Hey, look, November is more than half over and Brandon Jennings - if numbers are to be trusted - is a legitimate force in the NBA. Other words: It’s ten games into the 2009-10 campgain and the Milwaukee Bucks are third in the Eastern Conference at 8-3. Does this not strike anybody else as odd?

Kid spends one year playing basketball in Rome, insulting just about anybody he’s ever been or will be associated with, and suddenly he’s included in talks of the best guards in the league. Creeped out yet?

I want to like Brandon Jennings. I’ve literally tried, but there’s just something scary about the entire idea. This is not to say that I have anything against him as a player, just as a concept in general. There’s something that screams “Wait, not yet, this isn’t right”.  No matter the fact that his debut was for the ages, or that he’d scored 55 points before Blake Griffin even dressed for his first regular season game, I still, for some unexplainable reason view this as a precautionary tale that will end with heartbreak and a box of Kleenex.

Just when you thought the cocky kid with the wacky hair was sentenced to life in drama queen purgatory (really, is there anything to Milwaukee? Go Brewers), he turns everything on its head. Meanwhile, he’s outperforming many of last year’s All-Stars and turning Ersan Ilyasova into a household name (okay, maybe not quite).

I’m sure there are some religious passages that refer to the dangers of temptation, and Brandon Jennings could just as easily play the part. If too many people jump on the bandwagon, he might just reveal himself to be a snake-headed woman with a penchant for carnage. Trust me. The bandwagon’s not safe.

Recall Jamaal Tinsley and his impressive debut. Or the fact that Gordon Giricek at one time in the not-so-distant past broke Allen Iverson’s record for points in a debut. Things happen in rookie seasons that never quite work out. So cool your jets. I’m not saying Jennings is on that level, he’s clearly in a world of his own – but that world is cold, twisted and bizarre.

Falling in love with Brandon Jennings is like trying to predict prom queen in freshman year – it’s impossible to make a safe assessment. As much as I would love to get in on the whole “He’s a rookie and he’s outplaying Player X, wahoo, let’s dance”, you know that come 2011 or 2012 he may just as well be overweight and skin-damaged from too many cigarettes between home economics and gym.

If Jennings can prove me wrong for the remainder of the season I will happily tout him as one of the best young stars we’ve seen in ages (numbers, apparently, never lie), but if he doesn’t then I don’t want to be the one rubbing your back while you cry over your excessively-long commitment to the latest edition of Stephon Marbury.

Die Memphis Grizzlies haben einen neuen alten Point Guard. Jamaal Tinsley wurde vom NBA Team aus Tennessee in der Nacht zum Sonntag unter Vertrag genommen. Er sei der beste Spieler gewesen, dessen Dienste noch zur Verfügung standen, könne der jungen Mannschaft aufgrund seiner Erfahrung weiterhelfen und die Verpflichtung habe natürlich rein gar nichts mit der Absenz von Allen Iverson zu tun, so Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace.

Richtig ist, dass Tinsley ein guter Spielmacher sein kann, was aber voraussetzt, dass er a) in Form ist und b) seine magische Anziehungskraft bezüglich seiner Konflikte mit dem Gesetz in Indiana gelassen hat. Beides darf derzeit noch angezweifelt werden. Fakt ist, dass Tinsley seit anderthalb Jahren kein NBA-Parkett mehr betreten hat. Zahlreiche Verletzungen, sowie die angesprochenen legalen Probleme haben seiner Karriere nicht gut getan, was unter anderem dazu führte, dass ihn die Indiana Pacers in der vergangenen Offseason aus seinem laufenden Vertrag auskauften.
Für ihn sprechen solide Karrierestatistiken von 10,4 Punkten und 7,0 Assists pro Spiel und der Umstand, dass weder Mike Conley noch Marcus Williams bekannt dafür sind außerordentlich gute Point Guards zu sein.
Dahingegen kann Chris Wallace dementieren so viel er will, den Eindruck, dass die Verpflichtung in irgendeiner Art und Weise mit Allen Iverson in Verbindung steht, wird man doch nicht los.
Bedeutet die Verpflichtung von Jamaal Tinsley, dass wir A.I. diese Saison nicht mehr im Trikot der Memphis Grizzlies sehen werden?

Jamaal Tinsley to sign with Memphis. He hasn’t played in awhile. Last time we saw him was in Indiana before he was suspended for the year.

Die Cleveland Cavaliers sind nochmal auf dem Transfermarkt aktiv geworden und haben ihren Kader verstärkt. Leon Powe wird nächste Saison an der Seite von LeBron James auflaufen. Powe ist auf dem Court ein Arbeiter, der all das macht, was andere Spieler auslassen. Defense, Rebounds, Hustle und ab und zu mal ein paar Punkte. Ein guter Fang, auch wenn gemunkelt wird, Powe wäre lieber bei den Celtics geblieben.

Jamaal Tinsley ist nachwievor ohne neuen Arbeitgeber. Diese Woche soll es zu Verhandlungen zwischen Tinsley und den Miami Heat kommen, die gestern erst Mark Blount für Quentin Richardson getradet haben. Tinsley Agent zufolge sind drei bis vier Teams an den Diensten seiner Klienten interessiert, darunter auch die New York Knicks, bei denen der Point Guard letzte Woche ein Workout absolvierte.

Primoz Brezec, der zuletzt in Europa (Lottomatica Virtus Roma) auf Korbjagd gegangen war, ist zurück in der NBA. Er unterschrieb bei den Philadelphia 76ers für ein Jahr. In 321 NBA Partien kam der Slowene im Schnitt auf 7,6 Punkte und 4,1 Rebounds. Vor allem seine Erfahrung und seine Größe sollen die 76ers in der kommenden Spielzeit besser machen.

Dass die New Orleans Hornets auf einem Sparkurs sind, ist schon seit längerem bekannt, an diesen halten sie sich auch eisern. Dem ist kürzlich Rasual Butler zum Opfer gefallen. Butler wurde für einen zukünftigen Zweitrundenpick zu den L.A. Clippers getradet. In der vergangenen Saison bestritt er alle Saisonspiele für die Hornets und brachte es durchschnittlich auf 11,2 Punkte und 3,3 Rebounds pro Spiel.

Wenn man nur mal einen Blick auf die derzeit gehandelten Personen im Zusammenhang mit den New York Knicks wirft, dann drängt sich das Gefühl auf, dass der Verein versucht, jeden noch so alten Veteranen zu einem Sommer Workout einzuladen.

Ist nicht irgendwo noch Charles Oakley zu finden, der von seiner Waschanlage genug hat und der Meinung ist, er könne einem Team mit seiner Routine helfen?

Aber Spaß beiseite, es kommt dem durchschnittlichen Knickerbocker Fan schon komisch vor, wenn keinerlei Bewegung in den Vertragsverhandlungen mit den eigenen Restricted Free Agents (RSA) David Lee und Nate Robinson zu vermelden ist, aussichtsreiche Spieler wie Ramon Sessions sich im Limbo befinden und man dann hört dass Jason “The White Chocolate”Williams und Jerry “No Chocolate Nickname at all” Stackhouse dann zu einem Training eingeladen werden.

Baustellen haben die Knicks momentan genauso viel wie die 5th Avenue, angefangen beim Point Guard. Chris Duhon traut man nicht zu, das Team als Starter zu führen, alle Versuche einen Point Guard nach NY zu holen (wir erheben die Hand zum Mittelfinger Richtung Texas) schlugen bisher fehl.

