OwnMyTeam Blog

The Sonics get to keep their name and logo, but the team is moving to Oklahoma City. It was obvious that this was going to happen, and I believe everyone knew it. The city was just holding out for more cash (which they got). Mark Cuban was one of two owners that stood up and told the truth. This move is bad for the league.

If the new ownership wanted to move the team because the city wasn’t doing their part to keep it, then I understand that. However, David Stern came out recently and said the money they are planning to invest to rennovate their arena would likely make it suitable for the Sonics to continue in the league under new ownership in the future. Hearing Stern say that really bothers me, because that truely means the Sonics should be staying in Seattle.

I think former Sonics owner Howard Schultz is correct in his lawsuit. He certainly was deceived by Bennett when he was assured Bennett planned to keep the team in Seattle. Schultz will have difficulty proving this, but I believe it to be true, and this is all the evidence I need. Mark Cuban pointed out how many Texas franchises were already in the area. If a business owner was looking for the best market possible, then I understand moving the team. I’m not going to list all the markets and evaluate them, but I will say one thing. I’m waiting for someone to develop a rationale business argument why moving the team to OKC over a market like Albuquerque makes sense.

The finals are over, but with free agency now underway the Lakers and Celtics are at it again. It has become pretty obvious that Posey wants the full MLE and will jump off the Boston Celtic’s championship bandwagon to sign with the Lakers. Danny Ainge just offered the Celtic’s MLE to Corey Maggette. If Posey is considering jumping from Boston to LA he is a pretty smart guy. Next season the Lakers are going to be too much for the Celtics to handle.

Phil Jackson can expect a post Shaq-Attack Kobe Bryant back next year and lets not forget Andrew Bynum will be in the mix. Plus the Lakers plan to bring back key role players in Turiaf and Vujacic. If the Lakers add Posey to this club it will be just too much for any team to overcome next season.

However, I don’t think Corey Maggette will settle for the MLE. I believe he is worth around 7 million a year, and with the MLE he would only get paid 5.8 million. If Maggette isn’t willing to take 5.8 million, then the Lakers should go ahead and sign Posey. Kobe needs to call his buddy Corey and see if he will take the 5.8 million. If he will, then the Lakers can’t let Boston snag him. Ideally for the Lakers,Kobe can talk Maggette into taking the MLE, and then Posey will sign the MLE with the Spurs or the Pistons.

Recent news reports suggest Arenas could land a 100 million dollar contract or maybe even more cash from the Wizards. On top of that Antawn Jamison is also a free agent. If the Wizards bring everyone back (and they stay healthy) they still can’t beat the top teams in the East. Clearly, the Wizards have hit a plateau. It is possible these free agents could sign with another team, but because of the market they likely will need to do a sign and trade to get with a team they are interested in. This gives the Wiz a lot of bargaining power. There is no way anyone can justify giving Gilbert Arenas 100 million dollars when it is clear that he can’t get the team over the hump.

The Wizards should explore sign and trade options with both players, and they should only take them back at a discounted price. Steve Kerr seems very willing to trade Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw, so the Wiz should sign and trade Arenas for both players and a first round draft pick.  The Wiz should also look to send Brendan Haywood, Darius Songaila, and Oleksiy Pecherov to the Pacers for Marquis Daniels and Jamaal Tinsley. The Wiz could use a starting point guard, and Jamaal Tinsley has shown he has all star talent at this position when he is healthy and has his head in the game.

This move would also clear up space for new Wiz draft pick JaVale McGee, while Larry Bird gets his wish in trading Tinsley. The Hawks will be looking for a third piece to go with Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson this off season. It is unlikely that they will trade Josh Smith, but they may be willing to part with Marvin Williams in the right deal. The Wiz should sign and trade Jamison for Marvin Williams, Speedy Claxton, and Zaza Pachulia (expiring). This deal would bring back a younger talent and also save the club money when Zaza’s contract comes off the books next summer. Below is a potiental lineup with these deals.

Center: JaVale McGee, Etan Thomas, Zaza Pachulia

PF: Marvin Williams, Andray Blatche, Dominic McGuire

SF: Boris Diaw, Marquis Daniels, Nick Young

SG: Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson,

PG: Jamaal Tinsley, Leandro Barbosa, Antonio Daniels, Speedy Claxton

It looks like there is a jam at the point guard position, so that would likely make Antonio Daniels another trading piece. This isn’t a team that screams star power, but they are very solid at all five positions. I think this gives them more room to grow and greater flexibility moving forward. We already know how talented Caron Bulter is, and now Marvin Williams would get a chance to develop at the starting 4 spot as well. This makes more sense, because the franchise already understands that Jamison isn’t going to get them past the top Eastern Conference teams. These moves don’t scream title contender, but they are a lot smarter both financially and on paper moving forward.

