RA for TA.  Ron Artest was virtually traded for Trevor Ariza.  What’s going on here???

It’s called “David Lee” (the agent, not the player).  I’m beginning to hate this agent.  I almost forgot how he handled Andrew Bynum’s last contract negotiation with the Lakers.  I feel for Trevor.  Do you think he’s thinking of firing his agent later?

Here’s the story:   The Lakers were willing to pay the full MLE to Trevor Ariza up to five years, totalling  approximately $33.8 million.  The agent played hardball and asked for something in the $50 million range.  The Lakers told Lee to test the market first, obviously to see if that asking price is qualified.  Apparently, Lee was offended by this stance, looked somewhere else and found, surprise surprise, the Rockets with approximately the same MLE price!

How dumb is that?  Too bad Ariza had to play along.  David Lee played poker using Trevor Ariza’s stock.  He bluffed and lost… lost Trevor’s luck playing for a great NBA franchise. » read more

Ron Artest to the Lakers is not yet official but it looks like we’re just waiting for the formalities.

I don’t necessarily like this deal but this is a great pick up, knowing the Lakers could not afford Trevor Ariza.  Ariza is good and he probably deserves the $7 million to $8 million he was asking but in this Laker team where you have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, that price is a stretch.

It’s what they call “the business side of basketball”.  I hate it but that’s what it is.  Like I said, I like Trevor Ariza for the Lakers better than Ron Artest.

I’m not a cap or negotiation guru but my ideal deal for Trevor Ariza and the Lakers would’ve been the $5.6 million mid-level exception for Ariza for 2 or 3 years and then he can get his big payday after that when Lamar Odom has started to decline at 33 years old.  That is also assuming that Odom takes a 2 to 3 year contract himself. » read more

I can already hear Shaq’s statements:

“The Cleveland Cavaliers is the best team ever assembled… after Phoenix, when I was still there.”

“Me and Lebron is the most devastating one-two punch ever!”

“Lebron is the best player in the world right now.  I know I said earlier during the year that it was Kobe.  That was just marketing, baby!”

“The Phoenix Suns owner is not a real owner.  Steve Kerr is not a real GM, I am the GM.”

“The Lakers could’ve had me but they didn’t.  Now, let them taste my ass.”

(Insert a possible Shaq quote here…)

I love Lebron but sometimes he’s just weird.
Like he’s just having too much fun playing basketball (camera / team posing antics before games)
or proclaiming himself the leader of the U.S. National Team.

If you want to win in the NBA, you have to be serious.
Look at Dwight Howard, he was just too funny to win a championship.
Oh, and you have to lead by example too, not just say it.

Wow.  I’m really happy for Kobe and Phil.  Now, first things first, why didn’t I predict the Lakers to win it all?  In the Houston series, I predicted that the Rockets will win game 7.  In the Nuggets series, I predicted that the Nuggets would win in 6. In the championship round, I predicted that Orlando will win in 5. » read more