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Have you ever bought a house?

You know the deal. You shop around. You look at the prices, and then at some point you find the house you like. 

You make an offer. The offer sounds good to the sellers. You agree to buy the house. You agree on the price, and the house comes off the market. 

Then there's that period between agreeing on the basics, and the closing. That's the day when contracts are exchanged and you get your keys. In between there are inspections, and haggling over little things like whether or not that chandelier will be staying in the entryway.

During this period, there is a nervous and tentative love. Everyone is so excited that this big project is almost done. And everyone knows that there's just some percentage of a chance that something crazy will happen.

The Portland Trail Blazers and Hedo Turkoglu went all the way down that road. They made it through the inspections, and by mid-day Friday, all the important parts of the deal were done. It was nearly celebration time for all involved.

The only question marks were little things, mostly related to hearing the salary cap numbers from the NBA next week, which would inform how the deal would be structured.

Then, according to sources, something crazy happened. Hedo Turkoglu shifted course, deciding late in the day that he wanted a different house. 

The Raptors had been serious in their pursuit of Shawn Marion and Carlos Delfino. Now the most likely scenario is that they'll be renounced or traded, along with Anthony Parker. To clear the kind of cap room that would be required to sign Turkoglu would probably take renouncing every free agent Toronto has, including Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Jake Voskuhl and some cap holds from players overseas. That would give the Raptors room to offer Turkoglu more money than Portland was offering -- although there are plenty of details left to be worked out, especially as Toronto may first try to trade some of those players instead of letting them go for nothing.

Toronto, as a roster and a city, offer an international flavor that Portland does not have. And with similar money, that proved more appealing than anyone had thought it would.

As for the Blazers? Well, no one likes wasting all that time almost getting a deal done. But there are worse thing than being back on the market, with nearly $9 million a year to spend. 

We hear the stories all the time. There are problems with the NBA. If you wanted to make a story about what that means exactly, you might want to use the facts from this star's real biography:

• Raised in a single-parent home, with a rotating cast of father figures.
• No tolerance as a youngster for real coaching. Countless victories are lost to poor strategy.
• Terrible grades and at times a really glaring lack of education.
• Shopping from school to school to find one who will grant a diploma.
  
• A car provided by an unofficial "sponsor."
• Trouble with teammates, family and sometimes the police, including for outrunning the police in more than one high-speed chase.
• Later in life, divorce, dallying with various celebrities, and a child out of wedlock.

Ban the high school players! Instill dress codes! Lecture everybody about this and that!

Here's a little thing to make you think, though. That biography I outlined up above?

Whose is that? Care to guess?

That's the tale of Lance Armstrong's life (as I learned from a new book about him). Yet Armstrong, for many reasons, is generally seen as one of the most dignified, successful and admirable of all athletes. 

So, does that mean pro leagues need to get all wound up about character issues in more sports, or fewer? I can't say for certain. But I can't imagine a league of Lance Armstrongs would be subject to the same kinds of hand-wringing the NBA endures.

Portland small forward Travis Outlaw has been one of the NBA's success stories. He arrived in the NBA straight from high school in small-town Mississippi, and at first appeared wholly unprepared. He had essentially dunked his way to great numbers in high-school, and he could still jump in the NBA. But his jumper was a little scary, his defense was nothing special and coaches had a hard time finding a use for him.

But he worked.

And he did something that you seldom see. He entered the NBA with a noted weakness -- shooting -- and has since turned it into his calling card.

The athletic things Outlaw can do -- finishing on the break, catching alley-oops, getting the occasional spectacular block -- now take a backseat to his ability to get off a high quality shot just about whenever he wants. He can catch and shoot from downtown, or drive and show off the high point of release in his mid-range game.

Travis Outlaw is noted for the high point of release on his jumper. "I feel," he says, "like I can get my shot off at any time." (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

That last quality has made him Portland's Option 1b (behind Brandon Roy) as a crunch-time shooter.

He is also noted as a lynchpin of the Portland lockerroom -- when things were frosty between Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, it was the smily Outlaw who bridged the gap.

The main criticism of Outlaw is that he is not noted for his defense, and he has been accused of being in the wrong place at the wrong time -- which he acknowledges happens from time to time, but he says, not more than it happens to anyone else.

Today, with the news that Hedo Turkoglu is on his way to being a Blazer, Outlaw is the man in the spotlight. It's hard to imagine that all of Portland's small forwards -- Hedo Turkoglu, Nicolas Batum, Outlaw, Martell Webster -- will see significant playing time.

Many speculate that the Blazers will be making another move -- one that could involve Outlaw, who is young, skilled and affordable enough to be desirable on the trade market.

So, how does he feel about the Turkoglu news? Did it turn his stomach?

"When I first heard about it," he admits, "maybe a little bit. But now it's, aww, things happen for a reason. That's the way I look at it. ... That's just the NBA for you."

Outlaw is candid about the fact that he dreams of being an NBA starter, and one of the big name players fans talk about. He says it really doesn't matter to him which team that happens on.  "I definitely want to play more," he says. "I definitely want to get to a place in my career where I'm a starter. I also do want to win. But I could play anywhere in any system, as long as they have a winning mentality."

