Official NBA Thread

[RatBastich]

Report: Yao may miss most of 2009-10 season

By SI.com Staff

The Rockets may have a lot more to worry about next season than when All-Star guard Tracy McGrady returns from microfracture knee surgery.

According to a report by Yahoo! Monday, the Rockets have serious concerns over Yao Ming's return from a broken left foot.

"It sounds like he's missing most of next season, if not the entire 82 games," a league executive told Yahoo! Sports. "That's all that [the Rockets] will concede quietly, but they know it's probably much worse."

Team and player representatives are concerned not only abiut next season, but Yao's career, as well.

A year after three pins were inserted in his foot to repair a previous break, Yao broke the appendage again in the conference semifinals vs. the Lakers. The 7-foot-6 former No. 1 pick has undergone four surgeries in the past three years on his foot and missed 86 games in the three seasons prior to the 2009-09 campaign, during which Yao missed only five games.

Warning flags were raised last week when the Rockets issued a statement that Yao's foot was not healing properly and that he would be out "indefinitely."

Houston general manager Daryl Morey declined to comment on the situation Monday.

[RatBastich]

Timberwolves content to wait on Rubio

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- While NBA executives across the league try to pry Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio away from the Timberwolves, team president David Kahn is in no hurry to deal.

One of the biggest reasons many believe Rubio is available is also the biggest reason why Kahn can wait. The Timberwolves chose another point guard in Jonny Flynn one pick after Rubio fell into their lap on draft night.

The sudden depth at the position means Kahn can afford to let Rubio stay in Spain for another season if the 18-year-old cannot negotiate a reasonable buyout of his contract with DKV Joventut.

For now, the league's newest executive says he is content to let Rubio's contract situation play out before he makes any decision.

[RatBastich]

Report: Yao's broken foot slow to heal, could miss entire season

HOUSTON (AP) -- Rockets center Yao Ming's broken left foot could be a "career-threatening" injury.

Dr. Tom Clanton, the Houston Rockets' team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that Yao's injury "has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening."

Yahoo! Sports first reported the Rockets and Yao's representatives were concerned the 7-foot-6 All-Star would never play again. Yahoo! Sports quoted "multiple league executives, officials close to Yao and two doctors with knowledge of the diagnoses."
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Playing the guessing game

By Ric Bucher
ESPN The Magazine

In the realm of possibilities, the fact that Yao Ming's left foot has made no improvement since he fractured it in May could mean the Rockets center will miss all of next season.


It could also mean he never plays again.

Or that he is limited in training camp but starts the season and has another All-Star campaign. Or misses the first 25 games of the season but leads them to another strong playoff run. Or he misses the first 50 and wins a title.

In short, what he can offer the Rockets next season is a complete unknown. Which, in some ways, is the worst possible scenario for GM Daryl Morey.





Things not looking too good for Yao and the Rox.

[RatBastich]

Warriors double-crossed Suns

We suspect that Suns General Manager Steve Kerr was double-crossed by Golden State's Don Nelson on draft day. As you know by now, the Suns evidently believed they had an arrangement with the Warriors that would have sent Amar'e Stoudemire to Golden State for a package of players and Stephen Curry, whom the Warriors selected with the seventh pick in the draft. Only the Warriors hadn't anticipated Curry falling into their laps. When he did, the deal went Kerr-boom. We aren't alone in this thinking, either. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, a dependable long-time NBA and Warriors observer, wrote in his blog: "Nelson's reputation on these matters precedes him, and this perceived 11th-hour pullout only adds to the sense that the Warriors with Nelson are extremely difficult trade partners, and possibly borderline untrustworthy in these matters." It's clear, though, that the Suns are willing to part with Stoudemire - maybe even to the Warriors.
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Rockets face uncertain future with Yao

Associated Press

HOUSTON -- On the eve of the NBA draft, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said that the franchise was still determined to build around All-Star center Yao Ming.

"He's the cornerstone of the team," Morey said.

A few days later, the future of the team and the All-Star center from China have suddenly been thrown into question amid ominous reports from the team doctor that the hairline fracture in Yao's left foot could not only possibly keep him out all of next season, but potentially end his career.

