Allen Iverson Finds A New Home

Future NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson signed a one-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies today worth a reported $3.1 million, a deal that Iverson claims is his  “rookie season again”.

It’s great to see Iverson with a new team, a team that invites him and a team that he doesn’t mind playing for. However, winning an NBA Title was obviously not in A.I.’s mind. The Grizzlies? C’mon. Couldn’t you chat with the Celtics? Wouldn’t you rather be a legit title contender with men your own age rather than winning 35 games with a group of young guys that are attempting to gain the spotlight you once had?

Good luck Mr. Iverson. (And you’re still required to practice)

Boston Celtics Taking Tips from Hometown Patriots?

The New England Patriots are known for picking up what some teams would call their “leftovers” and signing them to veteran deals. The expected result, the potential output, of these “old timers” is never guaranteed. However, Bill Belichick and the Pats always take a chance. And you know what? It always works. The 2009 veteran signees, Joey Galloway and Fred Taylor, are yet to be seen. But you can bet that they will perform ten times stronger than anywhere else in the league.

Just down the road, in Boston, the Celtics and general manager Danny Ainge seem to be taking a page out of the Patriots book. Two seasons ago, the Celtics brought in veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett as a result of a blockbuster trade. Ray Allen was a proven and respected player in the NBA, KG was a proven and respected player in the NBA, and the Celtics were ready to win ‘now’. The team already had Paul Pierce and they wanted him apart of the puzzle, especially because of his valuable experience.

Now, amongst the many trade rumors that cloud each and every summer, Boston is reported to be the likely new home of NBA veterans Rasheed Wallace and Grant Hill. Wallace is leaving Detroit and is considered “old” by many teams. Grant Hill has been plagued with injuries for the majority of his career, hence creating the “old man” tag that he wears proudly. With Ray Allen set to become a free agent in 2010, and KG’s recent injury report, the Celtics are seemingly taking the Patriot Approach in order to win NOW.

Smart? I think so.  It worked for them two years ago, and it works for the Patriots.

Lamar Odom to leave L.A.?

CBS Sports is reporting that the Portland Trailblazers are strongly pursuing Lakers’ forward Lamar Odom.

Odom played a crucial role in the Lakers’ title run and he was a top priority for the team during the offseason. However, Trevor Ariza was also atop the Lakers’ priority list and he ended up in Houston within days.

If I were the Lakers, I’d be a little afraid. Of course if you’re the Lakers that’s a draw within itself, but Portland is no slouch. They’re young, they’re exciting, and they’re on the rise. Aldridge, Oden, Outlaw, Roy, Rudy Fernandez, and a possible Lamar Odom. Sounds like a solid spot in the West if you ask me.

It was earlier reported that the Blazers were most interested in Knicks’ free agent forward David Lee, but current rumors have changed that.

I know the Lakers scored Ron Artest (which is a massive addition) but the loss of Odom is a massive loss. Not necessarily by looking at the box score, but when you watch the Lakers play, Odom is a horse.

Hedo Fakes to Portland, Signs with Toronto

ESPN reported all day that Hedo Turkoglu had agreed in priniciple to sign with the Portland Trailblazers, however Hedo has since backed away from the deal.

Instead, Hedo signed a five-year $53 million dollar contract with the Toronto Raptors. Turkoglu’s agent has said he changed his mind to play in Toronto because it was more of an international city and it had a large Turkish population. It was also reported that Hedo favored the option of staying in the Eastern Conference after playing in it for the last five years. Coincidentally, Toronto offered $3 million more dollars over the life of the contract, but the change of heart was likely not dependent on the additional coin.

So now the Raptors have a decision to make on whether to build around Hedo and Chris Bosh, or to accept the fact that Bosh will leave next summer and focus on a trade. Personally, I feel that Hedo is a little overpaid at $53 million but, hey, I’m no NBA GM.

Not Quite A Trade: Rockets and Lakers Swap Forwards

The NBA free agency period continued to surprise people around the league, and continued to disappoint the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was reported yesterday that Lakers’ forward Trevor Ariza was leaning towards leaving L.A. and not even thinking about a hometown discount. And that’s exactly what he did. ESPN has reported that Ariza has agreed to a deal with the Houston Rockets that would pay him $5.8 million per year. With the addition of Ariza, the Houston Rockets look pretty good on paper. Yao (although he may not play), Artest, Ariza, Battier, Brooks, McGrady, etc.

But wait…not so fast.

A majority of reports had surfaced in recent days stating that Ron Artest was content with the Houston Rockets and that he planned on staying in Texas. However, the Lakers thought otherwise. The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms, according to ESPN, with former Rockets’ forward Ron Artest. The deal would pay Artest a reported $18 million over just three years…not too shabby.

