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djsunyc
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NBA RUMOR MILL – Is Kiki Out In Denver?
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_15132.shtml
By Steve "BskBALL" Kyler
Nov 27, 2005, 11:23
The Rumor Mill is updated every week, and covers the latest NBA trade rumors, NBA news and commentary from in and around the National Basketball Association.
RUMOR HAS IT…
In this weeks section geared exclusively towards the latest rumors floating around… “Rumor Has It…”
IS KIKI OUT? Well, rumor has it Kiki Vandeweghe will not be back in Denver next year, after months of lobbying for a new deal it seems Stan Kroenke will not meet the price his coveted GM is seeking, word is Kiki is among the lowest paid GM’s in the league, and his agent is seeking to change that to put Kiki among the upper tier, after all he has become one of the bigger and more respected names in the business, problem is Kiki and George Karl rarely see eye to eye, and George has Big Stan’s ear. What’s more likely to happen is Kiki leaves the team, and a more George friendly GM is brought in. Don’t cry for Kiki, he’ll land a new gig pretty quickly, he’s been mentioned as a possible replacement for Rob Babcock in Toronto, he’s been mentioned to Portland and he could even end up in Sacramento if their season heads into the toilet – Kiki’s got options
IS GABE NEXT? A well placed source near the Raptors situation continues to say Rob Babcock will likely be fired before the All-Star break, a little birdy says former Magic GM John Gabriel leads the short list of possible replacements, mainly because he is willing to take the job this season. Gabe has built a reputation for being a solid deal maker, especially for a team looking to rebuild. Gabe positioned the Magic to have a ton of cap flexibility and draft picks, it was his unwillingness to say “No” to Doc Rivers that cost him his job in O-Town. Gabriel is currently working as a scout for the Portland Trailblazers, and is still based in Orlando. A source in Orlando says they have heard that Gabe is ready for a return, and Toronto could surely use a guy like Gabe to get the house in order.
MAGIC NEED HELP OK, it’s a list… are you ready… Steve Francis has a bruised chest area from a one-car accident (yes, he hurt himself, wrecking his own car), Grant Hill is still recovering from hernia surgery (and calling a Snicker’s bar his pre-game meal), DeShawn Stevenson has a piece of floating cartilage in his knee that could claim his season any day (says he’ll play until he can’t), Keyon Dooling was in a walking cast three weeks ago (and started for the 1st time in 2 plus seasons), and Stacy Augmon is still recovering from surgery as well (still lotion free and counting) – don’t be surprised to see Orlando nab one or two of the free agents floating around – word is they are seeking experienced players, so guys like Casey Jacobsen or Qyntel Woods might be a good fit, a better fit might be recently released shooter Matt Walsh, but its more likely the Magic make a trade sending out Tony Battie or Kelvin Cato (not both) and return a younger swing player to fill in the gaps. The good news for the Magic is both Francis and Hill could be in the lineup sooner than later (Steve-O this week – GHill next week)
HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM No Tracy, no playoffs… pure and simple, the Rockets simply stink without Tracy McGrady, which leaves the Rockets with a problem they must solve, Tracy’s back is only gonna get better with rest and the smart man says rest Tracy through December, and push hard for the 7th or 8th seed in January, which means you gotta stay somewhat competitive until then – which leaves one option – sign Latrell Sprewell. Jeff Van Gundy knows Spree, and they can at least get 20 solid games out of Spree and a viable scoring option while they rest Tracy. The Rockets will have to agree to a two-year deal to get Spree, they can always eat the contract if it doesn’t work out. Trying to press T-Mac into the game plan to early will hurt them later.
KNICK’d UP There is probably a better word to use than Knick’d, maybe something with an F in there, but the Knicks got issues, and its typical of a 1st year Larry Brown team to hear the issues in the media – Larry does not have the kind of point guard he wants, he’s constantly railing on Stephon Marbury and even rookie Nate Robinson (who is such a stud) – its only a matter of time before the Knicks trigger a deal for a point guard – The Nuggets have been talking about deals for one of their guards and with the front court issues the Nuggets have, maybe there is a deal there. Jerome James is the apparent source of the Ruben Patterson trade rumors, telling people near the Knicks he’s heard he’s heading to Portland on December 15th to re-join Nate MacMillan – sources near the Blazers deny any interest in Jerome saying it goes against everything the club has been preaching this season. If James is not heading to Portland directly, that surely leaves Denver a viable trading partner, and Andre Miller could be a better fit in New York at the point than Stephon Marbury.
HE DOESN’T HAVE TO START Bulls GM John Paxson continues to downplay the fact that Tim Thomas is not starting or playing a meaningful role with the Bulls, saying if his contract were smaller, no one would question the number of inactives Thomas has logged in Chicago. A Bulls source said bluntly, they had to take Thomas to be rid of Eddy Curry, and Thomas’ ending deal is the only attractive attribute he has to the Bulls, the Bulls are not looking to trade Thomas, simply because they plan to use the free agent money he’ll open up this summer. The only way Thomas gets dealt this season is if he returns that future piece the Bulls are seeking (can you say Peja?)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
OK, we’re about a dozen games in here are your front runners, and the odds of them winning the Rookie Of The Year award.
