Andrew Bynum, cosmic jokes, a lack of answers and encroaching fear in Philadelphia (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Utah  No Responses »
Nov 192012
 

When Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum — shelved since September with a bone bruise in his right knee and unlikely to play until January — told reporters prior to the Sixers’ Friday matchup with the Utah Jazz that he’d suffered a “setback” in his left knee (which, again, isn’t the one in which he’d suffered the pre-training camp bone bruise that’s kept him out), it seemed like the continuation of a cosmically frustrating joke perpetrated on Philly fans who’ve patiently awaited the unveiling of their low-post centerpiece since he came over in the four-way deal that shipped Andre Iguodala to Denver and landed Dwight Howard in Los Angeles. The punch line came late Saturday night, when ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst and Chris Broussard reported that Bynum had suffered the setback while bowling , of all things. Ba-dum-tish .
After all, the idea that the 7-foot, 285-pounder — who’s probably a fair bit above that now, after months without regular full-go workouts — would push his estimated time of arrival back even further by rolling a few frames with his pals seemed at once both completely ridiculous and as reasonable as anything else that’s gone on with Andrew Bynum of late . The jokes, Photoshops and GIFs came fast and furious — your leader in the clubhouse comes from Got ‘Em Coach , although there’s a lot to like in this “Big Lebowski”-inspired offering from @Marco_Romo and I’d sure like to see Bynum as young Roy Munson from the “Kingpin” intro — while everybody waited for more details from the 76ers, and perhaps even an explanation from the sidelined big man himself.
Bynum offered one on Sunday, holding court with reporters before the Sixers took on the Cleveland Cavaliers and reiterating some of the Friday night commentary — the left knee injury’s a “mirror image” of the right knee, he said, with doctors telling him that the knee cartilage is “in a weakened state.” When it came time to discuss the specifics of how his trip to the lanes impacted matters, though, Bynum had precious few answers, which is the kind of thing that quiets down the laughter and makes you start thinking about the future.

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Lakers Trade Rumors: Andrew Bynum’s Uncertain Future Hurts Dwight Howard Deal

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 092012
 

The Orlando Magic have ramped up their efforts to appease Dwight Howard and deal the petulant big man this offseason.

However, the organization must not throw caution to the wind and mortgage their future by swapping DH12 for Andrew Bynum and his one-year contract.

According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst:

Orlando likes Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, but one source said Bynum has refused to assure the Magic that he will re-sign with them beyond next season. Bynum can become a free agent in the summer of 2013, so trading for him without his long-term commitment would put Orlando in the same bind it finds itself in with Howard.

Even if the Magic were to take on Bynum without a guarantee to re-up his contract, the organization will not get much else in return.

Considering LA just shipped first-round draft picks in 2013 and 2015 to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Steve Nash, there is a limited amount of future value the Magic could get in return from trading Howard for Bynum.

League rules (thanks to former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien) dictate that a franchise cannot trade first-round picks in consecutive years, so Orlando would not be able to accrue 2014 and 2016 first-round selections from the Lakers.

There are certainly going to be some more intriguing packages coming in from other teams across the league that do not involve an oft-injured center that will (as of now) not sign an extension to play in Orlando for the foreseeable future.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports is reporting that new Magic GM Rob Hennigan has a laundry list of goals to hit when pulling the trigger on any DH12 deal. Acquiring another center that may leave in the offseason is not one of them.

In the ideal scenario for Orlando, the Magic would get multiple first-round and possibly second-round picks, “perhaps a player or two,” a source said, and cap relief from moving the onerous contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson.

The Brooklyn Nets are perhaps the most serious suitors for Howard at this time, but they are struggling to find a way to appease Hennigan’s demands for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Even with the Nets far off from reaching some sort of agreement with the Magic, the Lakers may not even be in the running right now.

Andrew Bynum is going to have to change his tune if the franchise wants to have a horse in the Dwight Howard race. 

