Bynum Hurt (Out 2-3 Months)

This post will be updated as new information becomes available, the updates will be at the bottom of the post.

The Final verdict is in, Bynum will be out for 2-3 months, go to the bottom of this post for more information.

This just happened a short while ago out in Memphis:

So, is everyone’s worst fears flooding the gates right now? His teammates looked very worried. The knock on effects from a Bynum injury are massive, it would be a huge detriment to LA, as well as opening up the West for the rest of the pack.

League Denies Knicks Exception

Steve Adamek reports

The Knicks’ appeal to get a disabled player salary-cap exception for Cuttino Mobley was denied by the NBA late Friday, team president Donnie Walsh said Saturday morning.

It would not only have given them a nearly $4.5 million cap slot immediately to use either in a deal or to sign another player not only now, but into next season, but also get his salary (for this season and next) off their cap and enable them to take him off their roster, .

The league, Walsh said, essentially determined that Mobley’s heart condition, which forced him to retire shortly after the Knicks acquired him from the Clippers on Nov. 21, but with which he had played before that this season, was a pre-existing condition.

The Knicks, who discovered it in what was a more extensive physical than Mobley said he got from the Clippers, argued that it wasn’t, saying they were the ones to discover its extent after the trade.

So no $4.5mil exception for the Knicks. That would have been a very useful asset to have.

It’ll be interesting to see whether NY buyout Mobley, or keep him on the roster up until 2010 in case a trade opportunity rears it’s head.

Ray-Ray’s Overlooked Brilliance

I posted a couple of quotes from Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge in the comments section of a recent post, the All-Star reserves announcement, quotes where Doc and Danny displayed their disappointment with Ray Allen not getting the All-Star spot they felt Ray deserved.

Here’s Danny’s words:

“Now that he’s having the best season of his career – the most efficient season of his career – this happens?” the Celtics [team stats] executive director of basketball operations asked.

“Ray is the most efficient scorer in the league. He’s one of the best wing players in the conference and arguably our best offensive player.

“I think it’s an interesting thing because the coaches vote on this, and they’re always preaching that you should sacrifice so your team can win. And then they go and pick other players.

Anyway, I felt these quotes deserved a follow up post so here it is.

50 — 40 — 90

I’m sure everybody has seen those numbers before, they’re the holy grail, the holy grail for jump shooting excellence.

Article: Pistons Don’t Measure Up

There’s a good article in the Detroit Free Press today, written by Drew Sharpe, titled “Pistons Don’t Measure Up To Elite Teams Anymore”

Boston tonight. Cleveland on Sunday.

It’s being promoted as a big weekend — an opportunity for the Pistons to measure themselves against the top competition in the Eastern Conference. But the Pistons could go 2-0 or 0-2 and it won’t change a thing.

The Pistons, in their disjointed state, could not beat the Celtics or the Cavaliers in a best-of-seven playoff series.

These Pistons simply aren’t good enough, and it’s time to accept that truth. There are no moves to be made that could alter the fading illusion of the Pistons as championship contenders.

Sharpe feels time has finally caught up with the Pistons

The Pistons aren’t returning to the Eastern Conference finals for a seventh straight year. They’d be lucky to escape the first round considering the best seeding they can hope for is a No. 4.

Their decline isn’t because of a trade they shouldn’t have made or a head coach they shouldn’t have hired.

They’re declining because it’s their time. Why is that so hard to accept?

The rest of the article mostly talks about how Rasheed/Iverson are too valuable as expiring contracts, so they can’t trade them while looking for a quick fix, and that the key to their future is Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire but they’re not available for 12-18 more months. It’s a good read.

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I agree with the premise of the article, I do not think the Pistons are one of the East’s elite anymore. I think they are, however, the East’s fourth best team and they have enough talent there to be a spoiler team.

Article: Sheridan’s Top Trade Assets

Good article over at ESPN by Chris Sheridan ranking some of the best trade assets in the NBA today. I’d recommend checking out the article in full.

