- Jeff McDonald and Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "In a move meant to jimmy open Tim Duncan's championship window just a few more inches, the Spurs obtained swingman Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee as part of a three-team deal that sent longtime defensive whiz Bruce Bowen and forward Kurt Thomas to the Bucks and landed center-forward Fabricio Oberto in Detroit from Milwaukee. In doing so, the Spurs swapped three of their oldest players for a proven NBA scorer who just celebrated his 29th birthday Sunday. ... Tuesday's deal came to fruition only after talks with New Jersey regarding one of Jefferson's former Nets teammates -- eight-time All-Star Vince Carter -- came to a halt. According to an Eastern Conference executive, Bowen, Oberto, Thomas and Roger Mason Jr. had been offered to the Nets in exchange for Carter and the Nets' first-round pick in Thursday's draft. The Spurs balked when the Nets asked for additional considerations, then turned their focus to Jefferson."
- Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "The Wolves and Wizards are expected to finalize that six-piece trade this morning. What will the Wolves do with those fifth and sixth picks now? It'll be a long day answering David Kahn's phone for the next two days. If they keep those two picks, there's a growing chance Ricky Rubio falls to them at No. 5. I'm hearing David Kahn really wants Tyreke Evans, but Sacramento could pass on Rubio if he's still there at 4 (and probably will be) and take Evans instead. The Wolves also have Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn high on their guard list and wouldn't whine if Arizona State's James Harden lasted until the fifth pick, either. Flynn also is a possibility for the Kings at No. 4, if they opt for a true point guard to put next to Kevin Martin rather than a combo guy like Evans."
- Barry Tramel of The Oklahoman: "Do not break up the cornerstone trio of Kevin Durant, Green and Westbrook. They are too promising. Too talented. Too good together. I know that seems goofy to say about a trio that led OKC to 23 wins last season. But forget the 23 wins. Literally. Throw that win total into Lake Hefner and never think of it again. The 2008-09 record was absolutely irrelevant. This franchise was broken down to be built back up. You don't judge marines halfway through boot camp, and you don't judge NBA teams built around pups who haven't seen their 23rd birthday."
- Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: "The Mavericks had no choice Tuesday but to stress patience – to themselves and their fans. Rival San Antonio used a pair of contracts similar in nature to Jerry Stackhouse's to acquire Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee. So why couldn't the Mavericks pull off such a deal? It wasn't for lack of effort. They had what president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson called a 'fairly active' Monday and Tuesday. And they will continue to try to use Stackhouse's contract as the primary chip in trade talks that they are confident will still pay off in the long run. 'There's a chance we could do something around the draft and probably an equal chance we would just carry it into July when a lot of the bigger deals are going to be discussed,' Nelson said. 'We don't feel any outward sense of urgency because somebody else is doing something. But when it's right, we'll squeeze the trigger.' "
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: "The expected volatility at the top of the draft (outside of the No. 1 pick being Blake Giffin and going to the Clippers) has created a kind of 'paralysis by analysis.' 'It's almost like the draft can't come soon enough,' said Bryan Colangelo. "
- Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune: "The Bulls have the 16th and 26th picks in the first round of Thursday's NBA draft, leading back to that same question: OK, now what? Having the 16th and 26th picks is like having obstructed-view seats at the ballpark. The Bulls will be at the draft but likely won't be able to see the real action from where they sit. They're in a kind of no man's land, both in the draft and in their evolution as a team. As much as it bothers me that the theme of this past season and the upcoming season is the bounty of the 2010 free agent class, there's no denying the hopes of the franchise are tied completely to whether the Bulls can land a James, a Wade or a Bosh. Then again, they would take a Stoudemire or a Yao in a heartbeat. Unless you're a young, on-the-rise team, there aren't many worse things than being a seventh seed in the playoffs, as the Bulls were in the postseason. It means you're decent, but not nearly good enough. It means you could be doomed to year after year of middle-round picks. It means if you're going to get better, you're likely going to have to do it through free agency."
- Michael Wallace of The Miami Herald: "The Heat welcomes a change in Michael Beasley's outlook and approach after a turbulent year that saw him get fined $50,000 last summer by the NBA for a violation of the rookie transition program and rack up more in financial penalties for breaking team rules during the season. Teammates, coaches and staffers all have scoffed at some of Beasley's more childish antics at times that often were deemed inappropriate. Beasley said he was aware of his mistakes and vowed to do better, but also said: 'You can't expect me to act like I'm 30. I'm just like any other 19- or 20-year-old in the world.' But the Heat has been encouraged by Beasley's more business-like approach as he enters a crucial period in his overall development. ''For six years prior to coming to the NBA, all he did was play in the paint and dominate,' Heat president Pat Riley said. 'This is a different game now. He's got a Ron Artest-type, LeBron James-type body. He's a 3-4. He just needs to be taught specific skills. Take a look at Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. Where [are they] earning [their] money? Michael's got the same skills. We have a plan for him.' "
- Kyle Hightower of the Orlando Sentinel: "GM Otis Smith contends that the expiring contracts of players like Alston ($5.25 million next season), Tony Battie ($6.2 million), J.J. Redick ($2.8 million) and Anthony Johnson ($2.1 million) aren't as valuable as they would have been in previous years, though. He also scoffed a little at the notion that it's just because teams are saving for talent-heavy free-agent market in 2010. 'Don't get enamored with 2010,' Smith said. 'It's a ghost. It's not really real. This free-agent class is the most important right now and we'll deal with 2010 when it gets here. So I assume everybody who is waiting on 2010 is going to take '09 off? I don't necessarily know if their fans are
going to go for that. I know ours are not. '... I'm still trying to build a basketball team. With that said, you're going to need a piece here and there. And you still have to work within the confines to do that.' " - John Gonzalez of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "The Sixers are trying to change. You have to give them that much. Yesterday at the Comcast Center, the Sixers held their 'brand relaunch.' That's marketing jargon that means the team is mercifully scrapping the black uniforms and hideous late-90s logo in favor of returning to the classic, clean, red-white-and-blue retro versions from back in the day. All three Eds were on hand for the ceremony -- Snider, Stefanski, and Jordan. Sonny Hill was there. So was World B. Free. You couldn't miss him. He was decked out in a Technicolor zoot suit. And, of course, Jason Smith was in attendance. They bring that guy everywhere these days. He hasn't seen much game action, but I'm pretty sure he leads the league in photo ops. The Sixers representatives -- Snider, Stefanski, Jordan, all of them - were wearing red roses in their lapels. It made them look as if they had just come from a casting call for The Bachelorette. Even still, it was a nice production on the whole. A good crowd and a fair number of media members turned out. Things were going pretty smoothly."
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
Henry AbbottTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
J.A. AdandeTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Kevin ArnovitzTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris BroussardTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chad FordTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
John HollingerTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Chris SheridanTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
Marc SteinTrueHoop ESPN Archive |
