:stein:


Where do we turn next for our NBA trade chatter now that Stephen Jackson has been moved. We're hearing of a potential new three-way deal.


Word is this is an exploratory discussion at the minute, but the key elements would be Nocioni to BOS, Dalembert to SAC, Cap Relief to PHI


Particulars as they stood early Tuesday AM, with Kenny Thomas representing the potential cap relief, found here http://tinyurl.com/ygez4nw


Important clarification/update to three-way trade scenario: Final season of Nocioni's contract, at $7.5 MIL, is a TEAM option. Meaning ...


Boston would have to absorb TWO additional guaranteed years on Nocioni at $13.5 MIL if it does this deal as opposed to $21MIL over three

Noc on the Celtics is a good fit.

Looks like Monta is the next trade for the GSW.

Joe (Philly)
Sixers seem to be working hard to move Dalembert. Is there any chance of them actually doing it?

Chad Ford (1:15 PM)
It's tough. The only two teams with any real interest have been Sacramento and Charlotte. The problem is that the Sixers want salary cap relief in return. Charlotte just trade their cap relief away to Golden State for Stephen Jackson. Kings need a third team to make things happen. They aren't swapping Dalembert for Kenny Thomas straight up. But from a broader perspective ... Sixers looking to dump contracts. They've come a long way from the euphoria that surrounded the Elton Brand signing a little over 17 months ago.

I know we don't have much cap relief to offer (Kwame) but I wonder if we could be that 3rd team? Not saying that I want to be, btw.

Kenny (Sactown)
What happened to Okafor?

Chad Ford (1:21 PM)
From what I can gather, both sides say the talks never happened. But you know how this goes. That's what everyone says once these things get out. While New Orleans is looking to slash payroll, I think they'll want more than Kenny Thomas' expiring contract for Okafor. Dalembert may be the best they can do.


Brent (Indy)
Can the Pacers trade some of their expiring contracts at the end of the season for an all-star? Kevin Martin perhaps.

Chad Ford (1:22 PM)
Maybe. They'll look into it. They know that using their expiring contracts as trade bait may be more effective than trying to sign a big free agent in 2011. And yes, I think there's a chance that Kevin Martin goes on the block. Tyreke Evans is a two, not a one and he's been thriving since the position change. That makes Martin expendable.

Looks like Monta is the next trade for the GSW.

link? or is this just speculation because monta's history?

@timkawakami: Multiple sources say that Warriors are actively trying to trade Monta Ellis.


RUMOR: Monta Ellis wants out of Warriors and team looking to trade him http://sbnation.com/e/925721

This all adds up to hurting the market for potentially trading Rip.

still think that Tayshaun might be the better trade option.

still think that Tayshaun might be the better trade option.

BG,Stuckey, Ellis, Bynum, rip > BG, Stuckey, Ellis, Bynum, Tay.....?

nobody's arguing we should deal for Ellis, I hope.

I think dealing Tayshaun and starting Stuckey at SF would clear up the logjam we currently have, allow Bynum to move in as the starting PG, and hopefully we could use Tayshaun as trade bait for a big man.

We don't need Ellis now - we shoulda drafted him way back when.

Anyway, with all the rumours going around I hope Joe is entertaining the thought of moving Kwame for some piece we could use.

It's gotta be a big man (likely with a contract of 2 years or more) or a Draft pick we can use sooner rather than later.

Cap relief seems like the primary motivation behind most trades in today's league and a $4 million expiring should be dangled until the fucking deadline.

Boozer would be a really, really nice acquisition. It's derve the dual purpose of a high scoring big and an expiring contract so Joe can go out and sign a center next summer.

What C is gonna be available that we'd "want"?

And what package could we gove Utah?

Prince, Kwame and what?

Prince is as much talent as theyre going to get for boozer. After that, its expirings.

Any team that deal for boozer knows he will look to strike gold next summer. He's a 5-month rental for any team that trades for him.

As for centers next summer, assuming we had boozer's expiring contract, I'd think Amare would be at the top of the list, followed by Memo.

It's possible we'd try to lure in Chris Bosh and move V to the bench.

Ellis is out of the question, but I thought rip wouldve made more sense.

Bosh is having a crazy start to the season, and I honestly doubt the Raptors make the playoffs.

If we could somehow manage to get Bosh at the deadline or something...pair him up with big ben...now that would be too ideal..

nobody's getting bosh at the deadline. That's a ridiculous pipe dream.

Even in the 1/100 chance they decided to deal him, he wouldnt be coming to detroit.

It probably is...but if the Raptors are doing shitty by that time, wouldn't they want to trade Bosh for something atleast? would Bosh want to come back to Toronto? If their front office thinks Bosh is going to Miami or NY, wouldn't they atleast want something for him?

It's improbable..but not impossible for him to get traded at the deadline

improbable for him to be traded yes, also impossible for him to come to detroit. Not happening.

I honestly don't think "impossible" is a word I'd use when discussing trade scenarios.

We have:

Kwame's expiring
Tay's almost expiring
Daye, Jerebko, Summers as youth
Stuckey could be dangled for the right player
Our 2010 Pick surely has a lot of value

With Kwame & Prince someone is getting a lot of cap relief.

Packaged with some youth (Jonas, Daye, Stuckey, Summers, 2010) and it's my guess almost any player could be had.

I said almost, so no smart ass shit like "could we get Lebron, Wade, Kobe, Andrew "The Real" Bynum etc

Lots of Tyrus Thomas to the Knicks rumors.

Good stuff from Wojnarowski





Portland: Since Travis Outlaw(notes) has been lost for four to five months with foot surgery, GM Kevin Pritchard has been working the phones for an athletic forward as a replacement.

That isn’t much of a surprise, but this is: In conversations with Portland’s front office and coaching staffs, several league officials believe Andre Miller(notes) could soon be available. As a free-agent signee over the summer, Miller can’t be traded until Dec. 15.

After missing out on several preferred free agents, Pritchard settled for Miller and signed him to a three-year, $21 million contract, the first two years of which are guaranteed. Yet, Blazers coaches have privately insisted to confidants throughout the league that Miller isn’t working out, and the belief is that Pritchard is testing the market on Miller’s worth. Portland could stay with Steve Blake(notes) or use Miller to bring back another playmaker.

Sources say that Brandon Roy(notes) clearly prefers playing with Blake over Miller, and that’s an issue that Pritchard must contend with.


Houston: The Rockets continue to offer Tracy McGrady(notes) in a trade, but that will be a difficult proposition considering he’s the highest-paid player in the league ($23.2 million) and no one has seen him play in nine months. Houston seems willing to take back a longer-term contract for McGrady, but most executives believe his high salary makes it hard to put together a package.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey and coach Rick Adelman don’t want McGrady back with the team, and have insisted that he isn’t physically ready to return to the lineup. McGrady would love a trade, but knows he must start playing again for it to be possible.


Philadelphia: Sixers GM Ed Stefanski is desperate to unload forward Elton Brand(notes) and the $66 million owed over the remaining four years of his crippling contract, sources say, but that will be incredibly difficult. Even with several teams, including Golden State and Charlotte, desperate for low-post scorers and rebounders, no one believes Brand, who makes $14.8 million this season, has enough left to merit taking on that contract.

Before Monta Ellis(notes) started on his scoring tear, Philly had hope that his issues with Golden State might inspire the Warriors to take a chance on Brand, but that isn’t happening. Sacramento had some interest in center Samuel Dalembert(notes), another contract Philly wants to shed, but couldn’t work out a three-way deal with Boston.



http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-tradebuzz120309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Here's some stuff from Sam Smith about 12/15.
http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_091211.html

I particularly like the disclaimer at the beginning. I wonder why Langlois's stuff doesn't include that? lol

Rip Hamilton for Jerome James and John Salmons? Fuck Sam Smith.

Those arent even really expiring contracts. The Pistons get NOTHING out of that trade except less salary 2 years from now.

While we're at it, let's throw in Stuckey and V, since the economy is dictating our trades now, let's not even attempt to compete!

Yeah, some of those ideas were surprisingly weak.

If we were to deal rip for an expiring and a pick, I'd grit my teeth, because that would open up space for next summer, and we could use another decent 1st round pick. But that isn't even close to fair.

Rip for Chicago's #1 and Brad Miller. I'd accept that, at least.

Sam's email address is asksam@bullshit.com
That's all you need to know.

I like how later in the piece he says Salmons can't play the two. So we trade our log jam at the two for a log jam at the three.

Heat releases Shavlik Randolph. Does that mean that a move is coming? With a vacant roster spot in place, it sure seems like it.

I've seen quite a bit of Bosh to Miami scuttlebutt, too.

WTF would Toronto be getting in that deal?

Beasely I would guess.

It would seem Beasley, Haslem (expiring), James Jones (expiring), and draft picks.

Are you sure James Jones is an expiring deal?

The last time I checked the ESPN trade machine he had a 4-year contract.

And wouldn't the deal simply be O'Neal, Beasley and picks?

Jerm back to the Raps would be funny.

Surely Toronto could get more for Bosh than a bunch of expirings, Beasley and picks?

Doesn't Beasley have issues off the floor? Some shit went down this past off-season, I just can't recall right now.

And isnt a Prince, Daye, Kwame + 2010 pick unprotected package "better"?

Next season they could play Bargnani, Hedo, Prince, DeRozan, Jose as starters with Jack, Marco, Daye and 2 2010 first round "bigs" as a 10-man rotation.


