Lilo is my friend, Bam. He knows that. But thanks for your concern.

While Detroit Pistons prospects display their talents in the Las Vegas Summer League, there were rumors of a backroom move afoot to bring them, or another NBA franchise, to the Las Vegas Strip -- permanently.

According to a story in the Las Vegas Sun, an investment group headed by Chris Milam claims to have “an NBA team under contract,” but Milam refused to name the team.

With the Pistons being on the block, they, naturally, were a point of interest. But the focus now is shifting to the West Coast. A person with knowledge of the agreement says the Golden State Warriors have been sold for a record $450 million.

The person told the Associated Press today that Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber won the bidding. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been formally announced. CNBC first reported the deal. Lacob and Guber beat out Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who had been considered the favorite to buy the team from Chris Cohan.
Vegas Team???

Why the fuck does anyone think a major pro sports team would fly in Vegas?

Why wouldn't it? I know one argument is that there shouldn't be a pro team in a city that revolves around gambling, which really doesn't make sense to me because if someone wanted to pay a player or official to fix a game they can do it no matter where the team is.

Do you think it wouldn't work because there might not be enough people to buy season tickets? I don't see that as being a problem because most of the seats will be owned by casinos who give the tickets to customers.

Those are the only two reasons I can think why it might fail in Vegas, but what do you know that I don't?

seattle should be ahead of vegas when it comes to future teams.

The gambling argument is indeed silly. What is nearby to NYC? A town called Atlantic City. Same state where we have the Nets and Devils. Pass.

I don't think Las Vegas will work because among other things, Las Vegas is such a tourist industry-bang/bust town, would visitors pluck down money to got to a game? Would they rather do that or gamble or attend those Las Vegas-unique shows/attractions? NBA you can get outside of Vegas. And mind you, assuming they would is based on the notion that the team is winning.

Nevermind that Las Vegas is in the middle of a desert. Yeah you know that already, but what else is there? Desert. Major pro sports teams depend upon dominating the TV/PR/advertizing/ticket-buying marketplace of an entire region. And basically buttplugged between southern California (which has many sports franchises) and Arizona (got them too, plus the Suns)...

I just don't see how a Vegas franchise would work. I remember alot of people used arguments for Columbus when that Ohio city got the Blue Jackets from the NHL. One of the biggest cities without a major franchise, untapped potential, yada yada....and its been a flop so far. Well no wonder, it was sandwiched between Cincinnati and Cleveland. Duh! Expect Jackets to move within 5 years.

Vegas surely perhaps would have a better chance than Columbus, and maybe I am being too cynical. Yet I have my reasons to be skeptical.

Also, there is a perception that Las Vegas the city isn't willing to play ball to get a franchise, you know what I mean? Hell the Triple A minor league baseball team there, they're playing in a stadium that is falling apart and the city has been unwilling to bank a new joint or renovations.

If they're unwilling to do that for a Triple A farm team, why would they for a NBA franchise?



I feel sorry about the SuperSonics. Fuck Oklahoma City, what the fuck those assholes ever do?

I agree with 90% of your post, Ronnie. However, I feel inclined to point out that sports betting is not legal in New Jersey; and sports betting is where the danger of collusion exists. Hell, there are table games in over 30 states now, what with the Indian reservations and all. But sports betting is still only legal in the state of Nevada.

Q&A with Joe D.

....
KL: I talked to Arnie Kander a couple of weeks ago and he said he’s been busier this summer than the past several because of the level of activity in and out of the practice facility, people either coming back into town or staying in Detroit for the off-season. We talked after the season about you delivering the message that the Pistons are going to be tougher and you said the message was well-received. Do you sense that this is a resolve that will carry over into the season?

JD: It’s been a really good start, that’s for sure, a really good start in guys taking the message and putting it into practice. You’ve come through quite a bit this summer and I think you’ve seen the guys in there this summer. The guy who has gotten my attention the most is Charlie Villaneuva, how consistently he’s come in there. He’s a guy we feel like we can get a lot more out of than we did last year. And I like the fact that the guys understand that we look at last year as an aberration.

That is not the culture and that’s not the Detroit Pistons we’re going to be. It’s unacceptable. And like I’ve said to you before, that message has been delivered, it’s been delivered extremely strong, to each one of the guys and to their agents. Because I didn’t want there to be any miscommunication of where we’re coming from, so I made sure. With some of the guys, I spoke to them along with their agents, either on the phone or in person. Or I called their agents after I spoke to the guys and said, listen, here’s what I just told your guy. So if there’s any hiccup, everybody kind of knows where we’re coming from. I think that’s part of why you’re seeing what you’ve seen this summer, because a very strong message has been delivered to these guys under no uncertain terms.
.....

http://www.freep.com/article/20100720/SPORTS06/100720051/

MIAMI — After 14 years, Pat Riley finally has Juwan Howard.