So now you look at the Rockets roster and it doesn’t look so appealing. Sure Ariza is a nice addition, but you lost a much better and much more proven Ron Artest. Yao Ming is likely to miss all of next season, if not his whole career, and the rest of the starting line-up is consistently on the trading block. McGrady is getting older, always suffering from injuries, and always has his name thrown into trade talks. Aaron Brooks has had his name thrown into offseason trade rumors. Shane Battier is always a hot commodity because of his defense and shooting ability, making him all the more worthy of a slight filler in a trade proposal. All of sudden, with the loss of Artest, the Rockets don’t look so sexy.

As for the Lakers, they look all the better. Ron Artest is a ..::..HuGE..::.. upgrade for the team whether they lose Ariza or not. Artest has lockdown defense and he has the ability to score. What more could you ask for? His attitude seems to have improved and he appears more mature than ever before in his career.

Although I feel the Rockets really lost a good one in Artest, the real loser amongst these two signings is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs had both Artest and Ariza on their radar and now they’re both un-signable. If there is anything good out of this for the Cavs, at least both Artest and Ariza stay in the West and away from the Cavs’ 2010 run at the NBA Finals.

The Cavaliers have missed out on Charlie V, Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza, and most likely Rasheed Wallace, meaning they have slim pickins’ for a free agent this offseason. The Lakers improve and the Rockets begin their slow downward spiral (maybe).

Busy Market in Motown

The Detroit Pistons were expected to be busy come free agency time, but perhaps not this busy.

• Free agent shooting guard, and former Bulls’ swingman, Ben Gordon has agreed to terms with the Pistons. The deal is reported to be a hefty $55 million over five years for Gordon, who will take over and fill the loss of Allen Iverson (if that’s even considered a loss).
• Free agent power forward, and former Bucks’ big man, Charlie Villanueva has agreed to terms with the Pistons. The deal is reported to be $40 million over five years for Villanueva, who will take over for the departing Rasheed Wallace.

What do these signings mean for other teams? Well, Gordon was definitely leaving Chi-town and Detroit was the likely suitor. No surprise there. But as for Charlie V., that leaves out at least one important team – the Cavaliers. It was reported, strongly reported, that the Cavaliers would make a serious push to try and sign Villanueva in order to get the long guy with three-point shooting ability. However, with Villanueva’s recent signing, the Cavs will likely shift their interest toward Lakers’ forward Trevor Ariza.

The Lakers’ original plan was to try their best to retain Ariza, but his agent has made it very clear that Ariza will not accept any hometown discounts of any kind. And with the $5.5 million that the Lakers reportedly offered Ariza, he is a little upset with the organization. Therefore, if he wants to go then the Cavaliers will listen. A deal should be worked out shortly.

What a great time this is for sports!

NBA Free Agency Just Hours Away

At 12:01 Wednesday morning, the NBA will begin to make some noise. The beginning of free agency is always entertaining. Where will my favorite player end up? What’s my hometeam’s plan? Can the Clippers become contenders? (Note: the last question was a joke.) Below is a list of available players (ones worth mentioning) and a quick thought of their potential status come the beginning of the season…

