ESPN NBA Insider - 7/14/04

[삭2009]

드디어 샤크가 동부로 갔습니다.

샤크가 동부로 갔다.

더 이상 코비(라고 쓰고 대재앙이라고 읽는다)와 짝을 이룬 그를 플오에서 볼일이 없다.

흐흐.....

흐흐흐........

흐흐흐흐...............

흐하하하하하하하하하하하하하

이보다 더 기쁜일이 어디있겠는가!!!!!!!

(현재 기쁨과 그동안의 악몽들이 뒤섞인 눈물을 흘리는중....)

트레이드가 실제로 되고나니 새삼스럽게 제가 저 콤비한테 많은 두려움을 가지고 있었다는 사실을 깨달았습니다. -_-;;;;;

 

 

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

Midnight came and went Tuesday, and Kobe Bryant remained uncommitted to anyone but himself.

Kenyon Martin, meanwhile, was holding a $23.5 million lottery ticket. The Detroit Pistons and Rasheed Wallace were inching toward an agreement (despite earlier reports they already had agreed). The infamous Carlos Boozer quietly signed his six-year, $68 million offer sheet with the Utah Jazz.

But the two most important players in the news were Melvin Ely and Eddie House, hurriedly traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats once the NBA's salary cap was set a few million dollars lower than anticipated.

Here's a quick look at what did (and didn't) go down as Tuesday rolled into Wednesday ...


Kobe a Clipper?

Neither the Lakers or the Clippers announced the signing of Kobe Bryant. However a small, seemingly meaningless trade raised more than a few eyebrows among folks searching for signs of which way Kobe might be leaning.
Melvin Ely
Forward-Center
Los Angeles Clippers
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
42 3.7 2.4 0.5 .431 .595


The Clippers quietly agreed to trade forward Melvin Ely and guard Eddie House to the Bobcats for future second-round draft picks.

Insider reported earlier Tuesday that, given the lower than expected salary cap, the Clippers would have to move Ely and House's salaries to get far enough under the cap to offer Bryant a six-year, $106.3 million deal -- the most any team (other than the Lakers) can offer.

The fact they did it so quickly has to make you wonder -- do they know something? Neither Ely or House were essential players for the Clippers, meaning the team could be moving them just as a precaution. What's the real loss? But look at it this way: Ely is a former lottery pick who stands 6-foot-11 and can play center; you have to believe he could bring a lot more on the open market than a second-round pick.

Did the Clippers need to unload Ely and House in a hurry? There is only one free agent who could command more than the $11.6 million in cap room the team already had.

Quentin Richardson
Shooting Guard
Los Angeles Clippers
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
65 17.2 6.4 2.1 .398 .740


There were other signs early Wednesday that the Clippers could be closer to landing Kobe. Two league sources, one affiliated with the Clips, claimed to be confident, after Monday night's meeting with Kobe, that the team was the favorite to land him.

Meanwhile, another league source was confident the Clippers weren't going to match the Suns' offer sheet to Quentin Richardson. Given the smaller-than-expected salary cap, the Suns aren't going to be able to offer much more than the mid-level to Richardson. Why wouldn't the Clippers match? Perhaps, Kobe would be taking up L.A.'s cap room?

Unfortunately, all we have now are signs and speculation. Kobe is not talking, and his agent declined comment Tuesday night. The Clippers aren't talking, nor are the Lakers, who also are privately confident Kobe will pick them.

And despite all those signs, you've got to believe that all the Lakers' maneuverings and contortions to keep Kobe have them in the lead. There's also the little issue of money -- the Lakers can offer an additional year and $30 million more in guaranteed money than can their Staples Center rival.


What happened to the Shaq trade

Did the Shaquille O'Neal-to-Miami deal really hit a snag?
Lamar Odom
Forward
Miami Heat
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
80 17.1 9.7 4.1 .430 .742


According to sources, concerns about Lamar Odom's trade kicker are trivial. He's due $7.5 million in a lump sum once he's traded. Every NBA team has access to every NBA player's contract details, and given how common trade kickers are these days, it's just not a show-stopper. The Heat can kick in $3 million to cover some of the cost. They'll sell that in season tickets in the first five minutes the minute Shaq comes aboard, if they haven't already.

Both teams were progressing toward making an announcement on the trade as early as today. However, there is an interesting conspiracy theory floating around the league.

Did the Lakers leak information about the Odom trade kicker in an effort to stall the deal long enough to see what Bryant plans to do? Obviously the O'Neal trade makes much less sense if Bryant leaves the Lakers.

