This video will be circulating around the internet over the next few days. This is a new commercial Adidas put out. Beckham and Garnett are obviously two of the biggest athletes in the world, with Beckham being arguably the most famous athlete in the world. This is just genious marketing on Adidas' part in order to show Beckham and KG as personable guys who play backyard games just like the rest of us. A real connection to the consumer, and a great commercial by Adidas at a very low cost. This will generate a lot of buzz I'm sure. Enjoy.
Izzy
2/28/09
Kevin Garnett and David Beckham's new Adidas Commercial
2/25/09
Stephon Marbury to Celtics Analysis
With the help of my friend Ben Fish, I was able to put together this post. Fish is a devout Celtics fan, and was able to give me a taste of what the Celtic faithful think about the Marbury acquisition.
Stephon Marbury is expected to clear waivers on Friday morning and is largely expected to join the Celtics. Marbury and the Knicks reached a buyout agreement earlier this week. Marbury was set to earn $21.9 million this season (the 2nd highest in the NBA). The specifics of the buyout were not made public, but it is largely agreed upon that Marbury lost only about $1.5-$2 million dollars in the deal. Due to Marbury's veteran status, he is set to earn a minimum of $1.5 million on a prorated contract. Marbury's projected loss from the buyout+ his Celtics contract are about $200,000-$500,000. Pocket money,comparatively. The salary caps of both teams go pretty much unaffected. The Knicks sitll own the highest payroll in the league with about $96 million after the Marbury buyout. The Celtics currently have a $78 million payroll and with the acquisition of Marbury, they will, in total, add $3million to that number, which includes the luxury tax penalty.
Boston benefits from the addition of Marbury by adding depth an already depleted bench, and more importantly, to the point guard position. Marbury will provide much needed ball-handling skills to a team that depends on Rajon Rondo to run the point. It will also allow for Eddie House to move to his normal, more natural position at the 2, as he is certainly not a ball-handler. Eddie House is a pure spot-up shooter. Moving him out of his comfort zone was the only choice Doc Rivers had due to the lack of options in the back. The extra playing time for Rondo only helped his game out. We have seen flashes of what Rondo can be, and most likely, will be in the years to come. Marbury hasn't played in an NBA game since January 11, 2008. We can expect that Marbury will be focused and ready to contribute to the Celtics playoff run. Marbury also has an incentive to contribute due to him not having a contract next year. His free agent status at the end of this year will basically mean that he is auditioning for NBA teams to sign him this offseason. Conventional wisdom has always told us nothing produces statistics from a player like a contract year. The NBA will get a very brief, and maybe skewed view of Marbury's ability to play. Rounding off the end of the season isn't going to convince a lot of teams that he still has high calibur productive capability, but I can see teams taking a chance on him for a low amount of money just based on what he has done in the past.
