MVN: Most Valuable Network

Yao Ming's hairline fracture in his left foot suffered in the Western Conference Finals in May has not healed as expected and is threatening his return to the hardwood next season.

Now the Rockets must consider on whether they should let doctors perform a fifth surgery in three years on Yao's foot. He suffered the same injury in May 2008 but continued to play in the Beijing Olympics that summer even though it was not fully healed.

If the Rockets choose not to perform surgery and let his foot heal with time so he can be ready by October, they risk the chance of it not healing properly and forced to perform a late surgery. This would result in Yao missing a large portion of the regular season. If they do opt for surgery now, the Rockets fear they're pushing Yao to his breaking point.

Yao came into the league his rookie weighing 290lbs. Seven years into his NBA career, he has put on an extra 20lbs of muscle, which could only put more on pressure on his size 18 feet.

This foot injury not only affects Yao's future, but it leaves Rockets GM Daryl Morey with several questions this offseason. Does Morey re-sign Ron Artest to a big contract even though the Rockets won't be in title contention if Yao misses the majority of the season? Does Morey let Tracy McGrady's contract expire so he can clear cap space for 2010's free agency? Or does he attempt to trade T-Mac for a veteran to fill the void of Yao's absence? The problem is that the only offers Morey has been getting for T-Mac are bad contracts and subpar talent.

Yao Ming also the option to opt out of his contract next year. If he chooses to, do the Rockets give Yao a large extension even though he turns 30 years old next year?

My opinion?

The Rockets let Yao's foot heal a few more months, if it doesn't heal properly then opt for surgery even if that means he misses part of the regular season. They also should let T-Mac's contract expire and hope that he rehabs his knee so he can hopefully return to his old form. The Rockets do not re-sign Artest unless it is a one year contract. These decisions will most likely take the Rockets out of title contention, but I do not believe they have much of a choice. They should develop their younger players, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, Kyle Lowry, and Von Wafer. They also have some high-potential draft picks in Chase Budinger, Jermaine Taylor, and Sergio Llull.

If the Rockets follow these decisions, they will go through another championship-less season, however they will be approximately $30 million under the salary cap coming into the summer of 2010.

The free agency period opens tonight at 12:01AM. Daryl Morey and the Rockets will have a lot of work ahead of themselves.

A consistent dialogue in the NBA for more than a year has been the buzz surrounding the 2010 free agent class.  With big name free agents like LeBron James headlining them all, it's understandable.  However, at midnight tonight (EST), free agency opens up for 2009.  Chad Ford of ESPN reports expectations for this years cap were around $62 million before last season started but are now projected at less than $59 million.  How much will the economy influence basketball decisions vs. business decisions?  How will teams balance the likely scenario of a lower salary cap and preparation for the 2010 free agency class?  I believe you will see three trends that stand out this off-season:  

Financial Motivation
Teams will be making more financial trades than in recent history and possibly ever for flexibility because of future uncertainty.  It's hard to know what the economy will be like next summer and what teams and their residing markets are able to spend.  Several teams have traded one of their star players from last year for cap room.  Milwaukee, by sending Richard Jefferson to San Antonio, Phoenix sending Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland and on draft day, New Jersey sent Vince Carter to Orlando.  Financial relief via trade has become much more enticing recently and more of these types of trades are sure to follow.  

Players Decision
Players are not likely to exercise their options on contracts this off-season because teams will be more hesitant to throw big money at free agents.  Players such as Hedo Turkoglu and Carlos Boozer are the only candidates I see that can garner more attention and/or money by opting out of their contracts to test free agency waters at least from an annual salary's concern.  The most questionable opt out so far has come from little used guard Royal Ivey out of Philadelphia, who isn't thought to command any power on the open market this off-season.

Market Influence
Teams that don't figure to have any luring power for top free agents in 2010 and are projected to be significantly under the cap will likely or should be more generous contract negotiators this off-season.  These teams include: Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Sacramento Kings.  

