NBA

[kam]

If that deal happens, the T-Wolves will have picks #5,#7,#24,#29.

They can trade the #5 to the Blazers for Zack Randolph so the Blazers can draft Conley.

[kam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0-9osVWLpc

http://www.thekobevideo.com/

[whiskeypriest]

I must say, I have no interest at all in the draft.  When is it, anyway?

[kam]

7:30 tonight. ESPN.

[whiskeypriest]

Yeah, I know, I was being, well, whatever I was being.  Cavs had two first round choices; traded them both away.  But then, Jiri Welsch was a key component of our playoff stretch run two years ago......

Actually, he was an expiring contract for cap purposes.

[kam]

This is the biggest night of the year for the NBA.  Its bigger than any actual games.

[Dzimas]

If ever there was a case for the Sonics staying in Seattle, Kevin Durant is it!  Not only that but the Sonics picked up Landry and Davis too, as well as make a great trade that brought Green and Szczerbiak to the Northwest.  Ray Allen has seen better days.  Better to try to keep Lewis on board, which I think he will after last night.

[bodiddley]

I think the Jason Richardson trade is pretty good for both the Bobcats and Warriors.  The Bobs didn't need another yute, especially not a 19 year old stringbean.  They need a go-to scorer, and JRich will be the better player for the next 3+ years.  Some injury concerns and the salary is high, so not without risk, but a pretty good gamble I'd say.

Resign Wallace and the lineup is:
Felton -- Richardson -- Wallace -- Okafor -- Brezec

2nd Unit:
Brevin Knight -- Matt Carroll --  Adam Morrison -- Sean May  -- Walter Herrmann  -- Melvin Ely

4 quality starters and fairly solid backups.
Almost all with reasonable contracts, so could make a trade to upgrade at the C position.
Not bad at all.

[Dzimas]

You have to wonder about a group of owners whose only reason in buying the Sonics was to move the team to the Midwest.  The October 31 deadline for a new stadium won't sit well with Seattlites, who felt bulldozed into new stadiums for the M's and the Hawks.  But, maybe enough excitement will be generated around Durant to keep the Sonics in Seattle?

[Dzimas]

Welcome to the big time!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-supersonics-durant&prov=ap&type=lgns

[liquidsilver]

When we raised McHale's No. 32 to the rafters, naturally, we assumed his last great Boston moment happened in a '93 playoff series against Charlotte, when McHale reached back in time and tortured the Hornets down low for 35 unfathomable points in Game 2. The Garden was rocking, McHale was moving like the old McHale and everything seemed right with the world again. It was one of those ESPN Classic games that you knew you'd always remember even as it was happening. And if that had been his last great act for the Celtics, I would have been fine with it.

Fast-forward to 2007.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070730

[kam]

McHale, when Glen Taylor finally fires his ass, might have a job with the Celts waiting for him.  After this trade, its the least Ainge could do.

[kam]

http://www.nysun.com/article/60568?page_no=1

...one of the owners, Aubrey McClendon, was apparently unaware that a newfangled technology called the Internet allows people to read out-of-town newspapers.

He gave an interview to an Oklahoma City-based business newspaper called the Journal Record: The piece included such self-incriminating gems as, "We didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle, we hoped to come here"; and, "We know it's a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it's great for the community and if we could break even we'd be thrilled."

Both quotes are hugely damaging, for different reasons. The former is hurtful because the terms of the Sonics sale to the current group from Starbucks founder Howard Schultz require the new owners to make a good-faith effort to keep the team in Seattle before moving it. By McClendon essentially admitting that the new owners never intended to keep the team in town, he opens the ownership group to legal challenges to an attempted move that could drag on for years.

The second, however, is the one that really stings. McClendon is saying the team will make less money in Oklahoma City but he'd like to move it there anyway? How do you suppose that one will go over in the commissioner's office?

Remember, this is a league that shares most of its revenues, so a team moving into a less profitable situation is an issue for the league's other 29 owners — the same people who have to approve the Sonics' application to relocate. Maybe this just means it will take a bigger buy-off to get approval, but that's still a cost.

Then there's the players association. The league's salary cap is set as a percentage of basketball-related income. This means that the amount of money the Sonics make (or don't make) directly impacts how much money every single player in the league will make as well. The players association is sure to find it interesting if a team isn't working to maximize its income by playing in the most profitable city, as McClendon seems to be admitting.

[kidcarter8]

McHale, when Glen Taylor finally fires his ass, might have a job with the Celts waiting for him.  After this trade, its the least Ainge could do.

Maybe you can tell us the better deal/avenue that was available to McHale.

[kam]

McHale, when Glen Taylor finally fires his ass, might have a job with the Celts waiting for him.  After this trade, its the least Ainge could do.

Maybe you can tell us the better deal/avenue that was available to McHale.

A year ago they could've had some baby Bulls like Deng, Gordon, Duhon, and who knows who else.