Jason Williams Retires

After a career of show-stopping moves and an NBA Championship in 2005, J-Will has called it a career, which really comes as a shocker. The 33-year-old Williams, AKA White Chocolate, signed with the revamped L.A. Clippers for a back-up spot behind Baron Davis, after he and his agent tried to negotiate a return with the Sacramento Kings.

In his career Williams averaged 11.9 PPG, 6.3 APG and 1.3 SPG. He started in 649 of his 679 games played, over 95.5%. Williams was drafted #7 overall by the Kings in 1998. In his rookie year, he was an NBA sensation, bringing streetball to the league and averaged career highs of 3.1 RPG 1.9 SPG 36.1 MPG, along with 12.8 PPG. After playing a career high 81 games the year after, he was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Mike Bibby in 2001. The Grizzlies moved to Memphis that year. He was easily one of the best point guard in their short franchise history, behind Bibby of course.

In 2002-03 season, he averaged a career high 8.3 APG with the team. He made 2 playoff appearances with the team and average 17 PPG and 5.3 APG with Pau Gasol. The team was swept twice in 2004 and 2005.

In 2005 Williams and Grizzlies teammates James Posey and Andre Emmett were involved in the biggest trade in NBA history, which involved 13 players. The trade sent them to the Miami Heat along with Antoine Walker, forming their championship nucleus along with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. The Heat won 53 games, Williams averaged career highs of 44.2% from the field and 37.2% 3PT, and the team won their first NBA Championship against the Dallas Mavericks, coming back from an 0-2 deficit to win four straight games.

The next year, Williams shot his free throws at a career high and an amazing 91.3% and a 5.3-1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Unfortunately, they were swept by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs, the first reigning champions ever to be swept that early. Things would only get worse as the team finished dead last in the NBA with a record.

After the team made it clear that they weren't re-signing him by signing Mario Chalmers. He signed with the Clippers in the off-season. After an exciting career, he's calling it quits. Jason Williams was one of the most exciting players ever. Most of his best plays came with the Kings alongside Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic, when they were the most entertaining team in the NBA.

He'll be remembered for all the spectacular plays that he gave the NBA, from the behind the back elbow pass to Raef LaFrentz he did in the 2000 Rookie Game, to the half court alley oop he pulled off with Shawn Marion. He's had plenty of other plays that were consistently in the top 10 plays of the day. Williams is a legend for the style of play he brought to the NBA and no one who watched him play his best will ever forget him.

Sacramento Kings Player Previews

With the roster with 14 guaranteed player contracts, unless there's a trade or signing this will be the Sacramento Kings next year.

MEET THE ROOKIES


#34 Jason Thompson, 6'11, 250 lbs. F/C
Rookie from Rider
Drafted #12 by Kings 2008

JT brought the thunder in the Las Vegas Summer League, hitting 2 game-winners against the Blazers in OT and Warriors, 2 of the top summer league teams. He averaged 16.2 PPG on 49% shooting and 8.6 RPG coming off the bench 3 out of 5 games. He finished his senior year at Rider with 20.4 PPG on 56% shooting and 12.1 RPG, both #2 in the nation behind Michael Beasley, along with 2.7 BPG. Not only that, he shut down Beasley for 13 points in their only meeting. Not bad for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Check out his story the NBA wrote about him called Against the Odds.

#20 Donté Greene, 6'11, 226 lbs. F
Rookie from Syracuse
Drafted #28 by Grizzlies 2008, Traded to Sacramento via Houston

When you look at Greene's game and physique, the first player that comes to mind is Rashard Lewis. Right now, he's closer to Kevin Durant. He averaged 17.7 PPG. 7.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.6 BPG at Syracuse. Coming out as a freshman, Greene had a 40 point game at this year's summer league, finishing second in scoring with 22.6 PPG, along with 1.6 SPG and 1 BPG. At an athletic 6'11 he can post-up, dunk, catch alley-oops, shoot with range and defend. Looks like it was a good idea to trade Artest for him, it's al about how he develops.

#5 Bobby Brown, 6'2, 175 lbs. PG
Rookie from Cal State-Fullerton
Undrafted 2007, Signed With Kings 2008

An undrafted senior out of Cal State Fullerton, who spent a year overseas playing for Alba Berlin in Gemany, Brown stunned scouts when he outplayed point guards Mike Conley and D.J. Augustin in the summer league. He helped lead Alba Berlin to a German Championship this year before heading to the summer league with New Orleans Hornets, where he averaged 15.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 6.3 APG in summer league and hit a game-winner. His senior year, he dropped 47 points including 11 three pointers. He also scored 44 points in a 5OT game overseas. Hopefully, he's the point guard they're looking for.

BACK FROM LAST YEAR

#23 Kevin Martin, 6'7, 185 lbs. Guard/Forward
5th Year from Western Carolina
Drafted #26 by Kings
Specialty: Offense

With Ron Artest out of the way, K-Mart can have an all-star season, possibly averaging 26 PPG, only 2 more points than last year. In fact, Martin can ramp up his the rest of his stats in Artest's absence. After being selected to the USA Select Team, playing with the league's elite leaders, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to be more specific, Martin was inspired to become the star and the leader he's supposed to be. He's making sure of that too, working out with personal trainer David Thorpe along with the Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas. Speaking of Chicago, he just signed a shoe deal with Jordan.

