The Summer Is Heating Up

This is by far going to be the biggest summer of free agency that we seen since 1996 and to me its bigger then that summer. With LeBron, Bosh and D-Wade being talked about so much we for get about the other and the fact that not only will there be free agents signing to different team but there will be trades and "sign and trade" this summer as well. Now there seems to be some player that we all thought would be with their team to the day they retire like Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitziki. Now both are opting out there final year of their contracts. I feel like they both are doing it to free up money for their franchises. Pierce who is going to be 33 years old at the start of the season will be a second or third options to most of these teams out here trying to get LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Johnson, Stoudemire and some others. Lets face it Pierce is one of the oldest free agents this summer and teams are not going to throw $20 million at him to come play for them when they can throw that at one of the player I just mentioned who are younger then him. The same thing goes for Dirk he will be some teams second or third option when it comes to signing. Both Pierce and Dirk can still hoop so if they do leave who ever get them will have a very good addition to franchise. We all know Chris Bosh is just about 100% not going to return to the Raptors. The Raptors know that and they don't want to just let Bosh walk and get nothing at all in return for him. So they are very interested in a sign and trade. This right here would be a great deal for the Miami Heat who are trying to trade Michael Beasley so they can get 3 max players. This way the Raptors can get a player in return and if Beasley doesn't work out they can choose not to resign him after this season and free up cap room for there team. So this will make the likelihood of seeing what LeBron James called "Dream Team" more then a dream but a reality. If this trade happens which I truly believe it will then the Heat will find a way to bring LeBron to Miami.
Speaking of trading the Denver Nuggets are now listening to offer for their All-Star Carmelo Anthony who will be a free agent next summer. Now the Nuggets offered Anthony a contract extension for 3 years worth $65 million. I think they expected Carmelo to sign it but as of today he has not signed. Last I heard he was going over it with his team to make sure everything was good enough for him. Now I guess the Nuggets feel like their All-Star Small Forward may want to test the market next summer. If Anthony doesn't sign the extension that means at the end of next summer the Nuggets could be without Anthony and nothing in return , so they are shopping him now. I cant say I blame them I mean the offer is on the table and if Anthony not going to sign it why not trade him and get a player or two or future draft picks. Right now it seems like Anthony will be a free agent next year so the movement we see these teams doing right now may not just be for this summer but for next summer as well. The last thing ill talk about today will be Dwight Howard "List". I've heard that there's a few players that Howard would like the Magic GM, Otis Smith, to try and get this summer. First its Chris Paul which name keeps popping up in trade rumors and second is free agent Carlos Boozer. To mean it would make more sense to get Paul then Boozer. Paul because he can run the offense and make the game a lot easier for Howard. The reason I say no to Boozer is because the Magic are trying to make Howard that low post player so why crowd the low post with 2 players. I mean it could work because Boozer has a nice 10 to 15 foot jumper so he doesn't have to be in the post all the time. I just think Paul would be a better fit just because he has the ability to break down a defense and take some focus off Howard. If I was was Howard I would ask for some better shooter who he can pass the ball out to if and when he gets double teamed to knock down some shots

Thanks again for reading and make sure you check in daily for a new post and make sure to follow me on twitter @Agent_EJohnson ............Let's Talk Basketball.

Could Miami Have The New "Big 3"

The Boston Celtics made the deals to get Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the summer of 2007 to play along side with Paul Pierce to form the "Big 3". Now its talk that there could be a younger and maybe better "Big 3" forming in Miami by the end of this summer's free agency. Yes the rumor is LeBron James and Chris Bosh could be joining Dwyane Wade in Miami playing for the Heat next season. The Heat have more then enough money to sign all three to a max deal. Right now the Miami Heat only have five players under contract as of today and the Heat are still thinking about moving Michael Beasley who has 3 years left on his contract which the 2nd year is an "team option" and the 3rd is a "qualifying offer" so you know there are teams out there looking to trade for him just to free up cap room for next year.

To me the question for the Heat is the same we all were asking the Celtics 3 years ago can Wade, James and Bosh play together? A lot of people would yeah just look at the Olympic games in 2008. That's very true the whole Olympic team played together very well but that's the Olympics this is the NBA where egos are much bigger right? Maybe not I think all 3 want to win bad, Wade wants his second ring, James wants his first and Bosh just wants a chance to win one for the first time in his career. To me stats will be the last thing on their mind because the bigger picture is that NBA Ring. The great thing about having 3 players with the talent of these 3 is anyone can take over the game and drop 30 or more on any given night. With all 3 having the ability to score it wont be so much stress on them to have to go out and score 30 or more points every night (mainly Wade and Bosh) just to get their team a win. On the other hand if egos show up this wont be a good thing at all for this team next year if all 3 are in Miami next year. Plus they still need the right role players around them next season for this to work out. Just because all 3 may be on the same team together doesn't mean Miami will see a championship. If Boston didn't have players like Kendrick Perkins, James Posey, Eddie House and Leon Powe they wouldn't have had the season they had and wouldn't have won the Boston Celtics their 17th NBA Championship. Keep in mind that the NBA Free Agency period starts this Thursday July 1st.

Thanks again for reading my blog and sorry I didn't post in the pass few days but I'm back on it now and look forward to a blog tomorrow. Also make sure to follow me on Twitter @Agent_EJohnson or just click on the Twitter signs u see at the top and bottom of the page. Be safe and God Bless.

NBA News and Rumors "Right Now"

How is everyone doing today I'm here with some news and some rumors that's going on in the NBA right now. I want to remind everyone that the 2010 NBA Draft is tonight so don't miss it I think we know John Wall will go first but what about everyone else. Make sure you tune in tonight @7 Eastern time ESPN.

Now other then the draft this week there has also been other things going on in the league like the trade that went down between the Golden State Warrior and the Milwaukee Bucks. Cory Maggette and a second pick went to the Bucks for Charlie Bell and Dan Gudzuric. Nice trade for both teams the Bucks get a solid basketball player and the Warriors get a solid big man in Gudzuric and a good player to back up Curry in Bell. Last week the 76ers sent Samual Dalembert to the Kings for there center Spencer Hawes and forward Andres Nocioni. The Kings get a good big man who can rebound and block shots and also who's contract is done after the 2010-2011 season. Also in other trades new the Miami Heat sent Daequan Cook and the 18th pick in this year draft to the Oklahoma City Thunder for their 32th pick. So yeah they drop in the draft but the important thing is they saved money and that means more money to spend on this years free agents.
There a lot of rumors going on in the NBA these days. The Hornets and Chris Paul are now open to trade offers for the All-Star. To me that's crazy its no way you would even think about trading one of the top 3 point guards in the NBA. I wouldn't trade him away because to me its no one in the league with Chris Paul value other then LeBron and they don't have the money to land him. There is talk already that Chris Paul along with James Posey could be trade to Orlando for Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter. Paul and Howard in Orlando together would be great for the Magic for the next 8-10 years. The Magic were also talking to the Wizards and sending Carter there for Arenas. The Indiana Pacers are also in the market for a point guard. Its been rumored they are looking at George Hill from the Spurs, Darren Collison from the Hornets and some others. Teams that are looking for points will have to trade or sign one because this years draft is big man heavy. I'm sure you all know that the Cavs are in talk with Byron Scott for their coaching vacancy in hopes to pull LeBron back to Cleveland. Shaq said he isn't done yet, its been rumored that he wants to go to Dallas and play there this upcoming season. Finally I'm going to leave you with the possibility of Phil Jackson, the greatest NBA Coach of all time, retiring. Maybe Jackson should retire or take some time off and get his health better. Phil has nothing to prove he has 11 NBA titles, most in NBA History, so what else it there to do. Now do the Lakers need him back yes that Laker team is built to play for Phil.

Well thanks for reading and please continue to follow my blog I will update every day 99% of the time. Also follow me on twitter you can click the Twitter button at the top of the page and go down the page and read my older post and click the button at the bottom of the page. Thanks again

How Correct Is The 2010 NBA Mock Draft To Me?

Like every year the NBA Draft experts create a mock draft telling where they think players who entered the NBA Draft are going to land come draft night. The funny thing is we call them "Draft Experts" but the truth is they don't know where anyone is going really but the #1 pick. Usually everyone knows who the #1 pick is going and really the top 5 but this year with all the flip flops that's been going on the pass few days it's going to be hard to say where anyone is going but John Wall really. Ok looking at the Mock Draft at HoopsWorld.com who just updated there mock draft today, John Wall still going to the Wizards, Evan Turner to the 76ers, now Wesley Johnson is going to the Nets, Derrick Favors now going to the Timberwolves, and Greg Monroe to the Kings not DeMarcus Cousins who is going to the Warriors. Ok lets stop there with the top 5. Now Wall is a good pick for the Wizards because the experts seem to think he's the one with the most potential in the draft but can Arenas and him really make a good backcourt? It looks like we will find out. Evan Turner makes sense for the 76ers. He will play Shooting Guard and at times will be running the Point Guard position as well. To me I think he is the most NBA ready right now. He could come out and make and impact in the game today. Wesley Johnson has moved up from the 4th pick to the 3rd pick to go to the Nets. Now the new owner of the Nets, Mikhail Prokhorov, said the team will win a NBA Titles within the next 5 years. To me that's why Wesley Johnson moved up because Derrick Favors is a project and Johnson a lot more NBA ready then Favors. Derrick Favors is said to be going 4th now to the Timberwolves which makes sense because Darko Milicic is a free agent and there is talk right now between the Wolves and Grizzlies to trade Al Jefferson for Zach Randolph who contract is up at the end of next season. Now the mock draft has Greg Monroe going to the Kings which i don't think will happen because he is not a true Center so I think the Kings will select DeMarcus Cousins. With that said I think Greg Monroe will be going to Golden State who has pick #6 in this years draft. Monroe is a better fit for them because he can run the floor and pass very good for a big man.

Now the other players in the Lottery starting with the Pistons who have the 7th pick and who will more then likely pick Ed Davis. This will be a good pick for them because its been rumors that Tayshaun Prince may be on the move. The Clippers own the 8th pick and will more then likely go with Gordon Hayward from Butler who can shoot the lights out on any given night. A lot of NBA experts think Hayward is being picked to high but you cant pass up a shooter like him who's 6'8 and can rebound. He will really stretch the floor for guys like Baron Davis and Eric Gordon and also create space in the paint for Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman. Luke Babbitt should go to Utah with the 9th pick. That will be a good addition because we don't know if Kyle Korver will be back. Much like Gordon Hayward, Babbitt can stretch the floor and also make plays for himself and rebound so very good pick for Utah. Pacers own the 10th pick in the draft and Ekpe Udoh just may be there man. A very athletic player who needs some work but could come in and give the Pacers help on the bounds and shot blocking and even scoring. The 11th pick goes to Hornets and it looks like they will select Al-Farouq Aminu. The crazy thing about this was Aminu was once projected to go to Golden State but I think he can fit in with the Hornets. Now I heard some crazy talk about the Hornets taking trade offer for Chris Paul but I think that has died down. Aminu would be a good wing man for Paul on the fast break because he is very athletic. The Grizzlies have the 12th pick and more then likely will select Paul George from Fresno State. You may not know to much about him but he is good athlete who can score around the basketball, very good on the break, rebounds well and plays good defense. The only problem I have with this pick is that he's some what like a O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay but there has been rumor that O.J. Mayo could be traded but who knows. Next is the Toronto Raptors with the 13th pick and it looks like they will draft Avery Bradley from Texas. Really didn't see to much from him last year but people have said he has a high basketball IQ, athletic, can shot the ball well but needs to work on his 3-point shot. This is a pick that I don't think will happen because I think they will try and grab Cole Aldrich because Chris Bosh is move then likely gone. The last team with a Lottery pick this year is the Rockets. Now with the status of Yau Ming would think they will go after a big man and that's right. Cole Aldrich could be the one if the Raptors don't grab him first. Now lets say the Raptors grab Aldrich then I think they will select Patrick Patterson and Larry Sanders who is projected to go 17th to the Bulls.

Well we will have to wait and see its less then 24 hours away now tomorrow on ESPN at 7 Eastern Time don't miss it. Thanks for reading once again today and please go click on the twitter sign at the top of the page and follow me on twitter. Thanks again

Kobe Smaqs Shaq

Q: What did the five championship rings say to Shaq's face?

A: "SMAQ!"

A little backstory on this one:

I admit, I took Shaq's side in the Shaq/Kobe Laker divorce (primarily because he went to play for my MIAMI HEAT and helped deliver our first NBA title.) However, shortly after that championship, HEAT fans discovered what Laker fans already knew: Shaq was lazy and blamed everyone else but himself for any problems the team had. When Shaq left us, he dissed our franchise and the man who practically carried HIM to a 4th ring, Dwyane Wade.

Since then, I've been rooting for Kobe to get more rings than Shaq not because I'm a Kobe guy (his arrogance sickens me sometimes, though I appreciate his dedication to the game), but because I think Shaq is the most lazy, underachieving NBA great to ever play the game.

If The Big Underachiever were serious about winning, he would've put ego aside and owned the late 90's with Penny, and the entire 2000's with Kobe. Bottom line, Shaq should have 14 rings. Instead he just has 4...which is now one less than Kobe.

Anyway, those are my two cents.

Rob

The Impact Of Perkins Injury On Game 7

As I'm sure you know Kendrick Perkins has a torn MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) and PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) which means you wont see him in a Celtic jersey to some time in 2011 I'm almost sure of that but who knows it could be sooner or later. Anyway the Celtics losing there Center is going to have a BIG IMPACT on the last game of the NBA Season. Yeah Perkins doesn't put up big numbers avg. about 6 points and 6 rebounds a game in this series. Its the other things he does like forcing the Lakers to take tough shots around the basket, playing good post defense and taking up space. With Perkins in the game the Celtics guards can gamble for out on the perimeter more because they know if they get beat they have a him back there to force a bad shot. The question that we all are asking Doc Rivers who will start? Its said to be Glen "Big Baby" Davis or Rasheed Wallace. I've listen to a lot of analysts and some day Davis and some say Wallace. With Davis in the Celtics can run more and plus he will bring a lot of energy to the floor. With Wallace he can stretch the floor if he's hitting his jumper, as well play good post defense again the Gasol and Bynum. If I had to pick I would go with Rasheed Wallace just because of his defense. The Celtics can't let the Lakers get a lot of points in the paint or they will be heading back to Boston with out the NBA Titles. What's interesting to me is the Wallace is 6'10 but "Big Baby" has more rebounds then him in this series and we all know so far who ever wins the rebounding battle wins the game. So that's something to think about. Also a lot of people think the Lakers going to dominate inside but don't forget Andrew Bynum is not 100% so with both teams with injured Centers, Celtics hurting in that area more then the Lakers are, the Perkins injury could cancel out if Bynum doesn't have an impact on the game because of his injury. I hope its a good game since it the last game of the 2009-2010 season...........I got the Lakers winning this one but we will see. Thanks for reading and enjoy the game tonight.

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Should John Wall Go #1 In The NBA Draft

A lot of people seem to think that the only lock in this year's NBA Draft is John Wall going 1st to the Washington Wizards and the rest of the Draft is almost up in the air. My thing is should the Wizards select John Wall with the #1 pick? If Gilbert Arenas is coming back next year how is Arenas and Wall going to play in the back court when both are 6-4 ,which I think someone gave them both a few inches on there height.Its do able because remember the Detroit Pistons played the 6-1 Isiah Thomas and 6-3 Joe Dumars together and won back-to-back titles. John Wall is a special player we all know that to me he's much like a Rajon Rondo because of his speed, jumping ability, vision on the floor and lack of a jump shot. I mean face it both are lacking a good jump shot, Rondo more so the Wall. Plus would Arenas want to play the Shooting Guard (SG),I don't think so and can he guard the SGs in the NBA? John Wall may be a special player but if I were the Wizards I would look to Evan Turner, 6'7 he's a combo guard but also needs to work on his jump shot from 3. To me Wall or Turner at the #1 pick for the Washington Wizards would be a good pick but to me more so Turner because you wouldn't have to ask Arenas to slide over to the SG position. I would like to thank everyone for reading this and feel free to leave a comment below.

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Tom Izzo Saying No To Cavs

Tom Izzo turned down the Cleveland Cavaliers off to come coach for them next you. He turned down a 5 year $6 million contact to stay at Michigan State. The Cavs made it hard for Izzo because he would have doubled his pay. I think its really two reasons why Tom Izzo turned down the Cavs off. One is because he doesn't know what LeBron James is going to do, is he coming back of is he headed some where else. Second i mean look at the college coaches in the pass that have gone from college to the NBA, the track record is not to good. I believe other then Larry Brown college coach haven't been successful making that jump. So why leave a place where I'm sure he can coach for another 10 years to go to a place where if he has one or two bad season he can get fired. Now I'm going to throw something out there to you all. I heard that LeBron James was all for Tom Izzo as the Cavs head coach so many think LeBron will be back next year but i also heard that Tom Izzo wanted to talk to LeBron before he decided to take the offer. So does this mean Lebron is out? Well I'll talk about that in a future blog. Thanks for reading once again.

Remember to follow me at twitter.com/AgentEJohnson

NBA Finals Game 6

We all know that game 5 was the most important game of the series because the winner on there just has to win one of the last two games left. But if you really sit back and think about it maybe it wasn't because in the post season the Lakers are 9-1 at home but their only lose was to the Boston Celtics. So I guess if your a Laker fan you would say the Lakers have the upper hand because there back in L.A. and if your a Celtic fan you would say they have the upper hand because they just need one more win and they have already beat the Lakers at the Staples Center.

Keys to the Celtics closing this series out is rebounding, points in the paint, fast-break point, and getting the "Big 3" on track "together". A lot of people would say that game 5 they were on track because all 3 shot 50% or better but Ray Allen still was cold from 3. If they out rebound the Lakers they have a very good chance to win because which ever team won the rebounding battle has won every game in this series. We all know the Celtics are a hard team to beat when they get out and run because that Rondo gets easy baskets for himself and his teammates. The top key to me is points in the paint. They don't have to on scored the Lakers but they have a limit the Lakers and also do some scoring in the paint as well

Keys to the Lakers winning is points in the paint, rebounding, bench players stepping up, Ron Artest playing offense or defense and Kobe on attack mode in the first quarter. Its no real reason why the Lakers cant attack the paint because they have to low post players in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Rebounding as well I think Lamar Odom is going to have to have a double digit rebounding game because he has yet to have one in this series. The Lakers bench has to show up this game its a must because we know the Celtics bench is going to show up. Now they don't have to score a lot of points but they got to hustle and play D and Shannon Brown has to play tonight because he sure didn't last game. RON ARTEST RON ARTEST has yet to show up on offense in this series but he also didn't show up on defense in game 5. I mean if your not going to give anything on offense then he got to be able to play defense again Paul Pierce. The most important thing I think is Kobe Bryant is going to have to come out firing in the 1st quarter. This could be the last game of the year for the Lakers so he has to be on attack mode in the first quarter. He needs more lay-up and med range shots then 3s this game. ATTACK ATTACK KOBE because if he doesn't the Lakers will be starting their fishing trip tomorrow and wont see game 7 in L.A. on Thursday.

Thanks for read and please follow me at Twitter.com/AgentEJohnson

Top 10 Draft Pick For Ty Lawson???

There is rumor that the Denver Nuggets are shopping Ty Lawson and in return they want a top 10 draft pick. Now I'm not a GM or anything of that nature but Ty Lawson really didn't do enough for me to show that his value is that much but he did show some promise. The Nuggets seem to not be looking towards the future and i don't know what there doing in free agency but Chauncey Billups turns 34 this year and Anthony Carter is turning 35. To me it would make sense to keep Ty Lawson he's going to be 23 at the start of the season he showed us that he could run a team. Yeah he had his ups and downs just like any other rookie point guard. I think he has what it takes to run a team and he showed us that his jump shot is coming around. He shot 51% from the field and 41% from 3. I think to trade him for a draft pick wouldn't be smart because really John Wall is the only point guard selected as a Lottery Pick. I think you and i both know that the Wizards or any other team, would give that pick up for Ty Lawson. With the 8Th highest play roll in the NBA and even if they have 5 players to resign, 1 player with a team option and another with a player option, Kenyon Martin who i don't think would have a home anywhere else other then Denver. So i don't see them getting a good or great point guard in free agency. Well thanks for reading feel free to leave a comment and make sure to follow at Twitter.com/AgentEJohnson

President Obama: Butt-Kicker-In-Chief

If people don't see this from the President, they're not entertained. And Americans LOVE to be entertained! Personally, I think Presidential butt-kickings would make for great television.

Happy to entertain you,

Rob