ducks
06-21-2006, 08:26 AM
Smith: Nothin' But (Inter)Net
Jun. 20, 2006. 02:09 PM
DOUG SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
Okay, a week and a day to go and what do you think?
Andrea Bargnani?
LaMarcus Aldridge?
Adam Morrison?
Brandon Roy?
None of the above?
The word in a couple of corners of the league these past few days — there's nothing like an NBA finals to draw an intriguing group of people who know at least a little bit about what's going on — seems to be leaning towards the Raptors making some kind of move, or going with Aldridge.
Scuttlebutt, from people at least a little tuned in, is that all the Bargnani talk, and the dispatching of Sam Mitchell and Wayne Embry to Europe to see him, and the making sure that everyone knows that even minority owner Larry Tanenbaum has seen the 7-foot Italian play, is all a smokescreen.
Elaborate? Yes, but this is the age of disinformation, after all.
If it is fake, is the attention on Aldridge, who may be more NBA-ready today than Bargnani? Or is there a trade in the works? Or is Roy, who has been under the Toronto public radar since the draft process began, a guy they really like?
My best guess, after talking to all kinds of folks in Dallas, Orlando and Miami, is that there is some sort of trade in the works and I think — for no other reason than it's a good fit — that Seattle's No. 10 pick, in some sort of package that includes Luke Ridnour and maybe Ray Allen, makes some sort of sense.
Take a look at the top teams at the draft:
#
Chicago: No real deal.
#
Charlotte: Do you do No. 1 and Brevin Knight for No. 3? I wouldn't, Knight's okay, but probably doesn't play at the pace Toronto wants and the Bobcats are going to get either Rudy Gay or Adam Morrison at No. 3 anyway.
#
Portland: None of those point guards is very interesting, I don't think the Blazers part with Sebastian Telfair and neither Jarrett Jack nor Steve Blake are a huge upgrade over Jose Calderon and, perhaps, Roko Ukic. The one name I heard from a league source was Theo Ratliff, but he's got about $23.3 million left on his deal and that's all of Toronto's money. And sending back the bad contracts of Alvin Williams and the expiring deal of Eric Williams does nothing for the Blazers.
#
Atlanta: What have they got that Toronto would want, and don't suggest Marvin Williams because he's not available. The Hawks should stand pat and draft Marcus Williams, although they probably won't (see below).
#
Minnesota: Bad contracts, worse players, no deal there.
#
Houston: Bad contracts, worse players, no deal there.
#
Golden State: Maybe. Some intriguing parts and they could use an Aldridge, that's for sure. Might be one to keep an eye on.
#
Seattle: Ta-da! If I'm Bryan Colangelo, and I'm not, I'd call and offer No. 1 and Charlie Villanueva for No. 10, Allen and Ridnour. That's probably too much for the Sonics to pay to get Morrison or Aldridge, but a good jumping off point for negotiations.
One thing for sure: There is going to be no end to the speculation — most of it wrong, of course — over the next eight days.
Fun times, no?
THIS WEEK IN MIKE JAMES: Our obligatory look at impending free agency for Mike James centres on the Atlanta Hawks this week.There are several of us who thought, and some who still think, that the Hawks will open the chequebook and be the team that (over)pays James this summer.
One guy we talked to at the NBA finals doesn't think so. Seems Atlanta GM Billy Knight is very cool on guys who aren't "team first" players and if there's one thing James intimated in his various "I want to get paid, I'm way more valuable than anyone thinks" diatribes in the last few months, it's that this is The Summer Of Mike.
That's not going to cut it with the Hawks, our guy says, so you can probably cross them off the list right now, unless James has a change of heart and impresses Knight in some one-on-one interview with his sincerity.
Here's one thought, though: The Minnesota Timberwolves have now lost Rashad McCants for probably a season after microfracture surgery on his knee and they will be in desperate need of a scorer.
Timberwolves poobah Kevin McHale has a great relationship with his old college roommate and James agent Bill Duffy; Rob Babcock, who fleeced Houston in the Rafer Alston trade, is back in the employ of the 'Wolves and that's a pretty good fit.
LISTEN: Trying to figure out a nominal rooting interest in the end of the NBA finals and it's music that's going to win out.
The Dallas Mavericks come across as automatons, Stepford Mavs, with no personality, an owner who loves nothing more than media attention and a coach who's unravelling at a rapid clip.
The Miami Heat employs Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker so how could you even think about liking those guys? Of course, Shaquille O'Neal is wildly entertaining and Dwyane Wade's the best player in the series but, still, Mourning? And Walker?
