Real estate brokers rejoice, a few millionaires may soon be house-hunting

You would assume that making millions of dollars and playing a game for a living would be more than enough to keep a man happy, but you’d of course be wrong. When we go to sleep later tonight, our dreams will be the life that NBA players live on a daily basis. Still, it’s not enough for them to remain content. For whatever reason – be it lack of success, perceived disrespect, communication breakdowns or general lack of drive – there are quite a few NBA players, some marquee names and others not so much, that could soon be on the next ship to tradesville.

Perennial All-Star Jermaine O’Neal has heard his name in trades for nearly two years, and neither he nor his boss Larry Bird make it a secret that a trade may be welcome. Earlier this year Bird essentially said that the Pacers will soon go young with Danny Granger and Shawne Williams as the franchise centerpieces, leaving current face of the franchise JO out of the conversation. Now O’Neal is saying, once again, that a trade out of Indiana might not be such as bad idea."If that situation presents itself, then that's what it is. I told those guys this summer that if you feel like you need a situation that you can better this team, I'm all for it because they've given me the opportunity to really achieve some of the things that I wanted to achieve and also establish my name,” O’Neal told the Boston Globe. The Pacers at 3-5 should make the move already and get more solid playing time for young players like the aforementioned Williams.

Next up is Smush Parker. It’s not as though Headbanded Marauder is eager to leave town, but management (ie. Pat Riley) has seen enough of this no game, pseudo NBAer. Parker never should have been a starting point guard in the NBA and really only got his shot at the league because the Lakers were desperate for a point man. Riley wants to trade Parker, but another GM would have to be pretty stupid to give up anything for his services. So, the Heat may have to release Parker outright. The Smush era in the NBA may thankfully be coming to an end.

Antoine Walker is felling lost and alone. Unloved, and like a stranger in a strange land. “What is this place they call Minne-sotta?” he may be apt to ask. Walker wants to leave the Timberwolves, so he can feel alive and cared for. "I don't know what I'm doing, I have no idea what my role is," Employee number eight told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "I wish somebody would come tell me. ... I don't know what I'm doing [in Minnesota]." The better question Antoine is what are you still doing in the NBA?

We told you about the whole Stephen Marbury saga, one which could very well end with Marbury and the Knicks winning the daytime Emmy in the best soap opera/drama category. Marbury returned and played, and even managed to score 13 points. But, the reality is that Steph is just going through the motions, the Knicks are calling around to other teams to find a good deal and this marriage is over.

Not sure whether it’s wishful thinking or actual recon evidence, but Detroit-based radio station 1270AM is reporting that if Kobe Bryant hadn’t used the no-trade clause in his contract and vetoed the deal he would be wearing a Pistons jersey and Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and a future first round draft pick would be wearing purple and gold. We tend to think that it’s all wishful thinking, but maybe, just maybe, 1270 AM has a really good recon team. Whatever the case, Kobe leaving Laker-land is still a very real possibility.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer seems to think that Eric Snow, once he returns from injury, will be packaged in a FedEx box and shipped out of town. With the emergence of Daniel Gibson, and the perpetually underachieving Larry Hughes available for spot point guard duty, the 86-year-old Snow has become expendable.

And now, some positive news. Golden State Warriors guard Baron Davis has the option of opting out of his current contract at the end of this season. But, while he is disappointed that the Warriors haven’t given him a new contract yet, he doesn’t think he’ll leave the Bay Area even if he becomes a free agent. "I don't think so," Davis told The Sacramento Bee. "I don't think [opting out] is going to be an issue. I've got two years. Opting out, I'll figure it out when the season's over, but I doubt it." Rejoice Warriors fans. Perhaps this bit of news will help you forget that your team is currently 0-6 and kind of suck…or not.

2007-2008 NBA season predictions

Remember those high school yearbook predictions about which of your friends were “most likely to succeed”, or “most likely to be living in a van down by the river”? Remember those? Yeah, so do we. Reminiscing about the high-school days got us thinking, though. What if we looked at the upcoming 2007/2008 NBA season like it was one big high school cafeteria? You’ve got the popular kids like Iverson and LeBron. You’ve got your perfectionist loners like Kobe, entirely too focused to make any friends. Then you’ve got the foreign kids like Yao Ming and Manu Ginobili – still learning their place, but good at heart. And, of course, who can forget the nerds? See Tim Duncan, awkward, yet brilliant.

