Five Reasons Boston Should Keep Rondo

Trader's remorse much, Mr. Ainge? How else do you explain what we've heard in the past 72 hours? ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reported last night that after the playoffs last season, the Celtics offered Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins and Russell Westbrook, a clear concession from Boston GM Danny Ainge that the Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins deadline swap was a major misfire. Ainge got played. Badly. The trade offer was quickly rebuffed by Sam Presti.

Now Ainge is looking to upgrade once again, this time offering up Rondo to the Hornets for Chris Paul. Ainge is also reportedly looking for a third trading partner to sweeten the deal for New Orleans.

Big Easy bound?

In 2007, Ainge's friend and former Celtics teammate, Kevin McHale handed Kevin Garnett in a cute little red bow agreeing to trade Al Jefferson, four bums and two low first-round picks for the future hall-of-famer. The lopsided deal resulted in a world championship in 2008 for Boston, the Celtics' first NBA Finals win since 1985-86. Since then, Ainge has fancied himself as a GM mastermind. When my mom gives me 50 bucks for gas money, I don't walk around like I'm an oil tycoon.

Ainge is looking for another blockbuster to offset last year's deadline debacle. But without the safety net of a friend as a trading partner, he simply comes off as desperate, overcompensating and overreaching for a superstar to win some PR points.

Trading for Chris Paul when the Celtics have so many other needs is a major mistake. Number one, financially Rondo is a bargain. He will make $10 million this year, and is signed through the 2014-2015 season, when he will make a reasonable $13 million. This season, Chris Paul will make $16.3 million. Ray Allen, KG and Jermaine O'Neal come off the books next season. I would rather build around Rondo for less.

Two, sources indicate that CP3 is unwilling to sign an extension if he is indeed traded to Boston. Why? Well, he probably sees what everyone sees — an aging team with no center and lack of an identity. Plus, he is being courted by his superstar friends in New York, LA and South Beach.

Will Stern let CP3 go?

Three, if the trade does go down AND he is willing to sign an extension, the new CBA established harsher restrictions on extend and trade deals. Paul would only be allowed to sign a one-year extension to his current contract (valued at $18.5 million). That would put him right back on the free-agent market in the summer of 2014. Are the Celtics willing to deal for Paul knowing he could bolt so quickly? Zach Lowe of SI.com delves deeper into the CBA and extend and trade deals, specifically regarding CP3 and Dwight Howard. I recommend it. Paul loses a significant amount of cash by agreeing to an extend and trade deal.

Four, the NBA currently owns the New Orleans Hornets. This is the same NBA that preached NBA parity throughout the NBA lockout. Would David Stern really trade New Orleans' ambassador to the game just as the season gets under way? I just don't see it happening.

Five, thanks to Ainge trading away their defensively minded 7 foot center, the Celtics have a glaring need for young big men. Ainge tried to piecemeal the center position with Jermaine and Shaquille O'Neal. This failed miserably. Shaq played in 37 games last season, Jermaine just 32. Trading Rondo is the lazy way out of this. Ainge found a quick fix in the Garnett deal. He won't get that when dealing Rondo. Basketball players can become better shooters. Rondo is 25. Strap him to the gym and force him to become a better all around player.

Look, Rondo can't shoot. I get that. Your point guard must shoot better than 56% from the line. According to Hoopdata.com, he only shot 27.6% on shots from 3-9 feet, a crime in some states. He averaged 10.6 points and 11.2 asts, last season and he raises his game to top five point guard status in the playoffs, averaging 13.8 pts., 8.5 asts., 5.8 rbs., a game. Is Chris Paul an upgrade? Yes, slightly. But not for a second do I believe a point guard swap gets the Celtics any closer to any NBA championship.

We Got a Deal

The NBA and Players Association have a tentative deal in place to begin the season on Christmas day, according to an ESPN report. Both sides provided little in the way of details, but did stress that they were optimistic everything will be ironed out in time to begin the season on Dec. 25.

The league is readying to play a 66-game season with training camps set to open Dec. 9. Free agency is set to begin on Dec. 9 as well.

Struggling Franchises on Different Paths

On April 11, New Jersey Nets shooting guard Sasha Vujacic drained a 23-foot three pointer with 10 seconds left, tying the game at 103 in front of a paid attendance of 13,853 (more like 8,000) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Following a timeout, Bobcats point guard, D.J. Augustin dribbled up the court with little resistance, used a Boris Diaw pick to create just enough space for a game-winning 18-foot fadeaway jumper with 1.1 seconds left. Nets lose 105-103. It was their last home game of the season.

