The Knicks have until 11:59 tonight to match the Rockets offer to new sensation Jeremy Lin. Many fans would probably say that New York would be crazy not to sign Lin after last season, but there’s a lot more to the story. They were ready to match the $25.1 million offer until they saw that the third year offer was worth $14.8 million. This would mean that they would have been over the line for the luxury tax and would have to pay an excess of $43 million dollars for the 2014-15 season. This isn’t bad for Lin seeing as he made under $800k last year.
The Knicks have now signed Raymond Felton who was part of a deal that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York just a few seasons ago. So it seems as though Lin will be going back to the team that only kept him around for two weeks of training camp last season.
Howard talks Getting Annoying
There has been speculation that Dwight Howard’s agent and the Lakers have been talking about a trade that would bring the big man to Los Angeles, while Andrew Bynum goes to Houston, and Orlando gets some young players and picks. However, Howard said that he would only sign with the Nets for a long term contract, so that might change the Lakers minds.
Jason Kidd fitting in in The Big Apple
After leaving Dallas where he could probably drive around in fields and not be seen, Jason Kidd has been charged with refusing a breathalyzer at the scene of a crash and failure to stop, just days after being traded to the New York Knicks. His escalade hit a telephone pole and ended up in the woods. Probably should have called for a cab and paid the 10 bucks after you just inked a deal for over $10 million.
The Mavericks Sign Mayo
O.J. Mayo, who averaged 12.6 PPG off the bench last season with the Grizzlies, has signed a contract with the Mavs. He will most likely be the starting Shooting Guard for them, seeing as he averaged over 17 points in both seasons as a starter before moving to the bench the last two seasons. If not, he can have Jason Terry’s old role as the sixth man now that Terry has signed with the Celtics.
Most known for being linked to Tim Donaghy for 134 phone calls supposably related to fixing games.
Official 2 – Mike Callahan
Knickname…Duke
Official 3 – Rodney Mott
Most known for January 12, 2007, Mott was suspended for three games after making obscene gestures and using obscenities toward fans during a game
Donny Marshall on the 98.5 the Sports Hub yesterday said that from texting his NBA buddies, the NBA will let the Celtics win one of the games, but not two because they would be afraid that the Celtics could get hot. Pretty intersting bit, according to Donny and the referees given, this would be the game.
According to the Homer report about the Ref’s Scott Foster is ranked 23 out of 66, Mike Callahan is 22nd, and Rodney Mott is the #1 in the entire list. That’s right, Mott is the ref who gives the most calls to the home team out of every single ref.
Im not saying the NBA is fixed, or guided, just relaying what was said from current and former NBA players.
Below are the stats for the refs during the 2012 NBA playoffs curtesy of NBAstuffer.com.
Here’s a video that sums up pretty much how every Celtics fan feels right now…
Last night could have been one the most heart breaking playoff losses for the C’s thus far. Just utterly painful. Falling short of the win in OT to the Heat. The only positive was Rondo’s incredible performance, nearing a triple double with 44 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists, but even that gets overshadowed by the loss. When asked about his performance, Rondo responded, “We lost, simple as that.” Exactly why as much as I want to talk more about Rondo’s night, I just can’t. One of the biggest problems the Celts had and have had was giving up second chances. There’s no way they win giving the Heat offensive boards like that. It’s just not going to happen. Regardless, the C’s better come out firing on Friday when the Heat come to the Garden for game 3, a must win for the Celtics. And Leibo…we’re missing your boy Avery…bad.
Not a bad Monday for us those of us here in Boston reflecting back on this weekend in the sports world. The Celtics stretched their win streak to 5 games, topping off the weekend with an absolute clobbering D. Wade and the Heat. With a month left of games, the C’s sit at the 4 spot in a crowded Eastern Conference playoff race and one game up on the 76ers for the lead in the division. A 14 game April will make or break the C’s and set the stage for what could be the last playoff run of the Big Three era. On the ice, the B’s took care of business in New York, taking one a piece from the Islanders and the Rangers while clinching the Northeast Division with three games left on the schedule. The Bruins wrap up the regular season Saturday at home vs. Buffalo before gearing up for playoff hockey once again in Boston. As if a weekend of winning wasn’t enough, today brings us one day closer to baseball season. The Red Sox open up regular season play this Thursday in Detroit, starting off a 6 day, 6 game road trip before baseball comes back to Boston on Friday the 13th against the dreaded Rays. It’s a good week to be from Boston. Happy Monday!
Everywhere you go it’s Rondo this, Rondo that, but how could we ignore him after this past weekend? For weeks, rather all season long, there’s been talk and rumors of Danny looking to trade Rondo. With Rondo sidelined earlier in the season, the C’s rode their largest win streak of the season. The combination of his inconsistency and poor attitude, accompanied with an urge for team improvement were all pointing him in one direction…away from Boston.
