howard2
12-11-2005, 05:32 PM
Sun-Sentinel
By Ira Winderman
Dec 11, 2005
Link: Sun-Sentinel (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-ira11xdec11,0,225247.column?coll=sfla-sports-front)
Players are well aware deadline allows many free agents to be dealt
The NBA trading deadline is not until Feb. 23, but the de facto start to the trade period is fast approaching.
By NBA rule, players signed as free agents in the offseason cannot be dealt until Dec. 15 or three months after signing, whichever comes later.
That makes Thursday the first day the bulk of offseason signees can be moved. Those players who might be available in deals are Nuggets guard Earl Watson, Knicks center Jerome James, Bucks forward Dan Gadzuric, Nets forward Scott Padgett, Bulls forward Malik Allen, Wizards center Calvin Booth and Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine.
More significant than the names is the climate the day's onset creates, with general managers aware that just about every player can be put into play.
"There's going to be a lot of movement on the 15th," Knicks coach Larry Brown predicted.
Others are not as certain.
"It definitely loosens up," Nets General Manager Ed Stefanski said. "How much, for us, will be the interesting question."
While executives tend to downplay speculation, players are well aware of the date's significance.
"As a businessperson who knows my job, a person who is educated on what I do, the 15th is an important date for me," said Watson, who has received minimal playing time in Denver but is coveted by other teams lacking at point guard. "So I'm very much aware of it."
For teams looking to shake things up, the options will grow exponentially. The Nets, for example, become eligible then to deal Jeff McInnis, Marc Jackson, Lamond Murray and Padgett.
For other teams, it's the first opportunity to revamp rosters in the wake of subsequent offseason signings. When the Knicks signed James, they had no idea that weeks later they would be able to acquire center Eddy Curry in a trade with the Bulls. Similarly, when the Bucks re-signed Gadzuric, the eventual trade for Hornets center Jamaal Magloire wasn't on their radar.
That's not to say Dec. 15 will open the trade floodgates. Teams generally prefer to wait until the late-February trade deadline to gauge their playoff potential and roster.
But perhaps the biggest blockbuster of last season came Dec. 17, when Toronto sent Vince Carter to New Jersey for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams and Aaron Williams.
Not every offseason free agent becomes trade-eligible Thursday.
Forward Jason Kapono, for example, was not signed by the Heat until Oct. 2. He cannot be dealt until Jan. 2. Others signed on the eve of training camp, such as Heat guard Gary Payton, are in similar positions.
Still, on Thursday, the talk can become more than talk, with a massive increase in the potential trade pool.
Around the NBA
CHANGING TIMES: Keep an eye on the Pacers, who, in the midst of an uneven first six weeks, are considering a shakeup. "It's frustrating how things are going," Pacers President Larry Bird said. "I'm like everybody else. I'm confused on what's going on with this team. We're not meshing right now." ... The Rockets also are bracing for changes, in light of a ragged start. "It could be me, it could be anybody," guard David Wesley said. The Rockets had planned to add Chuck Hayes until the former Kentucky forward sprained an ankle in the NBA Development League. ... Pushed by management to go deeper into his bench than just forward Clifford Robinson and guard Jeff McInnis, Nets coach Lawrence Frank responded by going 11 deep by the 10-minute mark of the second quarter in Wednesday's 97-84 victory in Charlotte.
UPON REVIEW: Last summer's sign-and-trade deal of free-agent guard Joe Johnson to the Hawks is looking better and better for the Suns. Not only did Phoenix get two conditional first-round picks and a $6 million salary-cap trade exception (with $2.4 million of it used to sign former University of Miami forward James Jones), but forward Boris Diaw has proven to be a revelation, emerging as a contender for Most Improved Player with solid two-way play in place of injured forward Amare Stoudemire. Perhaps former Hawks part-owner Steve Belkin wasn't so out of line in trying to revoke the trade last summer. ... Even with Chris Webber hobbling in Philadelphia, last season's trade has bust written all over it from Sacramento's perspective, with acquisitions Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner all averaging career lows in scoring and rebounding.