That's not amazing but it is versatile and has a lot of "potential"

They could then dangle Tay for picks from a team that didn't use all their cap space in July, or simply let him walk and save the space to retain their own youth when the time comes (like OKC will do)

Man would I do that trade.

I think the big issue for us is that Bosh likely wants to go to Miami and will probably give them some assurance that he'll re-sign.

Are you sure James Jones is an expiring deal?

The last time I checked the ESPN trade machine he had a 4-year contract.

And wouldn't the deal simply be O'Neal, Beasley and picks?


All 4 seasons are team options. The Pistons could terminate his contract any summer they choose.

Also, O'Neal makes significantly more than Chris Bosh by himself. The Raps would have to add roughly $9 million on their end to even the salaries after Beasley was included. It's highly unlikely he'd be involved in a trade.

I read some Jerm for TMac rumors this morning, too.

What you read on the topic is irrelevant.

at the least, that trade would be irrelevant.

If theyre going to leave Daye wide open, keep feeding him.

Here are some rumors (headlines courtsy of Ben Maller)

Clips Marcus Camby is NBA’s most valuable trade chip

(http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/28/can-clippers-afford-to-let-camby-go-time-will-tell/)
Marcus Camby, with an expiring contract that has a salary-cap number of $9.15 million, the Los Angeles Clippers’ big man might be the most coveted player who could be available as the Feb. 18 trade deadline approaches. While some teams would take anyone with such an expiring contract that has vital signs, Camby also can play. “Everybody in the league would want him,” Clippers coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy said in an interview with FanHouse. “He’s probably the most valuable contract in the league from the standpoint if you’re looking to trade for a guy with an expiring contract that has a lot of game. Most teams are trying to give up longer-term contracts for shorter-term contracts, and a lot of times those teams are willing to sacrifice in order to shorten the money. In this case, you wouldn’t be sacrificing. That’s why everybody wants him.” So here’s the $9.15 million question. Or maybe it’s the $7.65 million question since that’s Camby’s base salary, with incentives earning him as much as $2 million more this season if he can play in 65 games. Will the Clippers trade Camby? “Everybody on our team could be traded,” Dunleavy said. “But we’re not looking to trade him at all.” — Fanhouse

Magic’s Brandon Bass trade bait?

(http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-orlando-magic-new-guys-1228-20091227,0,4319637,full.story)
Power forward Brandon Bass thought he was lost in Dirk Nowitzki’s all-star shadow in Dallas. He’s all but disappeared in Orlando. Thirty-games in, this is a move by GM Otis Smith that can be second-guessed. The Magic signed him to a four-year, $18 million contract. Bass simply does not fit in Stan Van Gundy’s stretch-the-floor offense behind Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson. He offers Van Gundy a change-up, a 6-8, 250-pounder with a nice mid-range touch. An average rebounder and defender, he’s played in just 19 games and had 10 DNP-CDs. Bass obviously isn’t happy and could become trade bait. — Orlando Sentinel

Source: Kings Kevin Martin to Cleveland, Houston or Toronto

(http://www.sacbee.com/sports/story/2422568.html)
Aside from a complete breakdown in team chemistry, a regression because of Kevin Martin’s presence or a trade offer involving an All-Star caliber player (specifically, a big man), Martin is going nowhere. According to sources, Cleveland, Houston and Toronto are among those teams interested in acquiring the dynamic scorer and are keeping an eye on how the situation unfolds. The more logical pieces to be moved would be Kenny Thomas (expiring contract of $8.7 million) or Andres Nocioni (contract through 2012 for combined $28.5 million). — Sac Bee

Bass would be great as a PF starter (with CV backing up and Bass playing some backup C), but we'd still need a viable long term center. If he was 6'10" or more he'd be starting somewhere and playing 30 minutes a night.

Screw the Magic

I hope the roster revamp blows up in their faces and Carter gets injured, Bass whines about playing time and Gortat demands a trade.

Fuck 'em.

Per Wojo from Yahoo!, it looks like the salary purge is nearly underway in New Orleans.


New Orleans is close to sending Devin Brown to Minnesota for cap relief, but deal isn't complete, sources say. Sounds like a late snag.


Teammates believed Brown was gone, one source says, and surprised to see him get on the bus for shootaround in Houston on Tuesday morning.


Despite discussions, one league source close to talks says deal "probably not" happening between Hornets and Wolves for Devin Brown.

http://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA

Wolves Acquire Devin Brown (http://twolvesblog.com/200912292730/minnesota-timberwolves/daily-news/wolves-acquire-devin-brown.html)

But here is where it gets interesting, maybe.


Wolves close to deal with Hornets for guard Brown
Last update: December 29, 2009 - 11:58 AM

The Wolves are working on a deal with New Orleans that would send Jason Hart's non-guaranteed contract to New Orleans for guard Devin Brown.

Hart did not accompany the team to San Antonio on Monday. The deal looked like it was either dead or snagged this morning, but Wolves boss David Kahn said it was neither. That may not be the end of it, though. Kahn said there's "more than one way" to do the deal and said other teams are involved.

When I texted and asked if the Wolves will end up with Brown or something else, he answered, "Not sure yet."

Hornets would do the deal to save themselves money on the luxury tax and would likely cut Hart because he has a non-guaranteed contract.

A regular starter for the Hornets this season, Brown is currently averaging 10.0 points per game while shooting a career-best 41.1 percent from behind the arc. Brown matched his career high with 25 points in a game at the L.A. Clippers on Nov. 9, and hit a career-best six three-pointers in the Hornets' loss to Chicago last Saturday.

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/80275202.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUoaK7D_V_eDc87DUiD 3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Wolves, Suns Swap Hart For Tucker
By: Alex Kennedy Last Updated: 12/29/09 3:37 PM ET | 607 times read

Sources close to the situation have told HOOPSWORLD that the Minnesota Timberwolves have dealt point guard Jason Hart to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Alando Tucker and a second round pick. Phoenix has agreed to pay Tucker's remaining salary.

Hart was nearly dealt to the New Orleans Hornets for Devin Brown but the deal hit a snag last night. There has been some speculation that New Orleans pulled out because they have another deal in place involving Brown. When a deal couldn't be worked out last night, Minnesota turned to Phoenix and pulled the trigger on this deal.

Alando Tucker has averaged 3.9 points in 6.5 minutes this season but the second-year forward's role will likely grow in Minnesota. Jason Hart has played very little this season but as a non-guaranteed contract, he can be waived in order to clear cap space for the Suns.

Trade/non-trade were big deals to Hornets

:stein:
By Marc Stein

Jason Hart was going to be traded Tuesday by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The only question was where: New Orleans or Phoenix.

As a story that appeared briefly on the Timberwolves' Web site earlier in the day confirmed, Minnesota was convinced that it had a deal with the New Orleans Hornets to send Hart to the Hornets in exchange for Devin Brown.

But Brown was able to block that deal from going through, much to the disappointment of the tax-conscious Hornets.

Sources with knowledge of the teams' discussions told ESPN.com that Brown and agent Mark Termini refused to reduce the amount on the 10-percent trade kicker in Brown's $1.1 million contract. Brown was not asked to waive the whole kicker, sources said, but the trade math on a deal with the Hornets would not work unless Brown consented to forfeiting some money.

Brown, though, would have been giving up a starting spot as well as the cash. He's started 23 of his 25 games this season and didn't know what sort of playing-time situation awaited in Minnesota.

The appeal for the Hornets was Hart's non-guaranteed contract. They planned to waive him immediately just as Phoenix is planning to release Hart on Wednesday after the Suns capitalized on the collapse of the Minnesota-New Orleans deal to send Alando Tucker, cash and a conditional second-round pick to the Wolves for Hart.

Meanwhile . . .

The big-picture takeaway from all of Tuesday's drama surrounding a seemingly minor deal is that it's yet another example of the pressure -- some would say desperation -- New Orleans is feeling to get its payroll beneath the $69.9 million luxury-tax threshold.

The wing positions have been major trouble spots for the Hornets all season, but Brown entered Tuesday’s play averaging 10.0 points in just 23.4 minutes per game while shooting a solid 41.1 percent from 3-point range.

Yet the Hornets are currently $3.3 million over the tax line and remain prepared to send away Brown in a deal that brings back no guaranteed money, as seen over the summer when New Orleans felt it had to essentially donate Rasual Butler to the Los Angeles Clippers because of the tax benefits.

There is a belief among some rival executives -- or perhaps it's more accurate to call it a hope -- that the Hornets will not be able to resist moving All-Star forward David West before the Feb. 18 trading deadline to ensure that they get comfortably under the tax threshold.

New Orleans' preference would obviously be moving out player(s) from its list of veterans with contracts that stretch beyond this season. That list presumably includes Emeka Okafor, Peja Stojakovic, James Posey, Mo Peterson, Darius Songaila and Julian Wright.

But a major shakeup with the Hornets would appear highly unlikely without involving West, since we know (as covered in this cyberspace last week) that they're not trading Chris Paul.

too bad we dont have any capspace anymore (->thanks Chris Wilcox)

Tracy McGrady to Detroit? Not likely

By VINCE ELLIS
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

With the Rockets advertising the availability swingman Tracy McGrady, it’s only natural for Pistons fans to dream of T-Mac coming to Motown. It’s funny how that happens when your team is in the throes of an eight-game losing streak.