Sunday, Rondo once again showed Danny and the rest of the city why he belongs in green. From day one, I’ve thought the idea of getting rid of our young, dynamic point guard was a mistake. With potentially the last run at the finals left for the Big Three, losing Rondo would leave us with nothing next season. Each time we doubt him he proves us wrong. After putting up Hall of Fame numbers against the Knicks Sunday is there really any argument left? Leibo made a good point yesterday in his article (Rondo vs. Williams). The NBA has seen ten triple-doubles this year. Four of them are from Rajon Rondo. I think it’s safe to say he’s staying in Boston. Either way, what do you guys think? Keep him or trade him in hopes of something better?
There’s not a whole lot to be happy about right now if you’re a Celtics fan. Pierce and Rondo will be in Orlando for the All-Star game, nice. The Celts showed signs of life and came within 8 points after being down a million last night, great. See what I’m getting at? We have to seek the little things to get some sort of joy lately. With that being said, Avery Bradley’s dunk over Kevin Durant last night can’t go unnoticed. Standing at a whole 6’2″ and weighing 180 lbs, Bradley absolutely posterized one of the league’s best players. Granted he dropped 28 points en route to smoking the Celts, I couldn’t not highlight this dunk, so we’ll just look past the C’s five game skid. Enjoy.
After a stretch of wins starting in late January where the C’s won 10 of 12 contests, capped with a big win at home vs. Chicago last week, things have began to fall apart in Boston. The Celtics found themselves spiraling downhill in the past week, losing four straight as of last night against the Mavs. Whenever things start to look up, the cards just seem to stack up against the C’s. As if losing Brandon Bass to a knee injury and KG to family issues wasn’t enough, the Celts lost Rondo for last night’s matchup and Wednesday’s due to a two game suspension. Adding insult to injury, literally, Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Wilcox both left the game in the third last night with injuries. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boy Stiemsma, but unfortunately I don’t see him being the X-factor in the paint for the C’s, at least not yet. I think it’s safe to say no one needs the All-Star break to come sooner than the Celts. A week off from play after Wednesday’s game vs. the Thunder is just what the team needs to regroup and get back to their winning ways.
Linsanity is sweeping the nation, no doubt about it. Cliche “Lin” words aside, us here in Boston find ourselves with a soft spot for this guy from the Knicks. Who doesn’t love an underdog story? Even Doc Rivers had kind words for Lin, stating, “It’s a good thing; It’s a good lesson for everyone: If you want some attention, go win.”
Nons wrote an article on Lin yesterday (I know, surprise right?) titled “A New Tebow”, although he never really compared the two. But that’s my point. They shouldn’t be compared. They’re two completely different stories. The sole thing they have in common is that the media is going crazy over them, making them the topic of conversation every three minutes on every sports network in the country. Tebow won two national championships in college. Lin barely made the Harvard squad. Tebow’s form and mechanics in pretty much every aspect of the quarterback position have been in question from day one of his professional career, probably even prior. Lin has a mixture of speed, knowledge, and a court vision that makes him a great point guard. Not to mention a jumper that makes him a threat from the outside, leaving defenders on their toes at all times. You don’t see anyone complimenting Tebow on his skill set at the QB spot. Before last week, no one knew who Lin was. A true underdog. Now, he’s making national, even global headlines in the NBA. As a Boston fan I’m eager to see Lin’s progress moving forward against the likes of Miami and Chicago. And you might want to mark down March 4th on your calendar. Lin and the Knicks are shipping up to Boston.
It is impossible to not be compared to Shaq if you are Dwight Howard. First off you took his nickname “Superman”, and now you’re trying to leave Orlando for a bigger market team. Sure, Howard is the best center in a league that has seen the center position go with the wind. Who does he really have to compete with? Jermaine O’neal, Andrew Bynum? He has averaged 18.7 points in his career. Shaq averaged 23.7 and most of his lows were when he was injured or like a hundred years old. He also went against Olajuwan, Ewing, Mutombo, Robinson, & Mourning.
Howard will surely be a hall of famer, there’s no doubt about that, he is a great player. It is scary for the Orlando Magic to have to try to start from scratch if Howard does leave. He has given his agent permission to discuss deals with the Nets, Lakers, and the Mavs. I can understand why the Magic’s owner said he wouldn’t want to trade his franchise player, but why not get something for him? I know it is tough because he will most likely not sign an extension with any sub-par team, but at the very least you can get a fill in and get some draft picks.
Even Shaq has said that it would be a ‘travesty’ to lose Dwight, and they don’t really like each other. He thinks Orlando should try their best to entice him to stay by offering him the max contract, and bringing in players around him. Jameer Nelson & Reddick cannot win you championships as your #2 in this league, it’s too tough now. Plus, Orlando can offer him the biggest deal due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. If he goes to a new team, he will not be able to make as much until his contract is re-negotiated down the road. I wouldn’t want to play for your Oompa Loompa coach either, but at least you are they key player on a playoff-contending team, with the assets to bring in even more help.