The Michigan alumnus joined the Miami Heat today, signing a deal that won’t raise the ire of NBA officials — unlike his first agreement with Riley. In July 1996, Howard signed a $100-million, seven-year contract with Miami that ultimately was voided by the league because the Heat had gone over the salary cap.

After all this time, Riley thinks Howard will fit his team again. And for a veteran’s minimum salary, the NBA won’t complain, either.

“We feel that Juwan's ability to play both the four and five spot will be complementary to what we have put together,” said Riley, the Heat president. “He also gives us incredible professionalism and is a perfect fit behind Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem.”

Howard becomes the 12th player under contract by the Heat for 2010-11, the sixth newcomer to join the rebuilt roster. Miami will be the ninth team for Howard, who will begin his 17th NBA season this fall. He appeared in 73 games with Portland last season and averaged 6.0 points, making 27 starts.

The Howard reunion with Miami is tinged in irony.

Riley originally signed Howard in what he thought was a blockbuster summer of 1996, seeing him as a huge chip to play alongside Alonzo Mourning — who landed a $112-million deal in that same off-season. Instead, Howard arrives during the blockbuster summer of 2010, with Mourning now an executive who helped the Heat land LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

What Howard doesn’t have is a championship ring, which is why he came to Miami.

For his career, Howard has averaged 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. Among active players, he ranks fourth in games (1,116), 15th in points (15,957) and 10th in rebounds (7,251). But his playoff career is largely nonexistent: Howard has appeared in just 29 playoff games (his teams are 9-20), and he has gotten out of the first round of the postseason only once.

Like Wade, Howard — who was part of Michigan’s “Fab Five” in the early 1990s — is a Chicago native. They work out at the gym owned by famed trainer Tim Grover in their hometown, though rarely together.

By the time Wade arrives most mornings, Howard is getting done with his daily regimen.

“I get there at 9, and think I’m there early, and he’s done with his workout,” Wade said. “That’s our veteran. That’s one of those veterans we respect so much because every time we walk in the gym, he’s been there before us. To be at the point where he is in his career, we just respect him so much. He’s a great guy; you want things to happen to good people.”

With Howard signed, the Heat now have an inside corps of him, Bosh, Haslem, Joel Anthony, Jamaal Magloire, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and rookie Dexter Pittman. At guards and on the wing, Miami has Wade, James, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and James Jones.

Next up is likely the return of point guard Carlos Arroyo, a former Detroit Piston who started 35 games for the Heat last season. The Heat are still looking for at least one other veteran perimeter player, though any deal now almost certainly would have to be around a minimum-salary level because of cap rules.

This a pretty cool idea to replace the mural that the "Quitness" occupied. It's of Josh Cribbs, current Browns return phenom who also grew up in the Cleveland area. Unlike LeBron, Cribbs re-signed with his hometown team.

True to my word

And Cribbs was never heard from again.

Update:
A source told CBSSports.com that Paul has put into motion "an aggressive exit strategy" and has a clear intention to be traded before the start of the 2010-11 season.

Recommendation:
"He wants out," the source said. "He wants to play with another superstar." Paul's discontent with New Orleans has been simmering all offseason, but this latest report seems to indicate that everything could soon come bubbling to the surface. According to the source, Paul's preferred destinations are Orlando (to team with Dwight Howard), Los Angeles (to team with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol) or New York (to join Amar'e Stoudemire and likely try to woo Carmelo Anthony). Paul's agreement to sign with LeBron James' marketing company LRMR last month was considered the first step of his New Orleans exit strategy, and his next move will be to join the Creative Artists Agency, the group that exerted considerable sway over the free agent pool this summer and helped orchestrate the arrival of the Miami trio in South Beach. Like it or not, this is the new NBA world, and there seems to be a legitimate chance that Paul has played his last game with the Hornets.

Chris Paul Story

Magic is the latest legend to rebuke Lebron James.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_do...?urn=nba-257330

hey pizzaboy how do you feel about the rumors of chris paul wanting to be traded to the knicks?

