[Twist of Lemon]

Well Its going to be awhile till the next season starts so I figured we could keep transactions (or atleast the lower-mid level ones) and talk of them here to keep everything neat and tidey here.

Anyways first trade of the Off Season if I'm not mistaken (maybe second)

The Detroit Pistons traded guard Carlos Delfino to the Toronto Raptors on Friday for second-round draft picks in 2009 and 2010.

"We appreciate everything Carlos did for us while he was here and we wish him all the best with Toronto," Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said

Anyone else think this could be a steal for Toronto?

[Freak]

I read through some opinions from Detroit fans in response to the trade, and they all seem to think the Raptors got a great deal. They say Delfino is streaky when it comes to just about everything, but he's highly athletic and could benefit greatly from some extended playing time. At the least, he's a capably body at SF, the Raps' weakest position in 2006. AND they got him for pretty much peanuts.

May very well be the end of Joey Graham in Toronto, too.

I'd be psyched if the Raptors went after Pau Gasol in the offseason. Imagine Gasol at C, Bosh at PF, and Bargnani at SF... I'm drooling.

[Twist of Lemon]

Yeah that front court would rock even if Jakobean17 would be pissed off at Gasol leaving the Grizz Buzz going around the trade is that theres a gentlemans agreement from the Raptors not to sign Grant Hill this off season or a possibly wink wink to Sign and Trade Mo Pete to them. I hope nethier is true but if we can sign Hill fuck Mo Pete <,<

Specking of Trades, Kobe Bryant news yay?

Bryant pushing for trade

LAKERS: Buss is said to be shocked after a meeting with his All-Star guard in Spain.

10:51 PM PDT on Friday, June 15, 2007

By BRODERICK TURNER
The Press-Enterprise

Disgruntled Lakers guard Kobe Bryant met with Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Friday in Barcelona, Spain, and reiterated his demand to be traded, two league sources said.

Buss was shocked by Bryant's continued and defiant stance, the sources said, and left the meeting unsure if he would give in to Bryant's demands or if he would keep the All-Star, knowing it'll be "impossible" to get equal value in return.

The Lakers confirmed Friday night that Bryant and Buss did meet. Bryant was in Barcelona on vacation, and Buss was on vacation in China before going to London and then to Barcelona.

"Our position is that it's a private meeting between the two of them and it shall remain private between the two of them," Lakers public relations director John Black said Friday night in a phone interview.

Bryant's agent, Rob Pelinka, didn't return messages.

Bryant began his campaign to force a trade almost three weeks ago by venting in a barrage of interviews on radio stations and in newspapers.

His last public comments had him wanting to be traded, rescinding those demands and then still wanting to be traded, all coming on the same day.

Bryant is the only NBA player with a no-trade clause in his contract. He had said he would waive that clause. But he could make a trade more difficult because he has a three-team wish list, the sources said. Two of the teams are the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

One report had the Lakers hoping to acquire Bulls center Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chicago's No. 1 draft pick (9) for Bryant.

But the sources said every team, including the Bulls, knows the Lakers will try to "gut" a team in order to get as much value as possible for Bryant.

Bryant could also veto a trade if he thinks the team has to give up too many players, which, the sources said, could also make a trade more difficult.

For a team to acquire Bryant, it cannot swap one or more players exceeding 125 percent of his $19,490,625 million salary he'll earn this season.

Bryant has a 15-percent trade kicker in his contract the team that acquires him has to pick up for $13,289,062 million that would be amortized over the last four years of his contract.

Bryant has an "early termination option" in his contract which allows him to opt out after the 2009 season, meaning he could leave the Lakers without the team getting any compensation.

He has four years and $88,593,750 million left on his contract.

Injury Updates

Kwame Brown said Friday he will see a doctor Monday to determine when he'll have surgery on his right shoulder. Brown had reconstructive surgery on his left ankle May 29 and is expected to be out at least four months.

Brown, who missed most of training camp and the first seven regular-season games with a bruised rotator cuff and bursitis in his right shoulder, said the procedure would leave him rehabilitating for three months.

Lamar Odom, who had surgery last month to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, said Friday he doesn't think he'll have surgery on his sore right knee. Odom said he'll get an MRI in the next week or two to determine what course he should take.