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NBA Free Agency 2012: Locking Up Deron Williams Shows Nets’ Promise to Improve

 Brooklyn  No Responses »
Jul 042012
 

Two years off a 70-loss season, the Brooklyn Nets have shown some improvement already. A 22-44 record last season may not be all that much to shout about, but locking up star point guard Deron Williams and other signings on the horizon are more promising.

Williams is reported to have signed a five-year deal worth nearly $100 million. On Tuesday, he posted the following cryptic tweet:

Made a very tough decision today…. lockerz.com/s/222071318

— Deron Williams (@DeronWilliams) July 3, 2012

Free agents can’t be signed officially until July 11, but this deal appears to be done. Although Williams may be Brooklyn’s franchise player, he needs a good supporting cast.

Other players that the Nets are chasing include Dwight Howard, Ersan Ilyasova, Reggie Evans and Mirza Teletovic. These deals would give the team a good mix of experience and youth to start next season and a chance to climb off the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for the first time in several seasons.

These trades would give the Nets a big three of Williams, Howard and Joe Johnson, which, as ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard said, “could rival the NBA-champion Miami Heat‘s heralded trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.”

The Nets need a big season not only to break out of a seemingly endless slump that follows the team from year to year, but also to assert some dominance over city rival New York Knicks. The small fanbase that New Jersey offered will grow exponentially in Brooklyn.

And it has to, or else the team’s money problems will only get worse (from Forbes):

Average attendance of 13,961 last season was the lowest in the NBA for the second time in three years. The Nets owned the league’s lowest TV ratings for a third straight year at just 0.41—half the next lowest team, the Charlotte Bobcats. The Nets lost money every year since appearing in the NBA Finals in 2003, including an estimated operating loss of $24 million during the 2010-11 season.

The move to Brooklyn was just what the team needed for a clean break from the old and a fresh start toward a better future. Its free-agency signings are another step closer to that new beginning.

All that’s left is to start winning games, but for now, the intention is clear: The Brooklyn Nets want to be big-time players in a big-time market.

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Jeremy Lin to Visit the Rockets: What Does This Mean for His Future in NYC?

 New York  No Responses »
Jul 032012
 

With his best bud, Landry Fields, probably on his way out of town, Jeremy Lin looks like he’s at least considering doing the same.

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com has reported that Lin will visit the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, according to sources. 

Broussard and his sources; always one step ahead of the rest of us. 

It looks like things could go from bad to worse very quickly for the Knickerbockers, especially if Houston offers Lin that dreaded eight-figure salary in the third and fourth year of a new big-money contract. 

The Knicks have said all along that they’ll be incredibly hesitant to match such an offer, but as their pursuit for mega-free agent Steve Nash starts to dissolve before the team’s very eyes, their point guard situation is starting to look more and more desperate.

And as free agency continues to heat up, the options may start to dwindle pretty quickly. 

The financial ramifications of such a large deal for Lin would teeter on catastrophic for the Knicks in the next few years, but this visit to Houston may force the Knicks’ hand sooner rather than later. 

Besides the new addition of the Rockets, the Raptors, Mavs and Nets have also been tied to the Jeremy Lin sweepstakes.

Recently, with the Raptors signing Fields, it looks like they won’t be able to offer Lin a “poison-pill” deal at this point, which is obviously good news for the Knicks, and for Lin fans. 

The Mavs‘ and the Nets’ decision will most definitely rely on where other mega-free agent Deron Williams decides to go. They both have the money to pay for Lin, and they both will be in need of a point guard.

Either way, Houston is the one that Knicks fans should keep their eyes on at the moment. Lin visiting any team besides New York is obviously bad news, and this may be the start to one pretty terrible 4th of July in the Big Apple.

It’s not time to panic yet, but the fact that Lin may be starting to test the market is far from a comforting thought. 

All I know is, this is far from the last time we’ll see “poison-pill contract” and “Jeremy Lin” in the same sentence. 