Heat Build Supporting Cast

Adding LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the re-signed Dwyane Wade was supposed to be the easy part for the Heat, with filling out a roster on a limited budget due to cap restraints being incredibly difficult. Some thought the Heat would be unable to sign anyone better than the milk man, but Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, James Jones, Joel Anthony, Jamaal Magloire and eventually Juwan Howard have been amazingly cooperative.

While some people have been suspicious of whether or not the Heat might have been guilty of tampering with James or Bosh, the circumstances of how Haslem and Miller ended up signing with the team are more deserving of an inquisition. Haslem left approximately $14 million on the table versus what he could have made for the Nuggets or Mavericks and Miller took between $6 million and potential $11 million less than what he could have earned elsewhere.

Without being cynical or paranoid, Haslem's sacrifice feels too good to be true and I suspect there is an unstated debt to be repaid upon his retirement. Unless the violation is particularly egregious, I take a liberal viewpoint where we simply turn a blind eye to it. When Haslem becomes a Special Assistant to the Heat, is the NBA going to take down their championship banners like they are a college team?

The Heat now have Bosh and James at $14.5 million for 10-11, Wade at $14.2 million, Miller at $5 million, Haslem at $3.5 million and Anthony at $3.3 million; this exactly the Celtics of the 1950s in terms of depth, but they have done better than expected.

With the highest price-tag, Miller is the most consequential addition to the Big 3. Ever since leaving Memphis after the 07-08 season, Miller hasn't been the same player as he's shelled up almost completely. But he is a 40.5% career shooter from distance and shot an unreal 48.0% on 171 attempts during the 09-10 season.

He is an excellent shooter with a hand in his face, but he simply does not miss shots when he's left open, which is an inevitability due to the double teams that James and Wade command. Even though Mario Chalmers is back to run the point guard position, I don't see how the Heat don't finish games with Wade at point guard, Miller at shooting guard, with James and Bosh at the forward positions.

The logic of choosing Miller over a big man is interesting because the Big 3 should never struggle to score efficiently, with or without a shooter who can stretch the floor as masterfully as him. The area where Miami is setup to be most vulnerable is at center, particularly against the two teams they will most likely face deep into the postseason (Magic, Lakers).

But understanding Miami's logic is easy when looking at the defensive bigs that were available at a comparable price, as well as what they can sign for minimums.

While Miller won't be able to guard Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum or Dwight Howard, there is no question he will make life infinitely easier on that Big 3.

Grade for Heat: A-

Miller is close with both James and was a college roommate with Haslem, so there is of course a built-in comfort in playing for the Heat. Plus, Miller has the opportunity to elevate how he is remembered from a journeyman gunner into the fourth best player on a team that wins multiple titles.

Grade for Miller: A

Haslem was easily Miami's best rebounder during the 09-10 season and should not see any meaningful decline throughout his contract. He is still a decent spot-up shooter and fairly agile, making him a good option for the pick-and-roll.

Defensively, he guards power forwards well, but he is far too small to contain true centers. It will be difficult for Haslem to be on the floor as the same time as Bosh unless the Heat are comfortable going very small since the latter can't really defend centers either.

The real value in Haslem comes in terms of creating some continuity between the old Heat and this new world version, as a very well-liked veteran and also as insurance for when Bosh is forced to miss a few games here and there due to injury.

Grade for Heat: B-

The financial sacrifice made by Haslem is almost impossible to fathom and is not something you or I would ever genuinely consider without some sort of unspoken understanding to make it back secretly over time in retirement.

Let's assume Haslem will not make a single cent from the Heat as soon as steps off the floor for the final time, he is accepting approximately 30% less than what he could have made for his entire career.

The amount of Haslem's contract with the Heat does feel appropriate with his true value and I'm not precisely sure why the Nuggets or Mavericks would feel so inclined to offer the amount of money they even did.

Grade for Haslem: D+

Ilgauskas departs Cleveland after logging 771 games in the wine and gold, but he does so with a clear conscious considering how apparently disappointed he was with the trade to the Wizards, even if it was an obvious charade.

Up until the 09-10 season, Ilgauskas was incredibly productive, but his production across the board dropped. He no longer can rebound or score at the rate we have seen him maintain into his 30s.

But Ilgauskas, like every big over seven feet, has six fouls to utilize.

Grade for Heat: A-

As much as Bosh hitched his wagon to James in the early-going, Ilgauskas was always the surest bet to follow him wherever he signed. Signing for the minimum made that decision a no-brainer for all sides.