#15 John Salmons, 6'6, 207 lbs. Guard/Forward
7th Year from Miami
Drafted #26 by San Antonio Spurs, traded to Philadelphia, Signed with Kings in 2006
Specialty: Slasher

In Philly, Allen Iverson was in his way when he was on the court and Salmons, coming off the bench, couldn't get a shot. When he came to the Kings, Artest was in his way coming off the bench. In 41 starts, he averaged 17.5 PPG on 49.7% shooting, 5.4 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.6 SPG. Put that into a full 82 game season, the results are nothing but good. When he started, there was no doubt that he played like one of the best swingmen in the NBA. Here's a brand new video showing it.

#52 Brad Miller, 7'0, 261 lbs Center
11th Year from Purdue, C
Undrafted, Signed-and-traded to Kings from Indiana Pacers in 2003

Specialty: High-Post Player

Miller had a re-emergent season with 13.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG compared to the unmotivating 9 PPG and 6.4 RPG the season before. Serving as a mentor to Spencer Hawes, "the next Brad Miller," Miller got slapped with a 5-game suspension for his 3rd offense for marijuana. Still, he had a great comeback last year including his first two 20 point 20 rebound games. He might have a few more years left in him. Although he's not a true center mostly shooting mid-range shots instead of staying in the low post, he still is the best passing big man in the game with a league leading 3.6 APG among centers and power forwards, running much of the Kings' high post offense. He's still got it.

#19 Beno Udrih (pronounced Bayno Oodrick), 6'3, 205 lbs. Guard
5th Year from Slovenia
Drafted #28 by Spurs 2004, Traded to and waived by Minnesota Timberwolves, Signed with Kings 2007

Specialty: Slasher, Floor Leader

Signed after the season started with a broken left hand, his shooting hand, the "Tasmanian Slovenian" averaged 14.4 PPG on 47.4% shooting, 3.5 RPG and 5 APG in 51 starts. Second year coach Reggie Theus plans to better his assist to turnover ratio along with getting him to average 7-8 APG. He proved that he is a worthy starting point guard in the NBA after getting traded from the Spurs and cut but the Timberwolves. Lucky, he doesn't have to wear that new jersey the T'Wolves got.

#32 Francisco Garcia, 6'7, 195 lbs. Forward/Guard
4th Year from Louisville
Drafted #23 by Kings 2005

Specialty: Clutch Shooter

Sum up Cisco in one word. Clutch. He hit not one, not two, but three game winning shots last season. All three pointers. He plays better on the road than at home. In 20 games as a starter, he averaged 16.4 PPG on 44.9% shooting, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.7 SPG and 0.7 BPG. He's vocal, a better 6th man than Salmons, a swingman who can also run the point and is developing a solid defensive game and decision making skills. Just in, Cisco just signed a 5-year $30 million contract extension, so he'll be staying with the team for a long time.

#31 Spencer Hawes, Center/Forward
Sophomore from Washington
Drafted #10 by Kings 2007

Specialty: Post Player

Even though he's supposed to be the next Brad Miller, he's going to be better than him. In 8 games started, he had 12.3 PPG on 48.9% shooting, 7.3 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.6 BPG. In his first start, he posted 19 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. He also had a career high 4 blocks, with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists against the Lakers off the bench. He added some weight for summer league and showed more athleticism as well. With his footwork in the post, he's got the chance to become a very good center in the NBA, and he's only 20. He just got to improve his rebounding and he'll be good. He'll have plenty of time to improve, starting with filling in for Brad Miller's 5-game suspension.

#33 Mikki Moore, 7'0, 225 lbs. F/C
11th Year from Nebraska
Undrafted, Signed with Kings 2007

Specialty: Dirty Work, Energy

His stats aren't that impressive, but the energy and athleticism he brings is much needed to the team. He's the only King to play all 82 games. He had 8.5 PPG on 57.7% shooting and 6 RPG. Extremely athletic for a 33-year old, he has the ability to hit mid-range shots up to the top of the key and put back dunks. He might even have the potential to step behind the arc.

#24 Bobby Jackson, 6'1, 185 lbs. G
12th Year from Minnesota
Signed with Kings 2000-05, Traded to Memphis Grizzlies 2005, Signed with New Orleans Hornets 2006, Traded to Houston Rockets 2008, Re-acquired by Kings 2008

Specialty: Leadership

One of the members of the 2002 Kings team that reached the Western Conference Finals, the 2003 6th Man of the Year is now the last remaining King from the 2002 team after Mike Bibby was traded in February. He averaged 8.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 2.4 APG after being traded to the Rockets from the Hornets. Now in the twilight of his career, he adds veteran wisdom, experience and leadership to the team and is looking to become a coach in a couple of years.

#22 Shelden Williams 6'9, 250 lbs. F/C,
3rd Year from Duke
Drafted #5 by Atlanta Hawks, Traded to Kings 2008
Specialty: Inside Presence

So far, he's been deemed a bust. He did have a good summer league though with 14.3 PPG on 57.6% shooting and 8.8 RPG. He averaged 5.2 PPG on 49.1 % shooting and got his only double double with a 12 point, 11 rebound game against the Lakers, including turning Ronny Turiaf into a poster (above). With his size and strentgh, if used in the right way, he has the potential to be good down low. He used to be a dunker his rookie year, but lost some athleticism. If he can find that fire he had the last month of his rookie year, maybe he can get better than he's playing right now.