So, what would a season preview be like if we looked at the coming NBA campaign as if all of the NBA stars were enrolled in David Stern High School? Who (what team) would be the most likely to succeed (or win a championship)? Which student (read player) is most likely to become president (or league MVP)? Who is most likely to change (or improve)? All good questions, which demand good answers.

So without further adieu, we present our somewhat unconventional look at the 2007/2008 NBA season.

Let’s start with the team predictions.

“Most likely to succeed” – Phoenix Suns. Bad calls won’t stop the Suns from winning the championship this season. If Steve Nash and Grant Hill can stay healthy going into the playoffs, the Suns will overpower their opponents with their precision passing, unselfish play and lights-out shooting. We generally believe that defense wins championships, but no other team is good enough defensively themselves to slow down this Suns team. Phoenix will take home the championship this year.

“Most likely to fail” – Minnesota Timberwolves. Don’t get us wrong, for his age the kid can play. But when Al Jefferson is your best scoring option, your team has some serious issues. Kevin McHale wants to rebuild, but he’ll be starting from ground zero. George Mikan must be turning over in his grave. The T’Wolves will end up as the worst team in the league.

“Most likely to be a surprise success” – Portland Trailblazers. Too bad for them the Blazers are on the West Coast, because in the East, even without injured super rook Greg Oden, this squad could challenge for a playoff spot. Look for Brandon Roy, Martell Webster and Lamarcus Aldridge to form a formidable young trio, and watch the Blazers play with a lot of passion, hustle and heart. The Blazers will be the year’s biggest surprise.

“Most likely to go from the lottery to the playoffs” – New Orleans Hornets. Their three biggest stars, Peja Stojakovic, Chris Paul and David West each missed a good chunk of time at various points during the season last year, yet the Hornets finished only 3 games back of the final playoff spot. The rise of the Hornets will be complete in 2008, as coach Byron Scott has enough talent to lead this team into the playoffs.

“Most likely to get their coach fired” – New York Knicks. The Knicks have reloaded as only the Knicks can, bringing in even more headaches to an already migraine-inducing roster. Owner James Dolan was on the cusp of firing Coach Isiah Thomas last year, so even the smallest hiccup at MSG could see the end of “Zeke’s” tenure as a NBA coach.

Now on to the individual player predictions.

“Most likely to succeed” – LeBron James. With the status of consistent contributors Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic in limbo, LeBron James will be asked to do a lot more in order to keep the Cavaliers in top form. Expect LeBron to step up his game, lead the Cavs to the playoffs yet again, and take home his first season MVP trophy.

“Freshman of the year” – Kevin Durant. This one is a no-brainer. Durant is the most talented of the 2007/2008 rookie class, is in a perfect situation where he’ll be counted on to score a lot of points and is the ROY favorite going into the season. The odds are seriously stacked against other rookies like Al Horford and Mike Conley, Jr. Even if #1 pick Greg Oden didn’t get hurt, Durant would probably still take home the ROY hardware.

“Most likely to be a surprise success” – Danny Granger. The third season is usually the break-out year for most NBA youngsters, and Granger is in for the biggest break-out of all. The Pacers forward, who averaged 14 points and nearly 5 boards a game will take over as the legitimate second option behind Jermaine O’Neal. And with JO likely to miss his share of games, or possibly get traded, Granger is in line for some serious improvement in 2007/2008.

“Most defensive” – Emeka Okafor. If he can stay healthy, Okafor could easily lead the league in blocked shots. Wing players hardly ever win this award, so players like Gerald Wallace, Raja Bell and Bruce Bowen probably won’t get much consideration, and with Ben Wallace on the downside of his career Okafor is ready to step in and claim the best defensive player label.

“Most likely to move” – Jermaine O’Neal. While the Kobe Bryant trade rumors dominate the conversation and probably will do so until he is dealt at some point, the all-star most likely to be moved before the February trade deadline is the Pacers own Jermaine O’Neal. JO has a massive contract, nearing $20 million per season, and injury concerns, but team president Larry Bird is chomping at the bit to get the youth movement started asap – meaning Granger and Shawne Williams could soon take JO’s place as the face of the Indiana Pacers. Bird will likely find a suitor among one of the Eastern conference competitors looking to keep pace with the new-look Celtics.

