NBA 2006 - 2007

[guwapo_rocker]

Reports: Bosh agrees to three-year deal

Well, I was hoping for 5 years, but I guess this was a smart move

and seems to be the trend this year.

TSN.ca Staff with CP files

7/13/2006 1:06:04 AM

TORONTO (TSN.ca with CP) - Star forward Chris Bosh has agreed to a contract extension with the Toronto Raptors, but published reports indicate that the deal is not as long as the club had hoped.

According to ESPN.com and the Toronto Sun, Bosh has opted for a three-year deal with a player option for a fourth season.

The Raptors were hoping he would sign the maximum deal allowed under the NBA's salary cap rules - five years for about $80 million.

According to ESPN's website, Bosh will instead make about $40 million over three years, and if he picks up the option for a fourth season, the total would be around $60 million.

The exact totals can not be tabulated until the salary cap is set for the 2007-2008 season.

Bosh still has to play one more season under his rookie contract, so he will be locked up by the Raptors through the 2009-2010 season. After that season, he can trigger his option year or test the market as an unrestricted free agent.

Earlier this week, LeBron James of Cleveland and Dwyane Wade of Miami also opted for three year deals with a fourth year option. Carmelo Anthony of Denver took the five year package, but only because he got an opt-out clause he can trigger after year four.

An official announcement on the Bosh deal is expected within the week.

The Raptors have scheduled a news conference for Thursday at which they are expected to announce the signing of free-agent swingman Anthony Parker to a three-year deal worth up to $12 million.

Parker is a former first round NBA draft choice who hit it big in Europe. He has won the last two Euroleague MVP Awards while playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv.



Link........

[guwapo_rocker]

Feel free to change the title of the thread if you don't want one

dedicated to the season.

[POJO_Risin]

I'll leave this be for awhile...but am planning on just changing the name of the other thread we've been using.

[guwapo_rocker]

TORONTO (CP) - Anthony Parker admits when he headed overseas to play basketball six years ago, the plan was to stay for a year and then return to the NBA.

But Parker grew to love Israel and playing for European powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv and decided he would only return to North America if the situation and timing were ideal.

That situation, says Parker, is Toronto. And at 31 years old, the time is right.

''If the NBA became the best opportunity, I would take advantage of it, but it was never a mission to get back to the NBA for me,'' said Parker. ''I didn't know when I went there it would be six years, but it was great.

''I think I did a lot of development on and off the court overseas. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.''

The Toronto Raptors signed the six-foot-five free-agent swingman Thursday as GM Bryan Colangelo continued to revamp his roster, once again looking to Europe for his latest acquisition.

Parker, who signed a three-year deal worth $12 million US, has been labelled the best player outside the NBA. He's the reigning two-time Euroleague MVP.

''At his age and at his skill level, I think it was the right time for him to make the transition into the NBA,'' Colangelo said during a news conference. ''We think that by securing Anthony, we are getting one of top free-agent guards that was available.''

Toronto fans will be familiar with Parker. He hit the winning shot in last fall's pre-season win over the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre, finishing the game with a team-high 24 points, seven rebounds and four steals. If Parker didn't realize from that performance he was ready to return to the NBA, Colangelo certainly did.

''When you look around the world and you see who the best basketball players are, Anthony Parker clearly has demonstrated he belongs at this level, and belongs here in this building in fact,'' said Colangelo. ''He had a great experience in this building once before, last pre-season. I figure the best way to beat Maccabi is on our side this time.''

The announcement was just the latest in a string of moves by Colangelo, as he continues to mould his team around star forward Chris Bosh, who's expected to sign a contract extension Friday. Bosh has reportedly accepted a three-year deal with a player option for the fourth year.

Late last month Colangelo traded Charlie Villanueva to the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard T.J. Ford. He also shipped Rafael Araujo to Utah for Kris Humphries and acquired Slovenian centre Rasho Nesterovic from San Antonio for Matt Bonner and Eric Williams.

''I think it's safe to say come opening night next year, you're going to see an entirely different team, almost one through 12,'' said Colangelo.<

And the GM's strong ties to Europe are etched in the international flavour of the team. Colangelo selected Italian forward Andrea Bargnani first overall in the NBA draft and hired former Benetton Treviso GM Maurizio Gherardini as his assistant.