#8 Quincy Douby, 6'3, 175 lbs. SG
3rd Year from Rutgers
Drafted #19 by Kings

Specialty: Slasher

In a disappointing season for him, Q had bright spots here and there. The most encouraging sign of all was his 32 point performance with his slashing to the basket carving up the Lakers' defense. Making no comparisons, but watching him that night was like watching a slower version of Iverson. After numerous failed attempts to convert him into a point guard, he's been permenantly branded as an undersized shooting guard. After an impressive summer league, scoring 36 points against Golden State and finishing 3rd in scoring with 22 PPG behind Greene, this might be Q's last chance to prove that he belongs with the team and in the NBA.

#3 Shareef Abdur-Rahim, 6'9, 245 lbs. F/C
RETIRED 12 Seasons with Vancouver Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Kings
Drafted #3 by Vancouver Grizzlies, Signed with Kings in 2005

Expected to stay within organization

Reef is done. He just announced his retirement. His knee just couldn't hold up to play at the NBA level anymore. He is expected, however, to stay with the organization, maybe as a big man coach. Kings GM Geoff Petrie said in a statement, "It is our intention to find a new role for Shareef with the organization as he begins the next phase of his professional life." A look back at his career from an earlier post.

#9 Kenny Thomas, 6'7, 245 lbs. PF
10th Year from New Mexico
Drafted #22 by Houston Rockets, Traded to Kings from Philadelphia 76ers in 2005

Specialty: Rebounding

Don't expect him to play. He just wants to get paid his $16 mil over the next 2 years. Can we get a buyout please?

There you have it. The roster for the 2008-2009 Sacramento Kings. Now, they might not look like the most impressive bunch in the league, but Kings GM Geoff Petrie has a track record of drafting and trading for good players.

Draft Picks: Peja Stojakovic, Jason Williams, Dan Dickau (traded on draft night, great move), Hedo Turkoglu (2008 MIP), Gerald Wallace and Kevin Martin.

Trades: Mike Bibby for Jason Williams, Chris Webber for Mitch Richmond, Ron Artest for Peja Stojakovic, Bonzi Wells for Bobby Jackson.

The team will start training camp in Hawaii on Sunday.

Rockets Match Bobcats' Offer to Landry

The Houston Rockets did the smart thing by keeping Carl Landry by matching the Charlotte Bobcats' offer sheet. The earlier post on the Bobcats going after Landry explains why. According to the team website rockets.com, they'll be keeping him long term. "Because we didn’t have mid-level we weren’t able to get that done," Rockets GM Daryl Morey said. "So now we’re excited to get that done and we’re going to have a great set of players in for training camp."

Money was an issue for when they thought about it, since they were already over the luxary tax. "We had a lot of time obviously to think about what range of money we would match and this fell into that," Morey explained. One problem, however, is his right knee, but Morey said that he believes in taking risks to get the best players possible. That would explain trading for Ron Artest too.

Fortunately, the Rockets kept a piece of their future and a player who should develop into a very good big man in the NBA for many years to come. As for the Bobcats, they might need to re-think their strategy on getting a big man. Last season they tried to get the Cleveland Cavaliers' Anderson Varejao by signing him to an offer sheet, only for the Cavs to match it. The same result this year with Landry.

As for the Rockets, Morey expects the upcoming season to be special. With almost a month away from the start, we'll find out soon enough.

Bobcats Extend Offer to Carl Landry

The Charlotte Bobcats are trying to pull an Anderson Varejao again by extending an offer sheet to the Houston Rockets' F-C Carl Landry. The Bobcats are less than $4 million under the salary cap and are in financial position to offer him a contract. The Rockets, who are over $1 million over the luxary tax, have already offered a contract, which GM Daryl Morey calls a "fair offer." The Rockets have every right to match the Bobcats' offer, but it might be a matter of how much luxary tax they want to pay, depending on how much the offer is, which is unkonwn right now.

Landry, the first pick in the 2nd round of the 2007 NBA Draft, averaged 8.1 PPG on 61.6% shooting and 4.9 RPG in 41 games off the bench in his rookie season. He averaged 5.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 1.2 SPG in the first round of the playoffs against the Utah Jazz. Landry's best game was against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 11th where he posted 15 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes after not playing since December 10th. He was also a big contributor to their 22 game winning streak.

It makes perfect sense that the Bobcats would go after Landry. Last year, they went small with Emeka Okafor at center, Gerald Wallace at power forward. Jason Richardson at small forward, Raymond Felton at shooting guard and Jeff McInnis at point guard. After Jeff McInnis was waived and Gerald Wallace suffered a serious concussion, one which I personally saw live and it wasn't pretty, to Wallace's request he moved back to small forward and Nazr Mohammed was named the starting center.

Bobcats' GM Rod Higgins believes that Landry can play both big man positions at 6'9 at 250 pounds, so the Bobcats can keep Okafor at center or put Landry there. If Landry can perform well off the bench in limited minutes, a starting role could jumpstart his potential. He's never played more than 31 minutes in a game, and that came in Game 4 in the playoffs, where he scored 13 points, 2 steals and 6 rebounds, all offensive rebounds.

The Rockets need to keep Landry because they need to think about the future of the franchise, not just the present. They have enough firepower to finally get out of the 1st round after they traded for Ron Artest, and that's if Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are both healthy come playoffs. After this year, Artest will be a free agent, T-Mac will be another year older and a year away from being a free agent. Yao Ming also have an early termination option in 2010.

