Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Delonte West ready to take his talents to Home Depot during lockout

Boston guard Delonte West is facing many of the same financial hardships of other NBA players during the lockout.

But West, who has made $14,083,519 during his seven-season NBA career, is doing something about making ends meet while he can’t count on a regular paycheck.

The Big Lead.com reports that West hashoping for work while he can’t play in the NBA.

West has already been told by a judge thatto pursue an overseas career during the lockout because he can’t leave the country.

You will remember that Westand was sentenced by a Prince George’s County (Md.) judge to eight months of home detention, two months of probation and 40 hours of community service in a deal that allowed him to retain his NBA career.

West had been charged with six weapons offenses and two traffic violations. He pleaded guilty to carrying a dangerous weapon — an eight-inch bowie knife — and illegally transporting a handgun in the incident in suburban Washington.

Miss ‘Coach B?’ Check out Bonner’s latest video wackiness

Lockout be damned, “Coach B” is at it again.

That’s Matt Bonner, of course, aka Coach B, wacky purveyor of basketball tips and life lessons.

Bonner’s latest video efforts center around promos for a benefit basketball game in Toronto, scheduled for Sept. 10. Bonner is recruiting teams to play in the event. The idea is to raise money for Athletes for Africa and the St. Albans Boys and Girls Clubs.

Cost to enter a team is $500, but teams are being encouraged to raise additional money. The payoff: The top money-raising teams get the right to draft some celebrity players. These include Bonner and Nick Collison, of the Thunder. The real draw, though, is Arcade Fire front man Win Butler, who is both very tall and a bona fide indie rock star. He also happens to count Bonner a good friend.

Here’s a link to a video promoting the event that features Bonner on the art of trash talking.

Bynum-Howard trade comes closest to making sense for Magic

Most obervers believe it’s only a matter of time before All-Star center Dwight Howard opts to leave Orlando for  a better financial situation in his next contract.

It’s already sparked much attention across the NBA, particularly the chances of Howard joining Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers when his contract with Orlando expires after the 2011-12 season.

The Magic are only two years removed from a trip to the NBA Finals. But several bad contracts for other players have provided a situation where they don’t have much salary cap space.

The Basketball Prospectus.com’s Kevin Pelton writes at  ESPN.com that there’s only one way for the Magic to attempt to get approximate value for Howard. That would be by rather than waiting for a sign-and-trade after next season.

And Pelton writes that the best  location would be the Lakers in a package including Los Angeles center Andrew Bynum.

The Magic would gain some youth by obtaining the 23-year-old Bynum. While he’s not nearly as accomplished offensively as Howard and a lot more injury prone, Bynum might have a chance to emerge with the Magic when not battling for touches with experienced inside offensive threats like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

Pelton provides a lot of statistical evidence that proves the Magic wouldn’t suffer much of a decline if they plugged Bynum into their team in place of Howard.

What to do with Howard will be the major question facing the Magic. Orlando had the fifth-best point differential in the NBA last season and posted a 52-30 record last season that was eighth-best in the NBA. 

Whenver the lockout ends, Howard’s future with the Magic will become one of  the most intriguing stories in the NBA.

It could happen next month or it might be next year. But Howard’s future playing status could affect the balance of powers in the league for several seasons afterwards.