Around the League: July 2014

[INFORMER]

You don't reload with blanks ...

Someone should have told Sarver and Babby that before they hired Lance.

[LazarusLong]

[INFORMER]

Riley and FO crew did not help the case by signing Beasley, Lewis and Oden.

Lewis was actually a plus. And there wasn't much else they could do with the behemoth contracts of the Big 3 monopolizing the payroll.

[ShelC]

I'm surprised more people aren't onto him. He's clearly an opportunist, which is fine, but it's not some nostalgia or make good that he's going back to cleveland. They're an up and coming team in the East. They could legitimately go to the ECFs this year with just him added on the team.

And I don't know why but it does annoy me that all those guys ride his coattails and follow him around getting rings. Especially Ray Allen.

[Superbone]

Robot, I LOLed at the Frankenstein manufacturing facilities bit regarding Mark Cuban.

[Shabazz]

Carter also put a ton of pressure on the Raps to give big contracts to Alvin Williams and Antonio Davis that ended up clogging up their cap sheet for a while.

[INFORMER]

Good point, 'bazz.

Same thing happened in Cleveland with 'Bron. His last couple of years, they took on so many bad contracts. Ben Wallace, Shaq, etc. They went after a bunch of names but didn't really look at what the players could actually do on the court. Minnesota did the same thing with Garnett. And New Orleans was doing the same thing with Davis. They panicked because he was a so good so fast, that they felt pressure to surround him with "win-now" talent, which has led to all the bad money tied up in Evans, Holiday, and Gordon. Asik was a great pickup though.

[LazarusLong]

That's why great franchises usually have a good management team with FO and coaching staff on the same page. Riley is OK, but perhaps a bit past his prime; I always had my doubts about Spoelstra. Like you guys said, Cleveland always seemed to be flailing, assembling seamingly quality parts that didn't necessarily fit. Mike Brown is a solid assistant coach who has an uneven record in the big chair.

[INFORMER]

I'm still trying to make sense of Ed Davis signing with the Lakers for peanuts. I get that he signed a one-year deal essentially (the second year is a player option that he most certainly will decline), but just for $1 million?! In this spend-happy market.

And look at the logjam the Lakers have. Let's just assume that Jordan Hill plays all his minutes at the 5. That still leaves Boozer and Julius Randle at the 4, presumably ahead of Davis. I don't get it. (I know Boozer was added after his signing, but Randle being there alone is still significant obstacle to getting substantial minutes).

Ed Davis and Eric Bledsoe need to fire their agents.

[Mori Chu]

I've seen articles saying that Chris Paul won't play if the Clips are still owned by Donald Sterling at the start of the season. I've also seen ones saying that Doc won't coach if Sterling is still around.

http://www.thescore.com/nba/news/542976

I get the idea there, but, doesn't it take a long time for this legal process to go through? They may be totally unable to get him out by training camp simply due to the realities of the legal process and the fact that Donald Sterling can appeal rulings and drag out proceedings and so on. Do they really want to say that they won't play? It's not like the league is not doing all it can do to get him out. It just seems silly to me. You can't demand a court case be totally done by a certain very fast-approaching date.

I bet they'll end up playing/coaching, despite what they say now. I've heard some people say that Doc is doing it as a way to get out of the Clippers and go coach another team, but I doubt that. He probably loves all the media adulation he's received for how he handled the Sterling crisis, and he won't find a better situation to coach a title-contending team right now.

[INFORMER]

No real debate over Kevin Love's worth in a trade can continue without remembering how much the Bulls value integrity.

It starts at the top of the organization, where Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf one day will leave a legacy of loyalty in which he takes more pride than he does in the Bulls' six NBA championships or the White Sox's World Series title. Reinsdorf became who he is in the business and sports world by honoring his word, an old-fashioned concept those in the Bulls and Sox organizations say the chairman never let go out of style. Those who work for Reinsdorf stick around a long time because they not only share that fundamental belief but practice it, which brings us to the rumored Bulls trade of Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott for Love.

