LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

With the October 31st deadline having come and gone for a contract extension for Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard both sides have seemed to have walked away from negotiations. Spurs fans are assuredly throwing their hands up at their franchise’s stubbornness in not paying the youngest finals MVP in league history (tied with Magic, 1980). Kawhi is a vital two-way player, he possesses an unrelenting motor and work ethic and he’s the definition of modest. He would seem to be the ideal piece for which the Spurs would want to build it’s future around.  As long as San Antonio’s big three are suiting up they will likely garner attention as the fulcrums of the team but many would argue San Antonio would not have been anywhere near the finals without Leonard.

            A big part of what has made San Antonio so special is that their stars have taken less to stay together. Duncan is on a contract right now paying him $10  million a year, Ginobili just resigned for $7 million, Parker who is the youngest of the three is signed through the 2017-2018 season with his biggest salary $15.4 coming in the final year. While these numbers are certainly high they are far less than any could have made had they entered into the free market of talent hungry NBA teams. They are far less than Kobe signed for just a year ago ($48 million over two years), and less than what southwest division rival Houston have paid stars like Dwight Howard ($21.4) and James Harden ($14.7), even Trevor Ariza ($8.6) is making more than Ginobili this season. It would seem that if Kawhi were to truly buy into the Spurs system he would sacrifice to allow the franchise to bring in help after Duncan and Ginobili presumably retire after this season.

            Kawhi and his people believe he is worth more, that if he were to seek a max contract he could likely obtain one in the open market, which isn’t entirely untrue. Kawhi’s talents would certainly be valuable to any team that doesn’t possess a Paul George or Lebron James. Gregg Popovich has been touting him the future of the franchise for years now, but there are those that believe Kawhi is simply a result of Pop’s system and that he wouldn’t have flourished with any other organization. Regardless of how you feel about Kawhi’s ability to work on another team it is a fact that he is extremely valuable to the Spurs and their future.

            Another interesting wrinkle in the story is the future of the NBA’s CBA and thus the league’s salary cap. The NBA’s newly signed TV deal nearly tripled the previous deal’s money causing the cap, which is figured as a percentage of the previous season’s revenue, to be projected to rise as much as $20 million in the next two seasons. This spike in money coming into the league has caused many players with the right combination of leverage and foresight to enter into free agency in two years when front offices will presumably have money burning holes in their pockets. It will certainly prove lucrative for any player who has proven their value in the previous seasons but it will also make some of the more questionable long-term deals signed this summer or next summer seem like great bargains. This though only further begs the question; what does a guy have to do to hit pay dirt in San Antonio?

            

            With Kawhi seeming to be a perfect fit for the Spurs and vice-versa it would seem like a no brainer to lock him up for the next five years, especially when a max deal would look like a great bargain for the last three of those years. So why have the Spurs insisted on playing hardball? Perhaps the organization is waiting for the contracts of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to expire and they presumably retire, freeing up a large amount of cap space next summer. If Kawhi were to have signed an extension it would put his contract on the books for next summer digging into the possible capital the Spurs would have to go after other free agents next summer.  If the Spurs wait to sign Leonard in restricted FA, they end up matching a potentially higher max contract ($117 over five seasons) than what he was asking for this off-season ($89 mil over five seasons). By waiting though the Spurs will have the extra cash available, around $8.2 for Kawhi and then the $10.3 from Duncan’s contract and $7 from Ginobili’s, to go after another max level guy or pick up a few solid mid-tier pieces to try and fill in the holes left by Manu and Tim’s likely retirements. San Antonio could then use Leonard’s Bird rights to extend over the salary cap to resign him to a max deal.

            With some big free agents hitting the market next summer that would fit well with what the Spurs do, Paul Milsap and LaMarcus Aldridge come to mind, it makes sense that the Spurs are attempting to hoard as much cash as possible to go after another big piece to insert into their frenzied style of offense. Holding out another year will also give Kawhi a higher pay day so as long as there is no hurt feelings on either side it would seem beneficial for both parties to wait until next summer.

