TODAY IN NBA
Like a JC entrance at the Gaden hailing from Seattle your starting shooting guard, here comes NUMBER
11
TrAnSaCtIoNs
Here we go with the leagues Signings, Waivings, Tradings and important IL placements around the NBA.
Sunday March 27th 2005
Washington places Brendan Haywood on the injured list and activates Peter John Ramos from the injured list.
Saturday March 26th 2005
Minnesota places Mark Madsen on the injured list and activates Ervin Johnson from the injured list.
San Antonio activates Mike Wilks from the injured list.
Utah places Andrei Kirilenko on the injured list and activates Jarron Collins from the injured list.
Friday March 25th 2005
Detroit activates Darvin Ham from the injured list and places Ronald Dupree on the injured list.
Houston signs general manager Carroll Dawson to a multiyear contract extension.
L.A. Clippers waive Kenny Anderson.
San Antonio places Devin Brown on the injured list and activates Linton Johnson III from the injured list
Thursday March 24th 2005
Cleveland names Mike Bratz and Wes Wilcox assistant coaches.
Portland activates Ruben Patterson from the injured list.
RuMoRs
Lets get right to the part of this thread dedicated to the speculation and facts regarding anything news worthy around the league. Heres my Top 3. Came back expecting a busy weekend of talk but of course the NCAA games took over the column/news space....but here we go
#3.FATHER BULL COMING::UHON TO MOVE ON??? Raptors forward Donyell Marshall will be a popular target this summer in free agency, in large part because teams figure he’ll be willing to accept a deal for the midlevel exception of $4.9 million. That would make him a candidate to join just about any team in the league. The first time the Bulls visited Toronto in February, Marshall said he would be interested in rejoining his former team because his fiancee and four children still live in the Chicago suburbs. That’s an intriguing scenario for the Bulls: adding a veteran power forward who can be a reliable scoring threat thanks to his 3-point skills.The question here is whether the Bulls will be willing to use the full midlevel exception this summer on Marshall or anyone. If they did sign a free agent with the midlevel, they’d put themselves at risk of losing rookie point guard Chris Duhon. Since Duhon was a second-round draft pick the Bulls weren’t sure they’d keep, he signed a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. Duhon has gone on to start 59 consecutive games, and he put his value on display last week as the Bulls went 3-0 with Kirk Hinrich sidelined by a hamstring strain. Duhon will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the Bulls are over the salary cap. But they are allowed to use any part of the midlevel exception to re-sign the former Duke point guard. If the Bulls decided to use the midlevel on another free agent, their options for Duhon would dwindle to the $1.6 million exception or a 20 percent raise above the minimum salary, which would be about $930,000 for a second-year player. Under that scenario, if Duhon signed an offer sheet worth $1.61 million from another team, the Bulls would be unable to match it. Of course, some of these rules could change when a new collective bargaining agreement is reached before the start of next season. But the situation suggests that the Bulls would keep the midlevel exception available and set their sights on a tall guard in free agency. Utah’s Raja Bell is the most obvious candidate among unrestricted free agents, and he makes a relatively modest $1.32 million this season. The Bulls should be able to re-sign free agent power forward Othella Harrington without touching any of their exceptions. They are allowed to give Harrington a 20 percent raise from this season’s $3.15 million salary. And if they don’t spend too much this summer, the Bulls could be $10 million below the cap in 2006. There is little question the Bulls consider Duhon worth keeping. His defense and court sense have been outstanding this year. If he can become a more consistent shooter, he’ll be earning NBA minutes for years to come. Consider this statistic: When Duhon hits 2 or more 3-point shots in a game, the Bulls’ record is 15-6...not going to spend too much time on this subject but i believe its very possible Duhon and Marshall will BOTH be Bulls next year. The salary issue isnt too had to get around especially when they put the idea in Duhons head of they gave him the chance to play and make a name for himself, and the cap is easy to get around if he signs a two year deal etc etc etc...
#2.NEW MAGIC:::WHAT POSITION??? The Orlando Magic are not only playing for a postseason spot, but many of them could be playing for a roster spot next season.You even could make the argument that -- given the slumping Magic are not a contender -- they are positioning themselves for the offseason as much as the postseason.Who'll stay? Who'll be traded? Who'll return in a different role?And who'll coach them if it's not Chris Jent?The front office will continue evaluating just what the Magic need this summer -- from the draft to free agency -- during the team's final 13 games.The Magic look set at two positions for a while.They'll have Grant Hill at small forward for -- at least contractually -- two more years, and rookie Dwight Howard at power forward for, hopefully, 15 years.The center position has been run by committee. The Magic need more scoring inside (but then who doesn't besides Miami and San Antonio?).Orlando will be in the market for a shooting guard after the trade of Cuttino Mobley and the injury to aging Doug Christie, but DeShawn Stevenson is having his say.Stevenson has been plugged into the starting job by Jent and has recorded 23- and 22-point games.Developments at the point-guard spot are curious. Steve Francis would have been included in the category of players with set positions -- joining Hill and Howard -- except it's difficult to tell if Francis has a set position.Is he a point guard or a shooting guard?Error-prone, Francis was moved by Johnny Davis from point guard to shooting guard for the first time in his six-year career. Rookie Jameer Nelson was inserted as the starting point guard and the move had its merits.Either way, the experience has been beneficial for Nelson. But if Jent does not return, what will the new coach do with Francis? And if Francis is reinserted at shooting guard, do the Magic believe Jameer can put a full-Nelson on the point-guard job? Or do they need another point guard to start?The Magic also have some other things to figure out besides where they stand in the playoff chase....That's a tough question for a coach to answer dont you think? PG or SG for Steve Francis. But i think the relitevely easy answer is PG. Just because hes a "veteran" of that position. I mean its just like moving another shooting point guard like Marbury to SG. It just wont work. He's too small. If they can get a legit SG in there I think it will be fine. Nothing against DeShawn Stevenson or Cuttino Mobley, the only two guards hes ever really played with at the spot. I just think they should look around see whats out there and pick up that SG. and if they come to the conclusion that Francis should play the SG and they do play with a small back court, they have a lot of options on the market...Stoudamire, Van Exel, Anderson, Lue etc etc...
#1.GET TO THE POINT LIKE STOUDAMIRE:::MIGHTY MOUSE TO BIG APPLE???Damon Stoudamire will tell you he has a history with Isiah Thomas, one that may be strong enough to lead to a reunion in New York next season with his former boss. Stoudamire, according to sources, is a free agent the Knicks will strongly consider this summer, even if Thomas selects a guard in the draft. Thomas wants to add quickness, experience and another ball handler to his backcourt. The addition of a player of Stoudamire's caliber would allow Stephon Marbury to play more minutes at shooting guard. Thomas has hinted that he wants to play a style similar to that of the Suns and SuperSonics, spreading the floor with three-point shooters and taking advantage of Marbury's ability to drive to the basket. Thomas also envisions having three players - Marbury, Jamal Crawford and possibly Stoudamire - who can all play both guard positions. "If that happens, it would be great," Stoudamire said late Saturday night. "I definitely think the beauty of playing that way is that you have three guards that can pass, dribble and shoot. Isiah is molding the team the way he did in Toronto and like the team he played for in Detroit. Isiah, Joe Dumars and Vinnie Johnson all complemented each other." The 5-10 Stoudamire, who scored 25 points in Portland's 103-96 victory over the Knicks on Saturday, long has been a favorite of Thomas, who drafted Stoudamire 12 years ago with the Raptors. Stoudamire, who will turn 32 in September, is not expected to re-sign with the Blazers this summer. The uncertainty surrounding Allan Houston's arthritic knee - the Knicks would prefer that the veteran guard retire - and Crawford's inconsistency give the Knicks reason to want to add a veteran player with Stoudamire's resume. "I've got some history with a lot of the guys that run the team in New York, Isiah, Brendan Suhr, and I even played with Herb (Williams) for (one game) in Toronto," Stoudamire said. "It's something me and my agent will definitely look at. At the end of the day it's something I will definitely listen to." Stoudamire's agent is Aaron Goodwin, who also represents Crawford as well as Vin Baker, whom the Knicks signed to a two-year, $7 million contract last summer. Baker was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets in the Maurice Taylor deal. Thomas has a good working relationship with Goodwin, but his friendships with Stoudamire and Goodwin may not mean much if and when the two sides begin negotiating. Stoudamire will earn $12.5 million this season and is prepared to take a significant pay cut this summer. How much of a cut is open for debate. The Knicks can offer Stoudamire their mid-level exception, which would be a deal starting at $5 million. However, Thomas may want to save that chip for a younger player who can become a starter. The Knicks could get Stoudamire for a deal starting at $2 million but Stoudamire figures to draw interest from several teams. "I don't want to get too far ahead of myself but anything is possible," Stoudamire said of signing for a reduced amount. "Always things you can do to get it done. I'm just looking forward to free agency. I haven't been free for a long time."...Mid level exception on another guard? If we could get him for that 2 mill deal. Id say 100% pull that trigger. but of course our first priority is the C-F spot. I think Isiah is heading in the right direction though. We just have a lot of SMART thinking to do in the offseason. Draft 3 good players (said it since day one, Johan Petro, Channing Frye, BJ Elder). Resign Ariza. Then the rest is where the SMART shopping/dealing really begins...I think with this roster (C Johan Petro, C-F Channing Frye, C-F Kurt Thomas, F Mike Sweetney, F Malik Rose, F Mo Taylor, F Jerome Williams, F Tim Thomas, F Trevor Ariza, G Jamal Crawford, G Allan Houston, G Stephon Marbury, G Penny Hardaway, G BJ Elder)...we have a good up down roster..but we should still move some players around trade wise (Kurt Thomas, Penny Hardaway, Mo Taylor) just to see if we can still upgrade the C...and then see what we can do with the G position....Long way to say first comes first..
