New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

[MylesBAstor]

And looks like JR is returning to the Knicks.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/9450161/jr-smith-return-new-york-knicks-agent-says

Bargani, Stoudemire, Anthony and Smith give the Knicks some offense now. Throw in Hardaway and it's a team that D'Antoni would like to coach 'Course who's going to play defense now?

 

[jadis]

But the lure of $31m more than Houston can offer makes LA still a place of consideration.


Posted July 04, 2013
Report: Kobe Bryant’s pitch to Dwight Howard a ‘complete turnoff’


http://tracking.si.com/2013/07/04/dwight-howard-kobe-lakers-saga/

During the Los Angeles Lakers meeting with free-agent center Dwight Howard, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant had a poignant message for Howard about learning how to become a champion.The longest-tenured Lakers player may have rubbed Howard the wrong way with his presentation.

According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, Bryant’s pitch to Howard “will be a complete turnoff” to Howard returning to Los Angeles.

“You need to learn how it’s done first, and I can teach you here,” Bryant reportedly told Howard during the Lakers presentation to the free agent.

Howard has since left Los Angeles to contemplate where he will be playing his 10th season in the NBA. Howard has met with the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and Lakers.

When Howard met with the Rockets earlier this week, he reportedly asked the Rockets if they could acquire Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith in a sign-and-trade deal. Former Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon said he believes there’s an 85 percent chance Howard will land in Houston.

The Lakers are in position to offer Howard the most money. If he decides to re-sign with the Lakers, his max deal could be a five-year pact worth $118 million. If Howard signs elsewhere, he would receive a four-year, $87.6 million deal.

The Lakers released a statement about their meeting with Dwight Howard:

“Jim Buss, Mike D’Antoni, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Harris and I, along with representatives from our partners at Time Warner Cable SportsNet and AEG, met this afternoon for approximately two hours with Dwight Howard and his representatives Dan Fegan and Happy Walters. At the meeting, we told him how important he is to the Lakers team, franchise, fans and community, and why we feel this is the best place for him to continue his career. We are hopeful that Dwight decides to remain a Laker.”

 

[jadis]

And looks like JR is returning to the Knicks.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/9450161/jr-smith-return-new-york-knicks-agent-says

Bargani, Stoudemire, Anthony and Smith give the Knicks some offense now. Throw in Hardaway and it's a team that D'Antoni would like to coach 'Course who's going to play defense now?

Chandler?

 

[jadis]

Strange as it sounds, OKC may need to rebuild around their 2 stars. Kevin Martin, the man they got to fill in Harden's departure, is gone as well. And they keep talking small market, small revenues out there. Their Finals goal may be in peril.

 

[steve williams]

Strange as it sounds, OKC may need to rebuild around their 2 stars. Kevin Martin, the man they got to fill in Harden's departure, is gone as well. And they keep talking small market, small revenues out there. Their Finals goal may be in peril.

I didn't know that where is he playing now.

 

[jadis]

I didn't know that where is he playing now.

Steve, he's moving to Minnesota.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport.../minnesota-timberwolves-kevin-martin/2484819/

 

[MylesBAstor]

Chandler?

And Shumpert.

 

[jadis]

it would be interesting to watch those old riley knicks tapes. how he formed that kind of a swift, swarming and switching defense that causes turnovers and rattles the offense. he basically developed that too into his miami teams. i thought those chuck daly pistons were an example for good D, but riley has perfected this system. another coach that is impressive too is thibodeau of the bulls. almost like miami in their defense, and vogel of the pacers. let's see if kidd is not kidding when he said he's ready to bring the nets to the top.

 

[steve williams]

Lakers are softening and preparing for the worst tomorrow. I love the last sentence in the report

Report: Lakers may be willing to consider sign-and-trade for Howard

By Kurt Helin

The Lakers ideally would like to re-sign Dwight Howard. It could happen. Howard is off in his hideaway in Aspen with his advisors around him trying to come to a decision, and by all accounts the Lakers pitch that turned into a “clear the air” kind of meeting with Mike D’Antoni, Kobe Bryant and Howard finally got everybody on the same page. The Lakers still have advantages —the lure of Los Angeles, cap space next year to rework the roster, and $30 million more guaranteed.

But if Howard decides to head to Houston or another market, the Lakers may be softening on their hardline opposition to a sign-and-trade with another team. That according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne at ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Yet, there were indications late Thursday that Lakers officials, already bracing for the worst, had begun to rethink their long-held position of ruling out sign-and-trade options in the event Howard decides to bolt to one of L.A.’s rivals.

