I fixed the sizing of the "We have already witnessED" picture that I posted here there other day. Also, I will be finishing the second half of my "Summer 2010 Predictions" post at some point (hopefully soon). Oh, and just in case you missed my exclusive/fake re-enactment of the Pax/VDN fight, here ya go.
2010 NBA Playoffs Human Power Rankings
6. Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah (tie)
Their 2010 playoff performances were a co-written love letter to LeBron and Wade. Here's what the letter said:
Dear LeBron and Dwyane,
We are wired correctly. We give a crap. We want to win. We are really really good. We are warriors. We could absolutely be the second-best and third-best guys on a team that wins multiple titles. Sadly, this can't happen without one of you. Please think about Chicago. It's cold during the winter, but during the spring and summer, there's no better place. It's the No. 3 TV market. It's the city that once had the greatest player ever. We're firing our coach and GM this summer; if you want, you can pick the next two guys. We want to win titles. Not title ... titles. By the way, Joakim wants you to know that he isn't nearly as annoying if he's your teammate.
Much respect,
Joakim and Derrick
Marc Stein and Bill Simmons on the Bulls 'dysfunction'
This is from this week's Bill Simmons podcast with Marc Stein. They got into some free agent talk, and Stein really hammers the Bulls front office as if it's common knowledge, and the once bullish Simmons agrees. Here's my best transcription:[getting off a discussion of Cavs failing to blow Bulls out…]
Stein: With Rose and Noah, any free agent has to think, ‘ya know what?’…on one hand, the Bulls are such a dysfunctional mess as an organization, and I put the blame on Reinsdorf. He’s the enabler, the one who keeps Paxson in this role, and it’s just a mess, an absolute mess. So if I’m a free agent, I’m wondering if I want to hitch my ride to a Jerry Reinsdorf operation. But on the flip side, man, Rose and Noah, are pretty enticing.
Simmons: If you’re Wade, and they clean house and fire their coach and GM…
Stein: They won’t. Vinny Del Negro might lose his job, but if Paxson is fired I’ll be shocked.
Simmons: Well they’re idiots…
Stein: Even if Paxson is fired, Reinsdorf is still there. If I’m Wade, I’m not goin: I like Noah, I like Rose, but with the cap space that Miami has I like Pat Riley more.
[nonsense on Phil Jackson returning]
Simmons: Well I think it’s a shame, because I agree with you, the Chicago scenario can’t happen, because anyone (and Dwayne Wade’s wife) will tell him: you don’t want to play for that Organization, it’s too screwed up. But, man…[Go on to praise Rose and especially Noah more]
I think it's clear Simmons doesn't know as much as he pretends to know, but that Stein is so adamant about this was interesting.
The $30 mil. question: Will top free agents switch teams for a lot less $?
The day after Miami was eliminated from the playoffs, future free agent Dwyane Wade talked about what's ahead.
For one thing, he stressed that his heart is still in Miami, once again downplaying the chances he'll decide to jump to his hometown Bulls.
"My heart is here and anybody who knows me, I'm mostly heart more so than anything," Wade said in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "My heart is in Miami. If everything works out, I will be in Miami."
Wade also mentioned how tough it would be to give up that sixth year on his contract that he could only get with the Heat. This is a topic bound to get plenty of play this summer.
Here are the basic rules, which were meant to give teams an advantage in retaining their players: Free-agents can re-sign with their own teams for six years, with annual raises of 10.5 percent. They can sign with a new team for five years, with annual raises of 8 percent. In either case, the raises are based on the first-year salary.
As members of the 2003 draft class who signed max extensions, both Wade and Toronto's Chris Bosh made $15.779 million this season.
If those players re-sign for the max with their current teams, they can get $125.5 million over six years. Sign with another team and the most they can get is $96.1 million over five years.
"Thirty million means a lot to anybody," Wade said. "To Bill Gates, $30 million means a lot. To Slim Helu, who's the richest man in the world this year, it means a lot. So not just to me. I don't have that much money."
Some analysts have suggested Bosh will be looking for a sign-and-trade, which means he'd re-sign with Toronto for six years, then immediately be traded. He'd get the six years and a new team in that scenario.
It's tough to tell, though, if the sixth year will really be an issue. Is the player going to retire in five years or keep playing?
If he's still worth a maximum contract, he can re-sign with his new team for Year 6 at $22.96 million, which means the difference in total salary between those two scenarios is more like $6.5 million, not $30 million.
Add I won't say much about it (if you follow me on twitter - you know how upset I was), but here is video of the 2 "fouls" called on Brad Miller v. Shaq ... and this doesn't even show the Rose And1 that got waived off.
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