The Perpetual NBA Thread

[theveed]

Houston PF... :D

[tsupermario]

miami na! for the expiring contracts of j-will & doleac. heck they can even throw zo in there

[ILuvDetailing]

AK to Lakers! (wag sa Suns ha! )

AK for The Matrix gogogo!!! (There goes Marion's top 3 fantasy ranking :bwahaha: )

[Eismann]

Kudos to Stein.....what can I say, as a professed Stein-hater last year, you're trying to make a believer out of me.
=========================
TRIO LEADS COUNTDOWN OF WEST'S BEST MOVES
By Marc Stein

1. Houston Rockets

In their ongoing quest to finally reach the second round of the playoffs, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming will no longer be lacking assistance. They'll have more help than ever this season.

Daryl Morey's first summer of exclusive authority in the Rockets' front office has resulted in multiple handy pickups to strengthen the supporting cast around T-Mac and Yao for new coach Rick Adelman, quickly hushing concerns that Morey's limited experience and untraditional background made him a risky hire.

The Rockets have three new options at point guard, which is good timing given all the off-court trouble Rafer Alston has encountered lately: First-round pick Aaron Brooks and the reacquired duo of Mike James and Steve Francis.

The Rockets have welcomed back a resurrected Bonzi Wells to possibly (finally) emerge as their new No. 3 scoring option. Wells is eager to stick around after thriving under Adelman in Sacramento and, like Francis, will be playing at a bargain-basement price, taking all the risk out of the second chance he'll get now in Houston after never meshing with Jeff Van Gundy.

The Rockets have also addressed a real need at power forward with the surprise acquisition of Argentina's Luis Scola, capitalizing on the unusual circumstances that made Scola available and believing that the toughness, smoothness and energy he offered in Las Vegas during the recent Olympic qualifying tournament can trump concerns that he's too undersized to succeed inside in the NBA.

It remains to be seen if Yao, even with his passing ability, can transition to Adelman's up-tempo style as easily as Houston projects. But that might be the worst non-Alston-related thing you can say about the Rockets' summer, which is why they top this list.


2. Seattle SuperSonics

Even if it does turn out to be the Supes' last season in Seattle, there's at least one consolation for the locals.

They'll be getting a Rookie of the Year farewell from the green and yellow.

It's only September, yes, but the ROY race would appear to be over. Barring another injury tragedy in the Pacific Northwest, it's hard to see any other rook beating Kevin Durant to the trophy now, as good as he looked during his abbreviated Team USA stint and with his chief ROY rival (Greg Oden) already out of the race.

It's likewise tough to imagine a franchise happier to come out of the draft lottery with the No. 2 pick. Months of murmurs that Durant was a more worthy No. 1 overall selection than Oden are predictably louder than ever now. Even if such talk is (bad pun alert) a predictable knee-jerk reaction to Oden's demise, it's safe to say that having Durant under any circumstances sets the Sonics up nicely. Wherever they are in future seasons.

Rookie general manager Sam Presti, incidentally, isn't off to a bad start, either.

Presti got an intriguing package back for Ray Allen by landing Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the No. 5 pick that became Jeff Green -- I say so even though I'm not a huge Green guy -- and then took in a seemingly worthless second-round pick from Orlando to create a lucrative trade exception after Rashard Lewis had already committed to signing with the Magic. That enabled Presti to exploit the Suns' desperation to slash payroll by agreeing to take Kurt Thomas into that trade exception ... but only if he also got two first-round picks in the exchange.

The Sonics' presumed lame-duck status in the Emerald City is another unexpected bonus for Presti and new coach P.J. Carlesimo. Durant's young team is going to struggle mightily in Year 1, but there's no real public pressure on the Sonics to get off to a gonzo start. They can focus on player development as opposed to the standings without alienating their fans, since those fans, frankly, have already been alienated by new Sonics owner Clay Bennett.


