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 | Players: Where will LeBron go? How about the Nets? |
When Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov took over operating control
of the New Jersey Nets recently, he inherited a team hemorrhaging money.
The Nets lost $61 million last year alone, and Prokhorov absorbed a
debt of more than $180 million.
That's the equivalent to a few cases of vodka for Prokhorov, the richest
man in Russia and the 39th wealthiest in the world, according to
Forbes' most recent list.
Prokhorov knows little about the NBA, but a lot about business. LeBron
James likes business, too. Whether the two are a match won't be
determined until next month. Despite being the league's worst team last
season, the Nets have the cap space and are ready to pounce on James in
this summer's elite free-agent class.
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| Players: O'Brien must go -- for the good of the bad Pacers |
Bob Kravitz
Maybe Jim O'Brien is trying to get himself fired. Maybe he's gone in
the tank, just as his team has done for the past few months, and is
willing to take the cash for next season and move on back to Florida.
I've written it before, with a mild bit of hesitation.
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| Players: Martin In Dark About Possible Knee Tear |
Chris Tomasson
If a report is accurate that Denver Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin
has a partial tear of his left patella tendon, he said he hasn't been
given that information about his knee.
Regardless, the Nuggets, who had previously been looking for a big man,
will spend this weekend discussing what they might do. Agent Mark
Bartelstein told FanHouse the Nuggets have inquired about five of his
free-agent big men: Mark Blount, Mikki Moore, Brian Cook, Jake Voskuhl
and Rob Kurz.
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| Players: Jazz interested in Ilgauskas |
Ross Sitler
With Zydrunas Ilgauskas reaching agreement on a contract buyout with
Washington, Ilgauskas' agent, Herb Rudoy , said Thursday that the Jazz
have expressed interest in signing the veteran center.
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| Players: In world of trade talk, chatter rarely lives up to hype |
I hate trade columns.
Weeks of speculation that almost never pan out and aren't anchored by
any kind of reality. If it's not an agent looking to place his
client(s) somewhere else, it's a GM, on orders of his silent owner,
looking to create a market for a player he wants to to ditch. Even the
"truth" of something, like Team A is shopping a player, is normally
calculated by Team A for its own self-interest. Plus, almost everyone
is lying this time of year; the teams that are really looking to do
something deny it even when they're caught red-handed.
Hate them.
But you love them, and I get that. Nothing beats bar talk (How good
would the Cavs be with Jamison?), and it's fun when it's not your job
to check out every rancid, ridiculous rumor. But we are within two
weeks of the Feb. 18 trade deadline, so I guess spending a few minutes
dipping into the water isn't going to kill me.
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| Players: Real trade season coming |
With the trade deadline less than three weeks away, talks are only starting to heat up.
It's the NBA way, due in part to the fact that team executives are
looking to assess their current roster as long as possible before
making changes. It's also because the 11th-hour approach is written
somewhere in the general manager's unofficial handbook.
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| Players: NBA suspends Arenas for rest of season |
Adrian Wojnarowski
NBA commissioner David Stern has suspended Washington Wizards guard
Gilbert Arenas for the remainder of this season, the league
announced Wednesday.
League sources told Yahoo! Sports that Stern had been considering two
suspension scenarios for the former All-Star: the remainder of this
season or a full 82-game ban that would extend into next season.
Sources said players association executive director Billy Hunter and association
attorneys had negotiated the suspension terms with Stern over the past
several days. If the association vowed to appeal the shorter penalty, sources
said, Stern was prepared to suspend Arenas for the full 82 games.
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| Players: Knicks Succeed by Selling an Intangible: Hope |
HOWARD BECK
As short-term investments go, a Knicks season-ticket plan might seem
rather ill fated. Fans last summer were asked to send thousands of
dollars to a 32-win team that had added no significant talent and was
trudging toward the second year of a wait-now, rebuild-later plan.
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| Players: Artest: Cavs 'nothing' without LeBron |
Ken Berger
Ron Artest is always good for a laugh, even the night after the Lakers
lost to the Cavs for the second time this season. But in this case, he
has a point.
Asked before the Lakers played the Knicks Friday night if the Cavs
would be a playoff team without LeBron, Artest didn’t hesitate.
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| Players: The lastest Bosh news |
Perhaps it is just a coincidence that four free agents from the class
of 2010 were given the same locker in the visiting dressing room. But
it is no secret that if the Knicks can't land LeBron James this summer,
they wouldn't mind seeing Wade, Stoudemire, Johnson or Bosh suiting up
down the hall next season.
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| Players: Bosh Not Handing Out Discounts? |
Toronto's Chris Bosh doesn't sound like he'll be giving anyone a discount when he becomes a free agent next summer.
"That's a good question," Bosh said before his game against the Knicks
– one of his potential suitors – when asked if he'd be willing to
accept something less than a max deal in order to play with better
talent. "I don't know (laughs). I don't know about (LeBron James and
Dwyane Wade). I really don't know. Like I said, it's a business, so
that would be tough to do. You'd really have to make a big commitment
to do that."
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| Players: NBA suspends Gilbert Arenas |
Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, under investigation for having
unloaded guns in his arena locker room, turned 28 years old today. His
birthday present wasn’t one of the better ones, however.
National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern issued the following statement today:
NBA suspends Gilbert Arenas
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| Players: Trade request could cost Nate Robinson fine from New York Knicks *Update* |
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The NBA is considering fining Nate Robinson for his agent asking the
Knicks to trade the veteran guard. A Knicks source told the Daily News
that the league has investigated comments made by Aaron Goodwin in
which he criticized Mike D'Antoni for benching Robinson. "I can't allow
Nate to rot on Mike's bench and not do anything about it. I can't allow
this to happen to his career," Goodwin said Dec. 19. "It's clear that
Mike D'Antoni doesn't want to play him
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| Players: T-Mac sits until he can be worked in |
With Tracy McGrady dissatisfied with his limited playing time, the Rockets came up with a solution he never saw coming.
Instead of increasing his playing time as McGrady had wanted, they chose not to play him at all.
“I said all along I want to see where he fits,” coach Rick Adelman said
Saturday. “Coming back from an injury like that (microfracture knee
surgery), it’s obvious he’s not the Tracy we knew two years ago. He
knows that. What I’m trying to figure out is where we can best get him
in the rotation where he can have a positive effect on the team.
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| Players: Fans hope Lebron James will choose to sign with New York Knicks as free agents i |
Knicks fans already have their wish list for next Christmas - and it's topped with LeBron James.
"If he came here, it would be a big boost for the team, for the city
and for the fans," Brooklyn native Todd Fritz, 40, said after Friday's
93-87 loss to the Miami Heat, the 18th loss this season.
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"Being entertained is much more than visiting top online casinos , winning is much more important."
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