SH Blog: Ty Lawson signs contract extension with Nuggets, Granger out indefinitely

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There are a number of noteworthy players that are on the verge of becoming a restricted free agent by season’s end, including guards Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans and others. Why? Because their respective teams have yet to decide whether they are worth the long-term investment. James Harden was also among the boat of players looking to receive a contract extension, but we all know how that ended up (he is preparing to suit up for the Rockets).

There has to be a certain sense and level of uncertainty when contract talks drag out, so it’s always a relief for both parties when things come to a resolution. That is the case for Denver guard Ty Lawson, who is set to be with the team for the next four years after signing an extension with the team on Tuesday.

Before we get to that sweet little news (if you are a Nuggets fan, anyway), be sure to check SheridanHoops staff predictions for the upcoming season and browse around. You may find some of Sheridan’s picks quite… interesting.

Onto news around the league:

  • Ty Lawson has finally come to an agreement with the Denver Nuggets on a long-term deal, according to Marc. J. Spears of Yahoo Sports: “The Denver Nuggets have reached agreement with point guard Ty Lawson on a four-year, $48 million contract extension, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Lawson, who turns 25 on Saturday, agreed to the extension one day before the NBA’s deadline. He would have become a restricted free agent at the end of the season if he and the Nuggets hadn’t come to terms. Lawson averaged career highs of 16.4 points and 6.6 assists in 61 games for the Nuggets last season. He was the 18th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft.”
The NBA has suspended Clippers Matt Barnes one game for pleading out in California state court to incident with police. He'll sit opener.
October 30, 2012 4:08 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
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Adrian Wojnarowski

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SH Blog: NBA to finalize new procedure to help put an end to flopping, Mark Jackson won’t guarantee playoffs

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Flopping has been a major issue in the NBA for quite some time, especially when the playoffs are in session. Players like Manu Ginobili, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce and a countless number of others have lived off of faking out the officials with sneaky tactics that have gone unpaid for, but that could all change as soon as the upcoming season. See what rules the NBA may implement in order to cut down on flopping as much as possible, along with other noteworthy news from Thursday below:

  • Commissioner David Stern was adamant about his dislike of flopping during the playoffs, and something will be done about it for the upcoming season, from Ken Berger of CBS Sports: “The NBA is finalizing a new procedure to deal with flopping this coming season, with an off-court remedy expected to be in place before the start of the regular season. After meeting with their newly revamped competition committee two weeks ago in New York, the league anticipates that incidents of flopping will be adjudicated on a postgame basis with fines assessed for the offenses, a league spokesman said Thursday. ”The procedures will likely involve a postgame review as opposed to calling it as an in-game infraction,” the league spokesman said in a statement to CBSSports.com and other outlets. The new policy does not need to be approved by the Board of Governors, which meets next month in New York, because it does not involve a rule change for on-court play. In that way, the new policy will be similar to a crackdown several years ago on so-called “respect for the game” rules violations, which resulted in a brief uptick in technical fouls.”
  • Keyon Dooling explained why he walked away from the game recently, from Jessica Camerato of CSNNE: “The average career is 4 1/2 years and I tripled that, almost,” Dooling told CSNNE.com as he settled into a brown leather chair at the marble high top table in his dining room, his usual three-piece suit traded for a tailored, buttondown shirt and jeans. “The grind of the NBA just has taken its toll on me, on my body. More so than that, my family . . . I’ve missed birthdays, school conferences, dropping my kids off, school plays, school dances. I’ve missed just being daddy so much.  ”I have enough. I have all the resources I need, I’m a blessed man. I’m not limping away; I was able to walk away.”… ”It just all came to a head. To be honest with you, I blocked a lot of things out of my life. I’m a man who’s been abused, sexually, emotionally, mentally. I’ve been abused in my life, and there’s so many guys around the NBA who have been abused and I know it because I’ve been their therapist. I didn’t even have the courage because I blocked it out so much that I couldn’t even share that . . . “It took literally a meltdown for everybody to see how serious I was about not playing ball anymore.”
  • Randy Wittman touched on what he expects from John Wall heading into the season, from Michael Lee of Washington Post: “This is a big year for him and its time to take the next step. It’s his third year he knows the ins and outs if what to expect. . . . He’s done a lot of those things this summer to try to make that happen, work ethic being a big part of it. It just doesn’t happen. You have to be willing to put time, effort, it doesn’t matter who it is, John Wall, Okafor. I’ve seen a lot of that this summer that I’ve been pleased with.”
  • Danny Ferry is expecting the Hawks to be a different team this season, from Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The leader of this team is the team,” general manager Danny Ferry said Tuesday. “There are guys who are going to be more vocal. Kyle is going to be more vocal than people have had here, I think. I think Lou will definitely [play a leadership role]. As far as roles, certainly Devin and Jeff [Teague] and Al and Josh, these guys have been around. There usage rate may go up a little more. Hopefully in that their efficiency stays strong. Lou is used to coming in and taking a load off a game, for example. Devin Harris has been an all-star and has played at a high level. “I think we will just be a different team. Some roles will change some and evolve. Whether that’s Josh, whether that’s Al, whether that’s Jeff or Devon, that’s going to have to unfold by itself. I can’t create that. The guys in the locker room create that. The coaches create that.”
  • Sam Presti is not willing to sign James Harden to a max contract if it means having to pay too much luxury tax, from Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman: ““There are certain realities that we face, and there are some inherent challenges that we face,” Presti said. “I don’t feel comfortable, quite honestly, talking about limitations and things that we ultimately will have to decide on. But I think we’re making a commitment to try to continue to put a competitive team on the floor. “But we also have to do the right thing for the organization in the short and the long term.”
  • Tyson Chandler hopes to see Rasheed Wallace join the Knicks, according to Tim Bontemps of New York Post: “He looked good,’’ Chandler said Wednesday at a charity event featuring his photography, including pictures of former Knicks Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields.. “Rasheed can be a great addition to us.” Despite his extended break from the NBA, with Wallace’s last game action coming with Boston in the 2010 Finals, Chandler said Wallace still has skills that can help the Knicks. “I hope he [comes],” Chandler said. “I don’t know what the situation is, butHe’s a great communicator on defense and we know he can knock down the open 3 and jump shot.’’ “To have myself and Amar’e [Stoudemire] with Marcus Camby and Rasheed as backups … That’s pretty nice.”
  • Dwight Howard is slowly working on his game again (with video), from Mike Trudell of NBA.com: “Assistant coaches Darvin Ham and Chuck Person went through low post moves with the six time All-Star center (see video below), with Howard adding some shooting from the paint and the free throw line. Howard dropped in a high percentage of his patented baby hooks with either hand, spinning either to the baseline or the middle depending on Ham’s defense, and showed his quick first step getting to the hoop when Ham closed out. The team continues to stress that no timetable has been determined for Howard’s return, but allowed that there have been no set backs to this point in his rehabilitation.”
  • Mark Jackson would not make any guarantees of making the playoffs in his second season with the Warriors, from Tim Kawakami of San Jose Mercury News: “Hey, isn’t it time for Mark Jackson to promise a playoff berth this season? “No, I’m not going to say it,” the Warriors coach shot back quickly and seriously as he sat in a team conference room Wednesday. “Not because I don’t believe it, but ultimately there comes a point where, enough of the talking, go out and do it.” Maybe this is a signal that things are clarifying for Jackson, who opened his rookie coaching season by loudly and inaccurately claiming that the Warriors were set to make the postseason. Maybe now that the playoffs are actually realistic for this beefed up roster, Jackson understands he can eliminate much of the bombast. And maybe Jackson also realizes that in Year 2, he’s being judged by results and reality, not rhetoric.”