Does he care at all where that is? "No," he says. "Not really."

Which is not to say he's unhappy with his Portland teammates. Many teams struggle socially with the reality that some players make much more than others. Nearly all of Portland's key players have had huge contracts. I wondered if a big contract like Turkoglu's might upset the balance or create factions. Outlaw couldn't see it. "There's a bunch of great guys in the lockerroom," he says, "and everyone always wants what's best for each other."

Of Turkoglu, he adds: "He's a great player. They had a great year. If he's willing to come over and help us out, fine."

What does this mean for Outlaw, and his role on the team? Has he heard from them? "No," he says. Does he have any idea what their plans are for him? "No idea."

That would seem to put Travis in a stressful place. But Outlaw doesn't seem to feel all that much pressure. He's spending the summer working out ("swimming and shooting, mostly") and spending time in his hometown.

With the ball in crunch time, he looks just as calm and confident as at any other time in the game. ("I've never been afraid to shoot," he says. "When I'm shooting, I just don't want to rush it. I just want to shoot it soft.")

He doesn't seem to be under too much stress now. He has funny stories about what he's up to, including convincing his marketing manager Ty Davis that they needed plane tickets to Orlando, because he had been traded there with Steve Blake for Hedo Turkoglu. "I had him going," says Outlaw, "for about ten minutes. He didn't know Hedo Turkoglu was a free agent."

Outlaw has another story, about having a swimming pool put into his backyard. The workers have a backhoe parked there. Outlaw, Davis, and Danny Ainge's nephew Erik (of the New York Jets) were hanging around and decided to try driving it.

"We were just trying to crank it up," says Outlaw. "We cranked it up. And all of a sudden I got really nervous. What if I run it towards my house, and then I can't stop it? I left it alone."

Since the news broke, lots of people asked me for some quick analysis of the trade. I could write a whole big thing about it, but John Hollinger (Insider) did the work. The gist of his argument:

Portland's approach makes sense even if the dollars seem excessive at first glance. Yes, they're overpaying Hedo Turkoglu, and given his age it's possible they'll end up eating the last two years of the contract. But the way cap space works is that a team might get only one shot at using it, and must take advantage by making the best, strongest move it can for the best fit available.

Turkoglu for $50 million is an imperfect solution, certainly, but it's a far better one than squandering the space by waiting, or by paying similar money to jam a square peg into a round hole. And as Turkoglu's soon-to-be-former teammates in Orlando showed last month, even in the current economic situation overpaying for a part that fits can work out awfully well.

Also, not too long ago David Thorpe talked about how Hedo Turkoglu could fit in Portland.

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

With Ben Gordon departing Chicago for Detroit, the Bulls woke up to find a gaping hole in their backcourt alongside their reigning Rookie of the Year point guard, Derrick Rose. Not only has Rose lost his most prolific scorer, but the Bulls' second-year guard will be directly responsible for picking up much of that lost production.

Gordon was a flawed shooting guard for the Bulls, and there were moments in Chicago when his bad habits overshadowed his offensive gifts. Whichever side you take in the Gordon debate, his absence from the Bulls' lineup next season will have a tremendous effect on Rose. For better and worse, Gordon was Rose's primary option last season. 

Is Derrick Rose relieved that his ballchucker-in-arms is packing his bags for Auburn Hills, or will he miss that security blanket? The answer, if you had to guess, is probably a little bit of both. The more important question lies in whether Rose has the readiness to become a 25 and 10 force. The Bulls have an anemic post presence, and their wings -- from Salmons and Hinrich, to the recovering Luol Deng -- all bring big question marks into the season.

Rose will have to be the man in Chicago if the Bulls want to sustain the momentum they built in their classic first round playoff series with Boston last spring. The Bulls don't need a point guard who will facilitate their offense. They need an alpha dog who will commandeer the team. In Gordon's absence, can Rose be that guy? Can he will the Bulls to victories the way Chris Paul put his imprint on the Hornets? 

Although it's still uncertain how the Bulls plan to fill the vacuum at the two-guard, let's look at how Rose was able to use Gordon to better himself and his team, and how that might affect Rose's ability to become the focal point of the offense:

• Ben Gordon: More efficient than you think, given the volume of shots he launched on a nightly basis. As a 41% shooter from beyond the arc in 2008-09, Gordon was a classic floor-spacer for the Bulls. Since smart opponents were loath to leave Gordon on the perimeter to help, this allowed the rookie to attack the defense, which is the most potent feature of Rose's game. With a less lethal shooting guard on the weak side, Rose might find defensive help and double-teams heading his way early and often next season.
   
• Rose is a natural penetrator. His drives-and-kick often resulted in a pass-out to Gordon once the defense collapsed, particularly in end-of-shot-clock situations. The luxury of having Gordon on the perimeter -- ready and eager to shoot -- took a lot of pressure of Rose, who didn't have to be the guy in every series. On a team with very little help up front offensively, Gordon was indispensable. 