That same night, former All-star point guard and current Sacramento mayor, Kevin Johnson attended the  Sacramento Kings' penultimate home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings fell to the Thunder 120-112 behind Kevin Durant's 32 points. Days later, Johnson flew to New York City to meet with the NBA Board of Governors with the hopes of keeping the Kings in Sacramento.

The clock is ticking for Kevin Johnson

Tasked with staving off relocation, Johnson worked tirelessly throughout the summer, gathering support and funding for the Kings' 2011-2012 season. He quickly secured $10 million in corporate sponsorship money, financial proof that the Kings still had support from their city. Johnson's efforts paid off as the Maloofs agreed to give the city of Sacramento one more year to come up with a plan for a new arena and entertainment complex. The Maloofs demanded Johnson solidify plans and funding for a new arena in Sacramento or the team moves to another city, presumably Anaheim.

"The mayor of Sacramento has told the NBA relocation committee that he will have a plan for a new arena within a year," Joe Maloof told the Associated Press. "If not, the team will be relocated to another city."


As we approach day 150 of the NBA lockout, Johnson continues to push forward with plans for a new sports and entertainment center in the capital of California. In an issued statement, Johnson reiterated that the arena would be more than just a basketball stadium, but a job-creating entertainment complex.

"While like many others we hope that the NBA and the players are able to come to an agreement, our focus has always been that this facility is more than just a professional basketball arena but rather, similar to what has taken place in Kansas City, an entertainment and sports complex that will generate economic activity and create jobs." via the Sacramento Bee.

Still, a canceled season will kill any momentum gathered by Johnson's best efforts. NBA columnist Scott Howard-Cooper on Grant Napeer's podcast admired the daily pep-rallies by Kings fans as the Maloof's threats to move their team grew louder and louder in the media near the end of last season. 

"The team almost left and the people said wait a minute, we like them again, we want them to stay," Cooper said. "All the rallies around town and all the excitement of the team staying, it energized people in the city."

Johnson hopes to have a architectural and financial plans lined up by January, but the lack of a season will temper the fans' support for the Kings. The timing could not have been worse. NBA greed, fan frustration and America's overall apathy toward the lockout could potentially derail Johnson's efforts.

Brooklyn awaits the Barclays Center

Speaking of apathy, the lockout threatens to prematurely end the Nets "reign" in north Jersey. Somebody should probably inform north Jersey. The Nets are scheduled to move to Brooklyn — with prized point guard Deron Williams leading the charge — and play in the Barclays Center, the centerpiece of the proposed $2.5 billion commercial and residential development project, starting in the 2012-2013 season. But unlike the Kings, who desperately want the lockout to end for the sake of their city, Nets ownership would probably not mind if the lockout lingers just a little bit longer.


According to Forbes.com, the Nets are just one of five NBA teams that would actually lose LESS money by having a locked out season. Couple that with the Nets marketing team already working on creating a new Brooklyn fanbase, ("Jersey Strong, Brooklyn Ready" is their team slogan), and it becomes abundantly clear the team has mentally moved on.


As Mayor Johnson fights for additional funds for a new arena in the midst of a lockout with no end in sight, in city with a 12.4% unemployment rate, the Nets simply sit and back and watch as the NBA calendar to turns. A palace awaiting their arrival.

No Deal

I think Anthony Marrow said it best via his Twitter account: BlackBoiPachino: "We're not gonna be Strong-Armed"

Stern's Full Court Press

Below is a quick video provided by NBA.com that summarizes the NBA's latest CBA proposal. Again, this is provided by the NBA so you are only hearing one side of the story. A few of my posts from earlier this weekend detailed the player's contention with the NBA's latest offer.

If you would like to read the entire proposal, USA Today obtained a copy and can be read here. Also, Stern sent a memo to the players on Sunday, which can be found here.

According to ESPN.com's Ric Bucher, the players are not satisfied with the details of the proposal, including the new unlimited escrow system which I know nothing about, but is explained  in Bucher's column. To understand the many decisions the player's face today check out Larry Coon's breakdown here.

Stern is really pushing the NBA's latest offer, trying to gather support from fans for a resolution via the media i.e. supplying the press with memos, videos and the actual document. Not sure it will work.

NY Times Obtains Copy of NBA's Latest Proposal

The New York Times has obtained a copy of the NBA's latest proposal. According to Howard Beck, most of the details that were rumored to be inside Stern's latest proposal on Friday were either overexaggerated or simply false. In fact, after comparing both proposals, Beck wrote in his Sunday column that the league improved their offer "albeit modestly."