It's been speculated that it was Bryant, wearing his GM hat, who lobbied for, and approved, the O'Neal trade to Miami. But with owner Jerry Buss claiming he didn't consult Bryant on the trade, was the speculation off target? Buss would have to be crazy not to talk to Bryant first.


Boozer signs with Utah

Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor slept like a baby Tuesday night.
League sources said that Boozer was in Utah Tuesday night and officially signed the Jazz's six-year, $68 million offer sheet.

With all the rhetoric flying around the Boozer situation, there had been some concern he could change his mind and head back to Cleveland. Now that he has signed the offer, the Cavaliers have until July 29 to match it. Will they?

Sources in Cleveland say it's very unlikely. Owner Gordon Gund and GM Jim Paxson made a late push to convince Boozer to stay but seem resigned to the fact he's gone. A statement claiming the team has moved on could come as early as Wednesday.


Kenyon's $15 million bonus

Kenyon Martin
Power Forward
New Jersey Nets
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
65 16.7 9.5 2.5 .488 .684


Sign-and-trade talks between the Nuggets and Nets broke down Tuesday afternoon, and Denver essentially was forced to take it's "last resort" position -- sign Kenyon Martin to an offer sheet.
It came as no surprise their offer was front-loaded with a $15 million signing bonus. The Nuggets offered a similar bonus to Andre Miller last year in an effort to discourage the Clippers from matching. GM Kiki Vandeweghe has been stressing for days that if the Nuggets made an offer, they'd try to make it as difficult as possible for the Nets to match.

With that said, Nuggets sources believe New Jersey is going to match the offer -- $15 million signing bonus or not. Martin's cap number is unaffected by the bonus. Signing bonuses are pretty rare in the NBA, and they're fairly complicated to figure. Essentially NBA teams are allowed to give a player a one-time signing bonus of up to 25 percent of the total value of the contract.

How did the Nuggets figure that into their offer to Martin? The maximum Martin can make on a six-year contract is $82.3 million. If there was no bonus, he could have a starting salary of up to $10.97 million next year. For simplicity's sake, round up to $11 million. Factoring in the pro-rated portion of the the $15 million bonus ($2.5 million per year) however, reduces the actual salary figure to $8.5 million.

Here's how the numbers would break down for cap purposes:
Year 1: $8.5 million + $2.5 million = $11 million cap number
Year 2: $9.35 million + $2.5 million = $11.85 million
Year 3: $10.15 million + $2.5 million = $12.55 million
Year 4: $10.9 million + $2.5 million = $13.4 million
Year 5: $11.75 million + $2.5 million = $14.25 million
Year 6: $12.6 million + $2.5 million = $15.1 million

The downside of bonuses is that the total contract actually comes out a little lower than the max contract Martin could get without a signing bonus. In this example, Martin's deal is actually six years for $78.1 million. Why? Because the 10 percent annual increases are based only on the first-year salary. If that number is $8.5 million, he gets an $850,000 raise each year. Had Martin chosen to forego the bonus, his first-year salary would've been roughly $11 million, making the annual raises $1.1 million and bringing the total value to $82.3 million over six years.

The trade-off for Martin in taking a $78.1 million deal over an $82.3 million deal? While the bonus is pro-rated for cap purposes over six years, Martin gets the entire $15 million up front. That makes his total first-year compensation $23.5 million -- $8.5 million starting salary plus the $15 million bonus. In year two, however, Nets owner Bruce Ratner will owe Martin only $9.35 million.

If a team can absorb the huge, up-front bonus payment, it actually saves money in year two and beyond.

Nets GM Rod Thorn took a hard line in trade negotiations, indicating to the Nuggets he wasn't giving up Martin for nothing or very little in return.

So why did the Nuggets sign Martin? Because he had an offer on the table from Atlanta, and the Nuggets chose to honor their commitment. Unfortunately for Denver, if the Nets do match K-Mart's offer, they likely won't do so before July 29. By then, all of the other top free agents will be off the market and the Nuggets will be forced to either stand pat for a year or try to add players via trades.


Pistons, Sheed still talking

Reports Tuesday claiming Rasheed Wallace already had agreed to a contract with the Pistons were inaccurate. The two sides are still negotiating, but they haven't come to a deal yet.
What's the hold-up? With salaries rising exponentially over the past two weeks, the Pistons had to revise their offer to Wallace to make it more in line with what the open market has been dictating. Pistons sources claim they're "close" to a deal and are confident something will be done shortly.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

---------------------------------------

Wednesday, July 14 Updated 3:14 PM EST


Clippers clearing cap room for Kobe?

WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Kobe Bryant
Lakers

Lakers
Clippers


Jul. 14 - The Clippers quietly agreed to trade forward Melvin Ely and guard Eddie House to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats for future second-round draft picks Tuesday night.
Insider reported earlier Tuesday that, given the lower than expected salary cap, the Clippers would have to move Ely and House's salaries to get far enough under the cap to offer Bryant a six-year, $106.3 million deal -- the most any team (other than the Lakers) can offer.

The fact they did it so quickly has to make you wonder -- do they know something we don't? There were other signs early Wednesday that the Clippers could be close to landing Kobe. Two league sources, one affiliated with the Clips, claimed to be confident, after Monday night's tryst with Kobe, that the team was the favorite to land him.

Two, another league source was very confident the Clippers weren't going to match the Suns' offer sheet to Quentin Richardson. Given the smaller-than-expected salary cap, the Suns aren't going to be able to offer much more than the mid-level to Richardson. Why wouldn't the Clippers match? Unless, perhaps, Kobe would be taking up L.A.'s cap room ...

Unfortunately, all we have now are signs and speculation. Kobe is not talking, and his agent declined comment Tuesday night. The Clippers aren't talking, nor are the Lakers, who also are privately confident Kobe will pick them.

And despite all those signs, you've got to believe that all the Lakers' maneuverings and contortions to keep Kobe have them in the lead. There's also the little issue of money -- the Lakers can offer an additional year and $30 million more in guaranteed money than can their Staples Center rival.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Kenyon Martin
Nets
Nets
Nuggets
Hawks Jul. 14 - Sign-and-trade talks between the Nuggets and Nets broke down Tuesday afternoon, and Denver essentially was forced to take it's "last resort" position -- sign Kenyon Martin to an offer sheet.
It came as no surprise their offer was front-loaded with a $15 million signing bonus. The Nuggets offered a similar bonus to Andre Miller last year in an effort to discourage the Clippers from matching. Kiki Vandeweghe has been stressing for days that if the Nuggets made an offer, they'd try to make it as difficult as possible for the Nets to match.

With that said, Nuggets sources believe New Jersey is going to match the offer -- $15 million signing bonus or not. Believe it or not, Martin's cap number is unaffected by the bonus.

Unfortunately for Denver, if the Nets do match K-Mart's offer, they won't do it before July 29. By then, all of the other top free agents will be off the market and the Nuggets will be forced to either stand pat for a year or try to add players via trades.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Rasheed Wallace
Pistons
Pistons
Knicks
Sixers Jul. 14 - Media reports Tuesday claiming Rasheed Wallace already had agreed to a contract with the Pistons were inaccurate. The two sides are still negotiating, but they haven't come to a deal yet.
What's the hold-up? With salaries rising exponentially over the past two weeks, the Pistons had to revise their offer to 'Sheed to it more in line with what the open market has been dictating. Pistons sources claim they're "close" to a deal and are confident something will be done shortly.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Vince Carter
Raptors
Mavericks Jul. 14 - The Fort Worth Star Telegram is reporting that the Mavericks are engineering a complicated three-team trade that would bring Carter to Dallas and send Antoine Walker to New York. The Knicks would send Shandon Anderson, Dikembe Mutombo and Kurt Thomas to Toronto.
Carter has repeatedly voiced his unhappiness with his current franchise, and the Raptors may be forced to make some move in the near future. However, the Toronto Star reports that Carter would be willing to remain in Toronto if the team gets rid of key members of its front office.

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," Nav Bhatia, a Carter confidant, said. "Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie. He has problems with Jack McCloskey and Jim Kelly, too."

