spurschick
01-08-2006, 05:05 PM
The only thing Spurs related here is the mention of Timmy at the bottom, but there are a few interesting tidbits here.
What’s Keeping Artest?: As the days tick past there is still very little changed in the status of Ron Artest – what has emerged from the discussions is apparently Denver does not have the kinds of players Indiana wants (young-low contract guys), Golden State refuses to include Ike Diogu in any discussions, and Minnesota is still not sold they can get Artest for what they have offered (Michael Olowokandi’s ending deal and Bracey Wright). Indiana according to sources close to the team; is in no hurry to make a bad deal, despite every reason in the world to trigger one. A lot of very attractive ideas have been floated by the media, most of which Pacers sources say were never offered to the team. Indiana has found the market for Ron to be pretty lame, and unless someone jumps up the bidding Ron may not be dealt until the deadline, and there is a strong chance Indiana may even pass then if the deals are not right.
Bennie G and The Bulls: Are Ben Gordon’s days in Chicago numbered? – maybe – he’ll really be the driving force behind a trade if one happens. Chicago is looking for something to jumpstart their season 14-19 season, the hope internally is that Ben Gordon will be the catalyst to their success – 21 points last night against Memphis didn’t hurt, but it’s Ben’s leadership the team needs. The common question asked about this year’s Bulls versus last year’s Bulls is why the drop off – easy answer is leadership, The Bulls desperately miss Antonio Davis’ leadership not only in the locker room, but on the bench and on the floor – they are looking for some of their more tested and respected guys to take control of this team and Ben Gordon is one of those guys. The other missing component is Eddy Curry, while he was not a driving factor for the Bulls post season run, he was a personality that other engaged, and he did bring the personality and spirit out of his teammates. The Bulls are hoping that Ben Gordon can emerge in both of those roles, being a go-to leader and a personality the brings guys together – that hasn’t happened yet, and if it does not start happening soon, Ben could find himself traded for a veteran leader, because the Bulls are loaded with young guys that can score.
The Rise & Fall Of The Bobs: You couldn’t have been surprised when the Sonics fired Bob Weiss? His knick name was “Get Along” Bob, he got along with everyone (except Vlade Radmanovic). The short and fat of the Sonics situation is this… They genuinely expected to retain Nate McMillan, they stayed out of the coaching search and lost out on any of the bigger name guys. When Nate jumped ship and took Dean Demopoulos with him, the thought was Bob Weiss was the best candidate available that could maintain what was working so well last season – the players especially Ray Allen endorsed his hiring. Turns out “Get Along” Bob was too much of a push over, he allowed too much “flexibility” with his star players and the team fell apart quick. In the end the Sonics had hoped Bob would be successful, he was given one of the most expendable contracts in the league which should have been the warning sign they took on Bob Weiss because he was there and he was cheap – Now enter Bob Hill, and honestly Bob Hill is a much better coaching prospect than Bob Weiss, added to the fact that Bob’s style is likely going to command more respect from the players, Bob Hill could be the guy that turns the franchise around and gets the Sonics aggressive. One of the first actions by Hill was to put in the young guys and get them going, and that’s a smart move for a coach that wants to change the character of the club. Time will tell if Hill will be a long term option, but in the short term, the Sonics are much better off with Bob Hill, than they were will Bob Weiss.
The End Coming For Drew?: The time seems to be coming to end for Drew Gooden in Cleveland, not from any real action of his own, Drew has played some of his best basketball with the Cavaliers, but given that his contract ends this summer, and he is expected to demand upwards of $50 million, it is more likely the Cavaliers cash out Drew than keep him. The situation gets even more complicated when you factor in rumors than Gooden is not one of head coach Mike Brown’s favorite players – Drew's future is Cleveland could be coming to an end. Sources close to the Cavs say the Cavaliers are not actively shopping Drew, but it is commonly believed Drew will be dealt by the trade deadline.
Calling Latrell?: An amusing story is coming out of Southern California regarding Latrell Sprewell, apparently Spree is no longer represented by an agent, and several teams have tried to get in touch with Spree to inquire about his interest in joining a team this season. Apparently teams are leaving messages and not getting a returned call. The Clippers apparently wanted to talk with Spree and after a few days of no response asked Sam Cassell to call him for the team – apparently Spree called Sam right back. The rumor is Spree wants either a two-year fully guaranteed deal, or $5 million for the balance of this season. The Clippers supposedly have dropped their interest in Sprewell.
