Archives › Kurt Helin
-
Fans everywhere keep asking about Tracy McGrady; GMs, not so much
Jul 19, 2010, 10:46 AM EDT
Tracy McGrady is going to have a workout with the Clippers this week. And that’s it. Officially he is not working out or doing anything else for teams. There are hints of interest — the Chicago Bulls may take a look at him as their third guard at the two spot, according to the Sun…
-
Mario Chalmers, the Miami Heat point guard job is yours. Don't screw it up.
Jul 19, 2010, 9:41 AM EDT
Mario Chalmers is a nice backup point guard. Yes, his shooting regressed his second year in the league, and yes he turns the ball over more than you’d like. But he’s a nice player. And because he’s on a cheap rookie contract, he He’s your new Miami Heat starting point guard. When you hear people…
-
DeMarcus Cousins named rookie of the month, despite late drop off
Jul 19, 2010, 8:57 AM EDT
To say DeMarcus Cousins was a revelation at Summer League is to say how far his stock had fallen. Anyone who watched him at Kentucky knew he could dominate, but the questions about his focus and mental readiness for the NBA had him slip down the draft board. But only to number five and the…
-
Jordan wouldn't have called up Bird, Magic to be teammates, he wanted to beat them
Jul 18, 2010, 11:12 PM EDT
Michael Jordan is still a competitor. Don’t get him wrong, he’d like the money the big free agents are getting now. But he says he wouldn’t have called up Larry Bird or Magic Johnson and wanted to team up. “I wanted to beat those guys.” Times are different now. For better or for worse,…
-
If there is one sure thing left this summer besides washed up players begging for a comeback with the Heat, it is that Erick Dampier’s contract will be terminated. He is due $13 million next season, and the fact that it was a non-guaranteed deal made him a trading chip this summer. Dallas cashed in…
-
Here’s the bottom line question: Do you think Amare Stoudemire is a max player? New York did — they knew they needed to pay to get someone to start rebuilding around, someone who they could market. Stoudemire was that guy (if not the first choice, or second, or…). Phoenix did not. But if they had…
-
There are a lot of questions for Joseph A. Lacob, the guy taking the reins as the new owner of the Golden State Warriors. Fortunately for him, he doesn’t have to answer the hard ones — about house cleaning in the front office, for example — until he formally gets control of the team in…
-
Report: If LeBron's friends get jobs with the Heat, the NBA may investigate
Jul 17, 2010, 12:30 PM EDT
In Cleveland, LeBron’s posse had the run of the place. They were VIPs in the arena and in the city. Some of his friends even got jobs within the Cleveland organization. It is rumored that one of the things that really hurt Chicago in talks with LeBron James was a clear line in the sand…
-
Twists and turns as police investigate LeBron James pendant case
Jul 17, 2010, 10:34 AM EDT
UPDATE 7/17 10:34 am: So maybe our innocent heroine is not so innocent. Vaneisha Robinson, the woman who said she bought the pendant at a garage sale four years ago, is now a suspect in the case for receiving stolen property. Her story always had one big question mark: Someone really sold a $10,000 pendant…
-
John Wall to JaVale McGee: You're going to see a lot of this
Jul 17, 2010, 10:01 AM EDT
If one connection has been made at Summer League, it’s that John Wall and high-flying JaVale McGee — they have teamed up for a lot of these. This one was from Friday (and it wasn’t even the best dunk McGee had Friday, not sure what the NBA did with the monster dunk footage). If the…
-
Miami Heat goes big: re-signs Joel Anthony, inks draftee Dexter Pittman
Jul 16, 2010, 8:44 PM EDT
It’s the question a lot of basketball people were asking after Miami pulled off the LeBron/Wade/Bosh coup: Who protects the rim on defense? Who is your real big man? The answer: Joel Anthony. And Dexter Pittman is in there too. Miami re-signed Joel Anthony to a five-year, $18 million deal, according to our own Ira…
-
Paul Pierce realizes that the status quo may not be good enough for Boston
Jul 16, 2010, 7:47 PM EDT