The deciding factor may be pre-game music.
Heat coach Pat Riley insists that Bruce Springsteen's The Rising is played before every game and if there's a better non-vocal rendition of The Star Spangled Banner than Clarence Clemens played before Game 5, we haven't heard it.
So, music wins the day. That and the fact if the Heat win Game 6 it gets us all home two days earlier than if Dallas wins.
MATRIX ANYONE?: Here's one: Is Shawn Marion available?
That's at least being whispered around the league, primarily because it's obvious that new Phoenix owner Robert Sarver (think Mark Cuban without any redeeming qualities) is dead set against paying any luxury tax and the one salary he might want to shed is Marion's.
Says here that teams interested in him should be forewarned. He's great playing next to Steve Nash where he gets easy basket after easy basket but we saw in the post-season this year that he can be neutralized very easily. Just remember what Lamar Odom did to him in the Laker series.
The thinking is that the Suns will give the Marion-Nash-Amare Stoudemire trio a chance to work early next season but if there's a brilliant offer for Marion, they'll take it.
Luckily for Raptor fans, there's absolutely no legitimate fit with Toronto that Phoenix would currently take in any deal.
And, please, no one start the Chris Bosh for Marion junk, okay? Thanks.
WHY BOTHER?: Oddest draft rumour:
Atlanta has made a commitment to take Duke's Shelden Williams at No. 5.
Odd, that is, because no one in the top four has any interest whatsoever in Williams, so why would Atlanta feel compelled to make any promise?
If it's true, it speaks volumes about the, um, questionable stewardship of Hawk GM Billy Knight.
MAIL BAG:
Q: If Mike James doesn't get traded to Houston (or anywhere) and stays in Toronto, do you think he'll still play with the same intensity he showed last season? The idea of James backing up Bosh, Villanueva and Bargnani is really exciting, but bodes badly given the Raptors' defensive deficit. How could the Raps improve defensively if James came back?
Jason Laszlo, Toronto
A: One thing James never did in his year in Toronto was take a night off. He played hard every game and I can't imagine he'd change if he did return to the Raptors.
The Raptors can improve defensively in two easy ways: Work harder at it and get schemes that fit the skills of the players. There are very, very few great one-on-one defenders in the league today, especially with rules that don't allow much hand-checking so it's a matter of working together to get stops.http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1150796888579&call_pageid=969907729483
Jun. 20, 2006. 02:09 PM
DOUG SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
Okay, a week and a day to go and what do you think?
Andrea Bargnani?
LaMarcus Aldridge?
Adam Morrison?
Brandon Roy?
None of the above?
The word in a couple of corners of the league these past few days — there's nothing like an NBA finals to draw an intriguing group of people who know at least a little bit about what's going on — seems to be leaning towards the Raptors making some kind of move, or going with Aldridge.
Scuttlebutt, from people at least a little tuned in, is that all the Bargnani talk, and the dispatching of Sam Mitchell and Wayne Embry to Europe to see him, and the making sure that everyone knows that even minority owner Larry Tanenbaum has seen the 7-foot Italian play, is all a smokescreen.
Elaborate? Yes, but this is the age of disinformation, after all.
If it is fake, is the attention on Aldridge, who may be more NBA-ready today than Bargnani? Or is there a trade in the works? Or is Roy, who has been under the Toronto public radar since the draft process began, a guy they really like?
My best guess, after talking to all kinds of folks in Dallas, Orlando and Miami, is that there is some sort of trade in the works and I think — for no other reason than it's a good fit — that Seattle's No. 10 pick, in some sort of package that includes Luke Ridnour and maybe Ray Allen, makes some sort of sense.
Take a look at the top teams at the draft:
#
Chicago: No real deal.
#
Charlotte: Do you do No. 1 and Brevin Knight for No. 3? I wouldn't, Knight's okay, but probably doesn't play at the pace Toronto wants and the Bobcats are going to get either Rudy Gay or Adam Morrison at No. 3 anyway.
#
Portland: None of those point guards is very interesting, I don't think the Blazers part with Sebastian Telfair and neither Jarrett Jack nor Steve Blake are a huge upgrade over Jose Calderon and, perhaps, Roko Ukic. The one name I heard from a league source was Theo Ratliff, but he's got about $23.3 million left on his deal and that's all of Toronto's money. And sending back the bad contracts of Alvin Williams and the expiring deal of Eric Williams does nothing for the Blazers.
#
Atlanta: What have they got that Toronto would want, and don't suggest Marvin Williams because he's not available. The Hawks should stand pat and draft Marcus Williams, although they probably won't (see below).