Luis Scola, their starting power forward, is already 28 years old and is a sophomore and Shane Battier is 30. Chuck Hayes, an undersized PF at 6'6, hasn't played well on the team. They also traded next year's 1st round pick to the Kings. Put simple, the Rockets are built for the here and now, not so much towards the future. Landry is their future and they can't afford to let him go, luxary tax or not. They need him for this year and beyond.

NBA Rejects Magic's Return to Black Uniforms

I was mad when I read about this one. In an article from the Florida Today, the NBA "shot down the (Orlando) Magic's initial plan of bringing back black jerseys." In my opinion, the Magic's early 90's black pinstripe uniform was one of the best ever back when Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal were creating a tandem. Then again, I think almost every black or pinstripe NBA jersey was cool, but the Magic's were the best, next to Michael Jordan's that is.

The article also said the Jameer Nelson was hoping for the black jersey to come back because he wore a Hardaway jersey growing up in Philly. I don't blame him, they don't make jerseys like they used to. The entire league has switched to a more modern, cleaner style of uniforms. Some good like the Atlanta Hawks, some not so good like the Minnesota Timberwolves. The New Orleans Hornets, on the other hand, took a step back in a good way.

Old school hasn't disappeared completely from the NBA though. The Milwaukee Bucks switched back to red and green in 2006. Many teams have kept classic designs from the past like the Bulls Celtics and Lakers. The NBA still has black jerseys, though not as edgy, for the Heat, Bulls, Sixers, Blazers and Spurs. The Kings, Bucks, T'Wolves, Suns, Raptors and Jazz used to have one. The Bulls, Rockets, Pacers and Raptors used to have pinstripes.

Hopefully, the NBA will loosen up so teams can come up with more creative designs. Until then, will just have to wait for them to ease up.

Sacramento Kings Off-Season Review

Looking at the Kings this year, if they stay healthy, I'm excited to see what's next. After drafting Jason Thompson, signing Beno Udrih with a 5-year mid-level exception, trading Artest for Donté Greene, Bobby Jackson and a 2009 1st round pick and signing Bobby Brown, what was once a quiet off-season erupted into a rebuilding frenzy.

DRAFT

#34 Jason Thompson: Who? That's what I said when I heard his name with the #12 pick at the draft day party at Arco Arena, and yes, Jerryd Bayless getting taken at #11 and traded to #13 Portland was a killer.

A 6'11, 250 lbs. PF, he averaged 20.4 PPG, 12.1 RPG and 2.7 BPG and won the POY and DPOY in his conference as a senior. Both averages in points and rebounds are #2 to Michael Beasley, but he played in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at little known Rider, where he won POY and DPOY in his conference. However, he and Beasley squared off, and JT shut him down for 13 points. He was also scouted by Villanova and UConn, but chose Rider with the guidance from his dad.

He's got an inside-outside game, like Sheed, and the credit for that goes to him being a 5'11 guard his freshman year in college. He'd rather play inside. He has a nose for the ball and rebounds outside of his area too, and I like the sound of that. Kings GM Geoff Petrie said he's a 4 with some of a 3's skills. I think he's might be a project for a couple of years but he'll be a great player.

Summer League: JT came in and was clutch, hitting tow game-winners against the top summer league teams

Review: He was brought in for defense, length, athleticism and depth at the 4, and hopefully, like Kevin Martin's 23 PPG at little known Western Carolina, his numbers will translate into the NBA. A lot of people said that drafting him that high was a mistake. I say, if it's a mistake for the Kings to draft him at #12, would it have been a mistake for the Warriors, who were also interested in him, to draft him at #14?

FREE AGENCY

Beno Udrih was a must have with the weak market for point guards after him, Baron Davis and Gilbert Arenas. The Kings contacted Chris Duhon, and there was even some outrageous rumor that they were going after Arenas. Udrih was contacted by the Clippers, Cavs, Heat and Knicks. Many thought Udrih would walk from the team that gave him his big break when he was down and out. Hours later, he accepted the Kings' full mid-level exception.

As a starter, he averaged 14 PPG, 3 RPG and 5 APG. Now, 2nd year head coach Reggie Theus plans on ramping up Beno to 7-8 APG. That sounds a little high for him, considering that he looks like more of a scorer, but anything's possible after seeing Jose Calderon step up in T.J. Ford's place.

So much for Geoff Petrie saying that they were "likely" done signing free agents before they signed #5 Bobby Brown to a 2-year deal. Brown was one of the best point guards in summer league with the New Orleans Hornets, outdueling Mike Conley and D.J. Augustin. After playing in Germany and the Vegas summer league, Brown ignored Chris Paul's plea to back him up and offers in Europe to try to become Beno's back-up, if he beats Bobby Jackson. Brown may be the pure point guard that they need and have been looking for.

Review: Outplaying the most talked about point gurads in the summer league, if he plays well this season, automatically a great pick-up.

THE RON ARTEST TRADE

Ron Artest decided not to opt-out, then hours later, said he made "the biggest mistake". Expecting a long-term deal, he talked with Geoff Petrie and that was not in his plans.

Artest did not make a mistake. The trade to the Houston Rockets made them instant contenders, as long as they can stay healthy. He wasn't going to get any big offers from other teams and the Lakers wouldn't make a move to trade Lamar Odom. No team wanted to take Kenny Thomas' contract either. The trade also included 2nd round picks Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing Jr. going to Houston. Singletary was traded to the Phoenix Suns for D.J. Strawberry, while Ewing was traded to the New York Knicks for Freidic Weis.