That would not only be devastating news for the Rockets, but a crippling blow to the NBA, which would lose one of its most influential international ambassadors.

[RatBastich]

Sources: Kobe returning to Lakers

ESPN.com news services

It wasn't long ago that Kobe Bryant reportedly wanted out of Los Angeles. He's not going anywhere now.

Fresh off winning the championship, the Lakers guard decided not to exercise an early termination option in his contract and will return for the 2009-10 season, a league source told ESPN.com's Chad Ford.

Bryant is scheduled to make $23 million next season by not opting out. He also has a player option to opt out of his contract in the 2010-11 season. The Lakers will work with Bryant over the summer and fall to hammer out a new, long-term extension, according to the source.

After two straight first-round exits from the playoffs, Bryant requested a trade in the spring of 2007, saying that he didn't like the direction the team's rebuilding was going.

The Lakers then went out and traded for big man Pau Gasol. Los Angeles increased its win total from 42 games to 57 and went to the NBA Finals, eventually losing to the Boston Celtics. The Lakers bounced back with a 65-win season in 2008-09, made it back to the Finals and beat the Orlando Magic for the title. Bryant distinguished himself by winning his first championship without Shaquille O'Neal. The duo won three from 2000 to 2002.

[RatBastich]

BIG NEWS!!

Artest says he's leaving Rockets for LA

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Free-agent forward Ron Artest says he's leaving the Houston Rockets to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

In a text message to ESPN.com on Thursday night, Artest wrote: "I am happy to say I am goin' to L.A."

ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard reports that Artest and the Lakers have reached a verbal agreement on what is believed to be a three-year contract worth an estimated $18 million. Wednesday is the first day free agents are permitted to sign new deals.

Artest's decision was first reported by CBSSports.com. The mercurial swingman was initially courted by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In his text message, Artest said that he met Thursday with Lakers owner Jerry Buss and had spoken to coach Phil Jackson about the move to Los Angeles, where Artest has been spending his offseasons.

Artest's forthcoming arrival strongly suggests that unrestricted free agent Trevor Ariza -- who played such a pivotal run in the Lakers' championship run -- is bound to leave the team. Broussard reported Wednesday that, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations, Ariza was likely to leave the Lakers for a new team because L.A. was reluctant to sign him to a contract starting above the league's $5.6 million mid-level exception, even after Ariza's postseason success.

Ariza has been courted by numerous teams, including Cleveland, and met Thursday in Las Vegas with Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to possibly swap spots with Artest.

[RatBastich]

Source: Rockets agree on multiyear deal with Ariza

from NBA.com

HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Rockets have reached a multiyear deal with free agent Trevor Ariza, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday night.

The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because NBA rules prohibit announcing free-agent deals until next week, said the Rockets offered Ariza the full mid-level exception for the first year, about $5.6 million.

Ariza is coming to Houston just as Ron Artest decided to leave and play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Ariza is likely to take Artest's spot in the Rockets' starting lineup.

The 6-foot-8 Ariza averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Lakers last season, which ended with the NBA championship.

The 24-year-old Ariza earned $3.1 million last season and he boosted his value during the playoffs, when he averaged 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Ariza was acquired by the Lakers in a trade from Orlando in November 2007. He just completed his fifth NBA season after being drafted by the New York Knicks with the 43rd overall pick in 2004.

Ariza said after the Lakers' championship run that he was hoping to stay there. But his agent, David Lee, told KRIV-TV in Houston that Ariza got the impression that the Lakers didn't want him anymore.

"It was never about the money," Lee said. "It was about being at a place where he felt wanted and appreciated."

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey did not immediately return a phone message on Thursday night.

He flew to Las Vegas on Thursday to meet with Ariza, a sign that he was already expecting Artest to leave.

The Rockets will need Ariza's versatility and perimeter shooting early next season, because they know they'll be missing Tracy McGrady for the bulk of next season. The seven-time All-Star is recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee and could be out until February.

The Rockets are also awaiting a definitive prognosis on Yao, who sustained a hairline fracture in his left foot in the playoffs. Morey made an aggressive pitch to free agent center Marcin Gortat shortly after the free agency period began on Wednesday.

