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[Cloudy]

In a surprising, and rarely seen, move, SFX Sports Group and agent Rob Pelinka have decided to "fire" embattled free-agent power forward Carlos Boozer after he was accused of misleading the Cleveland Cavaliers before negotiating a six-year, $68 million offer with the Utah Jazz.

Two league sources told SI.com that SFX was preparing to send a letter Monday to the NBA Players Association stating that the sports management agency and Pelinka would no longer be representing Boozer. The sources said that SFX chief Arn Tellem made the final call, deciding that the agency wanted nothing to do with Boozer after, sources say, he convinced the Cleveland Cavaliers that he would re-sign with them if they made him a free agent. In the wake of that conversation, Pelinka went on to negotiate the lucrative offer with the Jazz last week.

The sources were uncertain whether Pelinka and SFX would be entitled to their four percent commission -- worth $2.7 million should Boozer sign the offer sheet with the Jazz on Wednesday. Boozer may dare SFX to sue him for the commission if he feels he is being hung out to dry by SFX's decision to abandon him. While no one from SFX has commented on the decision officially, it appears the agency is trying to disassociate itself from a move that has been blasted from nearly every corner of the NBA.

While SFX has closed the door on its relationship with Boozer, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not, offering the third-year veteran a one-year contract worth approximately $5 million, an NBA source tells SI.com.

Found this about the incident. SFX values their reputation lol

 

[RobotChant]

ESPN.com also has a story up concernig the Pelinka resignation. This sure is one drama filled off-season.

 

[DJ_Tet]

If Lamar Odom isn't an impact player I don't know who is.

God, why don't we have sigs anymore

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Shaquille Owned'Neal

L.A. should be saying good riddance to Shaq

By MIKE DOWNEY

Chicago Tribune


LOS ANGELES - And then there are those of us who believe the Los Angeles Lakers will be lucky to be rid of Shaquille O'Neal.

The Big Baby. The Big Ego. The Big Pain in the Butt. The Big Mouth. The Big Back-Stabber.

Shaquille O'Neal, who demanded a trade and is bailing out on the fans of L.A. because (boohoo) the Lakers hurt his feelings.

Shaquille O'Neal, who is abandoning his team and his town, exactly the way he did in Orlando.

Shaquille O'Neal, who has a total of three NBA championships in 12 seasons, yet calls himself the most dominant player ever.

Shaquille O'Neal, who can't shoot a basketball beyond 2 feet of the basket.

Shaquille O'Neal, the mighty giant who is so fragile that he missed 28 games his last season with Orlando, 31 games his first season as a Laker, 22 games a season later, 15 games in the 2001-02 season and 15 more in 2002-03.

Shaquille O'Neal, who would put off toe surgery all summer and then have it when the season began.

Shaquille O'Neal, who would show up for camp overweight, with a body fat of 20 percent.

Shaquille O'Neal, whose own teammate, Kobe Bryant, called him fat and lazy.

Shaquille O'Neal, whose legs get weaker year by year.

Shaquille O'Neal, whose new team in Miami will need to wonder, as Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban put it, "what happens in those 20 to 30 games per year (he) can't play."

Shaquille O'Neal, who mocked his own general manager, Mitch Kupchak, in public.

Shaquille O'Neal, who spat out vulgar words on TV during live interviews.

Shaquille O'Neal, who played "Santa" for kids at Christmas ... and made sure every TV network in town knew about it. .......

Is it not possible that Lakers owner Jerry Buss was justified in trading a player who demanded to be traded? Who refused to play for a new coach? Who couldn't get along with the team's other star player?

Is it not possible that Los Angeles will be better off, 3,000 miles from Shaquille O'Neal's mumbling, his grumbling, his moping, his malingering and his Grammy-losing rap music?

A lot of people out here obviously think that L.A. is making a big mistake in letting the big man go to Miami.

But there still are a few of us who think that the city that is getting the big problem is Miami.

www.mercurynews.com/mld...139091.htm

 

[DJ_Tet]

Haha, yeah dude helped us win 3 championships, he should go to hell!

