So I had to take a break from all the places I write because it has been a busy year already.  I have some NBA stuff I need to get off my chest.  I need to smack some dime droppers and draft action as well.  First lets get to a few free-agents.

First off it bothers me that it is so acceptable, almost like no big deal (pun intended) when an above average players gets $60 million to play basketball for a few years.  This is also the cause to my problem of only getting to one game a year now because of ticket prices.  Really does a hot dog of that quality really justify $5 and beers for $9?

1. Rashard Lewis- Will he stay or will he go?  I think he goes.  He may not want to sign on as the lone gun on a team in rebuilding mode. The Sonics just drafted Kevin Durant who plays the same position.  Lewis may get short term max money such as the new common 4 years $60 million deal, but he could get that in a sign and trade almost anywhere.  Which teams could make the move?  Portland, Miami, and Orlando are the commons teams you here on him.  What about Boston?  They just got Ray Allen from Seattle why not Lewis also?

2.  Chauncey Billups - He is unrestricted but the chances of him leaving Detroit are restricted.  Orlando's name again pops up on this one.  The Pistons can offer more money to stay and the Magic would have to do a sign and trade.  These teams did it once before with Grant Hill.  I thought there was no way Grant would leave Detroit but a sign and trade deal that sent Hill to the Magic the Pistons got Ben Wallace and Chucky Adkins.  Maybe in this sign and trade deal the Magic would send Grant Hill and Darko Milicic back to Detroit.  All three players are free agents currently, Darko is restricted.

3.  Kurt Hinrich's mama is ugly.  He isn't a free agent but I had to say that.

4.  Gerald Wallace - he is probably going to remain a Bobcat.  He may get a little over rated by some because he carried the Bobcats most of the year.  Someone had to do it!  Although if he does stay and they solidify the roster around him they may make a playoff run.  He may still be a player on the rise.

Cleveland - take this time as a chance to get better.  Dont overpay for your own mediocre not supporting players you have as free and restricted agents.  Take this chance to get Lebron two guys that are going to step up and take the pressure off of Lebron.  They went all the way to the finals but got slammed by a team like San Antonio who plays 9 deep and as a unit.  The Cavs still stand around watching Lebron hoping he may kick it out to them at some point.


Greg Oden will be a solid player?  He looks like he has all the tools to be a two way player in the NBA.  Well actually he looks like "Grandpa Lebron" in the Nike commercials but that was another blog down the line.  I wish he could have played two more years in college to refine his game.  This may have been his fathers decision to come out early and go pro.

Kevin Durant is another player that two more years of college basketball would have helped immensly.  He has the shot and skills but doesn't have the "NBA body" that he needs to play with men instead of kids on the court.  Like they say on Wall Street though is "sell high" and their stock has never been higher and was at its ceiling.

UPDATES:

Rip Hamilton to Seattle?  Frank Hughes, Sonics Insider for The News Tribune, quoting a source from local radio station WXYT, says the Pistons are considering shipping Richard Hamilton to Seattle, for Lewis?

Gerald Wallace, one of the hottest names in free agency, has drawn interest from the Pistons.  According to the AP- The Charlotte Bobcats face heavy competition in their effort to re-sign leading scorer Gerald Wallace.   The Bobcats were one of eight teams that contacted Wallace when the NBA's free agency period began at midnight Saturday. Dallas, Orlando, Milwaukee, Detroit, Miami, Portland and Golden State all made inquiries, a person close to Wallace said Sunday.

NFL news
 The New England Patriots had Ty Law the 32-year-old, five-time Pro Bowl cornerback in for a physical last Friday as part of a free agent visit.   Pats coach Bill Belichick has kept in touch with Law this offseason through a series of private phone conversations.  Law had 10 interceptions, a career best, last season.  Ty also only spent one season with the Jets and played the rest of his career with the Patriots.

Dolphins to sign Marcus Vick?  According to league sources when they had him in for the teams mini-camp they saw enough in him to think he may be able to land a roster spot.  The team recently traded for starting quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington so it is unlikely he would make the team as a quarterback. There are said to be several CFL teams interested as well.  They have also not had Joey play for them yet either.  Miami fans may be excited to have traded for two starting quarterbacks, but there is a reason they were available as well.

Lions fans say goodbye to Joey Harrington and hello to two back up quarterbacks.  Jon Kitna is the likely starter and it is up to Josh McCown and Dan Orlovsky to battle for the 2nd quarterback position, although the best move is the addition of offensive coordinator Mike Martz.  Best subtraction, Joey Harrington.  It is rumored that Martz had a qb school in the off season where he gave the participants IQ tests.  Harrington's came back negative (insert rim shot here), also see his exit interview with Mitch Albom, that will explain a lot.


MLB news

Soriano headed to New York?  According to several sources the Yankees and Mets both have interest in acquiring the outfielding second baseman.  Both teams will inquire about him closer to the trade deadline so look for scouts from Washington in New York for the next month.  Another possibility for both New York teams is Detroits Dmitri Young.  He plays outfield, third base, and first base but mostly is a DH.  Neither team would have to give up much to get him as the Tigers are 1/2 game behind the White Sox and have the second best record in baseball without Young.

San Fransisco - look for the Giants to make one final run with the current team and then try to rebuild the organization through younger players.  The giants have a large number of aging veterans and it has been rumored that Bonds may move to the American league to DH and the Giants may not bring back their ace Jason Schmidt.  Bonds is one of nine Giants veterans in the final year of their contracts, along with Jason Schmidt, Moises Alou, Ray Durham, Pedro Feliz, Steve Kline, Todd Greene, Jose Vizcaino and Jamey Wright.  They count for more than $50 million of the Giants' $90-million-plus payroll, with Bonds' $18 million and Schmidt's $10.5 million the largest hits.

NBA news

Ben Wallace has hired an agent.  Wallace will become a free agent this summer and will likely land the biggest contract of his entire career.  Wallace is in his prime and is a four time NBA defensive player of the year.  He is looking to remain in Detroit and hopes to complete a deal after the season. 

In case you have not opened your eyes and had your ears plugged for the last 48 hours, the New York Knicks may be ready to part ways with Larry Brown.  The Knicks may be the model for how not to run a franchise.  Would the Knicks actually pay $40 million to get rid of Brown?  After setting records for payroll and paying members not even on the team or in the league, can they really afford to pay Brown and a new coach?  With Larry Brown they need to have one thing they have never had, patience.  The coach is a proven winner, and then he leaves.  Isiah, you have to let him do the winning first.  Brown may now be the biggest coaching distraction in all of sports for the past to off-seasons.

Lebron James has drawn comparisons and played  a parallel career thus far in his NBA career to Michael Jordan.  He even has to go through the same team the Detroit Pistons to get to the promise land.  The biggest difference is that Lebron is in his third season as Michael was only a rookie at this point due to James playing in the NBA straight out of high school.  This off season look for the cavs to add veteran depth and specialty players to the roster much as the way the Pistons have done.  New Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has modeled everything after the Pistons, a team he sponsors, while owning the Cavs.  Gilbert owns the Cavaliers and named the arena Quicken Loans arena and sponsors the Pistons with Rock Financial, the same company marketed with a different name in Michigan.  He also hired a like announcer to the Pistons that gets the crowd pumped up and making plenty of noise.