Knicks make moves, score T-Mac & cap room

In a blockbuster 3-team deal, the New York Knicks have not only landed Houston Rocket Tracy McGrady, but also have cleared cap room for the upcoming 2010 free agent wars. It was reported earlier on Thursday that the Rockets and Kings were working out a deal to trade Kevin Martin and several players in exchange for McGrady and other players. Right before the NBA trade deadline struck, the Knicks managed to acquire Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez (Kings).

The Knicks have now traded away Nate Robinson, Darko Milicic and Jared Jeffries, freeing up plenty of cap space to sign two max free agents. That could mean their #1 choice Lebron James will suit up as a Knick starting in 2010-11, and that another player such as Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade will join him in the lineup. The Knicks may have upped their status as potential title contenders for that next season with these moves, which at first appeared odd with them simply trading away Nate Robinson to the Celtics for bench player Eddie House.

The Houston Rockets now acquire Jared Jeffries (Knicks) along with Kevin Martin from the Kings. Also, Sacramento picks up Larry Hughes (Knicks), Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey both from the Kings. Tracy McGrady will be a member of the Knicks but has an expiring contract as well, and has mentioned a desire to play for a playoff contender like the Lakers or Cavaliers. However, the Cavaliers wouldn't exactly be a contender if King James is long gone.

Confused yet? The important things to note are that Kevin Martin is now a Rocket, and Tracy McGrady is now a New York Knick. Oh and that the Knicks just might be able to woo King James with enough money to have him switching from a red-maroon Cavs jersey to Knicks blue and orange for 2010-11.

Read more about today's trade here at NY Daily News.

Detroit signs Gordon & Villanueva

The Detroit Pistons looked to keep themselves alive in the hunt for another NBA Title by adding two new stars to their lineup. According to the Detroit Free Press the Pistons signed Ben Gordon, shooting guard from the Bulls, and Charlie Villanueva, forward from the Milwaukee Bucks. Gordon was the Bulls' leading scorer for the past four years, and Villanueva has been coming into his own as an impressive rebounder and potential scorer. There had been rumors going around that Villanueva might end up on Cleveland as well. Gordon's signing is estimated at $55 million while Villanueva's is at $35 mill.

Both guys are also products of the University of Connecticut, and they'll now be aligned with another UCONN alumni, sharpshooter Richard Hamilton. Hamilton's got the NCAA Title, the NBA Title. Gordon's got just the NCAA title while Villanueva has yet to taste any championship champagne. That may change now that the Pistons have added more talent to their already interesting lineup which includes All-star Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace.

The question is what will Chicago and Milwaukee be looking to do now that they've cleared some salary cap room? Will these teams look to add a superstar to their teams? No disrespect to either Derrick Rose or Michael Redd, but adding someone like Dwyane Wade wouldn't exactly hurt their chances at making a deep run towards the NBA Finals.

Lebron James vs. Sir Charles

It's time for more NBA controversy and another war of words. The names Iverson and Marbury aren't even involved here. This time it's not a player vs. player or coach vs. player altercation. Instead it's the most explosive superstar in the game versus a hall-of-famer and the NBA big mouth analyst who's never afraid to let his opinions be known. At the center of the controversy is Lebron James, eligible for free agency in a season or so. NBA analyst for TNT, Charles Barkley, made comments that Cleveland Cavalier Lebron James is being disrespectful to his franchise. Barkley basically suggested that Lebron should keep his mouth closed about the free agency, because discussing it now is a slap in the face to the Cavs organization.

Lebron faced a slew of questions while visiting NYC as his Cavs faced the Knicks. The Knicks recently cleared up plenty of cap room in the hopes of landing a big star such as Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, or King James in 2010.

"I think July 1, 2010, is a very big day," James said when the Cavaliers were in New York. "It's probably going to be one of the biggest days in free-agent history in the NBA. So a lot of teams are gearing up to try to prepare themselves to be able to put themselves in position to get one of the big free-agent market guys."

Barkely made his public comments about Lebron on the TNT NBA Studio show as well as Dan Patrick's sports radio show:

"If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up," the Hall of Famer said on Patrick's show. "I'm a big LeBron fan. He's a stud. You gotta give him his props. I'm getting so annoyed he's talking about what he's going to do in two years. I think it's disrespectful to the game. I think it's disrespectful to the Cavaliers."

Lebron's response:

"He's stupid. That's all I've got to say about that," James said.

(Info source: AOL Sports)

Nets Get Magloire at Center

I've been a NJ Nets fan ever since the days of J-Kidd, K-Mart and Richard Jefferson. They had an exciting brand of ball and pushed the ball up the court fast like a West Coast style offense. They reached the NBA finals several times only to fall short to more superior West teams like the Lakers and Spurs.

After adding Vince Carter, the Nets assumed the 3 headed superstar star attack of Vince, Kidd and Jefferson, but the knock on them has always been they needed a solid center inside. Nenad Krstic has been developing nicely but his injury last year really hurt the team, especially because they didn't have much on their bench to replace him with.

