NBA Free Agency: Grading the Deals: Part 2

December 13, 2011 1 Comment

National Basket Ball LogoWritten by

David S. Grant

Still waiting on Chris Paul (though it’s increasingly looking like the Clippers), in the meantime let’s look at some of the other deals that have went down.

 

TYSON CHANDLER (4 years, 65 million) Knicks

Initially this was to be a power move to lure Chris Paul.  Now it just looks like a sneaky good move that will anchor a suspect defense and give Amar’e a rest.  That being said, we are probably days away from the Knicks blowing up their team to make one final push at Paul or Dwight Howard.  It just wouldn’t be the Knicks if this didn’t happen.

Grade: B+

 

DAVID WEST (2 years, 20 million) Pacers

The key to this deal is two years.  Well done Pacers, this is a move teams make when they are no longer satisfied with just making the playoffs.

Grade: A-

 

JEFF GREEN (1 year, 9 million) Celtics

Despite the Lakers and Rockets chaos there may not be a team more unsettled than the Boston Celtics.  It may take a full season to win back the trust of their players.  That being said, I like the one-year deal for both the Celtics and Green.

Grade: B-

 

MIKE BIBBY (1 year, 1.4 million) Knicks

With Billups a victim of amnesty there was a need to find a veteran to play this role.  I would suspect they will load up on a couple more, but this is a good start for the money spent.  Plus, he wears a headband like an all-star, so there’s that!

Grade: B

 

CHUCK HAYES (4 years, 21.3 million) Kings

Hayes is a defensive big that looks 1-2 years away from being a double-double guy.  Maybe the next Charles Oakley?  One of my favorite signings up to this point, this of course means there is no way this works out.  Sorry Sacramento!

Grade: A

 

EARL WATSON (2 years, 4.6 million) Jazz

Two years?  Not when there are so many veterans signing one year minimum deals.  Sorry Utah!

Grade: D

 

KURT THOMAS (2 years, amount not disclosed) Trail Blazers

Thomas is 39 years old.  See Earl Watson.

Grade: D

Article written by David S. Grant. For more follow him on twitter @david_S_grant

 

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NBA Free Agency: Grading the Deals from Day 1

December 9, 2011 1 Comment

National Basket Ball LogoWritten by

David S. Grant

As the NBA sorts out the Lakers/Hornets situation let’s review the deals that actually went down and were not vetoed by the NBA. 

 

CARON BUTLER (3 years, 24 million) Clippers

Their reluctance to move Eric Gordon is understandable, but with all the coveted pieces and available salary the Clippers posses this should not have been their focus.  This type of player will be there tomorrow and next week and next month (for less money).  THIS was a perfect place for the NBA to flex their veto power.

Grade: F

 

TAYSHAUN PRINCE (4 years, 27 million) Pistons

Every team had a need for Prince at this price.  Nice job by the Pistons locking him down.  Now they can focus on the Rip Hamilton situation.

Grade: A-

 

SHANE BATTIER (somewhere in the 2-3 million dollar range) Heat

Two big wins for the Miami Heat yesterday.  This subtle move to improve overall team chemistry and the NBA owners attempt to take the role of villain away from the Heat.  The majority of comments when it looked like the Chris Paul deal (and expected Dwight Howard deal to follow) went down : “it’s still not as bad as LeBron and the Heat.”  That’s rough and shows the Heat are still ‘most hated’, but based on yesterday’s performance, it appears the owners are up for the challenge.

Grade: A

 

GREG ODEN (1 year, 8.9 million) Trail Blazers

Given the mental energy spent the past couple years with their big man, one of those ‘why not?’ moves.

Grade: Incomplete (let’s see if he makes it through pre-season first)

 

MIKE DUNLEAVY JR. (2 years, 7.5 million) Bucks

Good shooter, good value.  Nice pick-up for the Bucks.  They are now three deep at the 1-2-3-4 positions.  The question is: How many are legit starters?  To be continued…

Grade: B

 

EDDY CURRY (1 year, veteran minimum) Heat

If Pat Riley is able to motivate Eddy Curry to utilize 50% of his talent then he should be given his own television channel.  Call it PAT, non-stop 24/7 motivational speeches from Pat Riley.  It goes without saying it will be buried somewhere in the 310-330 channel range after the FOOD channel, but before TOON.