#
Minnesota: Bad contracts, worse players, no deal there.
#
Houston: Bad contracts, worse players, no deal there.
#
Golden State: Maybe. Some intriguing parts and they could use an Aldridge, that's for sure. Might be one to keep an eye on.
#
Seattle: Ta-da! If I'm Bryan Colangelo, and I'm not, I'd call and offer No. 1 and Charlie Villanueva for No. 10, Allen and Ridnour. That's probably too much for the Sonics to pay to get Morrison or Aldridge, but a good jumping off point for negotiations.
One thing for sure: There is going to be no end to the speculation — most of it wrong, of course — over the next eight days.
Fun times, no?
THIS WEEK IN MIKE JAMES: Our obligatory look at impending free agency for Mike James centres on the Atlanta Hawks this week.There are several of us who thought, and some who still think, that the Hawks will open the chequebook and be the team that (over)pays James this summer.
One guy we talked to at the NBA finals doesn't think so. Seems Atlanta GM Billy Knight is very cool on guys who aren't "team first" players and if there's one thing James intimated in his various "I want to get paid, I'm way more valuable than anyone thinks" diatribes in the last few months, it's that this is The Summer Of Mike.
That's not going to cut it with the Hawks, our guy says, so you can probably cross them off the list right now, unless James has a change of heart and impresses Knight in some one-on-one interview with his sincerity.
Here's one thought, though: The Minnesota Timberwolves have now lost Rashad McCants for probably a season after microfracture surgery on his knee and they will be in desperate need of a scorer.
Timberwolves poobah Kevin McHale has a great relationship with his old college roommate and James agent Bill Duffy; Rob Babcock, who fleeced Houston in the Rafer Alston trade, is back in the employ of the 'Wolves and that's a pretty good fit.
LISTEN: Trying to figure out a nominal rooting interest in the end of the NBA finals and it's music that's going to win out.
The Dallas Mavericks come across as automatons, Stepford Mavs, with no personality, an owner who loves nothing more than media attention and a coach who's unravelling at a rapid clip.
The Miami Heat employs Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker so how could you even think about liking those guys? Of course, Shaquille O'Neal is wildly entertaining and Dwyane Wade's the best player in the series but, still, Mourning? And Walker?
The deciding factor may be pre-game music.
Heat coach Pat Riley insists that Bruce Springsteen's The Rising is played before every game and if there's a better non-vocal rendition of The Star Spangled Banner than Clarence Clemens played before Game 5, we haven't heard it.
So, music wins the day. That and the fact if the Heat win Game 6 it gets us all home two days earlier than if Dallas wins.
MATRIX ANYONE?: Here's one: Is Shawn Marion available?
That's at least being whispered around the league, primarily because it's obvious that new Phoenix owner Robert Sarver (think Mark Cuban without any redeeming qualities) is dead set against paying any luxury tax and the one salary he might want to shed is Marion's.
Says here that teams interested in him should be forewarned. He's great playing next to Steve Nash where he gets easy basket after easy basket but we saw in the post-season this year that he can be neutralized very easily. Just remember what Lamar Odom did to him in the Laker series.
The thinking is that the Suns will give the Marion-Nash-Amare Stoudemire trio a chance to work early next season but if there's a brilliant offer for Marion, they'll take it.
Luckily for Raptor fans, there's absolutely no legitimate fit with Toronto that Phoenix would currently take in any deal.
And, please, no one start the Chris Bosh for Marion junk, okay? Thanks.
WHY BOTHER?: Oddest draft rumour:
Atlanta has made a commitment to take Duke's Shelden Williams at No. 5.
Odd, that is, because no one in the top four has any interest whatsoever in Williams, so why would Atlanta feel compelled to make any promise?
If it's true, it speaks volumes about the, um, questionable stewardship of Hawk GM Billy Knight.
MAIL BAG:
Q: If Mike James doesn't get traded to Houston (or anywhere) and stays in Toronto, do you think he'll still play with the same intensity he showed last season? The idea of James backing up Bosh, Villanueva and Bargnani is really exciting, but bodes badly given the Raptors' defensive deficit. How could the Raps improve defensively if James came back?
Jason Laszlo, Toronto
A: One thing James never did in his year in Toronto was take a night off. He played hard every game and I can't imagine he'd change if he did return to the Raptors.
The Raptors can improve defensively in two easy ways: Work harder at it and get schemes that fit the skills of the players. There are very, very few great one-on-one defenders in the league today, especially with rules that don't allow much hand-checking so it's a matter of working together to get stops.http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1150796888579&call_pageid=969907729483