  • How did Stephen Curry feel about not getting an invitation for the Olympics team? Surprised and frustrated, from Jason McIntyre of Big Lead Sports: “Oh yeah I was surprised. I couldn’t believe it. I was very frustrated I didn’t get an invite, and I never got to have a conversation with them about it. Coach K and Mr. Colangelo put together a great roster for the World Championships in 2010, and I was fortunate to be a part of it and win a gold medal. I thought I played well and I thought I’d get a shot at making the Olympic roster but it didn’t happen for me. I definitely had it in my sights. When they started making decisions in April, I was out with the ankle injury, but the invite decisions came down before that.”
  • Kyle Lowry is looking to be the leader of the Toronto Raptors, according to Steve Buffery of Toronto Sun: “I just go out there and play,” said Lowry, who was enjoying an all-star calibre type year last season before suffering a groin injury and bacterial infection in March. “I’m trying to do anything it takes to help my team win. So for coach to give me that compliment, I accept it. I’m a winner and that’s what I want to do.” Though he’s a new kid on the block, Lowry does believe that he can be a leader on the Raptors. Calderon is also a leader, but more of a quiet-type. The Philly Pit Bull, it’s been noted, won’t hesitate to bark at his teammates (and even his coach), if he feels they’re not competing up to his level. “I definitely feel like I am the leader, I am a leader that can push my teammates and get after it and I think guys will follow me,” he said. “So as long as I come out there and show what I can do and be attacking and professional and do what I know how to do, it’s definitely going to do some good.”
  • Vinny Del Negro explained how there isn’t much of a discussion for a contract extension between him and the Clippers, from Broderick Turner of Los Angeles Times: “Del Negro said there has been “a little bit” of discussion about his contract extension, but there is “no sense of urgency for either side” to get a deal done right away. ”Of course, I wish it was under maybe a different situation,” Del Negro said. “But I was on a one-year deal last year and I’m still here and enjoying myself and believe in what we’re doing. I think all those things work themselves out over time.
  • Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports had a string of news on twitter:
Sixers signed free agents Dan Gadzuric, Devin Searcy, Xavier Silas and Damien Wilkins. The Sixers' training camp roster now stands at 17.
September 27, 2012 2:45 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
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Marc J. Spears
Spurs add Derrick Brown, Josh Powell, Tyler Wilkerson & Wesley Witherspoon to training camp roster. San Antonio's roster now stands at 18.
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Marc J. Spears
Kenyon Martin will only take minimum NBA contract in a "comfortable" team role,his agent Andy Miller tells Y! Nothing imminent with any team
September 27, 2012 5:53 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite
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Marc J. Spears
  • When it comes to Dwyane Wade and Mike Miller, Erik Spoelstra will think about the big-picture, according to Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: “Wade, who played with pain and swelling in his knee throughout the playoffs, underwent surgery on his left knee July 9 – forcing him to miss the Olympics. Miller, who was limited by a sore back for most of the postseason, has undergone rehabilitation throughout the offseason. “We’ll be very big-picture oriented with both of them and make sure they’re progressing at a healthy rate and getting stronger and getting conditioned ,” Spoelstra said. “They know the system and what to expect, so I believe we’ll all be on the same page with that.” Wade resumed his conditioning a month ago and Spoelstra said he hopes Wade “won’t miss any regular season time.” “He’s not 100 percent,” Spoelstra said. “So we’re going to be very vigilant on how we progress him.”
  • Charles Barkley explained why he still doesn’t believe in the pairing of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, from Bernie Augustine of Daily News: “The TNT analyst and Hall Of Famer dubbed the Brooklyn Nets “the best team in New York,” and predicts another frustrating year for the Carmelo Anthony-Amar’e Stoudemire experiment. “It’s not going to work, and it’s not going to click,” Barkley said of the All-Star pairing. “I’m not a believer that a leopard can change its spots.” The Knicks are 30-33 in the regular season when Stoudemire and Anthony are healthy and on the floor together. In the postseason, New York is 1-7 when they’re together (Stoudemire missed Game 3 of last season’s series with the Heat after he tore his hand open punching a fire extinguisher case. “They’re both very good offensive players — Carmelo is a great offensive player, Amar’e is a very good offensive player. But I don’t think all of a sudden they’re going to become great rebounders and great defenders,” he added in his breakdown of the Atlantic division on NBA.com.”
  • Did Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen have a dance-off at Pippen’s birthday party? They just may have, according to the New York Post: “Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan surprised his former teammate Scottie Pippen for Pippen’s 47th birthday party Monday night. Pippen’s wife, Larsa, planned the secret bash at Chicago hot spot Sunda. Bulls family, including team president Michael Reinsdorf and his wife, Nancy, NBA power brokerWilliam “World Wide Wes” Wesley, Antoine Walker, Ahmad Rashad, and new Bulls recruit and Chicago native Nazr Mohammed gathered to celebrate at the club with Pippen. Sources told us the fun night ended with a dance-off between Jordan and Pippen to the Trey Songz and Fabolous song, “Say Ahh.”