[RatBastich]

Jackson says he'll return to Lakers

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

The Los Angeles Lakers' commitment to sign the mercurial Ron Artest made retaining Phil Jackson even more imperative than it already was.

And Jackson's status is no longer an unknown, thanks to statement on the Lakers' Web site Friday afternoon.

Jackson issued a statement confirming that he will be back to complete the final season of his contract, following an ESPN.com report earlier Friday that an announcement was forthcoming early next week.
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Sources: Turkoglu, Blazers agree

By Henry Abbott
ESPN.com

Hedo Turkoglu has reached an agreement in principle to join the Portland Trail Blazers, according to sources.

Although a verbal commitment may be announced sooner, the terms of the contract cannot be finalized until Wednesday when the NBA informs teams what the 2009-10 salary cap will be.

The Orlando Magic's recent trade for Vince Carter, who has a large salary and plays small forward -- which is Turkoglu's position -- made it highly unlikely Turkoglu would be back in Orlando.

The Toronto Raptors expressed interest in Turkoglu, but were constrained by their other efforts to keep Shawn Marion and Carlos Delfino.

Turkoglu, a 6-10 forward from Turkey who played a prominent role in the Magic's recent trip to the NBA Finals, had been looking for a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $50 million.

Experts believe the cap likely will be somewhere between $57 million and $59 million. If the cap number comes in at the high end, the Blazers can offer close to what Turkoglu is hoping for.

After having dinner with Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan in Florida on Wednesday, Turkoglu flew to Portland on Thursday to visit the the team and see the city.

ESPN's Ric Bucher reported that the Turkish star remained in Portland on Friday, where he and the team were working on a deal.

The Blazers, one of the youngest teams in the NBA, had been intent on adding experienced players this offseason. They targeted the 30-year-old Turkoglu as a player who could take pressure off team leader Brandon Roy, who has carried the burden of creating most of the team's scoring opportunities.

[RatBastich]

No deal between Turkoglu, Blazers

ESPN.com news services

Free agent forward Hedo Turkoglu has broken off negotiations with the Portland Trail Blazers, a source told ESPN's Ric Bucher on Friday night.

Yahoo! Sports reported that Turkoglu backed out of his earlier commitment and has his sights set on Toronto. Yahoo! Sports reported that Toronto can offer Turkoglu about $6 million more than Portland, but would have to trim its roster to do it.

Friday night, a report from the National Post newspaper in Canada said Turkoglu was close to signing with the Raptors, who could have to consider renouncing the rights to free agents Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino.

Earlier Friday, ESPN.com's Henry Abbott reported that Turkoglu had agreed in principle to a deal with the Trail Blazers, citing sources. The report, which said the deal couldn't be formally signed until the NBA salary cap is set next Wednesday, followed a Wednesday night dinner in Orlando between Turkoglu and Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, followed by two days of negotiations.

Friday afternoon, Bucher reported that the Turkish star remained in Portland, where he and the team were working on a deal.

After ESPN.com reported the agreement in principle, several news organizations confirmed the agreement in principle. Late Friday afternoon, the Oregonian reported that Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard and Turkoglu's agent, Lon Babby, had not confirmed the deal, but that talks were continuing.

Turkoglu, a 6-10 forward from Turkey who played a prominent role in the Orlando Magic's recent trip to the NBA Finals, had been looking for a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $50 million.

[RatBastich]

Agent: Wallace commits to Celtics

By J.A. Adande
ESPN.com

Rasheed Wallace is joining the Boston Celtics, giving the Celtics one of the most important free agents on the marketplace as they attempt to return to the championship.

Bill Strickland, Wallace's agent, told the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe on Sunday night that the 34-year-old forward told him to call off meetings the agent was in the process of scheduling with the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.

The Boston Globe reported Wallace will sign for two years at the mid-level exception.

Wallace won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 after arriving in a mid-season trade, although his career has been noted just as much for his volatile interactions with officials and contentious relationships with coaches. However, the strong presence of veterans such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in the Celtics' locker room should keep Wallace in line and bring the focus to his positive attributes: the 6-foot-11 Wallace is a scoring threat from the low block to the 3-point arc and a long-armed, savvy defender.

"As much as Rasheed's a headache, teammakes like him and he's a winner," an NBA executive said.