Teams that are projected to be significantly under the cap but I believe are able to lure top free agents this year and 2010 include: Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Atlanta Hawks.  Look for Portland to make the biggest splash.  They are the best team of the aforementioned eight right now and have some financial flexibility for the first time in years, even with the $9 million against their cap owed to Darius Miles, courtesy of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Considering the state of the economy and many teams' preparations to lure big name free agents next summer, team objectives this off-season might be murky making it as intriguing a free agency as ever before.  

It has been reported that the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed in principle to a deal that would send Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavs in exchange for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. While we had touched on this then-potential trade's ramifications earlier, we all had quickly discarded it as a magical "what if." But it's actually happening, and don't let the naysayers fool you, this IS a big deal for the Cavs.

Shaq isn't the same player of recent dominance, and he is clearly slowing down - but at 37 years old he was able to be awarded to the Third Team All-NBA this past season. While he isn't the same force he used to be, he is a player that absolutely demands attentions from opposing defenses. This will free up more room of operation for the many shooters that Cleveland has, and of course draw some attention away from LeBron James.

Some will point to O'Neal's lack of impact on a Phoenix Suns team, who was in a similar position of being "one big-man away" from being a real contender. However, O'Neal clearly came into a Phoenix situation that was already in turmoil - wading through conflicting messages and trying to find its style of play and identity. His transition to Cleveland should be much less of a rocky one. The Cavs were a legit championship contender without the addition of O'Neal, and were only buckets away from having their series against the Magic flip decisively in their favor. Adding a player of O'Neal's caliber while giving up two non-contributors is nothing but goodness for Cleveland. You can bet that O'Neal knows he has a real shot of adding one more championship to his legacy, and he will come into this season focused and ferocious.

With the addition of O'Neal, where do you think the Cavs rank amongst the East's elite?

The Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors are closing in on a deal that would send Jamal Crawford to the Hawks for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.

Nam's take: This is an interesting trade for the Hawks. It will definitely have an impact on what type of contract offer they give to Mike Bibby. Crawford is not a true point guard but he is a prolific scorer. I would have preferred the Hawks re-sign Bibby and try and find a legit center because a frontcourt of Zaza Pachulia and Al Horford won't cut it.

Stu's take: Crawford is a good player, and will certainly be an offensive spark plug for Atlanta. However, Crawford does not have a history of being a winner and has shown that he needs to be a volume shooter to be a successful contributor to a team. A talent upgrade for Atlanta? Absolutely? Does it bump them up a tier within the East? I don't think so.

The Portland Trail Blazers acquire the 22nd pick in Thursday's NBA Draft from the Dallas Mavericks for the 24th and 56th picks in this year's draft, and a 2010 second round pick.

Nam's take: Word around the league is that the Sacramento Kings are interested in Omri Casspi from Israel with the 23rd pick. Casspi is a lanky 6'9'' post that plays all out and can step back and shoot the three-ball. Casspi would be a good pick for the Blazers, who can provide some toughness in the front court. Other possible selections for the Blazers could be Florida's Nick Calathes, Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, Georgetown's DeJuan Summers, or VCU's Eric Maynor.

Stu's take: Who knows what the Blazers are up to. I've heard Ty Lawson rumblings recently, but they seem a bit unfounded given the recent Kirk Hinrich rumblings as well. Something's got to give. While this trade might indicate that they have their sights set on a specific player (possibly Casspi), it also could be used as a more valuable chip in a larger trade. I expect Kevin Pritchard to be up to his old tricks again this year, and we can definitely expect more draft activity from Portland.

There are strong indications that the Pistons will be very active this offseason. They are planning to pursue Ben Gordon aggressively. They also wish to sign Carlos Boozer but will walk away if he demands $14 or $15 million.

Nam's take: Boozer would be smart to just exercise his $12.6 million option and wait for 2010's free agency market. I don't believe Ben Gordon will be the answer for the Pistons to move back into the Eastern Conference's elite teams. They have a decent core with Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince. In order to battle with the Dwight Howard's and Kevin Garnett's they will need some young, athletic big men to support the aging Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess.