Darrell Arthur suffers broken leg

Billy King says Nets can win championship


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Tweet of the Night: Scottie Pippen

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Tweet of the Night goes to Scottie Pippen, who – along with Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan – wrote off the notion that the current USA team had any chance of beating the 1992 Dream Team.

During USA’s game against the Dominican Republic, which turned out to be a dominant 113-59 victory for Team USA, Pippen joined the broadcasting crew to further discuss what he tweeted. Asked how many points the Dream Team would beat the current team by, he said “I think we would beat this team by 25.” Our columnist Jan Hubbard explains why the topic is not worth anyone’s time.

After the game, Kobe Bryant responded to Michael Jordan and anyone else that questioned his belief of being able to beat the Dream Team, from Ben Golliver: “So what, he knows I’m a bad mother[expletive]. I’m not really tripping. The fact is, they have Ewing and Robinson and those big guys, it’s tough. If you’re asking me, ‘Can you beat them one game?’ Hell yeah, we can beat them in one game. You didn’t ask me if we could beat them in a 7-game series. In one game, we can beat them. No question about it.”

Iman Shumpert’s Tweet of the Day

Chris Kaman’s Tweet of the Night

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The Best NBA Finals Game 3 showdowns of the David Stern Era

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When we decided to flush out the five best NBA Finals games of the David Stern Era, we didn’t think we would have so much trouble with Game 3.

Since Stern became commissioner in 1984, no Finals game number has had more duds than Game 3. While other games had seven and eight candidates for our top five list, we had issues coming up with five truly great Game 3 showdowns.

Three of the games making our list took place in the last six years. Prior to that, if there was a Finals game that was worth missing due to a graduation, wedding or dinner at the in-laws, it was definitely Game 3.

Of course, it should be noted that during Stern’s reign as commissioner, the best Finals game also was a Game 3.

Our list is below. If you missed our Game 1′s, they’re here. And our Game 2′s are here. 

5. LEBRON DOESN’T GET THE CALL: How easily we forget that LeBron James carried a Cleveland Cavaliers team whose second-best player was – who? Drew Gooden? Anderson Varejao? – to the 2007 NBA Finals in just his fourth season. They lost the first two games on the road to the championship-tested San Antonio Spurs and needed to win Game 3 to have any chance of staying in the series. Abandoning the ridiculous idea of having Larry Hughes and his plantar fasciaitis try to stay in front of Tony Parker, the Cavs dug in on defense and fought out of a 10-point hole in the fourth quarter within 73-72 on James’ layup with six seconds to go. Two free throws by Manu Ginobili rebuilt the lead to three points before Cleveland again went to James, who came off a downscreen, caught the ball above the circle and took an escape dribble away from Bruce Bowen, who grabbed his arm trying to commit a foul before James could shoot. James was in his shooting motion and – as the MVP playing on his home floor in the NBA Finals – could have been awarded three shots on continuation. But the whistle of Bob Delaney remained silent, James missed the shot, and the Cavs were done.

4. I DO NOT LIKE THIS SAM I AM: In 1994, the New York Knicks were back in the Finals for the first time in 21 years and had a real chance to win the title after splitting the first two games on the road against the Houston Rockets. The hype was the matchup between centers Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, but Game 3 was decided by a lesser-known member of Olajuwon’s supporting cast – rookie guard Sam Cassell, who became an instant villain at Madison Square Garden. Houston pulled within 89-88 on two free throws by Cassell with 32 seconds to play. The Rockets got a stop and Cassell – ignoring Olajuwon – drilled a 3-pointer for a 91-89 lead. The Knicks had a chance to tie, but Ewing was called for an illegal screen trying to free John Starks and Cassell sealed it with two more free throws to finish with 15 points, more than twice his season average. The Rockets ultimately won their first championship by taking Games 6 and 7 at home, denying the Knicks.

3. DIRK’S DOZEN DOESN’T GET IT DONE: A year ago, the Miami Heat were coming off a stunning Game 2 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which they blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead and lost on a last-second bucket by Dirk Nowitzki. In Game 3, they were watching a shorter version of the same movie, opening an 81-74 lead with less than six minutes to go before Nowitzki caught fire, scoring Dallas’ next 12 points to forge an 86-86 tie with 1:39 to play. A baseline jumper Dallas native Chris Bosh – just 6-of-17 from the field to that point and nursing a swollen left eye – gave Miami the lead with 39 seconds remaining. Nowitzki had two more chances, but threw away a pass and, after LeBron James missed a 3-pointer, back-rimmed a jumper at the horn as he was hounded by Udonis Haslem. The Heat had escaped with the win, and many felt that they had regained the upper hand in the series. But they never won again as they were done in by James’ disappearing act and Nowitzki’s clutch shooting.