I understand he's not perfect, and I understand villification (I was a Hornets fan), but Shaq doesn't deserve half the bad talk about him. He does deserve about 30% I'd say.

 

[Cloudy]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...793.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers

Buss said he spent the latter part of the season considering whether to trade O'Neal. Three days after the season ended, O'Neal asked out, and Buss' decision was made. By then, the owner had started thinking about fending off the collapse that often comes with the ends of dynasties, and if O'Neal had a place in the restructuring. He'd offered about $45 million over two years at the end of what O'Neal already had coming — $27.7 million next season, $30.6 million the season after — and O'Neal, he said, refused.

A dynasty, Buss said, "begins to age. If you don't make some effort to rejuvenate a team, then you sometimes go to the bottom. That's a very scary, miserable, depressing thought for me."

So, too, does O'Neal age.

"At some time, we know his value is going to decline," Buss said. "That's completely obvious.

"Shaq is the most dominant player in the game, there's no question about that. The question is, if I wait until he isn't the most dominant player, will I get adequate return on him? Maybe I'm trading him too soon. Maybe I'm trading him too late. I don't know....

"We offered to make him the highest-paid player in the NBA for perhaps the rest of his career. He turned that down.... We certainly negotiated in good faith. We did not call off those negotiations. He's the one who called off those negotiations."

O'Neal has said that it was the Lakers who ended talks about a possible extension, but he could not be reached and his agent, Perry Rogers, declined comment.

Yeah, Kobe sure ran Shaq outta town....

 

[rc213]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...793.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers



Yeah, Kobe sure ran Shaq outta town....

That sounds like pretty good offer and Shaq is an ass for not taking it and being content. On the other hand, how do we know that Buss is being all truthful in what he says about Shaq's contract talks. He is the same person swinging from Kobe's nutsack...

 

[DJ_Tet]

That sounds like pretty good offer and Shaq is an ass for not taking it and being content. On the other hand, how do we know that Buss is being all truthful in what he says about Shaq's contract talks. He is the same person swinging from Kobe's nutsack...

Exactly, after Zo was made out to be the bad guy when Shinn didn't sign him, f the owners. You're an idiot to take Buss' side over Shaq's. Owners lie, players play.

I can't wait till Shaq shows up in shape just to burn every Faker fan out there. Tough shit, dude won you three championships. If my team had three championships, the stars could show up at 500 pounds smoking chiba. Yeah, I'll take the rapists' side.

 

[RobotChant]

Buss is bullshitting on some of the things in that article. It's hard to believe that the decision to trade Shaq and to let Phil go had nothing to do with trying to retain Kobe. Maybe Kobe never said anything out right, but the past year he made very clear his feelings about Shaq and Phil. The organization seems to be taking that to heart. As for Shaq, the money probably isn't the sole reason he's leaving.

 

[rc213]

Anyone catch sports on ABC7 News in Los Angeles? They had a statement by Karl talking about how he was dissappointed that Shaq was being traded since he was the reason he signed with the Lakers. Also had one from Phil talking about being glad he got out when he did because ownership is tearing up a championship team. I didnt catch it all though so if im wrong on a few points, excuse me. =)

 

[Miguel]

 

[Truelize]

Boozer's agent resigns. Cavs make one last push to resign him.

Even if it works out that he stays, will he be forgiven? I guess he could always blame the agent. But if the agent is resigning he's kinda putting the blame on Boozer.

What a stupid situation.

 

[Jumpman]

I can't wait till Shaq shows up in shape just to burn every Faker fan out there. Tough shit, dude won you three championships. If my team had three championships, the stars could show up at 500 pounds smoking chiba. Yeah, I'll take the rapists' side.

Ah ha ha! Shaq......show up in shape, yeah, that'll happen. He'll also shoot 80% from the free throw line, develop an arsenal of moves that would make Hakeem blush, and opt out of the last year on his contract, so he can resign at the veterans minimum, in hopes that Miami can surround him with quality players.

 

[effzee]

ive been saying for yrs that shaq is not talented but rather just so big he is a force.


but that doesnt mean ill join into this shaq bashing session. yes he is out of shape, lazy (at times), and childish/selfish. but that doesnt diminish from what he brings to the court still, and especially in the east where there are no other big men. as big as he is he doesnt need to do much to rebound and dunk and trust me he will help miami a lot if he ends up there. yes he is old but this isnt the season where he is somehow magically going to start sucking.

 

[Shinobi]

LA Times reports that Karl is unhappy with the trade and will probably retire and ESPN Radio says GP wants out if Shaq leaves LOL

P.S. If this trade goes through and Shaq doesn't dominate in the centerless East, then please will all the Jordophiles please shut the fuck up about how Kobe wouldn't have won shit without Shaq. This year we get to see both of them with a shitty team and how good each player really is. I personally think the Diesel is getting close to the status where Hakeem was with the Raptors, where he can do it every once in awhile but doesn't have the ability to dominate every single night.

You do know that Shaq was a great player before he played with Kobe right? As for comparing him to Dream circa Raptors, that's just beyond stupid. I don't recall anytime in Hakeem's last year in Houston when he had 35 and 20 on 16 for 18 against the best defense in the league, as Shaq did against the Pistons. Somehow these sorts of facts continue to get lost on his detractors.

Now having said that, I don't think this trade was all that great for either team. As great a player as Shaq is, he never won shit until Phil Jackson came to town (another fact that gets lost with a number of people). And if you don't have a few guys that can hit open jumpers, it doesn't matter how good Shaq is. I'm not convinced Miami has any real supporting cast. Meanwhile the Lakers get a good player in Odom, a dime a dozen player in Butler, and the most overpaid and undersized big man in the history of sports in Grant. Wow, there's a championship nucleus.

According to the Tribune, the packaging of Jordan the owner and O'Neal the franchise player could be the first step behind putting together an ownership group that would move the team to Las Vegas.

That's just fucked...get Miami all excited about Shaq, only to pull the team out in a year or two? That's fucked.

If Lamar Odom isn't an impact player I don't know who is.

The man had one good year after several troubled seasons in a weak ass eastern conference. You think he's gonna put up those numbers against TD and KG next year? Get outta town.

Not that I think the Lakers could've gotten much better. As I said all along, there was no way the Lakers were going to get two all star players plus another player for Shaq (or even two star players), with the sort of money he's making. They've got one star player back (I guess...I'd rather give him another year first), a dime a dozen guard and an undersized power foward getting ridiculous money for the next 15 years, who averaged a ballsy 8 and 8 in the east. Unless Butler turns his career around, it pretty much boils down to Shaq vs Odom...draw your own conclusions from that.

Hell for 30M they could land someone like KG or Duncan if they were interested.

As for Carlos Boozer, he fucked it up for every player that'll ever be in his situation. Sometimes you gotta bite the bullet, for the good of the game. Instead less players will have a chance to tear up a bargain basement contract in order to get a far more lucrative one. The funniest thing about it is that he's a Duke alum, a school that supposedly represents the best that life has to offer, or some bullshit like that.

 

[Shinobi]

Oh yeah, here's another great NBA soap opera...as was first reported last week (and as I figured all along), VC's never had a problem with new GM Babbcock or new coach Mitchell. His greievance is with one man that I myself have hated for a while. Still, it's the oddest powerplay I've ever seen a player take...fire the president or trade me, heh. At least it's original.

The real deal with Vince

Think Vince Carter has a problem with Rob Babcock and Sam Mitchell? Think again. There's another man heading up the Raptors who Carter's not a fan of.

Vince Carter would like to continue playing for the Toronto Raptors -- but only if Richard Peddie and a couple of his front-office aides are fired.

That was the word Monday from one of Carter's closest friends, who contacted Sportsnet after numerous conversations with the team's star and his family.

"I want to make it perfectly clear that Vince has no problem at all with (new general manager) Rob Babcock or (new head coach) Sam Mitchell and that he is looking forward to playing for them," said Mississauga businessman Nav Bhatia, a Raptors season-ticket holder who has become so close with Carter that he was one of the few Canadians invited to the player's recent wedding in Florida.

