The Perpetual NBA Thread

[tsupermario]

the thing going against Chandler is his expensive contract and his inconsistency especially in the offensive end. Brown has an expiring contract, a more efficient offensive player (compared to Chandler anyways) and veteran leadership. Its an upgrade IMO..

[BoEinG_747]

A.I. is coming!


Andre Igoudala, the Philadelphia 76ers forward who had a memorable battle with Nate Robinson in this year’s NBA Slum Dunk competition, will be in Manila from July 19 to 22 to be part of NBA Madness 2006.

NBA Madness, now on its 6th year in Manila, tries to bring the NBA closer to its fans worldwide and this year’s Manila stop will be highlighted by the presence of not just Igoudala but also New York Knick Channing Frye and the high-stepping San Antonio Silver Dancers.

Filipino fans love to see the Slam Dunk and the execution that brought the house down at this year’s All-Star Competition at Houston, Texas, courtesy of Igoudala.
A.I. did the unthinkable when he caught a pass from teammate A.I. (Allen Iverson) off the back of the glass and then managed to glide under the backboard and the rim for the reverse jam.

The dunk was so outrageous and dangerous that defending Slam Dunk championship Josh Smith remarked that he’d never try that caper, even after seeing Igoudala pull it off. In fact, Igoudala, a Arizona Wildcat, scraped his face on the backboard on his first attempt of that dunk.

“I came up with it one day during summer. I was in the gym and this guy told me I couldn’t touch one side of the backboard and come to the other side and drunk the ball, and I did it,” Igoudala said. “It came from that and I’m glad I got a chance to show it to the crowd,” he added.

NBA Madness, the fan extravaganza that promotes basketball in a carnival atmosphere, holds the last leg of its NBA Madness Mall Tours from July 20 to 22 at the Araneta Coliseum Parking Lot and Concourse

[tsupermario]

i guess that chandler for garbag...este brown and smith means the end of the KG to the bulls rumor.

not so. the trade offer might be even more attractive now: brown's expiring contract + deng + thomas + smith.

supposedly gm paxson told big ben that they'll do their best to get kg. they might not get it done during the off-season though.

[empy]

the greater Cleveland area can take its balls out of its throat now. Lebron agrees to a max extension to stay with the Cavs.

saw some highlights of Amare playing in the Vegas summer league...he's not going 100% yet, but he's looking good. apparently Steve Nash is also teaching him a thing or two because he made some pretty sweet passes too. Mike D'Antoni probably wants the season to start tomorrow :hihihi:

not so. the trade offer might be even more attractive now: brown's expiring contract + deng + thomas + smith.

you think so? JR Smith has been a bust with an attitude problem (maybe he just needs a change of scenery but it's a risk), and without KG it would be hard for the Wolves to get a marquee free agent with the cap space (play with Ricky Davis? sure!! ). but stranger things have happened in the crazy NBA...

[theveed]

Ako gulong gulo na sa mga off-season happenings hehe... hintay muna before commenting... AI to Boston, I'd love that being a Celts fan but labo ng Phily if they did it... Dekadang ribal yan eh.

[jasprit]

danny ainge is very very very much interesred in Allen iverson and philly also wants iverson to go bec. they are also looking to shop him. the only thing is danny ain't going to give pierce which makes the trade hard they need 1or2 more teams to make it happen. And opinion ko lng po to ah pierce+iverson=GULO parehong "Licensyadong buwakaw" tong dalawang to di ko alam kng ano mang yayari sino titira ng last shot kanino mag uumpisa ang play sino captain ng team at many many more, Basta ang for sure di pwdeng di mag away si pierce at iverson kng magiging kakampo sila

[BoEinG_747]

Summer relief: James agrees to extension with Cavaliers

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
July 8, 2006

AP - Jul 8, 2:01 pm EDT
More Photos



CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James likes it where he's at -- close to home and closing in on an NBA title.

Cleveland's All-Star forward agreed Saturday to sign a contract extension of up to five years and worth as much as $80 million with the Cavaliers, a huge relief for the rising team and its fretting fans who worried he might be planning an escape.

James, who in three NBA seasons has single-handedly resurrected Cleveland's franchise and brought the Cavs into championship contention, will sign the deal after the free agency moratorium ends Wednesday, said his agent Leon Rose.

"I am very excited and happy to be re-signing with the Cavaliers. Staying in Cleveland ... provides me with the unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends and fans," James said in a statement. "I look forward to working toward bringing a championship to our great fans and the city of Cleveland."