Lets take a look at what Marbury can bring to the Celtics. I have written about how Marbury could be potentially a locker room divider. Garnett has publicly stated that it wouldn't be a problem, as well as other Celtics. Winning will solve all of those problems. I don't think that Marbury will cause any sort of distraction, if for anything, because of his expiring contract. Marbury averaged 19.8ppg and 7.8 assts playing along side Garnett on the T'Wolves. However, don't try to pick up Marbury in your fantasy league just yet. Also, don't expect Marbury to come anywhere close to those numbers just because he is alongside KG again (I don't think any of you did). In fact, expect Marbury to average under 8ppg and about 5 assts with a couple of boards and a steal or two. I expect Marbury to avg about 15-17 minutes a game. From my memory of Marbury, which is fading by now, he is a dynamic player. I don't think that he was putting much effort in during his days in New York. That is one of the main reasons I don't want to cite his statistics from his New York days. I don't think those are indicative of what he brings to the table, and I don't think those are a good baseline comparison to what will go down for him in Boston. Marbury is a scoring point guard. He can create shots for himself, but that isn't what Boston wants him to be. Marbury needs to be a distributor. He needs to give Rondo some rest, and be able to maintain the same level of offensive production as if Rondo was out on the floor. Marbury will be asked to put the ball in the post, and hit shots. He will occassionaly get his number called on a play, and he will have to drive the lane and make shots. Simple as that. If Marbury starts throwing up 30 foot 3pters like he did in New York under Isiah Thomas, Marbury is out. The offensive focus is not on Marbury, and he knows that. He has to play within Doc's system and know that he is a role player. Marbury is extraordinarily quick with the ball, and his size has always been his selling point. He can create his shot by using his size. He can separate himself from defenders as well as drive the lane. His body type is very similar to Jason Kidd. Of course, their games are drastically different, but how many times have we seen Kidd use his size to grab a board or throw up a tough shot in the lane? Marbury is the same type of player. Marbury is incredibly good at attacking the spaces in defense. When defenses cheat too far, Marbury picks up on that and attacks the holes on the defense to create a lane for himself and get to the basket. His size gives him a huge advantage over a lot of NBA point guards, especially in the East. Marbury will be the best backup point guard in the NBA, and that is a valuable asset for the Celtics. His combination of skill and size will never give the other team a break. When the opposing team has to sit its starter, Marbury will be there playing with the ability of a starter.
All of this seems like a dream come true for the Celtics. Don't get too excited. The Celtics have built their team around defense. Marbury is notorious for his lack of defensive effort. He has played this way since his days at Georgia Tech so we can't attribute it to his lack of motivation in New York. If he is motivated, he can be a great on the ball defender. Watch Marbury on defense if you get a chance. He will get into a low defensive stance when he is trying, but straighten his back when he is not trying. He also likes to gamble on passes at the top of the key. Every time I have watched Marbury, he makes up for his lack of defense by gambling on a steal. The one kind of positive is that he keeps ball out of the lane by forcing the defender to the weak side, but when the ball gets swung he shows a low awareness of where the ball is and tends to get beat back door anyway. Those are just some of the highlights of Marbury's defense. I'm sure you all will be able to recall more specific details of Marbury's lack of defense, and also see more of his deficiency on the defensive end when he starts playing. If you think I am just making this stuff up, watch him or go read a scouting report. Plain observation over the course of 2 or 3 games will most likely reveal all of the things I just mentioned in this post.
Overall, I think the move will help the Celtics. I don't think that any other team in the league is as deep as the Celtics at the point guard position at this point. The closest team to matching their depth at the 1 spot is either San Antonio or Denver. No team in the East is even close. The Celtics won't even have to think about Denver, and San Antonio has a chance at the Finals, but the Celtics won't need to look at their footage before the 2nd week of May. This is a low risk in terms of finances and basketball.
Izzy
Contributions by Ben Fish
Stephon Marbury is expected to clear waivers on Friday morning and is largely expected to join the Celtics. Marbury and the Knicks reached a buyout agreement earlier this week. Marbury was set to earn $21.9 million this season (the 2nd highest in the NBA). The specifics of the buyout were not made public, but it is largely agreed upon that Marbury lost only about $1.5-$2 million dollars in the deal. Due to Marbury's veteran status, he is set to earn a minimum of $1.5 million on a prorated contract. Marbury's projected loss from the buyout+ his Celtics contract are about $200,000-$500,000. Pocket money,comparatively. The salary caps of both teams go pretty much unaffected. The Knicks sitll own the highest payroll in the league with about $96 million after the Marbury buyout. The Celtics currently have a $78 million payroll and with the acquisition of Marbury, they will, in total, add $3million to that number, which includes the luxury tax penalty.