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Orlando Magic Would Be Crazy to Take Brooklyn Nets’ Deal for Dwight Howard

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 032012
 

The Orlando Magic would be wise to wait for a good deal, or to make Dwight Howard join the Brooklyn Nets via free agency after the season. The deal reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN doesn’t compensate the Magic for losing their franchise player.

Broussard writes:

The Nets and the Magic are discussing a trade that would send Howard to the Nets for Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and the Nets’ first-round picks in 2013, 2015 and 2017, sources said. Lopez and Humphries, who are both free agents, would go to Orlando in sign-and-trade deals.

Let’s take a close look at the components of this deal.

Lopez is a solid young center. He scores in the post (17.5 points per game for his career), shoots well from the free-throw line (.796), but he doesn’t rebound excessively well (7.5 per game) and he’s not a stout defender.

Humphries is an energetic power forward. He can hit the mid-range jumper and he is a very good rebounder (10.7 rebounds per game the last two seasons). Brooks is a young, offensively minded shooting guard. He showed he could score the ball well (12.6 points per game) with minutes last season.

Those are decent qualities, but you must remember, the Nets had these three players last year, minus Lopez who was injured. They had these players the year before that, minus Brooks, because his rookie season was last year.

Deron Williams was a part of the team for part of the 2010-2011 season, and all of last year. Even with him and this group of players, the Nets didn’t sniff the playoffs.

So why would the Magic be better off taking them on for Howard, who almost guarantees the Magic a playoff berth in the east every year.

The Magic wouldn’t have any star on their team, so they would presumably be worse this season than the Nets were last year. Then there’s the matter of the three first-round draft picks.

Sounds great right?

Wrong.

The super-team the Nets are close to assembling would be picking at the bottom of the first round for the foreseeable future. They have already traded for Joe Johnson, signed Gerald Wallace and they are enticing Williams to re-sign with each deal they ink.

The Magic would only be killing the value of the picks by sending Howard to Brooklyn.

I’m almost always pro-player in these deals, as it feels good to see a player have leverage. But as a team, the Magic owe it to themselves to see if they can find a better deal.

If they can’t find a deal with a team that Howard is willing to sign with, or a deal with a team willing to rent his services, then it’s best to make him play out the season in Orlando.

Why take on players and contracts you don’t want, just to get something for Howard?

The commitment to those players could end up setting the team back further than starting from scratch. The Magic would be better off spending Howard’s money on players they like than taking the Nets’ consolation package.

If Howard really wants to play for the Nets that badly, he’ll sign as a free agent after the season.

For now, the Magic have to look out for them ourselves. 

 

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NBA Free Agency 2012: Why Deron Williams Is Just a Big Fish in a Small Pond

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 032012
 

Deron Williams is unquestionably the biggest name on the 2012 NBA free agency market. After he is off the market, however, the rest of the talent in the group is average at best.

For that reason, the price tag for the All-Star point guard has soared to maximum heights.

Williams is the only player on the market who could play a big role in turning around a franchise, but his whereabouts mean more to the Dwight Howard saga than they do to the league as a whole.

Williams is a great player, but realistically, how many All-Star caliber seasons does the 28-year-old point guard have left? He has a lot of miles on his engine and has stayed relatively healthy his whole career. The laws of probability tell us that the wear and tear on his body will take a toll at some point.

Williams has reportedly narrowed his destination possibilities to two teams. He will either decide to stay with the Brooklyn Nets or will bolt for his hometown squad, the Dallas Mavericks. 

Whichever team ends up with Williams will be getting one of the best point guards in the NBA, but at what price? The Mavericks hope that Williams could team up with the aging Dirk Nowitzki for one or two more runs at an NBA title, but Dirk is on his way down.

Williams is a great player, but he isn’t enough of a difference maker to immediately make Dallas the favorite in the Western Conference over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dallas can offer Williams a four-year, $75 million deal. The Nets, however, can hold onto Williams for $100 million over five years (via Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com).

