BG for Bosh?!

The rumors are swirling about BG for Bosh -

On Tuesday, the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers broke the unwritten rule about making trades during the Finals and swapped role players in a minor deal.

The Raptors acquired power forward Reggie Evans in exchange for sharpshooter Jason Kapono.

This deal wasn't anything major, which is probably why nobody either noticed or cared that it took place on the day of Game Three of the Magic-Lakers Championship series. But the domino effect that might happen could be something everyone notices.

Let me state again, for emphasis, what the Raptors did yesterday: They traded for a power forward.

This comes within a handful of days of the Raptors' franchise player, Chris Bosh, saying he would join Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter on the list of Toronto's former franchise players after the 2009-10 season.

There have been rumors since before the trade deadline this spring that there are nearly a dozen teams interested in the young superstar, but this specific trade brings one rumored exchange into focus.

The Chicago Bulls are looking at losing guard Ben Gordon either in free agency or, more likely, in a sign-and-trade deal this summer.

Gordon's name was linked to rumors about Bosh before last season, and his playoff performances against the Boston Celtics certainly raised his profile as an elite scorer in the league. He isn't going to average 35 a night, but he can get his from anywhere at any time.

Again for emphasis, the Raptors unloaded their best (maybe only) three-point shooter to acquire Evans.

Links

Bulls draft needs -

Behind a rookie point guard and a rookie coach, the Chicago Bulls made an improbable run into the post-season, falling only after taking the Boston Celtics to seven games. The Bulls are loaded with young talent and solid veterans, but as bright as the future seems in Chicago, there is just as much uncertainty. For one, there is a logjam in the backcourt, with Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, and Ben Gordon all demanding big minutes, with Rose being the only clear franchise priority. Tyrus Thomas’s future is also largely unknown, with rumors floating around that he may be dealt before the 2009-2010 season. Therefore, despite the tremendous strides made last season, this looks to be another action packed summer for the Bulls.

There is no telling how the Bulls will conduct their off-season, but with two first round picks, they can certainly add some quality rotation players to their roster if they play their cards right. The team’s most glaring need lies in the frontcourt, where the team still lacks a consistent scoring presence. Similarly, the Bulls could also help on the wing, to either backup Ben Gordon or potentially replace him. With two picks the Bulls have options in this draft and despite the uncertainty that faces their roster this summer, they should be able to add some more quality young talent.

First Round Candidates: (#16) Gerald Henderson, James Johnson, Terrence Williams, (#26) Sam Young, Chase Budinger, Omri Casspi

BG to Olympiakos? -

Ben Gordon(1.91-PG/SG) is rumored to have been offered to Olympiakos by his agent and this is something that is being confirmed by a plenty of greek sports portals, redplanet.gr and gazzetta.gr to name a few. This sets a new spin on the transfer targets of Olympiakos because Ben Gordon has a british passport. That means he occupies the position of a bosman player and not of a foreign player.

Gordon would theoretically replace Lynn Greer(1.88-PG/SG) who is considered to be leaving Olympiakos as his contract ends this month and there doesn't seem to be any thoughts about renewing it. The Chicago Bulls have made it one of their top priorities to renew the contract of Gordon according to GM Vinny Del Negro : “Our hope is we’ll be able to get Ben back in a Bulls uniform next year.” Gordon initially rejected the offer of the Chicago Bulls but in the end he accepted their qualifying offer as he couldn't get that money elsewhere. However the sum of 4.8 million dollars that was his current salary is not out of reach for Olympiakos.

Rose "scandal" could cost Memphis wins -

The NCAA met with Memphis Tigers officials on Saturday to discuss major violations and the school must now wait at least six weeks for a ruling on whether its 38 wins by the men's basketball team from the 2007-08 season will count.

The most serious allegation taken up at the meeting was whether an unknown person took the SAT for a player.

The NCAA has said the athlete in question played for the Tigers for only the 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAA tournament. The only person who fits the description in documents obtained by The Associated Press is Derrick Rose, the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft after that season.

Links

Lil Wayne track "Kobe Bryant"


This mock draft has the BUlls taking Brandon Jennings (skipped college to play in Europe) and Terrence Williams (SG from Louisville). Is that assuming BG is leaving? WHy else would we need 2 guards?



