Points in the Paint

» July 9, 2009 5:59 PM | By Brandon Hoffman

Eric Pincus of HOOPSWORLD: “‘We’ve always tried to make good basketball/business decisions. You know [team owner] Dr. Buss, this is what he does. He doesn’t have a software company. He doesn’t own a manufacturing company,’ said Kupchak. ‘He owns the Lakers and this is his life . . . and I think that’s good because it forces him to pay close attention to gather information so he can make good decisions.’ With the league projecting that the luxury tax threshold will drop significantly next season, the Lakers are looking at consecutive years of record payroll. ‘It will be a sizable bump, there’s no doubt about it,’ said Kupchak. On some $10-15 mil extra in taxes, ‘I don’t think maybe . . . I think that’s for sure.’ Is that a fee Dr. Buss is willing to pay without cutting into the team’s nucleus? ‘The family, and this came up in the meeting on July 1st, we ended up talking financial terms for an hour or two,’ said Kupchak. ‘At the end of the conversation, [Buss] looks at [me] and says ‘But we’re so damn competitive.’ So it’s almost like the thing you talked about for the last hour almost begin to go out the door because he wants to win,’ conceded the Laker GM. ‘I think the balance is that he’s knowledgeable enough to make a good decision when it involves basketball and business.’”

Coach Mike Moreau scouts OKC draft pick James Harden at the Orlando Pro Summer league: “Harden’s level of talent just jumps out at you, from the way he flows and moves throughout an offensive possession to the poise he shows whenever things begin to break down or become chaotic. He’s not in a hurry, doesn’t panic, and carries himself like an eight-year veteran. You are looking for him to be a prolific scorer, and he does have one of those beautiful lefty strokes that comes off his fingers effortlessly. But what also impresses is his passing – not so much in rolling up assists, but in the way he swings the ball, kicks to an open teammate, feeds the post, and gets the ball to the right guy to keep the offense moving. Many scorers stop the ball by holding it too long or dribbling too much. Harden keeps things flowing, and this will be possibly his number one asset on a team that has Kevin Durant and other guys who can score. He’s going to be the perfect complement.”

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: “It cost the Pistons and their fans a season, no question about that. Trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson last November effectively ended a wonderful era of Detroit basketball. But now that the dust has settled, and the long-range picture is a little bit more clear, the trade doesn’t look nearly as bad. It allowed the Pistons to get four players, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, and rookies Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko. Had the Pistons won their usual 50 games last season, they wouldn’t have had the 15th and 35th picks in the draft, so you have to assume they would have had to draft lesser prospects. Debate whether you would have traded Billups for those four players all you want, but at the end of the day, understanding that Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess were both 35 and probably leaving or past their prime, you would make that deal every time. Consider this, too: The league announced Tuesday night that the salary cap, at $57.7 million right now, could drop as low as $53.6 for the summer of 2010. That is some $8 million under what teams expected. So imagine if the Pistons didn’t trade Billups and were stuck with that same aging roster and no financial flexibility? They would be doomed to hit rock bottom, another 20-win season or two while they tried to build back up through the draft lottery.”

Tsunami Says:
July 9th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
that’s pretty cool about farmer – i’m rooting for him
Tsunami Says:
July 9th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
farmar
john amaechi Says:
July 9th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
haha…

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