NBA PM: Is Jamison Untradeable?
Is Antawn Jamison Untradeable?
Yesterday Bill Ingram wrote on Cleveland’s Antawn Jamison in the NBA at 2, focusing on the veteran’s reaction to the team’s 24-(now 25)-game losing streak. But the bad news doesn’t end there for Jamison. As ESPN.com’s Marc Stein wrote today, he isn’t likely to receive a get-out-of-jaia free card in the form of a trade.
"NBA front-office sources say," writes Stein, "that few teams have been as active in recent weeks in trying to swing a trade or two before the Feb. 24 deadline than Cleveland—with Jamison high on it’s list of movable assets—but increasing apprehension about how restrictive the next labor agreement will be has prompted several teams to back off on deal-making.
"Sources say New Orleans, for example, has a level of interest in Jamison, but also expressed skepticism that a suitable deal can be assembled before the deadline to send out the 35-year-old anywhere. It’s true that Jamison has only one year left on his contact after this season, but that one season is valued at a meaty $15.1 million, which means Cleveland would almost certainly have to take back multiple players back (sic) to make the salary-cap math work."
Nuggets fans should take a good look at what’s going on with Jamison because this is their future.
The Cavs traded for Jamison, even though he would be owed $15 million in 2011-2012, because they thought he could help keep LeBron James happy. Meanwhile, the Nuggets signed Al Harrington this offseason to a five-year, $33.4 million deal essentially to do the same for Carmelo Anthony. Now ‘Melo seems destined to leave and the Nuggets will still owe Harrington around $7.6 million in 2014-2015.
It’s no wonder why the Nuggets reportedly wanted to package Harrington with Anthony in their proposed deals with the Nets.
Cool the Carmelo-to-LA Talk
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that ESPN’s report of an Andrew Bynum for Carmelo Anthony deal is "inaccurate," according to a Lakers representative.
ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard reported earlier that Los Angeles would package Bynum and other "pieces" in a deal that would net them the perennial Nuggets All-Star.
This supports what Bill Ingram wrote in today’s NBA at 2: The Nuggets have some interest in Lakers players like Derrick Caracter, but it’s very unlikely that a deal will be built around Bynum.
Is Paul George Set to Break Out?
Pacers rookie Paul George was already starting to see some meaningful minutes when Frank Vogel replaced Jim O’Brien as Indiana’s head coach. After playing sparingly for the first few months of the season, George averaged 14 PPG over the last three games of the O’Brien era and that production has only continued under Vogel.
George hit four of eight field goals to finish with 16 points in the Jan. 31 win over Toronto and nailed three of four 3-point attempts in a win over Cleveland two nights later.
"I’m just starting to get more comfortable out there," George told HOOPSWORLD. "Games are starting to open up for me. I’m starting to get patient now. Before I was trying to speed up things and rush everything. I’m starting to get a feel for the game and I’m understanding the tempo. So, really I just needed the experience."
One of the biggest steps for George has been his steady adjustment to the NBA 3-pointer. His 3-point percentage dropped from 44.7% as a freshman at Fresno State to 35.3% as a sophomore, so he decided to get a head start on the NBA distance.
"This past summer I came out of school earlier because most guys were still in the tournament," he said. "I started training and emphasizing that long range because I knew that was something I needed to add to my game to be a dynamic player. I had to get to that 3-point lane.
"I definitely recommend it if you’re not in the tournament" George continued. "That three ball from college to the NBA is totally different. It’s way farther than what you think. You really need to put in some repetitions with that shot to get comfortable. When you get here, other teams will expose you if you can’t hit that three ball and that could hurt you."
The 6-9 swingman has hit only about a third over his NBA 3-pointers, but he is definitely shooting it with more confidence in 2011—George made four of six from range in the Jan. 12 win over Dallas.
George’s education goes beyond the 3-point arc, though. He spends his practice time alternating between guarding the Pacers’ best scorer and trying to score on their best defender.
"I usually guard Danny [Granger] and Dahntay [Jones]," George said. "That’s really been the key to my development. Danny is a tough offensive player to guard and Dahntay is a tough defensive player to try and score on.
"My teammates have been the best part of the whole transition," he continued.
The Pacers could face the Celtics, Bulls or Magic in the first round of the playoffs, and George will definitely see playing time. He’s averaged 24.3 MPG in February.
3-Point Contest Set
Celtics swingman Paul Pierce is set to defend his 3-point crown against teammate Ray Allen, Thunder forward Kevin Durant, Warriors forward Dorell Wright, Miami forward James Jones and Cleveland guard Daniel Gibson at All-Star Weekend.
Pierce is hitting 40.1% of his 3-point attempts this season so it’s understandable that he should face off against Allen (46.2%), Wright (40.9%), Jones (42.7%) and Gibson (43.9%). However, Durant is hitting only 34.7% of his 3-point attempts this season, which means there are 93 qualifying players who are currently more accurate from range than the Oklahoma City star. Even LeBron James (35.5%) is having a better season from beyond the arc.
So is this a smart strategy for the NBA?
A 3-point contest at the Staples Center in Los Angeles definitely needs stars, but is it okay to blatantly pass over around 80 or 90 more-qualified candidates just to hold the audience’s interest through the dunk contest?
And even if the NBA didn’t want to include the Knicks’ Shawne Williams (50.6%), the Spurs’ Matt Bonner (50.4%) or the Nuggets’ Arron Afflalo (44.9%), they still had stars like the Hornets’ Chris Paul (45.2%), the Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups (44.4%), the Timberwolves’ Kevin Love (43.4%) or even former champ Dirk Nowitzki (41.9%) to choose from.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Kendrick Wants Perks
Kendrick Perkins told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that he did not reject a four-year extension offer worth around $30 million, as had been previously reported. Instead, Perkins said the figure he got from the Celtics was "closer to like $22 million."
Perkins is coming off a torn PCL and MCL in his right knee, but managed to return to the Celtics earlier than expected. And the seven-year vet isn’t hobbling around. He’s averaged 10.5 RPG and 7.3 PPG on 50% field goal shooting over his last four games. He also blocked three shots in Monday’s loss to the Bobcats.
Danny Ainge didn’t resurrect the Celtics without knowing how to gauge production, which is why Perkins isn’t likely going anywhere this offseason. The 26-year-old’s history of injuries (knee and shoulder) aren’t going to help him much on the free agent market, but he’ll always hold tremendous value in Boston. The bottom line is, there aren’t many NBA players tougher than Perkins and that isn’t something that gets measured by statistics.
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NBA Chats: There will be three NBA Chats today starting with Luke Byrnes who will host his weekly Hoops Chat at 1pm EST. Luke covers the Western Conference and College Basketball for HOOPSWORLD, so get your questions in early. Senior NBA Writer Eric Pincus will hold his weekly NBA chat today at 4pm. Eric covers the NBA as a whole, but is based in LA with the Lakers and Clippers. Stephen Litel will dig out from the snow in Minnesota to hold his weekly NBA Chat at 8pm EST. You can always find the next chat here: Upcoming NBA Chats.
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