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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Wolves Get New Duds Edition
Saturday, August 16, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 9:24 PM
After watching Team USA dismantle the Spanish team today, I had this thought that while everyone will be going after LeBron in 2010, the player I would go after is Dwyane Wade. He was amazing as he seemed to be doing a bit of everything on the court. He finished with 16 points on 8-12 shooting with 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. He can opt out after the 2009-2010 season but he would have to leave 17 million on the table and so I am not sure if he will opt out or finish out his contract and become a free agent in 2011. But, he would be the one I would go after if he does opt out. My second choice would be Chris Bosh. Ray Allen's contract is up after the 2010 season as is Scal's (finally!) and I have to believe that Danny will make some kind of move in that very rich free agent class.
Hoopsworld is reporting that for the past 3 weeks Patrick O'Bryant has been working with Clifford Ray at his summer program, the Clifford Ray and Robert Parish Big Man Camp in Bradenton, Florida. So, O'Bryant is learning from 2 of the best. HOOPSWORLD's Steve Kyler reported that Ray has been preaching the importance of hustle, energy, and conditioning to O'Bryant. He lacks the post moves of a traditional big man but his offensive repertoire does include a nice shooting touch and sky hook. O'Bryant's style is best suited for a fast pace system, so if he wants to stick in Boston he will have to maximize his physical tools with commitment and a sense of urgency.
Scott Souza reports that Big Baby has stayed in Boston this off season and instead of celebrating like many of his teammates, he has been maturing and working and trimming down. I mentioned the other day that we have seen him doing a lot of PR around town and I guess it is because he is the only one still hanging around. Besides, he has a lot of personality for public appearances. We may see some good things from Big Baby this season as hopefully all this hard work will pay off. Another thing we know is that somewhere, Leon Powe is working very hard. The kid doesn't know how to take it easy.
The Boston Globe reports that Stephon Marbury's days as a Knick are over according to a league source. This has been expected for some time. The question now is when are they going to release him. There were rumors that the Celtics might be interested but now that they have signed both Eddie House and Tony Allen, I don't see where he would fit. The Celtics need a back up small forward the most and after that, possibly a veteran center. If they sign Bill Walker, which I really hope they do, they will have just one spot left and I just don't see it going to a troubled point guard, no matter how well he gets along with KG. Marbury may end up in Europe quicker than he thought.
Delonte West could have trouble finding a spot in Cleveland now that they have traded for Mo Williams. Without a doubt, he is no longer the Cavs' starting point guard. There was talk about moving him to shooting guard but he will have to beat out another former Celtic, Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic for the spot and that won't be easy. Delonte's best bet right now is to sign the qualifying offer and play his best this season wherever they play him, and then go on the market as an unrestricted free agent next off season. I'd love to see him come back to the Celtics. Can you imagine the Delonte-Big Baby comedy hour?
The Timberwolves will unveil their new uniforms, their first new ones since 1996, Monday over the lunch hour at the IDS Crystal Court. If find thatyou just have to run out and buy the new Sebastian Telfair jerseyso you'll be ready for the Sebastian Telfair night at the Target Center, The Wolves also on Monday are launching an online store to allow you to be first on the block to own one, at www.ShopWolves.com. Here's a preview of what the new unis will look like. Personally I am not impressed.
Michael Finley has decided to re-sign with the San Antonio Spurs in spite of receiving interest from other teams including the Boston Celtics. Sources say Finley's decision came down to a choice between staying with the Spurs or joining the Boston Celtics as the reigning champs' replacement for James Posey. He also had strong interest from the Hornets and Cavs. Now we know that Danny is still looking for a back up small forward.
Sean Kemp has been trying to relaunch his career with several NBA teams over the last couple of years and word is this week that the 39 year old former Sonic legend has signed a contract with the Italian team of Premiata Montegranaro. Even the old players are going to Europe.
And finally, Michael Phelps did it. He won 8 golds in Beijing. And if you read my report from yesterday, you know that he is not only a great athlete, but a team player. And, his teammates came through for him in the 2 relays he needed to break Mark Spitz's record. In particular, Jason Lezak, one of the older swimmers on the team, pulled out the final leg of both of the relays. Exciting stuff out of the Olympics. USA Basketball, both men and women, seem to be steam rolling everyone along with the record breaking action in the pool. Next up for the men's team is Dirk Nowitski and Germany, who lost to Yao and China in their last game. The women are just getting ready to play New Zealand.
If you watched USA vs Spain, you saw Kobe knock Pau Gasol on his backside with an elbow to the head. He was not so subtly telling his Laker teammate that they aren't teammates now and that this is war. It was fun to watch!
