Source: http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2012/06/30/20120630_free_agent_fever_C.nba/index.html
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Free Agent Fever: Centers
David Aldridge discusses his notable free-agent centers from around the league.
Why Dwight Howard Should Consider the Houston Rockets for His Long-Term Future
Dwight Howard should think twice about his decision to not include the Houston Rockets on his list of desired locations.
The Rockets are a talented young team with one of the game's best GMs in Daryl Morey. They have some good core pieces in shooting guard Kevin Martin and power forward Luis Scola and just added some more young talent with their three first-round picks in Thursday's draft.
On top of that, with the Miami Heat towering over the league like a colossus, the safer bet for Howard to get back to the NBA Finals would be to move to the Western Conference.
Outside of the the Oklahoma City Thunder, the rest of the conference could go either way.
Dallas and San Antonio are getting old, as are the Lakers. The Clippers and Grizzlies are a year or two away from contending, and the Warriors and Hornets are even further away than that.
Howard's preferred destinations are the Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and either of the L.A. teams. All of them are sound options.
All of them are also deeply flawed choices.
For one, Brooklyn shouldn't even be considered. Even if the Nets re-sign Deron Williams, how enthused can you be about joining a team that sent away a lottery pick for a half-season rental of Gerald Wallace?
The Mavericks make sense only if they can get D-Will to come back home. Even then, what could they possibly offer the Magic to entice them to deal Howard?
Nobody in Orlando is exactly chomping at the bit over Rodrigue Beaubois.
As for the Lakers, the fact that they aren't rushing to send Andrew Bynum to Orlando in exchange for Howard should tell you about how interested they are in the three-time defensive player of the year.
Sure, playing with Kobe Bryant is exciting, but what happens when Father Time catches up to the Black Mamba in a couple years?
Then, there are the Clippers. Unless the Clippers can make a deal for Howard that doesn't include Blake Griffin, I don't see the appeal of playing for Los Angeles' little-brother franchise.
As great as playing with Chris Paul would be for Howard's career, you need role players to succeed in the NBA, and the Clippers don't have them.
That brings me back to Houston.
They have enough young studs to pique Orlando's interest without giving up guys like Scola and Martin. Besides 2012 first-rounders Royce White, Jeremy Lamb and Terrence Jones, there are also forwards Chandler Parsons and Marcus Morris to use as trade bait.
Plus, Houston would almost certainly include starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who wants off the Rockets.
A package of Lowry and any combination of those prospects would work out well for both sides. By not giving up too many proven veterans, Houston could still contend with Howard in the fold, and Orlando would get young pieces around whom they can build and also be rid of the Howard headache.
Lest we forget, Denver didn't get back a package of superstars for Carmelo Anthony, but they got enough promising talent to make the deal acceptable.
Houston deserves Howard's consideration. His presence would make them a formidable contender and his best chance at long-term success.
The Lakers are a good "win now" option, as are the Mavericks. The Nets are a train wreck, and the Clippers were, too, until Chris Paul came along.
Dwight Howard is only 26. Barring injury, he has a lot of time left in this league.
Houston was a great team during the Hakeem Olajuwon years and was solid during the Yao Ming era. Howard should consider becoming part of that lineage.
The Rockets are a well-run team with a lot of promise, and Howard would benefit from learning from head coach Kevin McHale.
It's time for Howard to open up his vision a little bit wider and consider a bigger picture.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Felix, Tarmoh tie again, this time in 200 semis
Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh put up the same time, 22.30 seconds, for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Sanya Richards-Ross.
Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomSports-TopStories/~3/tnddtdfJ5Sk/1
Dallas Mavericks Officially Trade Lamar Odom to LA Clippers in 4-Team Deal
Well, looks like Lamar Odom is headed back to Los Angeles.
As a Clipper, that is.
The Los Angeles Clippers acquired Odom from the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in a four-team trade that included the Houston Rockets and the Utah Jazz, according to NBA.com. In exchange for Odom, the Clippers sent guard Mo Williams to the Jazz and the draft rights to second-round draft pick Furkan Aldemir to the Rockets.
