The Perpetual NBA Thread

[theveed]

Boom Tho to the Nuggets?

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/nba...?urn=nba,63898

[theveed]

Kidd Saga 1

Why ... making good deals for Jason Kidd won't be easy

By Kelly Dwyer
Monday, Jan 28, 2008 1:59 pm EST

So, yesterday, I sat down to write a long post that detailed the trading options of the New Jersey Nets, who are rumored to be trying to initiate a long-overdue rebuilding process, and apparently interested in trading Jason Kidd.
Kidd's agent, Jeff Schwartz, is fresh off issuing New Jersey's front office a trade demand, and though Kidd's age (35 in March) and contract (19.7 million bucks this season, 21.3 million the next) make him a tough sell, one would think that his skills would be enough to encourage a team to make a deal for the All-Star.
One would think.
Then I started crunching the numbers. I started working on a list of teams that would be willing to give up quite a bit for Kidd, teams that think they're a hard-charging point man away from winning the championship, and started looking around the NBA for assets (expiring contracts, young talent) that New Jersey would want to accrue in return. I started to put together possible deals.
I'm still trying to put together possible deals.
Is any deal possible?


Let's look at the sorts of teams that would want to take Kidd on. The Dallas Mavericks might lose Devin Harris to what looked like (last night, at least) a high ankle sprain, and they've been rumored to be after Kidd for a while. The Denver Nuggets have no issues paying the luxury tax, apparently, and have a gaping hole at point guard that Anthony Carter (in spite of his best, and downright surprising, efforts) can't fill. The Lakers would still like him.


The Celtics would kill for him, the Magic might want a turn, the Rockets would be willing, as would the Cavaliers, and Trail Blazers.


The Nets, on the other hand, finally appear to be cognizant of their situation. They'd likely ask for no more than expiring contracts, some lower-rung draft picks, a talented if-not lottery-level youngster still on his rookie contract, and the ability to send Jason Collins' contract somewhere else. It isn't a fair return, but this is the NBA, the salary cap makes even deals tough to pull off, and that's how it works.


Then the issues set in. There aren't many expiring contracts of any real value floating around. The Miami Heat have one in Jason Williams, and the Los Angeles Lakers will see Kwame Brown's come off the books, but the biggest expiring contracts out there that the Nets would covet come in the form of players who are already bought-out. Uh oh.
The Lakers, even with Andrew Bynum out, would seem amenable to shipping Brown out to help facilitate a trade that brought them something nice back, but it makes precious little sense for them to aid the Nuggets, Mavericks or even the Cleveland Cavaliers in getting a player in Kidd to push them over the top.


Making things more complicated are the tradeable (we think) contracts that the Nets won't want. The Lakers could send Lamar Odom and Kwame to New Jersey in a half-second for Kidd, but why would the Nets want to rebuild with Odom's contract on the books? Odom's in his ostensible prime, he's not some young stud who can develop on a rebuilding team, and his contract expires the same year as Kidd's.


In Dallas, the Mavs might be open to sending Devin Harris, Jason Terry and parts to New Jersey, though even I think that's sort of a stretch (Jose Barea is a championship-level backup point guard?), but why would the Nets want Terry's contract on the books? He's worth the money, but not to a rebuilding team.
And if you're Mavs GM Donn Nelson, don't you believe in the championship aspirations of this roster as presently constructed? No point in giving up Harris (or, as some have suggested, Josh Howard) for a chance at Kidd.


Even if Howard's name came up (which, I have to re-iterate, Dallas would want nothing to do with), why would New Jersey want to take him on? This guy is going to be 28 in April. He's in his prime. By the time any rebuilding effort started to bear fruit, he'd be 31. By the time you could put a championship team around him, he'd be 33. The same goes for Denver's Nene Hilario, who could be sent to the Nets with Eduardo Najera and J.R. Smith, but why would New Jersey want to rebuild with Nene's eight-figure contract on the roster?