But Odom said in a phone interview that "I hope the knee heals on its own."

Odom, Andrew Bynum and the Lakers' No. 1 draft pick (19) frequently have been mentioned in trade rumors for Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal. But two sources said the deal probably won't happen.

Thats just nuts on the Lakers front office's parts but good to hear Kobe not only wants out but wants to make sure its "fair" so the team hes going to isnt gutted lol

[)85(]

there was a stroy on this that KG and Mike James didn't get along from the start. i can't find it right now.

Foxsports.com
2007-6-14
Team Name Pos Status
Houston
Rockets Justin Reed SF Traded w/Mike James for Juwan Howard
Houston
Rockets Mike James PG Traded w/Justin Reed for Juwan Howard
Minnesota
Timberwolves Juwan Howard F Traded for Mike James and Justin Reed

Dimemag.com
Welcome to the offseason. Now that the champs have been crowned, it’s all about the Draft (June 28), free agency and trades (starting July 1) and “Did you hear that [‘Where Are They Now?’ Player X] is on [Team Y]’s summer-league team?” Which is actually fun for us, so we’re not complaining … One team everyone’s going to be looking at is obviously the Lakers. According to the L.A. Times, talks between the team and Indiana have stalled regarding the Jermaine O’Neal deal, because L.A. doesn’t want to give up both Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. The rumored trade would be J.O. and Troy Murphy for Odom, Bynum and Kwame Brown … Luke Walton to the Orange County Register on Kobe’s “trade me/never mind” saga: “We all want to win. Hopefully it’s going to work itself out. It’s over now. We just want it to pass and go on with our lives. He probably said some things that he later regretted and later he actually took back.” … And here’s Robert Horry on what went wrong with the last good team Kobe played with: “Money hurt that team. It came down to this guy wanted this much money, that guy wanted this much money. Those two guys (Shaq and Kobe) wanted to be the top dog and forgot about the other guys. It all boiled down to money. Money is the root of all evil sometimes.” … The Pistons made a move yesterday, trading Carlos Delfino to Toronto for second-round picks in ‘09 and 2010 … Where’s Grant Hill going next year? The Toronto Globe & Mail says Grant is looking at the Raptors, Suns, Spurs and Pistons. Obviously Hill is only interested in playing for a contender. He seems like the perfect fit – character and basketball-wise – for San Antonio. (Giving us that Duncan/Hill combo that almost ended up together in Orlando about seven years too late.) Where would Grant play in that rotation, though? Is he playing the three with Bruce Bowen? The two with Manu and Mike Finley? Not saying he’d be Jalen Rose all of a sudden, but PT seems hard to come by on that team … By the way, Finley told the San Antonio Express-News that he’s not retiring … Who says the champs aren’t popular? So the Finals drew record-low ratings, but apparently a Texas couple had a child on Thursday – same day as Game 4 – and named him Bowen. And the Spurs will be featured on the Wheaties box… Right before Game 4, LeBron became a father for the second time when Bryce Maximus James was born. ‘Bron said he didn’t get a lot of sleep going into Game 4, but stressed “it’s not an excuse” … How good is Yi Jianlian? He’s been holding workouts in L.A. (mostly going up against chairs and orange cones, we hear) and now rumors are flying of teams trying to trade up to get him. The latest we read had the Warriors offering J-Rich to the Celtics for Theo “Huge Expiring Contract” Ratliff and the No. 5 pick, or GS offering J-Rich to Memphis for Stro Swift, Damon Stoudamire and the No. 4 … Honestly, the thought of Stro lurking around the Oracle Arena looking for lobs from Baron Davis is kinda intriguing … It looks like Mike and Sam Vincent plan to have the Bobcats getting after it this year. Corey Brewer, Al Thornton and Thaddeus Young were all in for pre-draft workouts in Charlotte this week, and each of them told the Charlotte Observer that it was their hardest workout yet on the circuit … Joakim Noah turned down an invite to work out for the Bucks, prompting one Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writer to pen, “They’ve already got one Gadzuric.” … After Stan Van Gundy took the Orlando Magic job, Brian Shaw and Reggie Theus have emerged as serious candidates for the Kings coaching job … Meanwhile, Charlie Ward just took a job as the head coach at Westbury Christian H.S. in Houston. That’s the same school that produced Ndudi Ebi … Remember when the Celtics’ co-owner came out and publicly said the team was done with Sebastian Telfair? Seeing as Bassy hasn’t officially been waived yet, don’t rule out a trade. Reportedly there is some interest in Telfair, from the Heat, Wolves and Nuggets. By now it’s clear as day that Bassy has to be on a team that runs an up-tempo system, which would make Denver the favorite out of that group. But how weird would it be for Telfair to end up ballin’ with KG in Minnesota, just like his Lincoln H.S. predecessor Steph did a decade ago … Lenny Cooke to the Bergen Record: “I still see myself playing in the NBA.” … Friday was the last day at Dime for PR, our now-former Lifestyle Editor/Brand Manager/Best Ballplayer in the Office By Far, before he heads off to a job with Nike. That meant food, low-roller poker, ball at Manhattan’s Reebok Club and food again at the Shark Bar for the Dime crew. The Shark Bar is highly recommended if you’ve never been, and the ladies are very much rubberneck-worthy … We’re out like Joakim at No. 6 …