The Boston Celtics are getting the band back together. The band that made it all the way to Game 7 of the NBA finals. Good band. Next year, the band may not be good enough — there is an arms race in the East. And Paul Pierce knows it (as reported at ESPNBoston). “I thought…
-
Kevin Pritchard appears to be the front-runner to get the New Orleans Hornets job. For a couple of good reasons — he has a relationship from Portland with just-hired coach Monty Williams from Portland, and the Hornets need to make an impressive hire to show to Chris Paul they are serious about being a winner.…
-
If LeBron James went to New Jersey, Rod Thorn would have stayed
Jul 16, 2010, 3:28 PM EDT
And the ramifications of LeBron’s decision just keep rolling in. On his last day on the job as general manager for the New Jersey Nets, Rod Thorn sat down with reporters and among the things he said was that he would have stayed on the job if LeBron James had chosen New Jersey, according to…
-
You have to like Omar Samhan. You remember him from the NCAA Tournament, when he tore it up for St. Mary the opening weekend, scoring more points than anyone ever had over opening weekend. He’s a good guy, a funny one. Check out the fantastic profile by our own Rob Mahoney, and be sure to…
-
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway last stepped on an NBA court three seasons ago. And he wasn’t good at all in the 16 games he played. He hasn’t done anything of quality on a court since 2004. It’s been a decade since he was good (and if you go back 15 years he was very, very good).…
-
Might the Warriors go after Erik Spoelstra? Kind of a stretch, but a fun one.
Jul 16, 2010, 12:47 PM EDT
Here’s what Warriors fans know: The Golden State Warriors have new owners, who will take full control of the team in a couple months. Here’s what Warriors fans hope: That there are big changes in the front office, that a new coach and a new direction come with the new owners. Here’s some fun but…
-
Boston is going to win a few games this season because Nate Robinson is going to come in blazing hot off the bench and just light up somebody’s second team. Boston is going to lose a couple games this year in part because Nate Robinson is going to come in off the bench ice cold…
-
UPDATE 7/16, 11:40 am: Well, you can cross the Detroit Pistons off the list (and they were the team mentioned in the original article. The Pistons released a statement on this issue: “Our ownership group has absolutely nothing to do with any proposal that would move the team to Las Vegas.” As we said, Detroit…
-
Summer League is all about opportunity. The chance for players to be seen, to make a name for themselves, to find a place to get paid to play basketball. For some, it’s about a chance to step up and find their place in the NBA. Maybe nobody in Las Vegas right now has a bigger…
-
Don Nelson wants to coach Warriors for one more season. Fans shudder.
Jul 16, 2010, 10:27 AM EDT
Warriors fans hope that a new owner means a new direction for the team. Don Nelson has other plans, he told Marc Stein if ESPN.com. “I’m excited about the new ownership,” Nelson said. “I think this team needed that kind of change. “I think we’ve made a couple good deals to improve the roster. I…
-
Apparently Hedo Turkoglu needs to lower his cholesterol. He has had minor gallbladder surgery while in Turkey preparing with the Turkish national team for the FIBA World Championships this August. That according to Turkish media (as found and translated by Real GM, via Rotoworld). The doctors advised me to undergo surgery on my gallbladder so…
-
There was a time Thursday night when radio stations in Atlanta were reporting that radio stations in Cleveland were saying a deal to sign-and-trade Shaquille O’Neal to the Hawks had been agreed to, according to Eric Knappenberger. Meanwhile, up in Cleveland, radio stations were reporting that radio stations in Atlanta were reporting the deal was…
-
Play
Video: Grizzlies ready for 'running' Spurs
-
Play
Video: Durant won't 'compromise himself' like other stars
-
Play
Video: Knicks avoid elimination
-
Play
Video: Heat finish off Bulls, James 'has no energy left'
-
Play
Video: Health woes make Heat vulnerable
-
Play
Video: Good news for Sacramento, Kings stay