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 8/16
Michael Phelps Is a Great Athlete, But An Even Better Teammate
by FLCeltsFan 8:23 AM
In the absence of any Celtics news and very little basketball news, I had to mention Michael Phelps. This kid is amazing. He eats more for breakfast than most people eat all day and still has not an ounce of fat on him. He would make a great basketball player with his size and long arms. But he is even a better swimmer. Last night he won his 7th gold medal of the Beijing Olympics as he edged past Serbia's Milorad Cavic. He was behind Cavic for most of the race and came from behind down the stretch to touch the wall 1/100 of a second before Cavic. It was so close that everyone, including myself, thought that he came in second but the replays showed that as Cavic stopped stroking and reached for the wall, Phelps too an extra stroke and touched just hundreds of a second before his opponent in the next lane. If Michael's arms were just a little shorter, he may have 6 golds and a silver instead of 7 golds to tie Mark Spitz's record that has stood since the 1972 Munich games. They showed his mother holding up 2 fingers as she also thought Michael came in 2nd because he came from behind and it looked like Cavic was first. As they showed the results with Phelps first, his mother collapsed into her seat in disbelief as well as relief. Phelps has one more race as he will swim the butterfly leg of the 400 medley relay tonight. The Americans are favored to win and give Michael Phelps his record 8th medal of the games.
Michael Phelps won the gold by 1/100 of a second and his teammate, Ian Crocker lost the bronze by the same small margin. Andrew Lauterstein of Australia won the bronze medal in 51.12. Crocker was again denied the first individual gold of his career; he didn't even win a medal, finishing fourth by a hundredth of a second in 51.13. Crocker and Phelps were tied together in a drama that played out in the Athens games, showing that Michael Phelps is not just a great athlete, but a good person and teammate as well. In Athens, Crocker's disappointing leg in the 4x100 freestyle relay cost Phelps his chance at a 7th gold medal. Crocker was devastated as he struggled to cope with the reality that he also may have cost four teammates and close friends a gold medal, not to mention Phelps' chance at history. Crocker was then told by the coach that he would not swim the butterfly leg of the 4x100 medley relay. Crocker understood the decision but it hurt because he had lost in his best event and then his last shot at salvaging his games disappeared.
And then, a surprise. Phelps announced he was done swimming in Athens. He said he was giving up the butterfly leg he had just earned with a first-place finish to the man he beat. He called Crocker -- a man whom he wanted to vanquish so badly that he has a poster of him on his bedroom wall -- "one of the greatest relay swimmers in U.S. history." Then Phelps said that he wanted to give his teammate another chance. He told reporters that they came in as a team and would leave as a team. And, Crocker did redeem himself by winning the gold in that race. Lost in the race to beat Mark Spitz's record of 7 gold medals, which Phelps has now tied, has been the fact that 4 years ago in Athens, Michael Phelps embodied the spirit of ubuntu, long before Doc Rivers made it a household word. Michael Phelps is a great athlete, maybe one of the best ever. But, this incident proves that he is an even better teammate.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 8/15
Friday, August 15, 2008
Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Some Celtics News Edition
Thursday, August 14, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 8:02 PM
Finally some real Celtics news to report. The Celtics have signed their first round draft pick J.R. Giddens to a two year guaranteed contract with an option for an additional two years. Giddens averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds as a senior at New Mexico last season. He had some maturity issues and problems in his past that allowed him to slip to the 30th pick but he has assured anyone who would listen that those issues are all past and he is very excited to be on the Celtics. He didn't participate in the Celtics rookie and free agent camp earlier this summer because he was unable to get a contract worked out before then. He is expected to begin working out in Waltham at the team's training facility next week. The Celtics still have not signed their second round pick, Bill Walker, who has been working out in Boston much of the summer already in spite of not being signed as yet. So far this kid has really impressed me and I hope Danny gets him signed and brings him to training camp.
The Celtics also are working on extensions for Doc and the assistant coaches and expect to have them all wrapped up before training camp. This may be as important an any player signings. Tom Thibodeau is responsible for the defense that gave the league fits this past season and it is crucial to have him back again. For awhile I thought the Celtics were going to lose him with all the head coaching positions open and his name being circulated for all of them. But, with the Celtics going all the way to the finals, all of the positions were filled before Thibodeau was available to interview. Defense wins championships and Tom Thibodeau brought that defense. I will breathe a sigh of relief when he is finally resigned. Also, with Patrick O'Bryant as the Celtics new project at center and Perk still developing, it is important to keep Clifford Ray around. Cliff is one of the best big man coaches in the league.
The Suns still are trying to solve their backup point guard situation, but they made a move on Thursday to sign forward Louis Amundson to a one-year contract after he made an impression with his Summer League Play for Golden State. The Suns see him as an aggressive player who can run the floor well and can defend multiple positions. He averaged 1.1 points and 0.8 rebounds in 16 games last season for the Sixers. Playing for the Golden State Warriors in the Vegas Summer League, Admunson averaged 6.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and one block a game in 17.6 minutes of play.
Brandon Roy's surgery was successful. Reports are that he will need 4-to-6 weeks to recover from the arthroscopic surgery to remove a piece of cartilage that was causing irritation in his knee. This is the third knee surgery for a torn meniscus in Roy's career with the other two coming in high school and college. He is expected to be back to 100% by the Blazers' season opener against the Lakers.
Another of the top free agents is heading to Europe. New Orleans Hornets free agent guard Jannero Pargo, who has had offers from the Spurs and the Hawks and who was on the Suns radar, has reached an agreement in principle with Moscow Dynamo on a one-year contract worth about $3.5 million, according to a report on Yahoo Sports. Once again the lure of more money in Europe has taken a key free agent from the NBA.
