NBA Offseason

[UNT_92_Fan]

Where do u think these stars will land....

McGrady? (obviously gone since he refuses to re-sign after this next year)

Shaq? (after the bit they did on sportscenter tonite i would think he is gone)

Kobe? (not sure if he is goin anywhere)

any other offseason moves....lets talk about the Mavs and everything....I am a basketball nut as many know and This time of year with the draft and the free agency stuff always keeps me sane till football....

If it weren't 3 in the morning I would have a long post...i will hitcha with one tomorrow or something fi anyone wants to talk about this topic...

GMG

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

Kobe's a FA, Mitch Kupchak said Shaq is expendable, Nash is a FA, there is an expansion draft, a rookie draft. I think the offseason will be better than the regular season!

The big thing with the NBA is matching salaries in a deal. That makes it hard to predict where a player who makes a ton (Shaq or T-Mac) may land. My only prediction right now is that Kobe stays in LA. Once I read a little more about the other FA's, and whose salary could get close to Shaq's, I may have some more. With contracts that big, three way deals are used to make the money match so it's a tough thing to guess at. Good thread.

Edited June 19, 2004 by KPFC Sports Dept.

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

Good little thing about why Shaq wants out at ESPN.

The way that talked goes right along with everything else I am hearing..that Kobe has more power in that organization than anyone right now. This line is classic from Tom Friend:

"In other words, he is not averse to trading Shaq and is willing to build his franchise around a narcissist who's on trial for rape, doesn't make his teammates better and is in denial over all of it."

T-Mac demands a trade, and the Magic asked for 4 players from Indiana? They asked for Artest, Tinsley, Harrington, and Bender. Then the Orlando GM said this:

"There are teams offering three guys and their first-round pick. Three established players and a lottery pick is certainly a respectable offer for a team that has a lot of holes to fill"

I wonder if the Mavs are one of those teams? That was the rumor a while back.

[Zeke]

on Shaq: I think Shaq is the most dominant player of our time. (I didn't say best, I said dominant). 3 good players and a first rounder is asking quite a bit though.

On Kobe: Anybody who has kept up has at one time or another seen stats on how the Lakers played when Shaq was out. I have seen two different sets of stats for this, this +/- points for when Shaq is on the floor or off the floor, and simply win/loss record for when Shaq was out with an injury. Sorry I don't have them, but both numbers made an obvious statment as to what happened when Kobe ran the show. Kobe is a great talent, but I am tired of this comparison to Jordan. Jordan never played with any other superstar. Don't mention Pippen, that was a case of Jordan making someone better. It appears Kobe will have mega talent all around him for the rest of his career. You can bet I will be cheering for his failure.

[Guest e-bone]

From what I've been hearing on the radio, Nash is probably going to stay with the Mavs. I'm not sure if this is a wise business decision for the Mavs since they will likely have to overpay for him like they did with Finley, LeFrentz, and just about everyone else on the team. But if Cuban wants to keep the team together, playing the same style of basketball they really do have to keep Nash unless they are going to trade for Jason Kidd.

That proposed McGrady deal with the Pacers is crazy. If that happened the Magic would automatically be a middle of the pack East team with the potential to become much better. Harrington and Bender could really become very good players if they got significant playing time, which is why I wouldn't mind a sign and trade with Nash to the Pacers for Harrington and someone else. I really like Artest since he is great on defense while also being good on offense, and he is one guy that I would love for the Mavs to get. I know it's unrealistic and Pacers will not trade him, but I would like to see him in a Mavs uniform.

[UNT_92_Fan]

last nite on sportscenter they were talking about McGrady and Houston....One trade mentioned was francis, mobley and cato for McGrady..... Thats huge!

My eye gots real big when they were talking about Shaq qanting to play in Dallas....i dont like the idea to much but the guy is the toughest guy in the NBA to defend.... hypothetically speaking (and i honestly hope this never becomes a reality)....who does dallas dish to get shaq here....????

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

Justin, I think it would have to be a three way trade with another team to make it work. That seems like the only way to me anyway.

T-Mac or Shaq on the Mavs...hard to imagine, but the NBA is crazy right now.

