With his options limited, Erick Dampier has another potenital suitor in the Phoenix Suns, especially if the L.A. Clippers match the contract offered to Richardson.  With many eyebrow raising contracts being signed this offseason, Dampier was expecting to find a very lucrative one, but thus far he has suffered a few missteps.

Also in an interesting scenario of deja vu, there has been talk that the sign and trade deal involving Dampier being shipped to Memphis is being discussed.

MIAMI -- Heat President Pat Riley has publicly expressed his sorrow and gratitude to the players he traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to bring superstar center Shaquille O'Neal to South Florida.

In a unique gesture on Thursday, the Heat invited its fans to log onto the team's Web site (heat.com) and send messages of appreciation to Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant.

About 3,000 miles west, there have been no such offers emanating from the Lakers regarding O'Neal's departure. In fact, one local radio host, Roger Lodge, has called for the public burning of O'Neal's Lakers jersey, while another has bid the Big Diesel good riddance.

Newsday's Greg Logan reports that even though Atlanta officials met with free agent center Erick Dampier yesterday, they are expected to leave him to the New York Knicks and shift their sights to restricted Grizzly free agent Stromile Swift.

Meanwhile Chris Mullin, general manager Dampier's Golden State Warriors, denied published reports which stated an agreement was in place with the Knicks should that be Dampier's preferred location, with big men Othella Harrington and Nazr Mohammed heading to the bay area.

"It's all speculation," Mullin told Bay Area reporters at a news conference introducing Warriors point guard Derek Fisher. "Nothing is imminent right now ... We're talking to several other teams. When something becomes clear, we're going to regroup and go from there."

The Hawks have cap room to sign Dampier to a maximum contract but Logan writes they may be leery of his work ethic, which is why they are turning their attention to Swift.  New York is offering Dampier a contract starting at $9 million per season.

The Memphis Grizzlies extended the contract of forward Shane Battier by six years through the 2010-11 season, Grizzlies President Jerry West said today.

The 6'8" Duke graduate was selected sixth overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, the first post-Vancouver draft pick made by the franchise.

"His attributes both on and off the court epitomize what we as an organization value and look for from our players," West said.

Battier averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 79 games last season in Memphis.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

There are two rumored deals, each involving Shandon Anderson, Dikembe Mutumbo, and Othella Harrington.
1) Anderson, Mutumbo, Harrington, Cezary Trybanski, and Moochie Norris for Crawford, Jerome Williams, Eddie Robinson and Chris Jeffries
OR
2) Anderson, Mutumbo, Harrington, and Frank Williams for Crawford, Williams, and Robinson.

Crawford is expected to sign either a 6-yr., $57 million deal or a 7-yr., $70 million deal.

If either deal goes down, expect former Seton Hall leader Andre Barret, a 5'10" cat-quick PG from New York to make the Knicks, probably as an Injured List player, because they would need a 3rd string point guard. As of now, it is probable that Barret, 2nd round draftee Trevor Ariza from UCLA, and last year's midseason acquisition DerMarr Johnson will be the three players to make it from their summer league, which starts tomorrow.

Knicks.RealGm.Com, will provide full coverage of the summer league game, with an analysis on who played well, who didn't play well, and updated rumors.

The earliest a deal for Crawford can be consummated is July 14th, so until then, the Knicks and Bulls will continue to negotiate.

In other news, the Memphis Grizzlies signed Brian Cardinal, a PF, to the full mid-level exception. This has raised eyebrow's around the league and has led many to believe if Isiah Thomas were to offer Grizzlies PF Stromile Swift, an athletic shotblocker who can play either PF or C, Memphis GM Jerry West would not match. It will be interesting to see if the Knicks will be allowed to spend any more money, and if they do, where they spend it.

Expect Swift, Marcus Fizer, Chris Mihm, and former Knick Mike Doleac to all get looked at to add depth to the Knick frontcourt. If Isiah could turn Harrington, Mutumbo, Shandon Anderson, Norris, and Trybanski into Jamal Crawford, Jerome Williams, Eddie Robinson, Chris Jeffries, Trevor Ariza, and Andre Barret in one offseason, it will have to be considered wildly successful.

"Free agent forward Brian Cardinal agreed to a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, his agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN Insider Chad Ford."

"The contract is for six years and worth roughly $39 million, according to Bartelstein. The Grizzlies used their full mid-level exception to sign Cardinal."

Cardinal averaged 9.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Warriors last season and shot 44% from 3 point range.

"Several teams, most notably the Bulls, also were in the running for Cardinal."

"He's going to be a perfect fit in Memphis," said Bartelstein. "I think Brian recognized that the Grizzlies were a team where he'd maximize his potential."

Memphis Grizzlies President of Basketball Operations Jerry West announced that the team has signed second round draft picks Andre Emmett and Antonio Burks to two-year contracts. Per team policy, financial terms of the deal were not released.

The Grizzlies acquired Emmett, the 35th pick in this year?s draft, from the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for a second round pick in the 2005 NBA Draft and cash considerations. Burks, the 36th overall pick, was acquired from the Orlando Magic in exchange for cash considerations.

Emmett averaged 20.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting as a senior, and averaged 17.6 ppg on 50.0% shooting in his four-year career at Texas Tech. He became the first player in Big 12 history to be named to the All-Big 12 First Team in three consecutive seasons. Emmett finished his four-year career as Texas Tech?s all-time leading scorer with 2,256 points, and capped his collegiate career by being named Second Team All-America by The Associated Press as a senior.

Burks, a Memphis native who attended Booker T. Washington High School and the University of Memphis, averaged 16.0 ppg and 5.5 apg as a senior with the Tigers, and averaged 11.2 ppg and 5.4 apg in his three-year career at the University of Memphis. He was named the Conference USA Player of the Year as a senior, and is only the fourth player in school history with 1,000 points, 450 assists and 170 steals, joining former Tigers Andre Turner, Elliot Perry and Otis Jackson. Burks ranks fifth all-time in steals (177) and sixth in assists (487), and led the team in assists in all three of his seasons at Memphis.

Both Emmett and Burks will participate in the Grizzlies three-day summer camp July 7-9 at Rhodes College and the Summer Pro League July 10-25 in Long Beach, CA.