CLYDE BABY

Magic really showing his ability to carve up a defense like nobody else. 

MVP's...? Who needs em'

CELEBRATING SIR CHARLES

     

     Today Charles Barkley turns 51. Sometimes he feels like the only clear voice in a sea of talking heads. He keeps basketball fun and interesting both as a commentator as well as when he was playing. He is honest, outspoken, willing to admit his shortcomings and maintains his sense of humor throughout this crazy ride we call life.

He is adored by people from all walks of life and areas of expertise...

Called by many nicknames, Round Mound of rebound could prove to be the one that sticks though. Charles is a man of passions and one I'm sure many can identify with is the passion for good cuisine...

Sir Charles lives by his own ethos, he walks on both sides of the law, he is not a role model, but if you do find yourself looking to him for guidance you're probably doing alright. 

Barkley is a man of fashion, not afraid to take risks. He expresses himself as he feels...

Not only does he love his mom (every man should) but he embraces people of all different types.

Sir Charles has a dizzying array of talents beyond the basketball court as well...

Chuck played with an unmatchable intensity and fire. He's one of the best players to ever run the court. He is a man of character, integrity, pride, respect, passion and love. I can't imagine not smiling when he speaks. He's a dreamer, a hall of famer, a husband and a father and much much more. Happy birthday Chuck, you live pure.

REIGN OF TERROR

1984-2014

WE MADE IT.

GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE.

WEEKS EIGHT + NINE RECAP

Five Christmas day games passed without much fanfare, some players return from injury while some reacquaint themselves with it, Terrence Jones and Damian Lillard continue to step up.

1.  Terrence Jones has come through in a big way for the Rockets since being placed in the starting line-up at power forward. In the Rockets four wins last week he averaged 17 points and 7.75 rebounds with one of the few stellar performances on Christmas Day against the Spurs, bringing in 21 points and 14 boards.

2.  Blake Griffin had a big outing of his own Saturday against Utah. Griffin scored 40 points, including 14 of 17 free throws while also pulling down 10 rebounds.

3. The Cavaliers announced Saturday that they would be suspending Andrew Bynum from all team activity after an incident at a Friday practice, the most recent of a string of detrimental behavior. It is believed he has played his last game as a Cavalier, with the team looking to either move or release him. Bynum signed a two year deal for $24 million but the team would only have to pay out $6 million if he is traded or released by January 7th.

4.  Evan Turner drove home a Sixers win over the Lakers Sunday night with a 360 dunk at the buzzer putting the exclamation point on a 111-104 win and upsetting Nick Young (who sparked the play with his own questionable shot). Turner immediately began apologizing to the Lakers for his dunk, Young is still probably looking for appreciation from the Lakers.

5.  Friday it was announced that Russell Westbrook would be sidelined until after the All-Star break due to arthroscopic surgery related to increased swelling in his knees. This marks his third knee surgery since going down with a torn meniscus in April.

6.  Kobe Bryant also returned to the injured list two weeks ago just six games after his return from a ruptured achilles that sat him out at the tail end of last season and included an arduous seven month rehab process that only Kobe, at age 35, would attempt. Bryant fractured a bone in his knee against the Grizzlies on December 17th and is expected to miss six weeks.

7.  The same day Kobe went down saw the return of Andre Iguodala after missing 12 games with a pulled hamstring. The Warriors beat the Pelicans 104-93 with Iguodala seeing limited minutes as a starter.

8.  In two games in week eight, against the Pistons and the Cavaliers, Damian Lillard delivered the Trailblazers to a last minute victory. Showing that he is both capable from long range or creating in the lane at the basket Lillard further establishes himself as one of the leagues premier point men. Not only is he skilled but he is equally as calculating, leaving mere tenths of a sceond on the clock with both shots, .1 against the Pistons in OT and .2 against the Cavs.