Those are specific contexts where Rose will miss Gordon, and where the Bulls' young point guard might find himself more constricted in the offense. That said, Gordon posed some problems for Rose as his counterpart in the backcourt:

• Although Gordon was a dynamic one-on-one player for the Bulls, he rarely created opportunities for anyone else on the court. That left virtually all of the playmaking duties to Rose. If ever there's a young point guard who could handle that burden, it's Rose, but Gordon's tunnel vision made life more difficult than it needed to be for the rookie. Rose has the potential to be a very good off-the-ball player. Unfortunately, Gordon's tendencies didn't allow those skills to flourish for Rose. A shooting guard with a greater capacity to facilitate will help Rose develop that part of his game.
  
  
• Gordon, to put it kindly, was a below-average defender at the two for Chicago. And Rose, though his defense will almost certain improve with age, was no great shakes on the other side of the ball either. Some of Gordon's deficiencies can be chalked up to inattentiveness, but he's also quite small for a shooting guard. Either way, Vinny Del Negro didn't have the comfort to cross-match his smalls, which meant that Rose spent almost all of his time guarding the ball. A more capable defender at the two would afford Rose a breather on defense.

With little room to maneuver financially, it's increasingly likely that the Bulls will begin the season with a three-guard rotation composed of Rose, John Salmons, and Kirk Hinrich. As backcourt platoons go, it's not a bad group, though neither Salmons nor Hinrich has the firepower to compensate for the loss of Gordon. But here's what they can offer Rose:

• Salmons is more of a natural small forward, but could very well land as the Bulls' opening night starter at the shooting guard. He's not the one-on-one player Gordon was by any stretch, but he shot a respectable 41.7% from 3-point range last season (better than Gordon), and is a far superior defender on the wing. The downside for Rose will be that, regardless of what the number say, defenses will be far more likely to move off Salmons to collapse on Rose.
  
  
• Back in January, TrueHoop examined how Rose and Hinrich play together as a backcourt tandem. There's real value in having two guards on opposite sides of the court who can both handle the ball and initiate the action. In addition, Hinrich is a pesky defender who can spell Rose defensively at the one. It won't always be a viable option -- don't expect Rose to draw Dwyane Wade or Vince Carter -- but Hinrich gives Del Negro a lot more defensive flexibility. On the downside, Hinrich is a below-average offensive player who, at times, has trouble breaking down a defense, and gets to the line about once every election cycle. While his presence allows Rose to work off-the-ball, that doesn't mean Hinrich can always capitalize on that scheme.
  

Rose's rookie campaign showed a lot of promise, but also demonstrated that he has a way to go. Statistically, there are some encouraging signs (a field goal percentage of 47.5 percent, and a low turnover rate for a rookie point guard), as well as some red flags (only 3.1 free throw attempts in 37 minutes per game, and no 3-point range to speak of). In contrast, Paul got to the line twice as much as a rookie and was a more aggressive rebounder and far better defender.  

Rose stands to improve his numbers -- that's usually what happens with a talent as impressive as Rose. But here's the rub heading into his second year: It's going to be much more challenging without Gordon. With no knockdown perimeter threat beside him and nobody else on his squad who demands a double-team, Rose's path to the rim will be clogged with more traffic. Given the composition of his team, Rose might not improve much upon his 57.7 field goal percentage in the immediate basket area. He's also more likely to be bothered in the backcourt more persistently by opposing guards, and trapped uniformally on the pick-and-roll. 

Rose is a transcendent talent with incredible court vision and sharp instincts. He can improvise with precision -- a rare gift. But even a magician needs props, and Rose lost his best aide in Gordon. It's possible Rose could endure a very rough sophomore campaign with the Bulls. If he does, it might say a lot more about his team's roster than it does any lack of resolve on Rose's part.  

Tyler Cowen, noted economist who runs the blog Marginal Revolution, has a brief post about the NBA.

A few key points:

• As so many players have guaranteed contracts, at a moment when the league presumably needs to reduce salaries, all the reductions have to come at the expense of those who are free agents. (One addendum, though, that's worth noting. Rookie contracts are actually negotiable. In the past, nearly every first-round pick has gotten the maximum allowable under the rookie scale. This year could mark the end of that.)
• Cowen notes a lot of the good free agents, like Ben Gordon or Ron Artest, have questionable elements of their reputations (I assume with Gordon he's talking about being a ball-stopper): "This favors teams with dominant players (Cleveland), strong systems (Boston), and strong coaches. All those teams can swallow the troublemakers without cracking up. It also favors teams which suffer from well-defined 'missing pieces.' It favors already-good teams and indeed we see that Cleveland, Orlando, San Antonio, and L.A. have been major players in the free agent or trade markets."

For this reason, Cowen predicts that next year, there will be more disparity in NBA win totals. The good teams will win more, and the bad teams will lose more, than last season.

Of course, he'll almost certainly be right, but another reason for the same result would be the fact that so many teams are hoarding cap space for next year's free agent class.

(Thanks Francisco.)