One source briefed on the Lakers’ thinking told ESPN.com that, if the extra fifth year and nearly $30 million they can offer Howard isn’t enough to hold off the competition, they would be forced to “look at everything.”

The report also says the Lakers are increasingly pessimistic that Howard will re-sign with them.

Which means the Lakers may look at a deal, but it is going to have to blow their doors off. Letting him walk and banking the cap space has some advantages for Los Angeles.

The Lakers had the highest payroll in the NBA last season and under the new CBA Los Angeles will start to pay an additional repeater tax in 2015 if they don’t get their salary down. And the Lakers don’t want to increase their tax bill. Nobody does.

Which means the Lakers don’t want your long-term bad contracts, they want to rebuild and you need to give them pieces to do that.

The Lakers would be silly not to explore all their the options. It’s hard to say what the Lakers will do — as much as Howard and his decision making process is hard to predict, so have been the Lakers under Jim Buss.

 

[rblnr]

it would be interesting to watch those old riley knicks tapes. how he formed that kind of a swift, swarming and switching defense that causes turnovers and rattles the offense. he basically developed that too into his miami teams. i thought those chuck daly pistons were an example for good D, but riley has perfected this system. another coach that is impressive too is thibodeau of the bulls. almost like miami in their defense, and vogel of the pacers. let's see if kidd is not kidding when he said he's ready to bring the nets to the top.

I'd take the Pistons D over the Knicks of yore -- it was the Knicks who played a big part in creating the current hand check/holding rules. It's a ugly a brand of basketball as I've ever seen.

 

[jadis]

I'd take the Pistons D over the Knicks of yore -- it was the Knicks who played a big part in creating the current hand check/holding rules. It's a ugly a brand of basketball as I've ever seen.

yeah, i recall that knicks-rockets finals was termed 'ugly ball' by some writers.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I'd take the Pistons D over the Knicks of yore -- it was the Knicks who played a big part in creating the current hand check/holding rules. It's a ugly a brand of basketball as I've ever seen.

Yeah but it started with Riley and the Lakers.

 

[MylesBAstor]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...letter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=nba

 

[steve williams]

I'd love to see him sign with GSW. Exciting basketball there now and this would put it over the top

 

[steve williams]

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/7/...rs-golden-state-warriors-nba-free-agency-2013

 

[steve williams]

Rockets don’t have enough cap room to give Dwight Howard a max contract....

Dan Feldman

The Rockets do not have enough cap room to give Dwight Howard a max contract.

They could waive all four of their players with fully unguaranteed contracts – Greg Smith, Patrick Beverley,Tim Ohlbrecht and James Anderson – and they still wouldn’t have enough cap room.

If Howard chooses Houston, perhaps as early as today, the Rockets will either have to convince him to take less money or do some wheeling and dealing.

Howard’s contract can start at $20,513,178 next season, regardless of which team signs him, and it wouldn’t be difficult for the Rockets to clear that much cap room. Waiving Greg Smith, Patrick Beverley,Tim Ohlbrecht and James Anderson and using the stretch provision on Royce White would do the trick. That seems less than ideal, but if it meant getting Howard, I’m sure Darryl Morey would do it in a heartbeat.

However, Howard can’t officially sign until July 10. So, if he commits to the Rockets before then, they’d have a little time to clear space.

Dumping Ohlbrecht and Anderson probably wouldn’t be an issue, but Smith and Beverly have value. Houston could trade any two-man combination of Smith, Beverly, White, Terrence Jonesand Donatas Motiejunas except Beverly-Smith and Beverly-Motiejunas for future draft picks or unsigned second rounders, and that would clear enough room to give Howard a max contract.

Bigger moves – perhaps involving Jeremy Lin and/or Omer Asik – are also possible, but trading two lesser-paid players is probably the simplest route to getting Howard his max contract.

Of course, if Howard picks the Rockets, he’ll certainly talk about Houston’s chances to win a championship. Would he give up money to increase those odds? Beverly, Smith and even White could contribute to a winning team.

If the Rockets waive only Ohlbrecht and Anderson, they could still offer Howard a four-year, $87,591,270 contract. With his full maximum from a team besides the Lakers, Howard could get $82,059,635 – so he’d be sacrificing $5,531,635.