NO TRADES NEEDED: Bobby Jackson told reporters this weekend that all the talk of the Grizzlies needing to trade for a veteran point guard was just reporters talking. He explained to the media that he understood why the media would discount him, as the next option after Damon Stoudamire’s season ending injury, but he believes he is the answer and until the Grizzlies tell him otherwise he plans to lead the team.
VITALY TO O-TOWN: The Orlando Magic are reportedly interested in Seattle’s Vitaly Potapenko – Vitaly was recently demoted to third string after Bob Hill took over as head coach. The Magic like Vitaly’s upside and have supposedly contacted to the Sonics to gauge their interest in dealing him.
PUT DENVER ON THE LIST: If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to trade Drew Gooden, The Nuggets would be more than happy to take him off their hands. Rumor has it the Nuggets offered Earl Watson to the Cavs for Gooden, and were turned away, but as talk regarding Gooden heats up, expect Denver to be one of the suitors.
All-STAR: The All-Star starters are starting to settle in, fan balloting ends on January 22nd, and as of the 2nd set of returns, it looks like several big name players will not make the cut – the most surprising is Tim Duncan, who due to Tracy McGrady being moved to Forward this year has bumped him out. Vince Carter may lose his starters spot to Dwayne Wade, who is almost 200,000 votes ahead of Vince. The All-Star starters will be announced on TNT on February 2nd, the reserves will be selected by the coaches, and those will be announced on February 9th.
EAST
LeBron James (Cle.) 1,150,920
Jermaine O’Neal (Ind.) 689,526
Allen Iverson (Phi.) 1,144,250
Dwyane Wade (Mia.) 827,913
Shaquille O'Neal (Mia.) 1,188,830
WEST
Tracy McGrady (Hou.) 1,066,013
Kevin Garnett (Min.) 793,078
Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,213,387
Steve Nash (Pho.) 981,623
Yao Ming (Hou.) 1,319,868
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_15624.shtml
What’s Keeping Artest?: As the days tick past there is still very little changed in the status of Ron Artest – what has emerged from the discussions is apparently Denver does not have the kinds of players Indiana wants (young-low contract guys), Golden State refuses to include Ike Diogu in any discussions, and Minnesota is still not sold they can get Artest for what they have offered (Michael Olowokandi’s ending deal and Bracey Wright). Indiana according to sources close to the team; is in no hurry to make a bad deal, despite every reason in the world to trigger one. A lot of very attractive ideas have been floated by the media, most of which Pacers sources say were never offered to the team. Indiana has found the market for Ron to be pretty lame, and unless someone jumps up the bidding Ron may not be dealt until the deadline, and there is a strong chance Indiana may even pass then if the deals are not right.
Bennie G and The Bulls: Are Ben Gordon’s days in Chicago numbered? – maybe – he’ll really be the driving force behind a trade if one happens. Chicago is looking for something to jumpstart their season 14-19 season, the hope internally is that Ben Gordon will be the catalyst to their success – 21 points last night against Memphis didn’t hurt, but it’s Ben’s leadership the team needs. The common question asked about this year’s Bulls versus last year’s Bulls is why the drop off – easy answer is leadership, The Bulls desperately miss Antonio Davis’ leadership not only in the locker room, but on the bench and on the floor – they are looking for some of their more tested and respected guys to take control of this team and Ben Gordon is one of those guys. The other missing component is Eddy Curry, while he was not a driving factor for the Bulls post season run, he was a personality that other engaged, and he did bring the personality and spirit out of his teammates. The Bulls are hoping that Ben Gordon can emerge in both of those roles, being a go-to leader and a personality the brings guys together – that hasn’t happened yet, and if it does not start happening soon, Ben could find himself traded for a veteran leader, because the Bulls are loaded with young guys that can score.