Von allen verfügbaren Alternativen ist – wie Max bereits geschrieben hat – Ramon Sessions die Beste. Also warum ziehen die Knicks Zombie Jamaal Tinsley oder den bereits in den Ruhestand gesetzten Jason Williams in Betracht?
Gleiches gilt für Jerry Stackhouse. Der Mann ist jetzt 37, hatte in der letzten Saison eine schwere Verletzung und wurde sogar von GM Chris Wallace aus seinem Vertrag gekauft. Wenn also selbst Chris Wallace ihn nicht will …

So schizophren dass also alles anmutet, es eröffnet Möglichkeiten für die Knicks. Was lange Zeit förmlich heraufgeschrieben wurde ist nun traurige Realität in der NBA. Die Wirtschaftskrise hat einige Vereine und deren Inhaber stärker in der Hand als das Bellagio Antoine Walker und seine Geldschulden.

“Soon-to-be-Free Agents” erhalten definitiv mehr Geld, wenn Sie frühzeitig eine Vertragsverlängerung unterzeichnen, andere Teams wollen Ihre hochbezahlten Stars teilweise loswerden, um Kosten zu senken. Das fällt dann auch nicht mehr in den Bereich der sportlichen Entscheidung.

So kann man den Trade Emeka Okafor – Tyson Chandler unter sportlichen Gesichtspunkten noch verstehen (Stichwort: Chemistry Shakeup), einen Shaq für Ben Wallace und eine Schachtel Donuts abzugeben aber nicht. Shaq wäre Ende der kommenden Saison vom Cap gekommen. Wallace und auch Pavlovic konnte man jedoch bereits jetzt aus deren Verträge kaufen. Und so wurdeO#Nealovic in den nächstbesten Überseekoffer gestopft und ins schöne Cleveland verschifft.

Aber genau diese Umstände eröffnen den Knicks viele Möglichkeiten, attraktive Pakete an Spielerverträgen zu schnüren um anderen Teams einen Salary Dump zu erlauben. Sollte es einer der Veteranen ins Team schaffen – immer unter der Voraussetzung eines 1-jahres Vertrags – dann hätte Donnie Walsh die Option, einige auslaufende Verträge zur Trading Deadline oder früher abzugeben. Ein Larry Hughes und sein $13 Mio. Expiring Contract machen aus Sicht der Knicks aber nur dann Sinn, wenn man im Paket die Langzeitverträge von Jared Jeffries oder Eddy Curry abgeben kann.

Im Austausch würde man aber – nicht wie im letzten Jahr – Expiring Contracts zurückbekommen, sondern vielleicht einen Star, der zum Ausverkauf steht.

Die Knicks könnten somit 2 Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen – einerseits die ungeliebten zwei Verträge von Jeffries und/oder Curry abgeben, gleichzeitig aber besser werden und somit nicht ein All-In im Sommer 2010 machen zu müssen.

So sehr man sich über die Ausdauer und Ruhe Donnie Walshs im Vertragspoker um Nate und David geärgert hat, im großen und ganzen macht es jedoch Sinn. Das Team bleibt finanziell absolut flexibel, kann einen Veteranen für ein Jahr holen, einen Expiring Contract samt Curry/Jeffries loswerden und einen sehr guten Spieler in retour erhalten.

Die Vorzeichen und Richtungen im Spielermarkt bewegen sich derzeit genauso unbeständig wie die Wall Street. Vielleicht hilft dies am Ende den Knicks, den großen Coup zu landen. Denn wenn Walsh eines kann, dann den Worten André Kostolany’s folgen: „Einer Straßenbahn und einer Aktie darf man nie nachlaufen. Nur Geduld: Die nächste kommt mit Sicherheit.“

- Robert Jerzy

Tinsley or Sessions? Petting puppies or swallowing a taser? Birthday party or funeral? Cake or death?

Yeah, there’s salary cap implications, and honestly only Donnie Walsh is in a position to judge those relative to what his contacts and back channels are telling him about the summer of 2010. Whatever choice he makes as a fan I’m basically ok with it, because I trust him to make the right call based on information I don’t have. But my God, on the basis of the players alone is this a serious question? Tinsley may be a local guy, but he’s got a nation-wide reputation as a dipshit with bad connections whose most memorable career moments are either the Malice in the Palace or the time thugs chased him through the streets riddling his car with automatic weapons fire. He’s played 70 games or more only 3 times in 7 seasons, and last year the Pacers hated his presence so much that they were willing to pay his salary and force him to stay at home the whole year and fight the union over doing so, resulting in him playing precisely zero games. He’s 31 and has been below average offensively (below 15 PER) two of the last three years where he actually saw a basketball court, he’s a mediocre 3 point shooter and the Knicks are a team which relies on that shot as much or more than any other, and he’s got virtually nothing going for him other than being cheap. Yaaaaay.

With Sessions, I confess: I haven't seen him play all that often, so I'm working off of stats. Here's some of them: 2 years experience, 23 years old next season, PER 16.48/17.65 the last two seasons, 2 year adj. +/- of 4.60 (note: he played only 17 games his first year, so sample size is low), finished 15th among point guards in APG last year despite playing fewer minutes per game than all but one other qualifier in the top 25. His major downsides seem to be that he's a dreadful 3 point shooter (6-34, .176 last year) and with only a year and change of pro experience there's some question as to how real all these numbers are; he's also a restricted free agent which may impact his signability, although Milwaukee was the team which let Charlie Villanueva walk without even a qualifying offer so God knows what's in the cards up there. I'm sure there's a lot which isn't captured by this picture, but unless he's got wee little horns and frequently sacrifices a fatted calf to Ba'al beneath the full moon I think he's probably a better bet as a player than Tinsley. And if he does have the calf and the horns he may be the only guy in the league with a more interesting social life, if we're going the entertainment route.

Again: only Walsh has the full breadth of information to make the call on this and only D'Antoni can make the determination as to whether a long term commitment to Sessions makes sense in context of the offense, so I'm not going to go nuts either way. But if this team ends up punting on Our Guide and Leader, passing on Sessions and signing Jamaal fucking Tinsley, well… I will be cross.

For whatever it’s worth, Posting & Toasting says an offer sheet for “Razor” Ramon Sessions is forthcoming.

EDIT: this is the trouble with writing these things in advance, as the Knicks’ point guard circus has added another ring since I put this together. Jason Williams…well, the less said, the better. He missed all of last season, and previous to that after three years of almost exact offensive averageness (15 PER) he dropped to 12.7 and then retired- not great signs for a guy in his 30’s at a position which relies on quickness. According to Knickerblogger’s similarity scores his most comparable is the current Rafer Alston based on his ‘07-’08 stats, and in my also-a-Nets-fan capacity let me say that one of those guys is enough to endure in any given year. He’s 34, and the only thing he really brings to the table over Tinsley is a better 3 point shot and less chance of being shot (from 3 point range or otherwise), along with a lot of relative deficits.

Basically, the only good option out of these guys is Sessions. If the Knicks have good reason to think that they’ll need the money next year or that there’s no chance they can get Razor at a decent price, ok; but let’s be clear: if he’s not the choice, the question is simply how much the guy who is chosen will suck, not whether. If either are signed to a 1 year deal as a spare part to make up the numbers on a bad team with big plans for the future, well, whatever; if either are offered more, they’re the Mikael Silvestre of hoops, and that’s no good.

An average day in the Memphis front office: making deals, pointing at things, yelling.

For better or worse — it’s usually worse — the off-season is when GMs really come alive.

The focus is off the players, and franchise front-offices start wheeling and dealing in full view of the NBA’s significant fan-base. Incredible moves are made, sometimes representing a smart trade that addresses weaknesses in both teams, but usually mystifying fans and pundits alike.