9.  Jeff Teague delivered his own crushing blow to the Cavs with a last second jumper and a win for the Hawks in a double OT the day after Christmas. Teague held for the shot as long as possible and the ball rattled around the rim longer than anyone would've liked to tick the final moments off the clock, securing the win for Atlanta.

10.  The NBA's favorite middle child, Chris Bosh, secured his spot in the conversation of all that is (somewhat) relevant with his performance against the Trailblazers Saturday night. Bosh scored 37 points including three for three from outside, including a game winning three pointer to carry the Heat to victory without Lebron who suffered a groin injury in Miami's loss to Sacramento the night before.

11.  The Knicks continue to find a way to stay in the conversation as well as Tyson Chandler's return will hopefully help them crawl out of the basement they've inhabited since his injury. In Chandler's first game back since November 5th, the Knicks managed to pull out a double OT victory against the Bucks 107-101, despite J.R. Smith firing up 17 three pointers (hitting five of them) and Andrea Bargnani defying all logic of professional basketball with a three point attempt at the end of the first OT following a Chandler offensive rebound with 14 seconds left on the clock and a two point lead for the Knicks that allowed the Bucks to force a second OT with a John Henson last second put back. It was Smith's first time to launch 17 from outside with the Knicks, having done so twice before with the Nuggets, and just another tally on the list of times Bargnani has gone against the obvious decision and/or almost screwed up 48+ minutes of hard work. Tyson Chandler is probably wondering what he came back for and Woodson is probably realizing being fired is the quickest way out of this capsized ship.

WEEK SEVEN RECAP

The season seems to have settled in a bit but with the passing of Dec. 15th trades will for sure be plentiful. Last week also saw big match ups between potential post season contenders and injured stars beginning to emerge from their team's injured reserve lists.


1.  On Tuesday, in the first rematch from last years seven game eastern conference finals, Indiana won a close battle, maintaining just enough control over the Heat to come away victorious 90-84.

2.  On Thursday the Rockets and Blazers squared of in a preview of a potential playoff matchup for the two young contenders. LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard both had stellar performances. Howard getting 32 points and 17 rebounds and Aldridge scoring 31 points while pulling in a monster 25 boards to carry the Blazers to a 111-104 victory.

3.  The Blazers continued their relentless domination in a statement win over the 76ers on Saturday, 139-105. Portland set a new franchise record for threes in a game, 21, breaking the previous record of 17 set just a week prior on December 6th against the Jazz. The Blazers shot a ridiculous 56.8% from outside (higher than from the rest of the floor). They also racked up 40 assists, further proving this team has a right to be in the discussion.

4.  With some of their primary wings, J.J. Redick and Matt Barnes, sidelined with injuries the Clippers signed veteran free agent Stephen Jackson who played for the Spurs most of last season, being let go right before the playoffs. The terms of the contract were not disclosed but the Clippers are certainly hoping to replace the sorely missed outside shooting of J.J. Redick while he recovers from a broken hand. Jackson is certainly capable of hitting big outside shots but at the age of 35 this should not be seen as the big move to answer all or even many of the Clippers big questions.

5.  As Sunday December 15th passes we have now entered into the stage of the season in which free-agents signed over the summer become eligible for trades, thus opening the full potential of the trade market. With many big names being speculated about;Deng, Gasol, Asik, Shumpert, David Lee, Rajon Rondo, even Tom Thibodeau and so on and so forth, expect to see pieces fall fast and freely. As teams jostle for position, both high and low, many big moves are expected to take place and any player moved before Thursday December 19th will be eligible to be traded again before the February 20th trade deadline. This promises to be a potentially big week.

6.  In regards to Omer Asik and the Houston Rockets a trade may already be in place. While no official statement has been released it is alleged to be a three team deal involving the Sixers and possibly the Celtics, potentially seeing Thadeus Young and Jeff Green in new uniforms. Whatever the actual deal is expect Rockets GM Morey to pull the trigger on it by Dec. 19th if he doesn't find a better offer by then.

