I don't mind it, but there are a lot of readers who don't follow the NBA who might find it annoying (especially the Miami threads!).

TR, your proposal is good - let's try to keep it to a thread per week perhaps?

Orlando get Maggette! Thats huge.
Feel real bad for Jefferson (airplane?) He is a standout dude. Hopefully the bucks management have a title in mind and not just a bottom line...

why would Posey opt out? Surely he has made enough cash now and would be all about winning. I never understand players that leave good and winning environments. Hello JR if you are reading this.

Don't understand why they are leaving????

To quote Latrell- "we got families to feed man."

Posey would have his agent right in his ear saying- "The league thinks you can defend Kobe and hit clutch treys....caaaa ching!"

If Thomas was still at the knicks he'd offer him a max contract.

Fact is, he won a couple o champs, now wants to get his. Can't blame him- just prey its not your team he goes to. Coz without KG and Perk defending the post Kobe is killing him, and without the Truth drawing the D, he ain't gettin open looks 48 min a game.

More importantly, after signing the contract- whats the motivation? Result, he gonna get faaaaaaaat.

The only teams that should be looking at Posey should be teams that were close this year. I think he would do well at the spurs subbing for old Bowen. Lakers next to Kobe or even the Pistons if they move Prince.

TR, great run down, as usual..

Wow, the Knicks just love trading for the Bulls ex guards don't they. I hope Duhon does well, Bulls have shafted him all along. He could be a real gun point guard for a team needing one. Lakers and Cavs should look at him.

First of all I think Maggette will want more than the MLE, as he opted out of like 7 mil or so, which is more than the MLE. So he would have to really want to go to Orlando. He scored like 22 a game last season, I think he is worth more than 5 mil a year.

And just because Posey opts out, doesn;t mean he can't resign with Celtics. It just gives him more options, and maybe more cash and long term security. He has even said he wants to stay in Celtics green. It was the smart move to opt out.

I'd be pissed if I were Jefferson too. Going from the big apple to the bucks. AND for about 20 cents in the dollar. The only good thing he can take is that he would be bored on a new jersey team that is tanking it for the next two years to get under the cap.

Marc Gasol coming over the pond possibly - would love to see that...

I think invariably Bassy will re-sign with the T-Wolves... By not offering a q. offer i think they can potentially get him cheaper - if there is no-one else who wants him... I like Bassy - but at the right price (he has yet to prove he is worth the big bux...)...

Brent Barry (if anyone cares) has opted out as well, Rockets chasing him.

Biggest news is the Clippers at the moment. Who new Donald Sterling and Elgin Baylor would actually try to win for once?!?!

Second biggest news is Arenas being offered so much. If that is true, both Washington and Golden State fans should picket their front offices. That is WAY too much money for a good - not great - guard.

I can't blame Posey for opting out. He is underpaid at the moment and at 31 he wants to make his last contract a good one. Given his performance in the playoffs and how valuable he could be to several other contenders besides Boston, he is guaranteed to get a better contract offer this off season.

I hope the Celtics are able to retain him. According to Boston media, he wants the MLE over 4-5 years (about $5.8 mill per). 4-5 years is longer than is ideal, but he is definitely worth that much for the next 2 years at a minimum.

Beantown, gilbert is the best guard in the league WHENN he is healthy.

It was that long ago when arenas was dominating the league going for 40 and 50 games week in week out.

I wonder if Arenas` media profile and popularity has anything to do with these kinds of numbers - jersey sales, exposure, blogs, whatnot... It`s all money to an NBA club - and Arenas brings that in spades...

I agree with Kobe-For-MVP - when the guy is healthy he is the closest thing to the real Kobe in the NBA... But that knee has to scare anyone thinking about throwing any money (let alone the kind of figure that is being bandied about) at him... Especially given Arenas` game is predicated (in large part) on explosiveness/quckness... Another Question - how about insuring Arenas` contract as well (whatever the size - of course - the bigger it is the harder and more expensive it will be) - what insurer will take on that kind of risk/contract in this current financial environment...

"that extra million or two can mean the difference between ma kids starving or not" !!! - anonymous NBA player

Beantown- Posey is not a good option man, the guy is all downhill from here, you think he is motivated by championships? he has two now, i think he will get fat on a new contract- big buyer-beware sticker on him. He should only go to contenders and never for a big amount.

There is a long list of guys who made a name by playing alonside stars, which made em look a hell of a lot better than perhaps they were/are, and cashing in on it. Posey is on that list if he gets a fat deal this off-season.

Two types of players that should never be given big contracts-

1/ role players on champ teams

2/ stars on shite teams.

If you want to know what happens when you do pay these types of players.....look at the knicks.

Over paid role players from playoff teams-
Malik Rose, Q-rich, Jeffries, Curry

Star players on shite teams-
Marbury, Randolph, Crawford.

Kobe 4 MVP, I thought Kobe was the best guard in the league?!?!

Arenas is good, but off the top of my head I would take Kobe, Paul, Davis, Deron Williams and Parker before Arenas.

The Wiz actually improved by 2 games without Arenas this season, and they would have done even better if Butler hadn't gone down late in the season. But they will still fall short of a championship unless their big men become better defensively.

IMO, there are quite a few wing players in the league who are roughly as good as another, but what makes the difference between whether they win a championship or not is their big guys and how they defend the paint.