Denver's an interesting cog because they could send Nene to a third team in any swap to help round-out salaries, but would they want to be the team that sends a cancer patient to, say, Cleveland?


In fact, the one trade that seemed to work out best for all sides would have the Cavs sending a series of lower-rung or expiring contracts to New Jersey (Cedric Simmons, Dwayne Jones, Ira Newble, Devin Brown) with Nene heading to Cleveland, Denver losing J.R. Smith and Eduardo Najera to gain Kidd. But would Denver ship Nene in the midst of his recovery?


Atlanta could send a whole batch of expiring contracts to New Jersey, but they've been loathe to make any deals while their ownership situation gets figured out; and although Kidd (rightfully) has no say in where he'd end up, he'd pitch a bitch in Atlanta, even for a Hawks team that is better than his current Nets squad. And the Hawks idea brings up another issue: roster space.


Teams can't trade for more players than they have roster spots available for, so for any big deal to happen that would send six players New Jersey's way, they'd have to cut a few guys. Possible movable contracts like Jamaal Magliore and Malik Allen would have to be cut, and rendered untradeable, which would stink for the Nets.


And that's it. There's no magic conduit to not only put Kidd on a contender, but to get him off the team in the first place. Nets personnel Number Two Kiki Vandeweghe did a fine job unloading undesirable contracts while breaking up the remains of Dan Issel's mess in Denver, so he has some experience, but there aren't as many obvious options this time around.


This doesn't mean a deal can't get done, or that the Nets would prefer to buy the man out.


What it does mean, however, is that whichever deal goes down between now and the February 21st trading deadline will likely involve someone making a bad move. Taking on a contract they don't need, aiding another rival, giving up too much ... something like that. It won't be a win-win.


You're more than welcome to offer your (cap-legal, I would ask) suggestions in the comments section, but prepare for a lot of, "why would (insert team name) do that deal?" responses. It won't be an easy break.

[theveed]

Nets now soliciting best offer for Kidd
td.yspwidearticlebody { font-size: 13.5px; } By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
January 28, 2008


To get Jason Kidd out of his life, Rod Thorn would’ve traded him yesterday. The relationship between the team president and superstar has deteriorated into bitter acrimony. Once, they were golfing buddies and confidants and now, sources say, they can barely stand to sit on opposite ends of the team bus.
“It’s really bad,” said a league source close to Thorn and Kidd.
Kidd wants out, he says. This has been the story for a year. His agent, Jeff Schwartz, has asked Thorn again.
Truth be told, Thorn had to understand that he and Kidd passed a point of no return on the December night his superstar sent a text message in the early afternoon to say a migraine would keep him out of a game with the New York Knicks. Publicly, Thorn defended Kidd, but privately he seethed.



He knew the truth: Kidd bailed on the New Jersey Nets.


Thorn should’ve started soliciting offers that night, but that’s happening now. Kidd is on the way out, another acrimonious parting as had been the case with him in Dallas and Phoenix.
“Ownership was stopping this from happening, but even they’ve thrown their hands up and said, “OK, find a deal,’ ” a league source close to Nets management said.


Now, the Nets are on a nine-game spiral, the franchise is unraveling and Kidd is getting louder about wanting out. The possibility? The Nets were telling people it was just 25 percent Monday, but the team is a dysfunctional mess. With the Feb. 21 trade deadline nearing, the Nets and Dallas Mavericks have exchanged several proposals, but it always comes back to the realization that they need a third team to make this happen. Dallas owner Mark Cuban refuses to part with Josh Howard. The Nets want a package that includes a good young player, an expiring contract, draft picks and cash.


Denver is intrigued with Kidd, too, and recently tossed out Allen Iverson’s name. The Nets aren’t going there with AI, and Nuggets executives are telling confidants that they’re out of the bidding for now because the Nets are asking too steep a price. Cleveland has offered every possible package, but so far there’s no scenario where Kidd could join LeBron James.


Back in the summer, Kidd considered it disrespectful that the Nets invested $61.8 million to keep Vince Carter without offering him his own contract extension. Kidd’s max-out contract expires at the end of the 2008-09 season and friction between him and management started when his request for a one-year, $13 million extension was rebuffed.


