Saturday is Halloween, but don't expect many NBA owners and general managers in this shaky economy to dress up as Bill Gates and throw money around.
Oct. 31 is the annual deadline for one-time first-round picks entering their fourth seasons to be eligible to sign extensions that would kick in for their fifth seasons. For stars, it's a chance to land their first really big contract.
But much is silent as the deadline approaches, meaning the overwhelming number of eligible players from the 2006 first round will become restricted free agents next summer. Three players from that draft -- Andrea Bargnani of Toronto and LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy of Portland -- have inked extensions, but not a lot more activity is expected.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Adam Morrison of the Los Angeles Lakers is an outstanding shooter, but due to a knee injury and a stacked roster, he saw limited action after being acquired at the trade deadline. But during summer league in Las Vegas earlier this month, Morrison was balling, big time -- he averaged 20.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in 32.8 minutes a game. We talked to him one-on-one about the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Shannon Brown and more.
LAS VEGAS -- For anyone out there who thinks summer league is nothing but a well-attended pick-up game, Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan has some news for you: The competition is better than Division I hoops and better than he faced at USC. "You're playing against professional athletes," DeRozan said. "Guys are 24, 25 years old and some have been in the league. It's a much, much better game." ...
LAS VEGAS -- The last time we saw Adam Morrison, he donned civilian clothes celebrating the Lakers' NBA Finals victory over the Orlando Magic. It was an awkward scene because Morrison had little to do with the title. Moreover, the player who accompanied him to Los Angeles from Charlotte, Shannon Brown, played a significant reserve role while the former No. 3 pick filled the final seat on the bench, left off the playoff roster.
With one year left on his rookie deal, Morrison is trying to use 2009-10 to prove he is a capable NBA player, a major question the past few years. He averaged a promising 11.8 points per game as a rookie in 2006-07 but tore his left ACL and missed the entire next season. With new coach Larry Brown, an ailing knee and a reputation for disregarding defense, the Bobcats shipped Morrison to the Lakers for Vladimir Radmanovic last February.
So, you may or may not have seen the feature we did for the NFL Draft in which we took every single team and decided who the worst draft pick in the history of that franchise was. And it was so awesome and fun to do (and totally not time consuming at all) that I decided to roll it out for the NBA as well.
So, for every NBA team, we give you a horrible draft pick -- either a straight bust, or player picked ahead of another player who was far better, etc. -- and then a snarky reason as to why said pick was the worst in franchise history. Your suggestions in the comments, please. And happy draft day!
It's hard to blame the Toronto Raptors for taking a 7-footer with 3-point range and the ability to play three positions. That's what Andrea Bargnani presented as the No. 1 pick. There was no clear-cut top choice. The 2006 NBA Draft was filled with unproven early entries, a couple of seasoned seniors and raw big men looking for a big payday.
So the Raptors took the player they thought had the best upside. Hey, the NBA Draft is about development these days, right? Nobody in this supposed weak draft was supposed to be an All-Star anyway, right? No one told that to Brandon Roy, who was passed up by five teams and traded by another. Finally, the Portland Trail Blazers, still ringing from a reputation of bad guys, car racers and dog fighters, had a franchise player in their hands, and he was from nearby Seattle.
It only took nearly three full years, but the NBA has found a use for former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison: foil for Sasha Vujacic's practice court vaudeville show.
Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports that Morrison and Vujacic had a scuffle in practice Friday as the Lakers prepared for Game 4 against the Jazz. But all that resulted from the battle was entertainment for coach Phil Jackson.
This week, FanHouse is taking an early look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.
Today, we have enlisted Zach Bell and Max Mandel of the The Kennel Report to break down the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Gonzaga has become one of the most recognizable college basketball programs in the nation. During his tenure, Mark Few has elevated the small, Jesuit institution to the forefront of college basketball. He's had guys like Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf, and Dan Dickau but the talent he has for the 2008 season is the best he has ever had at Gonzaga.
I like predictions vastly more than I do overviews. Why, you ask? Because no one cares about predictions later. That's because no one is ever right. Actually I take that back; people remember predictions if you say stupid things on national television and make it apparent that you suck at your job.
The Charlotte Bobcats will win the Atlantic. Okay, maybe not. But I can quasi-dream. In reality, I think the Orlando Magic will win the division. Also, reality: I lied about being "bold". Maybe. See, it turns out that even Magic bloggers agree that we could all question whether the Magic can repeat last year.
Saturday is Halloween, but don't expect many NBA owners and general managers in this shaky economy to dress up as Bill Gates and throw money around.
Matt Steinmetz, Gary Washburn and Matt Watson empty out their notebooks from the 
LAS VEGAS -- The last time we saw 
So, you may or may not have seen 
FanHouse fixes a decade of draft-day blunders in 
It only took nearly three full years, but the NBA has found a use for former Gonzaga star 
This week, FanHouse is taking an early look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.