Spanish forward Jorge Garbajosa is expected to join the team over the next couple of days, and Colangelo said he'll likely bring in Slovenian forward Uros Slokar. The second-round pick in 2005 will replace Pape Sow, who is out indefinitely after fracturing a vertebrae in his neck.

Colangelo insists he's simply plucking the best players out there.

''There has been a lot of talk about the European flavour of this franchise,'' said Colangelo. ''Yes, there will be a lot of international appeal and a lot of international flavour to the franchise and to this team, but we're talking about again one of the best basketball players who was available (in Parker), whether he was playing in the United States, Canada or overseas.''

Parker played three seasons in the NBA before heading to Europe, two with Philadelphia and one in Orlando, but saw little action in either city.

For someone who'd never ventured outside the U.S., Parker says the move to Israel was a shock, especially given the violent Palestinian uprising known as the Intifada began just two weeks after he landed in Tel Aviv.

''We were looking around thinking, `What are we doing here?''' he recalled. ''They're fighting 45 minutes from our doorstep.''

His family constantly called him to ask if he was OK.

''If you didn't watch the news, you wouldn't know all of that stuff was going on,'' said Parker. ''You look at TV and it portrays this battlefield, this warlike scene, and it's not the case at all. People are going to the malls, children are walking to school, pretty much in Tel Aviv life is normal.

''It's really a trade-off. I felt safer there than I did in any major city in the States. The threat is different. You can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, versus walking down the street and getting mugged (in the U.S.).''

Parker called his time in Israel a ''great experience.''

''I think I have a different point of view and it's really changed me on how I view the world and different people,'' he said.

The news of Parker's departure hit Maccabi hard. Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote that ''the feeling at Maccabi is that its heart is being ripped out.

''Parker is not only the best player on the court, but also the most esteemed player in the dressing room.

''Anthony Parker grew up in Chicago during the magic years of the Bulls, who, nine years on, are only now beginning to get over the departure of Michael Jordan. Maccabi can be expected to recover a lot quicker from Parker's departure, but it will be traumatic all the same.''


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[guwapo_rocker]

The revamped Toronto Raptors have added another new face.

The Raptors worked out a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for guard-forward John Salmons Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not immediately available, but the Philadelphia Daily News reported on its website that Salmons agreed to terms of a five-year deal worth $23 million US, and the Sixers will receive a second-round draft choice and a $2-million trade exception.

Salmons chose Toronto over Phoenix, Suns coach and general manager Mike D'Antoni told the Associated Press. The Suns could only offer a deal averaging $3.7 million a year due to salary cap constraints.

Salmons averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 25.1 minutes while playing all 82 games for Philadelphia last season. The six-foot-six swingman is one of the more unheralded athletes in the NBA, a quality sought by both the retooling Raptors and the run-and-gun Suns.

The 26th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Salmons has averaged 5.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 18.4 minutes in 281 career games, all with Philadelphia.

The move comes on the same day the Raptors announced the signing of former Maccabi Tel Aviv star Anthony Parker to a three-year deal. To make room on the roster, the Raptors waived point guard Andre Barrett, who averaged 4.6 points and 2.7 assists in 19 games with Toronto last season.

The Raptors also called a Friday morning news conference where they will announce the re-signing of all-star forward Chris Bosh to a multi-year contract extension.

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[guwapo_rocker]

Sports Ticker

7/13/2006 12:08:11 PM

EL SEGUNDO, California (Ticker) - Forward Vladimir Radmanovic still will do his shooting at the Staples Center. But now it will be for the Los Angeles Lakers instead of the Clippers.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak announced the signing of Radmanovic on Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Signing a player who can stretch the court was a top priority for our team going into the offseason and with Vladimir we feel we've accomplished that goal and added an important new dimension to our team," Kupchak said. "In addition to his strong outside shooting, Vladimir has the ability to get to the basket off the dribble."

Radmanovic, 25, was acquired by the Clippers during the 2005-06 season from Seattle and helped them win a playoff series. He averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, shooting nearly 42 percent from 3-point range, in 30 games with the Clippers.