All the while, owners, coaches and managers are knocking out new directions for their teams. Refocusing roles, shaping new or younger players, and developing strategies for the coming season are integral processes in a regular off-season.

In full knowledge of this, The Sport Count subtly manipulated Patriot Acts laws to get access to the front-office phone lines of some of the franchises. What follows are excerpts of the hours of recorded conversation picked up. Each highlights the precise moments in a discussion when the next day’s news was made. See if you can figure out what each ones concerns.

“We can offer you a sign and trade.”
“Ok, sure. But you better not say what I think –”
“Yi –”
“No.”

“Hey Chris, we’re looking at trades here, and we’re wondering what you think.”
“Mmm hmm, you know I’m listening.”
“Okay, so… we’d take on Mayo, Gay, and Gasol –”
“Right, yep.”
“And you take — “
“I was agreeing to it. Yep. As in, yes, I’ll do it.”

“Let’s go after Turkoglu.”
“I don’t know, Kevin. I feel like we’re sorted at the three-spot.”
“With who? Batum?”
“A quality defender.”
“Fernandez?!”
“A great three shooter, only getting better.”
“Outlaw?!!”
“Clutch, can create shots, good guy.”
“Not enough. I want Turkoglu. Offer him every spare dollar we have.”
“You’re not thinking clearly, Kevin!”
“I WANT SMALL FORWARDS!! I WANT EVERY SMALL FORWARD IN THE NBA ON MY TEAM!!”

“I’m just not doing it.”
“Don, you have to play Anthony Randolph more than 7 minutes per game, he’s our best young star.”
“Ok. I’ll play him ten minutes. How does that sound?”
“That sounds like a great start Don… Hang on…”
“Don’t say it Chris.”
“Don.. I have to say it. You can’t play him ten minutes then arbitrarily bench him for two games.”
“THAT’S MY PREROGATIVE, CHRIS. THAT’S WHAT I SIGNED ON FOR.”

“Can you get me a list of every European basketball player in the world?”
“What’s that, Bryan?”
“Every single European. Get me stats and backgrounds on all of them. I’m going to sign them all.”
“That’s going to take a while.”
“That’s okay. I’m busy next week anyway, scouting in Europe, and watching the Euroleague on my European television. Oh, and hey, call around and see what kind of value we can get for Bosh. If he’s going to leave, we can at least get some Europeans in return.”

“Chris, get me Iverson.”
“He really won’t work with our team.”
“I want to sell some more tickets.”
“We’re a young team. We should be selling promise. Let’s market Rudy and O.J. instead. And Hasheem.”
“You’re Chris Wallace. I may have hired you, but I don’t have to respect you. Get me Iverson right fucking now.”

“So we have an offer out to Sessions: 3 years at the MLE. He’s going to accept.”
“What impact does this have on 2010?”
“Uh, none Donnie. It’s the mid-level exception.”
“I’m worried about the impact in 2010.”
“There’s no impact. It’s okay”
“What I’m trying to do, is sign two max free agents, and I can’t deal with you and your idiot signings clogging up the cap space.”

“I want a contract extension. I feel like I’ve earned it.”
“Who is this?”
“Ray.”
“Ray… Allen?”
“Felton. Ray Felton. Rod! It’s me!”
“Felton? Hmm… no, nothing.”
“Starting point guard?”
“Nope, sorry. Isn’t DJ our starting point guard? I swore Larry told me he would be.”
“…”
“Is this a joke call?”

“What’re you thinking re: Magloire, Pat?”
“We only have four centres rostered. Re-up him at the minimum.”
“Wouldn’t an empty spot be worth more to us?”
“Nah, I like Magloire. He was an All-Star. I like All-Stars. Magic was an All-Star. So was Kareem. Wade is too. Jamaal Magloire is an All-Star.”

“Hi, it’s Larry.”
“No thanks. Just don’t bother. Sorry.”
*dials*
“Hey, Kevin. It’s Larry.”
“Sorry, Larry. It’s a no.”
*dials*
“Hey, Chris. It’s Larry. How are you?”
“Nope, sorry. Even I’m doing that.”
“WELL, WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH TINSLEY?”

“Morning KB. This is really a formality. $90M over 3. Good? Good. Sorry to interrupt your breakfast.”
“Y’know, I took Vanessa and the girls to New York last week. Nice place.”
“$130M over 3.”
“Thanks for calling Jerry.”

Posted By: Alex, Anton & James

Follow the Sport Count on Twitter.

Vamos con un breve repaso a algunas noticias de las últimas horas en la NBA. Y digo bien, “noticias”: aunque se trata sobre todo de traspasos y rumores, también hay un par de noticias de otro jaez que pueden resultar interesantes. (¡¡¡¿Pero qué es eso de que Steve Blake va a ser el base titular de los Blazers con Andre Miller en el equipo…?!!!).

Tim Thomas ficha por los Mavs: No son los San Antonio Spurs, que además de renovarse también están rejuveneciendo, pero los Dallas Mavericks están realizando una interesante labor de adaptación de plantilla durante este verano. El fichaje de Tim Thomas refuerza el potencial de los Mavs desde la línea de tres, desde donde andaban algo cojos (Jason Terry era su única amenaza clara, más lo que aportaran Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard y Jason Kidd), y viene a sumarse a los ya conocidos de Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden y Matt Carroll. Si a eso sumamos que los Mavs también han firmado a un rookie, Roddy Beaubois, y que no han dejado marchar a casi nadie, yo diría que empiezan a tener una plantilla un tanto superpoblada…

Los Bucks fichan a Brandon Jennings: Jennings acaba de firmar un contrato con los Milwaukee Bucks por dos años y un montante total de 4,5 millones de dólares. Como ya dije en su momento, la buena actuación del chaval en el tramo final de la liga de verano ha impresionado positivamente a los Bucks, que han decidido cubrirse las espaldas por si no consiguen renovar a Ramon Sessions y, no contentos con eso, pagarán a Jennings por encima del sueldo mínimo de un rookie elegido en el número 10 del draft (que sería algo menos de 4 millones en dos años). Recordemos que Sessions es agente restringido y los Bucks ya le han hecho una oferta. El equipo tendría también un tercer base, Luke Ridnour, al que aún le queda un año de contrato.

Cambio de base en los Pacers: Y no, no me refiero a T.J. Ford. Me refiero al fichaje del veterano Earl Watson por Indiana, algunos días después de que fuera cortado por los Thunder de Oklahoma City. Watson podría ocupar el hueco que dejó Jamaal Tinsley, quien por fin salió de la disciplina del equipo después de un último año francamente complicado para ambos bandos. No se sabe qué será de Tinsley (ni cuánto cobrará de los 14 millones que tenía en el contrato), pero con su marcha, Larry Bird culmina el proceso de “limpieza” que había emprendido hace varios años. Ya no queda nadie en el equipo que participara en la vergonzosa pelea en el Palace de Detroit de 2004. Vale, no os mentiré: ya ha salido un nombre en relación con Tinsley, el de los New York Knicks. No sé por qué, no me extraña…

Hakim Warrick, ¿fuera de Memphis?: Parece que a Warrick no le gusta nada cómo empiezan a pintar las cosas en Memphis (lo que demuestra que es un chico listo), y dicen las malas lenguas que, ante la perspectiva de tener que limosnear tiros el año que viene, podría terminar en los Milwaukee Bucks no tardando mucho. Ojito porque sería una ausencia considerable en el banquillo de los Grizzlies…

Los Cavs, ¿negociando con LeBron?: No hay nada confirmado, pero parece que los Clevelend Cavaliers podrían haber tomado nota de los Heat y se podrían haber puesto a negociar en una extensión de contrato con LeBron James. Danny Ferry se hizo el sueco cuando le preguntaron ayer al respecto, pero dicen por ahí que los Cavs podrían haberle ofrecido a The King una ampliación por tres años (por el máximo sueldo, entiendo). LeBron tiene ahora hasta el 30 de junio de 2010 para decidirse al respecto. Esperamos que no aguarde hasta el último día.

