Mmm, I love the smell of a new thread. Just in time for draft night, when the offseason and trading really starts.

The big deal yesterday was Jermaine O'Neal and Indy's second rounder being traded to Toronto for TJ Ford, Rasho's Nesterovic/Maceo Baston's expiring contracts, and the #17 pick, though it can't be finalized until July 9th. Considering the other deals on the table were Ford and the #17 for Maggette or Diaw alone, or Ford for Webster and Frye (that one's not quite as bad), I'm extremely thankful for this choice.

Oh, and this comment came out today:



Dhun dhun dhun!

I think it's Nash. The Suns would probably be smart to realize they're not winning with the Nash n Shaq experiment, so they might as well move him while he'll still have high value. Might still have a chance in the Amare era if they can get something good here, and then a star from dangling Shaq's big expiring contract in 2 years.

It was about Dirk.

Richard Jefferson just got traded to the Bucks for Yi and Bobby Simmons

You heard that right. 28 teams in the league just went "FUCK, we could've done better than that"

NJ's clearly clearing away their cap for when they move to Brooklyn and try to sign Lebron. Just like Memphis

LA Clippers now have the 4th pick in exchange for 7th + future 1st.

Think it's a good trade for NJ actually. Yi might turn out to be very good player, plus as you said, they'll clear some cap room.

Who was seventh?

EDIT: Lol, read that wrong. Idiot.

Who was fourth?

EDIT2: Ah, Seattle.

No Balls Association no more.

Damn you Jay-Z! Stop trying to steal LeBron.

I like it for Seattle... assuming Rose/Beasely/Mayo are gone by 4, the difference between the 4th best and 7th best player isn't that big. And they get another lottery pick assuming the Clippers suck as usual

Well, they do get Brand back. Plus #4 pick. And they were playoff team before his injury.

Oh ok I guess the stipulation is that the switch only happens if the Wolves take Mayo... so Seattle can't have an "Aw, fuck!" moment if he doesn't.

So embarrasing. Not the pick, which I like, but boos. Expected from kids in attendance.

Wow, Lopez dropped to No. 10, and Bayless at No. 11.

Bayless goes to Portland now for Rush (#13) and Jarret Jack... the rest of the league is sooooo fucked if he turns out and Oden's healthy. SOOOOO fucked.

Pretty snooze worthy night overall I have to say, best part was the Knicks fans grilling Gallinari.

Awesome, we picked the fattest guy in the draft (Nathan Jawai... the Austalian Shaq ). Oh well, in the second round you might as well pick a huge guy who may or may not know how to actually play basketball. Could do worse.

Looks like Mayo is going to Memphis now for Mike Miller and Kevin Love. Throw in a few terrible contracts and we have an 8 player deal.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008 ... id=3463045

Memphis is so inconsistent. Doing this they take on 2 horrible long contracts (Walker for 8 mil/year for 3 yrs., Jaric for 6 mil/year for 3 years) and give up a pretty big expiring next year (Jason Collins). Doesn't that totally go against the money dump philosophy that created the Gasol deal? What's going on, did the owners feel sad that they ripped off their fans, so they grew a heart like the Grinch and decided to spend money again? But I actually like their team now. Conley, Mayo, Gay... not a bad group of young players there. Plus Marc Gasol has potential and Darko was showing signs of ups last year (he's still like 22). Chris Wallace momentarily redeems himself.

On the other hand, Kevin McHale is the dumbest fucking GM of any sports team in the history of the universe. Jefferson, Love, and Miller? Two undersized PFs who can't play defense at their own position, let alone center, and a veteran SG who can't play defense and who'll be old by the time you theoretically would compete (which will be never). Yeah, I'm sure that'll work. I'm not sure what I'd rather be, a starving kid in Africa or a Minnesota Timberwolves fan. My god.

I'm actually utterly excited about Gallinari. Was sad to see/hear those boos, and read boards at RGM. That was the most I've ever been embarrassed being Knicks fan.

beasley+wade could be deadly

Yes! We get Bayless for Jarrett Jack and an underused powerforward. If Bayless was the same prospect that he was being hailed to be (was top 4 pick in most mock-drafts and had excellent work-out reports), this could easily have been a steal for Portland.

Hot damn... Detroit traded their good draft pick for a narcoleptic felon with only 18 college games under his belt! Brilliant!

Combine this with their desire to trade Chauncey Billups and I'm beginning to lose faith in Joe D.

Brand and Maggette from Clippers, Davis from Golden State - all opt out.

Arenas is about to get 6 years $100m contract, Jamison 4 years $48m contract. Supposedly.

It's starting to look like the Clippers might sign Brand and Davis. Davis has mentioned here wouldn't mind playing there, and then the comments from the Brand camp seem to indicate he wants to say with the Clips, but he opted out just so they'd have more options to work with to do a deal like the Davis one. With his and Maggette's opt out (which is a good thing... Maggette's is cancer), they have 30 mil of capspace, so they'd have the ability to do it.

Davis
Gordon
Thornton
Brand
Kaman

That's pretty good. Probably not enough defense to win it all, but at least they'd be in the conversation at least for 3-5 years and could maybe get some veterans who want to live in LA to help them out. Honestly those Clippers fans deserve just to have something to cheer about... 3 playoff seasons and 30 years and 1 first round victory. Fucking ouch.

Davis indeed goes to the Clippers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3470016

Why is every damn player getting payed $15+ mil?!?