The Kings bring in #20 Donté Greene, a 6'11, 228 pound, very athletic, highflying, sharpshooting small forward who dropped 40 points in his first summer league game and finished second in scoring. He can also post up, something the Kings lost in trading Artest. Looking at him, the first player that comes to mind is 6'10, 230 pound Rashard Lewis, though he's very far away from him. A closer comparison to who he is right now is Kevin Durant. With the upside Greene is said to have, Lewis is the best case scenario. With the addition of him, the Kings get younger and more athletic.

Looking at his length and athleticism, experts say that he has the potential to become a lockdown defender. So a guy who can dunk, shoot, steal and block at small forward, sounds good to me.

Summer League: Greene kicked off his debut with 40 points, only to follow it with 17, 19, 15 and 22. He seems like a good defender with the 1.6 SPG, but it's all about how his game translates into the NBA.

Review: Greene is said to be a work in progress, but he looks like he'll be the back-up to John Salmons, giving him plenty of time to grow this season if he gets into the rotation.

Speaking of Salmons, he'll get the start at SF. When he came off the bench, he didn't perform well, compared to the 41 starts averaging 17.5 PPG. Now, no one will be in his way after his breakout season.

In the trade, the Kings also get point guard, old #24 Bobby Jackson, a salary cap friendly veteran and fan favorite. Jackson, 2004 6th Man of the Year with the Kings, also brings in veteran wisdom and leadership to help mentor the young players in his potential last season. He said that he was planning to return to the Kings and finish out his career 2 years on the veterans' minimum so he can become a coach. Can't wait to see him in the new and improved Kings jersey.

One more thing about the trade that's good for Artest, he's gone. No waiting for him to get off his suspension. No more disrupting the locker room. No more last minute changes if he's going to play or not.

EFFECTS OF BRAD MILLER'S SUSPENSION AND POSSIBLE TRADE

Too bad the summer started out so smoothly, because Brad Miller got slapped with a 5-game for suspension for violating the league's anti-drug policy. He admitted that it was his third offense for marijuana. He said that he learned his lesson, but the suspension says he's done it twice. Sounds like someone didn't learn his lesson the first two times.

This is good for Spencer Hawes though. He'll likely start in Miller's place, and I'd like to see him start for the Kings regularly. Look what happened with Al Horford or the young Blazers team. A lot of people, including me, think that Hawes will be better than Miller.

Not only that, rumor has it that the Bulls are interested in getting Miller back in exchange for Andres Nocioni and Cedric Simmons/Joakim Noah. The Bulls would rather trade Simmons but the Kings were interested in Noah in last years' draft and were very close to drafting him with the Bulls right in front of them with the #9 pick. Since then, there's been no talk of Miller being traded but it would be a good idea to get Nocioni.

Nocioni is a valuable player for any team looking for a 3-point sharpshooter, on or off the bench. If the Kings get him, expect more cap space to come off. Teams that could use him are the Nets, Mavs and Hawks

Another good place for Miller to land, along with Thomas, is Phoenix. He's a lot faster and younger than Shaq and had a better year than him as well. Trading Shaq for Miller would give the Suns a better chance for them to run-and-gun. It might also fill up some seats in ARCO Arena as well. He'd also be a tremendous veteran presence for the Kings. For him to take Hawes and Shelden Williams under his wing would be very beneficial.

LAS VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE

Summer league was all about developing the young guys. Thompson, Hawes, Williams and Quincy Douby all played well for the Kings, while Brown played for the Hornets as said before and Greene played for the Rockets. In Game 2 v. the Blazers, Thompson had the game-winning 3-point play in OT to beat Potland 75-74. In Game 3 v. the 3-0 Warriors, he had the game-winning tip to give the Warriors their first loss. He's got some clutch in him.

Douby played well averaging the third highest point total with 22 PPG while Greene averaged 22.6 PPG. Douby put up 36 points and Greene posted 40 his first game. Brown's highlight game was a 20 point, 5 rebound, 5 assist game when he hit the game winning shot for the Hornets that instantly put him on the map in Vegas. He was #3 in assists and had a 10 assist game along with 13 points in that game.

Hawes put on some weight and looks leaner and more athletic than last year with his dunks. Williams statistically played well and hit some mid-range shots. A good summer league for the rookies and returning players.

TEAM STATS

With Artest gone and loads of young talent on the team, with some defensive pressure the Kings could be on the rise soon. They won 38 games in an injury hit season that involved key players. Mike Bibby missed 38 games before he got traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Artest missed games to suspension, injury and to support his daughter Diamond because of cancer. Martin, the leading scorer, missed 21 games due to injury. Udrih missed games also because of injury.

They were #8 in scoring (#6 in the West), #10 in FG% (#7 West), #9 in 3PT% (#5 West), #3 in FT%, #7 in SPG (#5 West) and #3 in getting fouled. They have a record of 34-18 when they score 100+ points. They need to ramp up their assists, rebounding and blocking and decrease turnovers and fouls. They finished #1 in turnovers per game, 7th in fouls per game, 26th in BPG and 29th in RPG and APG. So if they distribute and protect the ball better, they'll definitely see improvement coming their way.