The 6-10 Radmanovic participated in the Three-Point Shootout at the 2005 All-Star Game and was a member of the 2004 Serbia and Montenegro Olympic Team.

The 12th overall pick in the 2001 draft, Radmanovic has career averages of 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds and 576 3-pointers.


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[guwapo_rocker]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite the persistent trade speculation, Allen Iverson said Friday he wants to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers - but only if they want him.

"I want to be a Sixer, I have said that since Day 1," Iverson said at a news conference to promote his annual charity softball event. "But if I am not wanted, then I definitely don't want to be a Sixer and I am willing to start my career all over."

The 76ers failed to make the playoffs last season. Almost immediately, speculation began that Iverson, who has spent his 10-year career in Philadelphia, would be dealt. Iverson said he isn't upset with all the talk.

"It's a business. I have some value," Iverson said. "We didn't make the playoffs last year, and when something like that happens, you feel like you got to do something. I don't know why it has to be me, but I guess I have that type of value."

"It's just tough everywhere you go, no matter where in the world, people ask you that same question. I am used to it, but I am also tired of it. Sometimes I even think leaving might not be such a bad thing because I might not have to deal with this every summer. My kids might not have to deal with this, my wife might not have to deal with this. I honestly want to be a Sixer."

Iverson, a seven-time all-star, was second in the league in scoring last season, averaging a career-best 33.0 points. Kevin Garnett of Minnesota is the only active player who has been with his team longer than Iverson.

Addressing one theory, Iverson said the 76ers' struggles weren't from a lack of chemistry between him and Chris Webber.

"This year everyone talked about Chris and myself not being able to mesh, but we ended up being the highest scoring duo in the league, so obviously we meshed together but there just wasn't the other pieces that we needed," Iverson said. "We didn't get it done as far as stopping people. It makes me feel kind of bad that I had a strong season and we didn't make the playoffs."

Iverson had no preference for a destination team if the 76ers do trade him.

"As long they don't send me to the CBA, I'll play for any team," he said.

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[guwapo_rocker]

Sports Ticker

7/15/2006 12:20:03 PM

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Ticker) - Kobe Bryant will not play for Team USA in next month's FIBA World Championships in Japan.

The Los Angeles Lakers' All-Star guard underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday and will need eight to 12 weeks to recover.

The surgery involved minor treatment of cartilage and removal of scar tissue.

Bryant will maintain his role as a member of Team USA while limiting his participation during his physical therapy recovery process.

"We trust that Kobe will have a total and speedy recovery, and we were pleased that he expressed a willingness to remain as involved with our team as possible through this process," USA Basketball Senior National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo said. "Kobe being with the team will add to our team chemistry and his presence will help provide valuable off court leadership."

Bryant, who turns 28, next month, won the scoring title with a 35.4 average this past season - his 10th with the Lakers.

The Lakers begin training camp on October 2.

USA Basketball announced on Thursday that Lamar Odom of Lakers, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics and J.J. Redick of the Orlando Magic will not participate in the training camp.

Odom, a member of the 2004 Olympic team that captured the bronze medal, will miss the camp for personal reasons after the death of his infant daughter.

Pierce, the leading scorer on the 2002 USA World Championship Team, is expected to have minor surgery on his left elbow in August. Redick is unable to participate due to back problems.

After training camp, the roster will be whittled to 15 players, then trimmed to 12 for the World Championships, which begin August 19 in Japan.

The U.S. is in Group D with 2004 Olympic silver medalist Italy, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, China and Senegal.

The winner of the 24-nation World Championships receives an automatic berth to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. If Team USA does not win, it must qualify through the 2007 FIBA Tournament of the Americas.


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[guwapo_rocker]

Associated Press

TORONTO -- John Salmons backed out of a sign-and-trade deal that would have sent the swingman from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Toronto Raptors, the Toronto Star reported Saturday.

"Upon reviewing the basketball situation in Toronto, John decided it's not the best fit for him," Salmons' agent, Joel Bell, said a statement released Friday. "In a very stressful and tough decision, he decided he could not accept the opportunity to play for the Raptors, even though he was excited about the prospect of being in Toronto."

