NBA

[xkrndreamer]

jackson is back!

and i'm really excited for mike miller if the deal gets done.

3 point threat. finally.

[Guest melo.breeze]

WOOOOOOOOOOO ! STEVE BLAKE !! definitely an upgrade from farmar. no disrespect to farmar, but farmar didn't really know how to play with a SG who is ball dominant, farmar more or less had a scorer's mentality, he'd either shoot long range, or attack the rim, whereas blake would rather go for the assist than the score and can basically do everything farmar can offensively as well as pulling up off the dribble.

so assuming lakers do resign fisher, hopefully for less than the 5m fisher is looking for, do you think blake will start ? or fisher remain the starter ?

personally i'd rather have blake start in the reg season to rest fish to start for the playoffs. if fisher HAD to start regardless in the reg season, i'd only have him playing 15-20 minute games.

[Guest a-o]

^ If Fisher re-signs, I think he would remain the starter just because of his experience, tenure, and championship savvy alone. He's got a stronger body than Blake too to match up against the bigger point guards out west like Westbrook, Deron, Baron, Kidd, Billups, and Andre Miller. I don't think Fisher would be that effective coming off the bench with Shannon Brown. Blake seems to be more suited to run the second unit and push the ball up with guys who run the floor in Brown and Odom.

It's a good pickup for the Lakers. Raja Bell, Mike Miller, Blake... all low maintenance and smart, solid pieces for a championship team. I don't think you could have gone wrong with any of these guys, but Blake seemed to make the most sense.

To touch on free agency, it looks like quite a bit of players are going to get overpaid with some of the money already agreed upon and rumored contracts in the works. I guess you can't really blame these guys for piggybacking and taking advantage of the fact that all these teams are clearing cap space to chase LeBron and the unfavorable projected numbers of the new CBA.

Rudy Gay - agreed to $81 million / 5 years

Joe Johnson - Hawks offering $119 million / 6 years

Amare - Knicks offering $99 million / 5 years

[xkrndreamer]

i really like the addition of blake.

yeah, he would rather pass the ball than shoot.

he can also make 3 pointer.

as much as i hate saying this, i don't think the lakers are going to re-sign fisher.

fisher wants at least 5 million and lakers are only offering less than 3 million.

it reminds me of the ariza situation last off season.

[Guest ooBah]

^^Johnson's deal is gonna go down as one of the worst in history of NBA. He is NOT a franchise player and deserve nowhere close to max money. Yeah sure Hawks are feeling the pressure because of all these teams with huge budget for free agency this year, but this is only going to hurt them in the long run.

As for Amare, he doesn't deserve that money. I'm a huge sun's fan but Amare is not a max player either. But at least it's the knicks offering him that, so he'll play in D'antoni's (however u spell his name) system...one he flourished in.

Right now it seems like Gay is getting overpaid but with his upside, I think it's the right move. Unlike Johnson, I think Gay can still develop and move on to the next level. Plus, it is about time Grizzlies make a move, I haven't seen much from that franchise starting from the vancouver days.

WADE TO CHICAGO? Things are getting interesting, he met them in chicago for the second time. If he really goes there, I have to say I will jump the bandwagon.

[edit] Amare agreed to sign with NY

[Guest melo.breeze]

bosh and wade in miami so i hear ... oh god ...

[Guest heartbreakkid]

I'm excited for the upcoming nba season. It's been a long time since the Milwaukee Bucks have been a good contender. Celtics and Magic are still the two top teams at the moment. If Lebron stays with the Cavs they'd be in the top 3. Miami has Wade and Bosh(confirmed yet?) but I don't know the rest of the team to know if they're average or above average.

Of course this is just early speculation but the Bucks feel like a much better team than last year. Jennings has one year of experience now. Bogut has improved and is playing up to his expectations. Salmons won't need to score as much as he did last year so all the scoring pressure won't be on him. Carlos Delfino was a really good pick up last year. Drew Gooden, im a little skeptical about this signing. He's most likely going to start at the PF position but I think I'd rather see him come off the bench(very unlikely) to spell Bogut and play backup PF minutes. I'd rather keep the PF position between Ilyasova and Mbah a Moute, two really good players. I've read articles that say one of them might get traded since our frontcourt is really loaded with guys but we'd be giving up some good players. Maggette and Douglas-Roberts should provide scoring off the bench. Only position we need is a backup pointguard. The rookies are what they are, can't expect anything from them yet until the season starts. At best this team should be contending for the #3-5 spot in the East. I hope it all works out.