Follow up on the NBA rule that requires players be 1-year removed from college ... Congressman calls it 'vestige of slavery' -

A congressman has written a letter to the National Basketball Association and the players union asking them to repeal the rule governing the minimum age of players.
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Related
Letter from Representative Steve Cohen to N.B.A. Commissioner David Stern (pdf)
N.B.A.

Steve Cohen, Democrat of Tennessee, wrote that the four-year-old rule, which requires that players be 19 years old and one year removed from their high school graduation, is of “deep concern.”

“It’s a vestige of slavery,” Cohen said Wednesday in a phone interview, noting that most of the players affected by the rule are African-American. “Not like the slavery of 150 years ago, but it’s a restraint on a person’s freedoms and liberties.”

White Sox 2-month report -

The bartender at my favorite local watering hole had one question for me at the end of April: "Who goes first?" he asked. "Kenny Williams or Ozzie Guillen?"

His question didn't come as much of a surprise. The White Sox looked old and washed up throughout the first part of the season. The team lacked energy and couldn't hit or pitch with any consistency. In the past three weeks, though, the White Sox have made the type of turn that you don't usually see from a struggling ballclub: They've gone from sellers to buyers -- by using a trade that never happened as motivation.

Let's take a closer look at some of the other events and people who have shaped the first two months of the White Sox's season:

The turning point: If you're looking for the exact moment in time when the White Sox turned the sinking ship around, consider May 21 as the starting point. In the span of about six hours, the Sox got crushed 20-1 by the Twins and received word that Jake Peavy had nixed a trade to the South Side. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the team has gone on to win eight of its past 10 games and climb back to around .500 (25-26, entering Wednesday's game against the A's).

"I've always told this to anybody who will listen," Williams said before Monday night's game against the A's. "Sometimes the best deals that you make are the ones that you don't make."

Bears links and Gordon Beckham

Jay Cutler and Devin Hester -

One play into Wednesday's full-team Bears scrimmage session confirmed the most interesting bit of progress at Halas Hall still three months before the 2009 season-opener.

Jay Cutler glided back into a seven-step drop, set his feet in a pocket protected by left tackle Orlando Pace, and peered downfield where wide receiver Devin Hester had gotten a step on his defender.

For aesthetic purposes, ignore for a moment that cornerback Zack Bowman was limited in how physical he could get with Hester in this non-contact drill.

But that is beside the point.

The point that will be driven home whenever the Bears offense takes the field from now until September came in the way Cutler's arching spiral hit Hester in stride and landed gently in his hands. And the way Hester kept running to the end zone like it was a play he would go home and watch on "SportsCenter."

But is Cutler a trade risk? -

Tony Dungy isn't sure Jay Cutler is the answer for the Chicago Bears -- not yet, at least.

The former Indianapolis Colts coach, now a studio football analyst for NBC, on Wednesday questioned whether Cutler had the leadership and maturity to take the Bears to the next level.

Dungy said the Bears gambled when they dealt starter Kyle Orton to the Denver Broncos for Cutler, who had a very messy, public divorce with the Broncos and new coach Josh McDaniel.

"[The Bears] took a risk [trading for Cutler]. I think they took that risk specifically with beating the Green Bay Packers in mind," Dungy said Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. "I really think Chicago gave up a lot to get a quarterback who they believe is going to be the final piece of the puzzle. But I am not sure he has won enough to merit that yet."

And I don't have ESPN Insider ... Can someone who does let me know what that says about the Bears and Plax??




Sox called up Gordon Beckham -

Gordon Beckham tried to sleep and 20 minutes after he shut off the TV, he knew there was no way it was going to happen. He was still revved up, his emotions running too high after getting the news he waited all his life to hear.


Gordon Beckham's promotion shouldn't be ignored by Fantasy players in need of help at the middle infield positions, Jason Grey writes. Blog

Beckham was going to the major leagues to join the White Sox. He got the word after Wednesday night's game with Triple-A Charlotte and, after a sleepless night, he caught a 7:15 a.m. flight to Chicago before landing in the starting lineup Thursday afternoon against Oakland.

"I couldn't even describe it," Beckham said, recalling his feelings when Charlotte manager Chris Chambliss delivered the message.

"It's one of those things where you think about it a lot, but you don't really understand what it feels like until you get called up, until they sit you down and say, 'You're going to the big leagues.' It was one of those feelings I will never forget, for sure."

Beckham made the majors 364 days after he was drafted No. 8 overall by Chicago last summer. At 22, he is the fastest White Sox first-rounder to reach the majors since pitcher Alex Fernandez made it in 58 days in 1990.

