Draft Day Rumors

[BballTim]

Mario Chalmers / Keyon Dooling / Eddie House
Dwyane Wade / Jerry Stackhouse / Quinton Ross
LeBron / Q. Richardson / Ime Udoka
Bosh / Juwon Howard / Kurt Thomas
Shaq / Brad Miller / Fabricio Oberto

Scary team.

  Is Shaq going to play for the vet min? Because other than that you've got 2 players, a really weak starter in Chalmers and garbage.

[LarBrd33]

So you really believe that if LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh all end up on the same team they won't win multiple titles in the next few years?

A team with 3 of the top 10 best players in the league wouldn't dominate, regardless of who they have around them?

Yeah, okay.

2004 Lakers

Just sayin, you're telling me that the team with 4 lock HOF'ers, along with a possible 5th in Horace Grant (he's borderline), two of the best 5 players in the NBA, and the best coach of all time can't win a ring?

Well, no. They can't. Nobody is guaranteed a title, no matter what kinda superstars you have.

Oh come on... a little different.  Bron, Bosh and Wade are all at the height of their powers.  The 2004 Lakers made the finals, but imploded, because Malone was injured, GP was washed up, Grant was a 38 year old bench warmer and Kobe was still working his way back into shape after raping that girl.  

[indeedproceed]

So you really believe that if LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh all end up on the same team they won't win multiple titles in the next few years?

A team with 3 of the top 10 best players in the league wouldn't dominate, regardless of who they have around them?

Yeah, okay.

2004 Lakers

Just sayin, you're telling me that the team with 4 lock HOF'ers, along with a possible 5th in Horace Grant (he's borderline), two of the best 5 players in the NBA, and the best coach of all time can't win a ring?

Well, no. They can't. Nobody is guaranteed a title, no matter what kinda superstars you have.

Oh come on... a little different.  Bron, Bosh and Wade are all at the height of their powers.  The 2004 Lakers made the finals, but imploded, because Malone was injured, GP was washed up, Grant was 38 and nonexistant and Kobe was still working his way back into shape after raping that girl.   

lol. Touche.

GP was in shape enough to win a chip with Miami two years later, and Kobe and Shaq were both playing well. That playoff performance from the diesel was his last truly dominant performance. Point taken, LeBron Bosh and Wade are all 95's or better in 2k10, but Im sayin, teams that are amazing on paper still have to perform, and sometimes they don't.

[PosImpos]

Mario Chalmers / Keyon Dooling / Eddie House
Dwyane Wade / Jerry Stackhouse / Quinton Ross
LeBron / Q. Richardson / Ime Udoka
Bosh / Juwon Howard / Kurt Thomas
Shaq / Brad Miller / Fabricio Oberto

Scary team.

  Is Shaq going to play for the vet min? Because other than that you've got 2 players, a really weak starter in Chalmers and garbage.

Shaq is roughly a million years old and certainly would take a minimum contract to play for a team with that much talent for a year.

None of those immediate bench players is "garbage" either.  Juwon Howard was very solid filling in for Oden and Przbylla in Portland last season.  He and Kurt Thomas can still play a solid 10 minutes a game.  Shaq and Brad Miller aren't much to speak of defensively anymore, but they're still serviceable.  Q. Richardson had a decent season in Miami as well, and as a bench player you could do far worse.

Stackhouse, Ross, and Dooling all give you acceptable perimeter defense and can hit open shots, which is all you'd need from them.  Chalmers does essentially the same stuff while being an acceptable ball handler, though he wouldn't need to handle the ball much at all with those 3 main guys around.

[BballTim]

Mario Chalmers / Keyon Dooling / Eddie House
Dwyane Wade / Jerry Stackhouse / Quinton Ross
LeBron / Q. Richardson / Ime Udoka
Bosh / Juwon Howard / Kurt Thomas
Shaq / Brad Miller / Fabricio Oberto

Scary team.

  Is Shaq going to play for the vet min? Because other than that you've got 2 players, a really weak starter in Chalmers and garbage.

Shaq is roughly a million years old and certainly would take a minimum contract to play for a team with that much talent for a year.

None of those immediate bench players is "garbage" either.  Juwon Howard was very solid filling in for Oden and Przbylla in Portland last season.  He and Kurt Thomas can still play a solid 10 minutes a game.  Shaq and Brad Miller aren't much to speak of defensively anymore, but they're still serviceable.  Q. Richardson had a decent season in Miami as well, and as a bench player you could do far worse.

Stackhouse, Ross, and Dooling all give you acceptable perimeter defense and can hit open shots, which is all you'd need from them.  Chalmers does essentially the same stuff while being an acceptable ball handler, though he wouldn't need to handle the ball much at all with those 3 main guys around.

  I don't see Shaq playing for free to try and get a ring when he has 4 or 5 already. And those other guys are pretty bad.

[The Walker Wiggle]

From K.C. Johnson's Chicago Tribune draft day mailbag:

There's a lot about free agency I don't know. But one thing I do know: The Raptors aren't signing-and-trading Bosh to the Bulls unless Noah is moving to Canada. And that's not happening.

Might explain why Bulls are so intent on shedding salary today.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Chad Ford:

The Jazz were hoping that Georgetown's Greg Monroe fell to them at No. 9. But with the Pistons poised to take him two picks ahead, the team is struggling to find the right fit. Among the candidates are two bigs - Ed Davis and Patrick Patterson - and three wings - Gordon Hayward, Luke Babbitt and Xavier Henry.

As of this afternoon, Jazz brass still hadn't decided which direction they would go.

