FanHouse Morris Peterson

James Posey wanted to stay in Boston, but in the end he wanted to get paid even more: he signed a four-year, $25 million deal with the Hornets earlier today. From Marc Spears of the Boston Globe:

"We liked James and we wanted him back," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. "He got a good deal in New Orleans. We were unwilling to go four years."

By choosing N'awlins over Beantown, Posey will get more than one extra year of the MLE; as I mentioned yesterday, he'll also get a chance to compete for a starting job.

Posey is a natural small forward but can defend most of the league's two-guards, and if Byron Scott decides he wants to instill a bit more defensive grit to the starting lineup, Posey could supplant Morris Peterson, the incumbent starter who signed a four-year deal of his own last summer. Mo-Pete has been more consistent from long range over his career, but Posey has closed the gap in that regard, as well.

It'll be interesting to see how exactly the Celtics replace Posey, who was undeniably one of their most important reserves this past season. The number of viable free agent swingmen has been shrinking almost daily: James Jones has signed with the Heat, Jarvis Hayes with the Nets, and Carlos Delfino just defected for Moscow. The most likely candidates left on the market would require a minor miracle (Josh Childress) or a big leap of faith (CJ Miles).

The NBA named their Executive of the Year today, and not surprisingly, the prize went to the Celtics' Danny Ainge. The Celtics were able to go from one of the worst teams in the league a season ago to the team with the most regular season wins this year, a feat that's worth recognizing to some extent. But as our headline states (sentiment courtesy of Matt Moore), Ainge was really more lucky in getting Garnett (by way of his relationship with Kevin McHale) than he was skillful in pulling off any amazing deal.

The alternatives to Ainge though aren't really that exciting either. The Lakers' Mitch Kupchak finished second, largely because he didn't acquiesce to Kobe's off-season trade demands, and because he was able to get Pau Gasol from Memphis for Kwame Brown. As great as that deal was though, Mitch wouldn't have even pursued it had Andrew Bynum not gone down with a knee injury. Still, Kupchak is the one who put together this Laker roster over several seasons, and now that it's all come together, he seems like the logical choice.

One final note on this award, and that's the fact that inexplicably, third place went to Hornets' GM Jeff Bower. Now, either the people who vote for this award are completely lazy, or they simply don't know what they're talking about. The only difference between this year's Hornets roster and the one from last season is the addition of Morris Peterson and Melvin Ely. So those guys are the reason NOLA has the Spurs down 3-2? I don't think so. Plus, Bower didn't even draft Chris Paul or Davd West, so how he can receive so much credit for the team's success this season is beyond me.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a week-daily look at what happened last night in the NBA from a fantasy basketball perspective. Visit early (9:00 a.m.) and often, or just save yourself the trouble and bookmark it.

Cup of Coffee
It was reasonably safe to pencil in an uptick in Morris Peterson's statistics once Peja Stojakovic got hurt. We all knew it was coming. Now, it's a reality. The problem? MoPete wasn't there to collect. Instead, it was Rasual Butler filling in at the two guard and taking 11 shots. He didn't do much with them, scoring seven points but he did hit a three, grab six boards and rip two steals. Exciting, I know. But Peterson and Peja are both day-to-day with back problems, which means at best they see minimal time this week, when the Hornets play at Denver (102.1 ppg allowed), at Dallas (100.1) and at home against Phoenix (104.4). It's a little bit of a gamble, but starting Butler in a weekly league as a fourth forward could pan out well, and given his long range and scoring prowess, picking him up for daily leagues is absolutely advised.

Hot Cakes
Chris Bosh returned to the court for the first time in five games and posted a casual 21 and 10 with four blocks. He dominated the post too, as evidenced by Yao Ming's very scant six rebounds. If you were using Joey Graham for any reason, well, you may now stop. It is nice to see that Jamario Moon continued to start though - Bosh should obviously be activated immediately and Moon should remain a lower end forward.