UPDATE: Some background on my note above about rookie contracts. The Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for first-round picks to make a particular amount, right down to the dollar, based on where they're drafted. But the thing is, players and teams can negotiate 20% up or down from that number. Rookie contracts are cheap enough that in the vast majority of cases the player automatically gets the maximum, or 120% of their rookie scale number.

I wouldn't assume that'll be the truth this year -- with a money pinch, teams might require players to achieve certain incentives before getting their full money. Or they might just pay them less.

If players don't like what they're being offered, they have various options, including lobbying for a trade, playing overseas or sitting out professional basketball and re-entering the draft the following year. If they don't play in the NBA, the NBA team can hold their rights so long as they have actually offered a contract that meets certain guidelines. If the team walks away from the table (doesn't offer a contract, withdraws a contract offer or renounces the drafted player) then the rookie can become a free agent. 

Smart basketball people may quibble. Ron Artest's shot selection may cause trouble. And Trevor Ariza will absolutely be missed, and may well blossom in Houston.

John Hollinger has a very balanced view, saying it's essentially a net positive for the Lakers.

But my gut reaction to the news that Artest is the newest Laker is: I can hardly imagine a better player for the Lakers to add, nor a better team for Artest to join.

There's a 20% chance the whole thing combusts in dreadful fashion. 80% likely, in my view, is that the NBA has the makings of its next dynasty.

Ron Artest has ignored calls to tone down his shot selection. But he wouldn't really ignore #24 would he? (Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

First, the questions and doubts. David Thorpe loves the move, because it kept the Lakers from being held to the fire by agents for Ariza and Lamar Odom. He is less optimistic than me, however, about what will happen on the court, and points out:

• "I don't think the Lakers are suddenly better, even assuming Lamar Odom is back. What is chemistry worth? Five points? Ten points? I argue it's a difference maker. If you win by eight, maybe chemistry was worth nine. I'm not saying Ron will be a jerk, I don't think he will be. But I do know that for this team to succeed he'll have to play a role, and I don't know how he'll be at that."
• "Trevor Ariza has much better shot selection than Artest, and the ball tends to stop with Ron. Now, the Lakers have Phil Jackson, but a coach only has so much energy. Think of it like a bottle of water. When it's empty, it's freaking empty. If Phil Jackson has to spend a lot of his energy stopping Ron from taking stupid shots, that means he's not putting energy and focus into other things that make the Lakers better."
• "We don't know if Trevor Ariza just made some shots last season, or has actually improved as a shooter. But if he is now a much improved shooter, he has superstar potential."
• "The Lakers didn't run much triangle last year, and I assume they'll run even less now. Ron Artest is a very instinctive player, and the triangle is not a very instinctive system."
  

Now I'm going to tell you why I think it's brilliant:

• Now, basically every key Laker but Derek Fisher is big, strong and effective in the post. That might not seem like a big deal, but it's really throwing down the gauntlet to opponents. The NBA has a lot of players who really don't want to be isolated on defense in the post (choosing from likely playoff opponents, think about the likes of Carmelo Anthony, say, or Rudy Fernandez -- also consider the Rockets played Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry together). But it will always be a threat, and the hard-cutting Lakers work well as a team to make opponents pay for doubling the post.
• Keeping Kobe Bryant in peak form is the most important thing for the Lakers. Artest can guard anyone Bryant can guard, meaning the Lakers will have constant opportunities to protect Bryant from wear and tear.
• As Hollinger points out, the Lakers have some opponents of note (Anthony and Brandon Roy come to mind) against whom Artest is a very effective defender. He can also spend some time trying to harness some of the point guards who give Derek Fisher trouble.
• Plenty of NBA players seem to follow a trend of being young and crazy when they're new to the league -- just the money itself is thrill enough. Some never leave that mode. But more than a few times, we have seen players age into really caring about winning. No one wants to be remembered as a loser. Ron Artest has not won a ring. Now is his time to prove he can. No, he won't be in a contract year, but he'll have plenty to prove.
• Thorpe makes a great point about Phil Jackson having to expend a lot of energy. But watching "Kobe Doin' Work" convinced me (even if that wasn't a typical game, with the cameras and all) that Kobe Bryant has ascended to some other level of team control. If Artest is jacking shots, isn't he going to hear about it from Bryant first? And isn't Bryant the kind of guy who would have credibility with Artest?
• Ron Artest was at his worst two years ago in Sacramento. He was not, as Larry Brown would say, playing the right way. He broke plays to go one-on-one. He appeared to be using his full complement of defensive skills on only a fraction of plays. He felt bad for missing jumpers (something he has never been amazing at) and then grew determined to get the points back for his team by ... forcing more jumpers. But despite all that, even with the Kings he was one of the best and most productive players on the roster -- as he has been throughout his career. The lesson, to me, is that Artest has something in common with LeBron James besides build. James is way better, of course, but both have strengths that overwhelm notable flaws. (I think of them as the "You get what you get, and you don't get upset" players.) The conditions could not be more favorable now. A championship on the line, a team with powerful leaders and a legacy to be built. Purple and gold, I suspect, is going to look very good on Ron Artest.

• Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle: "Trevor Ariza makes the Rockets younger, faster and better. He fits with the way Rick Adelman wants to play. Sometime next season, we're going to see Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks and Ariza leading a fast break that will take your breath away. Finally, we're going to have an Adelman team that plays like an Adelman team. I'm so giddy about Ariza that I'm willing to forgive and forget with T-Mac. OK, so we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's take a deep breath and go one step at a time. Ariza is a first-rate defensive player, threw in almost 50 percent of his 3-pointers in the playoffs, and is still only 24. Yes, there's still that hole at center. Give Daryl Morey a couple more days to take care of that issue. Maybe you've heard Ariza wasn't Morey's first choice. You would be right about that. In fact, I'm guessing Morey took a flyer on Ariza, never figuring he had a chance to land him. Ariza told the Lakers and other teams it wasn't going to be about the money, but that's what people say. He apparently meant it, however; one source esti-mates he left $9 million on the table to join the Rockets."
• Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: "Less than three weeks after the parade, the NBA champion Lakers have already met the biggest threat to their throne. Themselves. What are they thinking? What are they doing? They just won a title that would not have been possible without the strong defense and stunning shooting of a 24-year-old kid with a limitless ceiling. Yet they send the kid packing for an aging nut whose greatest hits have occurred on the heads of fans. They just won a title with a locker room bathed in the soothing light of unselfishness, teamwork and a quiet temerity. Yet they cut the power and added the darkest of moods, a guy who has made a career out of hoarding the ball, the attention, and the anger. Tell me again, why did they get rid of Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest?"
• Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News: "All over Ohio, basketball fans are no doubt wracking their fertile minds, trying to come up with a new nickname for Shaquille O'Neal. Let me save everybody all the mental gymnastics. Just call the new Cav, the 'Big Delusional.' Arriving with the motto, "Win a Ring for the King,'' Shaq wasn't in Cleveland five minutes when he dropped the E-bomb on Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. It's always been about the dough for O'Neal and he didn't hide his desire to get two more years after this one. That would take him through his 40th birthday. 'I've been in it for 17 years but I've missed three years because of injury,' he said of his storied NBA career. 'If you do the math, I've still got three years left. You got that?' Hey Big Guy, how about winning some games first? Go help Cleveland win its first title in any sport since 1964 before you look to add to your bank account. Go do what you did for Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade before you start asking for another $70 million extension. Somewhere, Laker owner Jerry Buss must have shook his head and said, 'He hasn't changed a bit.' But this is what you sign on for when you take on Shaq."
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "To a degree, an Allen Iverson-Heat marriage makes sense. For years, Pat Riley has run a last-chance saloon. But it's not going to happen the first week of free-agent negotiations. It's not going to happen at the July 8 start of the free-agent signing period. And it's not going to happen until after the July 12 window opens for Dwyane Wade to be eligible to sign an extension. Iverson makes sense because Iverson may not have many other options. But until the Knicks spend their mid-level exception, until Larry Brown gets an official rejection from Bobcats management, and until the remaining precious little cap space around the league is spent, Iverson doesn't have to move to Plan B. With the Heat already into the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, anything paid to Iverson will be doubled on the books next season. So even with a $2 million contract, is he worth $4 million at this stage?"
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal: "This team is bringing in Randolph, sports fans. Three-year, schmee year. It's not like the Grizzlies could care much about image, either. The team of Shane Battier has morphed into the team of Z-Bo. So why should anyone be surprised that Allen Iverson contacted the Grizzlies about playing here next season? What other team was he going to call? The Detroit Pistons asked Iverson to stop showing up at the end of last year. The guy is not exactly in demand. He probably had some low moments, too. Wondering how he'd ever get another job. You can just imagine how it sounded on Iverson's end when his agent finally called with the breaking news. 'Yo, this is AI. Have I heard what? That some team is trading for Zach? What team would do that? The Grizzlies? Dang. Get them on the phone!' It makes sense, really, in the exact same way that trading for Randolph makes sense. Randolph puts up numbers; Iverson puts up bigger numbers. Randolph is a name; Iverson is an even bigger name."
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: "His leg was bad, his finger was bad, his game was bad and his team was bad as the 2008-09 NBA season got away from the Raptors, the 27-year-old point guard a lightning rod for criticism. But he knew what they were saying and he concurred; he also knows it was an aberration, and as the days pass in Spain, the No. 1 task at hand is restoring some life to those legs, some explosiveness to the body, some peace to his mind. That is the single-minded goal of Jose Calderon this summer: Become the Calderon of old. He may not be one to play the 'everyone's-against-me-I'll-prove-them-wrong' card; he is simply supremely confident that given good health after a summer of work, that people will go back to lauding him as they were the season before last. 'It was not me, I knew it, I was like 50 per cent,' Calderon said in a telephone conversation from Spain yesterday. 'My numbers were good but I was not playing. And I knew it.' This summer has been dedicated to getting the hamstring that bothered him for half a season in perfect condition, to let the surgically repaired finger on his left (non-shooting) hand heal, to be sure when he comes back to North America in September, he's 100 per cent."
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: "Gerald Green spent last season in Dallas after signing a one-year contract. He played in 38 games and averaged 5.2 points in 9.9 minutes. Now, he's looking for his next chance. But Green knows his reputation for having great character is superseded in coaching and GM circles by the tag of him not being a hard worker. It's a label Green desperately wants to shed -- so much so that he's taken up boxing this summer as a form of conditioning to supplement the time he spends in the weight room and on the practice court. 'I always hear about how I'm a bust or I'm this or I'm that,' Green said. 'I just want to prove everybody wrong. I've just really been trying to control my own part by being in the gym and becoming a better player. The more work you put in the better you get because of it.' And Green insists he's learned much throughout his NBA odyssey, taking something from players and coaches each step of the way."
• Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune: "One thing I thought I'd never see out of the Jazz is this: They could wind up with the highest -- or near the highest -- payroll in the NBA. Even though the Jazz in the past shouldn't be characterized as cheap, if you had asked me a decade ago which would come to them first, a championship or the league's biggest or near-biggest payroll, I would have, without hesitation, taken the title. Well. They are closer to the big-money trophy. The Jazz rank fourth on the NBA's payroll list, behind the Hornets, Lakers and Wizards. There is some inexactness, of course, because some individual salaries are estimates, and totals are fluid. Still the Jazz rolled in at over $73 million. And one of the most notable things about that number is it does not include a full roster of players. Most significantly, it doesn't include whatever it will take to re-sign Paul Millsap. Add that in, and the Jazz could find themselves at the head of the big-spenders club, or near it, if the Lakers, as expected, roll out some major bones to re-sign all their guys."
• Pete Kerasotis of Florida Today: "You know this remarkable playoff run we just enjoyed from the Magic? The one that took us all the way the NBA Finals? Oklahoma City could've been enjoying it. Or Kansas City? Or Las Vegas? Or Anaheim? Or ... well, you get the idea. Had the city of Orlando not approved this new arena, then there would've been no Magic, nor the magic the team just produced this postseason. The franchise would've been long gone, and with it any of the excitement we just enjoyed. As for Orlando, it would've gone back to being a low-grade minor league city, going after alphabet soup football leagues and -- dare we say it? -- Mickey Mouse sporting ventures. You see, if this new arena, just a mile from Amway Arena, wasn't going up today, the Magic would've been gone many yesterdays ago. Without a new arena, the Magic in Orlando would've been old news. 'If this arena wasn't approved,' said Alex Martins, the franchise's chief operating officer, 'I don't believe ownership would've moved the team, but they likely would've sold the team.' Likely? Uh, more like definitely."