McGrady is intriguing because his $23-million salary comes of the books after this season, and a team could use the cap relief to go shopping among the super free-agent class of 2010 this summer.

Plus, you get what amounts to a four-month tryout from McGrady, who, at the top of his game, has one of the best skill sets in the NBA. If he plays well, maybe you can get him to return at a discounted rate because he won't command $23 million per year again.

But you can stop dreaming.

The Pistons aren’t willing to give up what it would take (a package that probably would include Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton) for a cup of coffee with T-Mac.

What makes T-Mac’s situation different from the one last season when the Pistons dealt Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson’s expiring deal? For better or worse, the Pistons decided they were going to target free agents last summer (they got Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva) because indications were LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and other big-name 2010 free agents weren't interested in coming here.

There's also the issue that the Rockets are looking for expiring deals. Hamilton's contract goes through 2013, and Prince is a free agent after the 2010-11 season.

And while McGrady is only 30, he’s an OLD 30. He has had major issues with his back and is coming off microfracture surgery on his left knee.

So salvation for the Pistons will have to come from somewhere else.

Mike McGraw of the Aurora Daily Herald reports that the Chicago Bulls have a great deal of interest in Houston's Tracy McGrady (http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.asp?lc=NBA&c=1&TEAM_ID=&PLAYER_ID=&hd=20091230#STORY_23376), and it doesn't take much imagination to figure out why. It's not that the Bulls see McGrady as some sort of savior, rather that his expiring deal would be a means to an end in their quest to land Stoudemire.

There are various players in Chicago who could help Houston now and not hurt them long-term. Brad Miller is more than familiar with Rockets head coach Rick Adelman's system and would give Houston another multi-faceted option at center. John Salmons is struggling through his first year as a father with an infant, but is still a very good player when rested and also has a potentially ending contract. The deal would have to include another piece, and the Bulls would like to unload Jerome James' ending contract as part of any trade. That's not likely to get Houston too excited - GM Daryl Morey has been clear that he wants an All-Star player or player with All-Star potential back in any trade for McGrady. Neither Salmons nor Miller fit that category, either, but if the Bulls were to make Tyrus Thomas the other piece involved they might get Houston's attention.

Tyrus Thomas is not ready for an All-Star mention just yet, but he's improved in each of his three NBA seasons and is precisely the kind of player Adelman loves. He's aggressive, can play down low but also has a mid-range game, and he plays tough defense on every single play. He rebounds well, blocks shots, and leaves it all out on the court. He would fit well in the system, but more importantly he would quickly earn the respect of his new Houston teammates. That's as important as anything else with the tight-nit group in that locker room.

Add to the mix that Thomas is from Baton Rouge and would love to be closer to home . . .not hard to see how this could come together.

A source with knowledge of the situation in Chicago said the Bulls would likely insist on getting either Luis Scola or Carl Landry in a trade, making it a four-for-two deal. The Rockets would get James in addition to Miller, Salmons, and Thomas, while sending McGrady and a forward to Chicago. The Rockets are very high on both Scola and Landry, and that could make this a deal-breaker. It remains to be seen.

One thing's for sure - the Rockets aren't going to let McGrady sit and stew in Houston. He won't play good soldier, as we've seen in the past. He'll complain and stir up mess until he gets traded. The Chicago Bulls have some pieces that would greatly benefit Houston. It seems a solution to Houston's McGrady problem may be close at hand. The Rockets get the young star-quality player they seek, the Bulls get cap space to chase Stoudemire this summer.

WTF?


Tyrus Thomas is not ready for an All-Star mention just yet, but he's improved in each of his three NBA seasons and is precisely the kind of player Adelman loves. He's aggressive, can play down low but also has a mid-range game, and he plays tough defense on every single play. He rebounds well, blocks shots, and leaves it all out on the court.

If Thomas is all that then why deal him for an expiring contract that gives them the cap space to attempt to sign Amare?

Just fucking keep Thomas and use the space you already have elsewhere, knowing you are set at PF (Thomas), C (Noah) and PG (Rose)

Reporters these days are fucking stupid IMO

Pistons scout NBDL small forward

BY VINCE ELLIS
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

This is kind of off the beaten path, but the Pistons were out doing a little scouting Wednesday night.

They were in Ft. Wayne, Ind., to get a look at NBDL small forward Amara Sy, 28, who plays for the Bakersfield Jam.

He stands 6-foot-8 and is considered more an energy guy than a polished scorer, but with the Pistons just now recovering from the rash of injuries to the wing position, the Pistons are doing their due diligence since teams can start signing players to 10-day contracts starting Tuesday.

Or could it mean there will be an opening along the wings if Pistons president Joe Dumars pulls the trigger on a deal?

Only time will tell.

Iguodala would be price of obtaining McGrady (http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20100101_Sixers_Notes___Iguodala_would_be_price_of _obtaining_McGrady.html)
January 1
Philadelphia Inquirer

"If the 76ers want Houston Rockets forward Tracy McGrady and his expiring $23 million contract, it will take a package deal built around Sixers swingman Andre Iguodala. According to a source close to the situation, the Houston Rockets have said they would only consider shipping McGrady to the Sixers if the Sixers "knocked the Rockets over" with the amount of young talent included in the deal. The source said that the teams have not spoken in "more than a week," but that a deal involving Iguodala "has a chance."

The Rockets are on crack.

Adrian Woj. From Yahoo says that the Wizards may be trying to get TMac's contract using Caron Butler as the centerpiece.

Just goes to show the price some teams will pay to shed salary.

Obviously Kwame's deal is a hell of a lot smaller than McGrady's but if we don't deal him I'll be pissed.

At the very least we could get Miami's trade exception and a future pick for the big fella.

Adrian sez that the Nets offered Alston/Battie for Nate/Darko last week and the Knicks declined.

Darko seems like the perfect player for any team truly trying to tank. The guy was drafted so high, that you can perfectly justify giving him minutes to "see what he can do" yet, he's bad enough to help you lose a lot of games.

I wish we wouldn't have lost the 6-8 mos. of posts from the original WTF. There were some great debates there where people were defending this clown, and Joe's picking him, that will never see the light of day ever again. Some of you fools should be really grateful for that.

The Jazz are open for bizness.


Concerned about a lackluster start that has left them in ninth place in the Western Conference and motivated not to pay a hefty luxury-tax bill for moderate success, the Utah Jazz appear willing to trade anyone on their roster but point guard Deron Williams(notes), multiple league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

also

Discussions for a trade that would’ve exchanged Eduardo Najera(notes) for Kris Humphries(notes) and Shawne Williams(notes) are “on life support,” a league source said, because the New Jersey Nets have been unable to clear a roster spot to make it happen. New Jersey had hoped the Dallas Mavericks would add some money to the deal to allow them to buy out Williams’ contract, but the Nets haven’t been able to make a roster move. They tried to trade former first-round pick Josh Boone(notes) to Denver for Joey Graham(notes) and his non-guaranteed deal as a precursor to the Dallas deal, but those talks dried up, too.

Great read by Spears.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-jazznotes010410&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Anything we can do (short of giving up blue chips) to get Carlos Boozer. He helps this year, and he helps next year, even if he bolts.

Would they take RIP/Max/Daye for Boozer/Korver/Brewer?

It saves them about 4 mil this year (double with taxes). It gets us two expirings for RIP and Max. We'd have to let Brewer walk probably (unless we found a taker for Wilcox, maybe throwing in a 2nd rounder), but we'd have about 18 mil to throw at Bosh.

I don't think the Jazz want to give up Brewer. They'd prefer to offer up CJ Miles instead.

This was also in the Spears article, for those that didn't click on it.


The Detroit Pistons discussed trading Tayshaun Prince(notes) for Boozer over the summer, but one West executive said the Jazz wanted only to redirect Prince to the Portland Trail Blazers and now lack another team with salary-cap room to do so.

I don't think the Jazz want to give up Brewer. They'd prefer to offer up CJ Miles instead.
If that is the case his 3.7 would eat into our 18 available to Bosh. Without Brewer I would insist they take Wilcox. Then we would still have 17+ mil for Bosh. They could probably work a buyout with him anyway. So:

RIP/Max/Wilcox/Daye for Boozer/Korver/Miles

They save 5 mil in salary and taxes as well.

New Orleans' preference would obviously be moving out player(s) from its list of veterans with contracts that stretch beyond this season. That list presumably includes Emeka Okafor, Peja Stojakovic, James Posey, Mo Peterson, Darius Songaila and Julian Wright.

But a major shakeup with the Hornets would appear highly unlikely without involving West, since we know (as covered in this cyberspace last week) that they're not trading Chris Paul.

Surely we can get in on this?

Prince, Kwame, Wilcox = Okafor and whatever shit they wanna send

So the Hornets are currently $3.3 million over the tax line and probably only would do a major deal if we could get them under the threshold but....

Okafor, Posey and Wright for Kwame, Prince and Daye.

They deal $18,829,340 but take back $16,002,220

My math says we just saved them $2,827,120 and made them approx $500,000 over the threshold.

They could get under it with a minor deal at the deadline or some such shit.

We take 3 of the New Orleans Six (guys they would prefer to dump)

We'd be capped out for years but I'd rather be capped out with Okafor, Nova, Rip, BG and Stuckey than have "flexibility" with Tayshaun.