The long awaited trade of Ron Artest from the Kings to the Rockets is finally official as Donte Greene was finally available to be traded. The Sacramento Kings acquired Donté Greene, Bobby Jackson, a future first round draft pick along with other considerations from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Ron Artest, Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing, Jr. Yao has already voiced his concerns about how Artest will affect the Rockets' chemistry and the truth is, Artest has caused problems with both the Pacers and Kings and isn't likely to stop just because he is on the Rockets. Geoff Petrie, the Kings GM was gushing about how excited he was to add Greene and Jackson, but what he was really thinking was how excited he was to be rid of Artest. What's the over/under of just when Ron Ron will have his first incident in Houston?
The Los Angeles Lakers signed 6'9" free agent power forward Josh Powell on Thursday. Powell is a three-year NBA veteran who played last season with the Clippers where he averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 64 games. Powell has career averages of 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 138 games with Dallas, Indiana, Golden State and the Clippers.
Stephon Marbury's future is still up in the air as there is a lot of talk of the Knicks buying out his contract. There are still teams in the NBA who could use a point guard. There was talk of him going to Boston because of his ties with KG, but with the signing of Eddie House and hopes of Pruitt developing, I don't see room for him on the Celtics. The Celtics need a small forward or a center more than they need another point guard at this point. Last summer, Marbury vowed he would play in Italy after his Knick contract expired after 2009. with 9 NBA players signing with European or Israeli team this summer, this doesn't seem as farfetched as it did when he said it last summer. He may be going to Italy sooner than he planned if he is bought out and doesn't find enough money in the NBA this season.
The Globe has a story about Shaq and his wife Shaunie and the fact that their marriage is on the mend. It made big headlines when Shaq filed for divorce and so it merits mention when things are going well for them. Shaunie is launching a video sharing website that is geared to showcase kids and their talents. http://www.mykidzastar.com The O'Neal's have 6 kids and it is good news that the big guy has patched it up and is keeping the family together.
I'm watching Mike and Mike in the Morning with Paul Pierce as co-host and he is doing a great job. He definitely has a future as a sports commentator when he finishes his playing career. Tanguay better watch his back. My favorite part has been his explanation of what happened in Vegas. He said he was pulled over by a Laker fan and he was charged with DWC... Driving with Championship.
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Celtics Sign Giddens
by FLCeltsFan 7:49 PM
According to the Globe:
Celtics draft pick J.R. Giddens agreed to a two-year guaranteed deal with an option for another two years with the club on Thursday. The 30th overall pick in the first round of this year's NBA Draft will begin working out in Waltham at the team's training facility next week. The former New Mexico star averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds as a senior last season. The Celtics also still have a second round pick that's unsigned in guard Bill Walker.
"He's pretty darn excited to be a part of their team," said Aaron Mintz, Gidden's agent.
Even though Bill Walker has yet to be signed, according to Marc Spears, he has been working out regularly in Boston. Hopefully, Danny will get him signed soon as well.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 8/14
Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Point Guards on the Move Edition
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 10:01 PM
The rumored trade that would send Mo Williams to Cleveland is now reality. In a 3 team trade, Cleveland will send shooting guard Damon Jones to Milwaukee and forward Joe Smith to Oklahoma City. Milwaukee also will get point guard Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin from Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City also gets Desmond Mason, the athletic small forward, from the Bucks and the Cavs get point guard Mo Williams. The trade was basically a salary dump for the Bucks to avoid having to play the luxury tax. The 6-foot-1 Williams averaged 17.2 points and a team-high 6.3 assists for the Bucks last season. This should take some of the scoring pressure off of LeBron James. Williams will likely be the starting point guard and Daniel Gibson, who they signed to a 5 year contract will likely be the back up. This leaves Delonte West hanging. Sources said the Cavs still want to bring West back and feel that he could be their starting shooting guard and play next to Williams. Delonte could take the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he can't get what he feels he deserves in a contract from the Cavs now.
Mo Williams wasn't the only point guard on the move on Wednesday. The Atlanta Hawks signed Flip Murray, a 6 year veteran who can play both guard spots. Murray has averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds in his career with Milwaukee, Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit and Indiana. He is expected to back up both Mike Bibby at point guard and Joe Johnson at the shooting guard spot.
The USA Women's team absolutely crushed Mali on Wednesday with a 97-41 win to move to a perfect 3-0 in Olympic play. They got off to a slow start as Mali actually led at 8-7 but they sure made up for it once they got going. Lisa Leslie led all scorers with 16 points, to go along with four boards and three blocks, on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. The USA women's team has now won its three games in Beijing by an average of 47.0 points. Simply amazing.
In spite of the controversy over their inappropriate team photo, the Spanish men's team keeps playing good basketball. Thursday, Spain defeated Germany 72-59. Team members have apologized for the photo, saying it was meant to be funny and in no way did they mean it to be offensive. Unfortunately for them, almost no one saw the humor in it. The USA got the monkey off their back and beat Greece 92-69. Greece was the team that defeated them in the world championships two years ago. Next up for the United States will be a clash with Spain, who should provide one of the toughest matchups for Team USA in their quest for the Gold. The Spanish team has more NBA players than any team other than Team USA. Spain and the United States are both undefeated and this will be a big test for both teams. The game will be televised live on NBA at 10:15 eastern time on Saturday.
