men Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace.

The Toronto Raptors who are fully committed to Jose Calderon as their starting point guard traded T.J. Ford to the Indiana Pacers for Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal will greatly improve with the change of scenery, as well as playing with Chris Bosh.

The Miami Heat picked up two strong young players in the draft in Michael Beasley, and Mario Chalmers. And more importantly D-Wade looks to be fully recovered from his injuries. Look for major improvement from their lost season last campaign.

The Associated Press reported late last week, that Dumars has had a change of heart, and will leave his team with the same make up  they had at the end of 2007. Dumars told reporters that he was not getting the value in return for his current players to warrant a change. Dumars told reporters “We talked to teams this summer, but nothing was presented to me that would make us better than we already are. This can be one of the elite teams in the league that contends for a championship.”

A definite possibility Joe, but let’s face facts. This team is getting old, and now they have a rookie head coach in Michael Curry. Although Saunders is a horrible post season coach, he does great during the regular season. What did they see in Curry that made him a hotter commodity than Saunders? Guess we will have to wait a bit longer to find out.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net


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