Let me warn you before you continue reading: The following list is not filled with future All-Stars or Hall of Famers. At this stage in the game, if you’re still a free agent, you’re most likely looking for an NBA roster spot before you have to settle for an overseas gig. But with that in mind, there are still some talented players – under the age of 25 – that are worth the minimal investment for the potential future payoff. I’m not saying sign them to a five-year, $34 million like the Raptors did with 23-year-old Amir Johnson, but you get the picture. Without further ado, here are the Top 5 NBA Free Agents Under 25 Years Old. Read More »

Weren’t we promised 40 nights of drama or something like that? Unless you placed bets on the Jazz and Hawks to beat a 20-point spread in their respective Game 4′s against the Lakers and Magic, there was nothing dramatic about last night’s NBA playoffs … To be fair, Atlanta did get within single digits of Orlando late in the third quarter, but Rashard Lewis (17 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts) and Vince Carter (22 pts) promptly shot them back out of it to open the fourth. It wasn’t long before it was time to call Sandman from “Showtime at The Apollo” to yank the Hawks off the stage … Read More »

On the eve of the NBA playoffs, I listed 10 players I saw as the biggest X-factors to determine this year’s championship. On purpose, I didn’t include anybody from the Utah Jazz. Truth is, I didn’t think they had a realistic shot at the ‘chip.

I was wrong. After knocking off the higher-seeded Nuggets in the first round and giving the Lakers all they could handle before losing down the stretch in yesterday’s Game 1 of the conference semifinals, the Jazz are as much a competitor as anybody else still alive in the postseason. Read More »

After the rumors quieted surrounding Amar’e Stoudemire, Miami has decided to check in on another Western Conference power forward. And even though this deal doesn’t appear like it’s going to happen before the deadline, the Heat and Jazz are talking about a trade that would send Carlos Boozer to Miami for the expiring contracts of Udonis Haslem and Quentin Richardson. Sources say that the Jazz and Heat might need a third team to complete a deal, and the Wizards (who are about $830,000 over the luxury tax threshold right now) could use the cap relief. Read More »

The Utah Jazz locker room is a lot more interesting than you think. Although he gives terrible interviews, Deron Williams has no problem running his mouth to C.J. Miles and Ronnie Brewer. Rookie Eric Maynor is getting teased by every media member in the Madison Square Garden locker room for his hot pink Barbie backpack (I’m guessing it’s not by choice). Meanwhile, Carlos Boozer is on his own island sitting in front of the TV watching game film while bobbing his head to his headphones (which are playing Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement”). In the midst of the chaos, Andrei Kirilenko is sitting quietly by himself reading a book and looking sophisticated with his new Jude Law haircut and his legs crossed. I felt bad interrupting him, but did so anyway to get this interview. Read More »

While you know anything Sam Smith reports must be taken with a grain of salt, the Bulls.com writer has speculated trade talks between the Bulls, Jazz and Rockets that would involve shipping Carlos Boozer to the Bulls, Shane Battier and Carl Landry to the Jazz, and Tyrus Thomas, Jerome James and Kyrylo Fesenko to the Rockets. Read More »