... How long will it take before he has the #1 selling White Sox jersey??

Bulls and Bears Links

M-A-R-I-S-T is headed back to state in volleyball -

With the win, Marist will make its first appearance in the state finals since 2002, when it won the school’s only championship in boys volleyball.

... obviously it won't be as good as the first time. That 2002 team was ridiculous!



A great "mailbag" from BS today -

Q: So who are you picking??? Come on! Make a pick! Who are you taking?
-- D. Howard, Orlando

SG: You tell me, Dwight. How bad do you want this?

Q: I want it. I really, really want it. I don't want to be the big happy guy everyone knows from the Slam Dunk Contest and the Superman gimmick. I don't want to be the guy everyone knows for his Mr. Universe physique, the shaky free-throw shooting and the sarcastic "I can't believe you just called that" smile. I don't want to be the guy Kendrick Perkins defended without help in Round 2. I don't want to be the guy you called "the worst great player ever" a few weeks ago. I want to become the NBA's next big superstar. I want to be the next Shaq. I want to be the guy who commands a double-team at all times. I want to be the guy who slaps up a 26-16 in the Finals, protects the rim and can't be stopped. I can be that guy. Bynum and Gasol aren't tough enough to handle me. I can be that guy. Let me be that guy.
-- D. Howard, Orlando

SG: Hmmmmmmmm. I just don't think you're ready yet. Your team has just enough "happy to be there" potential that it makes me nervous. And how can you guys keep shooting 3s like that? I'm going with the Lakers in six. Kobe is due. He is. You have plenty of time.

Q: You realize you're betting against God AND the "Nobody Believed In Us" Factor, right?
-- D. Howard, Orlando

SG: Crap.

Bears getting Brandon Marshall?!? -

Brandon Marshall has been a superstar in Denver since Jay Cutler got there. The two have been good friends for years, and now Cutler is a Chicago Bear.

Marshall wasn't suspended for any games during the season, but it is possible that he could hold out. This is a great time for the Bears to make a run for Marshall. If they could acquire him, I have no doubt that they could go far into the playoffs.

Cutler really wants Marshall in Chicago, but Jerry Angelo has to make the decision.

In the past, Angelo has gotten his primary players in the draft, and he isn't big on free agency. Cutler has received a lot of respect in Chicago, and if he put his word in to get Marshall, then I believe that he will have his proposal considered.

Some links

More on D-Rose "scandal" -

One month after Memphis lost to Kansas in overtime in one of the most thrilling national championship games in recent memory, the Tigers were rocked by an e-mail from the NCAA.

It was then that Memphis was first notified that star freshman point guard Derrick Rose, who helped the Tigers to an NCAA-record 38 wins and was soon going to become the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Bulls, had an invalidated standardized test score the previous year at Chicago's Simeon High School, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the e-mail.

Bulls to take best available -

The Bulls head into the June 25 draft without any single glaring need.

Their overall team wish list would include better interior defense, a post-up scorer, a taller shooting guard, someone who has a chance of guarding LeBron James and more speed or outside shooting to complement point guard Derrick Rose.

In other words, they're in a spot to take the best player available player and hope he becomes an asset.

Since the Bulls are getting close to the luxury tax, unloading a pick or taking someone who will play overseas for a couple of years is another option.

Del Harris retires -

Bulls assistant Del Harris will announce plans to retire from coaching today.

Harris, 71, worked one season on the Bulls bench after spending the previous eight seasons as an assistant with Dallas.

The Indiana native was a head coach for 14 seasons with Milwaukee, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers. He was NBA coach of the year in 1995 with the Lakers and led the Rockets to the 1981 NBA Finals.

There was speculation during the season that Harris might stop traveling with the team next season, but he is expected to make a complete break from coaching.

Longtime Bulls assistant Pete Myers will most likely move up in the chain of command to replace Harris on the bench.

Kmart beat me to this story yesterday in his "Hate on LeBron" post. But does Pete Myers moving up mean we can get a real big-man coach?!


D-Rose "scandal" again -

Experience it in IMAX . . .

Thank goodness for this Derrick Rose embarrassment.

This fake-test-taking, grade-changing, broken-rules-all-over-the-place embarrassment.

We needed this. We in sports and life, I mean. We needed this to pop like a zit in the middle of your forehead.