Grade: Who Cares

This article written  by David S. Grant. For more please follow him on twitter @David_S_Grant

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The NBA Over/Under

December 5, 2011 1 Comment

National Basket Ball LogoWritten by

Davis S. Grant

 

 

As Christmas Day and the start of the NBA season approaches the storylines are abundant and the “experts” are all over the place on their predictions.  Looking in from the outside here are three overrated and underrated teams to keep our eyes on.

 

OVERRATED – New York Knicks

I am in the minority of non believers.  Camelo Anthony + Amar’e Stoudemire + “something else” doesn’t equal a championship.  Four issues:  

1. Chauncey Billups, the Knicks point guard is regressing.  He is not the finals MVP from several years ago.  This is fact. 

2.  Amar’e Stoudemire just came off his most healthy season in recent years.  Odds of his good health continuing?  100 to 1.  If his minutes match last year 500 to 1. 

3. No depth. 

4.  The NBA (owners of New Orleans team) are not trading Chris Paul for peanuts, especially to the Knicks.   Even if they do, see #3.

 

UNDERRATED – Sacramento Kings

In a world where an NBA team is playing for their town, the Kings are back for one more year!  Sounds like a movie, right?  Throw in the supportive politician, Kevin Johnson and the evil Vegas branded Maloof brothers and this is a full on suspense thriller. 

Just need a hero, let me think.  JIMMER!!!  No one is expecting anything from this team.  Given the shortened season, this could be a team that starts off strong, winning a few games they shouldn’t, sneaks into the playoffs and maybe even competes. 

I think it goes without saying that Justin Timberlake will play the role of Jimmer Fredette and do a so/so job with the part.

 

OVERRATED – Los Angeles Lakers

No depth, no Phil Jackson, and if they go after Dwight Howard they will be left with only three stars (Bryant, Gasol, Howard) and no bench.  Until this proves to be a winning formula, it is not.   

 

UNDERRATED – Indiana Pacers

It has taken years for Larry Bird and co. to get it right, but it FINALLY looks like they are on their way.  They boast great depth (up to ten players on current roster saw meaningful playing time last year), manageable salary, lack of egos, and for the first time in a while: a long-term plan that is being executed properly.

 

OVERRATED – Los Angeles Clippers

A strong nucleus of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Eric Gordon gives SoCal fans a reason for optimism.  This doesn’t change the fact that this is Donald Sterling’s Clippers.

 

UNDERRATED – Houston Rockets

Annual underdogs, the Rockets are moving on in a post Yao Ming world with, like the Pacers, a team of non egos (will give Kevin Martin a pass today) that may surprise unprepared teams in a shortened season.  Now if only the PR and Marketing would change their expansion team-like uniforms.  This alone could add three more wins to the Rockets season.

This article was written by David S. Grant. For more please follow him on twitter @David_S_Grant

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Top 5 Amnesty Candidates

December 2, 2011 2 Comments

National Basket Ball LogoWritten by

David S. Grant

 

 

With a new Collective Bargaining Agreement comes another ‘get out of jail free’ card for the owners called amnesty.  Over the next two years teams will have the option to payoff one player (currently under contract) and not have his salary count against the cap.  If this sounds familiar it is because this was done after the last agreement (that time it did count against the cap); instead of calling it the amnesty rule it was referred to as the Allan Houston rule.  Apparently the teams voted against referring to the new rule as the Charlie Villanueva rule.  The debates have already started, but (in my humble opinion) here are five slam dunks for teams to remove payroll.

 

5. AL HARRINGTON (Denver Nuggets) Okay, it’s not so much that Al’s salary is unbearable for Denver, but because three of their players are stuck in China and many are free agents are set to leave maybe this is a sign.  A sign to start fresh, with no players, build from scratch; I’ve got $100 dollars someone will turn it into a movie.  Jason Alexander is already calling his agent to play George Karl.

 

4. JOSH CHILDRESS (Phoenix Suns) You have to ask yourself: Do you want to pay Josh 26 million dollars over four years to do nothing, or just pay him and get nothing?  It’s a tad philosophical, but an easy answer.

 

3. DE SAGANA DIOP (Charlotte Bobcats) Diop is owed 14 million dollars over 2 years.  One more time: Diop is owed 14 million over 2 years.  Oh yeah, I’m sure the owners learned their lesson THIS time.  If you listen closely you can actually hear Mark Cuban negotiating a three year, 50 million dollar with Shane Battier.

