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NBA Essentials: Beware Travis Diener's Spicy Meatballs

Posted: Mar 12th 2009 9:30AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Bucks, Bulls, Knicks, Pacers, Timberwolves

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NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.

* "[Roy Hibbert]'s sitting next to Travis [Diener], which I find very interesting. You have to watch Travis because he can be very tricky on flights. Roy has an expensive bag he uses as a carry-on and on our last flight from Boston, Travis thought it would be a good idea to hide a meatball in it. Now, this was not a meatball in tin foil or anything but a meatball with pasta sauce and parmesan cheese on it. Roy was not amused, to say the least." -- Troy Murphy's blog, via Indy Cornrows.
Continue Reading NBA Essentials: Beware Travis Diener's Spicy Meatballs

Luol Deng, Chicago Will Be Fine: MRI Reveals No Stress Fracture

Posted: Mar 2nd 2009 3:15PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Bulls, NBA Injuries

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Saturday night's dynamic win over the Rockets came with a downer for Chicago, as Luol Deng left early with soreness in the leg. The early prognosis stuck Deng with a stress fracture, an injury that would have likely ended the forward's season.

But this morning brought good news for the player and team, as Deng has suffered no stress fracture and could be ready Tuesday for a showdown (ha!) against the Bobcats.

Continue Reading Luol Deng, Chicago Will Be Fine: MRI Reveals No Stress Fracture

Luol Deng Has a Stress Fracture That Could End His Season

Posted: Mar 1st 2009 9:40AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Bulls, NBA Injuries

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Luol Deng has been struggling with a sore leg for a few weeks. Saturday night against Houston, the pain got worse. An x-ray showed a stress fracture in the tibia; Deng will have an MRI Monday and could be out for the season.

If Lu ends up missing the season's finish (as Chicago tries desperately to grab a playoff berth), the list of stars downed by February will have grown by one. Marc Stein of ESPN.com noted how many season-ending injuries happened in the month: Amar'e Stoudemire, Al Jefferson, Jameer Nelson, Tracy McGrady and Elton Brand, and also possibly Mike Dunleavy and Monta Ellis (both of whom went back on the shelf recently). Most of those players leave their teams in the lurch in terms of playoff contention.
Continue Reading Luol Deng Has a Stress Fracture That Could End His Season

Doing Lines: Deng Comes Out of Hiding

Posted: Jan 16th 2009 12:35PM by Nate Jones (author feed)
Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Last Night

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Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

Thursday night we found out that the Cavs and LeBron James aren't invincible. Their Kryptonite: Delonte West's broken wrist and Luol Deng. The second rated player from LeBron's 2003 high school class scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Not numbers that knock you out of your seat. But considering Deng has been playing like a wet nap the entire year, I gotta give him props. Especially since, you know, he was playing against that locomotive in disguise we call LeBron James.
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Insurance Problems May Keep Luol Deng Out of 2012 Olympics

Posted: Aug 28th 2008 3:55PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Filed under: Bulls, Eastern, FIBA

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Luol DengUpdate: My timing is ridiculously bad. Basketball 24/7, which has been on this story for weeks, just broke the news that Great Britain Basketball ponied up for insurance -- Deng will play!

Luol Deng has planned to represent his homeland by anchoring Great Britain's 2012 Olympic basketball team for quite some time. Unfortunately, those plans hit a snag, thanks largely to his brand spanking new $71 million extension. From Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Blog a Bull):
MetLife, the NBA's insurer which covers the top 150 salaries in the league under a group policy, has the right to exclude 14 high-risk players every year.

Decisions are based on the player's injury history and the amount of money remaining on his contract. Deng came under MetLife scrutiny when he signed a $71 million, six-year contract at the start of this month. It is the fourth-highest contract in the NBA in terms of outstanding money.

MetLife subsequently used an MRI scan taken last November when Deng, 23, injured his back and missed three games to exclude him from the coverage.
Because MetLife has excluded Deng, he can't play in a qualifying tournament for the Olympics next summer without additional insurance, and as you'd expect, a policy to insure a $71 million contract isn't exactly cheap. How expensive? Try $500,000 a summer for each of the next three years. All told, that's about half of the national team's entire budget.
Continue Reading Insurance Problems May Keep Luol Deng Out of 2012 Olympics

Insurance Problems May Keep Luol Deng Out of 2012 Olympics

Posted: Aug 28th 2008 3:55PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Filed under: Europe

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Luol DengUpdate: My timing is ridiculously bad. Basketball 24/7, which has been on this story for weeks, just broke the news that Great Britain Basketball ponied up for insurance -- Deng will play!

Luol Deng has planned to represent his homeland by anchoring Great Britain's 2012 Olympic basketball team for quite some time. Unfortunately, those plans hit a snag, thanks largely to his brand spanking new $71 million extension. From Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Blog a Bull):
MetLife, the NBA's insurer which covers the top 150 salaries in the league under a group policy, has the right to exclude 14 high-risk players every year.

Decisions are based on the player's injury history and the amount of money remaining on his contract. Deng came under MetLife scrutiny when he signed a $71 million, six-year contract at the start of this month. It is the fourth-highest contract in the NBA in terms of outstanding money.