Boozer, Odom, Ricky: Los tres grandes nombres cuyo futuro aún está por resolverse este verano aparecen en demasiados rumores para mencionarlos aquí. Ricky podría irse al Barcelona o al Madrid, según qué medio dé la noticia, pero también podría irse a los Wolves. Boozer podría salir de los Jazz, pero no tendría ningún problema en seguir jugando en Salt Lake City. Y Odom podría estar cerca de los Heat si no fuera porque tal vez renueve por los Lakers. En resumen, mucho ruido y pocas nueces (por no decir ninguna). Así que hasta que no haya novedades definitivas (o al menos claras) en los tres casos, no voy a hablar más al respecto.

Steve Blake: La noticia ridícula (o al menos a mí me lo parece) la protagoniza Nate McMillan, que ayer tuvo la osadía de decir que, pese al fichaje de Andre Miller, Steve Blake seguirá siendo el base titular de los Portland Trail Blazers el año que viene, aunque juegue menos minutos. Dejando de lado que dudo mucho que Miller hubiese aceptado fichar para salir desde el banquillo, el mantener a Blake de playmaker titular teniendo a Andre en el equipo sería el enésimo monumento a la incompetencia de McMillan como coach… Así que tal vez la noticia no sea tan ridícula. (Tiemblo de pensarlo…).

Y para terminar, una rápida ráfaga de noticias breves:

Twitter: La aplicación social de moda también sirve para que los jugadores de la NBA puedan despedirse a la vista de todos los navegantes. Una vez consumado el traspaso entre Charlotte y New Orleans, Chris Paul puso en su Twitter sobre Chandler: “Le quiero como un hermano y le deseo lo mejor”. Tyson, por su parte, puso en el suyo: “Lo que echaré de menos de CP3 serán sus pases altos”. Qué bonito es el amor… y yo pienso: CP3 le seguirá dando pases altos a Okafor, pero… ¿quién va a abastecer a Chandler en los Bobcats? ¿Y estará lo bastante sano Chandler para recibir esos pases?

Tony Parker: Ohlala se lesionó recientemente en un partido de preparación contra Austria, lastimándose el muslo y el tobillo. Por suerte para los fans de los Spurs (y/o de la selección francesa), la lesión es bastante menor, así que su presencia en el próximo Eurobasket no peligra. (Otra cosa es que se lesione en la preparación, claro…).

Luol Deng, fuera del Eurobasket: El británico de los Bulls no jugará el torneo europeo después de un año complicado. Deng aún no se ha recuperado del todo de la lesión que le hizo perderse el último tramo de la temporada, y ha decidido descansar a “sugerencia” de los Bulls. Eso dejará a los Ben Gordon, Andrew Betts, Joel Freeland y compañía sin un valioso recurso…

Jason Kidd, fuera del US Team: Parece que Kidd no tiene previsto jugar con el equipo nacional estadounidense en el próximo mundial. Paradójicamente, eso abriría la puerta al equipo a gente como Derrick Rose. ¿Os imagináis una selección con Rose, Chris Paul y Deron Williams como bases? Serían temibles, sobre todo si no hicieran pasos…

It looks like Andre Miller will be getting his desired three year deal after all.  Unfortunately, it will not be with the Philadelphia 76ers.  Instead Miller is shipping west to join Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers.  Earlier today Miller signed a three year deal worth about $21 million.  The Sixers had been trying to resign Miller for a one year deal, but not surprisingly the free agent point guard agreed to leave Philadelphia for a lengthier contract.  Miller should be a good fit for the Trail Blazers, who struggled in the playoffs last year mainly due to poor play from the point guard position.  This will also allow their young star Brandon Roy to play his natural position of shooting guard for the entire game. 

So now that the Sixers can finally prepare for basketball without Miller, they can turn their focus on to their current players at the position.  Both Lou Williams and rookie Jrue Holiday will see significant time at point guard next year, and Willie Green and Andre Iguodala could also get some time at the position next season.  The Sixers will also look to add a free agent point guard for next season.  An article in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer mentioned former Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley as a possible target for the Sixers.

Jamaal Tinsleys unglückliche Schaffenszeit bei den Indiana Pacers ist endlich beendet. Beide Seiten einigten sich darauf den Vertrag des Point Guards, der noch zwei Jahre gültig gewesen wäre, aufzulösen. Statt $ 14,7 Millionen bekommt J.T. noch $ 10,7 Millionen. Kein schlechter Buyout – für beide Seiten. Verletzungen und diverse Eskapaden überschatteten in der Vergangenheit Tinsleys Talent als Spieler.

Indiana wollte nicht mehr auf ihn setzten und so können beide glücklich getrennter Wege gehen. In den letzten sechs Spielzeiten gelang es Jamaal nur einmal mehr als 52 Spiele zu absolvieren. Abschreiben sollte man ihn dennoch nicht, mehrere Teams in der NBA sind noch auf der Suche nach einem erfahrenen Playmaker, darunter auch die Heat, Knicks und 76ers.

Wenn wir schon mal bei den Philadelphia 76ers sind, kann man auch gleich anmerken, dass Andre Miller nicht zu den ihnen zurückkehren wird. Zum einen nahm das Team aus Philly sein Angebot an Miller vom Tisch und zum anderen scheint es so, als seien die Verhandlungen zwischen dem Spielmacher und den Trailblazers fruchtbar gewesen. Millers Agent zu folge wird er innerhalb der nächsten 24 Stunden ein vollwertiges Mitglied der Portland Trailblazers. Damit sollte eine Schwäche der Mannschaft aus dem Bundestaat Oregon ausradiert sein. Ich bin gespannt, was die Blazers kommende Saison so zu bieten haben werden. Mit LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, einem (hoffentlich) gesunden Greg Oden und Andre Miller steht eine mehr als ordentliche Truppe zur Verfügung. Man sollte auch Martell Webster nicht vergessen, der nach einer Verletzung zurückkehren wird.

David Lee ist unglücklich. Zu Recht? Schon irgendwie, denn er hat momentan kein Team. Trotz seiner Leistungen in den vergangenen Jahren will ihn keiner haben, zumindest nicht unbedingt. Möglicherweise wurden manche Teams von seinen Gehaltsforderungen von ca. $ 10 bis 12 Millionen abgeschreckt. Die Knicks würden ihn gerne in N.Y.C. behalten, aber auch nur zu einem für Donnie Walsh angemessen Preis, von etwa $ 6 bis 7 Millionen ist da die Rede. Sobald Andre Miller bei Portland unterschreibt, dürfte sich auch diese Option erledigt haben. Die Größten Bemühung Lee zu verpflichten stellen momentan die Bulls an, aber auch andere Mannschaften kämen für einen Sign-and-Trade Deal in Frage.

Wir bleiben bei den Knicks, die sich derzeit an anderer Front in Gesprächen befinden. Intesive Verhandlungen soll es mit Von Wafer gegeben haben. Die Sache mit Ramon Sessions scheint gegessen. Ein Angebot von drei Millionen Dollar pro Jahr würden die Milwaukee Bucks matchen, aber warum das Interesse an Sessions abgeklungen ist, kann ich mir momentan nicht erklären. Zurück zu Von Wafer. Donnie Walsh würde dem Guard gerne einen Einjahresvertrag für die „bi-annual exception“ geben, berichtet die New York Post.