[UNT_92_Fan]

i def. agree with ya aaron...this offseason could very well be more exciting the season....

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

Marc Stein said this:

What are some trade possibilities, then?

The Lakers would naturally prefer to deal Shaq to an Eastern Conference club, but Shaq's favorite team out there -- Orlando -- doesn't have the pieces necessary to entice the Lakers, even with the No. 1 overall pick coming in next week's draft. Tracy McGrady is the most attractive commodity Orlando can pitch, but a McGrady-Kobe partnership doesn't exactly sound workable. If Shaq wants to go back to the team he walked out on in the of summer 1996, at least one more team would have to be involved in the deal, presumably to take McGrady while sending quality youth on to L.A.

The irony here is that the Lakers have to look at ensemble teams in the Detroit mold if they're serious about moving Shaq. They need three or four quality players in return, and not simply because it will take that many contracts to match Shaq's nearly $28 million salary next season. The Lakers' roster is that thin. Even if Bryant stays, he's going to need a clutch of new teammates to keep the Lakers among the elite.

Since Detroit won't be in a rush to break up a championship squad with ring-winning chemistry, expect to hear Indiana mentioned as a possible destination, given the Pacers' abundance of blossoming talent. It seems far more likely, though, that Indiana would try to acquire McGrady to pair him with Jermaine O'Neal as opposed to jumping into the Shaq Sweepstakes.

Thus you can also expect a few West clubs to make pitches, ignoring the Lakers' preference for sending Shaq across the conference divide -- starting with Dallas owner Mark Cuban, who would likely trade anyone on his roster outside of Dirk Nowitzki. Memphis' Jerry West will be interested as well, given his history with O'Neal and a roster filled with precisely the sort of up-and-comers that would intrigue Kupchak. Phoenix is another interesting possibility; Kupchak figures to go after the same twosome -- Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion -- Orlando has sought in McGrady talks.

Edited June 19, 2004 by KPFC Sports Dept.

[JayDub]

Please remember I'm a big Cuban fan here...but, let's say Shaq winds up with the Mavs. Will Cuban end his crusade against Ed Rush and bad officiating?

[UNT_92_Fan]

thanks for poating that aaron....i cought the beginning of his commentary on SC earlier before i had to head to work....for those of ya in the lewisville area...come up to Shake's frozen custard off of 1171 and valley parkway...we are dead! Ask for Justin the manager....

[PerryG2480]

Just heard another confirmation on ESPN radio that Mark Cuban IS working on a deal to get Shaq to Dallas. They went on to say it would most likely involve trading 2 of the Big 3 and some filler...even Shawn Bradley .

I don't know how I feel about that...you've gotta figure it wouldn't involve Finley with Kobe and Kareem Rush already out there. I hope that Cuban wouldn't trade BOTH Nash and Dirk...I can live with one, but not both.

I don't know what he's got in the works, but you've gotta figure it involves some outside-of-the-box thinking.

[Guest e-bone]

Shaq has ruined the NBA which has in turn trickled down to start the ruin of college and high school basketball, so I don't know if I can be a fan of the Dallas Mavericks with Shaq on the team. I was a fan of the Mavs when they were the worst team in the league, but I just despise Shaq and what he has done to the game of basketball so much that I can't cheer for the team he is on.

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

I stand by that Shaq has ruined the NBA and I dispised the preferential treatment he has gotten while in LA, but if he becomes a Mav, I will seriously consider selling my soul to the basketball satan and hope for a title.

[JayDub]

I will seriously consider selling my soul to the basketball satan and hope for a title.

May Basketball Jesus save your soul in time...

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

This basketball Jesus? Sports Guy's ode to Larry Legend.

Or this one?

Jesus takes it strong to hole against some seven year olds.

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

103.3 FM is saying that T-Mac is quoted in a Florida paper as saying that he and Shaq are both trying to get to Dallas. I can't find the link, but maybe espn.com will put it up soon and we can see the quote. I don't even know what to think about this.