We be:

Ben
Okafor
Jerebko (back starting at SF never to play PF again lol)
Rip
Stuckey
BG
Nova
Bynum
Maxiell
Posey
Wright
Summers
Atkins
Wilcox

Report: Nate McMillan, Andre Miller Exchange Words at Practice

I exchange words with my boss all the time.

I exchange words with my boss all the time.

You're already calling her that?

^ old TBeau

"BJ now?"... "only if you fill the Grand Canyon."

Thanks for the exchange

So Nate and Andre Miller aren't getting along?

Sweet - time for Joe to call Utah and Portland and revisit that Prince/Boozer/Miller thing

NBA Trade Rumor: Chris Bosh To The Bulls http://bit.ly/6ETC2b

:stein:

What we did hear, though, is that the Houston Rockets have made it known that they would be willing to trade for Bosh immediately … even if they don't get a guarantee they can re-sign him this summer.
http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-100108-09/weekend-dime-rockets-woo-bosh

From the same Stein article


There also were some rumbles in Boise that the Timberwolves are prepared to start exploring the trade market for Al Jefferson amid questions about Jefferson's compatability with Kevin Love and how he fits in Minnesota's more free-flowing triangle offense under new coach Kurt Rambis. A case can be made that either Jefferson or Love -- undeniably good players individually who are still both developing -- would be helped greatly by playing next to a more athletic sidekick no matter what the system.

When we checked it out, though, one source with knowledge of the Wolves' thinking insisted any such rumblings about the centerpiece of Minnesota's Kevin Garnett trade with Boston in July 2007 are off target and Big Al is staying put.

The consistent message out of 'Sota has been that any significant changes are on hold until after this season at the earliest, when the Wolves will rely on a possible $13 million in salary-cap space to console themselves following a painful first season for Rambis and new team president David Kahn.

I can't imagine we have the athletic sidekick they are looking for unless Wilcox's mother works for the T Wolves.

Maybe some sort of 3 way that gets them Randolph and Maggs?

What about RIP and Anthony Randolph to Minny, Jefferson and Maggs here, Daye and Max to GSW?

Would GSW do that to rid themselves of Magg's contract? If not they could acquire the rights to Rubio for a protected first rounder. He's taller and would fit with Ellis and Curry who are both scoring guards.

Jefferson would have to be pretty untradeable though, right?

I seriously doubt Jefferson or Love are really available.

I wouldn't be surprised if Minny is throwing this out there to see what kind of offers they get for either guy.

IF they get an awesome proposal they'd make the deal - but I don't think they'll actually get an awesome proposal...

And so it goes, so it goes, who the fuck really knows?

According to Hoopshype, Caron Butler is on the table for Camby...

Do we have any pieces to get Butler? IF he is available, then I'd love to see him in Pistons colours.

Prince would be the guy to ship for Butler - and give Flip a good soldier.

I can't see Tayshaun trashing Flip behind his back - he doesn't seem like the type.

But Butler doesn't really do much for us.

We either need a legit PG or a legit PF/C type and while we have pieces that should be attractive to a number of teams I seriously doubt Joe Dumars is heating up the phone lines.

I'm guessing he's waiting to see how this streak shakes out before he does anything.

Butler doesn't fill a hole, but he is an upgrade.

Is the upgrade worth trading what could be our most valuable asset?

Or would you prefer we use that asset to fill a major hole?

I have no drama dealing Tayshaun. Jerebko can go back to starting at SF or we can put Daye or even Rip there for all I care.

Whomever we get for Tay would start at PF (Big Ben at C).

Good point, but wouldn't Butler (being an upgrade) be a more valuable trading asset?
I guess it depends what Washington is looking for, maybe a 3way with another team (although noone seems to know what PF to trade for...)

Butler would be an asset, but you couldn't ship him out before the deadline unless he went alone (or something like that. There's a weird rule about trading for a dude then trading him so quickly)

I came up with a list of bigs we may be able to trade for, though it's just my opinion and I came up with it working off these 3 questions:

1 - who would Joe be willing to trade?
2 - who is rumoured to actually be available (Okafor, Dalembert/Brand)?
3 - who might be up for grabs with Joe's package

Then I went through all 29 teams:

(Might be) Available list =

Tyson Chandler
Brad Miller or Tyrus Thomas
Zydrunas Illguaskas
Andreas Biedrins
Troy Murphy or Jeff Foster
Marcus Camby (I doubt Kaman could be had)
Zach Randolph
Emeka Okafor
Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries lol
Elton Brand or Samuel Dalembert
Andreas Nocioni and Kenny Thomas
Chris Bosh (maybe)
Carlos Boozer
Entire Washington Wizards team lol

It's not exactly an all-star crew but there are some quality guys on there that we could actually land for Prince and/or Rip and pieces.

Vecsey's at it again. Kobe, Gasol & Bosh? Holy Fuck.


A Lakers source told me the team had its sights set high, as usual, and planned to target the possible acquisition of Chris Bosh when it got closer to the 3 p.m. Feb. 18 trade deadline, and the Raptors might be more likely to move their Olympian/All-Star while still entitled to compensation.

It commonly is believed Bosh almost certain is to flee Toronto after this season, when he has the right to opt out of the final year ($17.1 million) of his contract.

My source believes the Lakers will offer Andrew Bynum for Bosh (if they haven’t done so already) well before the deadline expires. In itself, the one-for-one swap is impossible to make. Bynum’s “base year” essentially allows L.A. to take back but half of his salary this year ($12.5M). Of course, that restriction is lifted when next year’s salary ($13.7M) activates come July 1, at which time a sign-and-trade transaction would be feasible.

The possibility of such a deal makes sense to me. First of all, Bynum is a legit starting center for the defending champions. He also has three years left on his contract after this one.

As for the Raptors, despite the severe offseason roster renovation, they’re not giving any indication of being more than just a one-and-done playoff group this season and in the foreseeable future.

What’s Bosh’s motivation to stay? Clearly, management’s sense of urgency to protect its principal asset cannot be accentuated enough. If that’s impractical, the organization cannot afford to lose Bosh without receiving equitable compensation.

Asked by e-mail about all of the above and whether the Raptors and Lakers have discussed a Bosh-Bynum proposal, team president Bryan Colangelo, who surely is being contacted on a daily basis regarding the availability of his franchise player — especially when the team was 11-17 — he replied in kind:

“For the record, I am not actively seeking a deal or discussing Bosh with any team, much less the Lakers.

“I haven’t traded him yet and our position has been the same. We will not make a deal just to make a deal. Our intention is to keep him here long term.

“Additionally, I have not yet offered an extension as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James both received [from their respective teams]. So technically he has not said no.

“I honestly don’t think C.B. knows what the future holds, or what he wants to do, so I would say we’re still in the game as far as his pending free agency.”



Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/lakers_deal_for_raptors_star_has_FbaSSsePPGi1gsgGs fES9M#ixzz0cDpyHyP8

Eduardo Najera arrived in New Jersey as the Nets’ top free-agent acquisition in the summer of 2008, and because of a hideous run of injuries — including one that required surgery on his abdomen — he has played a grand total of 523 minutes.

Sean Williams was promoted as the steal of the 2007 draft, drifting all the way down to the Nets at No. 17 despite being the best athlete at his position. And in 2½ years, his dysfunctional marriage with NBA life has justified all those reasons he fell to No. 17 in the first place.

With one easy stroke, the Nets are going to erase those two glaring roster mistakes Sunday, when they send Najera to Dallas for Kris Humphries and waive Williams so they can acquire another lost soul with a familiar name, forward Shawne Williams.

Both moves were nearing completion Saturday, but according to someone close to the negotiations who is not authorized to speak on the moves, it had yet to get full sign-off from incoming Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. That is expected to be a formality. Combined with the Rafer Alston jettison Tuesday, this is essentially a cap-neutral deal, and just another step in the purge of 2009-10.

WOTS is the Twolves offered the Pacers Al Jefferson for Danny Granger. (offer declined)

Tyson Chandler
Brad Miller or Tyrus Thomas
Zydrunas Illguaskas
Andreas Biedrins
Troy Murphy or Jeff Foster
Marcus Camby (I doubt Kaman could be had)
Zach Randolph
Emeka Okafor
Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries lol
Elton Brand or Samuel Dalembert
Andreas Nocioni and Kenny Thomas
Chris Bosh (maybe)
Carlos Boozer
Entire Washington Wizards team lol
The only one I really like there is Biedrins, but I say this having never seen him play - only from what I hear about him. Be interesting to see how he comes back from his injury.

Okafor, Dalembert and Chandler would all be nice, but theyre just too expensive for what they bring, and someone with more offensive potential would be nice.

LAX:

On that list I'd say Okafor is at the top.

I gotta be realistic - Chris Bosh will not be a Piston by the deadline.

After Okafor I'd probably go with Brand, then try to get Camby by offering Prince. I think the Clips are in a bit of a weird situation. They have some quality talent and also have this huge trade chip to possibly add a guy that could push them into the playoffs.

Do they deal him and try for the playoffs next season, or do they save the coin and just let him walk?

So, it's Okafor, Brand, Camby and then maybe Biedrins/Dalembert for me.

IF we deal for Dalembert I'd prefer we dealt Rip, since Sammy's contract expires at the same time Tay's does. Same goes for Tyson Chandler.