Stu's take: The addition of Gordon would be redundant with their current core in place (Stuckey, Hamiltion), although Detroit's interest may mean there is some truth behind their shopping of Hamilton. Gordon did show his grit and determination throughout that epic first round battle against Boston, and he definitely has higher value than he did last year. Boozer would be a nice addition to any team for the right price, and he would be a nice addition to the Pistons - especially if 'Sheed isn't playing with his threats of early retirement. I agree with Nam though, in this shaky economy, Boozer might be better off staying put until the market rebounds.


Chicago has been very willing to part with Tyrus Thomas however; Kirk Hinrich's name continues to come up on the Blazers wish list given their growing pessimism with Phoenix unlikely to trade Steve Nash or attempting to sign Jason Kidd away from Dallas.

Nam's take: The Blazers are obviously trying to find a point guard that can take them to next level; someone they can pair with superstar Brandon Roy in the backcourt. If they do find another PG they will have to get rid one of their current PGs, so there won't be any controversy in shared playing time.

Stu's take: The point guard situation in Portland is such an enigma, but it's looking like there will be changes in the backcourt whether it is through trading for a vet or building through the draft. Sergio Rodriguez is as good as gone after expressing his desire to be elsewhere next season. Steve Blake was highly criticized after an unproductive series against the Rockets this year. And Jerryd Bayless is somewhat of an unproven commodity, although people in Portland love his intensity, toughness and ability to get to the rack. But, we all know, you have to give something up to get something back. One or two of these guys might be packing their bags this offseason.

The Finals are over. A very weak draft is looming. There isn't much else to look forward to until the offseason trades and free agent signings begin.

I think we can all say this offseason is already under way.

Just hours after the Spurs-Bucks trade, the Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves churn out a deal that improves the future of both teams.

According to a league source, the Washington Wizards will send the No. 5 pick in the upcoming Draft, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas, and Darius Songaila to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.

The Timberwolves will now own a very impressive No. 5th, 6th, 18th, and 28th picks in the NBA Draft. There are sources that Minnesota is not done and wishes to move up to grab the No. 2 pick. However, they will not package the Nos. 5 and 6 to move up for the second pick. A dream situation for the Timberwolves would be to package the 5th or 6th pick with the 18th and get the second pick. Then, they would be able to select the 7'3'' Hasheem Thabeet to complete their frontline with Al Jefferson. Losing Foye and Miller greatly hurts Minnesota's backcourt scoring. But, they could easily select either Memphis' Tyreke Evans or Davidson's Stephen Curry at the No. 5 or 6 pick to fill that backcourt void. Now, if the Timberwolves cannot move up in the Draft or make any remarkable Draft day trades, I believe that they will have a bright future with four first-round picks surrounding Jefferson, who I think was robbed from the All-Star game this past season.

The Wizards did a great job of getting rid of some terrible contracts for quality players that will be ready to contribute. I don't even recall Pecherov, Thomas, or Songaila being in the rotation last season. It will be interesting to see how the Wizards work Foye and Miller into the lineup. The Timberwolves moved Foye around from point guard to shooting guard a lot last season with Sebastian Telfair. I believe the Wizards will put him at the 2-guard alongside Gilbert Arenas at the point. Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, and Brendan Haywood will round out the rest of the starting lineup. They will have a quality guard rotation with Miller, Nick Young and DeShawn Stevenson coming off the bench. However, it will be tough for Washington to swallow paying Miller $9 million next year to come off the bench. He averaged a career-low 9.9 points per game last season and started only 46 games out of 73 on a depleted Minnesota team.

I will definitely be excited to see what goes down on draft day and what other deals develop.

The Boston Celtics shopping Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen to the Detroit Pistons for Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince. There were other rumors of sending Rondo to the Sacramento Kings for Kevin Martin and a pick.

• Supposedly there are rumors that the Celtics are unlikely to re-sign Allen to a long-term extension next summer and are hesitant to sign Rondo to an expensive long-term contract. Also, the case of Rondo's maturity and relationship with the rest of the team continues to pop up. However, Danny Ainge has twittered, "I'm not sure why his name is popping up, but we love Rajon. It doesn't seem like you have to have any source any more (to report rumors)." He also twittered, "I've heard speculation we're dissatisfied with him; we're gonna trade him because he was late for a playoff game? That's not true."