7.  On Saturday Rajon Rondo who has been out so far this season with a torn ACL was cleared to rejoin team practices. No word as of now on when he will fully return to the team but coach Brad Stevens is hoping to see his point guard on the court come January. Rondo will certainly be a plus for a Celtics squad that was expected to chuck away the season yet are now sitting atop the Atlantic division and about to get to get a boost from his return.

8.  In other injury related news Tyson Chandler has been cleared to return to practice with the flailing Knicks. He has been practicing since Monday, engaging in non-contact drills and has even thought it possible to return as early as Wednesday's game against the Bucks.

9. Staying with the Knicks Carmelo, one of the lone consistent (enough) bright spots for New York, had a behemoth performance against the Hawks on Saturday, carrying his team to another victory 111-106. With a win over the Bulls earlier in the week and defensive anchor Chandler set to return sometime soon things are starting look up for the forlorn men in orange and blue.

10.  The Hawks fighting for their own relevance in a largely irrelevant conference had a last minute win in overtime against Washington on Friday. Tied at 99 and facing a second overtime period Al Horford sank a fall away jumper at the last second to close it out for Atlanta.

READING DERRICK ROSE

     Last year as Derrick Rose sat out with a torn ACL his fans waited, when he was cleared for play by team doctors his fans waited, as the playoffs came nearer his fans waited and as the undermanned Bulls went on one of the most exciting, yet short lived playoff runs in recent memory the fans waited. Derrick Rose never addressed the situation or spoke on his return. We were only given glimpses into his mind frame and status through his brother Reggie. While many fans were okay with this, Rose’s silence and absence from the court caused a backlash to form against him, mostly from his fans. They felt let down, they felt that he was not who they thought he was, it had been a long season and to hear Rose address the situation himself probably would have helped everyone along. 

     This year, in light of the frenzy that surrounded Rose in the second half of last season, the NBA has amended their guidelines for players and specifically injured players. The league now requires them, among other things, to meet with media within a week of diagnosis (if physically able) and then address the media once a week for the duration of their injury once they’ve returned to practice.

     The rule may come to be known as the Derrick Rose rule (v2.0), but I imagine nobody was expecting to see him at the dais on crutches, falling victim to knee surgery once again, when the rule was written. It has been an unfortunate two years for Rose. Response has been wide ranging, from depressing to vitriol, but Derrick Rose has remained as positive as one can in light of everything. He seems motivated but has a wide perspective on how lucky he is to be where he is. He comes across with a sincerity that is hard to find today in the worlds of sports and entertainment. His perspective, confidence and positivity almost come across as borderline naivety which could cause a little of a bad taste in the mouths of some Bulls fans.

     Derrick has finally addressed the media in regards to his torn meniscus, recovery timeline, and goals for the rest of the season and playoffs. With potentially no game footage of Rose to look at until the playoffs an exploration of his press conference feels right, trying to peer into his mind, past the hopeful exterior of the NBA’s youngest MVP who’s just another kid from the south-side of Chicago playing for the home team.

:26 - "Frustrating"... no surprise there. Possibly the biggest understatement of the next 22 minutes.

1:35 - 90% chance is great, hopefully nobody criticizes him for making the right call here even if it keeps him sidelined all season.

1:52 - 2:23 - Derrick Rose is so real, this is him putting it into perspective right in front of us. Sincere, frank, and humble, if you're a                        Derrick Rose fan these are the attributes you've come to love.

2:24 - Business Man? Suspect point to make this quick Derrick.

2:28 - Seems like he kind of realizes maybe he went into that too quick, especially after last season.

2:31 - There he goes again, I can hear Handel's Sarabande queuing up. 

2:41 - These guys are losing it right now

3:03 - This is the first mention of it as a freak accident, which it was in a way, but everyone of course wants to know if that's all it was.