CHRIS PAUL (65%) Hands down Chris Paul has been everything advertised and more. His shot is nice, he’s finding open teammates, he runs the floor and plays tough defense. Hornets coach Byron Scott loves the kid and he’s got a great off the floor personality. He’s been a major game changer for the Hornets, and you typically don’t see that in a rookie point guard. The only thing that stops Paul from walking away with hardware this May is an injury or a huge drop off in his game.
ANDREW BOGUT (25%) Bogey got the top pick, that should be enough right? Bogut has been exactly what he was advertised also, he’s grabbing rebounds, playing tough in the paint, and getting beat on defense. You gotta hand it to him, after getting his nose broken, he came back in the game – so much for the soft label, Bogut won’t win Rookie of The Year unless he becomes more of a scoring option, but based on how the Bucks have played so far, Bogut could end up as a rookie on a playoff team.
CHARLIE VILLANUEVA (7.5%) Charlie has been nice for the Raptors, he won’t get the trophy, but his name will get mentioned. He is a nice scorer, and he’s playing some defense too. The Raptors may have a tough choice soon, is Charlie the future, or is Chris Bosh? You can say there is room for both, but Bosh wants to be a four in the NBA and that’s were Charlie fits in best.
JOSE CALDERON (2.5%) He gets mentioned, because of his assist numbers – Jose has been nice with the Dime, but he’s got a lot to learn at this level. Calderon could become a nice point guard for Toronto, but they are still looking for a steadier more veteran hand to run the team.
THE LONGSHOTS: There are a couple of other names to note…. Deron Williams Deron has been nice for Utah, if Jerry Sloan would start him, which may happen on its own down the stretch, he’d get more attention, but Deron is the real deal for Utah and you’ll see him on the court in the crunch, once he earns his stripes for Coach Sloan, he’ll be the full time floor leader – some scouts compare him to Jason Kidd as an all purpose point, that can change games with his passing and his rebounding… Francisco Garcia Cisco is nice, real nice and the Kings like him a lot, he’s not gonna get the playing time to get serious consideration, but he is an all out hustler on the floor, his energy will help the Kings a lot, he’s gotta get his shot straight, but with Kevin Martin and Cisco as the future, the Kings have a nice bench. Nate Robinson Nate is sick, plain and simple, the kid has the complete package – he is fearless in the paint and attacks the rim, has a nice jumper, and has some jaw dropping passes to go with it – dubbed by Larry Brown as “The Highlight Reel” of the Knicks, Lil’ Nate will ultimately be the reason the Knicks trade Stephon Marbury, if Nate were playing for any other coach he’d get more minutes, but LB is still finding his way, which means short engagements of The Nate Robinson Show.
I’M LEAVIN ON A JET PLANE
Here are the guys most likely traded in the next 90 days….
JEROME JAMES : Jerome “Thunder” James, is gone, its going to happen, the Knicks will make sure someone takes him off their hands, don’t be shocked if it takes a package deal involving Quentin Richardson either. James and Q, are not Larry Brown’s favorite guys, and both could be packed out together or separately to return the veteran point guard Larry Brown covets and some outside shooting. The Knicks would rather pack James with Penny Hardaway, but no one wants that package for anything with talent included.
JALEN ROSE: Jalen is biding his time, the Raptors shopped him aggressively during the summer, but the asking price was too steep, with the season heading towards the toilet Jalen could bring in some younger talent to jumpstart the Raptors, and that would be fine with Jalen.
TONY BATTIE: The Bat Man, may be the chip the Magic cash in to get some help, with the injury and lack-luster play so far the Magic need help and Tony’s ending deal and his style of play make him more attractive than the injury prone Kelvin Cato, who still has significant shoulder problems (standing around with your arms up all the time will cause that) – Battie would be a good fit for Chicago who’s looking at preserving cap flexibility, and the new 25% rule can make a deal a whole lot easier to swallow.
RUBEN PATTERSON: If there was ever a relationship where both sides wanted out, this is it… The Blazers would trade Ruben for a sack of twinkies right about now, and they can’t even find that. The Blazers are motivated sellers, they will find a deal to rid themselves of Ruben – the Knicks would take him, but they want to send Jerome James in any deal, and James, deal is too much for the Blazers to swallow, if they can find a third partner that would take Theo Ratliff, that would be a deal the Blazers might take.
AL HARRINGTON:With Marvin Williams showing life every once in awhile, the Hawks are started to put out feelers on Al Harrington, they will not give Al away for nothing, but with so many players at the small forward position, Al is the odd man out. The Hawks would like veterans in return, as they can’t seem to get any to sign with them in the off season. Harrington’s been mentioned to New York, a better fit might be the Mavericks, but it seems they may nab Adrian Griffin to fill the void left after Doug Christie’s release and expected retirement. Al is also one of the players The Bulls are said to covet, but it will take a lot more than Tim Thomas to pry Baby Al from the Hawks.
MICHEAL DOLEAC: Dollie has to prove he’s healthy and then he’ll be dealt, with Alonzo Mourning killing teams defensively and the return of Shaq, and the HEAT’s infatuation with Earl Barron – Doleac is the odd man out, the rumor is the HEAT would deal him for a 2nd round draft pick, that’s not a lot for a guy that can give 15 to 20 minutes a game and has a decent outside shot.
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11/28/2005 4:30 PM