Update on August 18, 2008: LOL. Never mind my last comment. It looks like Zee just logged in and updated the blog entry with his comments (see below). Maybe calling him out on the blog is the best way to get him to update.
1) Golden State Warriors sign Ronny Turiaf to a 4-year $17 million contract
Kay: While I think Turiaf is a bit overpaid, he'll be a welcome addition to the Warriors roster, who desperately need some toughness and energy down low. He should form a potent duo with Biedrins on the defensive end, and will allow Nelson to play a traditional starting lineup, if he wants to.
Zee: This move was done out of desperation. You can't help but feel that the Warrior's front office felt they had to made a signing, ANY signing to show that they were trying to make the current team solid in the offseason, especially after Baron bolted for the Clippers. Granted, Turiaf has been a Warrior killer during his tenure with the Lakers but, they really overpaid for this guy. The life without Kobe era begins for Mr. Turiaf.
2) New Jersey Nets trade their $3.3 million trade exception to the Orlando Magic for Keyon Dooling, who was recently resigned to a 2-year, $6.8 million contract
Kay: Orlando didn't want to pay Keyon that much money. Meanwhile, New Jersey wanted a veteran backup PG for Devin Harris. He's a solid defender and shooter and is one of many new players that will be joining New Jersey. Note that his contract expires in 2010, when they will make a run at either Lebron or Wade. This trade also allows them to make the below trade, and acquire a future draft pick from Golden State.
Zee: I have no idea what Orlando's front office is doing. They need all the help they can get at PG and they let one of the semi-decent ones go, and don't make a move to replace him. Also, they let Carlos Arroyo sign with a international ball club as well. New Jersey looks like they know something the rest of the league and it's fans don't. Seriously, if they set things up just right, and get a major signing....wow. The question remains, do they go for the mega star signing? Or take the chance on two lower tier stars?
3) New Jersey trade Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future 1st round draft pick
Kay: This is a great move for both teams. With the acquisition of Keyon Dooling, Marcus Williams becomes expendable for New Jersey. They weren't impressed with his overall play, and were ready to move on. Meanwhile, Golden State gets a young PG with potential, and fills a gaping hole. He'll get a chance to grow with Golden State, rather than being stuck on the bench in New Jersey. This allows Monta Ellis to move back to SG.
Zee: This one fell into GS's lap. Warrior's GM Chris Mullin was having a horrible offseason and then like a domino effect from hell, he manages to pick up some decent pieces for his team. Williams has a lot to prove, going from the role of heir-apparent to Jason Kidd, and now reduced to trade fodder. Suffice to say, this probably has put him in a me against the world mentality, and for once I'm actually interested in seeing the Warriors play this season. His ability to share the rock will be key in a fast tempo offense where distribution is heavily relied upon. If this kid can make it work with the Warriors and get the fans to forget about Mr. Davis, he'll have it made.
4) Phoenix Suns sign Matt Barnes to a 1-year deal for the league minimum of $926,678
Kay: Wow! I'm shocked that no other team was willing to pay Matt Barnes more money. Boston should have thrown some coin at this guy. He'll be a great fit on Phoenix, and could supplant Grant Hill at the SF position. He's a feisty defender and rebounder, can hit the outside shot, and is a great team player.
Zee: Very good pick-up by a aging Suns team. Hopefully he'll play with the same chip on his shoulder that he had coming into Golden State when he was spurned by Mo Cheeks in Philly. And hopefully, he'll drop 50 on the Warriors when they play this season. Take that Nelly!!!! Lol.
5) Utah Jazz trades Jason Hart to the Los Angeles Clippers for Brevin Knight
Kay: Utah gets a veteran backup for Deron Williams. While Brevin Knight is injury prone, just a couple years ago he averaged 8.8 APG and 2.3 SPG as the starter for Charlotte. He's got game. And could be a nice spark off of the bench. Jason Hart, meanwhile, is a solid 3rd string PG. Nothing special.
Zee: Hart is garbage, was overrated coming out of Syracuse, ditto for Knight coming out of Stanford. They both stink, and I'd be suprised if they make it through the regular season on the same roster.
6) Denver Nuggets trade Taurean Green, Bobby Jones and a future second round draft pick to the New York Knicks for Renaldo Balkman
Kay: The Balkman experiment is over in NY, which was one of many horrible move by Isiah Thomas. The Knicks clear up some cap space and waive both players they received in the trade. Meanwhile, the Nuggets get a nice role player who will shore up their weakened frontcourt. When (not if) Kenyon Martin or Nene gets injured, he could get heavy minutes.
Zee: See my last comment, and move the names and colleges around a bit.
7) Los Angeles Clippers sign Ricky Davis to a 2-year $4.7 million contract
Kay: Yet another move by the surprisingly active Clippers. I have mixed feelings over this trade. On one side, Ricky Davis is a solid scorer that will solidify the Clippers SG/SF position. But on the other side, it's Ricky Davis. He's a cancer in the locker room. He's selfish and turnover prone. It'll be interesting to see how this drama unfolds in the city of Los Angeles.
Zee: Kay, how long until Baron and Ricky fight over touches and shots? I say 3 weeks into the season. Also, what are the odds he and Baron mistakenly wear each others jerseys?
8) Phileadelphia 76ers sign Kareem rush to an undisclosed contract.
Kay: Hah! In my previous entry, I was talking about how the 76ers needed a shooter desperately, and they sign a great one in Rush. He'll be a key component in the 76ers playoff run, as he'll get a ton of open shots because of Brand. I'm only disappointed that the Rush brothers won't get a chance to play together in Indiana. Has any brother duo ever played together?