On Friday, sportswriters and columnists sparked rumors of owners expanding their right to send down players and cut their pay. But according to Beck, the D-League is not mentioned in the seven-page proposal.

Public perception is driving Stern

Rumors swirled that "Bird" rights (the team's ability to exceed the salary cap to resign their own players who have been with the team for at least three years) would be threatened, as well as team's ability to use the mid-level exception (MLE). Again, according to Beck, these rumors proved to unfounded. The league actually increased the annual raise for Bird Rights players. The NBA also increased the level of the MLE for luxury tax paying teams — from $2.5 million every other year in an older proposal, to $3 million every year in the league's latest offer. (This is still a cut from last year's $5 million MLE).

Other details in the NBA's latest offer that have emerged via Beck's column:

• The 10-year labor deal could be terminated after the sixth year;
• an elimination of the full MLE and sign and trade deals for luxury tax playing teams
• a raise in team's salary to 90% of team's salary cap by the 2013-2014 season
• a 12% cut in rookie salary and minimum scale contracts

The cut in rookie's salary was new addition to owners proposal. This allows the NBA's so-called "middle-class" to shoulder less of the burden of the many cuts and decreases the owners are offering/demanding. While Beck does state that the large framework of the deal would be a win for the owners, their latest offer is slightly better than the previous one and probably as good as its going to get.

From a PR perspective, what do the owners gain by leaking their latest proposal to the Times and what does it ultimately mean? Were writers simply spouting out false detail after false detail on ESPN and Twitter and the League wanted to get the facts straight? Is the NBA nervous that the players (as rumored) are unlikely to sign the new deal and want to get public perception on their side? I think Stern is profoundly concerned with  public perception. I also fear that this is Stern getting ahead of Monday's story, which could very well be that the players are rejecting the offer and negotiations have collapsed. 

Stay tuned.

Report: Players Unlikely to Accept Deal

The players are unlikely to accept David Stern and the NBA's latest offer, according to ESPN.com's Ric Bucher. According to the report, the players were quite unhappy after diving into the details of the proposal. Among those details that the players were likely to dismiss include: via Bucher

• The D-League Clause - This would give teams more power to send players with five years or less experience down to the D-League with drastically reduced pay.
• Luxury Tax Deals - Teams above the luxury tax would be prohibited from sign and trade deals after two-year phase in period. Non luxury tax teams would also be prohibited from signing a player with the MLE if causes that team to then go over the cap.
• Drug testing - The NBA also proposed offseason drug testing and raising the age limit to 20 years of age.

Financially, the newly proposed and adjusted deal ultimately disappointed the players, according to Bucher. 

We wait and see. Perhaps the players will have a change of heart over the weekend.

Possibility of 72 Game Season, Stern Says

After adjusting last night's proposal, David Stern suggested the NBA would play a 72-game season beginning December 15, should the union accept their latest and most likely best offer. The playoffs and NBA finals would likely each be pushed back a week, according to Adam Silver

If the players reject the new offer, Stern's proposal will revert back to the 47% BRI.

"If we don't get a positive response, the revised offer starting at 47% and flex cap will be our revised position," Stern was quoted as saying in tonight's press conference.

Player representatives will meet early next week to read over the proposal.

"We have made our revised proposal and we're not planning on making another one," Stern said.

My take: This is great PR by NBA and Stern. He not only gave the public a timeline and a roadmap to a 72 game season, but he makes the players look like dicks if they don't sign their proposal.

More to come...

Make or Break Day for the NBA, Union

After a 12-hour plus negotiating session that bled into early Thursday morning, the NBA and players union are back at the bargaining table this afternoon in what is being billed as a make or break meeting.

David Stern acknowledged that both sides went well past his own 5 p.m. wednesday deadline for the player's union to accept the NBA's latest offer. However, in what could be considered a good sign, both sides continued negotiating and only ended their session due to the late hours of the night. Today's meeting is an extension of last night's negotiations.

The players feel as though they have already conceded 4.5% of their BRI and it is unlikely they are willing to move past 52.5% (from 57%). Meanwhile, the NBA offered a take it or leave it 49 to 51 BRI split along with contracts not lasting longer for 5 years if the player stays with his current team and four years for free agents, as well as a soft salary cap, according to ESPN.com

If a deal does not get made today there is a good possibility that the player's union will decertify. I encourage anyone who is interested in learning about decertification and its impact to read Larry Coon's Nov. 5 column. I would also recommend to follow him on Twitter (@larrycoon) for the latest information and explanations of that complicated info.