As those close to Kidd insisted, his attitude was simple: If you won’t trade me, pay me. Kidd was still chasing triple-doubles most nights, but the Nets struggled to compete around him. They stopped defending. They stopped running. Privately, Kidd blamed Carter’s competiveness, but there are issues and holes throughout the roster.


Thorn has tried to trade Carter – offering him to the Knicks in a package for Jamal Crawford – but no one wants him. The infrastructure of the franchise has come apart. The Carter contract is a killer. The future of Nenad Krstic is uncertain with a rehab from an ACL injury that has extended over a year. The Nets’ bench is still spotty. The team is no longer responding to coach Lawrence Frank.


Privately, Kidd is telling friends that he wants to go to Dallas. He desperately wanted the Lakers’ trade to happen at last season’s deadline, but Thorn wouldn’t do it without prying away Andrew Bynum. This season, Kidd pushed to play with LeBron, but the Cavs don’t have enough to offer. Yes, Dallas makes the most sense for Kidd. He knows they need his leadership. He knows Cuban will absorb his contract. He knows that they’re the best chance he has to get out of Jersey and get a championship before he retires.


This saga has gone on too long and it’s time to end it. Rod Thorn has until the trade deadline to solicit the best offers for Kidd, and there should be no turning back now. He shouldn’t do this for Kidd, but for his franchise. This isn’t about getting a great deal anymore.



This is about getting the best deal. It’s over. There’s no loyalty here, no love, no reason to stay together. The Nets have grown to loathe their franchise player and he desperately wants out.


Nothing ever ends well for the New Jersey Nets, nor does it for Jason Kidd. Maybe together, they were always doomed.

[akuma]

pa-share na rin from yahoo sports...

Bryant gets nod over James for first-half MVP

By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
January 26, 2008


There are still three weeks to All-Star weekend, but the NBA has reached its midway mark and that makes it an ideal time to take out the erasable ink. The beauty of the season is the fluidity of story lines, the rise and fall of fortunes, so clearly these choices can change come April.

Nevertheless, here are the season’s best and worst:

Most Valuable Player: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Sometimes, there are superstars due to win the Most Valuable Player Award. It is the year owed them. No one wants to hear this, but it’s true. Kevin Garnett has an MVP trophy. So does Dirk Nowitzki. Steve Nash has two. Once Shaquille O’Neal left, Bryant was considered an unworthy candidate because the Lakers were still losing.

Well, they’re winning again now. Until Andrew Bynum went down, they were on the brink of the Western Conference’s best record.

Sorry, but just because the Boston Celtics have the NBA’s best record, it doesn’t make them its best team. They play in the Eastern Conference. What KG has done with Boston has been impressive – even inspirational – but it isn’t on a level plane with Bryant transforming the Lakers back into Western Conference contenders. Early in the season, it looked like LeBron James. Before he’s done, James will win four or five MVPs. But unless the Lakers collapse, I’ll make the Cleveland Cavaliers star wait a little longer.

To think that Garnett could have two MVP trophies before Bryant gets his first is unfair. To become an MVP, people told Kobe to win without Shaq. He’s doing it. This time, it’s his trophy.

Least Valuable Player: Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets

Nothing predicts a Nets freefall better than a comfortable, well-paid and unmotivated Carter. Half-man, half-hearted. They are in the middle of a coach-killing, eight-game losing streak, and no one is playing softer than Carter. He has stopped going to the rim, stopped risking life and limb and declared his new four-year, $62 million contract fit for a suburban jump shooter.

As badly as Rod Thorn would love to trade him, there are no takers. Ownership wanted to overpay Carter last summer – not the basketball people – and they’re stuck with him.

Rookie of the Year: Kevin Durant, Seattle SuperSonics

Let’s say Greg Oden didn’t get hurt. Let’s say he was getting 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks a game for the Portland Trail Blazers, who are fighting for the lead in the Northwest Division. Would the credit Oden received for helping turn Portland into an immediate contender (although we know now that they did it without him) offset Durant’s statistics?