"Vince loves Toronto and he loves the fans of Toronto. He has two condominiums in Toronto and he wants to live here for many, many more years. But he has serious problems playing for an organization that is run by Richard Peddie (the club's president and CEO). He has problems with (consultant) Jack McCloskey and (player-personnel director) Jim Kelly, too.

"Larry Tanenbaum (the Raptors' chairman) is fully aware of this. Larry asked me recently what would make Vince comfortable with the organization and I told him in no uncertain terms -- that he wants Peddie, McCloskey and Kelly gone. Now it's up to Larry and his co-owners to decide what they want to do."

Bhatia, who owns a car dealership and has never missed any of the Raptors' home games, said Carter is upset primarily with Peddie because of promises that he believes the club's boss failed to keep.

Bhatia revealed that, during a meeting in Toronto last April, Carter told Peddie that he felt the Raptors could rebound from a pair of dismal seasons if the club pursued two players in the off-season -- centre/forward Jamaal Magloire and point guard Steve Nash.

Bhatia also confirmed reports that Peddie had vowed during the April meeting to "keep Vince in the loop as far as the hiring of a general manager was going."

But Bhatia said members of Carter's family told him he was never informed about the Babcock hiring and didn't learn about it until several days after the appointment. In addition, Bhatia said Carter has been led to believe that the Raptors made no efforts to pursue Nash as a free agent -- he signed with the Phoenix Suns -- or obtain Magloire in a trade with the New Orleans Hornets. Bhatia said both he and Carter were given information that Magloire and Nash had interest in joining the Raptors.

"Vince was so upbeat in that meeting and after the meeting because he was under the impression that Peddie was going to do his best to upgrade the Raptors," Bhatia said. "Vince really thought there was going to be a good chance to get Magloire and Nash. He wanted them in Toronto because, as he told Peddie in the meeting, there was an obvious need to improve two positions -- the No. 1 position and the No. 5 position. He wanted Magloire and Nash because they were perfect for the positions. They're both all-stars and their friends of Vince's. The fact that they are also both Canadian would be good, he figured, because he recognized that would help the Raptors in terms of popularity in this country. He felt that the Raptors would at least go after one of Jamaal or Steve, but he now believes they haven't.

"As for the hiring of the GM, Peddie didn't have to say he would keep Vince informed. He just said he would. And Vince believed him -- until he found out after the fact that Babcock was hired. Vince suggested that Julius Erving be interviewed for the job. Well, Dr. J. arrived at the airport in Toronto, was in town briefly and was never brought to the Air Canada Centre or anything like that. That's what my information is. Vince doesn't think Dr. J. received a proper interview. It didn't show respect to either Vince or Dr. J., two guys most people consider basketball superstars."

Bhatia said Carter is also upset these days because he believes the consensus in the National Basketball Association is that "the Raptors are laughingstocks."

Bhatia added: "Vince doesn't speak out publicly against the organization. That's not his style. He's not like Iverson or McGrady or even Kobe. He's a team guy and he has respect for people. But he's lost that respect for Peddie and he doesn't think he could play for a team that is run by Peddie. Peddie's not a basketball man. He's good at selling the pop and the hot dogs and things like that, so it's understandable to Vince if Peddie's in charge of Maple Leaf Entertainment. But to keep him in charge of the Raptors' basketball team, when everyone in the NBA thinks the Raptors are a circus, that doesn't make sense. Put a basketball man in charge of the basketball team."

As for McCloskey and Kelly, Bhatia said: "Vince believes they've proven they're not good for their jobs and he also thinks they've been disrespectful of him. The bottom line is that he thinks they've shown him disrespect. And if you don't respect your $100-million man, then what does this say about how the organization treats or will treat the players of lesser value?"

Efforts by Sportsnet to reach Carter personally were unsuccessful Monday; he's on his honeymoon in Hawaii. Also, neither Tanenbaum nor Peddie were available to comment, but Bhatia believes Tannenbaum has been discussing, or plans to discuss, Carter's desires with his colleagues at the top levels of MLSE.