Those are our capsule predictions of the upcoming NBA season. Now, let the games begin.

Does Jermaine O'Neal factor into the Pacers future?

Unless you’ve been on sabbatical somewhere remote, you’ve proably been barraged recently with news on Utah Jazz Andrei Kirilenko, Phoenix Sun Shawn Marion and Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, and their varying levels of unhappiness. The Jazz are pulling out all the stops, including bringing in former player Jeff Hornacek as a temporary shooting coach and mentor, to appease Kirilenko and get him to back off his trade demands. The Suns are putting on their best poker face and calling Marion’s bluff with seemingly no intentions of trading the disgruntled star – team leader Steve Nash welcomed Marion back and chalked up his pre-training camp trade demands to summer frustration. And, Kobe and Lakers management seem to be the best of pals, at least for now [see story below].

But the status of another NBA all-star, whose name hasn’t been as ubiquitous recently, seems to be very much up in the air. Earlier this summer, Jermaine O’Neal made some waves in the NBA universe by announcing his love for all things LA, saying that he wouldn’t mind playing alongside Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. A few days later, he backtracked on those comments, blaming a reporter for taking his words out of context. Whether that was the case or not, Jermaine O’Neal’s future with the Indiana Pacers is cloudy at best.

Listening to a recent interview on the radio station Sports Talk 980 in Washington DC with Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird, it was noticeably clear that Jermaine O’Neal doesn’t figure into the the Pacer’s plans for much longer. When asked about the future of Pacers and how Bird has gone about instilling loyalty and commitment from his players, Larry’s response seemed to make it clear that he doesn’t see O’Neal as a core of the team going forward.

“We’ve got some young players here like Danny Granger and Shawne Williams who are very talented, and I think in the future they’ll take over the team,” Bird said. “Right now they want to be here, they work hard every day and they put in the extra work. I think in the future these young men could step up and be the type of player that we can build something around, be glad of the players they have around them and take this franchise forward.”

Last we checked, Jermaine O’Neal is 29 years old and in the prime of his playing career. Sure, he has had to deal with injuries the last couple of seasons, but had been the face of the franchise since the retirement of one Reggie Miller. Seems odd that JO is left out of the conversation when discussing the future of the Pacers and moving the franchise forward.

Bird continued, later in the interview, with some more comments that indirectly weren’t too kind to his starting power forward/center. “If I could go out and get a big man right now, I would go get him over anybody,” Bird said, when asked about the importance of the post game. “Because, I think that’s the key to winning. You gotta have a guy down in the post where you can pound it inside, get fouls, get the other team into the penalty and keep the pressure on the defense.”

Again, doesn’t Jermaine O’Neal play that post position for the Pacers? The guy has been averaging essentially 20 and 10, with 2 blocks a game since the 2000-2001 season. Doesn’t that count as the post presence that Larry bird is looking for? Maybe Bird was thinking more along the lines of someone like Lakers center Andrew Bynum. Hmm.

2008: The summer of all-stars

With Kobe Bryant going bi-polar, Tim Donaghy likely going away to jail for a long time and Kevin Garnett going “green”, the summer of 2007 was certainly eventful in the world of the NBA. But, if you thought the happenings of this summer were exciting or newsworthy, you might need to take a seat before reading the names of high-profile NBA players who could potentially become free agents when summer 2008 rolls around. The list reads like a who’s who of NBA all-stars, with Mr. points-per-minute Gilbert Arenas leading the pack.

Granted, some of the players listed below will likely re-sign with their respective teams (see Tim Duncan) and some, like Marion and O’Neal may be traded during the 2007 season, but all of the following players carry the dreaded ETO moniker next to their names. ETO, or early termination option, allows a player to opt out of the remaining years of his contract, meaning if they so chose each of these stars could become unrestricted free agents during the summer of 2008.

