Basketball

When Danny Ferry traded Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets last summer, this is the moment we desired—this is the moment on which we were all fixated: the summer that will begin the process of shaping a new image and roster for a team that has been deemed irrelevant and fickle for so long. More than anything, though, this summer presents an opportunity to shed the proverbial skin that has covered the franchise since it’s relocation—a skin that symbolizes mediocrity, a skin that represents disorder. Over the past 10 months we’ve concocted our own visions—delusions of grandeur you might call them, but their potency still sits heavily with us: Dwight Howard and Chris Paul; maybe just Dwight Howard; maybe just Chris Paul. We think something is coming our way, something great, a notion that doesn’t account for the fact that Dikembe Mutumbo was the last big name free agent to sign with Atlanta. Mutumbo was signed in 1996. It’s been seventeen years since the Hawks have inked a marquee free agent—a concern that might only accentuate Atlanta’s stereotype as a weak basketball community and dysfunctional franchise in the eyes of a player. So Danny Ferry has his work cut out for him. He’s battling against memes like “Never Trust the Hawks” and dismissive fans who see the franchise only as an afterthought. He’s swimming upstream, trying to create a model of consistency and success, trying to build something that isn’t brittle and won’t crumble when tested. It’s not an easy task.Only a few franchises can maintain such a level of stability at a time, and almost all of them have one thing in common: a foundation, or as it’s more ubiquitously known, a superstar. One of those isn’t going to just fall out of the sky. Ferry’s trades last summer have positioned Atlanta to acquire that foundation. The options, relatively speaking, are abundant. The Hawks will most certainly throw their names into the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, with hopes of landing Chris Paul as well. Once those dreams are swiftly and unfortunately dismissed, Ferry will have the complicated task of maintaining and sustaining Atlanta’s current financial flexibility into next summer, when once again they’ll be at a crossroads of sorts. Another option through which Ferry can construct the team to his liking is the draft, which can certainly be a crapshoot. The Hawks aren’t going to select the next LeBron James with the 17th or 18th pick, but they have a chance to acquire solid, young role players who could play a vital part in the development of Ferry’s vision for the franchise down the road. In addition, two middle-first round draft picks are movable pieces. Ferry might seek to trade the picks for higher selections in later drafts, he might package them and move up in this draft, or he might simply stay put. All of those options could prove to be beneficial if executed properly. What’s so interesting about the Hawks in this year’s draft, however, is the lack of a positional need. The entire roster was practically emptied out the second David West blocked Josh Smith’s errant three-pointer late in Game 6. The Hawks have openings at every single position. If Teague comes at too high a price in restricted free agency, the Hawks could package their picks and trade up for a point guard like CJ McCollum. If the Hawks want to draft an able-bodied center and move Horford to power forward, guys like Steven Adams, Rudy Gobert, and Gorgui Dieng might be waiting. They should draft the best player available because the roster is so flexible at this point that hamstringing themselves to a specific need won’t best serve their undefined future. And of course before even thinking about drafting a player, you’d like for a head coach to be in place. Without a defined system, scheme, or plan under which to constitute a roster, there

According to the LA Times, The Clippers will take their time and plan on having a coach in place by the June 27 NBA draft, one executive said.

Phil Jackson is currently on his book/”Hey! I’m Alive and Want to Run Your Franchise!” media tour, and was on ESPN’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” show this morning. He was asked about his reaction to the call informing him that the Lakers were going to hire Mike D’Antoni instead of him. From ESPNLA: [...]The post Phil Jackson’s Reaction When the Lakers Told Him They Hired Mike D’Antoni: “Hahahaha” appeared first on Dime Magazine (dimemag.com) : Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers.

We break down our list of the 10 most important games of the Warriors' 2012-13 regular season campaign.