The on again, off again deal between the Sixers and Andre Iguodala is apparently on again. Philly Daily News reports that the deal for six seasons and $80 million, including an additional $5 million in incentive clauses and an opt-out clause after the fifth season was agreed to yesterday and should be signed and finalized next week. There are thoughts around the league are that the Sixers overpaid to keep Iguodala. But, with Elton Brand, Iguodala, Dalembert, Miller, and the team that they have built this off season, the Sixers are going to be a force to be reckoned with this season.
With the injury to Jason Smith, the Sixers are looking for another big man to fill out their roster and it has been reported that they have offered a contract for the veteran's minimum to former Celtic Theo Ratliff, better known for his contract than his play with the Celtics. He played only 2 games but his contract was instrumental in bringing KG to Boston. Ratliff reportedly has other offers for more than the minimum, but is interested in returning to Philadelphia where he played from 1997 through 2001.
The Portland Trailblazers announced Wednesday that guard Brandon Roy will have arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The tear was found in an MRI on Tuesday. He is expected to be healed and ready for training camp. This is another of those what might have been players. The Celtics traded the draft pick that became Brandon Roy to the Blazers for Telfair and Ratliff. While Roy is a very, very good player and would have been a difference maker for the Celtics, Telfair and Ratliff were instrumental in bringing KG to Boston so it worked out ok in the end.
It seems sad that former Celtic and current Cavalier, Wally Szczerbiak has been reduced to being talked about as an expiring contract. In spite of his scoring ability, knee and ankle injuries have severely limited him over the past several years and now, his value is mostly what his expiring contract can bring them at the deadline.
The latest in the Phoenix Suns' point guard search is that a Slovenian court has settled a dispute between two European teams over how much of Goran Dragic’s potential buyout agreement each would receive. In spite of the fact that Dragic has said on several occasions that he will stay in Europe, the Suns are still hoping that he will negotiate a buyout and play for the Suns this season. But the Suns are ready to use a portion of their mid-level expectation to sign Dragic to a multi-year contract that will allow him to negotiate a buyout a year early and become the full-time backup to Steve Nash this season.
Dwyane Wade is playing at a very high level in the Olympics and this gives hope to Heat fans. With Wade back 100% and Shawn Marion on the team along with a very impressive rookie in Michael Beasley, Heat fans have to be excited for this season. Alonzo Mourning has said that he hopes to be back at 100% by December if not before. Mourning sees Wade as an MVP candidate next season and also feels that Pat Riley isn't finished yet. The Heat is yet another team that has improved itself this off season and will provide a challenge to the Celtics in their quest to repeat as champions.
We reported that Chris Kaman has gotten some flak from both the Clippers and his dad for playing on Germany's Olympic team. Now, it appears Kobe Bryant has joined in those giving him a hard time. When Kobe heard that Chris was playing for the German team he went up to him and asked Kaman to give him just one word in German and he couldn't do it. But Kaman isn't the only one playing for a team that he has very loose ties with. The Georgian beach volleyball team is composed of Brazilian ringers awarded Georgian citizenship in anticipation of the Olympics. After the Georgian team beat the team from Russia, there were some hard feelings from the Russians. On her way out of the arena, Russia's Natalya Uryadova doubted that either opponent could name the Georgia president. Now, she bitterly pointed out the absurdity their triumph. "If they were Georgian, they would certainly be an influence," she said. "But in fact, they are not." Offended and mostly embarrassed, Saka promptly tried to diffuse the situation, giving much credit to the Russians. And then this actually came out of her mouth: "I don't want this to be a war between us." The Georgian team even have assumed names for the Olympics. Then there is Becky Hammon, who grew up in South Dakota, and is playing for the Russian team. Pittsburgh native and former Bucknell star J.R. Holden is playing for the Russian team. It is safe to say that the Olympics aren't what they used to be. They have a certain mercenary feel to them these days.
This picture has nothing to do with anything, but after seeing it on Perkisabeast, I just thought it strangely fascinating. Might explain a lot about the Lakers, though.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 8/13
Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Mixed Messages Edition
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 8:12 PM
There are mixed messages being reported about Andre Iguodala having signed a big new contract. ESPN has reported that Andre Iguodala will return to the Sixers with a six-year, $80 million contract. Reports are that after weeks of negotiations, Iguodala was ready to take the qualifying offer and become a free agent next season and the Sixers quickly upped their offer so as to keep their young and talented forward. However, the Philly Daily News is reporting that they're still negotiating and there's no deal yet. So, it is up in the air whether Iguodala has a nice big new contract or not. More details to come, I am sure. Whether Iguodala gets the big contract that has been reported or signs the qualifying offer and becomes a free agent next summer, don't sleep on the Sixers as they are going to be tough this season with the addition of Elton Brand along with Iguodala, Andre Miller, Samuel Dalembert, Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams and should be right there at the top of the Eastern conference this season.
