Points in the Paint

» June 26, 2009 6:49 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Brian Kamenetzky on Kobe Bryant’s early termination option: “To terminate and re-up now would give the team cost certainty going forward, the sort of predictability that makes it easier to maneuver. A 10% discount would mean about $13.5 million, give or take, worth about $27 to Dr. Buss because of the dollar-for-dollar tax penalty. That would still leave Kobe with $121.5 million dollars guaranteed, or an average of $24.5 million a season over the life of (what is widely assumed to be) a five year deal. A 15% discount, worth about $20.5 million in real dollars and $41 million in luxury tax savings to the Lakers, leaves Bryant earning nearly $115 million over the next half decade. These are still extraordinary amounts of money, and doesn’t get into any endorsement income the guy makes. Call me un-American, but as I mentioned earlier, the notion of real, painful sacrifice here is tough to wrap my head around. Kobe wants Ariza, Odom, and Brown back, but has said it’s management’s responsibility, not his, to figure out how to keep the team together. That’s true on the literal, but not practical, level. Assuming Kobe realizes that there is a ceiling to LA’s payroll, he must too realize that every dollar not spent on him can be put towards another player, whether this summer or beyond (at some point, the Lakers might need to add a piece, right?).”

Tim Kawakami: “The Warriors still are chasing Stoudemire, I don’t think there’s any question about that. But the Warriors apparently were given a chance to talk contract with Stoudemire–at least just to explore the parameters before giving up multiple players to acquire him–and no deal was clinched. And the Suns believe they have the framework of a deal to send Amare to the Warriors. (Biedrins, Belinelli, Wright and then it’s extra negotiations for what else.) But that understanding almost certainly included the rights to Stephen Curry, and the Warriors seem to be hardline–at this moment–about keeping Curry.” Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic has more on the Curry situation.

GM David Kahn pens an open letter to the T-Wolves faithful: “I purposely selected Ricky with the fifth pick, not the sixth, to help with his buyout situation. Ricky and his family have taken a very bold step to enter the NBA despite having two years remaining on his contract with his Spanish team. I know that they would have preferred that we try to move to the second or third pick to take him, and I respect their wishes, but my belief was that we need during these next 15 months to acquire multiple pieces to make this a championship-contending team over the next three-to-four years. The price for moving to No. 2 or 3 was far too steep. Ricky is a proven professional who played against the USA in the Gold Medal game in the Beijing Olympics. He is a virtuoso, a rare player who may well be unique. I have long believed that he has the chance to become one of basketball’s brightest stars. You’ve seen the highlights — he is like an orchestra conductor with the basketball. He will be our starting point guard here the moment he walks through our front door. We may have to wait a year, or even two, but he is worth the wait. We must be patient.”

Henry Abbott: “I have talked to sources in several NBA front offices — and elsewhere — who are knowledgeable of the situation. Want to know how many of them buy Kahn’s reasoning? None. Not one believes it even a little bit.”

DallasBasketball.com crunches the numbers to determine Rubio’s rookie salary minus his buyout with DKV Joventut. Hint: It ain’t much.

Mike D’Antoni on Rubio’s ceiling: “The only thing I know is that age 17 he is starting on a gold medal game in the Olympics, and he’s starting against Jason Kidd, he plays against Chris Paul, and they come over and say, ‘Hey, coach, this guy’s for real.’ That’s all I know. That’s a pretty good thing to know.”

Nets Daily: “After yesterday’s trade and last night’s draft pick, the New Jersey Nets are back where they were in 2000, a mismanaged operation that is a joke to its fans and the larger NBA universe. It’s traded away its stars. It plays in the worst venue in the NBA, if not professional sports. Its fan base is shrinking and its move to Brooklyn questionable at best. Its respected basketball managers spend most of their time making excuses for an owner who is increasingly unavailable and when he does speak says little anyone believes. There is no longer trust between those who are most passionate about the team and those who own and manage it. And quite frankly, it’s not going to get better any time soon. In fact, it is likely to get worse. It’s hard to root for the New Jersey Nets…or if you prefer, the Brooklyn Nets or the New York Nets. It would be best for those running the team to say what the reality is: the decisions that have been made the last year and a half have made to save money. If the team got anything in return, it was a bonus. And the decision to dump Vince Carter along with other recent decisions was not made in the Nets’ corporate offices in East Rutherford or even Forest City Ratner’s offices in Brooklyn. It was most likely made in Cleveland, home of Forest City Enterprises, which assumes 54% of the team’s ever increasing losses and has seen its stock lose 75% of its value. Not good numbers.”

Celtics coach Doc Rivers on the Shaq trade, as reported by Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: “‘I think they’ve improved. Shaq’s a monster. The one thing I don’t want to do is get into a weightlifting contest with Cleveland, because they’re going to win with LeBron (James) and Shaq. They added a low post scorer and a terrific passer in Shaq. He’s a dominant player at times, and they have the most dominant player in the game playing next to him. I mean, they’ve absolutely improved their team. But that doesn’t change anything for us at all. We can make the case that just because they’ve improved their team doesn’t mean they’ve improved it playing against us. I always look at how teams match up against us; not how well they play against everybody else. And the Shaq thing may open it up for Ray (Allen). Whenever Ray came off of screens, the bigs were mobile enough to go out and trap. We’ve guarded them pretty well. That hasn’t been an issue. Us scoring against them has been difficult because they don’t guard (Rajon) Rondo and they trap Ray. Now it’ll be interesting how they do that.’”

Danny Ainge with a Kevin Garnett update: “Right after the surgery – I mean three days after the surgery – a smile on his face, he can bend his knee all the way. He can straighten it out all the way. He just went back to the West Coast the other day. Before he left, I saw him doing full weight workouts. He was doing squats – one-legged squats, two-legged squats – he was doing most of his whole routine again. His spirit is returned: his enthusiasm for the upcoming season, his hope.” (H/T: Red’s Army)

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