Boston benefits from the addition of Marbury by adding depth an already depleted bench, and more importantly, to the point guard position. Marbury will provide much needed ball-handling skills to a team that depends on Rajon Rondo to run the point. It will also allow for Eddie House to move to his normal, more natural position at the 2, as he is certainly not a ball-handler. Eddie House is a pure spot-up shooter. Moving him out of his comfort zone was the only choice Doc Rivers had due to the lack of options in the back. The extra playing time for Rondo only helped his game out. We have seen flashes of what Rondo can be, and most likely, will be in the years to come. Marbury hasn't played in an NBA game since January 11, 2008. We can expect that Marbury will be focused and ready to contribute to the Celtics playoff run. Marbury also has an incentive to contribute due to him not having a contract next year. His free agent status at the end of this year will basically mean that he is auditioning for NBA teams to sign him this offseason. Conventional wisdom has always told us nothing produces statistics from a player like a contract year. The NBA will get a very brief, and maybe skewed view of Marbury's ability to play. Rounding off the end of the season isn't going to convince a lot of teams that he still has high calibur productive capability, but I can see teams taking a chance on him for a low amount of money just based on what he has done in the past.
Lets take a look at what Marbury can bring to the Celtics. I have written about how Marbury could be potentially a locker room divider. Garnett has publicly stated that it wouldn't be a problem, as well as other Celtics. Winning will solve all of those problems. I don't think that Marbury will cause any sort of distraction, if for anything, because of his expiring contract. Marbury averaged 19.8ppg and 7.8 assts playing along side Garnett on the T'Wolves. However, don't try to pick up Marbury in your fantasy league just yet. Also, don't expect Marbury to come anywhere close to those numbers just because he is alongside KG again (I don't think any of you did). In fact, expect Marbury to average under 8ppg and about 5 assts with a couple of boards and a steal or two. I expect Marbury to avg about 15-17 minutes a game. From my memory of Marbury, which is fading by now, he is a dynamic player. I don't think that he was putting much effort in during his days in New York. That is one of the main reasons I don't want to cite his statistics from his New York days. I don't think those are indicative of what he brings to the table, and I don't think those are a good baseline comparison to what will go down for him in Boston. Marbury is a scoring point guard. He can create shots for himself, but that isn't what Boston wants him to be. Marbury needs to be a distributor. He needs to give Rondo some rest, and be able to maintain the same level of offensive production as if Rondo was out on the floor. Marbury will be asked to put the ball in the post, and hit shots. He will occassionaly get his number called on a play, and he will have to drive the lane and make shots. Simple as that. If Marbury starts throwing up 30 foot 3pters like he did in New York under Isiah Thomas, Marbury is out. The offensive focus is not on Marbury, and he knows that. He has to play within Doc's system and know that he is a role player. Marbury is extraordinarily quick with the ball, and his size has always been his selling point. He can create his shot by using his size. He can separate himself from defenders as well as drive the lane. His body type is very similar to Jason Kidd. Of course, their games are drastically different, but how many times have we seen Kidd use his size to grab a board or throw up a tough shot in the lane? Marbury is the same type of player. Marbury is incredibly good at attacking the spaces in defense. When defenses cheat too far, Marbury picks up on that and attacks the holes on the defense to create a lane for himself and get to the basket. His size gives him a huge advantage over a lot of NBA point guards, especially in the East. Marbury will be the best backup point guard in the NBA, and that is a valuable asset for the Celtics. His combination of skill and size will never give the other team a break. When the opposing team has to sit its starter, Marbury will be there playing with the ability of a starter.
All of this seems like a dream come true for the Celtics. Don't get too excited. The Celtics have built their team around defense. Marbury is notorious for his lack of defensive effort. He has played this way since his days at Georgia Tech so we can't attribute it to his lack of motivation in New York. If he is motivated, he can be a great on the ball defender. Watch Marbury on defense if you get a chance. He will get into a low defensive stance when he is trying, but straighten his back when he is not trying. He also likes to gamble on passes at the top of the key. Every time I have watched Marbury, he makes up for his lack of defense by gambling on a steal. The one kind of positive is that he keeps ball out of the lane by forcing the defender to the weak side, but when the ball gets swung he shows a low awareness of where the ball is and tends to get beat back door anyway. Those are just some of the highlights of Marbury's defense. I'm sure you all will be able to recall more specific details of Marbury's lack of defense, and also see more of his deficiency on the defensive end when he starts playing. If you think I am just making this stuff up, watch him or go read a scouting report. Plain observation over the course of 2 or 3 games will most likely reveal all of the things I just mentioned in this post.Overall, I think the move will help the Celtics. I don't think that any other team in the league is as deep as the Celtics at the point guard position at this point. The closest team to matching their depth at the 1 spot is either San Antonio or Denver. No team in the East is even close. The Celtics won't even have to think about Denver, and San Antonio has a chance at the Finals, but the Celtics won't need to look at their footage before the 2nd week of May. This is a low risk in terms of finances and basketball.