Below I have a link posted to an indepth behind the scenes news report on Caja Rioja in Spain. This news report shows exactly what goes on and gives the fan a really good idea about what international basketball is all about. I will warn you that the majority of the piece is in Spanish, but there is a little English commentary. Even with very limited Spanish (or none) skills the viewer can really get a good idea what it is all about.

Caja Rioja is a team that plays in the LEB in Spain. Caja Rioja was led by Stevie Johnson and he was named the MVP of that league. In the video Johnson is number 14. Recently Johnson left Caja Rioja and signed with Palencia for the 08/09 season. For those fluent in Spanish I’ll post the offical announcement. http://baloncestoconp.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/stevie-johnson-a-su-alrededor-un-equipo/

Caja Rioja is a good example of a team OMT should look at if they get to the point of looking at winter league franchises down the road. You will notice in the video that they have a pretty sizable arena that would be great to grow into. Caja Rioja has the potiental to turn into a ACB team as well in the future. Any franchise OMT invests in should have the ability to get to the top league by winning games and generating enough revenues. For those fans interested in learning more about international basketball- click the youtube link below. I also want to note that some background music has explicit language in the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOqhI2fcm-I&feature=related

The NBA draft has just ended and you can view complete results at RealGM or Yahoo Sports. Derek Rose went first overall with Beasley going second to Miami. I knew this was going to happen and still didn’t release a new mock. The Bulls made a mistake. It also is rumored that Kevin Love is going to Minnesota with Mike Miller for OJ Mayo and filler. The Bobcats surprised most analysts by taking Alexis Ajinca with the 20th overall pick from the Bobocats. See everyone, I’m not crazy (or at least not alone).

Because of a possible kidney condition Darrell Arthur fell to 27th. Arthur said he got a blood test and their isn’t a problem while in DC. Other GMs are saying he didn’t submit to all the tests they wanted, so who knows whats really up? Watching Giddens go at the end of the first round was a big surprise. Giddens was trouble long before Steve Alford came along, and Alford is really an overhyped coach. Nobody in Iowa has any respect for him anymore. Giddens must have had great workouts.

Now on to free agency!

Ok, I’ve been preaching about Alexis Ajinca for sometime now. I’ve watched the tapes and determined that this guy has all the tools you can’t teach big men. He has a jumper to the three point line and developing post moves. With a 9′6 reach he has the ability to become Finger Wag Junior (seriously, not in the house of Ajinca). The only downside is that he needs to still add muscle to his frame. He’s actually done a pretty decent job with that over the last year, and he also did excellent at the Nike Hoops Summit. I acknowledge there is some risk at drafting him, but I would take him over DeAndre Jordan and have been saying that for quite some time. DeAndre Jordan could very well be the next Lorenzen Wright. Now it appears the draft boards must be listening?

Draft Express lists Ajinca going in the lottery to the Blazers at 13. I’ve consistantly had this guy listed in the late teens to mid 20s all along and I still believe that is where Ajinca goes. However, if Ajinca goes 13 to the Blazers I would not be shocked. I think it also would show the Blazers are having doubts that Oden will be that Hall of Famer everyone said he would be well. Well, I had Durant going to the Blazers.

Pat Riley is also playing head games with the media. Does he seriously believe anyone thinks he will take Mayo with the 2nd pick? If he takes Mayo I’ll personally check him into a nursing home. Also, the Nuggets traded their pick for a future first rounder from the Bobcats. The Nuggets front office is still looking pretty clueless, but hopefully they have something up their sleeve.

With the fourth pick in the 2001 NBA Draft the Chicago Bulls select Marcus Fizer from Iowa State. Stupid pick right? Actually Marcus Fizer averaged close to 23 ppg, 7.7 rebounds, and 58% from the field (36% from the three point line). Chicago had Elton Brand, but they were convinced that Fizer was too good to pass up, and they believed he could play small forward in the league. Beasley grabbed more rebounds than Fizer (and Beasley was a freshman), but other than that you could make a close stastical comparision (Fizer had a better FG percentage). I actually saw Fizer play for the Bulls, and I once watched a game while he was injured as well. Jay Williams looked very promising that game, and his good buddy Marcus Fizer took some shots before the game. Fizer clearly didn’t have NBA three point range as he chucked several air balls at the basket.

Clearly Fizer was a low post power forward who didn’t have the speed to play the small forward position. Playing out of position (chasing faster guys) likely put Fizer at a greater risk of injury as well. The Bulls had Elton Brand, so they should have passed on Fizer. This time the Bulls need exactly what Michael Beasley brings, and Beasley is clearly the best available. However, it appears Paxson is leaning towards taking Rose. The funny thing is Beasley could likely play either forward position, because he is more athletic than Fizer. Certainly you would think the Bulls would have this in mind when they make their first selection. I believe they will pick Rose, but maybe they will prove me wrong and make the right choice.

As for Fizer, he was one of the best 6th men in the league in the 01-02 season. At 29 years old Marcus Fizer still has a lot of game left if he can stay healthy. When watching ESPN the other day I noticed him on their list of draft busts. Sometimes I just have to laugh at how these GMs and analysts think. These experts clearly aren’t the geniuses they like to think they are.