There are more mixed messages coming from the valley of the Suns. The Suns' back up point guard position is still very much in the air. Draft pick Goran Dragic has said that he definitely is staying in Europe to finish out his contract but Steve Kerr is saying that he still expects Dragic to be the Suns back up point guard this season. Talk about dueling articles. One says he is definitely staying in Italy and the next says Kerr feels that he will be with the Suns. Their second choice, should Dragic not be convinced to leave Tau, seems to be Jannero Pargo. Pargo reportedly has an offer from the Spurs of their $1.9 million bi-annual exception that he is considering and the Suns could offer all or part of their MLE to try to land him but it may mean edging over the Luxury Tax threshold. Shaun Livingston is still coming back from his injury and the Clippers aren't going to bring him back and would probably sign for the minimum for a chance to prove himself. Damon Stoudamire is still out there and, if all else fails, there is always Sam Cassell, who at this point would probably play for peanuts and a bag of potato chips if he could.
Yet another NBA player is making the jump to Europe as Italy's Avellino announced on Tuesday that they have signed former Celtic Dan Dickau. Dickau's stay in Boston was not very successful as early in the season he tore his Achilles tendon and spent the rest of the season rehabbing. He was signed by the Clippers last season where he averaged 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in 67 games.
For the second season in a row, James Posey will get to play in Europe in the preseason as the New Orleans Hornets will be playing 2 of their preseason games in Europe. They will take on the Washington Wizards on October 14 at the O2 World in Berlin, Germany and they will close out NBA Europe Live on October 17 at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain.
The D-League has released its schedule for the 2008-09 season. The Celtics will once again be affiliated with the Utah Flash which will be one of 6 teams playing in the D-League's Western division. Gabe Pruitt spent considerable time with the Flash last season and this year is expected to be a part of the rotation. If both Giddens and Walker are signed, I expect one or possibly both to spend some time with the Flash this season depending on how they do in training camp.
The Cavs are still in discussions with the Bucks and Oklahoma City on a 3 way trade that would bring Mo Williams to Cleveland, Joe Smith to OKC and Luke Ridnour to the Bucks. Delonte West may also be involved in a sign and trade. It is rather puzzling that the Cavs are balking at giving Delonte West $5 or $6 million but they are considering taking on Williams' contract that will run them almost 9 million a year. But, reports are that it is Williams' contract that is stalling the talks right now with both OKC and Milwaukee ready to go ahead with the deal.
Rockets point guard Rafer Alston is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday after he was arrested and charged with a DUI last week. A year ago, he was charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication. A few weeks later, he was arrested on felony assault charges in New York after a nightclub altercation. There are all the signs that Alston is not headed in a good direction. I think of Vin Baker and wonder if things would have been different later in his career if someone had stopped him earlier and gotten him help. Maybe Alston isn't at that point, but the signs are there.
This year's Rookie of the Year might not be one of this year's draft picks. In spite of promising players in this year's draft class such as Michael Beasley, Derek Rose, and Kevin Love, the leader for Rookie of the Year honors has to be last year's number one pick, Greg Oden. He has spent a year rehabbing from knee surgery and reports are that he looks very good after a public practice with some of his Blazer teammates.
Chris Kaman is the only US born basketball player who is playing for a team other than USA and he has taken a lot of flack for doing so. He and his parents were born in the USA but his grandparents were German and so he is playing for the German National Team. The Clippers didn't want him to play and tried to talk him out of it, but the worst opposition came from his dad who told him that he is an American and not German and that he hoped that the US would beat Germany. His mother, however is cheering for him and Germany. Makes for some tense moments in the Kaman home, I would think. I do like his short haircut. That long stringy hair wasn't a good look at all.
The OC Register is coming around to Paul Pierce's view of things. With a headline of "Maybe Paul Pierce is the Best Player in the World," they have this to say about Kobe Bryant: Today, mighty Angola couldn’t match Team USA, but they handled Kobe Bryant like he was an NBA bench-warmer. Bryant made four of 13 shots from the floor and clanked all eight of his three-point attempts. He finished with eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
Even more significant, Bryant did not shoot a free throw.
Over two Olympic games, Kobe is 1-for-15 from three.
Against China, Bryant made six of 14 shots from the floor, and he’s now shooting a whopping 37 percent from the floor in the Olympics.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 8/12
Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Quote of the Day Edition
Monday, August 11, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 8:38 PM
Leading off today's rumors with a rather bizarre photo of the Spanish National team. In it, they are all pulling at the sides of their eyes in a slit-eyed gesture. This could lead to accusations of racism and some controversy that will mar the Olympics for them. However you look at it, it isn't very cool. (Hat tip to TrueHoop)
The Phoenix Suns are still in the hunt for a point guard to back up Steve Nash. Since passing Rajon Rondo on to the Celtics, they haven't been very successful in their search for Nash's backup. Marcus Banks obviously didn't work out. They were hoping that Slovenian guard Goran Dragic would be the answer and have been holding out hope that he would agree to play for them this season. But, word is that Dragic is planning to stay in Europe and finish out his contract there. In order to entice him to the NBA this season, they would have to give him a contract much higher than the minimum in order to pay for his $1.5 million buyout and that would put the Suns over the luxury tax level which they are trying to avoid. There are a few point guards left on the free agent market including Sam Cassell, Flip Murray, Dan Dickau, Darrell Armstrong, Jannero Pargo, Shaun Livingston, and Damon Stoudamire. How they must be wishing they had never let Rondo go to the Celtics.