Izzy
Contributions by Ben Fish
2/24/09
The 3 Stories No One is Talking About
This NBA season has been pretty entertaining thus far. I got to thinking about stories that have been largely under reported, and not being talked about that much. Here are the 3 that come to mind.
The 2011 restructuring of the Players Agreement: David Falk beat me to the chase. Yesterday, TrueHoop quoted Falk about the restructuring of the Players Agreement. Here is the quote from the New York Times story by Howard Beck that I took from TrueHoop:
"In his view, the union botched negotiations in 1998, which led to the three-month lockout, the only labor stoppage in league history. The union tried to stave off a luxury tax and maximum player salaries but ultimately had to accept both in order to strike a deal in January 1999 and save the season. 'The players lost 40 percent of their salaries, and they got a worse deal in January,' Falk said. 'So as we approach 2011, my overwhelming feeling is, let's not make the same dumb mistake as in 1998.' The players, he said, must recognize that the owners have the ultimate leverage. Many are billionaires for whom owning an N.B.A. team is merely a pricey hobby. Some of them are losing 'enormous amounts of money' and would rather shut down the league for a year or two than continue with the current system. So Falk is urging the union to take a more cooperative approach. 'And if we don't do that, in my opinion, there's an overwhelming probability that the owners will shut it down,' he said."
I have given this issue some thought before Falk brought it up. Falk obviously got a little more in depth than what I initially thought about, but it is a very dark cloud hanging over the NBA. So the Players Union is going to ask for a lot more flexibility in terms of player contracts and some other things, including the "1-year out rule" and other such things. The reality is, owners don't care. The league administration and players do care. When it comes down to signing specific players and getting players, the player has leverage. When it comes down to decisions that affect everyone, the owners are the ones that matter. That is why the NBA is so careful about who they let own teams. I don't know how many of you have recently tried to buy a team, but the line is long. The league goes through a very extensive screening process in order to get "the right fit". They do that precisely for things like this. The owners have the final say for virtually every major decision when it comes down to it. In all honesty, the owners could almost overturn any decision if they collectively came to an agreement. The owners in any professional sports league have the leverage to do anything. Players want more money. Owners say no. That is the end of it. Well, that means the players don't play. Who does that hurt? The players and fans. The owners will go on about their lives. In the end, the 1999 lockout season could have as much of an impact as an unmade college dorm room bed compared to what the 2011 renegotiation could bring about.