I’ve watched some tape of Marcus Fizer overseas and he is no 6-8 260 anymore. This guy’s arms look more like Shaq’s than anyone else I can think of. Fizer drew double teams in the NBA at times, and I think his low post game would bring a lot to an NBA team. Could Marcus Fizer turn into the comeback player of the year for 2008/2009? Possibly, if some team offers him a decent contract to leave Europe.

Brandon Jennings (6-2, PG) out of Comption, California recently announced he is considering forgoing his Arizona scholarship to play ball in Europe or Israel. Jennings is still waiting to see if his test scores are even high enough to get into school. Jennings basically admitted he had no interest in college and just wanted to play in the NBA. This kid deserves praise for just flat out telling the truth. He’d be a lotto lock if he went pro this year. If he got hurt in his one year of college Jennings would lose out on millions of contract and endorsement money.

The NBA and NCAA just took a hard slap in the face. The rule is wrong and it is a form of discrimination at the workplace. I’ve never heard Burger King tell an 18 year old guy to come back in a year. Ya know kid-  you need to be 19 to know what to do when the buzzer sounds. I’m sure Jennings knows to shoot before the buzzer.

Europe is a better place for these kids to develop anyways. If he went to college he would only have to go to one semester of class. To be eligible for the 2nd semester he would have to pass two of his classes with D’s.  What a joke.

This is great news for OMT.  If OMT eventually decides to look at teams overseas many high school and JC althetes may have decided that their games are worth cash. This is the future!

Carmelo Anthony has taken the Denver Nuggets to the playoffs every year he has been in the league. Considering his is only 24 years old (and the Nuggets blew chunks before he arrived) you would believe he was pretty much untradable. If you thought that you were right- sort of. The Nuggets front office never had any intention of moving the star forward. However, George Karl informed the media that Melo wasn’t going anywhere. While saying all the right things to the media Karl went behind Melo’s back and asked the front office to trade him. Seriously, I’ve lost a lot of respect for George Karl. Karl needs to step up and apologize for this (and I don’t mean to any of us). After watching the Nuggets play CBA basketball for the better part of a decade (Pre-Melo) I was prepared to stop watching the team if they traded Melo. Thats how sorry this situation would have been.

Now the question is who do the Nuggets trade for. They need younger talented guys to put around Melo. One key target should be Emeka Okafor. “The Oak” is a restricted free agent who is asking way more than the Bobcats are willing to pay. Michael Jordan compared himself to Rodney White- so I’m sure he’d be willing to take back AI (expiring contract) for “The Oak” and filler. Then again he once compared himself to Rodney White- so who knows really?. The second key target should be John Salmons. Nene for Salmons and filler works under the cap.

Camby is the last piece they must move this summer.  The Mavericks are desperate for a center. Cuban will likely try and trade for Marcus Camby. Yes, that would make more sense than signing Kwame Brown. Jason Terry, filler, and draft pick(s) will work for Camby.

 The Nuggets also have an MLE to spend on free agents. I hate to bring up Ricky Davis, but the guy is only 28 years old. He and Gerald Green could be had at a K-Mart blue light special.  The way this draft is shaping up a big talented question mark is going to fall to the 20 spot. The Nuggets should take the risk and draft him.

After the Nuggets’ final playoff game this season, Allen Iverson sat at the postgame podium and said he wanted to return to Denver.

And this weekend, Iverson’s agent confirmed that his client won’t opt out of his contract, thus returning to Denver next season — barring a trade. The all-star guard will make $20.84 million in the final year of his contract.

“He’s looking forward to helping the team take the next step,” agent Leon Rose said.

The Nuggets can try to extend Iverson’s contract this summer. If that doesn’t happen, Iverson will become a free agent in July of 2009. Iverson has routinely said he wants to end his career in Denver. If the Nuggets indeed extend his contract, it’s possible he would make less money per season than he currently makes — but he would be locked in for more seasons.

Iverson, who turned 33 this……..

Compete this article at http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_9655041

Iverson and his agent Leon Rose were really pushing the Nuggets for a contract extension. The Nuggets did the smart thing and did not bite. With the way this free agent summer is shaping up Iverson would have been crazy to opt out of his contract, and the Nuggets knew it. Now the Nuggets have an expiring contract on their roster that also happens to be AI. This should make AI a hot trade commodity along with Marcus Camby.

Rumers are also floating that the Nuggets and Grizz are going to swap 1st round picks along with trading Kleiza for Lowry. Kleiza is a natural SF and the Nuggets have a superstar at that position. The Nuggets want to move the Kleiza now, so they don’t have to give him a big contract later. Lowry is a young point guard who might do a pretty decent job in Denver, but I hope the Nuggets are seriously considering starting him next year. This rumor also makes me wonder exactly who Denver plans on drafting with this higher pick?