Here's a rather large snippet from Coon's column:

Once the union decertifies, the collective bargaining process would be over -- there literally would be no union with which the owners could negotiate. Billy Hunter, Derek Fisher and the other players on the executive committee would no longer be in charge -- as a practical matter, control would pass to attorneys. The players also could not reassemble the union for one year without the league's consent. However, such consent obviously would be granted if the two sides eventually cut a deal.
Once the union decertifies, the owners could pursue one of three strategies:

• They can end the lockout, open the doors to the players and start doing business without a salary cap or any of the other mechanisms that existed in the CBA. They would be abandoning the very protections for which they are locking out the players, and which they have enjoyed for decades.
• They can end the lockout, open the doors to the players and unilaterally impose a new set of work rules without collective bargaining. This strategy would surely result in an antitrust challenge by the players. It would also implement an economic system the owners don't want, as the new rules would be designed to withstand such a challenge.
• They can continue the lockout, hoping to wear down the players. This strategy would also be met with an antitrust suit, and the owners would be hoping that the players wear down before the hammer falls. This is the most likely of the three scenarios.

I hope it does not come to decertification. From what I can gather, decertification puts the NBA season in the court's hands. The lockout has been in effect for 133 days now, longer than the NFL lockout, which also had its union decertify.

Not exactly the look of a leader

I know some see last night's session as progress. I would have to disagree. Cynically, both two sides sat across the table from each other for 12 plus hours, with a deadline and the possibility of decertification looming over them, and could not deliver any evidence of significant progress. I have little faith that today's negotiations would yield different results. Hopefully, I am dead wrong.

While decertifying the union would give the players much needed leverage against the owners, it will also increase the likelihood that more regular season games and possibly the entire 2011-2012 season will be canceled.

Being Average Sucks: 2003-04 Portland Trail Blazers

The 2003-04 Portland Trail Blazers were a sociological experiment gone horribly wrong. This was the final year of the "Jail Blazers" era. A well-earned moniker given to the team by the local media that quickly spread nationally. Ruben Patterson (sexual assault), Rasheed Wallace (weed), Qyntel Woods (weed/dogfighting...yes, dogfighting), Damon Stoudemire (weed), Darius Miles (weed), Zach Randolph (you name it), all played for the Blazers in 2003-04 and all had issues with the law.

The 03-04 Blazers will also be remembered for their Feb. 9 trade that sent Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person to the Hawks for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff and Dan Dickau. In December, the Blazers traded Bonzi Wells for Person and a first rounder.

Let's see how they perform...my take: not enough white guys (that sounds bad).

Inserting Willie Green into your starting lineup would be a major upgrade.
Their starting five following the Sheed trade for the rest of the season was Mighty Mouse, PG, Derek Anderson, SG, Darius Miles, SF, Zach Randolph, PF and Theo Ratliff, C. This starting five went 15-13. Not bad. The aforementioned Ruben Patterson and Dale Davis came off the bench for the Blazers. WG would not be an upgrade. I'm not sure if fast Willie would ever be an upgrade actually.

Poor attendance
15th. Right in the meat of mediocre. This is good. Plus fans in the pacific northwest were tiring of the Jail Blazers' tomfoolery. So the attendance numbers were probably falling rapidly.

Win less than three games in the playoffs
Okay, this is my bad. The Blazers did not make the playoffs in 2003-04 season. Major oversight on my part. That being said, it was fun looking up half the roster's mugshot photos.

At least two white guys in their regular rotation:
Aryvdas Sabonis left the team after the 02-03 season.Vladamir Stepania played in 42 games and the pride of Hatboro-Horsham, Matt Carroll played in 20, but no, the Blazers lacked the needed two white guy minimum to maintain mediocre status.

Wow! that's Mediocre! Factor
Blazers were only one game below .500 (24-25) before trading Wallace and managed to finish their remaining 33 games at one game above .500 (17-16). Unfortunately, I think the 2003-04 Blazers were just caught in a downward spiral. Like when Dorney Park takes a picture of your screaming face in the middle of a roller coaster. The year before the Blazers won 50 games. The next season, the Blazers only won 27 and fired coach Maurice Cheeks mid-season. They were a talented group, led by Wallace, but in the end, they were just a bunch of screaming faces. Fun to research, but probably not the most mediocre team since 2000.

Check back for the 2010-11 Philadelphia 76ers.

Not Good.

Looks as though the NBA is losing the attendance battle to...soccer? Somehow Major League Soccer (MLS) games have averaged a little over 17,000 a game this season. That's a 6.6% bump from last season, according to the news site examiner.com.