The New Orleans Hornets changing cities: The city of New Orleans has made is clear that their $20+ million that goes towards the investment of their teams (Saints and Hornets) will all go towards the Saints. Initially, the city said that the Hornets needed to meet an attendance quota for the season in order to renew their lease. Well, they have done that, and more. They are actually winning! Of course, they have the best point guard in the league in Chris Paul that drives ticket sales up. They also have a deep playoff contending team to help their revenues. Now, the city has just asserted they won't invest in the Hornets any longer. A team that had to move to Oklahoma City during the Katrina period in New Orleans, and then back to New Orleans, is now faced with another strong possibility of having to move cities. Among the cities, the two most talked about cities are Kansas City and Anaheim. My personal opinion is that LA probably doesn't need a third team, but I'm such a huge basketball fan, I would love it. Kansas City could use the Hornets. Kansas City has shown that they have the market for a pro sports team, as evidenced by the Chiefs, and Kansas City has been the home to professional basketball teams in the past (Kings). They have traditionally been viewed as a college basketball town, but Oklahoma City was the same, and we all know how that has turned out. They also have the Sprint Center that is looking for a team. Despite all of their ability to host a basketball team, the city has stated that they are "uninterested" in acquiring any NBA team. David Stern basically discounted Kansas City as a possible destination for any NBA team in the future, but did say that a European city, such as London, is ready for a team. Keep an eye on this story because it will heat up in the summer for sure. (note: picture is of the inside of the Sprint Center)
Allen Iverson retirement/free agency: This story has been touched on by various sources, but no one has actually taken time to look at this. Iverson is a free agent this year. What is he going to do? AI's numbers tell part of the story, but if you just watch him, he looks slower coming off screens. Remember, this is a guy who has played as much as Kobe Bryant, but has taken a lot of injuries. He has played through pain, and has been a true warrior when playing basketball, but one can't help but wonder how much of a toll that has taken on his body. He is making some serious money, but he might actually be hurting the Pistons more than he is helping them. For Detroit, it is fine because AI's contract is up after this year, but we can't think that a team is going to pay him anywhere near what he is going to ask. AI is making $21.9 million this season. I suspect that whatever team picks him up after this season will pay him about half of that. It may be a serious blow to AI's ego. He still commands a lot of respect, but every so often, you will see AI put up a single digit night in the points category. Bad shooting night? Well, this is a guy who used to put up 30 shots a night on a consistent basis, shoot in the mid 30% range and still get 30+pts. He just is not the same player as he used to be. Maybe he just isn't inspired to play? I hope that is the case. Nonetheless, we may be seeing the final days of Allen Iverson's career. I do think he may retire if he cannot come to terms with a contract that he asks for. If not, I think Allen Iverson may go to a championship contender for a much lower contract. He has made enough money up to this point to set him and his 5 children up for life. I think that the one thing missing from his resume is a ring, and he knows that, and has admitted it. Wouldn't surprise me if he took the paycut for the ring.
Izzy
2/19/09
Check me out on Drive and Dish
I just wrote an article for the excellent college basketball site, Drive and Dish (featured in the link list on the side). The article was about Wake Forest's basketball team from a student's perspective. If you guys need specifics on voting, overall play, conferences, or just an opinion, this is the site you go to. The guys over there do an excellent job of maintaining the site, and they always offer a level-headed and steady opinion. I would highly recommend adding it to your RSS feed if you are a college basketball or hoops junkie in general. I appreciate the support from Drive and Dish as well as the rest of the readers on this site.
Izzy
Rafer Alston/Kyle Lowry/Brian Cook Trade Analysis
My keyboard is on fire, but here goes the last analysis of the trade season. The most significant trade before the trade deadline is happening for Orlando. The Magic will receive Houston's Rafer Alston. The Rockets will receive Kyle Lowry. Brian Cook, a first round pick, and some filler will go to Memphis.
This deal works for everyone. Lets take this one step at a time. First, the Grizzlies. They are a team that has the lowest payroll in the league, but they have a tremendous amount of young talent. A first round pick is only going to add to that. With Mike Conley playing extremely well the last few weeks, and OJ Mayo in the long term plans, the Grizzlies got rid of Lowry. Coming into the season, they were wondering what they would do with Javaris Crittendon, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Conley. It was for sure going to be a throw down to see who would win the job. Crittendon lost the battle first, and then Conley proved that he could be the guy bringing up the court. Now Lowry finds himself on a struggling Houston team.