So in review, after the Kings drafted JT, signed Brown and traded Artest, Singletary and Ewing for Donté Greene, Bobby Jackson and a 2009 1st round pick, they ended up with 3 summer league stars, signed for a long term point guard, got a fan favorite back and have an extra 1st round pick for next year, all while filling their roster. In doing so, they got younger, more athletic, have more cap space sooner and they get new jerseys. Going into training camp this Sunday in Hawaii, not a bad summer for the Kings.

Point Guards: Beno Udrih, Bobby Jackson, Bobby Brown
Shooting Guards: Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia, Quincy Douby
Small Forwards: John Salmons, Donté Greene
Power Forwards: Mikki Moore, Jason Thompson, Shelden Williams, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kenny Thomas
Centers: Brad Miller, Spencer Hawes

Key Additions: Jason Thompson (draft), Donté Greene and Bobby Jackson (Houston), Bobby Brown (free agency)
Key Losses: Ron Artest (Houston), Anthony Johnson (Orlando)

Andre Miller Hires Agent for Contract Talks

Philadelphia 76ers' point guard Andre Miller just came off his best season since 2001-02, averaging of career highs 17 PPG on 49.2% shooting, along with 4 RPG, 6.9 APG and 1.3 SPG. Now that he's in the final year of his contract, Miller, who previously did not have an agent, hired Andy Miller according to the Philadelphia Daily News. Andy Miller also represents Sixers' first round pick Marreese Speights. He spoke on the situation saying "Andre is optimistic about where the team is and is excited about the immediate future."

Miller, who is 32, is set to make over $10.3 million this season and he and his new agent have had discussions with team president and GM Ed Stefanski. The article also says that a contract extension will be discussed.

Miller was a key player in the playoffs for the Sixers in their 2 wins against the Detroit Pistons, including a game one upset in Detroit. Even though the Sixers lost the series, he had two 20 point games in those wins. Without a doubt, he was the MVP of that team in the postseason and the most consistent of any player.

At 32 years old, age might be a concern going into contract talks, but injury will not. Miller has played 80+ games every season for nine seasons, including six 82 game seasons. The Sixers also made some big signings in the off-season. They grabbed big men Elton Brand from the Los Angeles Clippers and seasoned veteran Theo Ratliff from the Pistons and three point specialists Donyell Marshall from the Seattle Supersonics and Kareem Rush from the Indiana Pacers.

They also signed restricted free agents Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams. With this core of players that they have there's no way they let Miller go. Next year, they'll have a starting line-up of Miller, Green, Iguodala, Brand and Dalembert. They have a solid team to contend in the East against the Pistons, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. They won't want to change anything for the year after.

In 2009, the team will go into the season $12-13 million under the luxary tax, giving them plenty of room to negotiate a contract and sign a free agent too. As for his age, Miller could have four or five more years left in him. At the end of the day, everyone is going home happy.

Beasley Fined $50K for Failure to Cooperate

If you thought Miami's Mario Chalmers and Memphis' Darrell Arthur getting slapped with $20K fines was the end of it, it's not even over. ESPN reported that the #2 overall Michael Beasley, who was also in the marijuana scented room with two women was fined $50K because he "failed to cooperate with the league investigation," and that "the Heat said Beasley eventually chose to reveal that he was part of the incident."

Although there were not traces of the drug other than the scent, Beasley wasn't sent home from the Rookie Transition Program with teammate Chalmers and Arthur. Both rookies who were sent home apologized and denied marijuana use. Both were fined but were not given suspensions, but they'll still have to attend the rookie program next season with the class of 2009. All three players won't be suspended by the NBA, according to the article.

Heat, Blazers, T'Wolves Could Sign Livingston

After a what could be a career-ending injury,

can Shaun Livingston work his way back into the NBA?

Former Los Angeles Clippers' point guard Shaun Livingston has narrowed his choice to 3 teams according to Yahoo! Sports. The Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Adrian Wojnarowski, who wrote the exclusive article, spoke to two league sources that said that the Blazers are the "favorites" to sign him after he worked out in Portland. Livngston also had private workouts at Tim Grover’s Attack Athletics facility in Chicago, where Minnesota executives Jim Stack, Fred Hoiberg and coach Randy Wittman observed him.

Livingston suffered what might be a career-ending knee injury in the 2006-07 season, and he hasn't played a game since. Since then, the Clippers renounced his rights and he's been looking for a team.

The 6'7 Livingston has attracted the attention of at least one other team, the Golden State Warriors. They scheduled a workout for Livingston weeks before thier intended starting point guard, Monta Ellis, severely sprained his ankle. Right now, it looks like that the Warriors are not in the running.

The Heat were interested in Livingston earlier in the summer after losing Jason Williams to the Clippers, leaving them with rookie Mario Chalmers, Chris Quinn and Marcus Banks. They're superstar shooting guard, Dwyane Wade, doesn't like to play point guard. It's a good thing too because he's averaged 3.89 turnovers per game his career. Depending on how Livingston plays if he signs with the team, he could be a major upgrade from all three point guards, playing with Wade, #2 overall pick Michael Beasley and Shawn Marion.

The Heat, however, are concerned about his knee and might sign Matt Walsh, according to the Miami Herald.

The Blazers were another team that were possibly looking for a point guard, with rumors saying that they were looking for Chicago Bulls' point guard Kirk Hinrich and the Memphis Grizzlies' Mike Conley. Now the Blazers are considered as the frontrunners for Livingston and it is believed that they want to look at his medical records, according to The Oregonian. The Blazers would be a great spot for Livingston to land if healthy. He could run the floor with the young team of all-star Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw. Livingston is only 23 years old.

