Archives › Kurt Helin
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Somebody wants to play in Toronto: Amir Johnson re-signs with Raptors
Jul 1, 2010, 9:58 PM EDT
3 CommentsFrom the refreshing change of pace category: “Amir (Johnson) didn’t want to play the free agency game,” (his agent Kevin) Bradbury said. “He wanted to go back to Toronto. He’s young and he has security and a lot of basketball left in him.” And so he has agreed to a five-year, $34 million deal, according…
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Spurs fans: Just when you thought you were rid of Richard Jefferson…
Jul 1, 2010, 9:28 PM EDT
Yesterday, everybody went, “what, really?” when Richard Jefferson opted out of his $15.2 million final year with the San Antonio Spurs. But he is already negotiating to come back to San Antonio next season, according to the San Antonio Express-News. And it really makes sense, if you think about it. Several NBA sources assume Jefferson…
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Can you really picture Paul Pierce in colors other than green and white? Pierce apparently can’t either. He has opened talks with the Boston Celtics on a new contract — and only the Boston Celtics. That according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Pierce just opted out of the last year of his contract, worth $21.5 million.…
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Phil Jackson made it official today — he is back for one more year as head coach of the Lakers. “Count me in,” said Jackson in the official statement on Lakers.com. “After a couple weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its…
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Hornets say they're not trading Chris Paul, but nobody believes them
Jul 1, 2010, 4:47 PM EDT
The Hornets keep saying they are not trading Chris Paul, but man is there still a lot of smoke coming from that direction. Last week’s hedge-your-bets statement from team owner George Shinn — we’re not trading Chris Paul, but we’ll look at any deal that improves the team — just threw more fuel on the…
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Rudy Gay agrees to five years, $82 million to stay with Memphis Grizzlies
Jul 1, 2010, 3:10 PM EDT
Is any free agent besides Chris Bosh going to change teams? Rudy Gay isn’t — he has agreed to a five-year, $82 million deal with a player option the last year to stay in Memphis. David Aldridge of NBA.com broke the story and Yahoo sports confirmed with his management. “I think Rudy likes Memphis a…
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Milwaukee Bucks close to five-year, $39 million with John Salmons
Jul 1, 2010, 2:25 PM EDT
John Salmons was good to the Milwaukee Bucks. Now they are being very good to John Salmons. The Bucks and Salmons are close to a five-year, $39 million deal that would keep the swingman in Wisconsin, as reported by David Aldridge at NBA.com. There is nothing final — as CBSSports.com is reporting — and nothing…
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Just so you are not in the dark about LeBron James schedule: Thursday: Nets and KnicksFriday: Heat and ClippersSaturday: Bulls and CavaliersSunday: Fireworks and barbecue Okay, we have no confirmation on the Sunday part, although we feel good about it. But the rest of it has been confirmed by Chad Ford and others. Ford adds…
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Have the Miami Heat contacted you? They've reached out to everyone else.
Jul 1, 2010, 1:18 PM EDT
You think the human beings have yet to be cloned successfully. But after looking at what the Miami Heat have been up to in the first hours of free agency, I am convinced someone in Heat HQ has cracked the code. Otherwise there is no way they could have been in all these places. This…
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Stoudemire holding out for five-year deal, talking to Miami and New York
Jul 1, 2010, 12:32 PM EDT
After a “first date” meeting with Miami Heat president Pat Riley — no word on if he got to second base — Amare Stoudemire’s agent made one thing very clear. “We’re not doing anything that’s not five years,” Walters said. That is from Paul Coro at the Arizona Republic (who rocks that beat hard, by…
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Do the Cavaliers seem desperate to keep LeBron James in Cleveland? They should. They have good reason. About 250 million reasons. Losing LeBron would drop the Cavaliers franchise value by $250 million, according to a story in Bloomberg News. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cavaliers in a year or two are below the league…
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Nuggets trying to trade for Andris Biedrins. As if that will make them tougher.