James didn't have to accept the deal. He could have chosen to wait until after next season when he would have been eligible for free agency. But he believes in the Cavaliers, who during this season's playoffs came within a late offensive rebound in Game 6 of eliminating Detroit and making the Eastern Conference finals.

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Unlike some of his fellow 2003 draft classmates, James waited one week after the team made the offer before announcing he would sign. The delay since July 1 had Cleveland fans, who have been burned by broken promises before, fearing the worst.

But as he has always done, the 21-year-old from nearby Akron came through in the clutch.

Ever the showman, James let the drama build before agreeing to a deal that will start after the 2007 season and run through 2012-13 -- when he'll only be 27.

"We are very happy to hear LeBron's recent statements regarding his desire to help work toward bringing a Cavaliers championship to Cleveland and our fans," general manager Danny Ferry said. "We plan to sit down next week with Leon Rose to agree on terms of an extension."

James will make $5.8 million next season, the final year on his rookie contract. The exact amount of James' extension won't be known until later this summer when the league determines the salary cap for next season.

But almost from the moment the Cavaliers won the 2003 draft lottery and selected him with the No. 1 overall pick, insecure Cleveland fans have worried about a day when James would bolt for a bigger paycheck and brighter spotlight in New York, Los Angeles or Chicago.

That fear was well founded since the beloved Browns moved, and big-name athletes like Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Carlos Boozer, all left Cleveland as free agents despite saying they would stay.

James, though, kept his word. And at least for now, says he plans to stay. He wants to bring the city its first championship since the Browns won an NFL title in 1964 -- three years before there was even a Super Bowl and 20 years before James' birth.

James has scored more points, handed out more assists and grabbed more rebounds at a younger age than any player in history.

Last season, James became just the fourth player to average at least 31 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, joining Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan. He was named the youngest All-Star game MVP in history, and finished runner-up to Phoenix's Steve Nash for league MVP honors.

Rose said he hopes to have the deal signed before James reports July 19 to training camp for the U.S. team playing in this summer's World Championships.

With James' extension looming, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert did everything he could to keep the superstar.

Last summer, Cleveland spent millions on free agents Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones and re-signed center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a player James personally campaigned to keep. Gilbert also renovated Quicken Loans Arena, upgrading the Cavs' locker room and remodeling a family area partly to accommodate the overflow of James supporters at every home game.

The club is also building a $20 million training facility in Independence, a short drive from James' suburban home.

Now that James is on board, general manager Danny Ferry will try to re-sign restricted free agent forward Drew Gooden. The club has also been in contact with several other free agents during the league's July 1-12 signing period.

[Gumusut_Amige]

James also knows to play mysteriously huh... but he gave a long anxious week for the Cavs fans. Iba na rin talaga ang franchise player, daming kasama sa package... worth waiting din naman to the Cleveland followers.

[tsupermario]

It seems that Philly is really open to trading Iverson but they are only waiting for better offers.

Lebron probly took a long hard look at his team. He's got to be more than a little jealous that D-Wade already has a ring AND a finals MVP trophy. If he can only get a sidekick as big as shaq-daddy..

As for the T-Wolves they will be hard pressed to get a player in return that could put up the same numbers as KG. But he's 31 years old and may not be in peak form.

At this point, holding onto KG to keep the fans happy is like mismatched parents staying together for the sake of their kids -- sure, it's a noble gesture, but they're still doing more harm than good. Plus, I honestly wonder if KG can make it through another .500 season -- you can see the venom seeping from him during every loss. He's borderline homicidal. Unfortunately, it seems like Minnesota is going to wait one more summer to pull the trigger.

[wulf]

dallas has asked denver about k-mart but the nuggets want stack in return...after trading daniels,i dont think they have much depth in their 1-2,unless they land james & their pick ager turns into a stud....i'm not even sure if k-mart is worth his contract

spurs aggressively pursued mourning pala,but he's decided to stay put...hehe.too bad for them,still no real center.sabagay, in this here new nba who does?

[cardo]

you think so? JR Smith has been a bust with an attitude problem (maybe he just needs a change of scenery but it's a risk), and without KG it would be hard for the Wolves to get a marquee free agent with the cap space (play with Ricky Davis? sure!! ). but stranger things have happened in the crazy NBA...

hehe the complimentary "Attitude" those two bring to the table I still remember that ricky davis stunt... to give himself his first career triple-double he shot at the wrong basket and grabbed the rebound for himself.