Grade for Ilgauskas: A-

The Heat needed a defensive big and Anthony is one of the NBA's best shotblockers. He doesn't do much of anything offensively, but he does defend very well, even if he is undersized. He absolutely has some room to improve, but he is almost 28 already.

The pricetag of $3.3 million in 10-11 is reasonable, particularly in light of what else is out there at center.

Grade for Heat: B+

We never heard much about Anthony's market outside of Miami, but it is safe to assume he didn't exactly leave much money on the table considering how little he has made in his brief NBA career. Anthony has a chance to prove himself on the NBA's biggest stage while making $18 million over the next five seasons and he won't be asked to do anything offensively except watch the show.

Grade for Anthony: A

Superfriends get sidekicks

Heat Has Solid Backup Plan
By HOWARD BECK
When LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh formed their South Beach superfriends club, it left fans of jilted rivals only one resort: sneer at the rest of the lineup.

It was a natural reflex. Two weeks ago, the Miami Heat barely had a roster. And even superfriends need trusty sidekicks to win a title.


Miami had to gut its roster to make room for three mammoth salaries. The problem, if it could be called that, was a profound lack of payroll flexibility to fill the vacancies. The Heat, skeptics noted, would have to go shopping in the bargain bin.

To the great glee of Miami fans, and the probable dismay of everyone else, the task proved easier than expected.

The superfriends took pay cuts. Veterans started flocking to South Beach. The roster is now nearly complete, and it rates somewhere between not too shabby and darn solid.

The supporting cast features Mike Miller, one of the top 3-point shooters in the league; Udonis Haslem, a scrappy rebounder who helped Miami win the 2006 title; James Jones, a veteran shooter; center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, James’s longtime teammate in Cleveland; and the young point guard Mario Chalmers.

Miami also re-signed one veteran big man, Jamaal Magloire, picked up another, Juwan Howard and seems set to shore up the backcourt with a familiar face. Carlos Arroyo, who finished last season as the Heat’s starting point guard, plans to re-sign, according to The Sun-Sentinel.

The Heat’s starting lineup could look like this: Arroyo and Wade at guard, James and Bosh at forward, and Joel Anthony at center. The top five reserves would be Miller, Haslem, Ilgauskas, Chalmers and Howard.

It is not the sexiest, flashiest group around. But on a team with James, Wade and Bosh, efficient and effective should suffice. On balance, Miami’s bench compares favorably to those of its chief rivals, the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. And it is much better than anyone envisioned two weeks ago.

Credit the three stars, who all took lower salaries to give the team more salary-cap room. That room turned into Miller and Haslem, who will form the core of the Heat’s bench. Everyone else came for minimum contracts, lured by the chance to win titles and play in Miami.

Miller has converted 40.5 percent of his 3-pointers in 10 seasons and has an overall shooting percentage of 46.4. He is a solid rebounder (5.1 per game) and playmaker (3.2 assists per game), and a selfless teammate. Coaches have faulted him for not shooting enough.

After a mostly anonymous career with lousy teams in Memphis, Minnesota and Washington, Miller could become a breakout star in Miami.

Haslem, who has played his entire seven-year career with Miami, is always good for 8-10 points, 8-10 rebounds and sturdy interior defense. A starter for most of his career, he now becomes one of the best backup power forwards in the league.

Ilgauskas was also a starter in Cleveland for nearly his entire career, until he was pushed to the bench by Shaquille O’Neal last season. In 2008-9, he started 65 games, averaging 12.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He can play on the low block or step out and shoot, and at 7 feet 3 inches remains a defensive force in the paint.

Skeptics will downgrade the Heat at point guard: Arroyo and Chalmers are both better suited for the bench. But James and Wade will do most of the ball-handling, making a point guard nearly irrelevant. The Heat mostly needs Arroyo and Chalmers to defend and hit open jumpers.

There are understandable doubts at center, as well. Ilgauskas, 35, is a bit old and slow. Magloire, 32, has been coasting for at least five years. Anthony has no discernible skills. But Howard can also play the pivot in a pinch, as he showed last season in Portland.

The Heat will inevitably be known as LeBron, Dwyane, Bosh and “those other guys.” But the other guys may be good enough to help them lift the trophy next June.

I like him, so I hope it's true, but I won't be getting my hopes up (they are the Knicks after all ). Crazy as it sounds, his salary ($45 million for three years) is kinda cheap in this day and age, so if they can grab him without worrying about the cap, they should do it.

personally if the choice is between the knicks and magic, i would choose the knicks because i would love to see the bulls-knicks rivery heat up again. that, and if chris paul goes to orlando then they will be unstopable with him ally ooping to dwight howard.