 

2.  BARON DAVIS (Cleveland Cavaliers) Do you really think Davis has what it takes to mentor the youth on this team?  I only agree if we are defining mentor to mean how to grow a full beard.

 

1.  RICHARD JEFFERSON (San Antonio Spurs) I’m just assuming the Spurs will use the amnesty rule on Jefferson given their love/hate, Sam and Diane type of relationship they’ve had the past few years.

This article was submitted and written by David S. Grant. Please follow him on twitter @David_S_Grant

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Phew… It’s over!

December 1, 2011 1 Comment

So as sports fans we have sat through a rough year in sports as our three major sports leagues in the USA have gone through Collective Bargaining Negotiations.

National Football League LogoIt started with the tumultuous negotiations in the NFL. The players union disbanding and suing the league and the owners for anti-trust violations.

Many day’s and hours of ‘fat cats’ sitting in a room negotiating over the revenue we as fans generate. Finally in the last hours and day’s they came to an agreement so we could have a season.

During this time the NBA was preparing for their off season CBA negotiations. Did the NBA learn anything from the NFL negotiation fiasco? Nope!

National Basket Ball LogoThe NBA took over where the NFL left off in the court of sports fans distaste for the owners and players public negotiations.

Between David Stern’s ugly mug constantly making demands on TV and the players whining on twitter constantly there was a permanent vile taste in every sports fan across America.

We were sick of all the ‘dirty laundry’ being aired in an attempt to win public support. Both sides were trying to take advantage of the average sports fans empathy and sympathy.

It was pathetic!

Major League Baseball LogoBut in all the mess was a gem not talked about very much. The MLB in its infinite wisdom set aside owners meeting and decided to get behind closed doors with the players union and get a deal done out of the public spotlight.

Are you kidding me? You mean we don’t get to hear who hates what about the MLB deal? Hallelujah!

The NFL and NBA need to take serious notes from the MLB when it comes down to negotiating a new CBA deal. The average sports fan does not care about the personal spats and why each side hates each other.

All we care about is that our favorite athletes are not being taken advantage of and that our future retired sports heroes are taken care of.

As a sports fan I have a new-found respect and admiration for the MLB and the MLBPA  executives.

BRAVO!

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You tried to be Stern, They called your bluff!

November 16, 2011 1 Comment

National Basket Ball LogoAs a fan of professional sports and a huge fan of the NBA I have to say that the commissioner David Stern has messed up the CBA negotiations of the NBA.

He issued a deadline and ultimatum which the players and their union representatives refused and called the leagues bluff. Now the players are in the process of desertification and filing an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA.

This is nothing new for sports fans. As fans of professional sports in the USA we are aware that about every 10 years a sports Collective Bargaining Agreement expires and needs to be renegotiated.

What was not clear to us was the severe lack of negotiating prowess the NFL and NBA commissioners have shown in their respective work stoppages.

It seems like David Stern has tried to pull a page out of the NFL negotiation tactic handbook and has decided to play hardball and call the players out.

What the commissioner has failed to realize is that the NBA players have more options and leagues to play in than the NFL players do and these tactics won’t work. With the foreign leagues available to the NBA players the ‘rank and file’ players have work available to them during the stoppage to help support them.

Do the foreign leagues have enough support to cover the league? Of course not. But it does give the players who do not have the huge contracts a place to go and continue to work until the CBA is worked out. Something the NFL players do not have the luxury to do during their lockouts.

There seems to be a common misunderstanding between the NFL and the NBA when it comes to their negotiation tactics. They both need to take lessons from the MLB when it comes to negotiating long-term CBA agreements.

The NFL and now the NBA fail to realize that the players are the product that bring the revenue to the league. Without the product the fans want the league will fail. Playing hardball with the fans hero’s does not secure the revenue these teams are fighting for in the future. It tends to secure the opposite for the next few seasons.

Does that mean the players should not be reasonable? No! The fans are also tired of these players trying to get more ‘short-term’ money in their contracts.

As fans we have no problem for the players trying to better the CBA for the future players and the veterans retiring. But going for more short term secure money tends to show the greed of the players and turns fans off.

From what has occurred so far in these negotiations I would have to say that most NBA fans are on the player’s side in this one. The owners seem to show a lack of union ans perspective when it comes down to the ‘nitty gritty’ issues being negotiated.