IF we deal for a big with a longer contract (Okafor, Brand, Biedrins) I'd prefer we part with Prince since our core would be the Big, Rip, Nova and BG. We'd be capped out, but at least you have your building blocks in place and are just chasing role players (if all goes well)

It's all well and good to trade for any quality big man, but you gotta think about the future, too.

Do you ever think about the future, Marty?

Since the Twolves struck out with Jefferson for Granger, any chance they would want Stuckey or anything else from us?

Take anything.

Because I'd be fine keeping Rip if we moved Stuckey, no way we get equal talent back in a Rip trade anyway.

GD, if Joe hasn't made the phone call by now someone needs to fucking remind him his phone does actually work.

They can have whatever the fuck they want, though I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted Stuckey, Daye and Kwame as the package (if that could get us Jefferson then I'd cream my pants)

That would fix a lot of problems.

Then we could use the MLE on either a starting PG or another big, Mrs. D willing, of course.

Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly will listen to offers for Al Jefferson, could the Pistons be a match? (http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2010/01/minnesota_timberwolves_reporte.html)

Great stuff from Stein this morning, including this.

Read the whole thing if you have the time: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/12166/more-trade-chatter-if-thats-ok


An assumption in circulation all season held that Detroit would try to move Rip Hamilton before any other Piston because there isn't enough room in one rotation for Rip, Ben Gordon and Rodney Stuckey.

The reality is that Tayshaun Prince would appear to be the most likely of Detroit's championship holdovers to be dealt first, since Prince possesses the more cap-friendly contract.

Only one season remains on Prince's deal after this season at $11.1 million. The Pistons, furthermore, also have a few young guys they like (Austin Daye, Jonas Jerebko and DaJuan Summers) who can play some 3.

Matters are complicated by the fact that injuries have limited both Piston mainstays to nine games each this season. But it's clear that the Pistons have to make a move for a true point guard or a dependable big man ... not necessarily to bust out of this 12-game losing streak but for their long-term future.

"I know there are a lot of conversations going on," one source said. "I'm sure Tay's in play."

Thunder looking to make smaller deals? (http://newsok.com/thunder-insider-a-blockbuster-trade-unlikely/article/3431132?custom_click=lead_story_title)


A major acquisition would take away playing time from the Thunder’s young players. The Thunder already doesn’t have enough minutes for D.J. White, Byron Mullens or Kyle Weaver. But that doesn’t mean the Thunder won’t deal a player before the deadline passes. Smaller deals still can be consummated. And, more than any other team, the Thunder is in a great position to pilfer an elite player if the right package is presented. The Thunder has additional assets in two first-round picks, along with expiring contracts to offer as opposed to outright talent. With a handful of franchises annually seeking to creep below the luxury tax threshold, and a few still clearing cap space for the 2010 free agent class, Oklahoma City could find a team willing to give away a big-time talent solely for financial reasons.

:KING:

i still doubt we can get a good starting 5 for Tay&Kwame or sth like that...i believe it when i see it

You probably can't get a good quality starting C for Tay and Kwame but if you threw in Stuckey and Daye you could probably land a very good starting C.

And if you ain't willing to do that then you're fucking crazy.

I'd deal Stuckey and any other player on our roster for Al Jefferson. I'd visit that possiblity first.

After that, I'd see if I could land a halfway decent PG.

you could probably get Calderon, Hinrich, Ridinour and a host of other decent but not great PG's for not that much (probably just expirings).

I don't think they really need a great PG. Just something to get them through the season.

One above average big man and one average PG. That's my wish list for the trade deadline.

Hinrich and Ridinour. If this was 06 I'd be psych'ed.

I don't think they really need a great PG. Just something to get them through the season.

One above average big man and one average PG. That's my wish list for the trade deadline.


Why would you use any trade asset to try and get better for just this season?

This season is over. The focus should be on finding pieces for the next run at being a contender.

who said anything about that?

Those would be pieces for next season.

who said anything about that?

Those would be pieces for next season.


I don't think they really need a great PG. Just something to get them through the season.

yeah. They don't need to be fucking up for another 45 games without a PG. That does none of their younger players any good. Daye and jerebko are not going to get any valuable experience freewheeling it. WHoever they'd get would be available next season as well.

Broussard


+ Having lost 13 straight games, the perimeter-heavy Detroit Pistons would like to get their hands on Carlos Boozer. A Boozer-for-Rip Hamilton trade works, but Utah doesn't want to take back the three years, $38 million remaining on Hamilton's contract, even though he'd made a sweet backcourt mate for Deron Williams.

Boozer for Tayshaun Prince also works financially, but Prince has one more season after this one at $11 million, and the Jazz aren't looking to add salary for next season.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan wants to keep Boozer, who will be a free agent next summer, for the rest of the season, and perhaps beyond. To that end, the Jazz are shopping Andrei Kirilenko with all their might. But good luck with that one. Kirilenko won't have any takers until next season when he's in the last year of his deal.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/12221/caron-butler-on-rockets-wish-list

Why would we want him now? He wouldn't re-sign here.

I suppose we could target Boozer for the sole purpose of clearing Rip or Tay and then try to sign and trade him to Texas or Florida this summer, but there would be a lot of assumptions being made there.

We'd want his expiring deal. I'd do RIP for Boozer in a heartbeat. Then send Wilcox packing with a pick if need be for another expiring. Instant Bosh money. It would also get the rest of the guys used to playing with a legit post player. Boozer would also be a possible S&T chip to Toronto for Bosh (help each other out). I'm betting he goes to Miami, but it doesn't hurt.

But they won't do Boozer for Rip. I haven't thought this through completely so this may be garbage, but what if we took on AK47's deal + Boozer for Rip, Tay & Kwame?

Would they do that?

That would clear about $6-7m in salary (I think) for them next year and help them stay competitve.

Okur
Millsap
Tay
Rip
Deron

We get Boozer's expiring deal, AK for one year and a boatload of cap relief in two years.

I'm doing this from my phone without the benefit of the salary info, so forgive me if my math/numbers are off.

^If that is worthy of discussion, we can split it off to the trade forum. If not, it can die here.

Billups
Rip
Tay
Wallace
Wallace

Turns into

AI
Gordon
AK
CV
Boozer

Man that's shit.

I wouldn't touch AK47 at 17 mil. That doesn't help us get a long term center at all (who's gonna be available the following year?). Only way I take him is if Deron is coming too and that's not going to happen.

After posting in the Draft Re-do thread I'm started to wonder if Joe Dumars had a deal pretty much done with Utah that sent Tay for Boozer and used some of cap space back in July.

Then once Joe found out the Jazz were gonna ship Tay to Portland for nothing (of substance) Joe changed the deal and wanted to include Rip instead in an effort to try and make it a 3-way deal including Portland.

The Jazz got pissed, Portland didn't wanna play and Joe got left with both Rip and Tay on the books even though he used all picks and salary cap space on the assumption one of his perimeter "keys" would be dealt.

Thoughts on my theory?

He did it over here LDB.

Would Prince fit with Spurs?
With two young small forwards waiting in the wings -- Jonas Jerebko (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3998), Austin Daye (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3976) -- it's rumored that the Pistons are actively shopping Tayshaun Prince (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=1724). They'd also perhaps like to deal Richard Hamilton (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=294), but his contract is probably too big for anyone to want to take on.
So where might Prince land? It's not quite ideal, but ESPN's John Hollinger fielded a question today in his chat about the possibility of him being traded to the Spurs. per ESPN

I read a rumor that the Spurs offered Tony Parker to the Hornets for CP3. They wish.

How does Prince fit there with RJ? Haven't seen a Spurs game all year, but I would think they'd rather have a SG (with Manu backing up both guard spots).

lol, the news is some dude asked Holinger a question in a chat?

lol, the news is some dude asked Holinger a question in a chat?


Thank you.

Interesting tidbit from Sam Smith


One GM I was talking to said he believes Houston will hang onto McGrady’s expiring deal and save the money and then extend Yao’s contract at a lower salary next season (Yao can opt out or make $16.38 million next season) and give him extra years. That way Houston would be far enough under the cap to go for a major free agent like the Texas native Bosh.

why would Bosh want to play next to Yao? They don't compliment each other at all.

One is always healthy for the playoffs but never gets in, the other is always in the playoffs but never healthy.

Totally works.

Clever. Except that they'd expect Yao to be healthy or they don't have much of a chance of making the playoffs anyway (with 35 mil tied up in the 4/5 spots alone).

- 10 sense of humor points.

Apparently Chad Ford hinted at a possible Devin Harris for Caron Butler deal.

Wizards going after a PG is LOL funny.

Why would NJ do that? Their goal is to get Lebron. Why would he want to join a team with another scoring wing like that? I would think he'd rather have a defensive minded PG next to him that can also set him up for baskets. They'd have enough cap space after Lebron to still add a shooter next to him.

It does seem odd, maybe there's further explanation in Ford's chat log.

Maybe there's a 3rd team?

Here it is, good read.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/30439

I seriously don't see Lebron leaving the Cavs.
I seriously don't see Wade leaving Miami.

I do see Joe Johnson bolting for MAX money. I have a feeling Atlanta won't offer JJ the full MAX. Don't know why I feel that way - I just do.

And I seriously see Bosh forcing a sign and trade cause the Raptors haven't built a consistent playoff contender around him in 7 years. He's got every right to be pissed

I see Lebron leaving the Cavs only if he joins another star somewhere. He won't go to NY to be on a crappy team.