After trade rumors involving Allen and Rajon Rondo surfaced last month it appeared the Celtics might be trying to shift on the fly, at the risk of breaking up the core that won the 2008 NBA championship. Now they have landed a piece that makes them a prime contender to win again next season, with an emphasis on the short term. Wallace will be 35 in September and made joining a championship-caliber team a priority this offseason.

But Boston was always the leading contender, a positioned strengthened by a dinner meeting with Wallace involving Garnett, Pierce, Allen, coach Doc Rivers and owner Wyc Grousbeck last week.

Wallace restores frontcourt depth to the Celtics, who did not extend a qualifying offer to Leon Powe and could lose restricted free agent Glen Davis if another team signs him to a contract the Celtics decide not to match.

Both Boston papers are also reporting that the Celtics may be interested in signing Grant Hill, who averaged 12 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns last season.

[RatBastich]

Wade says he'll stay if Heat contend

Associated Press

MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade will remain in Miami on one condition: He wants the Heat to become championship contenders again, the quicker the better.

Otherwise, he might need moving trucks next summer.

The reigning NBA scoring champion, who can opt out of his Heat contract after the 2009-10 season, said Monday that simply getting to the playoffs "is not enough" to satisfy him anymore and that his long-term commitment to Miami hinges entirely on the franchise getting back into the mix for the title trophy he hoisted just three years ago.

[thatonezombie]

Wade is feeling how every player should feel when considering re-signing with the team. If they can't set themselves up to win a title, then either leave to go to a city that can or hope that your team will set itself up to win.

[RatBastich]

Sources: Coach K staying with U.S.

By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com

Coach K and Team USA will be together for four more years.

ESPN.com learned Tuesday that coach Mike Krzyzewski has given word to USA Basketball officials that he will remain as coach of the national team at the 2010 world championship in Turkey and at the 2012 London Olympics.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a formal announcement will be made on the eve of the start of Team USA's minicamp later this month.

The story was first reported by The Boston Globe.

USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo has been lobbying Coach K for months to stay in the job he held when the Americans won the gold medal in Beijing last summer.

"With the success that we had, I would do everything in my power to keep everything intact," Colangelo told The Associated Press without confirming the decision.

"I'm a strong believer in not upsetting the apple cart."

Krzyzewski led the Americans to a 36-1 record from 2006 to 2008, and a return would give him a chance to fill one of the only holes on his Hall of Fame résumé. He is 0-for-2 in the world championships, also finishing third in 1990 with a team of college players.

[RatBastich]

Move frees up money for moves

Associated Press

HOUSTON -- Even if the Rockets are worried about Yao Ming's return from a broken left foot, the All-Star center is trying to put everyone at ease.

"I am optimistic about the future and I will return to playing basketball when my foot has fully healed," Yao said in a statement released by his agent Wednesday. "My focus is on selecting the best treatment option for my injured foot and committing myself to do what I can to ensure a complete recovery."

Yao is still consulting with doctors about the hairline fracture and will announce within a week what kind of treatment he's chosen. How long that treatment might sideline him is the biggest question facing the Rockets in the offseason, though they've already cashed in on his injury in a sense.

[RatBastich]

Sources: Teams agree to Marion deal

By Chad Ford and Marc Stein
ESPN.com

The Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, living up to the wild tenor of the past few weeks in the NBA, have hatched a complicated sign-and-trade arrangement that went through numerous constructions Wednesday before resulting in an agreement in principle that will send Shawn Marion to Dallas and also absorb the Raptors' much-anticipated signing of Hedo Turkoglu.

Sources close to the negotiations told ESPN.com on Wednesday night that a trade call has been scheduled with the league office for Thursday, indicating all sides have agreed to the terms of a transaction that, in its final form, will also involve the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic.

[RatBastich]

Nike confiscates LeBron camp tapes

ESPN.com news services

AKRON, Ohio -- What happens at LeBron's camp stays at LeBron's camp.

A minor controversy erupted at the LeBron James Skills Academy on Monday night when two videographers recorded a pickup game in which Xavier's Jordan Crawford dunked on James.

Gary Parrish reported on CBSSports.com that a Nike representative confiscated tapes of the dunk after conferring with James.

