NBA Basketball

[chantheman]

[dranoelsy]

wut?

[chantheman]

everyday its a new leader for lebron. first bulls with bosh. yesterday heat with wade and bosh. tomorrow...i just hope this saga ends sooner rather than later.

[lintmunro]

And apparently both deals have been 'confirmed and completed' for a long time.

This is a joke.

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

yeah, I seriously don't give a fuck where lebron goes ... just get it over with already.

[schmoses]

worldwide wes=ellsworth toohey

[amardeep]

pierce just opted out

what?

[chantheman]

him and dirk are trying to get new max deals. dont blame them with the uncertainty next year with the salary cap

[hamham3001]

SI.com spoke with a "league source with complete understanding of New York's plans" who said the Knicks will sell James on the team's vision of surrounding him with shooting guard Joe Johnson and either Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudemire at power forward.

The team will also promise James that the front office will use the cap space created by Eddy Curry's $11.3 million expiring salary to pursue a fourth free agent, potentially Carmelo Anthony, in 2011. James will be told that this added flexibility next summer is another element that he would not have with any of the other teams.

WTF is this.. stacking your team like elementary school..

[chantheman]

i didnt think they had the cash for 3 max FAs, but the knicks going after melo next year was assumed by many since it coincided with currys contract ezpiring.

[amardeep]

wait, the only way the knicks can get 3 max guys is by getting rid of Curry's salary, no? they're probably gonna snag Joe Johnson (unfortunately) and I can see Amar'e going back to d'antoni, but wouldn't they have to do a sign and trade with cleveland for curry's expiring contract to get lebron in the cap? not to mention, cleveland isn't going to do a sign-and-trade.

i thought the bulls were the only team to be able to sign 3 max guys?

speaking of the knicks, sup with david lee? is he gone for sure?

[hamham3001]

heres more of the article

The team would divide its estimated $34.5 million in cap room equally among all three free agents, meaning each would start at a yearly salary of about $11.5 million.

The source said that, with bonuses achieved, each player can earn an average salary of $15.7 million over a five-year contract.

On top of those salary and bonus amounts paid on the player contracts, the Knicks will emphasize that with the abundance of off-the-court business opportunities for star athletes in the world's largest media market, the players would be able to earn more in New York than they would make on a maximum-salary contract in other NBA cities. If the club reaches its potential and wins a championship, the endorsement and other business opportunities will multiply.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/67585/20100629/knicks_hoping_three_stars_split_all_available_cap_room/

[amardeep]

oh they weren't planning to give em all a max contract

gotta admit, that's a great strategy. probably the only one they have that could work for lebron. superslim chances that it happens, but it's better than just saying "we have JJ, you should come here too lebron"

[DaBestSpoona]

I think there was a forbes link on how FA can get employee MSG stock pruchases once they signed, but not before they sign.

[DaBestSpoona]

WTF is this.. stacking your team like elementary school..

Nothing new. Those old school Laker, Celtics, Pistons teams were stacked as hell. But back then there were fewer teams so every team had a lot more talented players than today.

[chantheman]

I think there was a forbes link on how FA can get employee MSG stock pruchases once they signed, but not before they sign.

this got shot down by the NBA. stern wont let players own part of MSG

now a couple weeks ago espn was saying the harlem globetrotters were going to offer lebron part ownership, salary and a % of sales revenue to come.

i know it wont happen, but if hes after only money that would pay him more than staying in the nba. crazy that EVERYONE wants him

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

awhile back it was discussed that he could be offered a majority stake in his own, unnamed, television station for signing with the knicks . . . basically he'd own it without putting up any money. no risk, potentially major reward...

(then again, when's the last time a brand new tv station really mattered? mtv? comedy central?)

[amardeep]

darko got a 4 year/ $20mil deal

am i missing something here?

[chantheman]

wolves also resigned Nikola Pekovic on a three-year, $13 million contract.

who?

the bucks have been the big spenders so far. resigning salmons for 5/39mill, picking up delfinos option and gooden for 5/32mill

also what is richard jefferson thinking giving up 15 guaranteed next year. i understand he wants a longer term deal and all but damn 15millionnnnnnnnnnnn

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

let's not start to count the ways in which richard jefferson is a mystery and a disappointment...

[DaBestSpoona]

Amir Johnson 5 years 34 mill

WTF

[chantheman]

hes actually pretty underrated and efficient when hes in, but thats a bit more than i would have paid. i was thinking he would catch the mid level range

[Hocus Pocus]

That's the high end of the mid-level. It's not the worst call, except for the fact the raps used both their draft picks on players exactly like him.

[chantheman]

per espn. he was listed under the top clearance rack FA's. i dont know if thats a clearance salary he got though

Amir Johnson

He's 23 years old and had a better player efficiency rating than All-Star Chris Kaman this past season. He had the best pick-and-roll numbers of any NBA player not named Dwight Howard. He was one of four players to average a steal and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes. He's a former McDonald's All-American and cleaned up the glass better than Andrew Bynum and Kevin Garnett. And yet, despite the accolades, most people have never heard of him.

At 6-foot-9, Johnson played backup to Chris Bosh in Toronto and did the dirty work for the 40-win squad this past season. Offensively, he's a putback machine and understands his low ceiling as a scorer. He's the team-first warrior whom every playoff team needs. Stick him in a Glen Davis-type role for a contending team, and everyone will know his name.

[amardeep]

Stick him in a team that's not the raptors, and everyone will know his name.

fixed 10char

[domdomdomdom]

worst deal still joe johnson

[ProfessorOak]

Phil Jackson is confirmed to stay with the Lakers for one more year. Am I late on this or is no one else happy? lol.

[Dex_star]

^kinda expected and a lot more important things to talk bout than that... Im a lakers fan, but still, with this free agency the lakers are the last thing on my mind right now

[chantheman]

for 120mill i hope joe johnson can buy some balls for the playoffs and sac up

[abrupt stop]

the ONLY players deserving MAX contracts in this free agency is Lebron and Wade. Bosh and Johnson are very good but not max players. Stoudamire is CERTAINLY not worth max even though he thinks he is. Teams are gonna overpay for second tier + mediocre players when they cant get Lebron/Wade and end up with a Rashard Lewis