Chris Quinn got the starting nod at the point for the Heat in Jason Williams' absence. El Chocolate Blanco shouldn't miss too much time, but with a Monday game against Phoenix, Quinn is a very nice play in daily leagues. He'll have some value if Williams remains injured, but Dwyane Wade put up 10 dimes from the two last night; that's a pretty good indication of how the ball handling will go in the future too.

Sweet mercy, what has happened to Al Thornton? Not that he has a ton of background to really expect any sort of production, but considering he's the Chris Weinke of the NBA (age/school), I at least expected him to see some run in the post for the Clipjoint. I'm not even surprised by Corey Maggette averaging 20 points a game; it's the whole can't-beat-out-Tim-Thomas-for-a-starting-gig thing that really bugs me.

I don't need to mention that the Travis Outlaw Watch continues to garner votes all over the country, right? 20 points, five boards, a block and a steal in 29 minutes off the bench. 14 of 16 from the stripe is just gravy.

Considering the Raptors wasted no time in picking up Jason Kapano, it should be crystal clear by now that Morris Peterson will be moving on. Where will he end up? The Jazz are hoping it will be Utah. From the Salt Lake Tribune:

The Jazz reached out to Toronto's Morris Peterson in the opening minutes of the free-agent negotiating period Saturday night, and Peterson is said to have Utah first on his list of preferred destinations, a source said Sunday.

Peterson would fill the Jazz's needs for a three-point shooter and perimeter defender, though he also would add to the team's congestion of players at the shooting guard and small forward positions.

Peterson, who turns 30 on Aug. 26, played seven seasons with the Raptors and was a full-time starter until this season. He would come to the Jazz with the intention of starting at shooting guard, a job held by four different players this season.

Saying the team has a "congestion" of swingmen is a bit misleading -- Peterson would be the only off-guard with an extensive track record as a starter. The Tribune revealed that at least five other teams showed immediate interest in Peterson: Miami, New Orleans, Golden State, Sacramento and Cleveland. Don't rule out the Pistons, either, who wouldn't be able to offer him a starting job but at least would allow him to finish up the prime of his career playing near his hometown of Flint, MI.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 28th NBA Draft.

The Pistons are at a crossroads. With just one NBA title to show after five trips to the Conference Finals, they're now one of the league's oldest teams in a division with two of the league's up-and-coming-est teams (the Bulls and Cavs).

To re-tool on the fly and preserve their place among the league's true contenders, the team needs to get younger and more athletic -- and soon. Fortunately, they have two first-round picks: the 15th (courtesy of the Magic) as well as the 27th.

Needs: Pretty much everything but power forward. The team hasn't had a legitimate backup point guard in years, and considering there's at least a chance Chauncey Billups leaves, they might be in need of a starter. Following the Carlos Delfino trade, the team could use a swingman to backup Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince -- though there's always a chance Joe Dumars plans to address that need via free agency (Grant Hill? Morris Peterson?).

Oh, and a starting center would be nice, considering Chris Webber isn't expected to return and the only other option currently on the roster is Nazr Mohammed.

The Pistons made an extremely interesting trade on Friday, sending Carlos Delfino to the Raptors in exchange for two second-round picks (2009 and 2011). "Wait a minute," most of you are saying right about now. "What's so interesting about that?"

Well, Delfino was Tayshaun Prince's primary backup at small forward, as well as the first or second shooting guard off the bench (depending on Flip Saunders particular mood on any given night). He was a vital cog in the rotation, and given Joe Dumars' mandate that the team had to get younger and more athletic, it's definitely a little curious that they'd move such a young (24) and athletic player simply for a couple of second round picks far off in the future.

Of course, this might be one of those moves that makes more sense in hindsight. Is the team clearing cap space to make a run at a free agent? Maybe, but Delfino was set to make only $1.8 million next year. Might a guy like Grant Hill be willing to accept that? If anything, this probably puts an end to the "Hill to the Raptors" rumor which never quite got off the ground.

Another option is that the Pistons are simply clearing a roster spot to get even younger -- perhaps opening up a spot in the rotation for 20-year-old Amir Johnson, who is a restricted free agent this summer. The Pistons have a lot of faith in Johnson, who tore up the D-League before having success in significant minutes over the last few games of the regular season. Until now, it wasn't clear where/how he would fit into the rotation, but barring another move he could be in line for at least 15 minutes a game this coming season.