The Star Telegram is quick to note that this deal is far from complete and could unravel or change at any time. The Golden State Warriors have also been mentioned with free-agent center Erick Dampier involved.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Shawn Marion
Suns
Hornets? Jul. 14 - The Suns may have added Steve Nash and signed Quentin Richardson to an offer sheet, but they're just getting started. At least one paper in the Phoenix is saying that the team will now send Shawn Marion packing in exchange for a big man.
The Suns, say the East Valley Tribune, don't want a high-scoring lineup with undersized Amare Stoudemire at center and Marion at power forward. They'd rather have Stoudemire at power forward and bring in a legit center. The article goes on to state without any quotes that their target could be Jamaal Magloire of the New Orleans Hornets, who have lost their all-star small forward, Jamal Mashburn.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Erick Dampier
Warriors
Grizzlies
Pacers
Hawks Jul. 14 - With the Warriors unwilling to work out a sign-and-trade with the Grizzlies for Dampier, new teams are surfacing in the race for the center's services. The Indianapolis Star reports that the Pacers are actively pursuing Dampier and are willing to wait out all other offers to put together a package that would appease both the Warriors and the center.
"The end of the period is when you go to training camp," CEO Donnie Walsh said. "Do the (free agent) players run out? Yeah, but that doesn't mean you don't still look for trades." The only other team with cap space believed to be pursuing Dampier is the Atlanta Hawks.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Allan Houston
Knicks
? Jul. 14 - Leaving Allan Houston exposed in the expansion draft is one thing. But openly courting Jamal Crawford, who plays the same position as Houston, is another. And the New York Daily News says that these moves could pave the way for Houston leaving New York.
"I can't control who comes," said Houston. "The decision to leave me unprotected was a decision Isiah made in assuming that they wouldn't have the money to do that. I don't take offense to any of that. I don't think I have room in my mind to think about anything else. I'm so focused on being healthy and being the best I've ever been that I don't even have room in my mind to think about Crawford or expansion. I had to be told that Shaq got traded. I don't have a lot of room in my head to put too much in there."

------------------------------------

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider

Last season about this time, I was leading the chorus that claimed the Milwaukee Bucks were going to be the worst team in the East.

Summer Blueprints
What will your team be up to this summer? NBA Insider Chad Ford breaks it down


Toronto Raptors

Minnesota Timberwolves

Miami Heat

Detroit Pistons

Indiana Pacers

New Jersey Nets

Memphis Grizzlies

New York Knicks

Denver Nuggets

San Antonio Spurs

Dallas Mavericks

Houston Rockets

Charlotte Bobcats

L.A. Lakers

Sacramento Kings

Utah Jazz

Philadelphia 76ers

Atlanta Hawks

Washington Wizards

Phoenix Suns

Cleveland Cavaliers

Seattle SuperSonics

Chicago Bulls

Golden State Warriors

Los Angeles Clippers

Orlando Magic

Boston Celtics

Portland Trail Blazers



They had a rookie point guard, a second-round pick playing the two, an undersized two guard at the three, an underachieving, overpaid big man who thinks he's a shooting guard at the four, and Daniel Santiago and Joel Przybilla in the middle.

The Bucks' lineup didn't exactly instill confidence.

So when Milwaukee started rolling over everyone early in the season, the head scratching eventually turned into appreciation. The Bucks weren't pretty, but they played the game the right way. Given the talent erosion in the league, the Bucks and Jazz proved that heart was enough to win basketball games.

Guiding the turnaround were Bucks GM Larry Harris and coach Terry Porter. Harris had suffered as assistant GM through the team's Big Three era. The only thing bigger than Glenn Robinson, Sam Cassell and Ray Allen's bank accounts during their stint in Milwaukee were their egos.

The old Bucks had star power, but no fire. The new Bucks, Harris envisioned, would play like an inferno, but at only a fraction of the cost.

The team caught everyone by surprise, and had rookie point guard T. J. Ford remained healthy, Milwaukee had a good shot at the No. 4 playoff seed in the East.

Can the team duplicate its success this year, or were the Bucks a one-hit wonder?

Here's a look at what to expect as Insider continues its summer blueprint series.


Bucks Summer Blueprint
DRAFT: The Bucks didn't have a first-round pick this year. Their pick, which the Hawks used to select Josh Smith, originally was traded away in a series of deals that led to then-coach George Karl getting Anthony Mason. Ugh.

The Bucks have a history of trading their first-rounders. This year they went one better, sending their second-round pick to the expansion Charlotte Bobcats in return for Georgian center Zaur Pachulia. Pachulia averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds last season for Orlando, but many scouts feel he could have a bright future in the league.

"One of the areas we wanted to address this offseason was adding depth to our frontcourt positions," Bucks GM Harris said. "We feel the addition of Pachulia helps us in that pursuit. He's a young player at 20 but has already played five years of professional basketball between the NBA and internationally. We've tracked his progress over the years and like his size and toughness. We look forward to having him in Milwaukee."

FREE AGENCY: The team has two significant free agents -- Toni Kukoc and Brian Skinner -- and it appears that they won't re-sign either. Skinner, who opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent, agreed to a five-year, $25 million offer sheet with the Sixers.

Kukoc is talking with the Heat about becoming a member of Shaquille O'Neal's eventual posse in Miami.