2. PAT RILEY’S ONE-WORD MESSAGE: The Heat and Mavericks first met in the 2006 Finals, when Dallas easily won the first two games by neutralizing Shaquille O’Neal, limiting him to a combined 22 points and 13 rebounds. O’Neal wasn’t much better in Game 3, and a big third quarter by Dallas turned a nine-point deficit into a 77-68 lead heading into the final period. Heat coach Pat Riley called timeout with 8:36 left and his team trailing, 83-71. On his greaseboard, he didn’t draw up a play but wrote ‘SEASON’ across it, letting his players know that their season would be over if they didn’t come back and win this game. The Heat got the message – especially Dwyane Wade, who scored 11 of his 42 points in a five-minute stretch. A jumper by Gary Payton gave Miami a 97-95 lead with 3.4 seconds to go. Even though Dallas managed just one basket in the final five-plus minutes, it still had a chance to tie when Dirk Nowitzki was fouled and went to the line with 3.4 seconds to go. But the 90 percent foul shooter missed the second free throw. Wade made 1-of-2 from the line, and Nowitzki overthrew a lob pass. A day later, the NBA admitted there were a pair of malfunctions in the final minute that allowed extra time to run off the clock, which clearly impacted Dallas’ last possession. It was the first of many things that seemed to work against the Mavs, who had a meltdown over the next week and never won again in the series.

1. THE SECOND-GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED: Uh, probably not. But the fact remains that there have been just two triple-overtime games in Finals history and both involved the Phoenix Suns – Game 5 at Boston in 1976, which many considered the greatest game of all time, and Game 3 at Chicago in 1993, which the Suns won to stay alive after losing the first two games at home. Phoenix’s coach was Paul Westphal, who played in the 1976 game. The Suns blew an 11-point lead with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but Westphal kept telling jokes before the start of each overtime to keep his team loose. In the first overtime, the teams shot a combined 3-of-16 for eight points as fatigue already was setting in. The Suns looked dead in the second OT, trailing 114-110 in the final minute before a basket by Charles Barkley (24 points, 19 rebounds) and a jumper with 3.2 seconds left by Dan Majerle (25 points, six 3-pointers) forced a third overtime. Majerle’s 3-pointer and steal leading to Barkley’s layup gave the Suns a 121-118 lead with 2:38 left before the game’s key play. Chicago’s Horace Grant fouled out and was replaced by Stacey King, who grabbed a rebound but threw a lazy pass underneath his own basket that Barkley stole and laid in for a 123-118 bulge. Phoenix made six free throws in the final 100 seconds, matching Chicago’s total for the entire game. There was no late clutch shooting by Jordan, who scored 44 points but made just 19-of-43 shots. Teammate Scottie Pippen had 26 points on 13-of-35 shooting. Johnson set a Finals record by playing 62 minutes and Majerle played 59 minutes without a foul or turnover. It wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the 1976 game, but it is the best Finals game of the Stern era.

 

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SH Blog: Thursday’s News – Who does Kevin Durant remind Kobe Bryant of?

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How good is Kevin Durant? Will he soon surpass LeBron James as the best player in the league? The answer to that question could be determined at the conclusion of the NBA Finals. In the meantime, see what Bryant thinks of the lanky forward, what adjustments the Heat will have to make, and some free agent updates in today’s news.