3. Memphis Grizzlies

A year ago, you'll recall, what happened to the Grizzlies in the summertime ended their season before it started, with Pau Gasol suffering a foot injury that wound up sidelining him until December.

This summer?

Only a small handful of teams had a more fruitful offseason than the Grizz, whose new brain trust (general manager Chris Wallace and coach Marc Iavaroni) has already generated some new hope after drafting Mike Conley, signing Darko Milicic and trading for Gasol's close friend Juan Carlos Navarro.

All three might even help the Grizz immediately, although it's worth remembering that Conley is a rookie and that we're still waiting to see sustained production (and intensity) from Milicic after four seasons. Navarro's arrival, though, is significant not only for his on-court potential as one of Europe's best guards but what it means for Gasol's future.

After a year of unending trade speculation and Gasol's own push to be moved, Memphis has moved decisively to show the Spaniard that (a) it wants to keep him and (b) wants to keep him happy. You have to believe that the feeling is mutual after the Grizzlies landed one of Pau's all-time favorites.

Throw in a Team USA summer for Mike Miller, another year of experience for Rudy Gay and Memphis' ability to secure Iavaroni's coveted services and you'd have to say that the post-Jerry West Era is off to the upbeat start few anticipated.

[empy]

AK is still a good fit for a team that doesn't need him to score or be the offensive focal point. he has a lot of potential to be an energy guy in the mold of Shawn Marion (which btw is why it makes no sense for PHX to acquire him, unless they trade one for the other). but he's deluded if he thinks that he can carry a team offensively. his offensive game is pretty much feeds from the PG for layups and putbacks. he doesn't have a jump shot, which is why Marion is far superior to him - the Matrix has reliable range all the way to the 3pt arc.

i don't think he makes sense for the Lakers either. their dominant scorer already has a do-everything guy in Lamar Odom that also plays AK's position.

Gilbert :pope:

ok naman daw siya according to his blog

[tsupermario]

wow ugly stuff coming out of the suit involving the knicks' thomas:

MSG intern had backseat *** with Stephon Marbury

A pretty Madison Square Garden intern testified yesterday she willingly jumped into an SUV with Stephon Marbury for a quick *** romp.

Kathleen Decker also acknowledged she landed a full-time job with the Knicks soon after - and got a big promotion six weeks ago as the $10 million federal *** harassment suit of fired exec Anucha Browne Sanders approached.

rumor: shaq's ex-wife wasn't only fooling around with his money but also with one of his trainers

[pajerokid]

the horror!

[theveed]

GO NYK!!! hehehehe

[ssaloon]

Looks like bad news for those who chose The Matrix as their 1st round pick...

Shawn Marion has requested to be traded by the Phoenix Suns.
"I'm tired of hearing my name in trades," Marion said by phone from his Chicago home Tuesday night. "I love my fans in Phoenix but I think it's time for me to move on." Marion is tired of hearing about trade rumors and is not happy about the fact he has not been offered a contract extension, or that he shares the spot light with Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash. If he gets moved, and chances are he will be, his fantasy value will likely take a hit. Stay tuned.

Rumor has it that the Lakers are in the mix, with Odom + a cap filler in exchange for Marion.

[kimpOy]

Suns working to trade Marion to Lakers
By Sean Deveney - SportingNews

Sean Deveney
SportingNews.com

Shawn Marion, L.A. Laker? If he has his way, that will happen.

According to a league source, the Lakers and Suns have been in discussions about a deal -- a blockbuster deal -- that would send the four-time All-Star to Los Angeles to play alongside Kobe Bryant. The Suns would get forward Lamar Odom and perhaps some salary-cap filler in return. The main obstacle appears to be Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who needs to OK the deal. Asked to handicap the likelihood of the deal going through, the source said, "50-50."

Upon hearing this, I caught up with Marion this afternoon by phone. He confirmed that he spoke with Bryant over the weekend, but added, "I've been friends with Kobe for a while, so we talk here and there, anyway."