Jul 1, 2010, 11:27 AM EDT
If Denver wants to win a title, they have to get past the Los Angeles Lakers first. And that is a tall order. Literally. The long front line of the Lakers — Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom — has been a problem for Denver. So they are going to solve that with… Andris Biedrins?…
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Nets up first, pitch LeBron with clothing line and lessons in being a billionaire
Jul 1, 2010, 10:46 AM EDT
On the court, the Nets have a nice young team. That’s not going to be enough. So as the Nets walk through the doors to be the first team to pitch LeBron James — starting at 11 am Eastern — here is what they are selling, according to the New York Post. Russian billionaire owner…
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Report: Milwaukee Bucks, Drew Gooden agree to five-year, $32 million deal
Jul 1, 2010, 10:03 AM EDT
Everyone who had Drew Gooden in the office pool as the first free agent to sign a deal, come on up and collect your money. Anyone? Hello? The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed on a five-year, $32 million deal with Drew Gooden, according to Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo. That is the full mid-level exception deal. No…
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One deal likely to get done fast: Kevin Durant extension in Oklahoma City
Jul 1, 2010, 9:39 AM EDT
While we’ve all been watching the Gulfstream jets land in Akron, the Oklahoma City Thunder have gone about trying to secure their future as a powerhouse. At 11:01 central time last night a team of Oklahoma City Thunder officials knocked on the door of Kevin Durant. They were there to offer a max extension too…
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The Indiana Pacers need a point guard. Jordan Farmar is a point guard who wants to show he can run a traditional offense and not be tied down by the confines of the triangle. The Pacers have reached out to Farmar, but have only offered a one-year deal, according to Mark Spears from Yahoo Sports.…
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And in the first big free agent signing of the summer… nothing happened. Joe Johnson will remain a Hawk and accept their max-deal offer (six years, $124.5 million), according to Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo Sports. Not a shock there. Johnson’s people had been saying for weeks that ultimately he wanted to stay in Atlanta —…
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Teams shower their love on Chris Bosh — and don't be afraid to picture him as a Rocket
Jul 1, 2010, 8:37 AM EDT
Chris Bosh may be the key to the whole free agent summer — wherever he lands, he is going to be paired with another star. And that team is going to be instantly a contender. A lot of guys are going to change jerseys this summer, but he is the one who will bring winning…
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And suddenly, Byron Scott is the new coach of LeBron James. Or a team headed to the lottery. Check back in a few days for the answer. Either way, Byron Scott is the new coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Scott’s agent confirmed to FanHouse. Yesterday, all signs pointed to Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw…
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ProBasketballTalk's free agent roundup: Let the party begin
Jul 1, 2010, 2:45 AM EDT
Free agency is underway — although it has unofficially been underway for weeks through back channels. Everyone has been talking to everyone. So, consider midnight the end of the NBA’s “we’re looking the other way at all the tampering” season. And the start of the real free agent craziness. Below is a roundup of where…
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Report: Byron Scott in, Brian Shaw out as head coach of Cavaliers
Jun 30, 2010, 8:55 PM EDT
Cleveland sure looks like one well-oiled machine as they get ready to make their pitch to LeBron James for free agency. After a couple days of hearing how it was just a matter of negotiating a deal with Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, it appears the tables have turned. Shaw was known to be reaching out…
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Report: Richard Jefferson opts out of deal; Spurs fans believe it is a miracle
Jun 30, 2010, 7:55 PM EDT
If you are Dirk Nowitzki, it makes a lot of sense to opt out of the last year of your deal. You’ll lose a little money in the short term to make it back in the long haul over the next few years. Richard Jefferson used that logic in opting out of his deal with…
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The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Basketcase – Stephie’s Knicks Hoop-De-Doo http://www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News What, Colbert on the team will make them worse? Political comedian Stephen Colbert sat down with Mike D’Antoni to talk free agency. And mock the Knicks. Which someone had to do. There’s…
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There is almost no bigger mistake a GM can make than paying a good player superstar money. That said, the reliable Michael Cunningham at the Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that the Atlanta Hawks want to keep Joe Johnson badly enough to offer him a six-year, fully max contract. If so Johnson will take it.…