The biggest move that will happen before the March 15th trade deadline, barring any unforeseen major deal, will be the signing of J.R. Smith. Since his team has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, Smith will be an NBA free agent on February 16th. J.R. Smith has averaged 12.5 points per game over the course of his career as he has developed into a top 6th man in the league. Smith has been a member of the Denver Nuggets for the past few years, and when it looked like the NBA season would be cancelled Smith went over to China to play for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Chinese contracts have non-opt out clauses, so Smith was forced to play out the remainder of the season before he could return to the NBA.
Smith’s highlights from China are extremely impressive. He put up some ridiculous numbers in a few games (although against some less than stellar opponents, but nonetheless impressive). Playing against former Celtics draft pick Lester Hudson, Smith came off the bench to score 60 points while shooting 14-18 from 3. Just a few days later Smith would score 41 points as his team sneaked out a 122-120 win.
Most Likely Destinations
New York Knicks
Current SG’s: Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert
Ability to offer: Mid-Level Exception, pro-rated on Feb 10th
Analysis: The Knicks are in the lead mostly because they can offer him the most money. Instead of any of the other competing teams, the mid-level exception from the Knicks has been pro-rated since February 10th, not the start of the season. But the question that follows anyone who ever plays Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire is will there be enough shots? If they found a way to share the ball a starting lineup of Jeremy Lin, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler would look as good as any other in the NBA. But there were enough problems for the Knicks finding shots for everyone before the emergence of Lin. It might not be in Smith’s or the Knicks best interest to agree on an offer here. While the Knicks are one of the top choices with huge potential, I think it would be too big of a risk for Smith to take.
Los Angeles Clippers
Current SG’s Randy Foye, Caron Butler
Ability to Offer: Veteran Minimum Contract, pro-rated from beginning of season
In my mind, this move makes the most sense. Smith can slide right in to the starting shooting guard role, which fits with his desire for a bigger role. Smith would be the perfect complement to space the floor for high-flyers Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan. He has a tight relationship with Chris Paul from their time on the Hornets and has played with Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin (Nuggets). The Clippers have only one other true shooting guard right now. If J.R. came to the Clippers he would make them immediate title contenders. If the Clippers do strike out with Smith, they are presumed to use one of their trade exemptions to find a shooting guard to fill their problem.
Just for Fun
Boston Celtics
Current SG’s Ray Allen, Sasha Pavlovic, Marquis Daniels
Ability to Offer: Veteran Minimum Contract, pro-rated from beginning of season
This is obviously a long shot, probably fantasy for me, but would be a great fit for the Celtics. They cannot offer him a starting role or a warm weather climate. But they can offer him a chance at a championship and a future starting role with the Celts young players such as Rondo, Jujuan Johnson, Avery Bradley, and Jeff Green. This would allow the Celtics to stay competitive past the years of the Big 3. He would provide a scoring punch off the bench, a unit which does not have a dynamic scorer. He would be able to ease the legs of Pierce and Allen so they could save themselves for the playoffs. With a bench of Avery Bradley, Smith, Pietrus, Johnson, and Wilcox, the Celtics bench all of a sudden becomes a strength and not a weakness. The best part about this move would be that Sasha Pavlovic would probably not see the court in important minutes ever again.
Surprise Teams
The Pacers and the Timberwolves are also said to be interested, according to Marc Stein from ESPN. The Pacers have the most cap room in the NBA, which would allow them to sign him to an even bigger contract than the Knicks. The Timberwolves have been the surprise of the NBA this season with new players such as Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic, and of course their All-Star Kevin Love. The Lakers are the final team that is interested in J.R. Smith. I do not consider themselves as much of a contender but they could prove me wrong. While they are trying to make moves, getting a player to back up Kobe Bryant who needs the ball in his hands most of the time does not make the most sense to me. They are also working out Gilbert Arenas, who has been described as “slimmed down” and “explosive” by Dave McMenamin.
fans would probably say that New York would be crazy not to sign Lin after last season, but there’s a lot more to the story. They were ready to match the $25.1 million offer until they saw that the third year offer was worth $14.8 million. This would mean that they would have been over the line for the luxury tax and would have to pay an excess of $43 million dollars for the 2014-15 season. This isn’t bad for Lin seeing as he made under $800k last year.
After leaving Dallas where he could probably drive around in fields and not be seen, Jason Kidd has been charged with refusing a breathalyzer at the scene of a crash and failure to stop, just days after being traded to the New York Knicks. His escalade hit a telephone pole and ended up in the woods. Probably should have called for a cab and paid the 10 bucks after you just inked a deal for over $10 million.
Boston Sports Blog 