[PerryG2480]

103.3 FM is saying that T-Mac is quoted in a Florida paper as saying that he and Shaq are both trying to get to Dallas.  I can't find the link, but maybe espn.com will put it up soon and we can see the quote.  I don't even know what to think about this.

Yeah, they just spent a few minutes talking about that on the Goodfellas. They are apparently friends and have houses near each other in Orlando. I think that it's a longshot, but who knows? I think I'd give up the Big Three, Walker, and Howard to make this happen.

Your 2004-2005 Dallas Mavericks:

Marquise Daniels

Tracy McGrady

Antawn Jamison

Danny Fortson

Shaquille O'Neal

[PerryG2480]

Found this article at NBA.com:

Jun 19, 10:57 PM

McGrady, Shaq going to Mavs?

Magic star wants to play with O'Neal

BY JOHN DENTON

FLORIDA TODAY

ORLANDO -- Magic fans already staggered by the declaration that Tracy McGrady has likely played his last game in Orlando might want to sit and brace themselves for this one.

The coming days could evolve into what would assuredly be a Magic fan's worst nightmare.

McGrady, expected to be traded any day now by the Magic, wants to play with Shaquille O'Neal next season. O'Neal, of course, jilted the Magic eight years ago when he shockingly left as a free agent for Los Angeles.

Apparently, it was no coincidence that on the same day sources claimed McGrady has no plans of returning to the Magic and wants to be traded that O'Neal also told reporters that he wants out of Los Angeles. McGrady and O'Neal are part-time neighbors in suburban Orlando and friends to the point that McGrady often refers to Shaq as "my big brother." Now, the two have discussed in depth a plan that would unite them in Dallas while playing for owner Mark Cuban.

"We talk all the time about it," McGrady told FLORIDA TODAY on Saturday. "Me and the Big Fella are trying to get to Dallas together now."

McGrady said he didn't want to get into a war of words with the Magic and wasn't ready yet to officially disclose his desire to be traded. But a team source beat him to the punch Friday, admitting McGrady had asked out of Orlando and that a blockbuster deal would likely come this week.

Magic general manager John Weisbrod didn't deny the report, but also refused to confirm it. He and McGrady's Los Angeles-based agent, Arn Tellem, have agreed not to discuss negotiations publicly until a deal is done.

"I certainly will not confirm that T-Mac's going to be traded," Weisbrod said. "But I'm going to continue to say on T-Mac what I've said for the last month, which is that Arn and I are in discussions. We were in discussions late (Friday) night and we were in discussions early (Saturday) morning. We will be in discussions (Saturday) afternoon."

It's a long shot whether McGrady and O'Neal can actually play in Dallas together. O'Neal is scheduled to make $27.7 million next season, while McGrady is due $14.4 million. Both can opt out of their contracts following next season.

Under NBA rules, the Mavericks would have to send contracts within 15 percent of O'Neal's and McGrady's back to the Lakers and Magic to make the trades work. The Mavs have plenty of big-salaried players -- Antoine Walker ($14.6 million), Michael Finley ($14.6 million), Dirk Nowitzki ($12.5 million), Antawn Jamison ($11.3 million) and Tariq Abdul-Wahad ($6.7 million) -- but it's debatable whether the Lakers or Magic would want anyone other than Nowitzki.

"It's news to me," Cuban wrote of the McGrady-Shaq plan in an e-mail Saturday. "I can only hope."

Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday that "going into this offseason, it was our plan to be very active."

A more likely trade option for the Magic could be with Houston or Indiana. Indiana was thought to have the edge, but the Rockets have apparently crept into the lead for McGrady's services.

Weisbrod said he expects the McGrady matter to be resolved by Thursday's draft, when the Magic will pick first overall.

One scenario is that the Magic will work out a trade with Houston or Phoenix, but not announce it for another two weeks. Because of base-year compensation contract rules, Houston point guard Steve Francis and Phoenix forward Shawn Marion can't be traded until after July 1. The All-Star players would likely have to be included in any deal the Magic works with those teams. Weisbrod even hinted that a deal might go down this week, but it would not be public until after July 1.

"Yes, I expect to know," Weisbrod said when asked if he expects resolution in the McGrady matter before the draft. "I can't say that I would expect that to be public information. I have every intention of knowing where that's going when we make these (draft) decisions."