Though watching the ping-pong balls fall in your team's favor at the NBA Draft Lottery can be a cause for immediate celebration, the fact that any team is in the lottery in the first place is usually a cause for the concern. There may be hope for the future, but a team's place in the lottery also often represents their failures of the past. As many deserving fan bases have come to know and understand all too well, a rebuilding process isn't the most fun thing to watch a team go through. Still, the three teams that were awarded the top three selections in next month's NBA Draft are perhaps closer to soon snagging a spot in the playoffs than most lottery teams usually are. With that in mind, could a solid selection in the NBA Draft be that extra piece that eventually punches a young, up and coming squad's ticket to the postseason next year? Injuries proved to be the downfall of two of three teams with top selections in the NBA Draft. The oft-injured (dating back to his freshman year at Duke) Kyrie Irving displayed flashes of greatness this past season. The 21 year old proved that not only can he handle being the leader of his team, but can also shine in the pressure-filled moments. Playing as good as any M.V.P. candidate during Cavaliers' wins (they did, however, only have 19 of them with Irving on the floor), a bevy of NBA teams could only watch as Irving scorched them and left them for dead. But as even superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant (who was without Russell Westbrook) proved this postseason, sometimes they too are unable to carry their teams and do it all alone. Who can expect Irving to? Anderson Varejao showed signs of a potential career-year, but he too saw himself shut down due to injury. Towards the end of the season, Dion Waiters also missed a few games, forcing the Cavaliers to sign D-League starter Chris Quinn. Clearly, there needs to be more help than that. Cleveland has a future M.V.P. candidate in town, but in order to hold onto him for years to come, they need to show progress and a commitment to winning. If their players can remain healthy, perhaps all the Cavs really need to put them over the top is an athletic big man to do the dirty work along with Varejao; someone who balances the offensive production they get from the backcourt. Nerlens Noel could be the answer, should the team not look to trade the pick. With the number two selection in next month's draft, perhaps the Magic have a bit more work to do than Cleveland...or so it would seem. In a league watching its elite teams build themselves up around massive star power, the Magic don't have that luxury after losing Dwight Howard last summer. Still, with a team full of promising youth and ridiculous upside, Orlando could be more committed to modeling themselves after a team like the Denver Nuggets. Having acquired Tobias Harris (among others) in a trade for J.J. Reddick, the Magic have given the young forward more of a stage to strut his stuff and put his versatile skill-set on display. Emerging as one of the more promising players in the game after coming to Orlando, Harris could stand to be a perfect number two or three option on any other borderline playoff team. In addition to Harris, the Magic now feature other young talents like Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Andrew Nicholson, and Doron Lamb. Like Harris, Aaron Afflalo also represents the perfect type of complementary player who has been forced into more of a starring role with Orlando. Perhaps the two will continue to grow and emerge as leaders together. The Magic could go in two different directions with the draft selection. Should they ultimately decide star power is necessary, perhaps the pick can be packaged with any number of their more expensive veterans (such as Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, Glen Davis, and/or Al Harrington) in order to reel in a more talented player. If not, any prospect they select will undoubtedly fit right in with this already eclectic group. Lik

Dwight Howard isn't going to walk away from an extra $30 million dollars. Some idiot ... or some genius There are few things that frustrate me more than the above quote as it pertains to free agency in the NBA. It is the biggest canard in sports, the idea that the "home" team (i.e. the team that owns a player's Bird rights) in any free agency situation has a HUGE advantage in obtaining the signature of a franchise free agent. Dwight Howard's involvement in the quote is immaterial; somebody, somewhere, will make the same argument about Chris Paul. It's the same argument people made about LeBron James, and the argument will get dusted off any time a free agent becomes available who is worth more than the maximum contract they are allowed to sign under the rules of the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement. There's just one problem ... under normal circumstances, the argument is absolute bullshit. If Dwight Howard decides to walk away from the Los Angeles Lakers this off-season, he will not be walking away from $30 million dollars. Yes, the Lakers can offer Dwight Howard a contract worth $119 million dollars. Every other team in the league can only offer Dwight Howard a contract worth $87 million dollars. So yes, if Dwight Howard walks away from the Lakers, his contract will be $31.4 million less than it could have been. But, the calculation of this net figure which makes it seem like the home team in free agency has such a compelling advantage is based on the length of the contract. The home team in free agency is allowed to offer a player a fifth year on his contract, and the rest of the league can only offer a four year deal. A whole extra year in a max deal is worth a whole lot of money (especially since the year in question is the last year). So what's the problem? Why is the statement above about leaving $30 million on the table so terribly misinformed? Because that extra year doesn't just go away if a player signs somewhere else. The player doesn't die. He isn't forced to take a year off. That's what makes the $30 million number so ridiculous. The player does not lose $30 million, the player simply has to enter free agency again one year earlier than he otherwise would have if he stayed with the same team. And it just so happens that franchise players tend to stay franchise players, which means that, under most circumstances, the player's next free agent deal is likely to be a new max contract. Add in the first year of the player's new deal, and that $30 million number disappears. If you have a choice between two grocery stores, and you need dog food that one of the stores doesn't have, do you save $20 by not shopping at the store that has the dog food? Not unless you plan on starving your dog. No, the real difference between the deal that Howard could obtain from the Lakers versus what he could get from any other team with the cap space to offer him a max contract is based entirely off of the difference in allowable raises in per year income. A "Bird rights" contract can include yearly raises of 7.5%; all other contracts are limited to yearly raises of 4.5%. The interest gets compounded over the course of the contract, so over the course of a deal, the difference is about $6.8 million. That's not nothing, but it isn't very much in comparison to the large dollar amounts being thrown around with these contracts in general. For those of you averse to "the maths", here's a handy little table that breaks down the comparison. Bird Rights Salary Raise % Raise Total Non-Bird Salary Raise % Raise Total Current 19,536,360 19,536,360 Year 1 20,513,178 7.5 1,538,488 Year 1 20,513,178 4.5 923,093 Year 2 22,051,666 7.5 1,653,875 Year 2 21,436,271 4.5 964,632 Year 3 23,705,541 7.5 1,777,916 Year 3 22,400,903 4.5 1,008,041 Year 4 25,483,457 7.5 1,911,259 Year 4 23,408,944 Year 5 27,394,716 Year 5 24,579,