Now the Nets have finally addressed their issue of a veteran center and have signed former All-star center, Jamaal Magloire. I think this is a great move for the Nets and finally gives them what they've been lacking, in terms of depth and a solid player upfront. Magloire is a seasoned veteran who could help them get past the 1st few rounds of the playoffs. If Nenad, Kidd, Jefferson and Carter stay healthy the Nets now have a deep rotation which includes sophomores Marcus Williams and Josh Boone as well as Eddie House. I'd give the Nets a solid chance, however other teams continue to add to their championship caliber teams, such as the Bulls who seem ready to make a serious push for the NBA Finals this season. Then you have the veteran teams of Detroit, Miami and Cleveland making the East look very interesting this season.

Lewis Makes Magic

Free agent forward, Rashard Lewis, has departed the new look Sonics in hopes of playing for a contender. His choice, the Orlando Magic.

According to ESPN.com:

"After being treated to an aggressive 24-hour courtship, Rashard Lewis told the Orlando Magic on Monday that he plans to leave the Seattle SuperSonics to sign a max contract with Orlando on July 11.

That's the first day free agents are allowed to officially sign new contracts. Free Agency Season in the NBA began Sunday at 12:01 a.m. and Lewis was in Central Florida by that afternoon to take in Orlando's persuasive recruiting pitch, including lobbying from franchise big man Dwight Howard.

"Orlando was my main focus and No. 1 on my list from day one," Lewis told Florida Today. "Me and my agent sat down and talked about it after the season and we determined that Orlando would be No. 1, and when they gave me that call on the first [of July] I was just so excited."

The exact value of a max contract won't be known until the league announces the salary-cap figure in effect next season on July 11, but it's believed to be between $75 million and $85 million over five seasons."

This is a great move for the Magic. To add a great outside shooter like Lewis to the inside ability of Dwight Howard definitely puts the Magic among the top teams in the East next season. It's going to get much more interesting now, and I'd even go as far as to put this young talented team up there with Miami and Chicago, if they can gel quickly.

Another team I still think holds a ton of talent and is probably being underrated right now; the Charlotte Bobcats. Look at the pieces they have in place and you'd have to think they are closing in on making a solid contending team. Mr. Jordan just might be making the right moves in Charlotte.

Carter Stays With Nets

Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets agreed Sunday to a four-year contract that guarantees the All-Star about $61.8 million

From Canada.com

"New Jersey Nets guard/forward Vince Carter reportedly agreed to a four-year contract on Sunday.

According to The (Newark) Star-Ledger, the deal is worth a guaranteed $61.8 million, and the Nets will hold an option for a fifth year.

Carter exercised his option to forgo the final year of his contract on Saturday that would have called for $16.3 million next year.

Carter led the Nets in scoring last season, averaging 25.2 points per game. He also averaged six rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest. In 12 playoff games, Carter netted 22.3 points per game.

The team cannot confirm any agreement with Carter because free-agent deals can't be signed until July 11."

Good move by the Nets. Carter not only can fill the seats and sell tickets, but he also puts up the numbers and helps the team get wins. Now if they could just get some veteran front court help...

- Ray Allen was seen throwing out the first pitch at the Red Sox game a few nights ago. His ankles didn't look all that bad, and the pitch was pretty good too.

The 4 Team Trade Equation

Minnesota and Los Angeles Lakers are trying to work out a trade to bring Kevin Garnett of the Timberwolves to play alongside Kobe in Los Angeles. This is how the proposed trade looks so far, according to ESPN.com:

Lakers: Kevin Garnett F (from T'Wolves)

Boston: Jermaine Oneal F (from Pacers)

Minnesota: Al Jefferson & Celtics 5th pick in draft

Indiana: Lamar Odom & Andrew Bynum (from Lakers)


These talks are still going on and may need to include more players/cash to get a deal done around the time of the NBA draft.

Free Agents, Kobe & KG

Right now with the NBA draft looming, there are teams eyeing other prizes as well; the NBA free agents. There are 3 names of note right now: Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter & Rashard Lewis. All 3 are all-star caliber players who can greatly improve any team they get signed to. If Billups were to be lured away from the Pistons, the East will be even wider open for next year, and the Pistons would probably not be amongst those competing (no big secret there). Orlando Magic are said to be interested in maybe landing one of those 3 names, if Darko Milicic happens to go elsewhere. You also have guys like Grant Hill and Gerald Wallace who could leave their current situations (although Hill seems closer to retirement then still playing).

Then there's the 2 big name guys that teams are scrambling to make trade offers for. KG's agent just turned down an offer from the Celtics which included Gerald Green, Al Jefferson and Wally Sczerbiak for KG. The local sports commentators were fantasizing over how great it would be to have KG in Boston with Paul Pierce, but that is no longer a consideration.

Then there's Kobe. The King of Hollywood. Will he stay or will he go? The biggest possibility is for him to move to Chicago, which would instantly put the Bulls as the top contenders in the East. Imagine how great the Lebron vs. Kobe games would be then? Both competing in the Eastern and Central conference. Imagine that.