MetLife subsequently used an MRI scan taken last November when Deng, 23, injured his back and missed three games to exclude him from the coverage.
Because MetLife has excluded Deng, he can't play in a qualifying tournament for the Olympics next summer without additional insurance, and as you'd expect, a policy to insure a $71 million contract isn't exactly cheap. How expensive? Try $500,000 a summer for each of the next three years. All told, that's about half of the national team's entire budget.
Continue Reading Insurance Problems May Keep Luol Deng Out of 2012 Olympics

The Forest Surrounding Andre Iguodala's Tree

Posted: Aug 13th 2008 9:50AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: 76ers

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Philadelphia really needed to keep Andre Iguodala at just about all costs, both in order to contend for a title and to avoid another season of "Willie Green, NBA starter." The money's high, but the 76ers hardly had better options. If Iguodala was planning on holding out for $80 million, well Molly just pay the man.

Of course, contracts don't get signed inside a vacuum. (That'd be awesome, though! I'd have a use for my astronaut pen.) In looking at the greater landscape, we can assess how much milk Philly got for its salt. The following graph shows each Class of '04 product whom signed a contract (this summer or last) in excess of $50 million. Average salary is shown in green. We descend from Dwight Howard at $15.8 million to Andris Biedrins at $10.5 million. The players' 2007-08 PER adjoins and is shown in (a pitiful approximation of) the players' team colors.



Iguodala received the second richest contract in this class. But based on 2007-08, four players who signed a smaller deal -- Al Jefferson, Kevin Martin, Josh Smith and Biedrins -- are as good as or better than Iguodala. In other words, the Sixers didn't get great value for Iguodala. Consider that Martin is a measure better and will make $11.5 million less over the next five years. Smith is two years younger than 'Dala, basically even on production today, and will make $10 million less over the next six years.

It's worth noting that the two best values among the Class of '04 elite -- Jefferson and Martin -- were signed last summer. So much for the unassailable power teams supposedly have in restricted free agency.

Will LeBron James Stick at Small Forward?

Posted: Aug 4th 2008 6:15PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Eastern, NBA Rumors

6 COMMENTS
LeBron James drives past Luol DengWhere will LeBron James end up? When most people ask that question, they're wonder if LBJ will stay in Cleveland or chart a new destiny with the Nets, Knicks or Olympiacos. But today, I just want to know what position he'll eventually stick with.

Technically speaking, James is officially listed at small forward, but considering Cleveland's bread-and-butter offensive play is to give him the ball at the top of the key and clear out, he certainly plays the role of point guard. And have you ever seen him stand next to Ben Wallace? They're practically clones. James filled in at center for Team USA the other night, and I'd bet my house that he could thrive in that role in the NBA if he so desired.

Why am I thinking so much about LBJ's position versatility? In part because Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via HoopsHype) mentioned how the Cavs tried to work a sign-and-trade to acquire Luol Deng before Deng ultimately re-signed with the Bulls. Pluto doesn't offer any more information, but it makes you wonder, what did the Cavs think their lineup would be?

Deng is versatile in his own right and can theoretically play the two or even the four in the right matchup, but his long-term future is definitely at small forward. Were the Cavs going to tell Delonte West to go chase that mythical Russian offer and make LBJ a Magic Johnson clone at the one? Were they going to send Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract to the Bulls and have James feast on undersized defenders at shooting guard? Were they going to bump Ben Wallace to the bench and ask James to win a rebounding title at the four? Inquiring minds want to know.

Ben Gordon: Tough Negotiator, or Delusional?

Posted: Aug 2nd 2008 12:15PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Bulls, Nuggets

4 COMMENTS
Our weekly check-up on the situation of Ben Gordon leaves us further from resolution than ever before. Shoals of The Sporting Blog expresses dismay over Gordon's self-delusions of grandeur, as Gordon seeks to be the highest-paid Bull after Luol Deng's massive contract was finalized. How far off-base is Gordon, though? I mean, is he good enough to hold out for $11-12 million a year?

Two players: Man A and Man B. Man A is 25 years old, and the other will soon turn 23. On their four-year careers, both shoot a lot -- more than 15 FGAs per 36 minutes. And both score a lot: Man A scores 21 points per 36, and Man B scores 18. Man A has a substantially higher usage rate, and is a better passer. Both stroke the long-ball well (over 40% last season). Man A is a 6'3 two-guard, Man B is 6'6.

Man A is the better player right now, but it's close. As he's older and hasn't improved the last two seasons, you could make the case Men A and B deserve similar salaries. Well, Man A (Ben Gordon) wants to be the highest-paid Bull. Man B (Denver's J.R. Smith) will probably get a $5 million contract from the Nuggets. Beyond the differences are documented above, the only disparity is in minutes: Gordon has played a ton -- almost twice as many minutes as Smith.

Kelly Dwyer -- a Bulls fan who knows stuff -- doesn't think Chicago will end up caving into Gordon. I think that's a good thing. He's a good player, but he's J.R. Smith good. Not Luol Deng good.

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