3:10 - TEN TIMES? One of the Swerskis just rolled over.

3:56 - Everyone was buddy. 

4:14 - I don't know man, knee surgery is knee surgery, especially when you're running point in the NBA. Thankful it's not another ACL                 but "not worried"?

4:21 - It's still a whole season lost Derrick.

4:48 - Hopefully this is just the dark turn in the first part of the saga that only makes you THINK it's in grave danger.

5:03 - This question seems almost irrelevant with the way Indiana is playing right now.

5:43 - This is really interesting only because it makes me question what Rose's motivation is when he's rehabbing. The drive of the                          competition is not in the front of his mind. Does Derrick Rose see basketball as his higher calling?

6:13 - He went through hell and has returned to us.

6:43 - It is promising to see how well Westbrook is playing since his miraculous early return from meniscus surgery, maybe this isn't so                 bad. Westbrook texting Rose also adds a humanist element to Westbrook that I don't usually think of, great stuff.

7:00 - "Let them hear my voice"

7:29 - I imagine Thibodeau and Bulls front office would not agree this is a good idea.

7:41 - So you would be interested in team U.S.A in a non-playing capacity? You agree it's a bad idea? You never play in the offseason?                   NEVER?

7:50 - Oh I heard someone bring up the playoffs... Oh okay, answer the question about why you don't play pickup.

8:03 - THERE WE GO, WHAT EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW! We hang on baited breath Derrick...

8:10 - What is the right situation?

8:35 - Great question, attempting to address the issue of a player having two major surgeries to the same part of his body in two years.

8:50 - Not taking care of your body? What on earth were you doing?

9:20 - I guess what's so scary to everyone but Rose is exactly that, there was nothing he could do about the meniscus injury, it just                         happened. So what is to keep it or other things from just happening again?

9:45 - Another great question addressing the possible future of this Bulls team, mostly hinting at the free agency of Luol Deng I suspect.

9:50 - He hasn't even thought about that, in all honesty I believe him.

10:15 - Great answer, avoided that question nicely while giving a strong response showing support for the team at present.

10:38 - What position is that? Oh right... the underdog, couldn't care less, man this guy is great.

10:54 - Yes, we heard you the first time, you could tear it ten more times, please don't bring up the possibility again.

11:17 - Who are these people saying the Bulls should move on? An MVP is having meniscus surgery, he's not going away for 8-10                        years, he didn't head a network of illegal activity, he's not wearing a halo brace, he'll be back guys.

11:51 - He takes 34 seconds to think about this question, including having the question repeated. not sure if people are actually saying this             but he seems pretty shocked by and he genuinely considers the question, then answers appropriately.

12:24 - I'm honestly surprised it sometimes takes major injury for  players to adopt these practices into their routines, so beneficial and far             less taxing on the body.

12:40 - The meditative aspect of yoga is a really interesting point to bring up, but I like that he went there.

13:16 - Such a great response. Any Bulls fans that have had any doubts in this press conference so far hopefully find solace here.

15:36 - Hopefully this response doesn't become an allegory for the Bulls season, although it is highly likely it will.

16:14 - Rose seems like a really great teammate. All the Bulls do though, which is part of what makes this such a disappointment.

16:52 - Derrick seems like a genuinely positive person, I suppose thats an important virtue to attain after these past two years.

19:12 - I love his approach to the question about recruiting, it kind of acknowledges what a lame practice the consortment of players is in               regards to recruiting/teaming up. Derrick Rose is not scared of you.

20:00 - Again, the Bulls seem about as close knit as a team can which would make any of the key pieces leaving such a bummer. What                   kind of food do you imagine Noah brings? Or Deng? Boozer definitely just brings over like 50 wings and eats most of them,                     right?

20:25 - The Bulls, just some regular guys.


21:05 - At least he never plans on stopping, not that we doubted his desire, just good to hear.

21:36 - Watching him walk off on crutches just made that whole press conference real.