By Ira Winderman
Dec 11, 2005
Link: Sun-Sentinel (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-ira11xdec11,0,225247.column?coll=sfla-sports-front)
Players are well aware deadline allows many free agents to be dealt
The NBA trading deadline is not until Feb. 23, but the de facto start to the trade period is fast approaching.
By NBA rule, players signed as free agents in the offseason cannot be dealt until Dec. 15 or three months after signing, whichever comes later.
That makes Thursday the first day the bulk of offseason signees can be moved. Those players who might be available in deals are Nuggets guard Earl Watson, Knicks center Jerome James, Bucks forward Dan Gadzuric, Nets forward Scott Padgett, Bulls forward Malik Allen, Wizards center Calvin Booth and Celtics forward Brian Scalabrine.
More significant than the names is the climate the day's onset creates, with general managers aware that just about every player can be put into play.
"There's going to be a lot of movement on the 15th," Knicks coach Larry Brown predicted.
Others are not as certain.
"It definitely loosens up," Nets General Manager Ed Stefanski said. "How much, for us, will be the interesting question."
While executives tend to downplay speculation, players are well aware of the date's significance.
"As a businessperson who knows my job, a person who is educated on what I do, the 15th is an important date for me," said Watson, who has received minimal playing time in Denver but is coveted by other teams lacking at point guard. "So I'm very much aware of it."
For teams looking to shake things up, the options will grow exponentially. The Nets, for example, become eligible then to deal Jeff McInnis, Marc Jackson, Lamond Murray and Padgett.
For other teams, it's the first opportunity to revamp rosters in the wake of subsequent offseason signings. When the Knicks signed James, they had no idea that weeks later they would be able to acquire center Eddy Curry in a trade with the Bulls. Similarly, when the Bucks re-signed Gadzuric, the eventual trade for Hornets center Jamaal Magloire wasn't on their radar.
That's not to say Dec. 15 will open the trade floodgates. Teams generally prefer to wait until the late-February trade deadline to gauge their playoff potential and roster.
But perhaps the biggest blockbuster of last season came Dec. 17, when Toronto sent Vince Carter to New Jersey for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams and Aaron Williams.
Not every offseason free agent becomes trade-eligible Thursday.
Forward Jason Kapono, for example, was not signed by the Heat until Oct. 2. He cannot be dealt until Jan. 2. Others signed on the eve of training camp, such as Heat guard Gary Payton, are in similar positions.
Still, on Thursday, the talk can become more than talk, with a massive increase in the potential trade pool.
Around the NBA
CHANGING TIMES: Keep an eye on the Pacers, who, in the midst of an uneven first six weeks, are considering a shakeup. "It's frustrating how things are going," Pacers President Larry Bird said. "I'm like everybody else. I'm confused on what's going on with this team. We're not meshing right now." ... The Rockets also are bracing for changes, in light of a ragged start. "It could be me, it could be anybody," guard David Wesley said. The Rockets had planned to add Chuck Hayes until the former Kentucky forward sprained an ankle in the NBA Development League. ... Pushed by management to go deeper into his bench than just forward Clifford Robinson and guard Jeff McInnis, Nets coach Lawrence Frank responded by going 11 deep by the 10-minute mark of the second quarter in Wednesday's 97-84 victory in Charlotte.
UPON REVIEW: Last summer's sign-and-trade deal of free-agent guard Joe Johnson to the Hawks is looking better and better for the Suns. Not only did Phoenix get two conditional first-round picks and a $6 million salary-cap trade exception (with $2.4 million of it used to sign former University of Miami forward James Jones), but forward Boris Diaw has proven to be a revelation, emerging as a contender for Most Improved Player with solid two-way play in place of injured forward Amare Stoudemire. Perhaps former Hawks part-owner Steve Belkin wasn't so out of line in trying to revoke the trade last summer. ... Even with Chris Webber hobbling in Philadelphia, last season's trade has bust written all over it from Sacramento's perspective, with acquisitions Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner all averaging career lows in scoring and rebounding.