Still, Marion was enthusiastic about the potential trade. "Why wouldn't I be?" he said. "You have a great organization, great ownership there with the Lakers. I don't see no problems with playing there."

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This, it appears, would be a good fit for everyone. It has been a rocky summer for Marion and the Suns, who drafted him out of UNLV in 1999 but have been unwilling to give him a contract extension. Marion is the highest-paid player on the team, and he can opt out of the final year of his deal and become a free agent next summer.

One sticking point with the Suns is that Marion was told that if he does opt out, he will not be re-signed. Another goes back to before the draft, when the Suns had a deal in place to send Marion to the Celtics -- Boston had agreed to extend his contract if the trade went through. "I didn't like that," Marion said. "It was like they were trying to force my hand by taking the Boston deal. I have been with this team my whole career. I was like, 'Wow.' "

I asked if the team's refusal to give him an extension played into his unhappiness with the team. "It was part of it," Marion said. "It's not like that was the last straw or anything. It was just part of everything that has gone on. People have made assumptions about me, but I don't think all those people know everything that has gone on."

For the most part, though, Marion declined to talk about his unhappiness with the organization. "There's been things that have been said in the media, but I don't want to get into all that," he said. "That's not going to accomplish anything. Most people don't know what goes on behind closed doors. The way I look at it is, I love Phoenix, I love the fans. I love my teammates. Don't let anybody tell you that I don't. Some of the stuff that has happened is messed up. But pointing fingers and all that, I am bigger than that."

As for the potential Lakers-Suns trade, Odom would fit well in Phoenix's up-tempo offense. He is an excellent rebounder who can run the floor and handle the ball, like a point-forward. With the addition of small forward Grant Hill, the Suns clearly are looking to add players with ballhandling skill to take pressure off point guard Steve Nash, especially in the postseason.

Marion is not a classic big-man fit for Phil Jackson's triangle offense, which might be the source of the Lakers' hesitation. But, in some ways, he offers Jackson more than Odom, who has played alongside Bryant for three seasons. Both Odom and Bryant have put up nice numbers in those years, but the two just don't seem to mesh. Odom operates best running the floor and with the ball in his hands. But when you play for the Lakers, the ball is going to be in Bryant's hands. Odom has been professional about that, but this is a guy who has averaged 4.6 assists per game in his career. He belongs in a ball-sharing system.

Marion is different. He can excel without having plays called for him, and he gets the bulk of his points off turnovers and offensive rebounds -- in other words, he can be productive even if Bryant dominates the ball. He also can make 3-pointers and is a strong finisher. But the biggest difference will be Marion's defense. He's among the best defenders in the league, and he and Bryant should give the Lakers a fearsome pair of defensive wings. As important as the triangle is to Jackson, the most frustrating part of the coach's return to the Lakers in the last two years has been the team's shoddy defense.

Some will point to the Phoenix run-and-gun system when it comes to Marion's gaudy numbers (18.8 points and 10.0 rebounds in his career). But he had some of his best years when the Suns were a halfcourt team and Stephon Marbury was the point guard. And there also is this to consider: Marion is among the league's most durable players, missing just 15 games in those eight seasons. Odom is coming off shoulder surgery and missed four weeks with a sprained MCL last season.

"I think I would fit right in," Marion said. "People talk about the triangle offense all the time, like it is impossible. But it's an offense. Wherever you play, you have to learn the offense. It's not that complicated. You pass, you cut, you slash. Offense is offense. And I would love to play with Kobe."

Still, a change would be tough for Marion. "I wanted to retire a Phoenix Sun," he said. "That would be nice. I think everyone would like to play their whole career for the team that drafted them. But sometimes it comes to the point where you just have to take that step and move on. It's like a bad marriage. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong, both people should just move on."

Of course, there's just one catch: The Lakers might turn down the deal. That would mean that when training camp opens next Monday, Marion would still be with the Suns. Would he show up? "I am a professional," he says. "I will be where I am supposed to be."