They already have a full roster after signing Luke Jackson, but Sergio Rodreguiez is a possibility to cut from the team because he only makes $874 K this season with one year left. He only averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.7 APG.

Last but not least, the Timberwolves. They're a team stacked with guards like Mike Miller, Rashad McCants, Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair, not to mention young talent in Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer and Kevin Love. The article said the the T'Wolves are "sold on the workout and want to sign him." They have one spot left on their roster and he'll most likely back-up Telfair.

So this week, Livingston could sign with one of these three teams, where his comeback officially begins.

Shareef Considering Retirement, Coaching Career

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, second from the right, says he'll decide if he'll participate in the

Sacramneto Kings' training camp after coming home from a trip South Africa for the NBA.

(From left to right) Milwaukee Bucks' Charlie Bell, San Antonio Spurs' Matt Bonner,
Abdur- Rahim,and Washington Wizards' Caron Butler.

The last time Sacramento Kings' power forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim was heard from before going on the NBA's Basketball Without Borders trip to South Africa, he was practicing with their summer league team in Las Vegas. At the time, he was not doing well. Now that he's home, retirement looks more of a possibility than ever for the 31 year old.

Shareef is due $12.8 million over the next 2 seasons and has an early-termination option in 2009. The Kings, however have insurance on him so they won't have to pay him anything unless he plays for another team. According to Amick, he and the Kings have discussed the possibility of him becoming their big man coach.

The Kings were supposedly looking for a big man coach over the summer to develop the young bigs like sophomore center Spencer Hawes, rookie power forward Jason Thompson and third year power forward Shelden Williams. A good coach would do them well, and Shareef, a former All-Star in 2000, might be a good fit for them. He was one of the best power forwards in the NBA the first 8 years of his career. Right now, the playing part of his NBA career seems to be over.

Shareef was drafted #3 by the Vancouver Grizzlies where he played his best for 5 years, setting franchise records with 23 PPG in 1999 and 10.1 RPG in 2000. He was the by far the best player the Grizzlies franchise has ever had. He also won a gold medal for the men's USA Basketball Team in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

The Grizzlies traded him for to the Atlanta Hawks rookie Pau Gasol in 2001 where he played for two and a half seasons before getting traded for Rasheed Wallace, who only played one game for the Hawks before getting traded to the Detroit Pistons. Portland was the only place Shareef wore a different number than #3. He wore #33 there.

After 2 years in Portland, and not one playoff appearance with any team, Shareef was to be signed-and-traded to New Jersey for a first round pick, which Portland planned to trade for the Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa. He failed the physical, putting the trade on hold, but he decided to go into free agency, signing with the Kings.

During his time in Sacramento, he broke his jaw and had it wired shut. Expected to be out for a significant amount of time, he came back early and played, with his jaw wired shut. He made his first and only playoff appearance against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Although they tied the series after being down 2-0, the Kings lost the series 4-2. In the 06-07 season, Shareef averaged career lows of 9.9 PPG and 5 RPG missing the playoffs. The next season, two knee surgeries limited him to 6 games out of the whole year.

If his career is over, he would have missed the playoffs 11 out of 12 seasons. Even so, his resumé includes a gold medal, an All-Star appearance, and 1996-97 NBA All-Rookie First Team. In college, he was the first freshman to win the PAC 10 Player of the Year Award at California. Not to mention, his extensive involvement in the community that extends from Sacramento, to New Orleans, to Atlanta and now, Africa.

Shareef was and still is a great ambassador for the NBA. His contributions on and off the court touched millions of people. He will not be forgotten.

Kings' Garcia in Extension Talks

Not a lot of people remember what happened the "Latin Assassin" from Louisville went after he got drafted 23rd overall in 2005, but swingman Francisco Garcia, better known as "Cisco" now, doing good enough to talk about an extension with the Sacramento Kings, according to the Sacramento Bee. Although he averaged 12.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.6 APG, don't let the numbers fool you. In 20 starts the kid out of the Bronx averaged 16.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.7 SPG and 0.7 BPG. He doubled his scoring average from the 06-07 season and shot 46.3% from the field.

Garcia, along with the Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford, are the only Dominican players in the league. Both also play with the national team which won bronze in the Centrobasket Championship 2008 to qualify for the Tournament of the Americas.

Although he's a bench player, Cisco is known for being vocal and is seen as a leader and was the clear 6th man of the team last year. Even though he still makes some bad decisions, he's becoming a better decisonmaker in passing and shooting the ball. He can play 3 positions running the point and play swingman as well.

He's become a very good scorer with a career high 31 points at Phoenix, 30 points against the Suns at home, and tying his career high at Golden State, all starts. He also scored 29 points off the bench in Denver in a highly competive game for a Nuggets team desperately trying to make the last seed in the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony scored 47 points that night. Some of his best scoring came against 45+ win teams like the Nuggets, Mavericks, Warriors, Suns and Jazz.

Although he shoots 39.1% from beyond the arc, Cisco has come through in the clutch not once, not twice, but three times hitting the game winning trey over recognized players. The first came against the Seattle SuperSonics in their first win coming back from a 20 point deficit over Nick Collison, the second over Richard Jefferson at New Jersey in front of his family and the third over Mike Miller in the corner.

Not only has he been a solid clutch shooter, he's gained a reputation as a solid defender. In a 114-113 win over the Lakers in L.A., he defended Kobe Bryant for much of the 4th quarter. Bryant only scored 1 point that quarter while Garcia had 6 points on 3/3 shooting.