Längere Zeit war es jetzt still um Stephon Marbury. Wie es um seine Pläne, nach Europa zu gehen und Fußballschuhe für $ 15 an die Italiener zu bringen, bestellt ist, kann ich nicht sagen, aber eine Rückkehr zu den Celtics scheint jetzt doch wieder ein Thema zu sein. Vielleicht hat Starbury festgestellt, dass Fußballschuhe doch nicht seine Sache sind.

Die San Antonio Spurs haben sich mit einem weiteren Big Men eingedeckt. Die Texaner verpflichteten gestern Theo Ratliff für ein Jahr und das “veteran’s minimum” von etwa $ 1,3 Millionen. Man kann nie genug Big Men haben und sei es, um ein paar mehr Fouls gegen Dwight Howard, Shaq oder möglicherweise Andrew Bynum austeilen zu können.

Jamaal Tinsley was waived by the Pacers. He didn’t play last year because the Pacers started an initiative to rid the roster of bad apples. The Pacers and Tinsley were set to go to arbitration over the way he was treated last season. Odds were in favor of Tinsley winning the battle.
Look for Tinsely’s agent to file slander charges against the team now.
Look for whoever loses the Andre Miller battle to sign him.

Since I have been covering Richard Jefferson and his failed marriage, I figured I would tell you that his wife has re appeared. Read all about it here: http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9840418/Jilted-bride-moves-on-after-NBA-star-ditches-her

I lost a lot of respect for Lebron James. He was running a camp for basketball players to get better, in other words to help them. When a younger guy dunks on him, instead of helping that guy make a name for himself James has all the tapes confiscated. Bullshit. Such a diva thing to do. I am so happy that TMZ gave the guy who dunked on him, his credit because noone else is. His name is Jordan Crawford and he goes to Xavier.
I am not sure where Jordan Crawford is supposed to go in the next draft but if I am a general manager in Lebron’s division, I pick this kid up and give him a shot.

Reports that have the Nets targeting Odom and adding payroll are bogus.

One reason why the Heat can’t trade for Carlos Boozer is because they can’t trade Dorell Wright for value.

Danny Ainge’s son Austin Ainge will coach the Celtics D-League team. I love it when someone young gets a chance to show what they are made of. Austin is 27.

The real reason Steve Nash resigned with the Suns: with the cap projected to go down next year, he wasnt going to get his money.

Why hasn’t Linas Kleiza signed yet? I actually thought he was a perfect fit for the Cavs. A nice 4th scoring option to replace an aging Sczerbiak.

The East’s Central Division will embark on some changes next season. Cleveland will still be good, Chicago will be better, but the other three teams are due for some big changes. Will Detroit finish the demolition job it began with the Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson trade? Can Danny Granger’s continued improvement lead them to the playoffs? What will Milwaukee do with Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva?

Cleveland Cavaliers – 66-16, 1st in Central, eliminated in Eastern Conference Finals
Cavs salaries at HoopsHype

For a team that just finished with the NBA’s best record, the Cavaliers are under a ton of pressure to improve. A lot of people (myself included) thought they were good enough to win the title, but the Magic stomped on that notion. Suddenly, if the Cavs don’t have better results next year, LeBron James could jump ship. This offseason is about pleasing LeBron, and one way to do that is with more scoring. When the Cavs struggled, it was because the offense became stagnant and watched LeBron do everything. Charlie Villanueva would be a realistic and attainable piece to add to the team, because he has the ability to score when given the minutes. Acquiring Shaquille O’Neal seems like a long shot, as the Cavs have no real value to offer Phoenix in return. One trade they should explore would be to acquire Jamal Crawford from the Golden State Warriors if he exercises his player option. If the Warriors threw in a piece, Ben Wallace’s expiring deal would be attractive to Golden State, especially given Golden State’s glut of wing players. Or if Crawford opts out, they could sign him outright. Delonte West is a good player, but he’s too small (6′2″, 183) to guard other starting SGs. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas will not exercise his early termination option, so he will be back. If past negotiations are any indication, PF Anderson Varejao will opt out and become a free agent. He’s a decent player, but that money could be better spent on players that can play some offense. Depending on the price, Rasheed Wallace could provide some front line toughness. The Cavs hold the 30th and 46th picks, so they can add a scorer like UNC’s Wayne Ellington or LSU’s Marcus Thornton. They could opt to same themselves some cash with the first-round pick and stash an international player.

Chicago Bulls – 41-41, 2nd in Central, eliminated in First Round
Bulls salaries at HoopsHype

The Chicago Bulls put on a real show against the Celtics in the playoffs, and they have the young core to improve with. Unfortunately for them, one of the biggest parts of that core is testing free agency this summer. Ben Gordon definitely proved his worth this year, but exactly how valuable is he? Gordon works in the current system, and given their tough play in the playoffs, expect Chicago to at least compete for his services.  PG Lindsey Hunter might be worth re-signing on the cheap, but that’s about it for the Bulls’ free agents. The Bulls’ 16th and 26th picks can be used to shore up the reserves. Big men Brad Miller, Tim Thomas and Jerome James (he should pick up his player option) all expire after next season, so a player like PF DeJuan Blair (Pitt) or C BJ Mullens (Ohio State) would be a smart pickup if available at 16. The 26th pick could yield a PG to backup Derrick Rose if the under-used Kirk Hinrich is dealt this offseason, and VCU’s Eric Maynor seems to fit the bill. With Rose, John Salmons, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas in place, if they can keep Gordon, all they really need to get better is time and experience. Let’s not forget that they will have some cap space next summer, so we may want to get used to Chicago making noise in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons – 39-43, 3rd in Central, eliminated in First Round
Pistons salaries at HoopsWorld

The Detroit Pistons looked horrible all season, despite keeping most of the pieces they played with at a high level. Chauncey Billups was the glue that held it together in Detroit, so now that he’d long gone, they may decide to finish the job and start fresh. After sending Allen Iverson packing early and expressing displeasure with Rasheed Wallace, the job has already begun. Shooting Guard Richard Hamilton could help a team in need of scoring help, and Detroit could move him for some cap space; the Rockets and Tracy McGrady come to mind. Tayshaun Prince could be shipped out as well. Unrestricted free agent PF/C Antonio McDyess was spectacular and consistent, a rarity on this roster last year, is likely to seek out a chance at a title elsewhere. GM Joe Dumars may be best-served to keep Rip and Prince and use their FA dollars to sign a big-time player. The Pistons have been linked to Ben Gordon and Jazz PF Carlos Boozer, but could try their hand at Boozer’s teammate Paul Millsap (cheaper, younger, healthier). Amir Johnson, Kwame Brown and Jason Maxiell are all under contract for next season, but none have shown much promise. A replacement center could be had in Marcin Gortat, or they could use their #15 pick in the draft for BJ Mullens. Another possibility for Detroit at 15 is SF/PF tweener Earl Clark from Louisville who is garnering comparisons to Lamar Odom. The Pistons have three second-round picks as well (35, 39 and 44), and if they choose to go with a total youth rebuilding movement, they could trade one or multiple picks away, or combine a few picks to land another point guard like Eric Maynor. The Pistons seem to believe that Rodney Stuckey is their future point guard, but I personally think he has a future on someone’s bench.