In all sports. Think about it.

It's not just salary, but also winnings in sports that have that, and income.

Golfers make a lot. The very best in every major sport make a lot. Race car drivers, baseball players, football players ... Out of those thousands of professional athletes, anyone would be lucky to make the top 200.

22 is high. Higher, for instance, than Tom "I'm super famous" Brady.

Answer after the jum...

(Read full post)

• Trevor Ariza's agent is making noises about leaving the Lakers, but he has made noises before. The Cavaliers are said to be suitors -- and I'm of the opinion the Cavaliers need to add an active-bodied perimeter player like Ariza.
• Allen Iverson, on Twitter, saying cryptic things about wanting to play for a coach who knows he'll bring it every night.
• Steve Blake can hit the open jumper, and lead your children through the harsh wilderness to safety. (Via John Canzano)
• Jerry Sloan and the Jazz were surprised to learn that the father of their prized new rookie, Eric Maynor, was once cut by Jerry Sloan.
• Down at the bottom of this post you'll see speculation about Joakim Noah's playing on the French national team.
• How the Jazz became a luxury tax paying team. Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune says that's bad: "When the Jazz push their payroll past $70 million -- and maybe even $80 million -- it becomes much more difficult for Greg Miller to someday sit at a league meeting and advocate for more protections for small-market teams. Why would the owner of a big-market team make concessions in terms of revenue sharing and luxury tax when his team is being outspent by the Jazz in the first place?"
• Rob Kurz is on the loose. Just be warned.
• Hope in Clipperland, a rarity.
• Candidate for Minnesota's head-coaching job: Portland assistant Monty Williams.
• Josh Childress is visiting the Bucks today. Remember, though, he has a very nice contract waiting for him back in Greece, and this is the year of the opt-in. Who would turn down a contract based on sunny 2008 projections for a contract based on dour 2009 projections?
• Very interesting little legal debate surrounding Michael Jordan, Nike, and Michael Jordan gear with Hall-of-Fame logos.
• Ben Gordon on leaving the Bulls.
• You know how Twitter can seem kind of big-time and futuristic? Other times it can seem much more down home and pedestrian, even. For instance, from the Bucks' official Twitter feed: "Luc Mbah a Moute will B @ Pick 'N Save in Burlington from 5:30-7pm 2nite! Its the Pick 'N Save nxt 2 Kohl's on 1008 Milwaukee St. C U 2nite!" Everybody got that? Luc Mbah a Moute, in the canned goods aisle.
• Does Rasheed Wallace have the right temperament for the San Antonio Spurs? If I were to hesitate, his technicals wouldn't be the main reason. It would be because he has often shown a poor ability to handle big pressure games, with blown defensive assignments, disappearing acts on offense, and meltdowns. If things go well for the Spurs, they'll be in a lot of big games.
• Getting harder to stick up for the Grizzlies, as they acquire Zach Randolph. I don't know how the decisions get made in Memphis, but I feel bad for Chris Wallace. He has to go out there and defend all these moves, but you know owner Michael Heisley must be playing a part.
• The internet, where mistakes are well-documented, and sloppy work can haunt you.
• Some insight into the Rockets' love of Marcin Gortat. Is he worth the full mid-level exception. Normally, a mobile, strong and tough big man who keeps improving would be worth more, but I suspect he'll get less.

