There's a loophole in the NBA's trading rules that goes something like this: one team will include a player in a deal -- usually a guy who's older, can still play a bit, but won't command a ton of attention on the open market -- only to see that player waived by his new team, and be signed a month later by the team that dealt him in the first place.
Many observers wondered if that's exactly what San Antonio was planning to do with Bruce Bowen, after he was included in the deal with Milwaukee that brought Richard Jefferson to town. But according to Gregg Popovich, it's not likely that Bowen will be back as a member of the Spurs next season.
Richard Jefferson had a $2 million wedding planned with former Nets dancer, and now former fiance, Kesha Ni'cole Nichols last weekend. Tons of people, plenty of paparazzi and celebrities galore were going to swarm to the wedding. It was going to be a grand affair, for sure.
But we found out today, according to the NY Post, that Jefferson called the dogs off. On Friday. And apparently didn't really tell anyone.
There was a lot of activity in the NBA this week, and we're not just talking about the draft. Some of the NBA's big names and better teams were in on it.
Here's a quick look at the trades that went down and what they mean:
The Thinking: The Cavaliers get an aging O'Neal, with the hope that he can have a productive year playing alongside LeBron James. The only way this trade is a success is if the Cavaliers are the 2009-10 NBA champions. For the Suns, trading O'Neal means that they are beyond tinkering and are leaning toward turning over the personnel of a team that missed the playoffs last season.
San Antonio needed a major infusion of offensive talent this season, and it appears the team has found it. Multiple league reports indicate the Spurs have traded for Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson, sending away only bit players Bruce Bowen (age 38), Kurt Thomas (age 36) and Fabricio Oberto (age 34), according to Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Jefferson has been in Wisconsin for one year, following last June's draft day trade which sent Yi Jianlian and others to New Jersey. Jefferson has always been a moderately efficient scorer, and he should provide some relief for Tony Parker and Tim Duncan in the Spurs starting line-up. He's not quite an ace defender, but he played hard for Scott Skiles last season and hasn't missed a game in two seasons.
As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, Fork 'Em figures out what went wrong.
Through the first half of the season, the Bucks rode as one of the great surprises of the NBA. A team sunk in the dead space between truly atrocious and just plain bad in 2007-08, Scott Skiles (and Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut) had Milwaukee back on the map, threatening to crash the postseason and even peeking into one analyst's Top 5 around the New Year.
At 3 PM ET Thursday, the deadline for NBA trades for this season will hit. Moves made after the deadline will be limited to waiver pick-ups; meaning only veterans with short deals will likely shift around. Of course, those veterans (like Joe Smith) might be moved before that can happen.
There are a few parallel storylines heading into the deadline, and (unfortunately) not all of them have to do with basketball. So what should you expect to go down before the deadline hits?
You know what actually made Milwaukee famous? The soul-crushing agony of defeat.
The Bucks had recently turned things around to a certain degree with Scott Skiles and Richard Jefferson. They were a half-game ahead for the 8th playoff spot, had been playing competitively, and had some young talent to complement their core.
And now this: Michael Redd blew out his knee last night, tearing his ACL and MCL, putting him on the shelf for the remainder of the season. Ouch.
Bulls savior Derrick Rose suffered a minor hip injury Friday as a result of a seemingly innocuous foul by Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson. Later in the game, Andres Nocioni hammered Jefferson (according to game reports), and Jefferson took exception. On the surface, it seems alright: if Noces thought the Rose foul was excessive, making a statement would be the normal next step ... even in the preseason.
Jefferson, obviously, disagrees. Actually, he disagreed at the time as well: he and Nocioni got into a shouting match, and I think Luke Ridnour killed a guy.* Jefferson had some thoughts after the game, and Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald passes them along.
After the game, I asked Jefferson for his take on the incident. Did he think Nocioni's foul was retaliation for the one on Rose? Keep in mind that this conversation was good-natured all the way through. Jefferson was not upset or angry and it was nice to hear a player of his caliber open up.
"How long have you been following the Bulls? What type of player do you think Nocioni is?" Jefferson answered. "Don't ask me a question if you already know the answer."
You see, that's how obvious it is that Nocioni is dirty: Jefferson feels it is insulting to even ask him if Nocioni is dirty. Certainly, Noces is seen as the toughest Argentine in the league; his "hustle," "grit" and "toughness" share most of the responsibility for his last big contract. This isn't to say he doesn't also offer good rebounding and shooting -- most teams would be better with him on the roster -- but a good portion of his game comes from hitting players harder than they'd like to be hit. And to be honest, much of Jefferson's game is tied to avoiding direct confrontation -- he's a high-flying skill player.
All I know is that I appreciate both parties for giving us a bit more drama in the preseason. Only two days left until we get the real thing. (And hey, now we at least know Jefferson did actually show up in Wisconsin. Good sign.)
It's hard to believe now, but once upon a time the Central Division was a powerhouse. As recent as 2006 it sent all five of its teams to the playoffs, and in 2007 it featured the top three records in the East. But last year? Only two made it to the postseason, including the disappointing Cavs, who followed up their NBA Finals appearance by winning five fewer games than the season before and failing to score as many points as they gave up.
Can the Central regain its luster in 2008-09? Well, the Pistons are still the Pistons, which means their ticket to the postseason is already punched, and the Cavs are tagging along for the ride so long as LeBron James is around. The Bulls, Pacers and Bucks will still bring up the rear, but at least there's honest-to-goodness hope they're headed in the right direction after making a series of offseason moves. Let's take a look at the most compelling storylines.
A to Z.
There's a loophole in the NBA's trading rules that goes something like this: one team will include a player in a deal -- usually a guy who's older, can still play a bit, but won't command a ton of attention on the open market -- only to see that player waived by his new team, and be signed a month later by the team that dealt him in the first place.
Update 7/22: Kesha Nichols defends Richard Jefferson.
There was a lot of activity in the NBA this week, and we're not just talking about the draft. Some of the NBA's big names and better teams were in on it.
San Antonio needed a major infusion of offensive talent this season, and it appears the team has found it. Multiple league reports indicate the Spurs have traded for Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson, sending away only bit players Bruce Bowen (age 38), Kurt Thomas (age 36) and Fabricio Oberto (age 34), according to Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, Fork 'Em figures out what went wrong.
At 3 PM ET Thursday, the deadline for NBA trades for this season will hit. Moves made after the deadline will be limited to waiver pick-ups; meaning only veterans with short deals will likely shift around. Of course, those veterans (like Joe Smith) might be moved before that can happen.
You know what actually made Milwaukee famous? The soul-crushing agony of defeat. 
Bulls savior Derrick Rose suffered a minor hip injury Friday as a result of a seemingly innocuous foul by Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson. Later in the game, Andres Nocioni hammered Jefferson (according to game reports), and Jefferson took exception. On the surface, it seems alright: if Noces thought the Rose foul was excessive, making a statement would be the normal next step ... even in the preseason.