[PosImpos]

Mario Chalmers / Keyon Dooling / Eddie House
Dwyane Wade / Jerry Stackhouse / Quinton Ross
LeBron / Q. Richardson / Ime Udoka
Bosh / Juwon Howard / Kurt Thomas
Shaq / Brad Miller / Fabricio Oberto

Scary team.

  Is Shaq going to play for the vet min? Because other than that you've got 2 players, a really weak starter in Chalmers and garbage.

Shaq is roughly a million years old and certainly would take a minimum contract to play for a team with that much talent for a year.

None of those immediate bench players is "garbage" either.  Juwon Howard was very solid filling in for Oden and Przbylla in Portland last season.  He and Kurt Thomas can still play a solid 10 minutes a game.  Shaq and Brad Miller aren't much to speak of defensively anymore, but they're still serviceable.  Q. Richardson had a decent season in Miami as well, and as a bench player you could do far worse.

Stackhouse, Ross, and Dooling all give you acceptable perimeter defense and can hit open shots, which is all you'd need from them.  Chalmers does essentially the same stuff while being an acceptable ball handler, though he wouldn't need to handle the ball much at all with those 3 main guys around.

  I don't see Shaq playing for free to try and get a ring when he has 4 or 5 already. And those other guys are pretty bad.

We'll just have to agree to disagree, because we seem to be set on conflicting premises.

[The Walker Wiggle]

I bet it's a moot point. There are too many teams with too much available money, too many interested parties, and too much pressure to believe that James, Wade and Bosh will sign together.

Remember when Baron Davis signed with the Clippers, in part to join Elton Brand, only to watch Brand bolt for the 76ers?

[paintitgreen]

Mario Chalmers / Keyon Dooling / Eddie House
Dwyane Wade / Jerry Stackhouse / Quinton Ross
LeBron / Q. Richardson / Ime Udoka
Bosh / Juwon Howard / Kurt Thomas
Shaq / Brad Miller / Fabricio Oberto

Scary team.

That's too many guys agreeing to minimum salaries to play 4 minutes a game. Why would Dooling or House or Udoka or Q or Miller or Oberto do that? Shaq I actually could see agreeing to do it to tie Kobe.

I do actually think

So you really believe that if LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh all end up on the same team they won't win multiple titles in the next few years?

A team with 3 of the top 10 best players in the league wouldn't dominate, regardless of who they have around them?

Yeah, okay.

Chris Bosh is not a top 10 player and never will be. He's not competitive enough and not strong enough. And he'd fall even further behind playing with two guys taking 20 shots a game each.

But if Lebron and Wade go somewhere together - be it Miami or Chicago - they'll become dynastic QUICKLY. If Miami could get Lebron, it would be better served taking the max salary money they'd pay to Bosh and splitting it among two big men who will work the glass, defend the paint, and set picks (ideally one of them can shoot a bit from the outside) and then spend on a guy who can shoot and defend to play the point. If Chicago could get Wade and Lebron together? With Rose and Noah in place? Game over.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Grist for the mill courtesy of Sam Amick:

The Clippers have been attempting to become yet another team shedding salary to free up space for free agents, as sources say they would like to dump their No. 8 pick.

Denver appears to have downgraded its wish list, going from reportedly pursuing a lottery pick to simply trying to get into the second round.

Dallas is trying to buy its way into the first round, according to a league source. The Mavs have only the 50th pick overall.

[PosImpos]

I bet it's a moot point. There are too many teams with too much available money, too many interested parties, and too much pressure to believe that James, Wade and Bosh will sign together.

Remember when Baron Davis signed with the Clippers, in part to join Elton Brand, only to watch Brand bolt for the 76ers?

Yeah, I agree, there's no way the 3 biggest free agents of this class all end up on the same team.  My point is a team of those 3 plus a group of role playing veterans would be enough to be a scary team for multiple seasons.  However, Felton / Wade / LeBron / David Lee / Haywood might be more effective.

Still, I continue to be amazed by how much people underrate Chris Bosh.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Multiple late 1st round picks available according to Jonathan Givony. He's also still reporting that the 19th pick can be had for a future 1st rounder.

Few expect Oklahoma City and Memphis to actually keep their late picks because of how many young players they already have and will have on their roster with their other draft picks. Right now Cleveland, Dallas and New York appear to be the three teams trying hardest to get them, but their offers of three million dollars and various sweetners (New York offered the #39) are being rebuffed. Those teams will likely wait and see what the best offers they have on the table at the time they go on the clock and decide then who to trade the pick to.

Boston's pick at 19 could also be available, in exchange for a future first round pick.

[The Walker Wiggle]

If we do sit tight, Crawford could be the pick. (Also via Givony.)

Jordan Crawford seems to be a pretty hot name right now. We're hearing he could go as high as 19 to Boston. It doesn't seem like he'll slip any further than 25 (Memphis) at worst based on what we're hearing. It seems like the concerns about his attitude, work ethic and coachability have been resolved, and he'll be going in the first round.

[The Walker Wiggle]

Marc Spears:

German C Pleiss is moving up and could be selected as high as 18th by OKC. Its uncertain whether he plays in the NBA next season or overseas.

Givony seconds Oklahoma City's interest, but doesn't foresee Tibor going higher than 22.

Tibor Pleiss seems to have a lot of fans right now. Oklahoma City were the first ones on the bandwagon, they actually convinced him to keep his name in the draft according to reports. Now Washington is hot on his trail too, and they'll probably take him at 30 if he's there, which would force Oklahoma City to use the #26 pick on him if they really like him that much. There are some rumors he could be picked as high as 22nd by Portland.