A representative with Nike, which runs the camp at the University of Akron in James' hometown, made no mention of Crawford's dunk. He said the tapes were confiscated because videotaping of after-hours pickup games at the camp is not allowed.



This a whole lot of horseshit... Lebron didn't want this getting out, so he had nike take the tapes... PSSSH!!
Another dumbass move on bronbron's part, thinking he can save face this way, but actually losing face is more like it.

[RatBastich]

Sources: Boozer could go to Chicago

By Marc Stein and Chad Ford
ESPN.com

Another major multiteam trade might be looming in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls having discussed a deal that would be headlined by Carlos Boozer and Kirk Hinrich, according to NBA front-office sources.

Sources stressed to ESPN.com that no deal was imminent Thursday and that both Portland and Utah are still evaluating multiple trade scenarios. But two sources with knowledge of the three-team proposal confirmed that there have been substantive talks regarding a trade that would land Boozer in Chicago, Hinrich in Portland and Tyrus Thomas in Utah.

A deal featuring those main components would deliver the elite low-post scorer that the Bulls have been chasing for years in Boozer and furnish Portland with a lead guard in Hinrich that the Blazers are known to rate highly as a potential backcourt mate for Brandon Roy. It's possible that other players would be added to balance out the transaction from a salary-cap perspective if the three teams elect to take these talks further.

Yet even if this deal collapses, sources say it is clear that the Jazz are becoming increasingly open to the possibility of moving Boozer now to increase their financial flexibility to re-sign restricted free agent Paul Millsap.

Despite fresh reports Thursday about the Blazers weighing whether to sign Millsap to an offer sheet, Hinrich is the player Portland prefers, according to one source close to the process, after the Blazers came so close last week to landing the versatile Hedo Turkoglu.

Boozer has only one season left at $12.7 million after declining the option in his contract to become an unrestricted free agent July 1. It's believed that the Jazz are determined to keep Millsap but are concerned about the luxury-tax consequences of signing him to a long-term deal.

[Mugen]

KING JAMES GOT DUNKED ON BY COLLEGE PLAYER DURING NIKE CAMP! NIKE CONFISCATED TAPE EVIDENCE!

LeBron Dunked On By Jordan Crawford..Calls Nike To Confiscate Evidence...Skip Bayless Bashes

Interview with Jordan Crawford (The kid that dunked on LeBrick James) Dude sounds like a stoner HAHAHA
Jordan Crawford on Dunking On LeBron

[RatBastich]

Stoudemire 'ready to rock' next season

Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire has undergone outpatient surgery on his right eye.

The Suns said Friday the procedure was part of the recovery process from a Feb. 20 operation to repair a partially detached retina.

Team ophthalmologist Dr. Jay Schwartz said in a statement that a small amount of residual fluid was removed and called the surgery "routine."

After a workout at U.S. Airways Center on Wednesday, the All-Star forward said he was looking forward to next season and "ready to rock."

[RatBastich]

Sources: Suns, Nash working on deal

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

LAS VEGAS -- Friday's re-signing of Grant Hill and Steve Nash's subsequent congratulatory messages via Twitter are the latest signals that the Phoenix Suns will achieve their No. 1 priority this offseason by securing Nash's signature on a contract extension.

Nash, though, is still weighing his options.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN.com that the sides are still working out the terms of a two-year contract extension and that the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player -- who wanted to see what sort of roster maneuvering Phoenix accomplished before committing to finishing his career in the desert -- has not ruled out playing out the final year of his contract next season to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2010.
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Kidd re-signs with Mavericks

Associated Press

DALLAS -- The Mavericks have re-signed Jason Kidd.

The team announced that free agent point guard signed on Saturday, five days after owner Mark Cuban confirmed that Kidd was returning. Kidd agreed to a three-year contract worth more than $25 million.

The 37-year-old Kidd could finish his career where it started in 1994 -- with the Mavericks. The No. 2 pick out of California returned to Dallas in a trade last year with New Jersey, where he made two trips to the NBA finals with the Nets.

The nine-time All-Star is third on the NBA's career list in assists (10,199) and triple-doubles (103).

Kidd has averaged 13.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists in 15 NBA seasons.