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| Sources in San Antonio report the Spurs are harboring great concern about guard Manu Ginobili's decision to play for Argentina in the Olympics, according to CBSSports.com. |
Our View: Ginobili is nursing a badly sprained ankle and told Argentine media Wednesday that doctors have told him the ankle injury was worse than he thought. He said he must immobilize the ankle for 3-4 weeks, but that he still hopes to play for Argentina. Coach Gregg Popovich said he hopes his star sixth man gives serious consideration to sitting out the Beijing Games.
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| One of the greatest single-season recoveries in sports history ended in a record-setting night for the Celtics. They won their league best 17th title humiliating the undermanned Lakers, with a 39-point victory representing the largest championship deciding margin of all time.Kevin Garnett had his best game of the series, leading all players in scoring (where he tied Ray Allen with 26 points) and rebounding. Allen himself left the game early after being poked in the eye, only to return and nail 7-of-9 three-pointers on his to making Finals history with 22 treys in the series. |
Our View: The beatdown began in a second quarter where Boston pulled away with a 26-6 run, as L.A. futilely committed silly fouls, threw up an endless assortment of ugly shots and showed for the sixth time in the series that they didn't belong on the same floor with the Celtics. The West would have been better represented by San Antonio, Phoenix and Utah... even New Orleans would have put on a better show. The Lakers were the team the NBA wanted, for ratings and memories, but the series set the NBA and the Finals back 20 years with a dog performance by the Lakers.
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| Much to the chagrin of Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Jason Kidd will play in Beijing this summer for the U.S. Olympic team according to ESPN.com. The 35 year-old will be paid over $21 million next season with the Mavericks. |
Our View: This does not bode well for the triple-double machine's fantasy value. Kidd was already on a noticeable decline after moving West last season. Adding the Olympic schedule to his summer will only further wear down his body.
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| According to the Daily Progress, Ben Gordon says he would like to play for the New York Knicks. He is a restricted free agent this summer and feels that if Derrick Rose is the pick, there won't be enough minutes for guards in Chicago. Gordon grew up in nearby Mount Vernon, NY. |
Our View: With Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon and Thabo Sefolosha all playing guard, it would appear the Bulls would have to move at least one player in order to make room for Rose. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is known to covet perimeter shooters like Gordon.
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| The Nets hold the No. 10 pick in the upcoming draft, and the Newark Star-Ledger figures the team will be looking at forward Danilo Gallinari, center Brook Lopez, and guard Russell Westbrook, in that order. Anthony Randolph may also be in the picture, but the Nets prefer Gallinari. |
Our View: Take what you will from this list. It looks like the Nets are not locked into a certain position, which will allow them to be versatile with the No. 10 and No. 21 selections.
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| The Bobcats are "smitten" with UCLA guard Russell Westbrook, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. They hold the No. 9 pick in the June draft. |
Our View: We're not sure if the Bobcats would move forward with Westbrook or Raymond Felton at the point, but Felton would presumably do most of the ball-handling. This would suggest they want to use a smaller lineup that also includes Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, and Emeka Okafor. That's a lot of athleticism.
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| The Bucks are "leaning heavily" towards picking small forward Joe Alexander with the No. 8 pick, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. The 6-8 Alexander averaged 16.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in his junior year at West Virginia. |
Our View: A small forward pick makes some sense for the Bucks, considering they have been using the less-than-exciting tandem of Desmond Mason and Bobby Simmons at the spot. This news would suggest the franchise is committed to pushing Yi Jianlian as a power forward.
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| Ron Artest reiterated on Tuesday night that he doesn't plan to opt out of his contract. He tells ESPN.com that he's "99 percent sure" of that decision. Artest has one year remaining at $8 million. |
Our View: The Kings could still look to trade Artest this summer. The versatile forward remains a stud when healthy and could generate a lot of interest on the trade market.
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| Chauncey Billups has pulled his name out of the Team USA hat for this summer's Olympic games, the AP reports. The Pistons point guard battled a right hamstring injury late in the playoffs. |
Our View: Hey, you're either with us or against us, Chauncey! Clearly you've stated your position. We're kidding, of course.
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| The Raptors and Jorge Garbajosa have agreed to terminate the final year of the forward's contract, the Toronto Sun reports. Garbajosa played in only seven games this past season to complications arising from a left leg/ankle injury suffered in March 2007. This news means Garbajosa is free to play for Spain in the 2008 Olympics. |
Our View: It'll be interesting to see if the 6-10, 30-year-old forward will be able to parlay a strong Olympics performance into another NBA contract. He doesn't have any fantasy value, but when healthy, the Garbage Man can do some nice work off the bench.
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| The Heat have received several calls about the availability of Udonis Haslem, the Miami Herald reports. The assumption is that the club will draft power forward Michael Beasley later this month. The Heat may try to acquire a point guard in any trade. |
Our View: This isn't too surprising, as Beasley would push Haslem out of the starting lineup. Udonis isn't a star, but he's a hard-working banger who would be a welcome addition on a lot of teams.
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