That bump also pushed the soccer league into third in attendance among America's major league sports. The NBA is now fourth and likely falling.

I don't know, maybe someone is cooking the books here (bigger stadiums, less games in MLS etc...) but the message is clear: basketball is on the verge of destroying itself.

What would you rather watch?

OR

Being Average Sucks

Late last night I started looking over my posts from last season, reminiscing about simpler times. During a gap between good, solid cries, I came across a post I wrote in February, imploring the Sixers to make a trade at the deadline in order to, you know get people actually excited about the team. They stood pat, finished 41-41 and no one cared.

I started thinking about last year's Sixers squad and how obvious it was that they were going to finish .500. That got me thinking some more...let's figure out the most mediocre team since 2000!

Here are the 16 teams that finished 41-41 since 2000.

Ugh.

00-01 Pacers
01-02 Bucks
02-03 none
03-04 Bucks, Hornets, Blazers
04-05 none
05-06 Pacers, Bulls, Jazz
06-07 Nets, Wizards
07-08 Raptors, Blazers
08-09 Sixers, Bulls
09-10 Bulls
10-11 Sixers

In order to find the MOST mediocre team since 2000, I had to make some cuts. I decided to eliminate a team if...

• the team had any all-stars (makes your team somewhat relevant)
• the team had any future Hall of Famers (Hall of Famer makes your team relevant)
• the team ranked in the top10 in attendance (not as mediocre if people still like seeing you play)
• the team did not make playoffs (weirdly, only 14 out of 30 teams miss the playoffs in the NBA, we're looking for number 15 here people)
• the team won a playoff series (too good to be mediocre)

Eliminated

2000-01 Pacers (Reggie Miller was an all-star/future hall of famer)

2001-02 Bucks (Ray Allen/Glenn Robinson were an all-stars/didn't make playoffs)

2003-04 Hornets (Baron Davis was an all star)

2005-06 Pacers (Jermaine O'Neal was an all star), Bulls (2nd in attendance), Jazz (9th attendance/did not make playoffs)

2006-07 Nets (Kidd future hall of famer/won playoff series), Wizards (Gilbert Arenas was an all star)

2007-08 Raptors (Bosh was an all star), Blazers (7th in attendance)

2008-09 Bulls (2nd in attendance)

2009-2010 Bulls (Derrick Rose all star/1st in attendance)

This leaves us with the 2003-04 Bucks, 2003-04 Blazers and the 2010-2011 Sixers.

The criteria for Most Mediocre since 2000:
The addition of Willie Green into your starting lineup would be a major upgrade
Poor attendance
Win less than three games in the playoffs
At least two white guys in the regular rotation
Wow that's mediocre factor

2003-04 Bucks

Headcases require multiple headbands.

The Milwaukee Bucks were a mediocre juggernaut for the first half of the 2000s. From 2000 to the end of the 2005-2006 season, the Milwaukee Bucks were 246 and...you guessed it 246. Right in the heart of this lame era of basketball in the land of beer sits the 2003-2004 season.

The Bucks jettisoned Sam Cassell and Ray Allen the year before, ending the Big 3 era. The 03-04 Bucks lined up a starting five of Michael Redd, T.J. Ford, Tim Thomas, Joe Smith, Brian Skinner along with sixth man Toni Kukoc coming off the bench for the bulk of the season.

For the year, six guys averaged double figures with Michael Redd pacing the Bucks with 21.5 points a contest. The Deer were 14th in attendance and managed to make the playoffs in Terry Porter's first year as head coach, losing 4-1 to the Detroit Pistons in the opening round.

Let's put the 2003-04 Milwaukee Bucks to the test...

Inserting Willie Green into your starting lineup would be a major upgrade
T.J. Ford was a rookie with upside and Michael Redd was the heir apparent to Ray Allen, so no help there. But when you account for the remaining 3/5 of the lineup and you find Brian Skinner, Tim Thomas and Joe Smith...you got yourself mediocrity. That being said, Michael Redd holds it down at the SG spot. WG would not be an upgrade here.

White. Average.

Poor attendance

14th. That's pretty good considering the sheer lack of excitement in that starting five. But I bet Desmond Mason made a few Sportscenter Top 10 plays.

Win less than three games in the playoffs

went out in 5.

At least two white guys in the regular rotation
Toni Kukoc was their sixth man and the oft-injured Keith Van Horn was a starter when he was healthy.

Wow! that's mediocre! factor
246-246 in six years is the definition of mediocre. Not sure anyone can beat that.

Tomorrow: 2003-04 Portland Trail Blazers