Who would willingly choose to play for Dolan?

At least Magic, you have stable competent sane management.

Was that pun intended?

Haha, good catch! Took me a second to get it.

An interesting story about how LeBron James is acting like he's Paris Hilton these days rather than Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.

ESPN story about LeBron in Vegas taken down from ESPN.com

An interesting take and commentary from Yahoo Sports

You mean Lebron made a homemade porno?

Man, people find anything to nit pick these days...who cares if he's partying it up? The guy's clearly content, let him be

The bigger James' head swells up, the better. I have to think that players who have actually won a ring (KG, Kobe, Gasol, and Rondo) all have to be quietly laughing to themselves. LeBron has been such a clown throughout this whole ordeal and is acting like it's a foregone conclusion he'll win. Until he proves it on the court, he still has as many rings as Karl Malone and Charles Barkley.

To quote the great meltdown by Denny Green "You wanna go on and crown their ass, then crown 'em."

Lebron and company has to go through the magic, celtics, bulls, hawks, and maybe knicks to get to the finals.

...Wade...

...and they have to come through Miami. Tough roads for all I suppose.

Shaq, A.I., Tracy McGrady want big pay without big play

The NBA is a league of stars, and while one set shines brightly, another quietly fades into the background. Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady were arguably the premier players in the NBA for the early part of the decade.

Not in 2010.

All three are looking for a job, and trying to cope with the fact they are no longer what they once were.

McGrady, the youngest scoring champion in history, worked out for the Bulls this week, but believes he's ready to be a starter on a championship-caliber team, as opposed to being a valuable contributor off the bench.

"I won't have a problem, but that's not what I'm really shooting for," McGrady, 31, told reporters after the workout. "I've worked extremely hard, trust me. It's up to me in training camp to prove I'm a starter."

He played only 30 games last season after microfracture surgery on his knee, and averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 assists.

O'Neal, who played relatively well for Cleveland last season, still considers himself a top-tier big man and prefers to be paid as such. Never mind the 38-year-old has made nearly $300 million since 1992 or that his 2009-10 averages of 12 points and six rebounds are half his career numbers.

O'Neal is balking at the midlevel exception, believing there's a team willing to pay him based on box-office sales and past glory.

Iverson's case is different, yet more concrete.

After insisting he would do whatever it took for the sake of "team" in Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia, his ego made his promises null and void. There's no doubt Iverson still can help, if he agrees to come off the bench.

Those three are painful reminders careers are not only fragile but finite, and the twilights of great careers often don't bring happy endings.

Particularly if the player doesn't know his star has long since faded.

Door closing on Paul
NBA officials sent out a memo to teams warning about player tampering, particularly in the case of Hornets guard Chris Paul.

League officials threatened teams and agents with fines of up to $5 million if backdoor deals are being worked on.

Paul reportedly has been unhappy about the direction of the Hornets after a disappointing offseason. His alliance with close friend LeBron James has sparked rumors about Leon Rose , the agent for Paul and James, shopping to find Paul a new home.

Too bad the league didn't try this hard line before James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade turned free agency into a circus.

By the numbers
1 -- Times Tracy McGrady has played more than 70 games in a season since 2005

5 -- Former all-stars on the free-agent market

7 -- Non all-stars with top-15 salaries in 2010-11

Best of the best
The Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010 will be inducted in August. Here are the headliners:

Inductee Notable
Karl Malone Second-leading scorer in NBA history (36,928 points); two-time Olympic gold medalist
Scottie Pippen Seven-time all-star, six-time champion; two-time Olympic gold medalist
Jerry Buss Lakers owner, winner of 10 NBA titles
Dennis Johnson* Three-time champion; Finals MVP (1979); 6-time all-defense
*died in 2007

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100729/OPINION03/7290339#ixzz0v9psiUVu

It remains to be seen how they will mesh on the court, how the coach will work out and what happens when one of the Big Three get injured but this team is looking very nice on paper.

Eddie House has agreed to a two-year contract with the Miami Heat, agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed Thursday.

House will receive about $2.8 million over two seasons, which is the veterans' exception. There is a player option in the second season.

``It's just a great fit,'' Bartelstein said. ``This guy had a great relationship with the Heat before. And he's still one of the most dynamic guys coming off the bench at hitting big shots in big moments. He's the best in the league at what he does.

Read more: http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/6.../#ixzz0vBfSoK8A