Zee: The sixers look serious, and I hope they give the eastern conference a much needed infusion of youth that the west has had for many seasons. It's a stretch, but I'd compare this move to the move that Utah made in prying Korver away from Philly. Now Philly has another deadeye 3PT shooter on their roster. The season can't start soon enough.
9) Atlanta Hawks sign Maurice Evans signs to a 3-year $7.5 million contract
Kay: A very solid pickup. He'll fill the 6th man role that Childress had previously. He's a good defender, can slash and shoot from outside. And he came at a very affordable price. He could put up solid numbers if given ample playing time.
Zee: Mo was supposed to sign with the Warriors, but instead held out for more money and ended up signing with the Hawks?!?! This guy deserves the horrible season the Hawks are about to have. Enjoy the strip clubs and waffle houses in ATL Mo.
10) Detriot Pistons sign Kwame Brown to a 2-year $8 million contract
Kay: Wow. I'm not sure what to say about this trade. It seems like they overpaid for Kwame's services. But he will provide them an extra body in the middle, and is an underrated defender. This isn't exactly the big move that Detriot fans were waiting for, but it looks like the Pistons will get another chance to win a title with their core unit, before they are broken up.
Zee: Fearless prediction: KWAME (spell his name in all caps now, and only use his first name) will beast out in the upcoming season as he will face a sever punking by the ruffians on the Pistons squad if he does not produce. Heck, Piston's GM Joe Dumars will probably lay the smack down on KWAME if he can't put it together this season.
11) Cleveland Cavs sign Tarence Kinsey to an undisclosed contract
Kay: Unless you play Fantasy Basketball, you probably have no idea who Kinsey is. But a couple years ago after Mike Miller was injured, Kinsey stepped in and averaged like 19PPG during the last month of the season. He has potential, but was never give the playing time. Will he get a chance to prove himself in Cleveland? He could step in and play minutes at SG/SF.
Zee: Umm... will he be on your fantasy team's roster this season Kay?
12) Los Angeles Clippers sign Jason Williams to an undisclosed contract
Kay: Yet another move by the Clippers. I'm not sure if they'll make the playoffs, but they should be exciting to watch. Jason Williams and Baron Davis should form the most exciting PG duo in the league. He's an underrated talent who should provide a nice spark off the bench for this eclectic team.
Zee: I hope we get the Sacramento era J-Will and he and B-diddy just go showtime all over these teams in the Western Conference. They'll leaad the league in turnovers but who cares?!?! And it's not like Dunleavy is going to bench them. Ahh to be at Clippers practices. The dimes that are going to be thrown, OH THE DIMES!!!!!! Side-note: Pretty Ricky and J-Will...reunited and it feels so GOOD!!!!
13) Cleveland Cavs trades Damon Jones and Joe Smith to Milwaukee Bucks for Mo Williams, and Oklahoma City Thunder trade Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to the Milwaukee Bucks for Joe Smith and Desmond Mason.
Kay: That's quite a mouthfull. The big winner looks like Cleveland, who finally gets a second banana for Lebron James. Mo and Lebron should form a potent duo. The Bucks get Luke Ridnour who will compete for the starting PG role with Ramon Sessions, and could return to form this year. The other players included in the trade, IMO, won't have too much of an impact next year. Though Desmond Mason is a solid role player.
Zee: Michael Redd turned down the Cavs offer when he was a free agent a few years back, that would've sent him to his hometown, where he's worshipped after he and Scoonie Penn (Scoonie Penn, look him up. The boy was NICE) tooled on the NCAA comp years back. Now, he's losing the second best player on his train wreck of a team, and he's getting a big mouth, no talent chucker in return, oh and the agless wonder Joe Smith. Can you imagine how those Team USA practices are going now that this trade has gone down? Desmond, have fun in Oklahoma!!!
14) Atlanta Hawks sign Flip Murray to a 2-year $5 million contract
Kay: Flip Murray will serve as a backup to both the SG and PG positions, and help solidify the bench for the Atlanta team. He can score in bunches, and will provide a nice change-of-pace off of their bench. I like both the acquisitions of Murray and Evans. They need to solidify their frontcourt to compete.
Zee: Flip, who was nicknamed after the character in the movie Above the Rim (R.I.P. Bernie Mac) will be in a position to provide lots of scoring. Mike Woodson is a punk and I'm sure he can dictate how many minutes he wants. A sleeper in fantasy leagues if he can get steady minutes.
15) Sacramento Kings trade Ron Artest, Sean singletary and Patrick Ewing Jr to the Houston Rockets for Bobby Jackson, Donte Greene and a first-round pick.
Kay: Wow. Houston looks like it got the better end of this trade, as their team is now stacked. They have crazy depth and should challenge for the title, assuming that Artest does not self implode. They just need everyone to stay healthy (I'm looking at Yao and McGrady). Meanwhile, the Kings free up playing time for their young players and get a solid rookie in Donte Green, who exploded for 40+ points in a summer league game.
Zee: This will be a disaster for both teams. Mark my words. When the gentle giant Yao Ming speaks out about a recent add on to the team and he's in another country, you know things aren't gonna go well. Lake show will CRUSH them when they meet this season. And if you hadn't guessed, I'm a little bitter the Lakers front office didnt make a move on Artest in the offseason. And Patrick Ewing Jr???? Tell me his dad isn't calling in some favors. I dare you.
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