• Personally, I think it would be absolutely idiotic for the Celtics to trade Rondo...for anyone. Rondo almost averaged a triple-double in the playoffs this year without Kevin Garnett. People fell in love with Derrick Rose in this year's first round of the playoffs, but you could easily argue that Rondo won the point guard battle because his team came out victorious and his stat lines were just ridiculous.
  
  

There are rumors that Portland is very active in attempting to move up from No. 24 to 8-14, where they are confident they can land a point guard. Portland worked out with North Carolina's Ty Lawson on Monday. Portland's GM Kevin Pritchard also is trying to figure out a way to get maximum cap room this summer to use for a free agent or in a trade. The Magic's Hedo Turkoglu gets the most mention, but sources say Portland's real target is Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich.

• Why would the Blazers want another point guard? This completely frustrates me. Steve Blake is the starting point guard with Sergio Rodriguez coming off the bench. Rodriguez is Rudy Fernandez's best friend on the team and they have great chemistry on the court together as you probably cannot count how many alley-oops they've converted this year. Then, you have an extremely talented young point guard Jerryd Bayless as your third-string who rarely gets playing time and now they want to draft another PG?

The Boston Globe reports an NBA executive confirmed Phoenix offered Amare Stoudemire (detached retina) to the Timberwolves in exchange for Al Jefferson and the 6th overall pick. The Wolves declined.

• The Timberwolves were smart to decline, understanding the likelihood of Stoudemire opting out for the 2010 free agency. The Suns most likely knew that they had no chance of scamming this deal out of Minnesota. I don't believe Stoudemire will be moved this offseason unless Phoenix engages talks with a title contending team. I think Stoudemire will be asking for a huge contract once 2010 comes and hoping to go to a big market. Perhaps reunited with Mike D'antoni in New York?

 
The Detroit Pistons made a small deal Tuesday, trading Amir Johnson to the Bucks for Fabricio Oberto.

• Um, who cares?

Another Suns rumor is swapping picks No. 14 with Oklahoma City's No. 25, but also getting back their 2010 first-round pick. The Suns traded that pick to the Thunder a few years ago as part of the Kurt Thomas trade. The trade is unprotected next year, and since the Suns seem to be rebuilding, they would definitely treasure that pick.

• I am not really sure what to expect from the Suns anymore. They will probably run-n-gun this year under Alvin Gentry but not play defense at all and miss the playoffs again. I kind of hope Steve Nash and Stoudemire go back to D'antoni in 2010...along with Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh...a guy can dream, right?

 

The offseason's first big trade broke today, as the San Antonio Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks for Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto, and Bruce Bowen. Let's take a look at how it breaks down for both teams.

For the Spurs:

Pros: The Spurs definitely upgraded their team with this trade by acquiring a versatile wing in Richard Jefferson, who can create his own shot. Jefferson will take the load off of San Antonio's Big Three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Duncan's knees are aging noticeably every year, so the Spurs will need to pace him throughout the season until he is fully prepared for the postseason. He looked very fatigued in the Spurs first round exit to the Dallas Mavericks this year. The injury prone Ginobili will also be a concern for the Spurs title contention in the next season, so a healthy Jefferson (who has not missed a game in the past two seasons) will be a definite help. Jefferson also just came off a career-high season in 3-point percentage, shooting at a 39.7% clip. A healthy lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson, Tim Duncan, and Matt Bonner, with Roger Mason and Michael Finley coming off the bench will absolutely keep the Spurs in the upper tier of the tough Western Conference.

Cons: This trade completely takes the Spurs out of the 2010 free agency market because Jefferson is owed $15 million in the 2010-2011. This deal also puts the Spurs over the luxury tax this season by $4.5 million. Losing Thomas and Oberto will also have an impact on the Spurs because their only big behind Bonner and Duncan will be Ian Mahinmi. It is likely that the Bucks will waive Bowen, Oberto, and Thomas to save money, giving the Spurs an opportunity to re-sign them. But, they are now over the cap limit, so I wonder if the Spurs will risk increasing their luxury tax to re-sign them or perhaps their own free agents. Drew Gooden is a legitimate big man who is now a free agent. The Spurs signed him for a less than half season for about $1.5 million after he was waived by the Sacramento Kings. I am sure he will ask for at least the mid-level contract if the Spurs wish to keep him.