I’m in favor of anything that makes the point that college is the biggest cesspool in sports. Colleges themselves, the actual ivory towers, are the most overpriced, overhyped institutions in America, extortion with elbow patches, but that’s a whole other rant. If college sports isn’t the biggest cesspool we cover, it’s at least tied with the Olympics, and how fitting that one scandal is rooted in the corrupt city of Chicago and some people want to bring the other slimy event here.

Good luck finding ethics in any of it -- college sports (and by extension the stench of us media types glorifying snot-nosed, booger-eating teenaged athletes before they even get to high school sometimes), the Olympics, Chicago, the state of Illinois. There’s too much money and power to stop.

More D-Rose -

Memphis was unable to find proof a former player cheated on his SAT exam in its internal investigation of NCAA allegations against the men's basketball team.

The investigation report, released to The Associated Press and other news outlets Tuesday under a public records request, details Memphis' internal investigation into allegations that a former player -- widely reported to be Derrick Rose -- allowed a stand-in to take his SAT test and of grade tampering.

School officials argue that even if the NCAA's Committee on Infractions believes a former player cheated, the program should not be penalized because the school was unaware of any wrongdoing.

Memphis was first notified by the NCAA by e-mail in May 2008, one month after the Tigers lost to Kansas in the NCAA championship game, that star point guard Rose had an invalidated standardized test score the previous year at Chicago's Simeon High School, multiple sources with direct knowledge of an e-mail told ESPN.com.

Most names in the report released Tuesday were redacted by Memphis because of privacy concerns, but multiple sources have told ESPN.com that representatives of Rose did tell Memphis he took the SAT in question.

The report said the school had no reason to suspect the SAT was fraudulent until notified by Educational Testing Service that the player's score had been canceled. That letter came May 5, 2008, after Rose's only season at Memphis.

"The university ... took all reasonable steps to confirm that [name redacted] had met eligibility requirements," the report states.

Isn't the real issue here the NBA's rule that does not allow players to go straight from hig school to the association?! Players have no choice but to go to "college" for a year, but they have no reason to try/care about academics in high school or college. Players like OJ Mayo and Derrick Rose know prior to their senior year of HS that they are headed to the NBA, but they have to find a way to waste a year in between.

If the NBA is going to keep it's 1-year-out-of-HS requirement, then Stern needs to put some serious effort into making the D-League legitimate. As of right now it turns "college" into a one-year minor league system, makes a joke of the academic-side of college, and steals scholarships from kids who want to get an education. Rose had no choice but to go to college for a year, so can you blame him for doing what was necessary to make it work?!

A timely article that I just found ...

The one-and-done rule -

There are probably a lot of people out there who still believe that the NBA’s age limit is a good idea. Who are certain that the best high school basketball players’ annually spending a mandatory year in college benefits the player, college ball and the NBA.

Those people will watch the NBA Finals starting this week, gaze at Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard (and, for that matter, Andrew Bynum), and recall the marquee players they overcame to get where they are, like LeBron James and Kevin Garnett, and conclude, “Yes, the NBA is much better off stopping the flow of players straight from high school.

Devastating, the havoc these kids have wreaked on the poor NBA lately. It’s been horrible, the way the ratings and buzz and widespread interest in the recently-lagging sport have risen this postseason, led by such unschooled, unskilled, unprepared youth.

Speaking of “unschooled,’’ I forget – how did Pau Gasol’s and Hedo Turkoglu’s teams do in the NCAAs? What about Yao Ming’s? Luis Scola’s? Tony Parker’s? Manu Ginobili’s? Dirk Nowitzki’s? Nene’s? Any handwringing about their high-school GPAs, or are only U.S. players lucky enough to receive that kind of grief?

Thankfully, though, there are plenty of recent examples of the wisdom of the rules, from the college end. The two signature one-and-done players of the 2007-08 season, for instance, are now central figures in the two ugliest scandals in the sport – O.J. Mayo, who allegedly received money from Southern California’s head coach before enrolling; and Derrick Rose, whose high-school grades and SAT before arriving at Memphis are now being brought into question by the NCAA.

Yup, paid players and academic fraud. It’s that sort of atmosphere of higher learning to which the NBA wants its players exposed before joining its ranks.

It’s been so beneficial all around, the NBA reportedly is prepared to ask the players association to agree to raise the minimum age by a year – to 20, or to two years beyond high school – when they next meet to discuss the labor agreement. Awesome. One extra year to funnel money illicitly to a player instead of allowing him to earn it above the table. One extra year to find substitute test-takers, falsify transcripts and create fake classes with phony credits in order to keep a player “eligible.’’

