The time has come, and the Wizards are finally ready to blow up the squad – that at least on paper – looked like the fourth best team in the Eastern Conference before the season. After finding out that the League granted them some cap relief (almost $4 million) after losing Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton to suspension for the rest of the season, they’re going to try and move their $74 million payroll below the cap threshold of $69.9 million. This means that Caron Butler’s days in D.C. could be limited. Read More »
In a lot of people’s eyes, Amar’e Stoudemire and Andre Iguodala are the future (if not current) centerpieces of their respective franchises. But clearly both young stars are expendable.
According to ESPN and RealGM, the Suns and Sixers are discussing a trade that would send Amar’e to the Sixers for Iguodala and Sam Dalembert. Reportedly, the Suns are more eager to get this done than Philly — I’d imagine either because the Sixers don’t want to get stuck paying Amar’e $17 million next season (if he doesn’t opt-out), or because they’re hesitant to give up their most talented wing player and best defender for another big man with noted defensive weaknesses. Read More »
There’s no question that Amar’e Stoudemire would be one of the most pursued free agents this summer if he was on the open market. But it looks more and more like he’s going to go the route of Carlos Boozer and – if not traded before then – remain with the Suns for at least one more year. Read More »
As the NBA trading deadline approaches, no name has been thrown around more than Amar’e Stoudemire. An All-Star starter two years running and once thought to be the future of the Phoenix Suns, now it appears certain that if Amar’e isn’t traded this month, he’ll sign with another team in free agency this summer.
Back in Dime #52 (Oct. 2009), Amar’e talked about facing criticism, injuries, falling short of a championship, as well as the trade rumors that have followed him for the last year. Read More »
The thematic stat you’re going to hear whenever the Mavericks get into another close game is that, dating back to last season, the Mavs are 10-0 in their last 10 games that were decided by one point. The Mavs are also 3-0 this season in games decided by two points, including last November when Dirk Nowitzki hit a game-winner in Milwaukee. Last night the Mavs hosted the Bucks, and again it went down to the wire … Read More »
30. New Jersey Nets (3-40)
Last week: Lost at Phoenix; lost at Golden State; lost at Utah.
You know how some teams can play any style and win? The Nets have become adept at losing with any style. Last week they lost trying to run. They also lose in the halfcourt, lose when they go big, lose when they go small, lose with a youth movement, lose with vets, lose at home, lose on the road … their company softball team probably stinks, too.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-36)
Last week: Lost to Oklahoma City; lost to New Orleans; lost at Milwaukee.
If you’re into moral victories, the Wolves can be proud of at least taking the Thunder and Hornets down to the wire. The talent and competitiveness is there; you just see the execution failures that come with a young team. Read More »
I think at this point, Amar’e Stoudemire is all but gone from Phoenix. As I mentioned in an article last week, it’s unlikely that Stoudemire and the Suns are going to agree on an extension that will satisfy both parties. Plus, there’s plenty of speculation that Amar’e wants to bolt to a bigger market anyway. Now that the divorce is inevitable, the question now remains: Which zip code will STAT relocate to? Read More »
Is there a particular reason why Chris Kaman gets no love? You can argue that the Los Angeles Clippers big man is the most dominant center in the West right now, yet he rarely gets press and he damn sure gets no fan love. As of the latest All-Star voting results, Kaman was not even in the top 10 of centers in the West despite averaging 20.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 1.4 bpg for the season. Read More »
The pressure is certainly on for several teams that have coveted 2010 free agents. GMs are faced with a huge dilemma. Do they keep their star and risk losing him in the offseason? Or do they trade him now and get something in return while they still can? The trade deadline is one month away and big decisions are going to have to be made. One of those teams that could pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade are the Phoenix Suns. ESPN’s Chad Ford is reporting that the Suns are 40 to 50 percent likely to move All-Star forward Amar’e Stoudemire. Read More »