[zidane21]

any news pala regarding wizards?? masyado yata silang tahimik ngayong off-season esp. with jared jeffries

[theveed]

Disagree ako sa statement na lisensyadong bwakaw si Pierce at Iverson... Iba ang walang mapasahan, iba ang bwaya like Francis hehe

[Eismann]

Jasprit: Check AI's stats again, note his assists figures then you will see that he shares the ball most of the time. Pierce is the top scorer in the team so it's understandable for him to record low assist figures. This is an explosive duo in the making with or without their current supporting cast.

[kimpOy]

and remember PaulPierce already co-existed with Antoine Walker

[zidane21]

but the bottom line in the east, can they stop the two-headed monster in the form of shaq and wade? hmmm.... or can ai and pierce penetrate the up and coming chicago bulls pressure defense with the rejuvenated big ben?? or can they even make it to the playoffs? (ny has an all-star cast but is plague with an awful bad chemistry!!)

[tsupermario]

Iverson is #8 behind Chris Paul in assists last season. AI's assist average the past 2 seasons are even higher than his average during Larry Brown's time, yet he's only behind Kobe in the scoring department.

[ILuvDetailing]

(ny has an all-star cast but is plague with an awful bad chemistry!!)

Huh? What All-Start cast? maybe All-Star Cast-offs. :bwahaha:

hmmm.... or can ai and pierce penetrate

Whaaaa??? teammates na pala sila

Lebron might not go to the max
LeBron James showed himself to be a shrewd businessman as an 18-year-old when he signed gigantic endorsement contracts before even entering the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers star may have pulled off another smart deal.

Is This Unprecedented?
In the summer of 2000, teams like Orlando and Chicago courted Spurs star Tim Duncan, but he opted to return to San Antonio. Unusually, however, he did so on a four-year deal with the fourth season being at his option, allowing him to return to free agency in the summer of 2003.

In that case, Duncan's motivation seemed geared more toward team success than toward compensation. He was unsure what the Spurs' future held (David Robinson was becoming a free agent in another year), so he gave himself a convenient escape route if the Spurs didn't add to their core in the intervening three years. Of course, that became a moot point when the Spurs won the title in Duncan's walk year, and he re-signed without a second thought.

For John Hollinger's complete Q&A, click here Insider.

Sources have told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that James has agreed to a three-year extension worth approximately $60 million, with a player option for a fourth season (rather than what was reported earlier as James being able to opt out of a four-year deal).

It had been widely reported that James would sign a five-year, $80 million maximum contract Wednesday. He could have very good reason to settle for less now.

If he were to decline his player option after the 2009-10 season, James would move into a higher salary bracket. As a seven-year veteran, he would be able to sign a contract paying up to 30 percent of a team's salary cap, as opposed to his current ceiling of 25 percent. Furthermore, a shorter contract would give James greater flexibility and leverage, should he decide he is unhappy with the Cavs' direction.

Unlike others from his draft class, James waited one week to agree to the Cavs' contract offer. Cleveland, which saw Carlos Boozer bolt for Utah after verbally agreeing to a deal, started to worry. It could be that James' representatives and the Cavaliers were fine-tuning this aspect of his deal.

No contract can be signed until Wednesday. James is heading into the final year of his rookie contract and will earn $5.8 million this season. His exact salary for the life of the extension will be determined when the salary cap is set by the NBA for the 2007-08 season.

He would have been eligible for restricted free agency in 2007, but James has said all along that he wanted to return to Cleveland, which is close to his hometown of Akron.

"I am very excited and happy to be re-signing with the Cavaliers. Staying in Cleveland ... provides me with the unique opportunity to continue to play in front of my family, friends and fans," James said in a statement released by his publicist this week. "I look forward to working toward bringing a championship to our great fans and the city of Cleveland."

That a superstar would ask to be paid less than that max would be a unique maneuver. It's similar to what Tim Duncan did after his third season with San Antonio.

Then again, James has made a habit of redefining the league. Last year, he became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game over the course of a season. His averages of 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game allowed him to join Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in a single season.

Now, he could be in line for even more record-setting numbers, these ones on his paycheck. How this affects other superstars around the league remains to be seen. Miami's Dwyane Wade and Denver's Carmelo Anthony also said they would agree to max contracts this past week. According to Smith, James discussed the deal he was planning to sign with those players.

Like James, the true value of their extensions won't be known until the NBA sets the 2007-08 salary cap in July of next year. James could be leading the league again ... in business acumen.

[mazdamazda]

Fisher goes to Utah.

[tsupermario]

That a superstar would ask to be paid less than that max would be a unique maneuver. It's similar to what Tim Duncan did after his third season with San Antonio.

Gilbert Arenas is said to be willing to take a pay cut to improve his team. He was disappointed his team did not make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs unlike last last season.