The Detroit Pistons re-signed 6'9" forward Walter Herrmann on Monday. Herrmann played six seasons in his native Argentina and four seasons in Spain before being signed as an undrafted free agent by Charlotte. He played in 28 games for the Pistons last season averaging 3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game.
Oklahoma City (formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics and soon to be named the Thunder) traded New Jersey's 2009 second round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for 6'6" rookie guard Kyle Weaver out of Washington State.
With Josh Smith safely back in the fold, the Hawks are making moves to fill out their roster and have signed Othello Hunter and Thomas Gardner. Both Hunter and Gardner played on Atlanta's summer league team at the Rocky Mountain Revue and made an impression that earned them another look with the team. Hunter is a rookie power forward out of Ohio State who played in the national title game with Greg Oden and Mike Conley. Gardner is a 6'5" guard Gardner out of Missouri, and has a reputation as a scorer.
We reported last week that the Lakers have signed the Sun Yue, known as "The Chinese Magic Johnson," to a contract. It would appear that his height of 6'9" has more to do with this nickname than his play. a veteran NBA executive, who has scouted hundreds of players both internationally and in the United States has this to say about him:
“He has a nice feel for the game (and) he’s a decent passer, with good size. However, he lacks quickness and toughness and doesn’t shoot the ball well, with range. He is a below-average athlete.”
According to this NBA source, Sun is not a NBA-caliber player at this juncture and would not figure to be much of a factor with the Lakers this season, if he were to make the team. The Lakers plan to move him from point guard to shooting guard where he will compete with Coby Karl, Dwayne Mitchell and Joe Crawford for minutes off the bench at that position.
The speculation has begun as to how the Jazz can resign both Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur and still keep Andrei Kirilenko and still stay below the luxury tax threshold as they seem determined to do. The answer appears to be that they can't and Kirilenko appears to be the odd man out. AK47 may be hard to trade though because he has three years and $49.35 million remaining on his contract with the Jazz. Next season, not many teams will want to take a contract that will put them on the hook for $17.82 million in 2010-11 as everyone seems to want to clear cap space for the big free agent class that off season. Boozer and Okur can both opt out of their contracts next year and may do so, not necessarily to leave the Jazz but to get a bigger payday. I don't like Kirilenko for the Celtics. He has complained a lot about his role in the offense and I don't see him as a candidate for ubuntu.
Speaking of Kirilenko, he scored a team-high 18 points to lead four in double figures for Russia, but his team dropped its first Olympics pool game Tuesday to undefeated Croatia, 85-78. Russia, now 1-1, next faces Australia on Thursday. Spain with its many NBA stars topped Yao and the Spanish team in an 85-75 overtime thriller. This morning, Team USA played Angola and after allowing them to stay fairly close in the first half, they pulled away to win 97-76 to go 2-0 in group play. Next for Team USA: A grudge match with Greece on Thursday morning.
Alan Houston is still working on his comeback and would like to return to the Knicks but I am sure he would take a contract with any other team that offers him one if the Knicks don't. Isn't he Danny's kind of player? Retired and looking for a comeback?
Houston played in the Nike Pro City league at Hunter and apparently held his own. He put up 25 points in a loss to Ron Artest's squad and showed some flashes of his previous form, according to the report.
You have to love this one from the Washington Post. I quote it here because rephrasing wouldn't do it justice:
The Olympics are just four days old, but the best quote of the Games has already been uttered, and there is a 0.000000 chance that it will be topped. This from colleague Michael Abramowitz's Style Section story about the Bush Fam this morning.
Meeting Team USA with Bush 43 before the game, Bush 41 gave a warm hug to Lakers star Kobe Bryant and received an affectionate greeting from Cavaliers hero LeBron James: "What's up, pops?" the massive James asked.
One way for a 23-year old pro basketball player to greet a former President might be "Hello, Mr. President." Another might be "What's up, pops." I'm done making fun of LeBron for the crying and the scowling and the wide-eyed disbelief. Anyone who breaks out the "What's up pops?" line is ok by me.
The Cavs' puzzling unwillingness to sign Delonte West to a new deal continues. He is their starting point guard and is looking for a multi-year deal that would be better than the five-year $21 million deal that their back up point guard got. It seems reasonable that the starter should get more than the back up, but apparently not to the Cavs. There have been rumors that the Cavs are looking to do a sign and trade with the Bucks for Mo Williams and this makes sense for the Cavs because it would give them an established point rather than one still developing. But, it doesn't make much sense for the Bucks are are obviously in win now mode with the trade for Richard Jefferson as they try to add stars around their star, Michael Redd, to try to find some of the luck the Celtics had with this strategy. Delonte is leaning toward taking the one-year, $2.8 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he does, the Cavs could not trade him without his consent and he'd have a year to establish his value and make himself more valuable on the free agent market next off season. I really wouldn't mind having Delonte back in Boston. He is a tough gritty player who leaves it all on the court.