Still, that would be minimal compared to the at least $28,821,015 he’d be giving up by signing with any team besides the Lakers, who can offer larger annual raises and a fifth guaranteed season.*

*I think it’s slightly disingenuous to compare the amount Howard would be losing by leaving Los Angeles in terms of five versus four years. Though there’s certainly no guarantee, it’s likely Howard can get another max contract after this one. So, if he leaves the Lakers and gets max contracts both this summer and following this one, he’d be giving up just $4,374,435 during the next five years.

Anyway, back to the present. If Howard agrees to sign with the Rockets, that means at least one of two things: He’s taking less than a maximum contract and/or Houston has more moves in store.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Rockets don’t have enough cap room to give Dwight Howard a max contract....

Dan Feldman

The Rockets do not have enough cap room to give Dwight Howard a max contract.

They could waive all four of their players with fully unguaranteed contracts – Greg Smith, Patrick Beverley,Tim Ohlbrecht and James Anderson – and they still wouldn’t have enough cap room.

If Howard chooses Houston, perhaps as early as today, the Rockets will either have to convince him to take less money or do some wheeling and dealing.

Howard’s contract can start at $20,513,178 next season, regardless of which team signs him, and it wouldn’t be difficult for the Rockets to clear that much cap room. Waiving Greg Smith, Patrick Beverley,Tim Ohlbrecht and James Anderson and using the stretch provision on Royce White would do the trick. That seems less than ideal, but if it meant getting Howard, I’m sure Darryl Morey would do it in a heartbeat.

However, Howard can’t officially sign until July 10. So, if he commits to the Rockets before then, they’d have a little time to clear space.

Dumping Ohlbrecht and Anderson probably wouldn’t be an issue, but Smith and Beverly have value. Houston could trade any two-man combination of Smith, Beverly, White, Terrence Jonesand Donatas Motiejunas except Beverly-Smith and Beverly-Motiejunas for future draft picks or unsigned second rounders, and that would clear enough room to give Howard a max contract.

Bigger moves – perhaps involving Jeremy Lin and/or Omer Asik – are also possible, but trading two lesser-paid players is probably the simplest route to getting Howard his max contract.

Of course, if Howard picks the Rockets, he’ll certainly talk about Houston’s chances to win a championship. Would he give up money to increase those odds? Beverly, Smith and even White could contribute to a winning team.

If the Rockets waive only Ohlbrecht and Anderson, they could still offer Howard a four-year, $87,591,270 contract. With his full maximum from a team besides the Lakers, Howard could get $82,059,635 – so he’d be sacrificing $5,531,635.

Still, that would be minimal compared to the at least $28,821,015 he’d be giving up by signing with any team besides the Lakers, who can offer larger annual raises and a fifth guaranteed season.*

*I think it’s slightly disingenuous to compare the amount Howard would be losing by leaving Los Angeles in terms of five versus four years. Though there’s certainly no guarantee, it’s likely Howard can get another max contract after this one. So, if he leaves the Lakers and gets max contracts both this summer and following this one, he’d be giving up just $4,374,435 during the next five years.

Anyway, back to the present. If Howard agrees to sign with the Rockets, that means at least one of two things: He’s taking less than a maximum contract and/or Houston has more moves in store.

With all the ballyhoo surrounding Howard, he's no Lebron. IMHO, he's not going to bring any team a championship. He's a very limited player with a lot of baggage.

 

[steve williams]

He is in a no win situation. Can't play for the Lakers because of Kobe and D'Antoni, can't ask for a coaching change nor would Jim Buss do it as it makes him look weak. So he has to leave and then there is the demands that he bring a championship.

Now the Lakers big plan next year is to go after both Carmelo and LBJ.

 

[MylesBAstor]

He is in a no win situation. Can't play for the Lakers because of Kobe and D'Antoni, can't ask for a coaching change nor would Jim Buss do it as it makes him look weak. So he has to leave and then there is the demands that he bring a championship.

Now the Lakers big plan next year is to go after both Carmelo and LBJ.

I think Carmelo is signed through 2014/15 unless there's an opt out clause that I don't know about.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/new_york.htm

Plus the Knicks signed his best buddy JR Smith

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...edium=newsletter&utm_campaign=new-york-knicks

 

[jadis]

Yeah but it started with Riley and the Lakers.

umm...i think riley got 'mauled' by kc jones' tough and rough defense in the '84 finals, featuring the chest bumping D of dennis johnson (now that's one D-guy with a D) on magic johnson and the all too famous kevin mchale clothesline on rambis. after losing game 7, riley said: 'we lost a gang war out there'.

so maybe that sort 'inspired' riley to do his own version of tough defense though he would meet another formidable defensive team in chuck daly's bad boys pistons in the late 80s.