As for Houston, I think that Lowry can help them out back there. He will increase all of his averages of 7.6ppg and 3.6 assts a game. He will see a lot of playing time because I think that Rick Adelman will continue to play Aaron Brooks off the bench in the same capacity Brooks has played all season. Brooks will compete for the starting job next season, but as of now, Lowry will be given the thumbs up. The Rockets will also get Brian Cook. Cook has developed a terrible reputation of being a shooter every time he touches the ball. Problem is, he can't shoot. Cook is only shooting 38.3% on the season. Don't expect that to change anytime soon as he probably won't get in the rotation that often, but his salary made the deal work. Cook's impact on the team will be minimal. Overall, Lowry is about half a step down from Alston, but for next season, after he learns Adelman's unique offense, he will be a much more effective player. Lowry is a steal with his talent and salary. Lowry is due to make $1.1 million this season, and just over $2 million next season with a qualifying offer in none other than, the summer of 2010. From watching Lowry play, he doesn't seem like he commands on the floor. He seems to force the game. Lowry also seems to play off of other players. He waits for a player to make a move, and he reacts to that. It doesn't seem like Lowry creates opportunities for himself outside of his occassional drive to the basket. I think that is something he can work on, and will change when he gets used to the talent around him in Houston, and of course, when the Rockets are healthy (if that ever happens). This is the perfect situation for Lowry to develop himself as a credible guard. The spotlight is on him in Houston, and he will be asked much more next season than this season. Think of the last part of this season as a warmup for Lowry.
So the last point guard that went to Orlando from Houston was a guy named Steve Francis. The guy who came to Houston was Tracy McGrady. We know how that went down. Put aside what you may think about T-Mac right now, and realize that he averages over 29ppg in the playoffs. When healthy, Tracy McGrady is one of the NBA's elite. Steve Francis, not so much, to say the least. When Jameer Nelson went down, Orlando tried to play it like Anthony Johnson could carry the load. After watching the unathletic veteran for a few games, it became very clear that Johnson would not be able to hold the fort down. So here comes Alston. The guy has had some big games the last couple games. Alston is an extremely streaky shooter. I never thought about it, but Alston is a poor man's Jameer Nelson. He is averaging 11.5 ppg, 5.4 assts, and 1.19 steals. Nelson averages 16.7ppg, 5.4 assts, and 1.21 stls. With the exception of points, those are virtually the same numbers. Alston is smaller in size, has the handles, can pass, and score. I can make this comparison because they both played with a dominant center that changes defenses. We should also note that Alston has never had a full arsenal of options available to him. He does have that in Orlando. Expect his numbers to jump a little bit. I think they have some similarities and some differences. The similarity is their shots off of screens. Nelson loves shooting off of screens and giving the pick n'roll pass. Alston likes to shoot off of screens, but the pick n'roll isn't so big in Houston, but Alston had his fair share of assists to Yao. I think Alston will make an immediate impact in Orlando, and that is what they need. Alston was stuck in the limbo land of Houston, and he is now on a championship contending team. If the Magic don't like what Alston is doing, he is making $4.9 million and will make a bit above that next season, but his contract expires in none other than the summer of 2010. Perfect. Alston will undoubtedly thrive off of Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu's shooting ability. He will be able to create shots for himself, and like Jameer Nelson, Alston loves to drive to the basket. We have seen this time and time again, Alston driving to the basket, defenses collapose, and he drops the ball off the Scola or Yao for the easy put away. Well, the same thing is going to happen in Orlando with the exception of dropping off to a PF or SF, he could kick it out to the wings for 3, or give it to Dwight Howard. Either option is going to be a favorable outcome for the Magic. The one concern is when Nelson comes back. Do they just have Alston come off the bench? I think they will let that happen for a while, but they will probably trade him away after they don't need him. Alston is a quick bandaid for the Jameer Nelson loss. After Nelson is back and healthy, Alston's expiring contract and proven play will be good trade bait next season. It is looking good for Orlando. They can now safely start discussing a legitimate playoff run.
Izzy
Larry Hughes for Tim Thomas/ Jerome James/Anthony Roberson Trade Analysis
Chicago's 2nd trade in 2 days. They send Larry Hughes and get back Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson.
