In the last hour, it’s been reported by multiple sources that Hedo Turkoglu has agreed to a deal with the Blazers, and Jason Kidd has agreed to return to the Mavs.

Hedo was believed to have a five-year, $50 million offer on the table from Portland, which he was weighing against a five-year, $60 million offer from Toronto. Read More »

I don’t have to go into the historic and societal depths of why, when it comes to the NBA Draft, NBA free agency or college basketball recruiting — or any other time high-profile, talented Black men are making high-profile decisions — us f*cking people in the news media suddenly turn into everybody’s parents. He needs to stay in school … He needs to go to school … He needs to shut up and accept whoever drafts him … He should sign with them … He shouldn’t sign with them … He should’ve taken less money and gone for a ring … He needs to hurry up and pick a college … If he’s smart, he’ll go to that college … Read More »

ESPN is reporting that there is a 99% chance that Phil Jackson will return to coach the Lakers. That leaves this obvious question - What book will Phil give to Ron Artest?

Jackson has become infamous for giving each one of his players a specific book that will “help” the player on the court (or I suppose off of it as well). The books are intended to strategically assist in the development of the player’s personality. Any thoughts on what book Phil could possibly give Artest?

The Detroit Free Press, via cbssportsline, mentions a far fetched scenario where Ben Gordon and Allen Iverson are actually dealt for one another in a sign in trade (rather than a straight BG signing by the Pistons).

It’s the first we’ve heard of the Bulls strong interest in AI. Good fit? We can’t decide. Marketing wise, most definitely. The city will love Iverson. Scoring wise, the Bulls could use Iverson, but would probably rather Loul Deng step up his game. Speak up Chicago (and everywhere else):

Do you want to see Iverson in a Bulls uniform?

Today’s Smack dropped the “Out like Rubio”. Well, maybe not. The report that Ricky Rubio was officially headed back to Spain appears to be more of a rumor than a report. Team Rubio is insisting that no decision has been made.

Here are what seems to be Rubio’s options:

1. Continue to sue his Spanish team in hope of a lower buyout and sign with the Timberwolves now.

2. Drop the lawsuit and return to Spain to fulfill his contract.

3. Continue to negotiate a buyout in Europe and sign with a different Euroleague squad.

4. Force the Wolves to trade his rights (and continue negotiating the buyout).

5. Sit out one full year of basketball and re-enter the draft (yes that is a real option).

What do you think WILL happen and what do you think SHOULD happen?

Look at it this way: If the Rockets offered Ron Artest to the Lakers for Trevor Ariza straight-up and the money was even, wouldn’t L.A. jump on that in half-a-second? Of course. That’s basically what happened yesterday, when Artest agreed to a three-year, $18M deal with L.A., and an allegedly pissed-off Ariza turned right around and reached a deal with the Rockets. (Ariza was already believed to be upset that the Lakers hadn’t made him more of a priority in the beginning stages of free agency, so he might have left anyway.) The younger Ariza will get an estimated $33 million over five years … Read More »

Who knows what to read into what comes out of Ron Artest’s mouth (or his Twitter page) these days, but actual real-life Ron-Ron just told a CBS Sports reporter that he is in fact signing with the Lakers.

“I’m definitely going to L.A. — to sign, yeah,” Artest said. “Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I’m in L.A. right now. I don’t really care about the money. I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”

Artest says it’s a 5-year, $32 million deal. Presumably this means Trevor Ariza is gone, as he’s getting interest from the Cavs and Rockets, among other teams. Now do the Lakers still go after Lamar Odom, let him sign elsewhere?

While I’m busy taking credit for greasing the wheels to get Zach Randolph a home in Memphis to drop his nightly 20-10’s, I might as well try to get another ball rolling: Bringing Rip Hamilton to my Indiana Pacers.

Since agreeing to a five-year, $50 million deal with Ben Gordon, the Pistons have to be — if not actively shopping Rip — at least listening to trade offers for the 31-year-old who plays the same position as Gordon. Read More »

This hurts my heart. Here I am, sitting here in my office every day like a sucker, hoping that at some point I’m eventually going to see breaking news that tells me that the Sixers have figured out a way (peace, Andre Miller) to sign Allen Iverson so that he can finish his career in Philly while he still has something left.

And then I come across this: Read More »

Although the ‘09 NBA free agent class isn’t as stacked as in years past — not to mention the League is being more thrifty than ever due to the slumping economy — teams still have holes they want to plug, and players have moves they want to make. Here, we break down all 30 NBA teams’ free agent strategy… Read More »