Top of the list, must have insider access to see details.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/featu...tures%2frumors
This is all it says. No real news.
Finley to the Spurs?
Aug 15 - Add the Spurs to the list of teams that are ready to pounce on Michael Finley, if and when the Mavericks waive the shooting guard via the amnesty clause, reports the San Antonio Express News. However, the Heat are reportedly still the front-runners in landing the potential free agent.
Figures, that insider access is a rip off!
Thanks Kori, sorry for the false alarm.
Now it's time for me to go lie in the middle of a busy street. It's been nice knowing you all.
And... off go Kiki, Bryan, R.C. and Pat, punching numbers on their cell phones as fast as they can...
Aw come-on, it'll be okay. Look on the bright side...the Cowboys still have Emmitt Smith, right? Oh wait....
Nevermind.
so RACE has begun.............
C'mon, adrienne, third place in the Southwest Division isn't that bad. Y'all still probably will get the fifth seed and a rematch with the Rockets.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2135039
Among the teams expected to try to sign Finley are the Suns, Spurs, Heat, Pistons and Nuggets, according to Stein.
The San Antonio Spurs have just over half of their $5 million mid-level exception remaining to woo Finley, and the top two teams in the East are offering more. The Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons will be offering Finley a contract starting at the full mid-level exception, as will the on-the-rise Denver Nuggets.
Bite me, ES.
Money wise, yes, this was great for the team. Finley is just such a part of this team, he's been here since 1996...it just won't feel like my team without him.
we understand how you feelBite me, ES.
Money wise, yes, this was great for the team. Finley is just such a part of this team, he's been here since 1996...it just won't feel like my team without him.he's like the Malik Rose to the Spurs...
well, let's just hope R.C. land him so he will stay in Texas.......
Damn that was a huge insult to Mike Finley...
The Finley fascination is over now in Dallas. FINALLY!!!!
Michael Finley is dancing in the streets. Another $10 million or so in the pocket to soothe the insult.
Daniels is underrated. He is better than Finley in everything except 3 point shooting. Finley wasn't that good last year anyway. I am excited to see Daniels get more time.
i still take your captain over Daniels despite the bone chips...just too bad he had signed such a big contract.
let's see.
I'm sure the ~$15 mil a year will help to cushion the blow.
It's like $5M/year for 10 years. Obscene, just like Cuban.
That's the way it's paid out, but I just meant the value of the contract. Either way, I'm sure Finley isn't crying into his Cristal.
Seven dollars a month to state the obvious. Yeesh.
BTW, thanks for posting it Kori.
Everyone is saying he is going to the Heat, which makes their roster just awesome and yes it scares the out of me. Why can the Spurs not get him, it is only a few mil more the heat can give him and he is already getting his original deal in full so it can not be just about the money. If he goes to heat, spurs are in trouble if they do not make some moves big time.
You do know the Heat aren't in our division right?
SOMETIMES too many stars in a team doesn't guaranty a championship e.g. 2003-04 Lakers.....
as of this time the run for Finley's services is still on... it's still not a lock for Miami.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...arc&id=2135306
Five teams in mix to sign FinleyBy Marc Stein
ESPN.com
The NBA's Final Four teams are reuniting Tuesday for a different sort of elimination tournament.
It's the Michael Finley Sweepstakes.
League front-office sources tell ESPN.com that Miami, Detroit, San Antonio and Phoenix are the suitors with the best shot at landing Finley, who was waived late Monday by the Dallas Mavericks after Dallas' summer-long efforts to trade Finley to a less-threatening team proved unsuccessful.
Intensely private throughout his eight-plus seasons in Dallas, Finley has been typically tight-lipped about his future, telling reporters at Steve Nash's recent charity game that he wasn't ready to discuss the prospect of free agency. Yet it's widely believed that the 32-year-old, after clearing waivers in 48 hours, will ultimately join one of the above four powerhouses to give himself a real shot at a championship ring … with the Denver Nuggets tops among the list of outsiders.