Indiana Pacers – 36-46, 4th in Central, missed playoffs
Pacers salaries at HoopsHype

If it were not for injury problems, the Indiana Pacers could have beaten out the Pistons for the eighth seed in the East. There are some big roster issues that need to be addressed if the Pacers hope to improve. Unhappy PG Jamaal Tinsley is owed nearly $15 million over the next two seasons, and Larry Bird has basically told him to take a hike until they find a trade partner. I know Bird is a master on the court, but I don’t see anything magical happening with this issue. Mike Dunleavy Jr. is owed $20 million in the next two seasons, and his injury woes could keep him out until at least January 2010. So there’s about $17 million in salary that will go unused next year already. The team should pick up Jarrett Jack for next year, and should be okay with TJ Ford at the PG spot. Marquis Daniels will be expensive to keep at $7.35M, so that’s not a sure thing. Jeff Foster, Roy Hibbert, and Troy Murphy are in place at the 4 and 5 spots, and Brandon Rush is there to start at SG. TJ Ford is capable of running the PG spot well, and Jarret Jack is a good backup, and can play some 2 as well. However, TJ could opt out after next season. To spread out things on the perimeter, either PG Brandon Jennings (Italy) or PG Jrue Holiday (UCLA) could be around at 13. If the thinking is that TJ will not pass up the $8.5 M for 2010-11 (he should take the cash), Louisville teammates Terrence Williams and Earl Clark could be valuable selections to hold down the wing spots off the bench and to guard against the possibility that Dunleavy doesn’t come back. If Troy Murphy and Danny Granger can remain potent weapons on the perimeter, this team can definitely make the playoffs next year.

Milwaukee Bucks – 34-48, 5th in Central, missed playoffs
Bucks salaries at HoopsHype

The Milwaukee Bucks need to have a game plan in mind before the draft Thursday night. With Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, and Andrew Bogut costing big money, they do not have a lot of cap space to spare. They must decide which of their two important restricted free agents to keep, PG Ramon Sessions or F Charlie Villanueva, because they will not be able to sign both. Sessions played well last year, and has the potential to be a big scorer as well as a top-notch assist man. Charlie V is a good scorer and a solid player, shouldering a good portion of the offensive load with Redd out. If the Bucks think Villanueva is their guy, the Bucks should be able to choose between Jennings and Holiday at #10. If both are gone, they could reach a little for Ty Lawson (North Carolina). If they want to keep Sessions (the more likely scenario), Pitt’s DeJuan Blair might be their guy to fill the PF spot. He is short (6′7″), but he could be the power post presence they lack with Charlie V. As far as improving in other ways, that would likely have to come via trade. If the season begins on a sour note, Michael Redd or Richard Jefferson could be shipped out close to the trade deadline. I’m sure Cleveland would like to have Redd, and Richard Jefferson could be a boost for a contender.

A few links on this fine Monday morning to get your day started.

If there’s anything I missed, let me know in the comments or at gordiehoweht@gmail.com.

The Bulls-Celtics seven-game, edge-0f-my-couch series has gotten me interested in the NBA Playoffs again.

Growing up just a half-hour outside of the city, my childhoold was spent watching Jordan, Pippen and Rodman (and, of course, vital pieces to the championship puzzle B.J. Armstrong and Bobby Hansen) celebrate in Grant Park every June.  There ’s been very little to cheer for since title No. 6 in 1998 (thank you very little Jerry Krause and your fishing buddy, Tim Floyd).

This got me thinking, which NBA team do Iowans cheer for?

If it is teams that have Hawkeyes or Cyclones playing prominent roles, there’s not a lot of reason to watch this time of year.  Only five Iowa or Iowa State players are on NBA rosters — and only four are active.

Former Iowa forwards Reggie Evans (Philadelphia 76ers) and Ryan Bowen (New Orleans Hornets) reached the playoffs and were first-round casualties.

Cheering Evans has its challenges. The 6-8, 250-pound bruiser is a role player who plays defense and rebounds… well, most of the time.

Bowen had a couple of years in Denver in the early ’00s where he was one of their top reserves. He’s been in the league eight years, with career averages of 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds. Great guy, but you’d be tuning in to watch Bowen slap fives and stand around the huddle during timeouts.

Ricky Davis statistically has been the most successful Cy-Hawk player of the last decade.

The former Iowa one-and-doner has averaged double-figure points in seven of his 11 years in the league. He spent much of the 2008-09 season injured with the Los Angeles Clippers, his sixth team.

Here are some of his greatest hits, minus the pathetic display of selfishness in shooting at his opponent’s basket in order to grab the final rebound needed for a triple-double.

Former Iowa State guard Mike Taylor got himself booted off the team in Ames… 

 http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/10262471

…but resurrected his life and career and is a up and comer with the Clippers. Taylor averaged 5.7 points in 51 games and had a strong finish to his rookie season.

That is a stark contrast to ex-Cyclone guard Jamaal Tinsley, whose Indiana Pacers want no part of him. When you get on Larry Bird’s bad side, there’s not a lot you can do.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4090242Tinsley

There are a few Hawks (Justin Johnson, Kurt Looby, Sean Sonderleiter) and Clones (Curtis Stinson) in the NBA’s Developmental League. Whether or not they get called up to the big club remains to be seen.

Stinson had a fantastic year with the Iowa Energy in Des Moines, averaging 16.1 points, 8.4 assists, 7.1 rebounds and 2.2 steals a game. He isn’t a gunner — 17 of 79 (21.5 percent) on 3-pointers — but he’s never been accused of being one.

Here’s hoping a player from one of the state’s flagship programs soon provides another reason to tune into the playoffs.

We miss you Jeff Hornacek.

It made me think of the NBA as a whole and some of the ridiculous salaries that some of these teams carry. The league has its share of non-deserving, never-play-because-they’re-always-injured, hyped-from-one-good-playoff series jackasses. I bet a lot of these guys are stand-up guys,  but how they managed to score contracts like these, I’ll never understand. Should this not be some rare form of Anti-money laundering? C’mon, these guys give you that bit of nausea when you see the HUGE dollar figure attached to their name.

Without further ado, my favorite (meaning I laugh out loud like I’m watching Borat when I think about how sick it makes me to see how much these guys actually make) 2008-09 NBA salaries…

Jerome James ($6.2M), Bulls
Wow, what a mediocre playoff stint can get you these days, especially if the Knicks are involved. Jerome James is now considered one of the poster children for horrible contracts based on such a short-lived performance. When James was with the Sonics for the 2004-05 season, he posted 12.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 11 playoff games. Yeah I know, not exactly All-Star numbers. But it did get him an All-Star contract with the Knicks the next season, signing for 5 years and $30 million. Here’s the production line from his last 4 seasons: 90 Games Played (including only 4 in the past 2 seasons combined), 5.8 Mins, 2.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.4 BPG. Livin’ the dream…

Jason Collins ($6.2M), Brian Cardinal ($6.3M), Timberwolves
Brian Cardinal’s contract is now famous for being “ridiculous” and Jason Collins is considered the “successful” one of him and his twin brother Jarron? Make you reconsider the word “success.” Here’s what $12.5 million is getting the T-Wolves this season (does it even matter who has what line here?):

Marko Jaric ($6.57M), Darko Milicic ($7M), Grizzlies
The “arko” boys, Marko and Darko were all about the hype, the upside. Marko (like countless others before him) was supposed to be the new prototype of the next generation point guard, the next “white Magic” if you will. Now he can barely crack the Grizzlies rotation… the Memphis Grizzlies! They pay almost $7 million to a guy that’s a career 40% shooter and has never averaged more than 10 points a game in his 7 seasons. When you think Darko, you instantly think “Anthony-Bosh-Wade,” the three mega-stars that he was drafted ahead of in ‘03. Darko’s picture is included beside the definition of “over hyped.” That doesn’t even seem real. While the Grizz have some nice young pieces, these are not two of them.