A few of the owners have personal vendettas against a few of the high-profile players that were free agents last year and are effecting the votes.

David Stern please wake up and smell the coffee! The players are your product for the league and its future.

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NBA Players Migrating Overseas

October 4, 2011 1 Comment

National Basket Ball LogoSo the NBA lockout is in full effect and there is no end in sight. Players are signing with foreign teams as we speak. I estimate 25% of the NBA players will play overseas this year.

So who is right or wrong in this struggle? To me I always tend to lean toward the player’s side in a contract dispute. But in this case it really does not matter who is right or wrong. The bottom line is that the NBA as a league is in jeopardy of losing its quality of play.

It’s not so bad for the players to go overseas for a season or two. There are huge product endorsement opportunities for these players to make a lot of money by playing on foreign soil. Not to mention the superior player development coaches in the European and Chinese leagues.

Not only will the players be making a lot of money but they will be able to develop their game more with the coaches teaching basketball fundamentals.

The NBA coaches have become real lazy by relying on the superior athletic skills of the players and have forgotten how to teach the game and further develop the athletes.

It’s the fans and owners who really lose out in this deal. The players are talented and can play anywhere in the world.

It’s not like the NFL lockout where the only real place the players could go was to the CFL in Canada.

Basketball is a global sport with a lot of rich pocketed owners in foreign leagues.

Lets get a fair deal done for both sides and keep our stars in the USA where they belong.

WE SPEAK OUR MIND!

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Which NBA Teams Are Rooting For A Lockout?

June 28, 2011 1 Comment

National Basket Ball Logo

by

Chris Hayes

With the Finals and Draft in the book, the next big date on the NBA calendar is June 30, 2011– the day the current collective bargaining agreement expires between the league and the players’ union. And the owners could lock the players out. Forget about the legal and corporate nuances generally at the root of these disagreements. With a lockout, all fans are reacting to is the possibility that their favorite sport or favorite team might be going away for a week, a month or perhaps even a season.

Teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies don’t want to see a work stoppage affect the momentum they developed at season’s end. And teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat wish the season could start tomorrow so they can start down the path to redemption. But there are a handful of franchises, struggling and storied, that probably wouldn’t mind the lockout and extended work stoppage.

The Old Guard: Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers

Not only are Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant 35, 35 and 32 years old, respectively, but their successful runs in the playoffs have logged over three additional seasons of grinding, full contact playoff games. While none of these guys–as well as Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Manu Ginobili and Derek Fisher–are getting any younger. A full 12 months to rest, recover and condition might give them one more run at an NBA Championship.

The Perpetually Lost: Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors

Small market teams like the ‘Wolves, Kings and Raptors don’t have the revenue to float around the bottom of the playoff teams. They are either going to be very competitive or terrible. Their recent history, filled with poor draft choices (Charlotte selected Adam Morrison and Sean May in consecutive years), bad contracts (Darko Milic is the second-highest paid player on the Timberwolves) and coaches that set more records for losing than winning (former Timberwolves coach Sidney Lowe has the lowest winning percentage in the history of the NBA of anyone who coached at least 300 games), suggests it may be a slow climb out of obscurity. One year to slow the process and figure out how to mold teams around young studs like Kevin Love, Kemba Walker, and DeMar DeRozan could make the difference between a lottery pick and May playoff games.

The Snake Bitten: Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets

There are no two franchises whose success depends more on the health of single players more than the Trail Blazers and the Rockets. Number one picks Yao Ming and Greg Odem have missed the majority of the last two seasons as a result of injuries. Whether it’s to rest and recuperate its franchise player or assess what needs to be done to rebuild without them, one year of not playing is certainly not going to hurt either team.

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Dallas Mavericks: The Heart Of A Champion!

June 12, 2011 Leave a comment

The NBA finals have just ended with the Dallas Mavericks defeating the Miami Heat 105-95 in-game #6 of the NBA Finals series. The Mavericks won the best of seven games 4-2 in the series becoming the NBA champions for the 2010-2011 season.

There are a lot of expert opinions going around about why Dallas won the series. I am not an expert in the x’s and o’s of basketball but I can tell when one team wants it more than the other. This whole series it appeared that the Miami Heat had ‘no heart’ when it came to fighting for the win. The Dallas Mavericks controlled the fourth quarter the entire series.