I agree on the rest.

ford or one of the ESPN writers put it out there today that we could be a possible suitor for rudy gay. they suggested a prince and our unprotected #1 this year for gay. apparently it makes sense for them because they would be getting a solid veteran who (allegedly) brings a defensive presence.

i love rudy gay but not a fan of giving them the #1. maybe a future #1. but we need that pick pretty badly as we're a long way from where we need to be.

doubt it's realistic anyway.

Rudy Gay would be worth an unprotected #1. The odds of that pick turning out as good or better than Rudy Gay are slim.

That said, if we're going to deal our #1, I'd prefer we did it for a big man.

Tons of interesting rumors on HoopsHype today, too many to post.

I would do RIP and a #1 for Gay. Then we'd be a Prince for expiring deal away from Bosh money. I would suspect we could probably get that done by throwing in Daye if need be. A contender might do it straight up.

2011 Rotation:
Stuckey\Bynum
Gordon\Stuckey
Gay\JJ
CV\Max
Bosh\Ben?\Wilcox

rudy is a proven commodity and that pick isn't. but we very badly will need that pick, either to acquire more assets in a trade, or to acquire another young big man in the draft. sure, it a crapshoot but it's better to have it than not.

especially considering we're almost a lock to get a top 5-8 pick at best. with the class that's likely coming out, we most definitely will want a pick to work with.

throwing in daye as well...? no thanks. we're not going to get bosh or any major FAs even if we somehow cleared cap room. we don't have an attractive enough situation yet to do that. our bigs suck dirty sweaty balls, so we need to stockpile as many young assets/picks as we can.

rudy gay is awesome though. really like him.

throwing in daye as well...? no thanks. we're not going to get bosh or any major FAs even if we somehow cleared cap room. we don't have an attractive enough situation yet to do that. our bigs suck dirty sweaty balls, so we need to stockpile as many young assets/picks as we can.


Really? You think Bosh would not sign here with Stuckey/Gordon/Gay/CV next to him? Where is he going to find a better 4 players (on a team with cap space)?

The teams with big cap space are probably only going to have one other star at best, and then try to fill in once they sign a couple big FAs.

I'm ok with dealing Daye or JJ. Just hold on to one, please.

I believe there's a 50/50 chance DaJuan Summers winds up being better than either of them. He's got the mot potential. Realistically, we need to move JJ or Daye eventually.

I'd have to disagree with you there, Kstat.

I think Jerebko is pretty much maxed out. His jumper's going to improve, as will his feel for the NBA game and physical bulk, but he's never going to be more than a hustle guy.

Daye has all the potential in the world on both ends of the floor.

Not that intrigued by Summers. Slow-footed jump-shooter who doesn't have the nose for the ball that Jerebko has.

Summers, if you ask any of the coaches, has the highest ceiling. He's got Jerebko's body and Daye's all-around skills. But he lacks the basketball IQ of either.

Kuester has said the second Summers improves his defense, he's going to play.

True enough. Guess we'll see.

If Daye's ceiling is Rashard Lewis, what exactly is Summers'?

I'd say Caron Butler.

Jerebko?

AK47.

If Daye's ceiling is Rashard Lewis, what exactly is Summers'?
Grant Hill

Jerebko?
Grant Hill

Joe Dumars shouldn't be afraid to use Detroit Pistons' potential lottery pick as trade bait (http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2010/01/should_the_detroit_pistons_con.html)

Haywood for Andre Miller being discussed. I'm guessing that it has a decent chance of happening.

And this is just the Amstel talking, but I could also see Miller going to Orlando as part of a Gortat (and maybe even Jameer) deal.

Jerebko is not turning into Grant Hill or AK47. Well, maybe the current AK47, which would be great IMO. AK47 wouldn't be looked at so poorly if it weren't for his contract.

Summers is not turning into Grant Hill, and especially not Caron Butler by any means. That's just ludicrous. Are we really overvaluing our guys that much?

Daye having Rashard Lewis potential isn't a terrible comparison if he bulks up. He's got the length and he's a shooter for sure. Maybe a poor man's Lewis on offense, but better defensively.

I like Jerebko a lot and I'm damn glad they drafted him, but if he was the next AK47 or Grant Hill, he probably wouldn't have been a mid-2nd rounder. Yes, we've seen guys get drafted late and turn into studs, but we have to be honest here. He's a hustle guy and he's got the potential to be a fantastic hustle guy, but still a hustle guy. Summer's knock is his basketball IQ, and we've seen guys with boatloads of talent that are on the verge of being can't-miss prospects that are out of the league in 5 years because they have low basketball IQ. Gerald Green, anyone?

Lol

Amar'e to the Cavs for Big Z being discussed

Good stuff from Adrian Woj @ Yahoo!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AqLLLn0EZf2Mf8QZKYi3qoC8vLYF?slug=aw-stoudemiresuns012510&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


Suns seeking trade offers for Stoudemire

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
6 hours, 14 minutes ago

After recent discussions with Amar’e Stoudemire’s(notes) agent that didn’t appear to destine a contract extension, the Phoenix Suns have increased their efforts to trade the All-Star forward, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Sunday night.

League executives say the Suns have become more active initiating talks over the past few days, and believe the franchise will take the best offer for Stoudemire before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. The Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets are among multiple teams that have a strong interest in Stoudemire, sources say. The Arizona Republic reported Sunday night that the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have also inquired about Stoudemire.


As they did when shopping Stoudemire last season, the Suns want a combination of young talent, salary-cap relief and draft picks for him. Some teams are hesitant to trade for Stoudemire for fear he won’t want to re-sign with them this summer. The Minnesota Timberwolves lead that group of teams, sources say. The Wolves are mostly eyeing small forwards, including the Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay(notes), the Bulls’ Luol Deng(notes) and the Washington Wizards’ Caron Butler(notes). No one is untouchable on the Wolves roster, sources say.

I was hoping to see "Detroit's Tayshaun Prince" on that list.

Amar'e to the Cavs for Big Z being discussed

Why would the Suns do this?

I would suppose a cookie would be attached.

HOLD IT A GODDAMN MINUTE...

THIS WAS JUST POSTED ON TWITTER BY ADRIAN


Add Detroit to list of teams -- including Chicago, Miami, Phily, NJ --- with interest in doing a deal for Amar'e Stoudemire, sources say.

Why would the Suns do this?

Young player like JJ Hickson included? Reduced buyout for Z?

You could also add every team without a center or PF to the list of teams interested in trading for Amare.

Another big offense, no defense player? At least he'd bring a post presence to the offense.

last I checked, this team was in dire need of offensive players. They have a bunch of no-offense no-defense players right now.

Stoudemire has been inclined to use Pau Gasol’s(notes) three-year, $57 million contract extension as a parameter for negotiations, and more than one league executive believes that circumstances will result in Stoudemire getting richly rewarded this summer.


“Someone will pay him the max – or very close,” one Western Conference executive predicted.

max could be close to 20 mil a year, thats A LOT of money for a guy who had knee, eye injuries and can't play any defense...

also you have to be sure he stays when you deal for him and give up some talent... if he leaves in the summer for nothing that would be terrible

He's not going to get the max. That's just Phoenix's GM setting up an excusable scenario to trade him.

Especially with the cap plummeting, he won't get close to 20 mil. 15 at the most.

Nobody that thinks they have a shot at Lebron will put 20 mil into him either. Plus, you have to think Bosh will get more money.

I think the general belief is that teams that miss out on the biggest names (Lebron, DWade, Bosh) will still end up spending that cap space on someone.

given the shrinking salary cap, I'm not sure teams will have as much to spend anyhow.

I think teams will spend too. But those who feel they have a chance at any of those 3 (NY, NJ, Miami, etc) will not tie up money in an Amare offer if it eliminates them from making the big 3 an offer.

If you are willing to max out Amar'e, then you go ahead and give up Stuckey.

I don't think that Amar'e would turn down a full max contract to take a lesser contract elsewhere. Even if another team were to offer him the max, we could give him more, and it would be significantly more, AFAICT.

Getting a franchise big, any franchise big, is going to require some risk on the part of the Pistons.

It isn't worth giving up Stuckey, who will never command a max contract but could produce as well. Stuckey is a 2-way player. Amare is and will always be an offensive machine that can't play D.

You trade for Amare to pair with Stuckey. Swapping them only bring you back to square one.

Stuckey pairs well with Amare in an up tempo offense. So would BG and Nova. You build around them and whatever young SF you have left after a trade. Fill in the rest with MLE/draft picks going forward.

"amar'e isnt coming here. my source says the 2 teams havent even talked.." ~Matt Dery, 97.1fm The Ticket.

@WojYahooNBA: Cavs have been listening intently to Sixers pitch of Andre Iguodala for several days, sources say.

The Hornets are working to move guard Bobby Brown to get the final $400K or so under the luxury tax threshold, league sources say.

Lots of activity and it will be real interesting to see what Joe can get accomplished.

At this stage I'm guessing we stand pat.

In interviews after the deadline passes Joe will blame injuries for the terrible season and say that there was nothing on the table that improved us long-term - only salary dumps or long-term contracts we didn't want.

The Nets and Pistons appear to be seriously interested in acquiring Amare Stoudemire, while the Cavaliers and Warriors have shown interest but aren't considered likely trade partners.

The Suns would reportedly prefer to clear enough money to re-sign Amare, but "the team is bracing itself for Plan B." It is sounding more and more likely that Stoudemire will finish the season in a different uniform.