Etan Thomas
Forward-Center
Washington Wizards
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
79 8.9 6.7 0.9 .489 .647



To address the loss of Skinner, the Bucks were surprisingly proactive this summer, seeking out and offering Wizards' big man Etan Thomas a six-year deal for their mid-level exception.

Thomas is coming off his best season, averaging 8.9 ppg and 6.7 rpg for the Wizards. While Thomas is considered an undersized center, he's the type of physical, low-post player who doesn't come along very often these days. Think a poor man's Brian Grant. Thomas' shot-blocking ability also will be a welcome sight in Milwaukee.

That's the good news. The bad news is Thomas is a restricted free agent, and the Wizards will have until July 29 to match the offer. The Bucks will try to front load the offer to make it less palatable to the Wizards, but there's a strong indication the Wizards want Thomas back.

If the Wizards match, the Bucks aren't going to find many other centers left. The team also could use a backup point guard. Ford is coming off spinal surgery, and while team expects him to be healthy by training camp, given his injury history and slight frame, it never hurts to have a backup.

TRADES: If the Bucks are talking trade, they aren't talking publicly about it. Last year they were aggressive, swapping out Sam Cassell and Tim Thomas and bringing in Joe Smith and Keith Van Horn. They have a nice young core with Michael Redd, Desmond Mason and Ford in the backcourt, meaning it's unlikely the team is trying hard to shake things up.

Like most teams, the Bucks still need a center, and they're pretty thin at power forward. However, given how budget-conscious the franchise is, don't expect it to go crazy on the trade front. Several players have expiring contracts at the end of next season, and the Bucks are looking at some potential cap room next summer.

COACHING: Porter was a candidate for coach of the year in his rookie season. He was tough and found a way to transplant his blue-collar work ethic onto his entire team.

The Bucks weren't the most talented team in the league, but, like the Jazz out West, they out-hustled and out-executed everyone. Were it not for a late-season injury to Ford, the Bucks had a real shot at making a run in the playoffs.

FRONT OFFICE: Harris, in his first season as GM, did a remarkable job. He's quiet, soft spoken and likes to fly under the radar. But there aren't many better basketball minds in the NBA.

Ask him about his team and he'll tell you, "We just want to get better." The Bucks will. But they'll do it without fanfare and without rubbing the rest of the league's faces in it.

Despite the fact the Bucks decided to slash payroll 18 months ago, Harris and Porter have managed to put together a team that makes about half as much as the Big Three but has double the heart. Whether they'll be able to have the same remarkable run this year is questionable, given how much some of the teams in the East have improved.

But Harris has put the franchise in a position to win in the long run. And that should give Bucks fans something worth watching.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

[TheSHOT]

페이튼이 자기는 샤크 땜시 온거고 샤크 나가면 바이아웃한다고 했는데. 바이아웃하고 미니멈으로 히트랑 계약하는건 어떨지. 페이튼-웨이드-EJ 3가드 시스템으로. 글게 넬슨뽑지 --; 코비-오덤있는데 좋은 PG는 필요없으니 LA는 버틀러OR/AND러쉬OR/AND조지OR/AND팍스OR/AND왈튼 트레이드해서 센터를 꼭 데려와야 할듯

[폴[烈]TⓔN]

게리 Stay 한데요 -_- 좀전에 Kodak Theatre 에서 인터뷰 하더군요...Best Scenario라네요...

[TheSHOT]

그럼 러쉬 and/or 포워드들 처분해서 센터를...누가 좋을까나...3각 트레이드로 캠블나 자칼리디스 안 될려나...폴라드도 아직까진 부상만 없으면 쓸만 할텐데...사이즈로 몸빵해줄 선수면 될텐데...물론 디박이 젤 잘맞겠지만서도

[삭2009]

어차피 득점이야 게리-오돔-코비-버틀러가 돌아가며 슛쏘면서 백코트중심으로 돌아갈걸 감안하면 그냥 FA인 Greg Ostertag데리고 왔으면하네요. 몸빵및 출장시간대비 블락&리바운드는 좋은편인데....

[조던황제]

저도 더 이상 코비와 오닐의 콤보어택에 두려움에 떨 일이 없어진 듯..그러고 보니 옛날에 코비 남자론이란 말도 유행했을 정도인데...올 시즌 코비의 행보가 참 궁금하군요. 더불어 오닐과 게임에서 만났을 때 어떻게 나올지도 무척~~~~~~~~~~이나 궁금함..' ㅡ')