The Nets have more to lose if Williams leaves town. Howard reportedly made his preferred destination clear to the Orlando Magic front office, and he wants to take his talents to Brooklyn.

Now that the Nets have added Joe Johnson, the team has the trade bait to swing a deal with the Magic to add Howard. Brooklyn better act quickly to indicate to Williams that they are serious about making a deal for Howard because in the same story by Stein and Broussard, the duo reported that Williams is likely to make a decision between the Mavs and Nets Tuesday.

Williams has been the center of attention in the free agent world because he is the only legitimate superstar who is testing the market. He will likely be the only free agent to receive a max deal as well.

When teams pursue free agents, the pressure is on to add talent as quickly and efficiently as possible, even if a team has to overpay for its target. Take a look at the Houston Rockets, for example. They offered Chicago Bulls center Omer Asik a three-year contract worth $25 million.

Is the offensively challenged Asik worth that much money? Probably not. But that is the price the Rockets have to pay if they want to pry the restricted free agent away from the Bulls. 

Scarcity in the market drives the price tag up, and that is exactly what has happened in the teams’ quest for landing Williams. He is the best player available in a weak free agent class, so franchises are willing to pay whatever it takes to acquire the cream of the crop.

Williams is the beneficiary of this system because he is commanding the most money possible from both Dallas and Brooklyn. There are no other top-notch options at point guard available this summer, and that fact has driven up the asking price for the former Illinois standout. 

The Mavericks and Nets are both feeling the pressure to add the best available options to their backcourts, even if it means overpaying for the best talent available.

Williams is in the prime of his career, but how long he will perform at his peak is still a mystery. Heading into his thirties, could Williams stay healthy all season and sustain his All-Star level of production each year?

Apparently it is worth $100 million to find out.

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Jeremy Lin Rumors: Poison Pill Deal Could Scuttle Knicks’ Chances to Retain Star

 New York  No Responses »
Jul 022012
 

Maybe Linsanity isn’t a lock to play for the New York Knicks, after all. 

According to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard, there is a distinct possibility that a team like the Toronto Raptors could offer Jeremy Lin a backloaded four year, $40 million contract—known in the industry as a “poison pill” contract—that would pay Lin $15 million in his final two seasons.

The Knicks would have to consider letting him go, if that’s the case. According to Broussard’s report, they can only offer him a deal in the neighborhood of four years for $24.5 million.

I have a couple of thoughts about this right off the bat. 

First off, the Knicks would be foolish to try and match an offer that comes anywhere close to resembling this proposed “poison pill” deal.

Lin is a good player, and it’s possible he could become a great player in the future. But there is also the possibility that he never lives up to the hype and becomes another one-year wonder. 

Secondly, I have a hard time believing that the Raptors, or any other team, would pay him this kind of money. It’s patently absurd to think that Lin might garner such a fat contract after playing for only half a season for the Knicks.

That said, I won’t be shocked to see logic get thrown out the window. Lin is a hot commodity right now from a marketing standpoint, and a team like the Raptors could decide to take a big gamble on him. 

If Lin is offered this kind of contract, it doesn’t matter how much he likes New York or how much the Knicks like him as a player—they won’t match the offer. 

This story is a long ways from its conclusion, so stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all the latest news on Linsanity, the NBA and everything else that’s happening in the sports world. 

 

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Dwight Howard Rumors: Orlando Magic Center Says He’ll Only Re-Sign with 1 Team

 Brooklyn  No Responses »
Jul 022012
 

For over a year now, rumors have been circulating as to where disgruntled Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard would be traded to. The New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks were all active in the Howard sweepstakes.  Well now it’s being reported that Howard will only sign with one team.

In an article by Yahoo! Sports expert Adrian Wojnarowski, we learned that in a phone interview Howard said, “There’s only one team on my list and if I don’t get traded there, I’ll play the season out and explore my free agency after that.”

Although Howard did not specifically mention the one team that he’d sign an extension with, many people think they have the answer. 

