Posts for category ‘NBA Free Agency’

Mike Jones of the Washington Times reports that, according the league sources, Ernie Grunfeld has four players targeted near the center of his dart board: Rasho Nesterovic, Channing Frye, Jason Collins and Jamaal Magloire.

While none of these big men are the ‘sexy’ pick fans desire, each might be serviceable for the current amount of minutes Grunfeld is pigeon-holing the potential addition into. And each, according to Jones, might have to settle for the veteran’s minimum in the current economic environment.

Of course, with whispers of Nesterovic returning to Europe, I would not be surprised if he spurned the NBA to play for more money overseas. Nonetheless, Jones is usually spot-on with his reporting, so there’s a fair chance one of these guys will be joining the Wizards in the future. Let’s learn a little bit about each:

Rasho Nesterovic

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I was on a break outside the other day, catching some fresh Penn Quarter air, taking a stroll around Freedom Plaza, when this little kid came up to me, and said, “Hey Mister … don’t you know that the Wizards need another big man? Haywood, Jamison, Blatche, McGee, and McGuire aren’t going to cut it.”

“Easy lil’ fella,” I told him. “We’ll keep looking around to see if we can add someone else, but we feel comfortable about what we have currently and the depth of our ballclub.”

The kid then kicked me in the shin and ran away.

I suddenly woke up from my slumber and realized those weren’t my words, those were Ernie Grunfeld’s words. I had a mission …

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Continuing with the theme of throwing NBA veterans against the wall to see what sticks (previously, Darius Miles, Bonzi Wells and Juan Dixon were tossed)…..what about Allan Houston on the Washington Wizards?

Slam lead me to a Newsday blog entry about Houston contemplating yet another return to the game at the age of 37. This time, he’s trying to get a jump on the attempt, instead of pursuing a comeback in the midst of training camp as he did last year. Houston says that he and his agent have been in contact with “a couple” teams, but won’t have a better idea of which ones until after Labor Day.

So, this begs the question, would he work for the Wizards?

The consensus seems to be that the Wiz need a backup for Caron Butler, and that if they sign any player at all, it should probably be a veteran with the savvy to make an immediate contribution on the court and in the locker room.

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Wow, Joe Dumars is a desperado……can the signing of Kwame Brown be seen as anything other than an act of desperation?

cake via flickr/panduh, mugshot via wizznutzz, although this pic found by Jake on BF is much better

The Pistons have been tied to several potential blockbuster moves this summer, whether it be for Carmelo Anthony, Josh Smith, Tracy McGrady or Ron Artest. [side note: The 17th pick of the '04 NBA draft which was shipped from Detroit, via Milwaukee and Denver, to Atlanta in the Rasheed Wallace trade was used by the Hawks to select Josh Smith.] But nothing has come to fruition since Joe Dumars built “big splash” expectations by deeming everyone available (with perhaps Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey as the lone exceptions).

So now, after being on the latter end of “win or go home” in the Eastern Conference Finals for the past three years, this is Joe D’s answer. A guy in Kwame Brown who once, at the age of 24, destroyed a stranger’s cake, getting it all over the man, before ducking into a limo like a hoe, has been anointed to push the Detroit Pistons over the top.

Good luck with that one Motor City. Will Kwame finally find his way under consummate vet, Antonio McDyess? Or will his attitude travel the path of Rasheed Wallace? How will any of these guys affect Walter Sharpe? In any case, $8 million over two-years is not exactly a low-risk move.

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Gentleman Jamison securing his Wizards legacy?

Isn’t the information age amazing? Faster…..less clicks…..aggregators…..email updates…..knowledge is flying in front of our eyes like the bugs surrounding stadium lights. One way or another, we are all receptors of the information dissemination. But where does the information come from, and how does it vary so much?

EuroBasket may or may have not given us the impression that Spiros Vondas and the Greeks were after Antawn Jamison. Then, around 85% of Wizards fans on Bullets Forever believed that there was a 70% or greater chance that Jamison would be back with the Wiz. Seemed like the sensible move…..some even have said yes to Jamison and no to Arenas. AJ is that important.

Then came the eve of NBA free agency. Mike Jones of the Washington Times started at 1:55 pm reporting that Jamison would get a 4-year deal averaging $11 million per season ($44 total). The Washington Post’s Ivan Carter got in on the action around 4:42 pm; his sources said Jamison was close to reaching a 4-year, $48 million deal. ESPN’s Mark Stein was in on the game too, outlining plans for a 4-year, $50 million contract. The Times and the Post quickly followed suit with $50 million updates.

However, Ivan Carter’s update on Wizards Insider said: Read more »