If the impressionable youngsters don’t take valuable life lessons from that, then when will they ever?

Better those lessons, though, than the unsavory ones being taught by Bryant, James, Howard and Garnett – that one is entitled to make a living off one’s skills, even at age 18, rather than be forced to give those skills away for someone else to make a living off of them. (Someone like, say, Tim Floyd or John Calipari or the athletic department officials at their schools.)

Or, if that lesson is way too fundamentally American and constitutional, then: If you’re good enough to play in the NBA, you should go do it. And if you’re great, you can have the sport’s very foundation built around you. A couple of puppets are tossing up chalk and displaying their rings in agreement.

Another award for a member of the Bulls -

Chicago Bulls Head Team Physician Dr. Brian Cole has been named the 2009 NBA Team Physician of the Year as voted on by the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association (NBATA).

"The Bulls organization is proud of our association with Dr. Brian Cole and this award recognizes what we have been keenly aware of the last five years,” stated Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson. “Brian is an outstanding doctor who cares about our players and works extremely hard to give them the best care possible. The entire Chicago Bulls organization congratulates Brian and thanks him for his dedication."

In addition to the award, the NBATA will be making a $1,000 donation to the charity of Dr. Cole’s choice.

Greetings from Out of the Blue

Work has been excessively busy and I haven't posted in a while, so I thought while I had a moment I would post some thoughts and links.

First let me start by saying that I couldn't be happier to see LeBron James watching the Finals from his couch. While there is no arguing what an amazing series King James had, I'm happy to know none of it mattered because his team lost.

James being the bitch that he is walked off the court without congratulating any of the Magic players or coaches including his Olympic friend teammate Dwight Howard. He also refused to make himself available to the media after the game.

He did offer us this gem the following day though:

"It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”

In other words, I'm a poor sport, a huge baby and I just gave all my haters yet another reason to hate me. Please LeBron, name me an athlete who enjoys losing? Name me anyone who enjoys losing? Suck it up and be man enough to shake their hands and congratulate them. You're a poor sport, a poor loser, and don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as MJ.


King James left the playoffs as a Loser

I’m a winner, King James proclaimed. So, there you go. That’s his reason for rushing out of the conference finals without so much as a nod to Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. That’s his reason for marching to the bus and letting the Cleveland Cavaliers’ spare parts take care of his responsibilities in the interview room.

Funny, but James stayed on the court to make sure the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks paid respect to him. As it turns out, there’s one thing allowed to happen at the end of a playoff series: Everyone bows down and kisses the King’s ring. Only, LeBron doesn’t have a ring. He’s never won a game in the NBA Finals.

So, yes, maybe they just have to kiss his ass.

...

Here’s the question: Who has the guts to tell him that he sounds like an immature, self-absorbed brat?


Here’s the problem for the Cavaliers and James: No one.

It won’t be Cleveland Cavaliers ownership, front office and coaches. It won’t be the NBA. It won’t be Nike. And it sure won’t be those childhood sycophants who surround James and tell everyone what a brilliant businessman LeBron is because they can answer the phone when corporations call for a famous pitchman.

LeBron doesn’t want to win more than Michael Jordan did, but Jordan could stop and shake a winner’s hand. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird could, too. Julius Erving did. Kobe Bryant(notes). Isiah Thomas led a walkout after losing to the Chicago Bulls after winning two NBA titles, but Joe Dumars never followed him. He stayed and shook Jordan’s hand, the way Jordan had always shook his when the Pistons had beaten him.

“M.J. had stopped, shook my hand and hugged me three straight years that we had beaten them in the playoffs,” Dumars once told me. “There was no way I walking off the court without shaking the Bulls’ hands.”

Dwight Howard's Reaction






Some Bulls news not involving SAT scores:


Bulls assistant coach Harris retiring

Veteran NBA coach Del Harris, who spent this season as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls, is retiring, a source told ESPNChicago.com.

Harris, who turns 72 in June, has been coaching for 50 years in the NBA, collegiate and high school levels, as well as overseas. He compiled a 556-457 (.549) record in 12 seasons as an NBA head coach with three different teams -- the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.

The most surprising part of this was that Del Harris was 72. He looks damn good for 72 if you ask me. I hope instead of going bald that when I'm 60 my hair goes jet white like Del's.