• Mike Bibby, PG, ATL : Bibby will hopefully stay in Atlanta, but he may wait to hear what other teams offer. It must be noted early that the money really isn’t there this year. Not only is the economy hurting most money-making oppourtunities, but some teams are holding out for the 2010 free agency period that is FULL of great players. Bibby stays in Atlanta.
• Ben Gordon, SG, CHI : He missed out on a HUGE payday before, so he won’t deny $11 million per this season. Detroit is reportedly the leader of the pack and they have a short list (Gordon and Charlie V). Gordon will be knocking down shots with Detroit, and their new coach, next season.
• Allen Iverson, SG, DET : Sadly, for someone who was once so dominant, Charlotte is probably the only suitor for the former All-Star. His move to Detroit was disastrous and ex-coach Larry Brown may be the only man willing to take the risk. If he can learn to share the ball, take a slight backseat, and realize he isn’t 27-years-old anymore, then the Sixers may bite. However, that is highly unlikely.
• Rasheed Wallace, PF, DET : Rumors are swirling. First it’s Cleveland, then it’s Boston, and the list goes on. I personally would like to see the Cavs make a run at him and see what they can do. At the end of the day, Sheed wants to contend. Why not head to Cleveland? This one is a tough call.
• Trevor Ariza, SF, LAL : We’ve all heard that Ariza will stay, and that’s how it will go. Ariza broke out last year, showing that he can defend and bury a three. Lakers hold on to the young fella if they’re smart.
• Lamar Odom, SF, LAL : When Odom shows up, the Lakers do well. Assuming he shows up all of next year, the Lakers will continue to do well. Lakers have two priorities, Odom and Ariza. Odom stays in L.A.
• Anderson Varejao, PF, CLE : With the addition of Shaq, the current roster spot of Big Z, and the Cavs interest in guys like Sheed and Charlie V., Varejao will likely land somewhere other than Cleveland. How does somewhere down South sound?
• Jason Kidd, PG, DAL : He is set to meet with the Knicks, and then with Mavs owner Mark Cuban. With the Knicks likely to only offer a one-year deal, Kidd will probably remain in Dallas. As much as I would like to see Kidd in orange and blue, staying in Dallas just makes more sense. The Hawks are another suitor for Kidd if they lose out on Bibby, but I’m sticking with Dallas.
• Ron Artest, SF, HOU : Ron Ron is so fun to talk about. His skills make your mouth water when you think about certain scenarios. Say, Cleveland? The Cavs don’t have any cash to spend on him but think about the possibilities. Detroit was also reportedly in the mix (yikes!) but Artest has said he plans on staying in Houston. I’ll go along with that.
• Kobe Bryant, SG, LAL : Purple and Gold.
• Charlie Villanueva, PF, MIL : Charlie V is a hot commodity. Cleveland is certainly interested because he’s a 6-11′ runner who can jack the three (a la Rashard Lewis). Although he can’t play much defense, I think the Cavs land Charlie V over Sheed.
• Hedo Turkoglu, SF, ORL : With the Magic’s recent trade for Vince Carter, Hedo is on the way out. He could return to Sac-town and play for the lonely Kings. However, I think Hedo heading to Toronto has a sweeter ring to it.
• Carlos Boozer, PF, UTH : Boozer got smart real quick, realizing there wasn’t a whole lot of money to throw around this free agency period. It has been reported that Boozer will stay with Utah.

Sure, it’s not 2010’s class, but it’s got some talent. We all know it’s just a shot in the dark when you’re trying to pick potential landing spots, but it’s entertaining nonetheless.

ESPN: Turkoglu Will Test Free Agency

For some basketball fans, Hedo Turkoglu came out of nowhere this year for the Orlando Magic’s stunning run at the NBA Title. For the avid NBA fan, we’ve known about Hedayet for quite sometime now.

According to ESPN, Turkoglu is going to ride the popularity wave and test the free agent market this summer. Turkoglu’s season averages of 16.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.9 APG could likely land him a new hefty paycheck. However, Hedo is 30 years old and entering the free agent market at a pretty rough time. Not only is the economy hurting NBA franchises and limiting their spending, many teams have a tight grip on their cash until next year’s HUGE free agent pool that will include the likes of LeBron James.

Good luck to Hedo as he turns down $7 million plus from a team that will compete for the East for the next five years.

Busy Monday In NFL Free Agency: Skins Cut Taylor, Ward Signs With Bucs

Making top news today was T.J. Houshmandzadeh signing with the Seattle Seahawks, a move that didn’t surprise too many. But there were a couple other moves made on this busy Monday that deserve a little buzz.

The Tampa Buccaneers continued to stay active in the market when they signed former-Giant, Derrick Ward, to a multi-year deal. Ward rushed for just over 1,000 yards last season and decided to test the free-agent market instead of return to the Giants’ crowded backfield. Tampa Bay released veteran running back Warrick Dunn last week but Ward will still compete against the oft-injured Cadillac Williams and fantasy-stud Ernest Graham.

And rounding out the day, the Redskins cut All-Pro defensive end Jason Taylor. As a Redskins loyalist, I would have personally liked to have seen Jason Taylor have one full injury-free season, especially with Haynesworth in the middle, but it wasn’t meant to be. Taylor was set to make too much money next season and he just couldn’t get it done in his first year (a.k.a ‘his audition’). The bottom line is that he didn’t want to play football. Taylor was released by the team because he refused to partake in the team’s offseason workouts. Taylor’s agent told reporters that he was seperated from his family for basically a whole year and said that Taylor just wanted to be with his kids. You can’t get on the guy for wanting to be with his family but obviously he is no longer committed to playing football. He will probably be picked up pretty quick but I don’t think it will be by a team near his home in Florida – as he would like.

Instead of going to another team, Taylor should just retire to be with his family for a while and then fire up the acting career.

Big-Time NFL Free Agent Receiver Will Call Seattle Home

T.J. Houshmandzadeh has decided to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, after visiting quite a few teams over the weekend. I expected to see Housh end up on the West Coast because he is from Los Angeles and he wanted to be closer to his family. He has also expressed interest in playing with Seattle quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck.

I don’t think Housh had any sort of problem leaving Cincy, I think he had a problem leaving good pal Carson Palmer. What this does to Seattle’s offense directly is yet to be seen. I do, however, believe that this will be where Michael Crabtree “falls” in the draft – past the Seahawks.