The Mavericks received the draft rights to second-round pick Tadija Dragicevic from Utah, as well as cash considerations from the Rockets, while sending second-round pick Shan Foster to the Jazz.
The trade signaled the end of Odom's stint with the Mavericks, which lasted a grand total of 50 games. The 2010-2011 Sixth Man of the Year never meshed with the Mavericks' organization after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him, averaging 6.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 20 minutes per game last season.
Obviously, the Clippers are hoping a return to Los Angeles will reignite Odom, who averaged 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Lakers two seasons ago while shooting 53 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc. Odom could either be used in a sixth-man role in L.A. or potentially start at small forward.
From the Mavericks' point of view, this is largely a salary dump. According to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com, they get rid of Odom's $8.2 million contract and also avoid his $2.4 million cap-space hit. In addition, they pick up an inexpensive rookie in Dragicevic, as well as cash considerations from Houston.
Given they have reportedly been going after unrestricted free agent Deron Williams, this trade may end up being rather beneficial for the Mavericks, per NBA Insider Ken Berger of CBS Sports. Even if they don't land Williams, they receive something for Odom, who clearly wasn't happy in Dallas.
Mo Williams will give Utah some depth in the backcourt and another veteran.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Friday, June 29, 2012
NBA: A new hallway mural at Shabazz High School courtesy of @DGreen_14 at @NBACares Day of Service. http://t.co/gLaPtuLa
NBA: A new hallway mural at Shabazz High School courtesy of @DGreen_14 at @NBACares Day of Service. http://t.co/gLaPtuLa
NBA Trade Rumors: Rockets Must Use Productive Draft to Land Dwight Howard
The Houston Rockets failed in their attempt on draft night to move up and put together a productive enough package to acquire Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard.
But the draft is only one step as the Rockets had a very productive draft, landing Jeremy Lamb, Royce White and Terrence Jones, who could all be starters in the NBA.
But because they not only failed to acquire Howard or move up high enough to even draft a guy like Andre Drummond, the Rockets now must use the young talent they have to make a more aggressive push to acquire Howard.
After dealing Samuel Dalembert to the Milwaukee Bucks before the draft, the Rockets—despite adding a ton of talent—have a huge hole in the middle right now.
The crop of unrestricted free-agent centers is a very thin one and instead of reaching and overpaying for a Spencer Hawes or Chris Kaman type of player, the Rockets need to make a serious push to acquire the best big man in the game today.
They have the assets and new Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan is one who wants to build through the draft. Houston can give him that opportunity.
Hennigan added a couple of nice pieces in Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O'Quinn and the Rockets can offer Orlando the chance to stockpile the organization with young talent.
Rumors before the draft said that the Rockets were dangling point guard Kyle Lowry in an attempt to move up a few spots. With the Magic desperately in need of a point guard for the future, Lowry should at least peak his interest.
Throw in Lamb and one of White or Jones plus a couple of future picks and that would look like a real good haul in exchange for Howard and possible the contract of Hedo Turkoglu.
If Hennigan decides to hold onto Howard until the trade deadline, it's doubtful he would get a similar offer that can help reload the Magic franchise. The Rockets could make that easy for him.
To compete, the Rockets need a presence in the paint and Howard should be the logical option right now.
Of course signing Howard to an extension is another story altogether, but if Houston is willing to take that risk, then it should be a no-brainer to go after Howard even more aggressively now.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
NBA Draft 2012: 5 Teams That Had a Terrible Night
For many teams, just about everything went right in the 2012 NBA Draft. The Hornets found two cornerstone prospects, the Wizards snagged touted guard Bradley Beal and the Oklahoma City Thunder rescued forward Perry Jones III from the brink of the first round.
For other teams, well, not so much.
Thursday's draft was a busy one, and while it's tough to judge now, not everyone came out a winner. Check out five teams that had a rough time at the 2012 NBA Draft.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1240961-5-teams-that-had-a-terrible-night-at-2012-nba-draft
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)