  • Kevin Durant has become one of the most, if not the most elite player in the league today. Kobe Bryant was asked of his opinion on the evolving superstar and responded “A 6-11 me. That dog in him? He’s got it in him.” In other words, Durant is a better version of Bryant, according to J.A. Adande: “In many ways, Durant already has moved past Bryant. This season, he beat Kobe out by a tenth of a point to claim his third straight scoring title, one more than Bryant has in his career. He finished second in the Most Valuable Player voting, two spots ahead of Kobe. And he knocked Kobe out of the playoffs.”
  • One thing Durant hates is the way Shane Battier puts his hand near Durant’s face on defense. Battier explained where he learned the tactic from: “I haven’t done that probably until the second part of my career in Houston,” Battier said. “Jeff Van Gundy (now an ABC analyst) was the first coach I really had who was a stickler for contesting jump shots. That’s when I really started focusing on it. Then I realized I had pretty good hand-eye coordination.”
  • Jordan Schultz of Huffington Post has a source that claims Dwyane Wade’s knee issue is a lot worse than we are led to believe: “The 30-year-old shooting guard recently had his knee drained to alleviate some of the discomfort, meaning another drainage at this point should be unlikely. One source close to the Heat informed me before the series that this is a much bigger problem than Wade has let on and that the pain is persistent.”
  • Sebastian Pruiti dives into how the Miami Heat can have better success in Game 2:  ”We’ll still see the Heat use James as the primary ball handler, but that can’t be their only option — especially in the second half. If the Heat want to repeat the success they had in the first half of Game 1, they need to provide Wade with options by using that off-ball movement.”
  • Though Erik Spoelstra didn’t say it word for word, all indications point to Chris Bosh starting in Game 2, according to our Jeremy Bauman: “The way we use Chris might be a little different, like the way we used him in the regular season,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said this morning at the Heat’s shootaround. “I think he’s gotten his feet wet enough and we’ll need him to be a little bit more of who he was.”
  • Adande has noticed some conflict of interest between Erik Spoelstra and some of his players. Here is one of them:  LeBron said: “there’s always times where you would like to get a minute here, a minute there, two minutes there. And I’ve got to be more up with my coaching staff as well, when I feel like I may need a minute here or a minute there and then I can go back into the game.” Spoelstra, who was asked to clarify his post-Game 1 statement about his playing rotation that “I’ll have to see who’s really available,” veered off into this declaration: “Fatigue wasn’t an issue last night, and so our focus will be on playing more to our identity tomorrow night. They imposed their identity more than we did in that game.”
  • James Harden has made quite a name for himself, and the Bobcats may use their No. 2 draft pick to try to acquire the bearded one, reported by Royce Young: “One source said that Oklahoma City’s James Harden could be in play due to the Thunder’s salary situation following next season. GM Sam Presti already has Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the books for more than $29 million next season — and both Harden and Serge Ibaka will command huge contracts after the 2012-13 campaign.”
  • If a deal doesn’t happen, the Bobcats could end up taking Harrison Barnes with the No. 2 pick. Matt Moore explains the upside and downside of taking Barnes: “Barnes could very well be the surprise best player of this class. His measurements and performance at the combine prove that. The problem is that his game doesn’t translate that athleticism. If he puts it together, he can be Tracy McGrady. If he doesn’t, he could wind up Marvin Williams.”
  • The Golden State Warriors have had their eyes on Rudy Gay for years, and may try to include David Lee to make a deal happen. Why they would assume the Grizzlies would have any interest in Lee is anyone’s guess: “The Golden State Warriors are desperately looking for some star power, and if they can’t land Dwight Howard they would love to have Rudy Gay. The Warriors also want to unload at least one and perhaps more of their four 2012 draft picks, and would happily package them with a combination of players – including David Lee – to make a trade happen.”
  • Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose are in a commercial together. Video here, from IamaGM.
  • Karl Malone said on “The Dan Patrick Show” that given the choice, he would pick Scottie Pippen over Michael Jordan. Understandable, given that Malone was always the No. 1 option with the Jazz. Is it the right choice? Kelly Dwyer says no: “Either, with Pippen as the alternative, is a luxury to have. We’re just not convinced — as rosy as our recollections are of The Greatest Teammate Ever — that The Greatest Teammate Ever would be the teammate we’d choose above all.”
  • Gerald Wallace will test free agency, and Zach Lowe explains why his best option is to stay with the Nets: “Wallace will turn 30 next month, and he’s a fine complementary player — likely to transition from second/third option on a good team into a third/fourth option on the same level of team as his athleticism declines. Given that reality, he may be angling here for a multi-year contract with about the same annual salary, and he could get that from Brooklyn more easily than from most of the realistic or semi-realistic contenders for the title next season.”
  • Brandon Bass will also hit the market, but he still prefers to stay a Celtic: ”Oh absolutely,” his agent Tony Dutt said when asked if Boston was his client’s first choice. “Without question, he would love to go back.” The decision to not pick up the final year of his contract, worth $4.25 million, is driven by Bass’ desire to sign a long-term deal with the C’s.
  • Point guard Jameer Nelson has a decision to make on his future with the Magic, and he wants a long-term contract: ”Who doesn’t want a long-term deal?” Nelson said. “Everybody wants that security.” This is the decision Nelson will likely need to make by the end of business Friday. Does he opt-in for one final year where the Magic  pay him the hefty sum of nearly $8 million? Or does he opt-out for a longer deal somewhere else?”
  • Have you noticed some of the notable fake twitter accounts such as @NotBillWalton and @NotWaltFrazier? Tony Gervino of The New York Times looks into the “phenomenon”.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is set for tonight at 9 p.m ET on ABC.

For Wednesday’s news featuring David Stern and Jim Rome, click here.

For Jeremy Lin and Roy Hibbert on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, click here.

James Park is a regular contributor and blogger for SheridanHoops.com. You can follow him on twitter @nbatupark.

 

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