The Raptors were ushered out of the first-round of the playoffs on Friday -- at the hands of their nemesis Vince Carter, no less -- but the team has to feel good about their season. Considered a sleeper just to make the playoffs entering the year, the Raps exceeded everyone's expectations by winning their division and securing home court advantage.

What was even more impressive was how they won this year: no longer solely dependent on Chris Bosh, they held their own early in the year when he went down with injury. For basketball purists, the team was literally a joy to watch: the offense flowed with constant ball movement, with players embracing their roles. Guys like Jose Calderon, Morris Peterson and first-overall pick Andrea Bargnani could have justifiably griped about not starting but instead quietly helped fortify one of the strongest benches in the league.

GM Bryan Colangelo deserves a lot of credit, as well, for having the foresight to see that guys like Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa, who were established stars overseas and freely available to any team in the NBA, could make the transition and emerge into legitimate NBA starters. Colangelo also deserves a huge pat on the back for the Charlie Villanueva for T.J. Ford swap last offseason, a move that initially left many scratching their head but eventually looked like a stroke of brilliance when Ford put up career numbers (14 points, 7.9 assists) in just under 30 minutes a game.

Morris Peterson has weathered the storm with some bad Toronto teams over his career, but it finally looks safe to say that he's headed back to the playoffs after a five-year layoff. Even so, the playffs will be bitter-sweet this year, as they'll likely be his swan song as a Raptor. From the Toronto Sun:

Frustrated over a lack of minutes this season and the fact his NBA statistics are nearing all-time lows, a subdued Peterson admitted yesterday, following the team's shootaround at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, that he may not return to the Raptors for the 2007-08 season. Peterson is in the final year of a three-year deal and is eligible for free agency this summer.

"That's something I'm definitely going to have to look at," he said, when asked if his frustrations this season will impact on where he plays next year. "When summer comes, I'll evaluate what I want to do, and where I'll want to be."

MoPete is being kind, because I can't imagine any possibility of him returning next year. He certainly won't have trouble finding a contract -- his scoring is down to 10 points per game (almost seven fewer than last year), but it's almost entirely just a product of his role since his scoring per-48 minutes is right in line with last year.

The Raps could have easily traded him at the deadline to any number of teams but instead decided to hold onto him for their playoff push. But for a guy who's seen the team's lowest lows, it has to be frustrating to watch the team's turnaround mostly from the bench. Even if the market decides this summer that he's no longer a full-time starter in this league, he can get bench minutes next year with a legitimate title contender, not just a team happy to be playing beyond the regular season.

When the Raptors debuted in 1995, it took four years of struggling before they could break into the playoffs in their fifth year. After three straight years in the postseason, the Raptors slipped back into the abyss, worse the mediocre for the next four years.

But lo and behold, this year marks the five-year anniversary since Toronto's last trip to the playoffs, and with a 16-6 record for the months of January and February and a 4.5-game lead in the Atlantic Division that grows by the day, the Raptors certainly look ready to make a return trip to the postseason. That's one of the reasons that this team is suddenly not inclined to trade Morris Peterson, the only player on the roster who was wearing the purple dinosaur the last time they reached the promised land. From the Globe and Mail:

League sources said Tuesday that veteran swingman Morris Peterson, a free-agent-to-be who was featured in trade rumours, will likely finish the season with the club.

One reason is that he was never as eager to be moved as was advertised, and his recent play - averaging 12.7 points a game on 55.6-per-cent shooting in February - has made Raptors management less inclined to tinker with the lineup.

Peterson has been the Raptors' fourth-leading scorers, and together with rookie Andrea Bargnani, he gives the team a potent weapon off the bench. His scoring has obviously fallen compared to last year, but that's been purely a function of his minutes as he's actually averaging marginally more per-48 minutes. There's no need to change what's working, especially considering this is one of those rare seasons in franchise history that the "stretch run" in March and April actually means something.