It's NBA time

[obzen]

Look at who he was playing along side with - how many shots could he get up per game?

[Mr. Dylanja]

Suns get Scola, and finally amnestied Childress.

SF Beasley
PF Scola
C Gortat

I dig the front court. I'd like to see them go after Mayo now.

[rag and bone]

Just feels like the Suns are building a competitive non-playoff team. Can't blame them too much since there's nothing really out there but I would rather see Kieff get the chance to start next year rather than having Scola and re-sign Shannon Brown for something reasonable instead of overpaying OJ Mayo.

[unit300021]

Just feels like the Suns are building a competitive non-playoff team.

Exactly, I feel like they would be better off just tanking the season to try and get a high lottery pick.

[Mugwog]

Regarding Steve Nash, I hope he makes it to an NBA Finals with the Lakers. He deserves that much. I hope he never wins a championship with them, though, or at least not as long as Kobe is with the team. (And let's face it, if Kobe isn't there, they're not getting to the Finals.)

Giving him the Karl Malone fate

[HotHamWater]

Just feels like the Suns are building a competitive non-playoff team. Can't blame them too much since there's nothing really out there but I would rather see Kieff get the chance to start next year rather than having Scola and re-sign Shannon Brown for something reasonable instead of overpaying OJ Mayo.

Exactly, I feel like they would be better off just tanking the season to try and get a high lottery pick.

I agree with both of you. If the fans are ok with maybe competing for the 8th seed, with not much potential for growth, this will be a good season for them. Their roster, right now, screams "mediocrity."

[Mr. Dylanja]

Why be a playoff team if you're not a title contender? As of right now, there are what, three legitimate contenders barring injuries? MIA, OKC and LAL?

While it may be strategic in a pussy sort of way, tanking games is bullshit. You could pick any team in the league other than the ones I mentioned and their outlook isn't exactly optimistic. You could look at every other free agent signing by teams not in contention and say the same thing. There is no parody in the NBA, the worst to first jump doesn't happen like the NFL.

[lehorne]

I miss the NFL. The Chargers are playing in New Orleans this year. Need to convince my brother or someone to go (cemetaries with above ground exposed bones, ghostly bars, etc.).

[theklein25]

Why be a playoff team if you're not a title contender?

Because you make more money

[Mr. Dylanja]

Aaron Brooks to the Kings.

Grant Hill leaning toward the Lakers.

Suns signed Scola for 3 years, 13.5. Not bad at all.

[obzen]

lulz, team USA getting schooled by Brazil.

[PlayaDelWes]

Antawn Jamison

imminent, but not imminent

[unit300021]

OJ Mayo to the Mavs

[theklein25]

What a surprise and great signing. I didnt even know he was an unrestricted free agent

[Mr. Porter]

I still prefer Knicks over Nets, but letting go of Fields, really?

BWAHAHAHAHA

[unit300021]

Humphries resigns with Nets, Grant Hill to Clippers, and it's looking like Knicks wont match for Jeremy Lin so he is off to the Rockets.

[GuyInTucson]

This would make me happy.


http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/81...ht-howard-deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers may have inched ahead of the Houston Rockets as a facilitator in a potential trade that would send Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, sources said Wednesday.

One source familiar with the talks, though, cautioned to not make too much of that shift just yet.

The Cavaliers would land Lakers center Andrew Bynum for a package of draft picks and veteran power forward Anderson Varejao, according to one league source. The Lakers would receive Howard for Bynum. The source said this was merely the framework of a deal being discussed.

Cavaliers GM Chris Grant was in Las Vegas watching summer-league action but made an unplanned return to Cleveland, sources say, and is not expected to return. In the frenzy of anticipating if, when and where Howard might be dealt, such otherwise innocuous events have been enough to inspire massive speculation that a deal is near.

The Lakers have engaged both the Rockets and Cavaliers in their attempt to land Howard, sources say, because those two teams, a) have interest in acquiring Bynum, and, b) have the requisite salary-cap room to accept larger player salaries than they send out in a deal.

The complicating point for any deal to be completed, sources say, is whether Bynum and Howard agree to extensions with their next team. Sources close to Howard say that as of now, after mistakenly depriving himself of free agency this summer by opting into the final year of his deal with the Magic, he has no intention of doing so again.

ESPNLosAngeles.com reported the Lakers remain committed to pursuing Howard even without assurances he'd sign a long-term extension with the club.

The Rockets have had Howard at the top of their wish list for months and have made moves to pursue him, from collecting first-round picks in the draft to using the amnesty clause on Luis Scola.

[stuporfly]

No way in a million years Bynum signs an extension with the Cavs. He'd be a moody, short-term invesment.

[HotHamWater]

Bynum apparently gave a list of teams with which he would sign an extension. As hard is it may be to believe, Cleveland was on that list.

[stuporfly]

That is hard to believe. Well, maybe he really is as dumb as he sometimes behaves.

[GuyInTucson]

No way in a million years Bynum signs an extension with the Cavs. He'd be a moody, short-term invesment.

For whatever reason, the Cavs are on Bynum's list. From a competitive standpoint, I can't blame him.

Sure, the Cavs aren't going to beat the Miami Heat any time soon, but if they get Bynum to sign an extension, then you're working with a talented young core of Kyrie Irving, Bynum, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller. Give that squad two years to develop and they could battle their way into the top half of the eastern conference.

What excites me more is that I was actually told about this by someone I know who is close to the Cavs organization and originally the trade included Tristan Thompson. For whatever reason, unless ESPN is wrong which is entirely possible, the rumor now excludes Thompson. A young front-line rotation of Bynum / Zeller / Thompson is intriguing to me.

[obzen]

YES TRICKS -- YES!!!

[HotHamWater]

I don't think Tristan Thompson is going to be all that. But I'm not easily impressed.

[buddy]

I'm convinced Stephen A. Smith is like a Pixies song

[Gribbz]

Crackity Jones?

[buddy]

loud quiet loud

[Gribbz]

Nimrod's Son?

EDIT* Ah, Loud Quiet Loud. Also is fitting.

[GuyInTucson]

I don't think Tristan Thompson is going to be all that. But I'm not easily impressed.

He'll be a solid PF that would work better if you have Bynum to open the floor for him a little. He has some tools including superior athleticism and a 7-foot-1 wingspan. I'm not expecting an all-star level player, but I could see him being a solid 13 and 7 guy. He's a pretty good defender as well.

[Mr. Porter]

Waiters got swatted by Morris though. Bust

[Mr. Dylanja]

J-Kidd's Escalade


He can't drive the lane like he used to.