[Twist of Lemon]

Yeah this off Season is shaping up, Grant Hill's on the market looking at some teams (one of them being THE RAPTORS ) and the Draft coming up soon should shake some things up to. What I'm really interested about is the possiblity of Jason Richardson and a Pick being traded to move up in the top 5-9 rotation of the draft...are Golden State nuts? Yeah they have a boner for Yi jainlain but seriously Jason Richardson is a fan favorite that produces regularly i don't know why there even entertaining the thought.

Also lol about Joakim Noah turning down the Bucks

But again on the Subject of Kobe apparently some dopes want to make some money off a tape they have of Kobe Bryant going on a verbal rampage about L.A ,telling them to "Buy there bulls jerseys now", how much he disliked Andrew Bynum (something to the effect of "Fucking ship his ass out") and how hes in a "fucked up position". Its coming out this week so I'll be interested to see if it fuels any of the Kobe draft day trade rumors to the Bulls.

[)85(]

[Posted by ToQ-when he posted it.] What I'm really interested about is the possiblity of Jason Richardson

yeah, i didn't see that coming either.

more from Dime mag.

And you thought the Kobe Bryant offseason soap opera would just end so long as the Lakers got him some help, namely a J-Kidd or Jermaine O’Neal or Shawn Marion — all names we’ve heard tied to L.A. in trade rumors. Now the Los Angeles Times says Kobe wants out again. Kobe reportedly met with Lakers owner Jerry Buss on Friday in Spain. (Spain?) “Bryant voiced concerns about the direction of the franchise and reiterated his demand to be traded,” the paper said. Does this have anything to do with the rumors that the J.O.-to-L.A. deal is falling apart because the Lakers don’t want to give up Odom and Bynum? … We were wondering why the Rockets agreed to the Mike James-for-Juwan Howard trade when they have Rafer Alston at the point. Well, it turns out Skip’s name has popped up in a trade rumor that would have him going to Sacramento in a package for Ron Artest. If there’s any truth to that rumor, can you imagine being an elite two-guard or top-level small forward and having to play the Rockets? On one end you’re getting torched by T-Mac, and on the other end you’ve got Ron-Ron all in your shirt … Is it just us, or does every year Scott Skiles spend in Chicago include him beefing with at least one of his players? As you may have heard, Chris Duhon is on the trading block, and it may have something to do with he and Skiles’ relationship. The Chicago Sun-Times says Duhon is upset about being benched for Game 3 of the Pistons series after he missed a film session, and that the team doesn’t like how crazy Duhon’s party game is. “[Duhon] is as recognizable at hot spots such as Ontourage and Rockit Bar as he is at the Berto Center,” the paper says. “His name is as much a staple of bold-type gossip columns as it is the sports section.” We have it on good authority that Chris used to get it in at Duke, too … Could this Sonics situation be any more complicated? All along we’ve been under the impression that Lenny Wilkens was leading the search to hire a coach and GM, but the Seattle P-I cites a source close to the team who says owner Clay Bennett stripped Lenny of those duties recently and has been doing the search himself on the low. Spurs assistant GM Sam Presti has already been brought in for the GM gig, but there’s still no coach. Rick Carlisle’s name comes up most often, along with P.J. Carlesimo … Guess who’s interested in the Kings job? Larry Brown. Cue the ominous music and Gargamel cackle … Amare is taking college classes this summer at Arizona State. If they thought Ike Diogu was a beast, wait until Amare starts dropping by the gym and eating Sun Devils for lunch. From what STAT