There was a lot of talk this whole season about the ‘three amigo’s’ Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The best team on paper in the NBA was the Miami Heat.

The beauty of the game is that the basket is the same hight on both sides of the court. The clock runs at the same speed for both teams. Once the ball is tossed in the air at the start of the game it comes down to execution, determination, and skill to win the game. Every player on the team has to reach deep down inside their soul and find the piece of the puzzle that makes them a champion!

You can’t rely on your team-mate to want it for you. You can’t rely on your coach to pull you up when you are down. You can’t rely on the fans in the crowd to give you a boost when the time is right in a close game. You as a player need to have a place you can go when you know you need to. There has to be a zone in your heart that no man can penetrate. The desire to win has to emulate from the bowls of your heart. These traits are what was missing in the Miami Heat players this series.

It seemed the Heat team were caught up in the hype of the ‘three amigo’s’. You could even tell in their attitude off the court when they were mocking Dirk Nowitzki’s illness in the famous video clip shown around the world. A cocky and arrogant presence seemed to ooze from the Heat players. There is a difference in confidence and arrogance and the Heat portrayed the latter.

The Mavericks are made up of a team that has several players that have been to the Championship Series and not been able to seal the deal. They have tasted the sucess of making it to the end but never being able to satisfy the hunger. From the owner down to the last bench player on the Dallas Mavericks they were not going home without the Championship. You could see it on their faces. You could see the determination of a champion in their eyes. Even Mark Cuban the owner of the Mavericks managed to stay stoic during the series and keep his eyes on the prize.

This was also a victory for the players that stay with a team and don’t jump to ‘greener pastures’ for the money. Dirk Nowitzki stayed with the Dallas Mavericks and remained loyal to the organization. He could have bolted years ago and taken more money somewhere else. But he remained loyal to the Dallas fans and trusted in his owner Mark Cuban that he would get the pieces of the puzzle to win a championship. The grass is not alway’s greener on the other side of the fence. I think Lebron James could explain that concept the best right now!

The experts can say what they want about this series. For this sports fan it came down to who had the heart of a champion. The Dallas Mavericks showed their hearts to the world!

 

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Digital Media Convenience = Better Fans Access = Better Revenues For Teams

May 21, 2011 Leave a comment

Quick responses to short fuse events and breaking news stories is the essential thread every sports fan or sports junkie needs to survive. The digital media age has made the coverage of sports phenomenal. When I played J.U.C.O basketball in the early 1990′s the coach called the score into a newspaper to run the next day. Today with a simple tweet on twitter or a post to a website from a smart phone makes the score available to all fans of any sports or genre. Social media today makes print media obsolete tomorrow.

Todays generation of sports fans rely on the technology that we as a previous generation did not have. I can remember as a child having to hear the crackling of a radio to listen to my favorite baseball team. Today if the game is not aired on TV I can go online and watch it on my computer. In today’s generation we can receive sports news in real-time. In years past the sports news could be delayed by many hours if not a day. With the increased data stream of sports information the younger generation is kept in tune and interested in the game. A young man or woman can go shopping, attend a wedding, get married, or even go to church and keep posted on their favorite teams activities for the day. I can’t count the times in years past I have missed out of events on Sundays to stay home and watch the game. Now you can take the game with you on an iPad or iPhone.

For a sports fan knowing you won’t miss any action of the team you are following is a major relief. When you get your honey-do list and its time to go run the errand’s but your watching your favorite UFL team and its in the fourth quarter with three minutes to go. Your wife comes in to the room and gives you the look that you dread. You know its time to do what you have to do and you have put it off for at least an hour now. Just pick up the smart phone click on the app that you have downloaded just for this situation. Smile and give your wife a kiss. Then run out the door. Drive around the block and watch the game for the last three minutes the pull off and finish what you have to do.

Have you as a sports fan taken advantage of the awesome technology available today? Do you appreciate whats available for you to use? Are you one of the fans that takes the technology for granted? Maybe you’re a fan who has not tried any of the new things available. Do you read the newspaper or do you read your favorite sports blog? If you have not already bookmark our blog The Fans Opinion Sports Blog

I truly believe the modern technology used by the sports media today has helped the sports industry grow. The ease of buying your favorite jersey online is a lot better than driving 20 miles to your local mall. With better fan access to real-time data and team information the revenues that teams generate has increased. This allows the teams to sign better players which in turn brings a better game for the fans.

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