| Suns coveted Artest but didn't have the booty | Wednesday 7/30, 6:23 PM CT |
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With Houston acquiring Ron Artest via trade late last night, the stories of deals undone are coming forth, including one that would have sent Artest to the Phoenix Suns, according to East Valley Tribune.
Our View: The Trib reports the Suns had been targeting both Artest and another Houston free-agent signee, Brent Barry, but the in-season deal to acquire Kurt Thomas sent draft picks needed to do work on those swaps to Seattle while the decision to sign Matt Barnes has the team thinking they can find another hidden gem in need of a deal. We'll keep you posted when they make that move. |
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| Morris signs with Atlanta | Wednesday 7/30, 4:17 PM CT |
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The Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday signed free agent center and Atlanta native Randolph Morris , according to the Sports Ticker. The 6-foot-11, 260-pound Morris saw limited action in two seasons with the New York Knicks after entering the NBA as a free agent from Kentucky in 2005. In 23 career games in New York, he averaged 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10 minutes of action.
Our View: Randolph simply provides emergency depth on the Hawks and does not figure to be a fantasy impact this season or ever. |
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| Deng officially ink extension | Wednesday 7/30, 4:14 PM CT |
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The AFP reports that Luol Deng has reached an agreement with the Bulls on a six-year, $71 million deal.
Our View: Incentives could boost the total package as high as $80 million and we always like a little more motivation to play. Deng had a bit of a down season last year and was a middle of the pack small forward. He is just 23 years old and will likely improve. If he gets his shooting percentage back up to the .517 it was two seasons ago, his fantasy value shoots up. The deal does not bode well for teammate Ben Gordon though. The Bulls will not likely have enough cash left over to offer him any kind of extension. |
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| Mayo impresses Kobe | Wednesday 7/30, 12:42 PM CT |
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Grizzlies rookie OJ Mayo took on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant in a game of one-on-one last week in Las Vegas, and Bryant came away impressed, according to the L.A. Times. "I think he has a great overall game that a lot of young players don't have in terms of skills. He can handle, he can shoot, he can pass, he's fast, he's quick, so that's the whole package," said Bryant.
Our View: That's a nice compliment from one of the game's best players. Mayo will undoubtedly score enough to please fantasy owners, though we'll have to wait and see how much he offers in other areas. |
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| Ming scores 14 | Wednesday 7/30, 12:11 PM CT |
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Yao Ming was 5-for-8 from the field and scored 14 points as Team China lost 67-55 to Team Australia, according to the AP.
Our View: Ming went up opposite Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut, who helped limit Ming's touches. Ming just recently recovered from a stress fracture in his foot, so it may take him some time to re-acclimate himself to the game. |
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| Greene dealt to the Kings | Wednesday 7/30, 11:16 AM CT |
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28th overall selection Donte Greene was sent from Houston to Sacramento as part of the Ron Artest trade, according to CBS Sportsline. He is a 6-foot-10 small forward who played one season at Syracuse, and was originally taken by Memphis with the 28th pick and later traded on draft night to Houston.
Our View: He is seen as a major piece of the team's future, an athletic scorer who many league executives expected to be taken higher in the draft. Greene's coming-out party in Las Vegas summer league earlier this month seemed to support that notion, as he was the second-leading scorer (22.6 points in five games). He will earn $971,160 in the first of his two guaranteed years. Francisco Garcia will likely start ahead of him, but Greene should see quality minutes for a late first-rounder. He projects as a starter in the league, but not for a few years. |
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| Gordon to ditch the NBA? | Wednesday 7/30, 10:53 AM CT |
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Ben Gordon has been shopped by the Bulls this month in various sign-and-trade scenarios, according to ESPN.com. Gordon, who also holds a British passport, this week publicly acknowledged that he would consider following the lead of Atlanta Hawks restricted free agent Josh Childress by accepting a lucrative offer overseas, although his preference is to stay with the Bulls.
Our View: Gordon's agent thinks he should be the highest paid Bull on the roster because he has led the team in points per game for three straight seasons. The Bulls should be pointing out that he has also led the team in turnovers per game for three straight seasons despite the fact he is not considered a ball-handler. Gordon will not likely reach an extension with the Bulls, as they have too many young backcourt players as it is, but a sign-and-trade is possible. Otherwise, he will have to choose between taking the $6.4 million qualifying offer from Chicago or seek out a more lucrative deal overseas. |
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| Yi is shutout against Austrailia | Wednesday 7/30, 10:41 AM CT |
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Netsdaily.com reports that Yi Jianlian failed to score a single point in the Chinese national team's loss to Austrailia. He was 0-for-3 from the field with four rebounds in 24 minutes.
Our View: Yi averaged 8.6 points in 25 minutes per game as a rookie last season. He is (supposedly) just 20 years old so his inconsistency is not a huge concern. Sooner or later things should begin to "click" for him but he will have to battle for his minutes next season in a suddenly deep Nets frontcourt. |
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