Now Garcia is looking to get paid, but as said in the Bee, the Kings are likely to let him become a restricted free agent next year because both are far from agreeing on an extension. Garcia has nearly $2.9 million if he takes the qualifying offer in 2009, but Garcia should see some Kyle Korver money, being that he outplayed Korver in every category except free throws in terms of stats.

Garcia: 12.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 46.3% FG, 39.1% 3PT

Korver: 9.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 44.3% FG, 37.5% 3PT

Korver is getting paid near $4.8 million this season and over $5 million for the next 2 years after, so Garcia should see around $5 million a year if an extension is offered. Otherwise, if he signs an offer sheet from another team like Josh Smith did with the Memphis Grizzlies, they have every right to retain his rights by matching it.

The Kings are one of the many teams hoping to land a major free agent in 2010, so they might want to try to make Garcia's contract low enough so it won't interfere with their plans. The huge contracts of Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas will be completely off the books.

Out of all the potential free agent shooting guards and small forwards in 2009, the only better choices other than Garcia would be Kobe Bryant (early-termination option), Allen Iverson, Ron Artest, Rip Hamilton (ETO), Shawn Marion, Jamal Crawford, Hedo Turkoglu (ETO) and Danny Granger (RFA). If an extension isn't reached by the end of October, Garcia will be one of the top restricted free agents in the NBA.

Eric Snow to Retire, Made 3 Finals Appearances

Eric Snow enjoyed his career, playing with

Gary Payton, Allen Iverson, and LeBron James.

After 13 seasons in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, the 35 year old Eric Snow is calling it quits because of "chronic problems with his left knee," according to the Akron Beacon Journal's Brian Windhorst. Snow had arthritis-related symptoms in his knee early March and the last game he played was February 22nd in a 90-89 win against the Washington Wizards, the game before Ben Wallace and others joined the Cavs.

Snow got his reputation for being a solid defender with the Sixers, averaging over 1.2 SPG from when he joined the team from 1998-2004. In the 98-99 season, Snow averaged 2.1 SPG. He started every regular season game with the team since then.

Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the #43 pick out of Michighan State, but got picked up by the Sonics, Snow reached the NBA Finals with each team he played for. His rookie year in Seattle, Snow reached the Finals alongside Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1996.

In 2001 he played alongside Allen Iverson in NBA Finals, only to lose to Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. He went on to play the best basketball of his career with the team, averaging 12.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 6.6 APG and 1.6 SPG in the 02-03 season. He also had 2 consecutive 82 games seasons starting in every game.

Snow made his last stop in Cleveland, playing alongside LeBron James in 2004. In 2007 he went on to make his 3rd and last Finals appearance getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

He won the 2000 NBA Sportsmanship Award, an award won by David Robinson, Ray Allen and most recently Grant Hill for a second time. The Canton, Ohio native was also active in the community and won the National Basketball Players Association Community Contribution Award along with Kevin Garnett and Marcus Camby and the J. Walker Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2005. He was also selected as one of the Sporting News "Good Guys from 2002-04.

Snow had a solid NBA career for a player who never made an All-Star team. Even so, he was a great role-player, especially in Philadelphia. In 846 games played, he started in 551, over 65% of the games he played in. For his career, he averaged 6.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG 5 APG and 1.1 SPG.

Snow learned from and played with some of the best players in NBA history, and he was right by their side playing with them.

Blazers Offer Travis Outlaw to Bulls

RUMOR:

The Portland Trailblazers are desperately looking for a point guard according to rumorpress.net, and have offered the long and athletic Travis Outlaw to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley, according to the Memphis Edge, part of The Commercial Appeal daily newspaper in Memphis picked up by USA Today. Now they may be offering him to the Chicago Bulls. The deal also includes Joel Przybilla from the Blazers for Kirk Hinrich, someone the Bulls haven't been ready to trade despite a poor season. The Bulls have also said that they won't make any moves until they figure out what to do with Ben Gordon. Gordon also has the last say on where he wants to go.

ANALYSIS:

Trading Hinrich for Outlaw is a bad deal for both teams. Trading for Gordon would be a better deal for both teams but wouldn't get the Blazers a point guard. Both deals, however, leave the Blazers shorthanded at small forward. Even if the Blazers have Brandon Roy running the floor, it looks like that the Blazers are just looking for a pure point guard and feel that Steve Blake and Sergio Rodreguiez aren't enough.

If Gordon was traded to the Bulls, a rookie from the Blazers, Jerryd Bayless or Rudy Fernandez, would have to be offered in the deal. A rotation of Roy and Gordon would be dangerous. After trading Outlaw, Martell Webster would remain the starter but Luke Jackson hasn't been able to perform at the NBA level consistenly. That would be a glaring weakness for the Blazers. They could look for free agency options like 25 year old Kirk Snyder.

If for some reason the Bulls did give up Hinrich for Outlaw, they'd leave the 2008 #1 overall pick Derrick Rose without any help for a back-up, and free agency doesn't offer anything close to Hinrich. They lost Chris Duhon to the New York Knicks and Hinrich is their only hope if they want to contend for the playoffs. So he's out of the picture unless they can get a point guard equal in value and talent in return.

The potential deal between the Bulls and Blazers shouldn't go through because both teams can't get what they're looking for. My guess is it won't happen because it leaves too many voids for both teams.