Jamaal Tinsley ($6.75M), Pacers
I’ve always liked Jamaal Tinsley’s game… minus the bad shooting, turnovers, locker room problems and off-the-court trouble. Just give me the cash. Unless of course, you’re willing to throw in this season’s stat line:

Kenny Thomas ($8.6M), Kings
Where did it all go wrong for Kenny Thomas? Even a couple of seasons ago, Thomas averaged a semi-respectable 9.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG and shot 51% from the field, while playing in all 82 games for the Kings. Now he’s sitting in ‘09 averaging 0.8 PPG and 1.9 RPG in only 8 games. I can’t even tell if he’s injured or just racking up the DNP – Coaches Decisions. Such a rapid decline… in numbers of course, not salary.

Bobby Simmons ($10.6M), Nets
At least Bobby Simmons is playing games for the Nets. Everyone knew his big contract signing with Milwaukee a few years back was a huge reach, now the Nets get to pencil it in on their books. I mean, Simmons does start and gives you mediocre production, just not to the tune of $10.6 million a season, which is almost $3 million more than Devin Harris ($7.8M), the Nets All-Star starting point guard, brings in this season. Talk about injustice.

Ben Wallace ($14.5M), Cavaliers
This contract should be illegal, period. The Bulls were out of their minds when they inked a clearly declining, one-demensional (much more like zero-demensional) Big Ben a couple of seasons ago. Now, the injury-plagued Wallace barely even gives you the defense he built his reputation on. 3.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.4 BPG, and someone other teams love to foul come crunch time, with his 43% free throw shooting. With Cleveland being as deep as they are and sitting at an incredible 57-13 this season, can you imagine if they could re-spend $14.5 million to replace Ben Wallace? That is just scary.

Stephon Marbury ($19.6M), Knicks/Celtics
Stephon Marbury = DRAMA. Skip the drama here though, that’s been written about far too much… only the hard facts. Stephon Marbury, once an All-Star, is now settled in to a nice little supporting role on a contending Celtics team, while the Knicks pay him $18.6 of his $19.6 million salary this season. A Knicks team in which Marbury played 24 games for the past two seasons. Who cares about signing for the verteran’s minimum when you got that kind of backup. Does it get better than that? Sounds like enough cash to tattoo the other side of his head.

Jermaine O’Neal ($21.3M), Heat
Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not a Jermaine O’Neal hater, even when it didn’t work out with my Raptors, I wasn’t bitter. I like JO’s game and love what he’s accomplished in the league. But when you’re the fourth highest paid player in the entire league, injuries aside, you gotta bring more than 13.7 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 2.1 BPG. Of course, the blocks are near the top of the league and his defensive presence is invaluable, but for over $21 million a season? The value doesn’t match up. He’s on the books to make almost $23 million next year… that hurts. For comparison sake, ever hear of the following players: LeBron James? Carmelo Anthony? Chris Bosh? His teammate Dwyane Wade? None of these guys are suffering, but all make $14.4 million to JO’s $21.3 million. I love Jermaine O’Neal, but when one guy is taking up almost a third of your team’s whole payroll, you have to think ownership cannot wait to get that cap room back in a couple years. +

Will Coach O'Brien be blamed for another year where the Pacers miss the playoffs?

A while back, after the Indiana Pacers defeated the Houston Rockets on January 23, their record was an unimpressive 16-27, good for second last in the Eastern Conference.

However, I noted that the team was about to embark on a “make or break” stretch of the season, where 13 out of their next 17 games were against sub-0.500 teams (at least at the time) and 10 of those games were at home.  If the Pacers were going to have any chance of making the playoffs, this was the time for them to make a run for the top 8.

The Aftermath

So how have they done?  Well, it was, as the Pacers have been all season, mediocre.  For the softest patch of the season schedule, the Pacers went 9-8, boosting their record to 25-35, 12th in the East and 3 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the final playoff spot.

I said back then that, given the Pacers’ record at the time, 10-7 would be considered a moderate success.  Not unexpectedly, they fell just short. 

However, if you look at the actual games during the stretch, you may be surprised by where the wins and losses came from.  They managed to get 3 wins against Miami, Orlando and Cleveland, the teams they were supposed to lose to, and lost completely winnable games against New York (twice), Minnesota, Washington, Milwaukee (without Redd and Bogut) and Charlotte.  They also went 8-2 at home and 1-6 on the road.

During this stretch, All-Star Weekend flew by, the trade deadline passed and went without any deals (ie Tinsley), Danny Granger hurt his foot (out 3 weeks), and Mike Dunleavy declared his season over with the same injury that’s sidelined him for most of the season.

What now?

With just 22 games left, it’s not looking good for the Pacers.  According to Hollinger’s Playoff Odds, Indiana still has a 14.9% chance of making the playoffs, down from 23.4% before the start of the dream 17-game stretch.  But to do so, they need to go something like 14-8, which would be miraculous if they managed to even come close.  This would be the case even if they had Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy and no injuries to anyone else.

So, to summarise the “make of break” stretch of the season: They didn’t make much progress in the standings.  Their two top scorers Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy are out with injuries, the latter indefinitely.  They are about to enter a tough stretch where the next 10 games include teams such as Boston, Denver, Portland (x2), Utah, Atlanta and Dallas.  To top things off, they still have Jamaal Tinsley.  Another forgettable year for the Indiana Pacers.  Time to look forward to next season.  The only problem now is that they are winning some games, which won’t get them in the playoffs but will, once again, put them in a position to miss out on the top picks in next season’s draft.  Oh, and they still have to get rid of Jamaal Tinsley.

Tinsley is still a Pacer

Disturbing…so very disturbing – Jamaal Tinsley is still an Indiana Pacer

Yesterday’s trade deadline saw a host of activities between 13 different NBA teams.  Players were going here and there and everywhere (and for some, eg Tyson Chandler, back again), but to be honest, there was nothing really worth noting.  The biggest had to be former Pacer Jermaine O’Neal’s swap with Shawn Marion (Toronto Raptors/Miami Heat), but no one’s expecting that trade to make much of a splash.  You can read about ESPN’s analysis of all trades here.

The team quietly missing from the list of teams that made trades was the Indiana Pacers.  You would think if any team needed a trade it would be them.  Jamaal Tinsley hasn’t played been near Conseco Fieldhouse all season and he’s being paid.  His name’s been removed from the lockers.  And yet for the Pacers, the trade deadline came and went like a fart in the wind.  Nothing.

WTF?

I, like most Pacers fans, expected Jamaal Tinsley to be gone a long time ago.  If not at the start of the season, then at least before the trade deadline.  I started getting nervous when the trade deadline began to approach and there were virtually no rumours surrounding the Pacers.  A couple of lacklustre trade suggestions with the Bobcats for Raymond Felton, and another even worse one involving the Miami Heat.  A tiny murmur when Tyson Chandler got shipped back to New Orleans.  That was it.  I looked everywhere for something, anything that would assure me that the Pacers would get rid of Tinsley (whom the NBA had filed a grievance on his behalf).  The more I looked, the more concerned I became.  Not just the lack of trade possibilities, but how crap those suggested trades were.  But I think all it demonstrated was that no one was interested in Tinsley or that the Pacers were asking too much for him (or unwilling to give up other pieces in order to get rid of him – eg Jeff Foster and Brandon Rush).

According to the official Pacers.com article about the trade deadline, looks were deceiving – the Pacers were trying really, really hard.  Larry Bird said: “We were everywhere.  We were very, very active with a number of teams. We just didn’t get anything done. It’s frustrating.”