This means guys like Shaq (not now), Duncan and KG are the guys you want to pay the max. To me there is probably a dozen other guys who could be as or more effective than Arenas, so you don't want to overpay for them.

If I were Washington, and I knew Arenas wouldn't sign for less than say $17 mill a season, I would have shopped him for high draft picks/ a good defensive big man last season while he still had a more tradeable contract.

Gilly "gotta feed the kids" Arenas - is worth all dat money ...even if he only play like 20 games a season

Quagmire, I don't think Posey will suddenly get that much worse next year or the year after just because of a bigger contract. Some players maybe, but I think Posey is a good guy. He just complements the big 3 so well both on the floor and as a personality off it.

There just aren't many guys that can step in and play good defence at both wing positions, knock down 3s and make huge plays at big times. Being able to rotate him in to give both Ray and Paul a rest is huge for their productivity over the course of a season.

Another thing: if you watch game 2 when the Lakers made their huge 4th quarter comeback, it was Posey with the big 3 keeping the Celtics nose in front and it was Posey out sprinting everyone from the 3 point line to grab a critical defensive board near the end of the game. If he hadn't, that rebound was Fisher's and the Lakers could have got an open 3 off a broken play. They get their nose in front, Celtics could have lost game 2, and the Lakers probly come back to Boston up 3-2 instead of down 3-2.

There were countless other big plays from Posey, but that one comes to mind straight away.

One final reason: you give up Posey, he goes to a team like the Lakers or the Spurs and burns you in the Finals next year!

Beantown bryant is the best guard in the nba.

But WHENN Arenas is healthy he is the closest thing to bryant in the NBA.

I would take Arenas for the big bucks any day, all teams need is confidence that he will be healthy again.

they should max Posey too .. he the Kobe stopper !!! ...he stop Kobe faster then a white gal on heat with a bunch of lawyers

Actually Paul Pierce did an awesome job containing Kobe as well. However, you don't usually want your star player wasting their energy on defence so you put someone like Posey to try to stop the likes of Kobe for most of the game.

Why would anyone offer Arenas a max contract.

Golden State have come back with a massive offer to Brand. He has to now take a $20 mil paycut to stay with the clippers. Will he do it?:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-clips3-2008jul03,0,2057944.story


AND wizards have offered Gilbert Max. Overpaid?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/01/AR2008070103222.html

(And just quietly, is it just me or does Abe Pollin look like he is about 200 years old?)

Arenas might be worth it if he can come back to playing like he did before his knee exploded... As long as they are assured (and i mean at a high level of confidence) that it wont re-occur - i`d say he`s worth it... Chris Webber got away with hobbling around like Gandalf cause he was 6-10 and 250lbs - Arenas would (i`d suggest) not get away with it being 6-3 / 200??? and a combo guard...

Overnight some huge offers were made:

- Elton Brand got offered $85-$90 million to head to the Warriors.

- Josh Smith is meeting with the 76er and is expecting a hefty payrise.

- Heat are chasing Telfair and Lue

- Suns are looking at Lue

- Looks like Diop will sign with the Mavs for the MLE

- Spurs will make an offer to Maggette

- Duhon wants the full MLE. Turned down the original offers from the Knicks and Magic.

- Gerald Green has signed for 1 year with the Mavs

- Artest is now p*ssed that he didn't opt-out.

- Posey is popular. Hornets, Lakers, Spurs and Pistons are interested.

- Pargo (Hornets) wants a 3 year deal. Hornets are only talking 2.

- Anthony Carter (Nuggets) is getting interest from Charlotte, Cavs, Knicks, Warriors and the Mavs.

- Knicks are interested in White Chocolate, Jason Williams (ex Heat)

- Knicks are shopping Zach. Best offer has been a packet of McDonalds cookies and a broken yoyo.

- New Jersey are looking at J.R Smith

- Manu Ginobili has been elected the flagbearer for Argentina at the opening ceremonies at the Pollution Olympics.

TR, just give everyone the link to hoopshype and prosportsdaily.com

Much easier

Chicago have filled out there coaching staff roster by adding Del Harris, Bernie Bickerstaff and Bob Opcieka alongside Pete Myers who is there for his eighth season.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-080703-chicago-bulls-assistant-coaches,1,1525713.story

Gilbert Arenas has re-signed with the Wizards today.

who care about Arenas !!!?? .. he never play anyway ...dat Grant Hill wannabe !!!

playa, could you please type in English?

Yep, Arenas signs:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3473164

Gave back 16 mill when offered max:

"What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can't do with $111 million?" he told The Washington Post.

I think that's a great PR move, surely the fans will love him more for this, but he still gets near max money.

damn .. he shoulda taken de extra 16 million and fed de homeless or d starving kids in the Nike sweatshops !! ...but anyway de $111 million will barely feed his kids !!

I liked that bit olskool. Even more so this:

"I'm basically giving back $16 million," Arenas said. "This is in line with what I've been saying the whole time. You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams. I don't wanna be one of those players and three years down the road your team is strapped and can't do anything about it."

I'm sure those 2.5 million dollars/year will do so much for the franchise. What a saint....

76ers making a strong bid for Elton Brand now

Brand to 76ers

Pietrus to Orlando

Maggette to Warriors