[OMGHIyori2U]

Wade and Bosh both confirmed it on espn.

Now who gets to win the Lebron sweepstakes

[OMGHIyori2U]

I wonder how Miami's going to fill the extra slots on the roster with the little chump change they have left in cap space. They could take a page out of Don Nelson's book and fill the remaining slots with D-Leaguers lol

[Guest a-o]

^ EDIT - Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. You beat me to it. lol

If LeBron ends up with Miami, I'd just be really curious to see all of the minimum level players they'd sign to fill out the rest of their roster.

[OMGHIyori2U]

^ EDIT - Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking. You beat me to it. lol

If LeBron ends up with Miami, I'd just be really curious to see all of the minimum level players they'd sign to fill out the rest of their roster.

lol yep, Espn says if they sign the trio, they'd have to get rid of Beasely somehow and all that's left if Mario Chalmers. Miami's leftover cap space would be $485k to fill out the remaining 8 roster spots lol

If Lebron doesn't go to Miami, and Miami still has Beasely, they'd have $12m to play around with. But even then that's chump change to fill out another 8 roster spots.

[OMGHIyori2U]

Boozer agrees to 5 year deal with the Bulls

[Guest ooBah]

That's why the only way to sign lebron is for two of them.. if not three, to take a cut of a few million dollars to give the team the money to build a proper support cast. wade has already said he's willing to take a pay cut if that's the case. And of course, Beasley will have to be dumped somewhere else.

I don't feel like Miami is a good place for Lebron right now. Things would get too complicated. I think NY is the perfect fit for James. NY needs to be back in the picture, it has so much history and it will also recreate the NY-Miami rivalry (the good old days). Plus the big market is where James should be.

I can't find the list of all the free agents this year. Are there any big names left besides lebron that are still available? Allen, Pierce, Dirk, Wade, Bosh, Boozer, Amare, Johnson are off the list already.

[Guest a-o]

Here's a listing of the 2010 and 2011 free agents, along with up-to-date news of who's already signed:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-10-11

After LeBron formally announces his decision, that'll pretty much be the last big name to sign. The remaining pool of guys are mostly second tier type of guys:

• 
  
  
• David Lee
  
• Jermaine O'Neal
  
• Shaq
  
• T-Mac
  
• AI
  
• Richard Jefferson
  
• Josh Howard
  
• Mike Miller
  
• Larry Hughes
  
• Tyrus Thomas
  
• Travis Outlaw
  
• Rasual Butler
  

I kind of thought New Jersey would have been a good fit if both James and Bosh could have gone there. A starting five of Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, LeBron, Bosh, and Brook Lopez. Nice complementary, two-way players who can spread the floor and that suit their game along with Avery Johnson and their new billionaire owner, and they would eventually be moving the franchise to Brooklyn.

I never really liked the whole Derrick Rose pairing. Harris is more of a willing passer, better defender, and shooter, but injury prone.

[Guest ooBah]

anyone think Tmac can still make a comeback?

[Guest chickpeas]

After LeBron formally announces his decision, that'll pretty much be the last big name to sign. The remaining pool of guys are mostly second tier type of guys:

[*]Jermaine O'Neal

O'Neal to the Celtics maybe?

^^Johnson's deal is gonna go down as one of the worst in history of NBA. He is NOT a franchise player and deserve nowhere close to max money. Yeah sure Hawks are feeling the pressure because of all these teams with huge budget for free agency this year, but this is only going to hurt them in the long run.

Yeah. JJ's a great second option but def. not first. I agree it's an awful move, but ATL did what they had to do. Let's hope the rumor of signing Shaq is false.

Speaking awful contracts, Rashard Lewis anyone?

Didn't LeBron file for a number change from 23 to 6? Well, there are only two cities where he can't wear the number 23...

[xkrndreamer]

anyone think Tmac can still make a comeback?

i don't think he can. he was at his prime in the early 2000s. that was along time ago.

[OMGHIyori2U]

Lebron to Miami!

[Guest xsilentangel]

LOL at the stupid hour-long special on Lebron's decision. Overly dramatic and too much stalling.

I wonder if the three in Miami will have chemistry.

I won't make predictions. I'll wait until the 2010-2011 year starts.

[OMGHIyori2U]

The Cavs are gonna be one of the worst teams in the league this coming season lol

I'd bet their viewership and attendance is going to drop like a rock and all the bandwagon jumpers are leaving the Cavs and going to the Heat.