Mirotic bought out his contract with Real Madrid of the Spanish League only after the Bulls committed to keeping him in Chicago, according to a source familiar with negotiations. It's one thing to trade a savvy NBA veteran like Gibson after reassuring him to "buy, not lease,'' as general manager Gar Forman has advised, but another to mislead a 23-year-old rookie who uprooted his wife and young son to cross an ocean and become a Bull.

Smart business move or not, dealing Mirotic after earning his trust over three years would be contrary to everything Reinsdorf wants his organizations to represent and a departure from how the Bulls typically operate. It would be bold but borderline betrayal. It might lead to more victories but overall result in the loss of respect, and the Bulls traditionally care about both.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ba ... 252.column

THANK YOU.

You don't do business like that. Mirotic had a lucrative career in Europe and could have stayed there. You can't trade him before he even plays a game for you. I was about to get enraged when I saw the report the other day that had Mirotic included in the offer. But then I saw that it was being reported by Chris Sheridan and went about my day.

[INFORMER]

I've seen articles saying that Chris Paul won't play if the Clips are still owned by Donald Sterling at the start of the season. I've also seen ones saying that Doc won't coach if Sterling is still around.

http://www.thescore.com/nba/news/542976

I get the idea there, but, doesn't it take a long time for this legal process to go through? They may be totally unable to get him out by training camp simply due to the realities of the legal process and the fact that Donald Sterling can appeal rulings and drag out proceedings and so on. Do they really want to say that they won't play? It's not like the league is not doing all it can do to get him out. It just seems silly to me. You can't demand a court case be totally done by a certain very fast-approaching date.

I was going to post and comment on that too. I think it's preposterous. What's the point of not coaching or playing? I could understand if the NBA/Silver hadn't done anything. But they did. It's a legal matter now, and as you mention, it takes time. The legal system doesn't run on the NBA's timetable, and it's bigger than the NBA or any sport. This is about contract law, ownership of property, etc.

Do they think they will be punishing Sterling if they don't play/coach? I doubt he gives a crap. All he cares about is sticking to anyone who tries to tell him what to do or take what belongs to him. If $2 BILLION doesn't compel him to relinquish ownership of the team, do you think a player or coach is going to make a difference?

All Doc and/or Chris will be doing is hurting their teammates, the fans, and the league.

[In2ition]

I was about to get enraged when I saw the report the other day that had Mirotic included in the offer. But then I saw that it was being reported by Chris Sheridan and went about my day.

LMAO, that guy is such a tool. He gets one thing right in the last 3 years and now he thinks everything he reports should be thought of as written in stone.

[Ring_Wanted]

Come on. Mirotic can be moved. You just have to have his consent. If he doesn't want to play in Minni with Rubio, find a third team that he likes and that sends the Wolves what he is worth.

It is doable, with decency.

[Ring_Wanted]

I'll say that in a sense Sterling is dope. Crazy grampa doesn't care about anything if it is not in his own terms because he has made a ton of money and is old enough to can afford being reckless. Ain't that the dream?

[INFORMER]

Come on. Mirotic can be moved. You just have to have his consent. If he doesn't want to play in Minni with Rubio, find a third team that he likes and that sends the Wolves what he is worth.

It is doable, with decency.

Well yeah, if Mirotic signs off on it, then yes, that's a different story.

(Could that third team be Phoenix?! then I wouldn't have any ethical qualms about it )

[Ring_Wanted]

What could/would the Suns send to Minni, in the wake of a Kevin Love, to make them agree? It would need to be a semi-premium package/asset. LAL's?

[JCSunsfan]

Don't know if much has been made about the Lakers getting Byron Scott. He is a good coach. Solid, experienced, successful.

[Xylus]

Don't know if much has been made about the Lakers getting Byron Scott. He is a good coach. Solid, experienced, successful.

Byron Scott is a terrible coach. He consistently coaches very poor defenses and has been known to lose his locker room with more than one team. I hope to god the Lakers hire this guy, he's exactly what they don't need.

[Xylus]

What could/would the Suns send to Minni, in the wake of a Kevin Love, to make them agree? It would need to be a semi-premium package/asset. LAL's?

Is the Lakers pick tradeable? Can you trade the same pick multiple times?