Point Guards: Allen Iverson, Baron Davis, Stephon Marbury, Gilbert Arenas
Shooting Guards: Corey Maggette
Small Forwards: Ron Artest, Antawn Jamison
Power Forwards: Elton Brand, Shawn Marion, Tim Duncan
Centers: Jermaine O’Neal

Other unrestricted free agents next summer include:

Sam Cassell, Kwame Brown, Maurice Evans, Stromile Swift, Jason Williams, Ricky Davis, Juwan Howard, Bruce Bowen

Oh, in case you were wondering, the self-labeled "Black Mamba" can’t opt out of his contract until the end of the 2008-2009 season. So, he’s stuck with the Lakers, whether he likes it or not, for at least 2 more seasons.

Jermaine O'Neal fakes amensia

Indiana Pacers star Jermaine O’Neal backtracked today on comments that he made over the weekend on his desire to play alongside Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers. Even his agent, Arn Tellum, felt compelled to step in and unequivocally deny that his client even thought about a move out of Indiana. (I guess Sports Illustrated and ESPN reporters cheated off each other to come up with O’Neal’s quotes on his desire to leave Indianapolis).

There is definitely something happening behind the scenes. Whey would O’Neal’s agent feel compelled to vehemently deny his client’s wishes to be traded, a mere day after O’Neal himself voiced in every which way his desire to play for the Lakers? There are two possibilities 1) O’Neal is hoping to get an extension from the Pacers after his contract expires in 2 years or 2) O’Neal wants out. It certainly isn’t the 1st option, since O’Neal even went as far as to say that even if he isn’t traded this summer or before the deadline, he would probably opt out at the end of this 2007-2008 campaign and seek greener pastures.

The clear analysis then is that O’Neal’s agent is in full damage-control mode and is attempting to keep on-going negotiations under wraps, while at the same time trying his best to protect the Lakers’ interests – because if the feelings of longing between O’Neal and the Lakers is mutual and public, Larry Bird will have no option but to attempt to fleece Lakers GM Kup-cake for all that he is worth. It will be increasingly difficult for Bird and his Lakers counterparts to pull off a fair trade.

So, will the trade happen this summer or even during the season? Only the Lakers, Pacers, O’Neal and his agent know for sure. But, all signs point to a strong possibility.

Jermaine O'Neal loves LA

While Kobe takes a vow of silence the likes of which has not been seen since this guy, Jermaine O’Neal continues to tell everyone who will listen (in this case SI.com) about his dream job, playing Center for your 2007-2008 Los Angeles Lakers. In LA for a charity basketball game O’Neal said:

"I would welcome a trade to the Lakers. Indiana has given me the opportunity to establish myself as a really good player in this league, but they're into rebuilding and going really young, and I'm just not in a position physically to go through another five to six years with a lot of losses and a lot of down time."

Pacer’s GM, the legendary Larry Bird responded quickly, but he said just about nothing. His canned GM response was:

“In response to Jermaine O’Neal’s published comments today regarding a trade, we have stated repeatedly that if we can make our team better through a trade, we will do so. Jermaine has become an All-Star player with the Indiana Pacers and in any discussions regarding him or any of our other players, the expectations for the franchise and our fans is to receive fair market value in return if a trade is to be considered. Jermaine has worked out very hard this summer while rehabilitating his knee after surgery. We believe under Jim O’Brien that our team as a whole and Jermaine as a player can be successful. You never know what will happen, but for now Jermaine is an Indiana Pacer.”

What insight! Not that we were expecting Larry Legend to throw his hands up in frustration, publicly give out his cell phone number for anyone interested and go on Larry King to invite NBA, NBDL, CBA and Euro-League GMs to put in early bids for his highly talented, and oft-injured, forward.

Bottom line on the rumors: They mean nothing unless Mitch Kup-cake stops being a lamb and decides to give some direction to this wayward Lakers roster. The last time I checked the Pacers had Travis Deiner and Jamaal Tinsley at point guard – neither of whom are world beaters by any means. Would the Pacers be interested in a talented and athletic, yet somewhat turnover-prone, rookie point guard with solid potential such as Jarvis Crittenden? We know that they’re already enthralled with the kid from Piscataway, New Jersey. It’s time for Kup-cake to play “let’s make a deal” and come out on the winning end for the first time during his ill-fated tenure as Lakers GM. Time for Kup-cake to exorcise the demons of GM Jerry West and put his stamp on this Lakers team.