told the East Valley Tribune, it sounds like him putting in work on campus isn’t out of the question. “I just can’t leave the court,” Amare said. “I guess you can call me a bask-a-holic.” … The Racine Journal-Times said Brandan Wright killed it at his workout for the Bucks, so much so that it’s even more unlikely he’ll be on the board when Milwaukee picks at No. 6. The paper also says the Bucks could be working on a big offer to try and bring Chauncey Billups into the fold. Is a Chauncey/Mike Redd backcourt better than Chauncey/Rip Hamilton, or about the same? … LeBron said he got his newborn’s middle name — Maximus — from his favorite movie, Gladiator … Utah State guard Jaycee Carroll is pulling out of the draft and going back to school. Jaycee dropped 21 points and 6 boards a night this year (he’s only 6-2, 175), and in three games against Reggie Theus‘ WAC champion New Mexico State squad, he posted stat lines of 44-10, 30-7 and 26-6 … Nevada PG Ramon Sessions is staying in the Draft. He went for 12 points and 4.7 dimes per game, giving Gonzaga 20 and 8 boards, but he only had 2 points against Memphis in the Big Dance … And San Francisco guard Antonio Kellogg, who went for 15 ppg (dropping 37 on San Diego) after transferring from UConn, just announced he’s leaving school to play pro ball (overseas?) … Kareem was the keynote speaker at UCLA’s graduation … E-mail from Smack reader Lenny: “Sasha Pavlovic. Likes: being called Alexander, long walks on the beach, taking layups. Dislikes: bad food, bad haircuts (except Drew Gooden’s), making layups.” … We’re out like the drama in L.A.

i didn't see Duhan having problems with Skiles either.

[Suntan Superman]

As an Avid Chicago Bulls fan, I wouldn't mind getting rid of Ben Wallace's huge contract, however, to give up Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, and The #9 Pick would be hard, and Chris Duhon can GTFO of Town. All he ever does is whine that he doesn't get enough PT. But Last I checked, it helps if you know how to play the game.

[Blitzkrieg]

There's no way I give up Deng and Gordon if I'm Chicago.. Stay put with the talent you have. Jesus.. If they can't win a championship with that roster, then there's no hope..

[Twist of Lemon]

Looks like the NBA could be looking alittle diffrent if alot of the rumors go through, Minnys shipping around KG looking to find out what hes worth Trade wise, The suns are shipping around Marion to pretty much everyteam in the west add Boston and Detriot. Now theres rumors of a Marion/Thomas Trade in some places? could be nuts.

I'm still not high on the Warriors letting go of J.Rich, not even because I <3 him but because he adds alot to the offense, if everything unfolds like it has in certain trades shiping Richardson isn't even a lateral move. Its just gah, I just wouldn't be a fan of it, I've been a Warriors fan since 05 if They shipped Richardson I'd just be really really pissed, but atleast they'd still have Davis.

I'm really hoping for Bryant to go to the Bulls though, I don't know why but I think Bryant's just done with the lakers. All signs from the tape he really does have a just reason to be pissed with the Lakers saying "Ship his as out. We're talking Jason Kidd," said Bryant. "They didn't want to do that. That's why we're in this fucked up position." Plus Kobe in a Bulls Jersey would be pretty sweet looking lol

[Suntan Superman]

It really depends on what we have to give up, Because if we give up Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace, and the #9 pick, I'll be pissed. Something more like, Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace and Chris Duhon would be nice Whether that's good value for the Lakers or not I don't care. But meh, As long as Kobe doesn't think he's one better than Jordan wearing number 24 I'll be fine