You want business tattoos? Kevin Durant will give you business tattoos. Like a whole back’s worth. Not a J.R. Smith’s back’s worth, but still. And I’m sure it’s no big deal that there’s a word misspelled in the bottom left of that lengthy scripture. No one will notice. (via BDL)

After (barely) winning last night‘s Game 2 against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs hit the road with a 2-0 series lead. Does that mean this one is a wrap and it’s smooth sailing from here? Graydon joins Ethan Sherwood Strauss and Henry Abbott on TrueHoop TV on Wednesday to discuss.

The NBA Draft lottery is done, which means it's time for mock draft season! Everyone knows and nobody knows! Speculation! Rumors! (These exclamation marks are genuine. I really am excited on some level to figure this all out). Thanks to SBNation.com's handy table, we know that five of the seven prominent Internet mocks have the Wizards taking Georgetown forward Otto Porter. The other two feature UNLV's Anthony Bennett. Here are the explanations: SBNation.com (Otto Porter): Porter is a safe pick -- a local kid who fills an instant need on your roster. At the same time, that leaves you with a frontcourt of the future of Nene (30) and Emeka Okafor (30). If you have three top-three picks on your roster, it seems reasonable to make at least one of them a big man. Draft Express (Anthony Bennett): The Wizards ranked last in offensive efficiency last season and depth at the guard positions is another area the team might look to address. Anthony Bennett might be the most talented prospect on the board regardless of position, and also fills a major need as a shooting four that can play alongside both Emeka Okafor and Nene. He looks like a good fit here considering Washington's struggles offensively. NBA.com (Otto Porter): The Wizards get a very good outcome. Porter is a position need and coming off a season as the Big East Player of the Year that moved the versatile small forward into the top five. ESPN/Chad Ford (Otto Porter): The Wizards need help at the small forward position and Porter, who played his college ball in Washington, appears to be the perfect fit. With two super backcourt scorers such as John Wall and Bradley Beal, having a forward who's a facilitator like Porter feels just right. The other player to watch carefully for the Wizards is Anthony Bennett. Sources say the Wizards also are very high on Bennett and could opt for his potent offensive game to expand their options at power forward. Sports illustrated (Otto Porter): Here's where things get fun. The Wizards need a small forward, and GM Ernie Grunfeld got a good look at the Hoyas' Porter all season long. Porter is a versatile forward with an excellent mid-range game. But UNLV's Anthony Bennett -- who is unable to work out for teams because of a shoulder surgery -- has monstrous potential at either forward spot. Pencil in Porter, a more traditional small forward, for now, but don't expect it to be an easy call. CBS Sports (Anthony Bennett): He's injured with a shoulder injury, but he's got far higher upside than Otto Porter. Bennett is a combo forward from Canada who can score both inside and out and can form with John Wall and Bradley Beal. NBADraft.net: The Jan Vesely experiement has not worked out leaving the door open to add local guy Otto Porter. Another local product Alex Len is a possibility. Porter made a very impressive jump from his freshman to sophomore seasons, showing no difficulty in becoming the leader of the team and winning Big East Player of the Year. Otto is about as low risk as it gets in this draft, however his ceiling isn't as great as some of the other top prospects. He's a relentless defender and a pro athlete, but it's unlikely that he will ever be an elite level scorer. He's very thin, but weight/strength shouldn't be an issue at the 3 position. He showed the ability to knock down key shots throughout his short college career. Despite a less than picture perfect jumpshot, he gets results. Porter's consistency and potential makes him a likely top 5 pick in this year's draft. And now, it's time for you guys to speak. Let's assume Nerlens Noel won't be available with the No. 3 pick. Who is your ideal draftee? Poll Who is your top choice for the Washington Wizards with the No. 3 pick (outside of Nerlens Noel)? Otto Porter Ben McLemore Anthony Bennett Victor Oladipo Alex Len Shabazz Muhammad

Paul Pierce allegedly thinks he’s done in Boston, so maybe a trade like this wouldn’t be so surprising. But can you picture Pierce as a Pelican?? Michael McNamara of ESPN’s True Hoop Network just tweeted this: The unnamed source thing is always a little sketchy, but we all know that Boston needs to get younger. [...]The post NBA Trade Rumors: Boston Celtics Discussing Paul Pierce for Eric Gordon appeared first on Dime Magazine (dimemag.com) : Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers.