RealGM: Scoop du Jour - Denver, 2010, Detroit, Curry, & Wade

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Denver, 2010, Detroit, Curry, & Wade

10th March, 2009 - 2:03 pm

Current Features

TEAM RANKINGS:

Euroleague Top 16 Power Rankings

Barcelona, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Maccabi, Madrid and Siena enter the Top 16 phase as likely contenders to win the 2011 Euroleague.

19th January, 2011.

STANDING 10:

Non-National Games Of The Week (1/17-1/23)

The Knicks make three appearances this week, along with several from Blake Griffin and the Clippers.

17th January, 2011.

PLAYER RANKINGS:

2010-11 NBA Player Rankings Through Dec. 14th

Now that more than a quarter of the season is in the books, we don't have many aberrations in the player rankings as Pau Gasol, Kevin Love, Deron Williams, Chris Paul and LeBron James comprise the top-five.

15th December, 2010.

MOCK DRAFT:

2010 NBA Mock Draft, Version 5.0

An interesting week of prevalent deception is nearly over and the actual picks are hours away. Hundreds of hours have been spent watching the 60 players that 30 teams hope will improve their club in the coming years.

24th June, 2010.

LOCKER TALK:

Nash, Cleveland, & Orlando

Steve Nash could draw trade interest this summer and Cleveland isn?t overlooking Orlando?

19th May, 2009.

CLASSICS:

Hakeem Vs. Ewing: Who Was The Better Center?

Born within six months of each other in opposite corners of the world, two seven footers who are finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame this fall are two of the best ever to play the center position.

3rd March, 2008.

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by Brandon Hoffman

Denver Nuggets Coach George Karl wants his team to go for the franchise record for most wins in a season. Denver fell to the Houston Rockets last night, dropping their record to 40-25 on the season. The Nuggets would have to finish 15-2 to eclipse the 55-win mark, which was set by the 1987-88 Nuggets. Denver is just 3-7 over their last ten games. I've defended Karl on numerous occasions, and I believe the Nuggets would be making a huge mistake if they dealt Carmelo Anthony. Karl has amassed a 211-140 record and led the Nuggets to the playoffs in each of his previous four seasons, but if the Nuggets stumble down the stretch, it may be time for a coaching change, if for nothing else than to bring a fresh voice to the locker room.

With the economy struggling and David Stern all but guaranteeing the salary cap will go down next season, some agents are advising their clients to seek a contract extension this summer rather than opt for free agency in 2010. First of all, this shouldn't come as a surprise. While I'm sure there are a few well-intentioned agents out there, urging their clients to sign extensions this summer is in their best interests too as most agents work off of commission. We may see a few guys re-up this summer, but I can all but guarantee that the big-name free agents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will wait until 2010. Chris Bosh is already on record as saying the economy will not play a role in his free agent decision. We're dealing with a different NBA landscape. Sam Smith fails to acknowledge that players like James and Wade make millions in endorsements too. Their livelihoods aren't at stake. Their futures are secure. LeBron earned $28 million in endorsements last season. He's not concerned with signing a long-term contract in 2010. Why would he sign a long-term contract when he can sign another short-term deal that keeps pressure on management to surround him with the best team money can buy? Smith floats the possibility of James or Wade signing a three-year deal in 2010 as the worst-case scenario. I think that's exactly what James and Wade have in mind.

The Detroit Pistons are looking to gain some momentum as the regular season comes to a close. Detroit is 5-1 over their last six games and sits sixth in the Eastern Conference, a game and a half back of the fifth seeded Miami Heat . Pistons Coach Michael Curry wants his team to play with a "sense of urgency." I'm sure the Pistons would like to open the playoffs with homecourt advantage, but remaining in sixth place is probably in their best interests. Detroit seems to have the third seeded Orlando Magic 's number. The Pistons are 3-0 versus the Magic this season. The fourth seeded Atlanta Hawks swept their season series with the Pistons on Saturday night.

Eddy Curry would welcome a trade if it would help the New York Knicks . There's no "ifs" about it. Jettisoning Curry is in the Knicks best interests, especially when one factors in New York's plans for the future. There's been a lot of conjecture recently about Curry's contract preventing the Knicks from getting far enough under the cap to sign two max-level free agents in 2010. GM Donnie Walsh may not be able to move Curry's contract before 2010, but it won't stand in the way of New York's plans. If push comes to shove, the Knicks will buy out Curry's contract before watching 2010 pass from the sidelines. The Knicks have put all of their eggs in one basket. They're not going to let an $11 million dollar contract get in their way. Knicks owner James Dolan has bought out a lot of deals over the last 5-6 years. Don't let the Stephon Marbury impasse fool you. That had nothing to do with dollars and cents.

The Fundamentals: Oden wants more shots, Gasol hits the weights, D. Wade's shooting a higher percentage from long-range, AI is the scapegoat, Duhon accepts blame for NY's recent play, Indiana will lose $30 million this season, Charlotte reduces ticket prices, the Nuggets have lost it, Tex Winter is concerned, & Sloan has Utah primed for the playoffs.

Via SLAM, check out this amazing finish to last night's Heat-Bulls game:

Brandon Hoffman is a contributing writer for RealGM and the founder of BallerBlogger.com.

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