Seriously, not good enough anymore.  They’ve had more than half a season to find a new home for Jamaal Tinsley and they’ve come up short.  With the team losing money, injuries mounting, the playoffs almost certainly out of reach, big bad contracts and a lack of talent, where do the Pacers go from here?

By the way, you can tell the Pacers were clearly frustrated when in the same article they took a cheap shot at Jermaine O’Neal:

Upon arrival in Miami, O’Neal called his new team “a perfect fit” and suggested the Heat has “a really good chance to do something special.”   Upon his arrival in Toronto a few months ago, O’Neal said much the same thing, suggesting the Raptors had “a shot at doing some great things.”   The Raptors, who won 41 games last season, have since fired Coach Sam Mitchell and stand 21-35, 14th in the Eastern Conference.

Real classy stuff by the Pacers to kick their former All-Star when he’s down.  Seems they are truly feeling the pain.

Where to now?

Like I said all along, the Pacers have no one else to blame but themselves.  The problem really started when last season ended.  The Pacers, who wanted to get rid of Tinsley back then, should have done all they could to trade him during the offseason, when he still had some value.  Instead, they tarnished his reputation by dwelling on his past indiscretions, his injury history, lack of commitment and leadership – essentially painting him as a team cancer – and saying he’ll never be an Indiana Pacer ever again.  What did the Pacers expect after this?  Teams to jump at Tinsley with their best players and expiring contracts?  It’s frustrating to see just how badly management has handled this situation.

Now that a grievance has been filed and Tinsley will be with the Pacers until at least the end of this season, things could get ugly if they went to an arbitrator.  Imagine if they ordered the Pacers to buy out Tinsley’s contract, something they had been unwilling to do from the beginning (as the contract would continue to count against them in the salary cap).  Then the Pacers would definitely be kicking themselves because they would have essentially lost Tinsley for nothing (except, well, a lot of money) and they could have done this at the start, when this issue hadn’t become such an annoying baggage on the team.

As a fan, things could not be worse.  The team still sucks, they’re hemorrhaging cash, they still have bad contracts, and they still have Jamaal Tinsley.  Even if they did have cap room, no superstar is going to consider coming to a small market place like Indiana.  The only thing they can do is trade, but no one wants to deal with them.  Looks like it will be at least another few years before the Pacers become competitive again.  Did the Detroit Brawl really generate that much bad karma for the Pacers?  Even after more than 4 years, they are still paying for it.

Oh, and Granger’s out for up to 3 weeks

Amidst all the Tinsley crap, I forgot to mention that the Pacers’ leading scorer, Danny Granger, is out for 10 days up to 3 weeks after a partial tendon tear in his right foot – sustained during their previous game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

This could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.  I mean, they’re already missing Dunleavy (probably for season) and Foster – and even when they had those guys they still couldn’t win any games.  Why not take the full three weeks for Granger to heal his troublesome right knee as well, and give the Pacers a chance at a top 5 pick next season – one that can help out immediately or be used as trade bait?  With virtually no chance of making the playoffs, why not start looking forward to next year?

It’s scary how time flies.  My posts have been somewhat sporadic as of late, and are mostly concerned with basketball and movies – but there are good reasons for this.  I’ve still been writing, but I feel like I’m not writing the way I know I can and at the pace I should – is this what writer’s block feels like?

Anyway, here’s a quick update of sorts on what has been happening.

Study

I got a bit of a shock the other day when someone reminded me that I was already halfway through my 9-month masters course, which means the exams are practically just around the corner.  I’ve been studying hard, but the astronomical amount of work means I’m perpetually behind.  Keeping up has been near impossible, let alone catching up.  But I’m confident things will work themselves out.  We have another long break coming up in less than a month and most of the final term is for revision.  So fingers crossed.

It’s just that I have to devote even more time to study, which obviously means the closer it gets to exam time, the less time for other things, such as writing and posting!

Movies/Oscars

Some may recall one of the goals I set ages ago was to watch all the big nominated films for the Golden Globes (back when they were on) and the Oscars (before they happen on the 22nd) and post short reviews for all of them.  Well, I’m pretty close to accomplishing that goal.  Part III of my film reviews should be out in the next few days, as soon as I finish watching Rachel Getting Married.

I also made some Oscar predictions a while back, but given the passage of time and the fact that I’ve seen a lot of the nominated now, I also want to do another post on who should win and who will.  That’ll have to be done before Oscar night.

Reading

After an influx of emails attaching articles about it from a friend, I decided to buy John Grisham’s new novel “The Associate”.  It’s about a young associate in a big law firm and all the perks and horrors that come with it – something I can relate to.  I can’t believe I haven’t done any book reviews yet since I started this blog, but it’s probably because I haven’t finished any books!  Well, I’m more than halfway through this book and I will be posting a review of it as soon as I finish.

Posts

As I said, my posts have been a bit all over the place, and the frequency has dropped from my early fanatical pace.  Part of it is because I’m getting more steady traffic and I don’t feel as though I need to pad up the content anymore.  But the main reason is because of all the other things I’ve mentioned in this post!

Just looking at my past posts, most of them have been about basketball!  Well, you can hardly blame me, considering it was All-Star Weekend.  Now that’s over, I’m going to shift the focus back onto my writings and the upcoming Oscars and readings.  Okay, maybe except any big news regarding the Pacers (especially with the trade deadline being today).

Indiana Pacers

Well, I’m sure All-Star Weekend was a blast for first timer Danny Granger.  But it’s back to business now for the Pacers.  There was all this talk and hype again about them finally making a run for the playoffs, winning six or even games straight (when they haven’t been able to win more than 2 in a row all season).  Well, they just lost to the Charlotte Bobcats after beating the Philadelphia 76ers, so the same old story continues.  Except that apart from Mike Dunleavy Jr’s continued absence, Danny Granger sprained his foot last game – which means even that tiny glimmer of playoff hope could be gone too (have to wait for the MRI).

The main concern is still getting rid of Jamaal Tinsley.  I believe today is the trade deadline.  No one seems to be knocking on the Pacers’ door asking about him.  Again, no one to blame but themselves.  At this rate, actually playing him might be a better idea – but after banning him all season, it’s too late to do that now.

Writing

Last, but not least, the writing.  It’s been a tough week for my fantasy novel.  I’m still writing (almost) everyday, but because of the aforementioned things, I feel as though I’m not getting anywhere.  I’m getting about 400-1,500 words a day these days, but I plan on pushing that up if possible.  Bear in mind this has been busy week – Valentines Day on Saturday, and we went down to London on Sunday (going again tomorrow) – it’s hard to get anything done on these types of days.  Plus it also means I need to spend the remaining free time focusing on studies, leading to even less time for writing.  The constant reading and note-taking are bogging my mind down so much that when I finally sit down to write, I feel nothing good comes out.

Not doing an updated wordcount yet until I feel better about how I’m progressing….grrrr…..

In any case, I’m really starting to develop a deep respect for writers, especially those who manage to pump out novels even when working in full-time jobs.  It involves so much dedication and commitment that it blows my mind just thinking about it.  Here I am, merely studying, and I’m struggling to get the first draft done.  There are so many temptations, so many other activities calling out to you – the excuses to tear yourself away writing are endless.  I can’t imagine doing anything apart from rest when I get home from work after a long day.  And yet, these incredible writers persevere in pursuit of their dreams.  I need to be more like them.  Even those writers that are huge successes continue to dedicate themselves to their craft and write more amazing novels, despite not having to worry financially anymore.

Okay.  Stop being so pessimistic.  Get back to work.