RUMOR HAS IT…
In this weeks section geared exclusively towards the latest rumors floating around… "Rumor Has It…"
Playing Poker: The Cleveland Cavaliers are still no closer to deals with Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic than they were four weeks ago. Verejao's camp is seeking a massive $10 million per year deal, and while Andy is a LeBron James favorite, he did average six points a game last season. The Cavs are said to be willing offer Anderson "Drew Gooden" money -a deal in the $6 to $7 million range - but they are not ready to boat anchor the salary cap to Anderson despite knowing full well they need him. Drew Gooden has been less than impressive in camp according to insiders around the Cavs, giving Varejao plenty of leverage. The Cavs remain hopeful they can get a deal done before the start of the regular season.
The Rookie Race: With Greg Oden on the shelf for the entire season, the Rookie of The Year race opened up significantly. The front runner is obviously Kevin Durant, but with word the Sonics coach PJ Carlesimo was planning to use Durant at the two guard spot, a new position for KD, his production and learning curve may be higher than expected. Meanwhile in Atlanta, sources close to the Hawks continue to gush about Al Horford, who is likely the number two candidate coming into the season. Seats 3 and 4 may be Mike Conley Jr - who the Grizzlies staff is in love with - and Yi Jianlian, who wowed the Bucks staff last week in his first NBA practice. This may indeed be the widest open "rookie race" in recent years and there is a lot of rookie talent that will get a chance to play meaningful minutes.
Worth Every Penny: A lot can be said about the money thrown around in Free Agency, and no deal got more scrutiny this summer than the Magic's $103 million pact with Rashard Lewis. One league source put the deal into perspective this way, saying the Magic in essence "traded" Grant Hill and Darko Milicic for Rashard Lewis. Grant was making $16 million and Darko wanted $10 million; the source continued that if mid-season last year the Magic triggered a trade that brought in Rashard Lewis for Grant and Darko, it would have been viewed as a steal for the Magic. $103 million was the price, because Rashard had three other teams willing to give him $102 million. The plus side for Orlando is not only is Rashard ready to prove he was worth the money, but so far in training camp he has been that and a little more.
The Lakers Plan: The Lakers have a plan right? Well, according to league sources that plan may be sticking with what they have. The Lakers have been after every major and minor trade in the market, but at the end of the day nothing out there is worth two assets, according to a league source. The Lakers are hopeful their young guys will come into their own this year, raise some values and allow them to get a larger return if and when they decide to trade. It seems fairly clear from sources close to the team the desire to make a deal happen before the trade deadline is there. It seems the holdup is the Lakers being opportunistic about what they offer, because they understand full well the cupboard is not as stocked as it once was and two assets for one will not help them improve.
Retracting The Offer: Word from New Jersey is the Nets will retract their contract offer to Allan Houston. The mentality behind the move is Houston would likely not make the 15 man roster this far into training camp, as roles for the upcoming season are starting to settle in. The arrival of Darrell Armstrong adds that leadership component and as much as Rod Thorn and Lawrence Frank like and respect Houston, they do not want to ultimately cut him. The Knicks continue to be mentioned as the team Houston wants to play for, but their roster situation is equally as complicated. It seems second round draft pick Demetris Nichols may be cut, bringing the cap roster to 17 today, and possibly 18 if Houston shows up on Monday as some expect he will.
NBATV: Surprisingly there has been little said about the NBA's decision to sell off NBATV to one of its media partners. Talks had gone on for sometime as ESPN/ABC and Turner both explored scenarios with the league. Ultimately it seems Turner has won out and will take over operation of the league's flagship cable channel that reaches some 12 million subscribers. The exact changeover date is not clear, but several months ago a Bloomberg report cited sources saying senior level producers were offered contract buyouts in September. There has also been speculation a third party media company may be tapped to operate the NBA's website in the not so distant future. The NFL has a long running deal with CBS to manage the bulk of its website content, so the shift to selling operating rights to the league's portal website might be next.