Raptors officials, who thought they had agreed with Salmons on a $23 million, five-year deal as part of a sign-and-trade transaction for a 2007 second-round draft pick, were surprised when he pulled out.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out, I wish him the best," Toronto president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said.

The 6-foot-6 swingman has few options. After he turned down an offer from the Phoenix Suns to supposedly sign with Toronto, a qualifying offer given him by the Sixers was rescinded Thursday. He now has no guaranteed deal anywhere for next season.



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You think he's going to find another contract like that now?

[POJO_Risin]

Who knows...

You have to figure if he did it...there was another deal there somewhere...

[Romeo Delight]

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/news_story/?ID=172091&hubname=nba


VANCOUVER (CP) - He had given a huge crowd what they wanted to see, plus raised money for charity, but Steve Nash still found time to worry Saturday night.

''I'm a little embarrassed,'' the two-time NBA MVP said following the Steve Nash Foundation Charity Classic basketball game.

''I feel like some people might wonder if I just threw this event so everyone could pat me on the back. I really wanted it to be about everybody and not just me. I wanted us all to come together and have a great time.''

He need not have worried. Victoria's Nash and some of his NBA pals put on a pretty good show.

For the first three quarters there were rim-rattling dunks, slight-of-hand passes and grins all around. There was plenty of clowning, not much defence.





For the final 12 minutes, the two sides played for real. Despite Nash scoring 14 points his West team lost 46-41, resulting in his side doing 20 pushups.

The players had fun, the fans ate it up and the Steve Nash Foundation raised money to assist underserved children in their health, personal development, education and enjoyment of life.

''I'm exhausted,'' Nash said. ''Not only from playing but also from a very fulfilling week.

''I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the support. I feel like we've really proved this community means a lot to one another.''

The game was about four minutes old when the crowd got what it wanted to see.

Nash sailed a behind-the-back pass high toward the net so Jackson Vroman could slam it home. Nash grinned and the crowd cheered.

It was the first time NBA basketball had returned to Vancouver since the Grizzlies migrated to Memphis but Nash was the person most people came to see.

The crowd of 16,112 at GM Place - more than attended most Grizzlies games - gave the Phoenix Suns guard a standing ovation before and after the game. There were chants of ''MVP, MVP.''

Andrew Risch was thrilled to get a Nash autograph and enthralled by the game.

''It's awesome,'' grinned the 12-year-old, decked out in a Phoenix jersey. ''It's so fast, back and forth.''

Yahya Nickpour came so his son Andrian could see Nash play.

''He's Canadian and he's proud to be Canadian,'' Nickpour said about Nash.

After the game, Dallas Mavericks guard Michael Finley, a former Nash teammate, said it was good to be back in Vancouver.

''Vancouver has always been one of my favourite cities to visit and play in,'' he said. ''The fans truly love the game. They come out and cheer for all the right reasons.''

During halftime Nash was presented with the Naithsmith Foundation Sportsmanship Award. It's the 39th time the family of basketball inventor Dr. James Naithsmith has given out the award and only the second time to an active player. The first was to former Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan.

Nash arrived in Vancouver with his trademark long, flowing, black hair gone, replaced by a buzz cut. He quickly dashed any speculation he shed his skills with his locks by hitting teammates with blind passes and knocking down a couple long shots.

Tickets for the game ranged from $500 at courtside to $10 up high in the rafters.

Playing on Nash's West team was forward Walter McCarty of the L.A. Clippers; Finley; Vromana, a centre with the Hornets; forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili, a free agent who played for Phoenix; guard Devin Harris of Dallas; and one-time Vancouver Grizzlies guard Felipe Lopez.

On the East team was guard Jay Williams, a former member of the Chicago Bulls; guard Raymond Felton of Charlotte; guard Fred Jones of Indiana; guard Morris Peterson of the Toronto Raptors; former Raptor Charlie Villanueva, a forward now playing for the Milwaukee Bucks; and guard Denham Brown, a Toronto native recently drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics; and centre Steven Hunter of Philadelphia.

For Williams, it was his first game against NBA-calibre talent since a motorcycle in June 2003 that fractured his pelvis, tore up knee ligaments and damaged nerves in his left leg.

The former No. 2 NBA draft pick out of Duke has worked out for about seven teams, including Toronto, but still hasn't signed.

Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark performed the U.S. national anthem in English, then surprised many in the crowd by singing O Canada in her native language.

Victoria-born Nelly Furtado, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who mentions Nash in one of her latest hits, was on hand and threw small, autographed basketballs into the crowd.

Bedouin Soundclash played at half time.

Nash, recently named one of Time Magazine's ''100 most influential people,'' said he didn't know how much money was raised but called the event a success.

''It gives it legs for the future and allows us to build on what we started,'' he said. ''It allows us to continue and get bigger and better and help more people.''

[guwapo_rocker]

Thanks to Steve Nash for continuing the charity game in Canada

after Vince the cunt Carter started throwing games and was

shipped out.

[Romeo Delight]

16,000 for a charity game...

Naw...Nash wouldn't have drawn anyone here in Vancouver.



Screw you Stu Jackson for being so out of touch with the market you were entrusted with.

Handed the job by the NBA and you fucked it up.

Useless.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
16,000 for a charity game...

Naw...Nash wouldn't have drawn anyone here in Vancouver.



Screw you Stu Jackson for being so out of touch with the market you were entrusted with.

Handed the job by the NBA and you fucked it up.

Useless.

Look David...my record speaks for itself:

1995-96 : winning % of .183

96-97: .171

97-98: .232

98-99: .160

99-00: .268

00-01: .280

Not bad for an expansion franchise, eh, Canuck?

Yeah, we had our problems, but it was all about how we didn't get the community and business support. I mean who wouldn't sell out when the team has a record like that!

Remember, I drafted Antonio Daniels who is quite a force to this day in the league. Yes, a fine boy. I know I could have traded that pick for a two-time MVP and local boy Steve Nash, but you just don't understand the pressure I was under...

I mean I had bigger plans, you know, like this sweet gig


What could be better than a permanent job with the NBA with no real accomplishments. The only way I could have landed this deal was to make it seem like I had been through hell and Stern owed me.

Those pictures I have of him and Tom Cruise notwithstanding, my wife beats me every day. I'm serious.

BTW, I think the Memphis Grizzlies are still paying that good ol boy Big Country. Yeah, I was a great GM.

[guwapo_rocker]

Canadian Press

7/24/2006 9:42:46 PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CP-AP) - Guard John Salmons signed a multi-year contract with the Sacramento Kings on Monday, just a few days after backing out of a planned deal to go to the Toronto Raptors.

Salmons averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the 76ers last season, playing all 82 games. The six-foot-seven swingman has been a steady contributor for the Philadelphia 76ers the last four seasons, and the Kings could use him at three positions next season.

''We feel he's still an emerging player in the NBA,'' said Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations. ''He'll add to the youth and overall skill level of our backcourt.''

The Raptors had negotiated a sign-and-trade with the 76ers, with Salmon reportedly agreeing to a $23-million US, five-year deal with Toronto before backing out.

The Kings also signed two rookie free agents who excelled on their summer league team: Guard Pooh Jeter and centre Justin Williams.

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Pooh Jeter?? No fucking way. Pooh Jeter?????

[guwapo_rocker]

TSN.ca Staff with Journal Times files

7/29/2006 6:38:47 PM

The Racine Journal Times in Wisconsin reports that the Milwaukee Bucks have verbally agreed to deal the veteran centre Jamaal Magloire to the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Steve Blake, forward Brian Skinner and center Ha Seung-Jin.

According to the paper's website, the trade hasn't been officially announced and, barring one of the players failing to pass a physical exam or some other unforeseen snag, won't be formally approved until Monday.

The 28-year-old Toronto native came to the Bucks in a trade with New Orleans/Oklahoma City just before the start of the last season. The Bucks gave the Hornets small forward Desmond Mason along with a first-round draft choice. The Hornets used that pick in the June 28th draft to select power forward Cedric Simmons of North Carolina State.

Magloire started every game for the Bucks last season, averaging 9.2 points and 9.5 rebounds in 30.1 minutes a game.

Blake averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 assists in 26.2 minutes a game last season. Skinner, 30, played in 66 games last season, first with Sacramento and then with Portland. He averaged just 2.9 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Ha played in 27 games last season, averaging only 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds.



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