For the Bucks:

Pros: This was a complete financial move for the Milwaukee Bucks. Last season, the Bucks traded for Jefferson and Luke Ridnour before the trade deadline, which put more than $20 million on their payroll. Coming into this season, the Bucks would be well over salary cap with Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva becoming restricted free agents. Oberto and Thomas are only guaranteed less than $2 million next season, and Bowen is only guaranteed $2 million. By waiving all three, the Bucks would save at least $6 million in contracts. This will open up about $9 million in salary cap for the Bucks which will give them a decent opportunity to re-sign Villanueva and Sessions.

Cons: The Bucks finished 5 games out of the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference last year. Losing a vital scorer in Richard Jefferson will definitely hurt Milwaukee's offense, especially if Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut cannot stay healthy. So, the Bucks will likely go through another season without a playoff appearance. Michael Redd will become part of the 2010 free agency after next season, and another year without tasting a playoff win will probably only frustrate him more. I don't believe the Bucks will have any chance of retaining Redd once 2010 comes around. This move does shed a lot of salary and free up cap space, but the Bucks will continue to be in the rebuilding stage for years to come.

His first ring without Shaquille O'Neal. Bryant can finally shed that can't-win-without-Diesel reputation

"It was like Chinese water torture," he said. "I would cringe every time. I was just like, it's a challenge I'm just going to have to accept because there's no way I'm going to argue it. You can say it until you're blue in the face and rationalize it until you're blue in the face, but it's not going anywhere until you do something about it."

There is no way you can deny Bryant credit on this title. He elevated his level of play in the playoffs and the Finals to earn that Bill Russell Finals MVP, averaging 32.4 points 5.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists. Previously criticized for not trusting his teammates, he elevated their level of play by trusting them, encouraging them and leading them.

Among the stellar play he received from his teammates was Trevor Ariza. His shooting was the most impressive feature of his arsenal throughout these 2009 NBA Playoffs. He shot at a 47.6 clip from behind the arc, making 40-84 threes. Kobe himself only made 37 of 106 attempts from downtown.

What about Lamar Odom's shooting? He shot a surprising 18-35 from three-point range in the postseason for a 51.4 percentage. He also chipped in 12 points and 9 boards a game.

Along with Bryant, Pau Gasol shed a reputation of his own. Last year, Gasol was labeled as 'soft' after the embarrassing defeat to the Celtics in Game 6. In the offseason, Gasol worked on his game, put on some weight, and showed toughness in this year's playoffs. His numbers were efficient and remarkable, albeit overshadowed by Bryant's performance. He averaged 18.3 points 10.8 rebounds, almost 2 blocks a game, while shooting 58 percent from the field.

Kobe Bryant will make his own place in history as one of the all-time greats to ever play the game.

The NBA TV postgame featuring Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley had some interesting arguments about where this title places Kobe Bryant in the list of all-time greats. Kenny Smith put him at 10, while Barkley said he was not even in his top 10.

I completely disagree and put Kobe Bryant in the top 5 list of all-time greats. The three rings with Shaq are somewhat tainted because of the way they are perceived by the media. Bryant rarely gets credit for those titles because Shaq received all three Finals MVP awards.

However, no one questions Magic Johnson's five rings, whom he won with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem only has one other ring without Magic from 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks that also featured the great Oscar Robertson as his point guard.

Kobe Bryant has now surpassed Larry Bird in number of titles.

And what about Jerry West's one title in eight Finals appearances?

Barkley claimed the Hakeem Olajuwon was more dominating than Bryant. However, you could use the argument that The Dream would have never won a ring if Michael Jordan did not retire to play baseball.

Kobe is currently tied with Shaq, Tim Duncan, and Derek Fisher as active players with the most rings. We'll see what the critics will have to say if KB24 can get that pinky ring next year. But the Lakers definitely have a lot of work cut out for them in the postseason.

The big rumor today was that the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers had heightened their discussions around a trade that would send Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland. The Cleveland players rumored to be traded are Ben Wallace (wh