The Pacers, meanwhile, have an overflow of talent at the two forward positions and are in great need of the scoring that McGrady, the league's two-time scoring champ, could provide. Also, the Pacers also are hungry to reload after getting beaten in the Eastern Conference Finals by Detroit.

Indiana might be willing to offer a package that includes small forward Ron Artest, the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and promising power forwards Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender. Because their three salaries equal $19 million, the Magic might have to include either Juwan Howard or Drew Gooden to make the trade work.

"I had some conversations (with Weisbrod)," Pacers CEO/President Donnie Walsh admitted to the Indianapolis Star on Saturday night. "They listened and they were going to talk to McGrady and then they were going to get back to me. They haven't gotten back to me. We have interest and we talked about several players. That's where it was left."

Another factor in a potential Indiana-Orlando trade is that McGrady and Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal are close friends. Both are represented by Tellem, as is Pacers veteran guard Reggie Miller. Tellem is one of the most powerful agents in sports and was originally against McGrady coming to Orlando when he signed in 2000. Tellem, who favored Chicago then, could be pushing now for McGrady to move on.

"I don't know that I get a sense of Arn's personal opinion," Weisbrod said. "Obviously, Arn's responsibility is to represent the kid and I think obviously the kid's been all over the board emotionally. It's a tough thing and it's understandable, he's a little inconsistent but that's pretty understandable. That's a big decision, he loves Orlando and he's a young kid. I think now Arn's job is to stay close to him and make sure he's representing him however he feels that day."

McGrady said his session with Magic owner Rich DeVos on Friday "was a great, great meeting. We're still working to try and get on the same page." But Weisbrod referred to the meeting as "window dressing" and "a non-factor of a meeting."

Weisbrod was also quick to shoot down the notion that O'Neal might play for the Magic again. He played in Orlando from 1992-96 before bolting for the Lakers. He said he will likely talk to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak in the coming days, but an O'Neal return was highly unlikely.

"Obviously, we've gotten a lot of contact from various places on that subject and I would expect that I would hear from Mitch on that. When we talk about Shaq moving, they know in his mind and his heart this is the natural place he would want to go," Weisbrod said. "But if you look at the financial piece of that, it's almost an impossibility.

"He's owed $58 million over the next two years and he's got an opt-out at the end of next year. So conceivably with that opt-out he can (play in Orlando), but short of that, it's pretty close to mathematically impossible. We'd be fielding a roster of seven guys."

[Guest e-bone]

They would pretty much be the only two players on the team in order to make the salaries work. I would love to see McGrady in Dallas because I've always enjoyed watching him play, but I still don't want Shaq with his overweight, worn down, 400+lb, $30 million body. Plus, I can't really express how much I want Dirk to stay a Maverick. I think the Mavs could get McGrady without giving up Dirk, but they wouldn't be able to get Shaq without giving up Dirk. I'll take 26 year old Dirk and his $14 million salary over 32 year old Shaq with his $30 million salary any day of the week.

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

Also, the stock criticism of the Mavs is they don't play consistent defense....T-Mac sure as heck isn't gonna help that a whole lot. He's like Dirk, they both have the physical ability, and accumulates decent defensive numbers because of it, but straight D? Average.

[KPFC Sports Dept.]

Cooperstein mentioned this site, and with NBA dream scenarios at an all-time high around here, this site is pretty cool.

Real GM

Edited June 21, 2004 by KPFC Sports Dept.

[Guest e-bone]

Watch out if McGrady is traded to the Rockets. If Houston trades Francis and Mobley for McGrady and gets an unselfish PG in there who will actually pass the ball to Yao in the post, then I think the McGrady/Yao combo will put the Kobe/Shaq combo to shame.

[Guest e-bone]

McGrady to Houston deal supposedly done as long as no players involved get drafted in expansion draft.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1825839

[Guest e-bone]

List of free agents.

Skip to my Lou is an unrestricted free agent. If the Mavs don't keep Nash I think he could be a good fit so long as he focuses on getting assists and less on shooting below 40%.