Evening Scoop: Posey and the Rockets
By:
Bill Ingram
Last Updated: 7/3/08 1:12 PM ET
| 1442 times read
James Posey has been to Houston before, and one of the predominant rumors of the day has him pondering the chance to play there again. The Celtics would be happy to re-sign Posey, who was a crucial part of their championship equation, but they don't want to ink him to a long-term deal. Several other teams, including the Rockets, would like to lure him away from Boston and will give him the long-term deal he wants.
The Rockets were hoping to be players in the Corey Maggette market, but seem to have been beaten out by the San Antonio Spurs, or perhaps the Orlando Magic. Posey is no Maggette, but he's an outstanding defender and a capable scorer who could be a nice complement to Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. More than anything, Posey is all about the intangibles. He gets the key loose ball or makes the big steal saving a game for his team.
Houston is also in negotiations with Dikembe Mutombo, who is likely to return to the team for one more season, Spurs free agent guard Brent Barry, and forward Carl Landry.
Del Negro Gets a Leg Up
The Chicago Bulls have rounded out their coaching staff, and the final addition is one that should help Vinny Del Negro a great deal. Del Harris was a huge part of Avery Johnson's early success in Dallas, where Johnson won Coach of the Year in his first full season on the bench. Now Del Negro will be looking for the same kind of guidance that Johnson got and with a similarly young team. Harris isn't interested in being the main man any more, but with the talent the Bulls have accumulated and the addition of the top pick in the draft, he might just help the unlikely Del Negro achieve the same kind of success Johnson had with the Mavericks.
Josh Smith Getting Plenty of Love
Elton Brand is giving everyone something to talk about these days, especially with the Clippers making the unexpected move to land Baron Davis. What the Clippers weren't expected was that grabbing Davis might cost them Brand. Now there are rumors that the Clips might do a sign-and-trade with Davis to enable them to keep Brand, who is getting lucrative offers from across the NBA. Philly is the latest team to step up for the Brand discussion.
In the mean time, Josh Smith is getting plenty of love from many of the same teams that are courting Brand - and with good reason. Josh Smith is on pace to become the next great forward in the NBA. His shot-blocking is quickly becoming legendary and his low post enforcer mentality had a lot to do with the Hawks' success this season.
Don't let the talk fool you, though. The Hawks have absolutely no intention of letting Smith slip away. They're going to give the impressive young group from 2007-08 have another season together and see how far they might go. The sky is truly the limit for this young Hawks team, but only with Smith anchoring the front line alongside Al Horford.
Around the League
As expected the Mavs have reached an agreement to re-sign center Gana Diop, which will take them out of the running for forward Eduardo Najera . . .Dallas will also sign J.J. Barea to a three-year contract, and are currently working on deals for Devean George and Antoine Wright . . .the Knicks have offered Chris Duhon a two-year deal worth about $6.5 and has been promised a starting spot . . .The Detroit Pistons are reportedly chasing free agents Mikael Pietrus and James Jones . . .Chris Paul and the Hornets expect to tie up their extension talks tonight.
About the Author: BILL INGRAM
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Bill Ingram is a Senior Writer for HOOPSWORLD, powering HOOPSWORLD.com. Bill covers the entire NBA and the Western Conference from Dallas. He is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and has been covering the NBA for ten seasons.
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posted By csg, 3 July 2008 6:13:10 PM
does this mean the rockets might not sign carl landry? I definantly dont want barry and dont we already have battier that plays like posey. Landry was important to the rockets last year, he is going be even better next year, and he is one of our young prospects
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