Earlier reports from Chris Broussard on ESPN.com presented that Howard had requested a trade to the Brooklyn Nets before the season started. Going back as far as last December, New Jersey/Brooklyn has been Dwight’s preferred destination; it might be safe to assume that the one team that Dwight would sign with is the Nets.

One would have to imagine that if the Nets are the team that Dwight will re-sign with, Deron Williams will also remain with the team—forming the dynamic duo that could put Brooklyn on the map.  

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Dwight Howard: Hurting the Orlando Magic’s Leverage with Every Flip-Flop

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 012012
 

Unlike a lot of people, I don’t see why the Orlando Magic should be Dwight Howard‘s concern. Players do not get bonus points for helping their former teams on the way out.

If you leave a franchise, why not cripple it? Any other team is your ostensible competition. Michael Jordan was lauded for wanting to beat everyone. 

The problem for Dwight Howard is that you can’t decide on whether or not he actually wants to leave. In the meantime, he’s making it difficult for his (perhaps) future team to do anything productive.

The recent (via ESPN) buzz is that Howard is now requesting a trade to Brooklyn, a team that would have gladly signed the big man had Dwight not opted in for another Magic year last trade deadline.

And then there’s this, from the same Chris Broussard piece:

“He feels the Magic blackmailed him into signing the ‘opt-in’ clause. Howard shared his feelings of being blackmailed by the Magic with the NBA Players Association last week, sources said. He—either himself or through his representatives—approached the union wondering if he might have a legal complaint against the club.” 

Well, this story is certainly staying ridiculous. This is a tough task for new Orlando GM Rob Hennigan. Dwight’s fickle nature is on display to everybody, which dims the prospect of trading him. If you deal a guy with one year left on the contract, the recipient would at least like to think that a re-signing route might be easy. Howard is flaunting the fact that he makes it hell on teams until the ink dries. 

There’s also the matter of available options. Brooklyn is signing guys, guys Orlando might not want to trade for. Per ESPN, the Nets are inking Gerald Wallace and pursuing a trade for Joe Johnson (via NESN). These would both be hefty contracts that Hennigan might not want to take on.

And if Hennigan doesn’t want any of those deals? Then what are the options, realistically? Howard has poisoned the market, and the only Orlando leverage is that they might trade him to a renter, a scenario that Dwight seems bizarrely scared of. 

Meanwhile, in the background, Brooklyn is spending the kind of money that would eliminate them from the Dwight sweepstakes when Howard’s deal is up next year. Don’t be surprised if these two parties are stuck in this terrible marriage going forward. 

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Dwight Howard Saga Continues with Report D12 Wants Magic to Trade Him to Nets

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jul 012012
 

The NBA offseason has been filled with speculation on what will happen to Dwight Howard. The speculation started prior to the strike-shortened season with his request to be traded to the then New Jersey Nets. 

ESPN’s Chris Broussard is reporting that Dwight Howard has, once again, asked to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

Dwight Howard met with new Magic GM Rob Hennigan Friday in LA. Howard told Hennigan he wants to be traded to Brooklyn Nets, sources say.

— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 1, 2012

Broussard also reports that Hennigan is noncommittal on whether he will deal Howard or have him play out the season. The goal of the meeting was simply for the new GM to hear Howard’s thoughts on the 2012 season.

Howard is at least partially responsible for the circus that has followed him this offseason. 

On March 15th, a day after claiming he did not want the Magic to trade him, Howard picked up his option for the final year of his contract.

He is scheduled to make nearly $20 million in the final year of the five-year, $80 million extension he signed in 2007.

Since activating the final year, though, his relationship with the Orlando front office has soured. He’s gone so far as to claim the Magic blackmailed him into activating the option year.

Howard has sought relief from the NBA Players Association, but they currently have no plans to intervene.

Sources have also reported that former Magic GM Otis Smith agreed to seek a trade to the Nets. Smith was fired shortly after the Magic’s 2012 season ended.

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