The one area of most interest to me was the final one, the trade exceptions, because I always lose track of them

ASSET No. 12: Expiring trade exceptions
OWNERS: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets

A trade exception allows the acquiring team to take on a player making an equal or lesser amount of salary without the trade having to conform to the 125 percent rule. There are six trade exceptions that expire Feb. 23, the largest of which belongs to the Bulls: a $5.205 million exception from the deal that sent Joe Smith to Cleveland last year. The Cavs have a $1.63 million exception from including Cedric Simmons in that deal, and the Thunder have a $1.89 million exception from the Delonte West end of that same trade. Two of the Rockets’ six trade exceptions (Bonzi Wells, $2.284M, and Kirk Snyder, $917K) expire Feb. 23, and the Nuggets have an expiring $771K exception from last year’s Von Wafer deal.

The article also details some of the most valuable future draft picks which have been traded, and which teams hold them. Well worth checking out.

Clippers Tidbits

The Clippers have signed guard Fred Jones.

The Clippers signed Fred Jones for the remainder of the season.

His second 10-day contract was due to expire after Wednesday’s game, and he was given the good news by Dunleavy in the hallway beforehand.

Congratulations to Freddie Jones for surviving the first cut in early January, then the first 10 day contract, and a second 10 day contract, until he finally won a place on the squad for the remainder of the season.

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Mike Dunleavy says that he has no interest in trading any of his three big men prior to the trading deadline

Healthy or not, Clippers coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy said he won’t consider dealing any of them before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

“No plans at all,” Dunleavy said before the game. “We want to see how they play together. We think they can be one of the best front lines in basketball

Dunleavy also believes that the trio can play alongside one another effectively

I think they can work well together; I just haven’t seen it happen yet.”

Randolph arrived in a trade from New York on Nov. 21, but he has been out since Dec. 28.

“Kaman and Randolph haven’t played together, but I don’t see that being much of an issue because it’s pretty much like Kaman and (Elton) Brand playing together,” Dunleavy said. “Thirty-two minutes apiece is not a bad number for guys who have been injured and banged up.”

There are currently a lot of rumours floating about, with several teams looking to acquire one or two of the Clippers big men. It’ll be interesting to see if anything pops up that tempts Dunleavy into changing his mind.

Game Time: Orlando vs Cleveland

First game after the All-Star reserves have been announced. We have three All-Stars for Orlando with Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson. While the Cavs sport one All-Star.

Mo Williams was a player who received a lot of All-Star buzz over the past fortnight, so it’ll be interesting to see how he reacts tonight after missing out on the festivities. As an added bonus he’ll be going head-to-head with the player who took his All-Star spot in Jameer Nelson.

2009 All-Star Reserves Announced

Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski has the information:

Firstly, the Western Conference

Shaquille O’Neal will make his return to the NBA’s All-Star Game on Feb. 15 in Phoenix, multiple front office sources told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday afternoon.

O’Neal, 36, was one of seven Western reserves chosen by the NBA’s coaches, and will play in the All-Star Game for the hometown Suns. O’Neal had played in 14 consecutive All-Star Games until missing out in 2008.

Yahoo! Sports obtained the rosters, and the West reserves also include the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pau Gasol, New Orleans Hornets’ David West, Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki, San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, Denver Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups and Portland Trail Blazers’ Brandon Roy.

Mason Out For Season

Desmond Mason will miss the rest of the season after hyperextending his right knee

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that guard Desmond Mason will miss the remainder of the season after hyper extending his right knee.

“We are disappointed to lose Desmond for the remainder of the season,” said Presti. “He is a valuable part of our efforts on and off the court. We will support Desmond and work with him throughout the rehabilitation process. Unfortunately, the timing of the injury does not allow Desmond to return this season.”

Mason suffered a hyper extended right knee at 4:02 in the third quarter of last night’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exam this morning that revealed bruising to his right femur and tibia. Team physicians will perform arthroscopic surgery to remove debris caused by the hyper extension.

Unlucky news for Mason and the Thunder.

Brand Is Available

Or at least, Chad Ford is reporting that anyway. He did so in a recent chat

Wannabe GM (Philly): C-Ford, considering how well the Sixers have played without Brand, both during their current 10-game stretch and towards the end of last year, do you think it may behove them to explore trading him either closer to the trade deadline or during the offseason?