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Floor Burn Tournament - Give Leon Some Love
by FLCeltsFan 11:14 AM
HoopsAddict is running a Floor Burn Tournament. Here is the premise for the competition:
Each night ESPN, NBA.com and YouTube are flooded with clips of players soaring through the air for rim rocking dunks, buzzer beating three-pointers and blocked shots that make your jaw drop in amazement. While those are all entertaining plays, teams who win championships need players who are willing to get a little dirty and do the little things needed to help their team win. As valuable and crucial as these players are to their respective teams success, these players rarely get the credit or respect that they deserve. With that in mind, the First Annual Hoops Addict Floor Burn Tournament will kick off this week.
The Celtics own Leon Powe has made it out of the first round and is paired up against Andres Nocioni in round 2. To me, Leon Powe defines hustle and a player willing to do the dirty work to help his team win. This is a plea to all Celtics fans out there to go to HoopsAddict and show Leon a little love and vote for him.
You can vote here.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 8/11
by FLCeltsFan 11:01 AM
Globe Chinese fans root for Yao, but dream of Kobe
FL's Take: If they are dreaming of Kobe, it would have to be nightmares.
MetroWest Daily Phelps now 2 for 2 (Not basketball, but very exciting)
FL's Take: This was so exciting to watch. The French team was so arrogant saying that they would crush the Americans and that was what they came to Beijing for. And to watch Jason Lezak come from behind to take the gold was absolutely exciting!
CelticsBlog Hawks do themselves a favor
LOY's Place Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Olympics edition
Red's Army Lessons from China thumping
Star Tribune Glen Taylor: Moving forward, in a return to yesteryear
FL's Take: For all the flack Kevin McHale has taken, I think he is on the right track with this team. He has a lot of nice young and talented players on his team now.
Nashua Telegraph Celtics will return to N.H.
3 Shades of Blue Talking with Eric Musselman
Connecticut Post Perkins' Props: Punched Pistons
FL's Take: Good to see Perk getting the props he deserves. I love Perk!!
Bleacher Report All NBA under 25 team
FL's Take: What, no Rondo? No Perk?
News Record Great athletes of decades past weren't one trick ponies
Minnesota Sports Scene Gomes' contract for 5 years, $21 million
FL's Take: I am happy for Gomes getting a nice contract, but wish the Celtics could have worked it out to bring him back to Boston.
Time US-China hoops: Everyone scores
Inglewood Weekly Local basketball hero pays it forward
And One Al Lewis: Basketball scout, political activist and, oh yeah, Grandpa Munster
The Sport Count Reality Shows of the NBA
FL's Take: Scal looking for love.... too funny.
Hoopsworld Eastern Conference All Breakout team
Lex Nihil Novi Chick Hearn was Lakers' Most
FL's Take: Good article, but Johnny Most was one of a kind. No one will ever approach his level of homerism. I miss him.
Dualing triple doubles
Sports of Boston Celtics' player review: Eddie House
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Rumors and Free Agent Updates - Olympics Edition
Sunday, August 10, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 10:54 PM
Let's start with a couple of Olympic notes. Team USA opened their quest for a gold medal with a 101-70 win over Yao Ming, Yi Jinlian and the Chinese team. USA was up just 12 points at the half but took over in the second half for the 31 point win. It was nice that Yao opened the scoring with a 3. He deserved to have his home fans get excited and cheer him on. Just an observation, but Yi looked pretty bad. If I were the Nets, I'd be a bit worried about now. Next up for the US men's team will be Angola on Tuesday.
The USA Women's team won their 27th straight Olympic game as they easily dominated China 108-63 I really like Lisa Leslie. She is a class act all the way. One of the Chinese players went down and it was Lisa Leslie who went to her and helped her up and off the court. The US woman's team is so dominant that it is hard to see them losing even one game.
This has nothing to do with basketball but it was so thrilling to watch the men's 400 meter swim relay last night. The French team was the favorite to win and the US team was a serious underdog. One of the French swimmers said the Americans weren't goint to win and the the reason they came to Beijing was to crush the American team. Watching the race, the French swimmer was ahead down the final stretch but Jason Lezak came on strong and passed him to touch just hundreds of a second before him to win the gold. It was so close they had to watch the results board before knowing who won. It was pretty exciting to watch. The race was so fast that even the 4th and 5th place swimmers who didn't medal beat the existing world record. This gives Michael Phelps 8 career gold medals and a chance to make history in these olympics. One more medal and he will surpass Mark Spitz for the most career golds in his career and he still has 6 more races to compete in. He has a chance to win a record 8 gold medals in these olympics. I'm pulling for him. Exciting stuff.
Thanks to our friends at one of my very favorite Celtics' blogs, Lex Nihil Novi, I was able to find this 5 DVD set from the Celtics' 17th championship run. According to the photo, it has 5 DVD's with the 4 wins in the finals along with the incredible game 7 against LeBron and the Cavs. Amazon is offering it on a pre-order basis with release promised for October 28.