You can listen to his Cleveland press conference right now.

He says "my sons actually love LeBron more than they love me."

He says he'll be in great shape. "I'll be ready. There's nothing to talk about."

Dwight Howard might notice the wording in this quote: "Orlando has got a pretty good big man, and four shooters."

Remember when the Pistons were the toast of the town? In 2003-2004, they added Larry Brown and Rasheed Wallace and won the title. But the seeds of that team were really planted when the Pistons acquired some players with shaky reputations around the league.

By signing Ben Gordon to big dollars, Joe Dumars has run the same play again. 

But there's a difference this time around. 

In 2000, the team got Ben Wallace as a throw-in, after Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Magic, and the Pistons participated in one of those lopsided "you got us" trades instead of losing the player for nothing.

The summer of 2002  is when GM Joe Dumars really earned his money. That's when he drafted Tayshaun Prince 23rd overall, and acquired Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups -- neither of whom was seen, then, as likely to contribute to a title team.

Of course, the pieces fit together tremendously well.

Later, working on a story for a magazine, I asked Dumars why he had decided those were the two guards who would make the most sense for his team.

Dumars' answer was very clear, and represented a real philosophy: Those were two guards who could help the team without needing possession of the ball.

The Pistons were going to be a team of ball movement and they were not ball-stoppers.

Hamilton could run around a thousand screens and force the defense to chase, hedge, and help all over the place. Such movement has the potential to get easy buckets for any and all Pistons, from the guy setting the pick to the guy spotting up behind the 3-point line.

Billups, meanwhile, is a good enough shooter to keep a defender near. The team could run its offense with Billups at the top of the circle. Now and again the ball would be kicked out to him, and he had the skill and mentality to drain the shot if he was open, or swing the ball to the opposite side if he wasn't. 

It worked.

Ben Gordon represents a different approach.

I have never seen good statistics determining which players are the most opposite of what Dumars described. As in, players who can't do jack for you unless they have the ball.

But by reputation, Ben Gordon would be on that list.

So, does this mean Joe Dumars has changed his tune? That he is desperate?

Maybe none of the above. Perhaps it just means that the Pistons have a different roster now, with different needs.

And more likely, it could be a story about hand-checking. The rule changed in 2001, but the following strategic shift is still unfolding. The ball-stopper, time-consuming thing Gordon does  -- creating scoring opportunities for himself off the dribble -- may well be more valuable than it was. That's because such play now comes with frequent trips to the free throw line, which is the home of the easiest and most efficient points in the NBA. 

(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) 

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the eye of the storm these days, after hiring a new General Manager, firing a coach, trading away some veterans and pulling off one of the most fascinating draft days in a long time.

The TrueHoop Network is pleased to have a good new blog to help you follow all the ins and outs.

Welcome Howlin T-Wolf, founded by Patrick Hodgdon. He's a 23-year-old who has been riding the emotional roller-coaster of following the Timberwolves more or less since the team's founding,  while Hodgdon was in pre-school. He says his man-crush for K.G. carried him through the dark years, but it's optimism for a new direction under David Kahn that inspired him to start a blog.

• Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: "Parting can be sweet sorrow. Or in the case of Ben Gordon, who verbally agreed to join the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, he feels sorry for some of those he's leaving behind in Chicago. 'To the fans, I generally had a great time being here,' Gordon said in a phone interview. 'For my true fans, I feel bad for them. The longtime fans of the Chicago Bulls - I just felt like they're being cheated. Not with me, but just things that happened in the past. I feel like the fans deserve a lot better.' Gordon didn't give any specific examples. Like most professional sports teams, the Bulls have made some moves that worked well and others that didn't."
• Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press: "No other general manager in the NBA has done it. And here is Joe Dumars, trying to do it twice. Dumars built the 2004 NBA champion Pistons without one sure Hall of Famer on the roster. How difficult is that? Those Pistons are the only team in the last 30 years to pull it off. Obviously, Dumars would love to have a Hall of Famer on his team. But they are hard to land. So instead, he is doing what he has done exceptionally well in the past: finding high-caliber, high-character, unappreciated talent that fits into a system, and -- this is crucial -- signing reasonable contracts to maintain flexibility. So Ben Gordon, the Chicago Bulls' best player, has agreed to become a Piston. Charlie Villanueva, a rising talent, has done so as well. Their arrivals put the Pistons back in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, and they allow Dumars to keep maneuvering until he has all the right pieces. Remember, he didn't add the final starter on the 2004 champs, Rasheed Wallace, until February of that season. "
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal: "We should have known better. Heisley did what he always does. He went for the cheaper solution. He shopped from the discount bin. Never mind that Randolph doesn't fit into Heisley's three-year plan because -- I hate to be picky -- his contract is up in two years. Never mind that Randolph will have a hard time keeping up with a team that has said it wants to run. If the Grizzlies had signed David Lee as a free agent, they'd have been on the hook for four or five years. With Randolph, it's just two. And the first year won't cost the Grizzlies much because they don't have to pay Richardson's salary. So that gets it down to one year of meaningful spending. That's better than four or five years, right? And it's that math -- the fundamental calculation that is driving the Randolph acquisition -- that makes it difficult to celebrate today. Why does it always have to be about money with this franchise? Why not, just once, go get the guy who fits best? There is nothing that makes Randolph a better fit for the Grizzlies than Lee. But Lee would have been more expensive, so Randolph it is."
• Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle: "Marcin Gortat, who has never made huge money and wasn't part of a college recruiting process, seemed touched when Morey showed him how hundreds of messages were pouring in. By mid-afternoon Wednesday, Gortat had received more than 2,000 messages telling him how he'd love being a Rocket. There's also a tough-love side to this story. Gortat's agent mentioned wanting a full mid-level exception. That amounts to around $30 million over five years. The Rockets aren't offering nearly that much and apparently aren't prepared to go higher. They've assigned a value to Gortat, and if, say, the Mavericks are offering more, the Rockets are prepared to lose him. While Morey wants a competitive team next season, he seems unwilling to take his eye off the big picture. Unless the Rockets can acquire a superstar this summer, they want to retain their payroll flexibility for next summer, when there'll be a bumper crop of free agents available. That flexibility is Tracy McGrady's best chance of playing another season for the Rockets. As much as the Rockets would like to show him the door, they're not going to trade him unless they get an impact player for the long haul in return. At the moment, no available player fits that description."
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "While there might never be another season like 2008-09 from a statistical standpoint for Wade, it is safe to say Dwyane is capable of about five or six seasons of such personal productivity. Is he willing to surrender one while waiting to see if there is a better 2010 situation during free agency? That, if I was Pat Riley, is what I would hammer home. Make it all about now. Now. Now. The one thing about Riley is that when given the go-ahead, things happen. Shaq extended, suddenly James Posey, Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and a championship appeared. Yes, Dwyane has every right to watch and wait, just as LeBron and Bosh are prepared to do. But he's never going to get 2009-10 back. And without a tangible Heat upgrade, he could be looking at a fourth consecutive season without advancing beyond the first round of the playoffs."
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "The hill in the Eastern Conference continues to get steeper for the Pacers. Washington, Atlanta and Detroit have already made significant moves to improve their roster. You're not about to see president Larry Bird and general manager David Morway suddenly start hammering away on the panic button. The Pacers say be patient, they have a three-year plan. You're probably thinking that's easier said than done, especially since you haven't seen the Pacers in the playoffs since 2006. The Pacers are optimistic they'll be able to sign some good players this summer. They just plan on doing it with a 'Dollar General' shopping mentality. Don't expect the Pacers, who have about $8 million to spend, to overpay a player. They want to add players at bargain prices."
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: "Leon Powe, recovering from his third knee surgery, did not receive a qualifying offer from the Celtics by the Tuesday night deadline. As a result, Powe became an unrestricted free agent. Five teams reportedly called with interest in the power forward after midnight, including Miami, Memphis and Orlando. 'Of course I was disappointed, because I want to come back,' he said yesterday. 'I love the fans. It was just a wonderful place to play.' Powe walked away from his conversation believing his time as a Celtic was finished. Asked whether he got the sense the Celtics might be interested in re-signing him later this summer, Powe said, 'I wasn't feeling a vibe like that. I knew they wouldn't (extend a qualifying offer), so I just have to move on. They told me, 'Good luck with another team.' Doc told me that he wanted me there, and he would do whatever he could to make sure I came back, but Danny came to me yesterday saying that they only have a two-year window, and I would be taking up a roster spot for someone else.' "
• Al Iannazzone of The Record: "Yi Jianlian left China more than a month ago and has been on U.S. soil working on his body and his game. The Nets hope it translates onto the basketball court in the fall. Some in the organization are banking on the athletic 7-foot forward producing consistently and picking up some of the scoring slack left by the trade of Vince Carter to Orlando. Yi has had fewer commitments to his national team this off-season and has been able to work on areas of his game that needed improvement. He's up about five pounds, has worked on becoming more effective inside, and looks forward to his third NBA season. 'For me, every year is important,' Yi said Wednesday at the Nets' training facility. 'I have to play better than I did in the second half last year, so this year I get some time in the summer to do some stuff. I think I can improve in the post and be ready next season. If Vince is here or Vince is not here, as an individual I have to improve and play better.' "