This has been a summer full of teases. The Cavs teased their fans into thinking it was their championship to lose; Sacramento was teased into thinking their terrible record would at least land them Blake Griffin; Ricky Rubio (might have) teased the Wolves into thinking he was their next PG; DeJuan Blair was teased into thinking he was a first-round pick; and Knicks fans were teased into thinking they had Stephen Curry in their pocket … Yesterday it continued, as Hedo Turkoglu apparently teased the Blazers into thinking they had him ready to sign for $50 million over five years, until — while he was in Portland visiting with his almost-new team — Hedo decided he’d rather go to the Raptors for $56 million over five … Read More »
Earlier today, multiple media outlets reported that Hedo Turkoglu had reached an agreement with the Blazers on a five-year, $50 million.
Turns out, according to the Toronto Globe & Mail, while Hedo was actually in Portland on a visit with the Blazers, he changed his mind and decided to go with the Raptors. The Toronto deal is reported to be worth around $56-60 million for five years.
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 »
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):
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 »
Isn’t Gillette being a bit presumptuous here? Their three flagship promoters - Derek Jeter, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods - are three of the greatest to ever play their respective sports. (Save it, Jeter-haters.) But now there’s a fourth guy in the mix: Ricky Rubio.
Word is that the Bearcats leapfrogged Arizona, Memphis and Florida International, and we could hear about a commitment as early as tomorrow. Check out the rest of the story HERE.
In the final episode of the Jonny Flynn Dime Draft Diary, the journey becomes complete. From the nerves prior to the draft to the reaction immediately after being drafted to a little bit of insight on how the Rubio situation may turn out, Jonny never stops smiling and sharing exactly what he’s thinking with the Dime viewer.
Big thanks to Jonny for making this diary a huge success. If you haven’t been watching, make sure you check them out. Jonny is incredibly honest on camera and easy to become a fan of. He saved the best for last though.