A league source reports that the Cavs might be pursuing Bucks point guard Mo Williams. All the details aren’t known, but the Cavs, Bucks and Oklahoma City are reportedly involved in what could be a 3 team trade. The Cavs have long coveted Michael Redd, but the Bucks have made it clear that he is not available. The speculation is that Delonte West will be included with a sign and trade as the Cavs haven't been able to come to terms with him and it wouldn't make sense to have both Delonte and Mo on the same team as both would expect to be starters. I think the Cavs have been unfair to Delonte. He is their starter and they aren't offering him as much as they gave their back up. I wouldn't mind seeing him take the qualifying offer from the Cavs and come back to the Celtics next season. There were rumors that Danny had made an offer for him this season. Whatever happens, I hope he ends up in a good situation because he is a good kid and a good player.
Jorge Garbajosa returned to the court playing for Spain in the Olympics. It was 2 years ago when Celtics fans witnessed the then Raptor going down with a horrible leg and ankle injury that could have been career ending. That was a bad year for the Celtics fans as they also witnessed their own Tony Allen go down with a season ending injury. But Garbajosa's injury looked so bad, it could have ended not just his season, but his career. His 13 minute stint for Spain marked the end of a gruelling period that included thousands of hours of rehabilitation and two surgeries. I am glad to see him back on the court.
The Celtics have no players in the Olympics but there are plenty of other NBA teams with players competing. Here is a list of the players who are competing for teams other than the US team. Argentina has 5 including Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs), Andres Nocioni (Chicago Bulls), Fabricio Oberto (San Antonio Spurs), Luis Scola (Houston Rockets) and Carlos Delfino (Toronto Raptors). Australia has Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks). China has Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) and Yi Jianlian (New Jersey Nets). Croatia has Roko-Leni Ukic (Toronto Raptors). Germany has Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers) and Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks). Lithuania includes Linas Kleiza (Denver Nuggets) and Sarunas Jasikevicius (Golden State Warriors). Russia has Andrei Kirilenko (Utah Jazz). Spain has 6 players including Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers), Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers), Jose-Manuel Calderon (Toronto Raptors), Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) Juan Carlos Navarro (Memphis Grizzlies) and Jorge Garbajosa (Toronto Raptors).
Thanks to Tom Halzak of the Connecticut Post for pointing out this comment from the Chris McCosky of the Detroit News:
Think back to the Boston series. The Pistons, focused on stopping Kevin Garnett, wound up getting punched in the gut by Kendrick Perkins. Neither Rasheed Wallace nor Antonio McDyess could handle his athleticism, and Jason Maxiell, at 6-7, couldn't handle his size.
Perk gets some well deserved props from the Detroit media. Detroit signed Kwame Brown with the express purpose of trying to match up with Perk. I still see people questioning Perk's effectiveness. Perk does everything that is asked of him by his coaches and that makes him very valuable. He is willing to do the dirty work without getting a lot of the glory. He does so much that doesn't show up in the box score. He may not get the rebound, but he boxes out so his teammate can. He may not score the basket, but he sets the pick so his teammate can. His value to the team can be most clearly seen in game 5 of the Finals. In games 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are basically ineffectual and aren't a factor. But in game 5 when Perk wasn't in there, they became unstoppable forces. Perk deserves a lot of kudos and it is nice to see him getting some.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 8/10
by FLCeltsFan 10:22 AM
Globe Krzyzewski takes it easy before opener
All eyes are on US-China basketball matchup
Europe can reach for stars
FL's Take: Don't miss the little tidbit at the bottom about Clifford Ray working with Patrick O'Bryant. This is good news. If anyone can bring out this kid's potential is it Clifford Ray. With Bill Walker and POB both reported to be working out on a regular basis, things are looking up.
No longer gold standard, US has something to prove
CelticsBlog Inauspicious schedule highlights v 2.0
LOY's Place Rumors and free agent updates - Kobe is a jerk edition
Celtics 17 Back up small forward by committee
FL's Take: With Posey gone, this seems to be the big question about the Celtics. Who will back up the small forward spot. Right now, it does seem as though it will be by committee. I think the back up center will be similar with O'Bryant, KG, Powe and Big Baby all being shifted to that position depending on the matchups.
Red's Army Happy birthday Cooz
Hoopsworld Five things we learned last week
Summer hot seat
Norwich Bulletin Calhoun Charity Game: Ex-Huskies enjoy return with coach
Sixer Soul Jason Smith out, Theo Ratliff in?
FL's Take: Good luck with Ratliff. He had his healthy year last season and is due for another injury this year.
Lex Nihil Novi More proof of pro-Laker, anti-Celtic media bias
FL's Take: The Celtics got no respect from the media from start to finish last season. Good to see someone holding them accountable for their bias.
ABA Interludes: Who was Larry Miller?
Celtics and Blue Jays lawyer up
Milford Daily News Exciting times here in the hub
FL's Take: Exciting times indeed. It feels like the good old days with 25 national TV appearances. I never had League Pass back in the '80's but they had enough of the Celtics games on national TV that I didn't feel all that deprived.
Hartford Courant Scenes from the Jim Calhoun celebrity classic charity all star game
FL's Take: At least we know Ray Allen is thinking basketball. It is going to be hard enough to repeat with all of the improvements to Eastern teams, but if our stars aren't in shape coming into camp, we don't have a chance.
LA Times The best of Los Angeles pick up basketball
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