ThE sCoReBoArD
Nets @ Bobcats
Hawks@ Magic
Mavericks @ Pistons
Pacers @ Bucks
Cavaliers @ Hornets
Grizzlies @ Bulls
Rockets @ Jazz
Nuggets @ Suns
76ers @ Kings
Wizards @ Trailblazers
Knicks @ Warriors
tRiViA tImE
Alright heres a new part where Ill ask a trivia question one day, answer it the following and post a new question along with the answer. Todays question is "THE CHAIN GAME"...heres how it works, is starts with one player of a certain position. Its followed by a player they have something in common with. and continue until we have a starting line up of 5 guys (1 at every position)...somehow, someway...enjoy and with the answer specify if you like this question game aswell...
3. He played in two allstar games the soon to be mentioned 2005, aswell as the 2003 Allstar Game. He won the gold medal at the 2001 Goodwill Games. Member of the US team that lost the 2002 World Championship and the team that won the bronze in the 2004 Olympic Games. He played college ball at UNLV until 1999.
Who is the Power Forward???
What one of his (PF's) current team mates (furthermore which one of his starting line up companions) also went at number 9 in another NBA Draft, only three after him to be exact??? HINT. He is this only ACTIVE Center besides for Shaquille O'Neal to have won the Rookie of the year Award.
Who is the Center???
Just like the PF and himself (the C), this player also went #9 in a NBA Draft. The only thing difference is just like he..this Small Forward was also straight from HighSchool.
Who is the Small Forward???
In this players (the SF) only slam dunk appearance he came in third place. What Shooting Guard 2 inches shorter and 2 inches younger, then the Small Forward, also appeared in a SlamDunk competition? HINT. This player actually won the competition...both times he was in it.
Who is the Shooting Guard???
In the same weekend he (the SG) won a SlamDunk championship, he won the Rookie game MVP award held in Philadelphia in 2002. He shares that same priveledge (of being a Rookie game MVP) with ONE other player who won that award as a Golden State Warrior.
Who is the Point Guard???
This player (the PG) played in the 2005 AllStar Game, on the winning East side. The PF played in the 2005 AllStar Game, on the losing West side.
#2's ANSWER...
1995 00, 1996 03 John Wallace, Walter McCarty, Dontae Jones, 1997 01 John Thomas, 1998 02 DeMarco Johnson, Sean Marks, 1999 02 Frederic Weis, JR Koch, 2000 02 Donnell Harvey, Lavor Postell, 2001 02 Michael Wright, Eric Chenowith, 2002 02 Nene Hilario, Milos Vujanic, 2003 03 Mike Sweetney, Maciej Lampe, Slavko Vranes 2004 01Trevor Ariza:::
+18
Willis Reed was the MVP for New York Knicks in both their NBA Championship wins 69-70 & 72-73::::
+19
Veteran Guard Allan Houston played College Ball for Tennessee until 1993::::
-20
Our last two NBA Final appearances came in 93-94 (against Houston) in which we won 3 out of 7 & 98-99 (against San Antonio) in which we won 1 out of 5::::
+04
In the history of the 3Ball and Dunk competitions only one winner was a Knick at that time and that was in the 1989 Slam Dunk competition. Kenny Sky Walker::::
-01
ANSWER:::
#20 ALLAN HOUSTON
Well that wraps it up, post at will and just over all enjoy!!! Goodnight, Good write!!! peAce Go Knicks!!!
Special thanks to the ESPN.com, NBA.com, New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel and the Arlington Heights