As Finley prepares to grade the field and commence serious negotiations, this is our breakdown of the two-time All-Star's options as the prize (some would say only) catch on the amnesty market:
Miami
The Heat will be tough to resist, with Shaquille O'Neal as lead recruiter and a $5 million mid-level exception waiting … and the bonus of a scouting report from Dwyane Wade, who shares Finley's agent (Henry Thomas). Miami's interest, meanwhile, is a no-brainer. Finley played for Stan Van Gundy at Wisconsin, ranks as a quality chemistry guy and would instantly become the Heat's most dependable long-ball threat (given Damon Jones' likely departure). Yet it remains to be seen whether Finley wants to join a club that just added Antoine Walker and James Posey, with the room to start only one of the three. Finley and Walker are Chicago pals, but he also saw first-hand in Dallas that meshing can be tough with 'Toine as a third or fourth fiddle. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see Finley wind up here, but it's not the slam dunk some league insiders are suggesting.
Detroit
Pistons president Joe Dumars, eager to do some free-agent shopping after the interminable Larry Brown saga, has been quietly waiting for his swing at Finley. It doesn't hurt Dumars' chances that the Pistons have their entire $5 million mid-level exception to offer Finley for next season -- nearly twice as rich as what the Spurs can pitch -- as well as the promise of healthy minutes with a proven championship crew. Detroit, remember, generally relied on only seven guys when it mattered: Antonio McDyess, Lindsay Hunter and its trusty starting five. Finley would fortify the bench for new coach Flip Saunders and serve as an offensive-minded complement to the defense-first Tayshaun Prince. The fit seems even more feasible now that Finley, in trademark Pistons style, can even claim that he has something to prove as the discarded face of the Mavs.
San Antonio
The Spurs can't match the money Miami and Detroit can offer, but the champs will make a strong presentation beyond the close proximity to Finley's adopted home in Big D. San Antonio has lacked a consistent scorer off the bench since Manu Ginobili became a starter and is always looking for more perimeter shooting. Finley could fill both of those voids and presumably make a smooth transition to the Spurs' all-for-one locker room, given his first-class reputation. Although Finley's scoring average has indeed dipped for six successive seasons, that overlooks his 41 percent accuracy from 3-point range over the past two seasons … without the benefit of the open looks Tim Duncan and Ginobili generate. The Mavs were trying so hard to deal Finley in part to keep him away from the Spurs, knowing the champs are a real threat to make a switch to South Texas happen.
Phoenix
The Suns are sunk if money is the tiebreaker, with only a veteran minimum of $1.1 million to offer Finley for next season. And money could be a key factor, since Finley will be forced to collect the remaining $51-plus million on his Mavs contract in annual installments of less than $5 million because of a considerable "spread" provision in that contract. Phoenix, though, has an even better recruiter than Shaq; Nash and Finley remain so close that Finley traveled to Toronto for his buddy's charity game even though June ankle surgery prevented him from actually playing. Don't forget, furthermore, that Phoenix drafted Finley in 1995, and he remains quite popular. A return to the desert, then, holds appeal on several levels, which should explain why this is the other West rival Dallas had hoped to neutralize with a trade. The Mavs know Finley would relish the challenge of filling the Joe Johnson void.
Denver
The list of interested teams stretches well beyond five, but it's believed Finley won't consider anyone farther away from le contention than the Nuggets. Although his hometown Bulls will try to defy that belief -- as will Minnesota, which flirted with a three-team Finley trade last week -- Denver figures to tempt Finley more with its promising talent mix and a roster architect (Kiki Vandeweghe) who once worked in Dallas. Vandeweghe is also pursuing another Mavs alumnus (Nick Van Exel) to give his bench a boost, but Finley is Denver's top priority. The Nuggets, like Detroit and Miami, can offer a full $5 million next season … but also a rare guaranteed starting spot. And Finley, remember, is one of the few players (maybe the only one) who came away with any plaudits from George Karl's ill-fated Team USA at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis.
Last edited by milkyway21; 08-16-2005 at 01:11 AM.
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