Rookie Bust: Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls

Because he stayed three years at Florida, won two titles and had been celebrated as the ultimate energy and team player, Noah deserves to be judged a little harsher.

Listen, he will still probably turn out to be a good pro. It takes time, but his immaturity and rich kid sense of entitlement made a dysfunctional situation worse with the Bulls. As a rookie, people can live with the struggles. They can live with it taking time to adapt to the NBA. Yet, no one can live with the insubordination that he showed with assistant coach Ron Adams prior to getting a two-game suspension in mid-January. Maybe his chatter will be entertaining when he’s considered a good player, but until then, Noah needs to grow up.

Coach of the Year: Byron Scott, New Orleans Hornets

Nate McMillan is 1-A, but the Portland Trail Blazers coach has inherent advantages that Scott doesn’t with New Orleans. The Hornets have the best record in the Western Conference with one of the league’s worst home-court advantages and a bargain-basement bench. What’s more, Portland owner Paul Allen would pay for depth, but George Shinn asks his wildly underrated GM, Jeff Bower, to do more with less.

Non-Coach of the Year: Pat Riley, Miami Heat

Even Randy Wittman hasn’t lost 15 straight games with the Celtics JV roster in Minnesota. Perhaps it should be Isiah Thomas, but I expect more out of Riley. If only Riles could get Stan Van Gundy to come take over another one of his messes.

Executive of the Year: Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics

Beyond the Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen trades, Ainge made one of the most underrated signings of the summer: James Posey. Around the Celtics locker room, they privately call it “The Big Four” because of the impact Posey’s intensity and defensive presence brings to Boston.

Executive Disaster of the Year: Isiah Thomas, New York Knicks

This is a career achievement award for Thomas. Kevin McHale has been a different disaster, but he does have a blossoming young star in Al Jefferson, No. 1 picks and cap space on the way. Odds are, he’ll do nothing with it, but at least you know Thomas has no chance with the constitution of his team.

Under his leadership, Thomas has helped make Madison Square Garden one of the nastiest, most poisonous environments in professional sports.

In Indiana, there are still front-office officials cursing Thomas for talking them into drafting Fred Jones over Tayshaun Prince. Jones will be an All-Star, Thomas told them. Rest assured, Thomas is still telling Knicks owner, Jim Dolan, that, too. Just give me three more years, Isiah must say, and you’ll see.

[kimpOy]

possible scenario from yahoo din
Nets in three-way talks for Kidd

NETS get
-Devean George
-Jerry Stackhouse
-Travis Outlaw
-Channing Frye
-Jarrett Jack

Trailblazers get
-Devin Harris

Mavs get
-Jason Kidd
-Malik Allen
-Jamaal Magloire


NETS-with stack and devean's expiring contracts the nets would have the leverage to attract big name free agent.. plus with kidd gone marcus williams maturity would be now on track plus travis outlaw and frye... bigs who would'nt want bigs

BLAZERS- i dont know about this.. they already have a solid backcourt... hmmmm can you trade an injured player? on NBA 2k kasi you cannot he..he

MAVS-kidd vs nash...west finals... book it!

[theveed]

Not another PG for the blazers....

[ssaloon]

I hope Portland doesn't pull the trigger on this one. They have a very young and cohesive unit as it is right now. Think of the possibilities when they play together for 1 more full season, and with Oden returning for a full campaign next year.

[kimpOy]

portland losing 3 promising young guys for devin harris....but if you rethink it over frye's ho-hum and jack hmmm not getting minutesso gamble lang nila is outlaw....

c'mon now... kidd vs nash... we wouldnt want that he..he

[theveed]

Yup, basically it'll be an outlaw for harris thing...

[ILuvDetailing]

Devin Harris would be an upgrade over Steve Blake or Jarret Jack, but Portland is winning now, trading away 3 of their young studs would affect their depth.