The Rise & Fall Of The Bobs: You couldn’t have been surprised when the Sonics fired Bob Weiss? His knick name was “Get Along” Bob, he got along with everyone (except Vlade Radmanovic). The short and fat of the Sonics situation is this… They genuinely expected to retain Nate McMillan, they stayed out of the coaching search and lost out on any of the bigger name guys. When Nate jumped ship and took Dean Demopoulos with him, the thought was Bob Weiss was the best candidate available that could maintain what was working so well last season – the players especially Ray Allen endorsed his hiring. Turns out “Get Along” Bob was too much of a push over, he allowed too much “flexibility” with his star players and the team fell apart quick. In the end the Sonics had hoped Bob would be successful, he was given one of the most expendable contracts in the league which should have been the warning sign they took on Bob Weiss because he was there and he was cheap – Now enter Bob Hill, and honestly Bob Hill is a much better coaching prospect than Bob Weiss, added to the fact that Bob’s style is likely going to command more respect from the players, Bob Hill could be the guy that turns the franchise around and gets the Sonics aggressive. One of the first actions by Hill was to put in the young guys and get them going, and that’s a smart move for a coach that wants to change the character of the club. Time will tell if Hill will be a long term option, but in the short term, the Sonics are much better off with Bob Hill, than they were will Bob Weiss.
The End Coming For Drew?: The time seems to be coming to end for Drew Gooden in Cleveland, not from any real action of his own, Drew has played some of his best basketball with the Cavaliers, but given that his contract ends this summer, and he is expected to demand upwards of $50 million, it is more likely the Cavaliers cash out Drew than keep him. The situation gets even more complicated when you factor in rumors than Gooden is not one of head coach Mike Brown’s favorite players – Drew's future is Cleveland could be coming to an end. Sources close to the Cavs say the Cavaliers are not actively shopping Drew, but it is commonly believed Drew will be dealt by the trade deadline.
Calling Latrell?: An amusing story is coming out of Southern California regarding Latrell Sprewell, apparently Spree is no longer represented by an agent, and several teams have tried to get in touch with Spree to inquire about his interest in joining a team this season. Apparently teams are leaving messages and not getting a returned call. The Clippers apparently wanted to talk with Spree and after a few days of no response asked Sam Cassell to call him for the team – apparently Spree called Sam right back. The rumor is Spree wants either a two-year fully guaranteed deal, or $5 million for the balance of this season. The Clippers supposedly have dropped their interest in Sprewell.
NO TRADES NEEDED: Bobby Jackson told reporters this weekend that all the talk of the Grizzlies needing to trade for a veteran point guard was just reporters talking. He explained to the media that he understood why the media would discount him, as the next option after Damon Stoudamire’s season ending injury, but he believes he is the answer and until the Grizzlies tell him otherwise he plans to lead the team.
VITALY TO O-TOWN: The Orlando Magic are reportedly interested in Seattle’s Vitaly Potapenko – Vitaly was recently demoted to third string after Bob Hill took over as head coach. The Magic like Vitaly’s upside and have supposedly contacted to the Sonics to gauge their interest in dealing him.
PUT DENVER ON THE LIST: If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to trade Drew Gooden, The Nuggets would be more than happy to take him off their hands. Rumor has it the Nuggets offered Earl Watson to the Cavs for Gooden, and were turned away, but as talk regarding Gooden heats up, expect Denver to be one of the suitors.
All-STAR: The All-Star starters are starting to settle in, fan balloting ends on January 22nd, and as of the 2nd set of returns, it looks like several big name players will not make the cut – the most surprising is Tim Duncan, who due to Tracy McGrady being moved to Forward this year has bumped him out. Vince Carter may lose his starters spot to Dwayne Wade, who is almost 200,000 votes ahead of Vince. The All-Star starters will be announced on TNT on February 2nd, the reserves will be selected by the coaches, and those will be announced on February 9th.
EAST
LeBron James (Cle.) 1,150,920
Jermaine O’Neal (Ind.) 689,526
Allen Iverson (Phi.) 1,144,250
Dwyane Wade (Mia.) 827,913
Shaquille O'Neal (Mia.) 1,188,830
WEST
Tracy McGrady (Hou.) 1,066,013
Kevin Garnett (Min.) 793,078
Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,213,387
Steve Nash (Pho.) 981,623
Yao Ming (Hou.) 1,319,868
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_15624.shtml