Sunday Scoop: Iguodala in Demand
By:
Bill Ingram
Last Updated: 7/13/08 5:14 PM ET
| 810 times read
One of the most common sayings you hear in an NBA locker room is, "It's a business." Fans don't always appreciate this, as they're caught up in what's going on during games and what their favorite players are doing and saying. Then they get frustrated when things don't work out during the offseason, not understanding how the parties involved can't see the potential they blow up through trades and free agency.
A key example is the LA Clippers, who signed Baron Davis and started printing playoff tickets . . .only to find that Elton Brand was gone before they could even turn around. They tried a last-ditch effort to keep Corey Maggette, but that failed as well. Suddenly a team that could have been a serious contender in the amazingly tough West looks like a lottery team. Clippers fans don't understand how Brand could walk away from such a situation, but at the end of the day it was the way the business side was handled that cost the Clippers their star player.
So we turn our attention to Brand's new team, the Philadelphia 76ers. On paper - today - they're a real threat to the Boston Celtics in the East. Brand makes the combination of Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, and Samuel Dalembert lethal, to say the least.
But what if "business" gets in the way?
Andre Iguodala is in Vegas watching summer league action at UNLV, so naturally we chatted with him about his plans for next season. He admitted he thought the Sixers could be very good with Brand in the mix, but stopped well short of committing his own future to Philadelphia. He's in Vegas having some fun, enjoying what little time off he can really get as a professional athlete, but behind the scenes his agent is working hard to make sure Iguodala gets the best financial situation he can get. That may or may not be Philly.
The Clippers in Play
There's a lot of talk about the LA Clippers, who have roughly $12 million in cap space and desperately need to fill the gaping hole left by Brand's departure. The funniest story of the week may be the Clips' offer of a second round draft pick to the Knicks for Zach Randolph. How serious are they about getting rid of Zach? Not THAT serious.
On a more serious note, expect to see the Clips be the team that delays certain signings, like Josh Smith and the Hawks, Andre Iguodala and the Sixers, and maybe even Luol Deng and the Bulls. Whether or not LA is actually able to land any of those players is one thing, but at the very least they'll be the team that escalates the value of some or all of them.
Paxson on His Way Out?
Speaking of Luol Deng, Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has removed John Paxson from the discussion with Luol Deng and his agent, Jason Levien. Reinsdorf was already unhappy with the way the coaching search went, specifically with Paxson's inability to get Doug Collins wrapped up, and now he's unhappy that the Deng discussion is taking so long. It's not a good sign for Paxson that he's now being excluded from player discussions.
Landry Still Stalled
The Rockets' braintrust arrived in Vegas today and the word is Carl Landry won't be making the trip. The infamous MRI still hasn't been produced, and without it Landry will remain in his holding pattern.
The worst-case scenario for Landry would be for him to fall into the Anderson Varajo trap. Missing summer league is a huge blunder for Landry's camp, but if they allow this issue to drag on through training camp and preseason, Landry will lose much of his leverage as the Rockets have plenty of bigs to focus on. Mike Harris, for one, has been valuable to the Rockets during hard times and could be a player who displaces Landry in the Rockets' big picture. Joey Dorsey is also a real possibility. It would truly be in Landry's best interest to take care of business and get on the next plane to Vegas.
Around the League
Monta Ellis and the HEAT continue to be linked in rumors, but in talking to Don Nelson this week, HOOPSWORLD's Preetom Bhattacharya was told that not only will Ellis be staying in Oakland, he'll be expected to evolve into a point guard. . . .Ron Artest is now insisting he be called by his given name, William, which is indicative of why the drama persists about where he might land. There's no question he can help any number of teams, but you need the right coach to rein in his personality. Phil Jackson, who got Dennis Rodman reasonably under control, is just the person for the job, which is why we continue to see rumors about Artest landing with the Lakers. . .Boki Nachbar is going to make someone better next season, as it appears more and more likely that he's not going to be back in New Jersey. Nachbar was a late bloomer, but has truly come into his own over the last couple of years. . . and finally, it looks like we'll be discussing Shawn Marion a lot more in the coming days, as his name seems to be coming up more and more in rumor mills.
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 noah, 14 July 2008 12:42:28 PM
i know the sixers would prefer not to give AI2 the max, but I just can't believe that they won't match any offer he gets.
posted By TheAnswer03, 14 July 2008 6:28:08 PM
He turned down a 5 year/$57 million deal last summer. I don't think he's worth any more than that. If he gets any more than that, I'd let him walk. Baron Davis only got 65 mil and he's way better than Iggy.
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