Both these teams will come out of the deal financially equal. Hughes makes $12.8 million this year, and will be making about $13.6 million next year which is fine for New York because as long as Hughes is not on the books for 2010, it is all good with them. Hughes is a streaky scorer, and has the ability to put points up when he wants to. He was averaging 12ppg and 3 rebs in his 30 games for the Bulls this season. Don't let those numbers mislead you because Hughes did not want to be in Chicago. He made it clear that he wanted to get traded. That is what happened. Expect Hughes to increase his numbers in a place that he wants to be, and a place that is built solely off of shooting. I think this will keep the Knicks happy until they can flex their muscle in 2010. I do think that Larry Hughes can be a bit of a liability in the locker room, but that factor is a team-to-team thing for Hughes so we can't factor that in right now.
The Bulls get Tim Thomas back and some change. Tim Thomas feuded with former Bulls coach Scott Skiles, and rookie coach Vinny Del Negro has 5 new players on his team in the past 2 days. Tim Thomas is on the books for about $12.5 million over the next two season, and of course, expiring in the summer of 2010. It will undoubtedly be difficult to understand where each player fits into the system. Tim Thomas is a shooting 4 who can play the 3 or 5. I believe the Noah and Gray are going to see cuts in their playing time. I actually think that if Thomas is coupled with Brad Miller, that is an interesting 4 and 5 combo. Both of them like to shoot in the mid-range as opposed to posting up so I think that can stretch the defense. It looks like the Bulls got rid of Nocioni in order to acquire Tim Thomas, a player who is a Nocioni replacement. A very clever move by GM Paxson. Tim Thomas can provide an instant impact to the Bulls if used properly. Thomas averages about 9.6 a game, and occassionally goes off for a 20+ game. I think we can expect that level of production from him in Chicago too.
Izzy
Sheldon Williams/ Bobby Brown for Rashard McCants/Calvin Booth Trade Analysis
Sheldon Williams and Bobby Brown got sent to Minnesota for Rashard McCants and Calvin Booth.
This trade is pretty minor so we will focus on Sheldon Williams and Rashard McCants.
The trade is a neutral move for both teams. Sheldon Williams was the 5th pick in the draft, and has never lived up to expectations after a standout college career at Duke. Sheldon is limited by his athletic ability, and his lack of post presence. In college, Williams was able to out muscle inferior defenders, and get a lot of clean-up baskets. In the NBA, it is obviously a different story. Williams has not started any games this season, and averaged 10.2 minutes for the the Kings. His stats are minimal this season, and have been throughout his career. Williams is averaging 3.7 ppg and 2.6 rebs. Don't let Kevin McHale fool you. They have articulated that Al Jefferson's injury prompted this trade for Williams, but this is another financial move. Williaims is due about $3.3 million this season and has an option for next season. I don't know if the Timberwolves will pick it up. I suspect that they won't, and will use it to go after another player. It is worth noting that Calvin Booth averages 5.2 ppg and 1.9 assts and only makes the minimum (for his experience) at $442,144. All-in-all, the impact for the Wolves will be virtually nil.
The Kings have been pretty active in the trade market. This is their 3rd trade that they have been involved in throughout this trade season. Again, they have acquired all of these players for financial reasons (with the exception of Andres Nocioni). Rashard McCants, the former TarHeel star, never quite lived up to his expectations. McCants and Booth are both expiring contracts. They will have a combined $3.7 million in expiring contracts (McCants has a qualifying option at $3.4 next season). McCants is averaging 9.1ppg and .9 assts. Outside of some scoring, he is largely ineffective. Like I said in the Nocioni/Miller analysis, Sacramento is cutting costs. These small market team fans must get used to this because the small market teams can't afford to incur the luxury tax penalty like big market teams can. It makes financial sense for the Kings. They have the worst record in the league so I guess at this point acquiring minimal impact players is a good thing. Calvin Booth has played in 1 game this season, and will probably see double that action, at most, for the rest of this season. The Kings are in a good position financially going into the 2009-2010 season.
Izzy
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