I'm picking up Amare to Pistons vibe even from non-Pistons fans. Something about this seems realistic to me, even if the numbers don't.

the Nets have more talent to give up, and if we trade for Amare we have to give up something, if we keep Stuckey, i am almost sure its either Jonas or our pick

Giving the Suns Devin Harris as Nash's eventual replacement is interesting, but they would really be banking on getting John Wall.

But Lopez/Amar'e/Wall is pretty intriguing, and they'd even have enough to add another premier FA to that group.

the Nets have more talent to give up, and if we trade for Amare we have to give up something, if we keep Stuckey, i am almost sure its either Jonas or our pick


Not couting Yi (and I'm not), they have Lopez (who they aren't dealing) and Harris (who makes 9 mil per for 4 years). Not sure if they have more or not.

The Nets may not be as apt to trade though since they'll have the option of standing pat and just signing big FA's at the end of the year. They may feel the have a realistic chance of landing some then. Plus, getting Amare now makes them a better team now, and their pick worse.

Plus, would Amare simply opt out on them anyway unless he knew someone else would sign there? I doubt he wants to stay there with no decent wing scorer (he'd be better off staying with the Suns).

The potential selling the team might complicate whatever moves Dumars wants to make, or may have wanted to make in the past.

a drawing-card star like Amare might make the team more attractive to a potential buyer.

Is he a draw? Sorry, dad-type question. Do the kids like him?

He's popular enough to be the starting center in the all-star game by a landslide margin every year.

Well, that means he's more popular than Bynum and Nene.

I don't see his jersey on the list. Not sure if paying him 20 million a year would be seen as an investment.

He's popular enough to be the starting center in the all-star game by a landslide margin every year.

Not in the East though.

I don't consider Amare a "franchise" player but given our situation we should be in on this.

IF a deal does go down I'd be very interested to see what Phoenix can get for their soon to be free agent.

Cause if they complete a deal a week before the deadline does that give Toronto hope that they can get a "good" deal for Bosh?

Boozer got hurt last night, not sure how seriously.

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/01/27/hamilton-could-be-next-piston-from-glory-years-to-go/


Look for Hamilton to be the next to go. A source close to the situation told FanHouse the Pistons are committed to trading the three-time All-Star guard by next summer. He could be moved by the Feb. 18 trade deadline, but if no suitable deal surfaces it would be a priority during the offseason.


Injuries have been a factor, but don't go overboard in blaming Detroit's lousy record on that. The Pistons are 1-11 this season when Prince plays, 7-18 when Gordon does and 6-11 with Hamilton.

Dumars has lost some luster in Detroit, but he's sure loved in Denver. If the Nuggets win a title, he ought to be voted a playoff share.

In 2003, Dumars passed over Carmelo Anthony, now a Nuggets star forward, with the No. 2 pick to take Darko Milicic. There was the gift of Billups, which got Denver's Mark Warkentien an Executive of the Year trophy. Then Warkentien had another Detroit heist last summer, getting Afflalo, who entered Wednesday averaging 21.5 points and shooting 11-of-16 on three-pointers in his last two games, for next to nothing.


Hamilton's contract will be very hard to move. Hamilton, who turns 32 next month, has three more years left after this one at a total of $34 million.

Just in case you're wondering, the Nuggets aren't interested in acquiring Hamilton.

the arrogance of Denver writers is astonishing. As cocky and condescending as any group that has never come close to winning anything.

We said the same about Ainge when we won it.

Dumars has helped them greatly.

We said the same about Ainge when we won it.

Dumars has helped them greatly.

He actually has a family history of doing that.

Hinrich to the Lakers for expirings (vujacic/morrison) being discussed.

That would put the Bulls in position to make a run at Wade or Bosh this summer.

The only consolation for me right now is that with all this trade talk no major deals have actually happened.

It doesn't take a genius to see where the majority of the free agents are gonna sign. Only NY, NJ and MIA are gonna want to spend big bucks.

IF the Bulls end up with enough money for Bosh that will be fucked.

Potentially that's 4 Eastern Conference teams adding some serious talent while we sit back and add a rookie and MAYBE use the MLE.

"That's gonna put butts in seats"?

Wizards asked for Fernandez and Batum in exchange for Haywood.

that's fair.

Pacers asked for Z, Hickson and multiple draft picks in exchange for Troy Murphy: http://bit.ly/aWygsI

That sounds like they are trying not to trade him.

I swear, I thought I read something along the lines of "Pacers asking too much for Murphy."

not the case at all here...

Cuntastic updates


Tom (NJ)
Any deals for the Nets? give a guy some hope leading to 2010/11.....

John Hollinger (2:41 PM)
They're the leading suitor for Amare Stoudemire, and if they pick him up I think they can probably get to 10 wins.


Joel (Grand Rapids)
Your are as close to an NBA fortune teller as I know. Please tell me what Pistons players will be gone on Feb 18th???

John Hollinger (2:50 PM)
Tayshaun. One other one to look at: Kwame Brown. Serviceable big man on an expiring deal. Could see some action there.


Adam (East Lansing, MI)
Combining the rumor on insider of Tayshaun for Boozer and the Possible deal you posted for the Pistons regarding Amare for Villanueva/Brown/Wilcox, it works in a 3-team deal for the Piston, what is the likelihood of one or either of those 2 deals coming to fruition?

John Hollinger (2:53 PM)
I can't see Tayshaun landing in Utah because he has a year left at $11 million after this one and would put Jazz back into the deep tax hole that they're trying so hard to avoid.

Whole thing: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/30640/nba-with-john-hollinger

Someone on Mlive is claiming that Hollinger suggested that the Pistons might be looking Amar'e for CV/Kwame/Wilcox but I can't find any such suggestion.

I would do that in a second. CV is ok, Amare is better.

I would do that in a second. CV is ok, Amare is better.
Makes us super thin at PF, but i'd take some random FA chillin on the side with Stoudy as starter with Wallace for sure. Of course Having CV and Stoudy would be great, though financially probably not likely.

We said the same about Ainge when we won it.

Dumars has helped them greatly.
Luckily we gave them Billups "of late" playoff choke skills to hold them back from overthrowing the Lakers.

Makes us super thin at PF, but i'd take some random FA chillin on the side with Stoudy as starter with Wallace for sure. Of course Having CV and Stoudy would be great, though financially probably not likely.

I would assume we draft Favors or another PF. You could also move Tay for a solid big with a longer contract (a Chandler type of player). Or move RIP for Brand maybe. Point is that filling the PF spot with a solid big is easier than finding a star center for sure.

I would assume we draft Favors or another PF. You could also move Tay for a solid big with a longer contract (a Chandler type of player). Or move RIP for Brand maybe. Point is that filling the PF spot with a solid big is easier than finding a star center for sure.
Quality PFs & SGs... the easiest positions to fill
Eminem... you only got one shot.

Or you could simply have this rotation of bigs:

C: Big Ben 28/Amare/20

F: Amare 14/Maxiell 16/Jerebko 18

That covers the PF/C spots for the remainder of the season. Jerebko might not be an awesome PF but fuck it - boy has gotta learn.

SF: Tay can log whatever he can with Rip, Daye and Summers filling in

SG: Rip and BG have this on lockdown

PG: Stuckey and Bynum have this on lockdown

I seriously doubt Phoenix do that CV/Kwame/Wilcox deal without getting at least one of our pick/Daye/Stuckey/Jerebko/Summers though.

Why would they? Surely Amare is worth at least ONE young piece...

Dealing for him might be a risk, but it's a risk we have to take. Without a quality big man we're not causing any drama for anyone any time soon.

I doubt that anyone touches Wilcox at all. He's certain to exercise his $3m option for next year, and he can't even contribute on a team starved for solid big man minutes. Giving that guy a penny over the vet's min was a mistake, a mistake that was further compounded by giving him that 2nd year option.


Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

And that's without even considering that we gave Afflalo away to make room for him.

Dumb x4.

Dude, we gotta thread for me to rant abut Double A/Wilcox.

We don't need another

:stein:


Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala and Caron Butler continue to be the three swingmen most frequently linked with Mark Cuban's trade-seeking Mavericks, who have been stonewalled in their attempts to pry Martin away from Sacramento and thus have not ruled out a move for Butler.

Sources say that Washington and Dallas have maintained a Butler dialogue while the Wizards also continue talks with Houston in a larger deal for Tracy McGrady.

As stated previously in this cyberspace, Martin tops the Mavs' list in their search for a dependable second scorer to flank Dirk Nowitzki. Sources say, however, that Dallas would likely have to recruit a third team to present the quality big man presumably needed to prompt the Kings to alter their thinking.

The Wiz and Mavs, meanwhile, have discussed a deal that would swap Josh Howard and one other player (such as James Singleton or Quinton Ross) for Butler and DeShawn Stevenson. But Dallas has little interest in taking back Stevenson and is still weighing whether Butler can help pull the All-Star Weekend hosts out of a spiral that has been openly addressed this week (see Box 4) by Mark Cuban.

"We're just in a funk right now," Cuban said Wednesday night, publicly acknowledging his desire to make a move just a week before much of the league descends upon Big D.

As for a Wizards-Rockets deal, one source with knowledge of the talks says the obstacles preventing the teams from closing in on a McGrady deal haven't changed much. The Wizards are believed to be willing to surrender coveted center Brendan Haywood along with Butler but want a player from Houston's scrappy core -- such as Luis Scola, Carl Landry or Shane Battier -- that the Rockets aren't willing to surrender in addition to McGrady's $22.5 million expiring contract.

