Boston Celtics - Time has ticked out for Darius Miles as he was cut by the Celtics today. Miles' chances of playing in the NBA again seem to be slimmer than ever. The champagne corks you heard pop came from Portland, seeing as Miles
won't negatively impact their salary cap.
New York Knicks - Is Duhon the answer? The Knicks seem pretty pleased with the work that, newly acquired point guard, Chris Duhon is doing and they may even be considering making him one of the captains of their squad. That either says a lot about Duhon or a lot about the Knicks. With that said, the Knicks are going to give Stephon Marbury a chance at starting tonight against the Celtics.
Denver Nuggets - With the injury to Steven Hunter, keeping Juwan Howard may be very important to the Nuggets. Howard hasn't played much during the preseason and didn't get any run last night. His saving grace may be that he's 6'9" and has more than a pulse left in his body. (Note to self - have tall kids, somehow, someway).
Golden State Warriors - Who would have thunk it? Former Duke Blue Devil,
DeMarcus Nelson, has impressed during training camp and may end up making the team. The big disappointment has been Marcus Williams' play. He hasn't caught on as quick as most would have hoped and really isn't showing that he can run the show with the absence of Baron Davis (trade) and Monta Ellis (injury) being out. Things don't get any better with the waiving of Dan Dickau either.
Minnesota Timberwolves - I thought the NFL meant 'Not For Long', but David Harrison may not be a Timberwolve for long. Harrison signed with the Timberwolves about two weeks ago, but now they have 18 players under contract with the deadline of October 27, 5pm looming (that's the cut day to get your roster to 15 players). Calvin Booth could be bought out (he has a $1.14M contract) and then it'll come down to Kevin Ollie, Blake Ahearn, or Harrison. Harrison, in my estimation will make the cut, because you can't teach size.
Utah Jazz - The MRI on Deron Williams ailing ankle didn't reveal any significant damage. That loud sigh you heard was
Kevin O'Connor. The Jazz may want to keep Williams off that ankle until the real season starts so that they have a chance in the West this year. For now, Williams will be out for 2 weeks. No Deron, means no shot.
Detroit Pistons - Jason Maxiell has left the 3 year $15M deal on the table and will play out the season, but become an unrestricted free agent at the years end. This may come back to haunt the Pistons because they can't afford to let this guy go. They already lost some of their depth with Theo Ratliff returning to the Sixers and Sheik Samb showing that he isn't quite ready yet.
New York Knicks - Danilo Gallinari is still out with a hurting back and it's not looking good. He won't accompany the team on their 2 day roady and is being checked again. Surgery may be a necessity for Gallinari and that will really suck for Knicks fans.
Golden State Warriors - Another hurting back. In his quest to get traded, Al Harrington gets hurt. His back is killing him he's been given bed rest for two weeks. This doesn't bode well for him getting out of town any time soon.
Detroit Pistons - With the addition of AI, the most important player in Detroit now becomes, Tayshaun Prince. Prince will have to play, ala Scottie Pippen, as the point forward for the Pistons. This team should play well with Iverson, unless you agree with one of my guys who says this was the worst trade that the Pistons could have ever made.
Los Angeles Clippers - Next one out the door could be, Chris Kaman or Cuttino Mobley. The Clippers seem to happy with the addition of Marcus Camby to their team, but that means that someone has to go. Kaman plays the same position and is owed $43M, but Mobley has a more reasonable salary that can be traded (around $8M - $9M a year). Look for the Clips to make a move to turn around their 1-6 start.
Antonio McDyess - After being waived by Denver after the AI trade, McDyess is still looking for a team. Right now he has his pick of several, including the Pistons and the Celtics. Signs are pointing that he'll head back to Detroit, but I think he can be lured to a team with a chance to win the title this year. (Danny Ferry, get this guys' number now!!!).
Juwan Howard - Another free agent right now with some upside is sitting and waiting for the right opportunity. Seems like everyone caught on to the PJ Brown Way To Winning a Ring. Juwan is still a good big man that can score and play some defense. I would think that he'd be a good fit with the same teams that would pursue McDyess.