As my ESPN.com colleague Chad Ford wrote Thursday, Washington's preference is moving Butler ahead of team statesman Antawn Jamison, who has been chased hard by Cleveland since last season and with particular vigor since the Cavs lost out to Charlotte in the trade race to acquire Stephen Jackson.

The latest chatter involving the Spurs comes courtesy of Sacramento Kings television broadcaster Jerry Reynolds, who doubles as that team's director of player personnel.

Citing an unidentified source, Reynolds said during the broadcast of Wednesday's Spurs-Kings game that the Spurs were in the process of completing a trade that would bring a backup point guard and a forward to San Antonio.

That rumor could not be independently corroborated Thursday, and all Spurs players were in uniform against the Blazers.

Gotta love the director of player personnel doubling as a broadcaster.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Popovich_wont_hold_his_breath_on_a_trade.html

Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see CDR traded to the Grizzlies.

It just makes too much sense.

Who cares about other teams?

Joe needs to do something, anything.

A salary dump or a blockbuster add - either way he's gotta pick a path and walk it.

why would the spurs need another PG? parker is just getting healthy and their young backup, hill, is a real nice player.

Ben (Kalamazoo, Mich.): What do you think is the most plausible move the Pistons could make before the trade deadline?

Langlois: It’s been widely speculated that Tayshaun Prince is the Piston most likely to be involved in a trade-deadline deal. I agree to this extent: If the Pistons make a headline-grabbing trade, Prince is likeliest to be at the center of it. But it would surprise me less if, say, Kwame Brown got traded, simply because it’s a lot easier to move a modest, expiring contract. There are teams in the West who could use Brown, especially if they should run into the Lakers in the playoffs. Portland, Denver, Oklahoma City and Utah are all teams who might have interest in a 7-footer who is known as a stout defender and solid rebounder. Brown’s expiring contract would be additionally attractive. Ideally, Joe Dumars in such a deal would get back a young player who isn’t critical to his trade partner’s playoff push this season but has long-range potential. If Prince, indeed, is the one traded, there are two possibilities: that the Pistons get back a good player with more than the one year remaining on his deal who fits the long-term plan here, or the Pistons essentially trade Prince for expiring contracts and future payroll flexibility. I’m sure the first option is Joe D’s first preference. If push came to shove, would he do a deal where the primary takeback was cap space? We’ll find out in 10 days.

Iggy/Sam for Amar'e/Barbosa is apparently getting serious. Jrich could get in there instead of Barbi, too.

Amar'e and Brand together?

I smell a Knee-on-Knee collision going for a board/block.

Possibilities with Philadelphia could be stronger with two fronts, a deal between bringing in swingman Andre Iguodala for Stoudemire with perhaps young power forward Marreese Speights or a three-way deal involving Detroit with Pistons guard Ben Gordon winding up in Philadelphia and the Suns getting Iguodala and Detroit power forward Chris Wilcox.
Sounds shitty for philly (unless unloading iggy is considered hot shit around here). Dont know if this is plausible.

http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2010/2/8/1301806/two-new-interesting-trade

Fuck Philly

Here's the deal that is being rumored/speculated on. (link via Mlive)

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ylz87xz


The Pistons would have to include another player, likely Kwame Brown, to make the deal work. Using ESPN.com's trade machine a potential trade would look something like this (link above).

On the surface the talks don't make much sense.

Stuck in mediocrity, Philadelphia has come to the realization Iguodala is not the type of player to build around, and the team is looking to unload his massive six-year, $80 million contract before the deadline. But taking on Ben Gordon's equally lengthy contract, for a savings of essentially $2 million per season, hardly makes sense.

Iguodala would likely flourish in Phoenix. His athleticism, and ability to run the court, would mesh well with the Suns' high-octane offense. With his well-rounded skill set he'd fill up stat sheets the way Shawn Marion did for nearly a decade in the desert.

It's not hard to imagine Wilcox finding success in Phoenix as well. He's an athletic big man who makes intelligent cuts to the basket in half-court sets. With Steve Nash feeding him passes in the lane, Wilcox would post double-digit scoring performances on a semi-regular basis.

No question the biggest winners in this hypothetical trade would be the Pistons. Not only would general manager Joe Dumars be able to hit the reset button on the long-term contract that hasn't exactly worked out, but he would acquire a much-needed post-scoring threat in Stoudemire.

Yes, there's a distinct possibility that Stoudemire leaves in free agency after this season, but getting out from under Gordon's contract would still make this trade a no-brainer.

Plus, after gauging the market, Stoudemire might not opt out of his contract. In that case, he could be a major commodity at the trading deadline next season.

http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2010/02/ben_gordon_mentioned_in_possib.html

I would do it for sure. I'm not sure he opts out unless he really thinks he could join James in NY or something. Even if he does, we'd have some space to sign a guy like Lee. We'd still need another player up front, but would have our draft pick to try and address that.

Tayshaun Prince says he'd like to stay with Pistons (http://www.freep.com/article/20100209/SPORTS03/100209024/1051/rss16)

That trade would be the single best thing the Pistons could do the offseason. Get rid of all the money we spent on a redundant position (even though I like Ben G) and actually spending it up front. Actually I like this deal for Phoenix as well, assuming Speights went their way. If he came our way, it would be landslide in our favor. Get er done Joe.

Big Baby for DJ Augustin being discussed.

Terry Foster says, no-way-jose:

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100209/OPINION03/2090414/1127/sports0102/Pistons--Ben-Gordon-for-Amare-Stoudemire?-No-truth-to-that-rumor


If you can get Stoudemire for Gordon, you go for it. But this sounds too much like those old Lindsey Hunter and Terry Mills for David Robinson trade rumors that used to run rampant around here.

well, he's comparing Lindsey Hunter to Ben Gordon and Amare Stoudemire to David Robinson. Neither one is close to being accurate.

I'll believe it isnt possible when I see something that isn't an opinion. At least the rumors were based off inside information.

And I would have made a Hunter and Mills for Drob trade every day of the week too. Whether or not the rumor is legit, who knows? But if it is you make that deal.

Knicks discuss deal for T-Mac (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AgfXRYCfoTmycZcwnaSBCkm8vLYF?slug=ys-mcgradyrockets020910&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

Seeing some "Sheed to Charlotte" rumors.

A reunion with LB?

Who would Boston get?

Prolly DJ Augustin or something.

Anyways, so I wake up this morning and I think to myself, "self, this would be a good day to trade Tayshaun".

He'd have a few days to get a few bags packed, catch a plane and get himself an apartment. And he's coming off a good game.

I think there's a good chance when he goes, he goes to the Clippers. We could even send them Kwame in a package for Camby and some other expirings and maybe a pick.

Of course, we'd let them all walk after the season for payroll relief.

Dude, the Camby thing is just too obvious IMO.

Clips get a good SF to team with Kaman, Griffin, EG and the Baron next season... they could be decent lol

We clear some space, although probably not enough to sign a guy like David Lee. Probably only get us slightly more than the MLE.

Tay for an expiring would give us Lee space most likely. Not enough for Bosh or Amare though. I would do it though.

I think our best bet with Kwame will be to move him to a team in the big FA hunt. Get them another 4 mil in cap space and maybe we get a pick out of it.

I think our best bet with Kwame will be to move him to a team in the big FA hunt. Get them another 4 mil in cap space and maybe we get a pick out of it.

What other teams have cap room to take on Kwame in exchange for only a pick?

More likely we deal Kwame for a player whose deal expires in 10/11... possibly snagging a pick in the process.

Exactly. I'm assuming we get a deal with 1 year left on it, possibly 2 if the pick is good enough.

It doesn't hurt to take on a small deal for a year if you won't have space anyway.

The Cleveland Plain dealer is reporting the Cavs, Rockets & Pistons are in discussions on a deal.

"However, the Cavs have intensified trade talks over the past several days and have been making progress, according to sources.

Several sources said the Cavs have included the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons in their conversations, possibly in an attempt to set up three-team deals. The Cavs' major targets are still believed to be forwards Antawn Jamison and Troy Murphy. But they also have had conversations about shooting guards and the talks with the Pistons could involve Richard Hamilton, who has been made available in recent weeks."

realcavsfans are having a field day with that rumor

Rip, Tay and Nova all make some kind of sense for the Cavs.

Rip is that real scoring option they could use at SG. Parker and Gibson (and West?) aren't even in the same zip code as Rip. And Rip's ability to play off the ball can't be under-estimated.

Tay? He'd be a quality wing defender for them. Who plays the "stopper" role for them now? Parker? Moon?

Nova obviously is the outside shooting big man they've been trying to get all season.

But who do the Cavs have that we would want or is it just gonna be a salary dump? Not sure I want their first rounder - way too late IMO.

They can have any of those 3 as far as I care, as long as we get their expirings and a young talent like JJ Hickson.

The pessimist in me thinks we'll probably end up with a re-signed Wally Sczerbiak, because Joe loves the 3 ball.

But if it's Wally is he expiring?

How can he be re-signed to a massive 1 year contract and traded for someone?

Couldn't they get "anyone" with Wally if that was the case?

Remember the Keith Van Horn deal?

I'd piss on any deal that helped the Cavs win a title.