Bhatia also said Carter will arrive in Toronto on July 19 and will meet with the Raptors' brass in an effort to clear the air. Carter also will be in Toronto the rest of the month for his kids' camp and for his annual charity basketball game.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/columnist.jsp?content=20040712_140527_2768



Anything that expediates Peddie's departure is a good thing. Having said that I don't think they should do that just because VC wants it. He's not gonna have to deal with his ass anymore anyway, with all the basketball people in the front office. Still, it's more evidence of just how fucked up this organization has been basically since it's inception.

 

[DJ_Tet]

Ah ha ha! Shaq......show up in shape, yeah, that'll happen.

Again, where are sigs? The laker fans don't realize Shaq will be in shape next year just to spite them. I'm no heat fan, I was a Hornet fan. They left town, now I'm a Bobcat fan. The Heat are my second favorite hated franchise besides the Hornets. Shaq will show you, and if he doesn't, I don't really care. But I'm telling you, he's pissed. He'll be in shape just to piss of the Laker fans who hate him for only winning three titles in five years.

 

[Shinobi]

It's sad that Laker fans are hating on Shaq...they should be hating on the owner and GM for allowing this shit to explode. But whatever, fuck 'em...isn't like they're my team.

 

[bionic77]

Again, where are sigs? The laker fans don't realize Shaq will be in shape next year just to spite them. I'm no heat fan, I was a Hornet fan. They left town, now I'm a Bobcat fan. The Heat are my second favorite hated franchise besides the Hornets. Shaq will show you, and if he doesn't, I don't really care. But I'm telling you, he's pissed. He'll be in shape just to piss of the Laker fans who hate him for only winning three titles in five years.

That is what I thought would have happened last year after they got embarrassed by the Spurs and Shaq got outplayed by Kevin Fucking Willis. Like I said before, I don't think he is as much out of shape as he gets blamed for as he is just beat up. More then getting in shape I think his body needs to heal and with his age and the beating he takes on a daily basis I don't see that happening. I agree that the Shaq bashing is pretty weak, guy helped win us 3 titles, I always said I wished that at least Shaq and Kobe stayed. Preferably I wanted Phil to stay too, but at the same time I think he both stopped trying and had lost the player's attentions awhile ago. Whatever, Lakers will suck next couple years before winning back to back in 07-09.

 

[Cloudy]

Boozer finally speaks....

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1089711156312792.xml

More From The Plain Dealer | Subscribe To The Plain Dealer
"I didn't make a prior agreement. And if I did, I would've stayed here."

Boozer fires back
Forward to sign with Utah Wednesday
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter
Carlos Boozer has had enough of the character assassination that has pounded him since last week's announcement that the Utah Jazz have offered him $68 million over six years.

Boozer has been accused of lying and backstabbing the team and its fans because he allegedly told the Cavaliers he would remain in Cleveland. As a result, the organization allowed him to become a free agent, with the intent to sign him to the mid-level exemption of $42 million over six years.

According to sources within the Cavs' organization, Boozer told team officials that if they didn't pick up his option, he would sign with them.

Boozer, speaking exclusively to The Plain Dealer by telephone Monday, said that is not true and he wants to set the record straight.

"I didn't make a prior agreement. And if I did, I would've stayed here," Boozer said. "For them [Cavaliers] taking shots at my character is incredibly wrong, and I don't understand that. I thought I had a great relationship with them. Maybe they're trying to save face or trying to make up stuff and kill my character. And if that's the road they want to take, that's OK."

Everything was apparently fine when Cavs management met with Boozer, his wife CeCe and agent Rob Pelinka on June 30. These were friendlier times, when the two sides were prepared to talk about Boozer's future with the organization. The only thing that is clear about this meeting is that the Cavs decided not to pick up the option on the last year of Boozer's contract, which was worth about $700,000. This is where things get cloudy.

"I assumed they were going to pick up my option and work something out for the long term, but they went another route," Boozer said. "I was shocked that they didn't pick up my option. I left the meeting excited because this meant that I was going to get a long-term contract."

Boozer was surprised the Cavs didn't pick up his option because he said management gave him every indication in earlier informal conversations that they would.

So on June 30, according to Boozer, owner Gordon Gund and General Manager Jim Paxson asked him what was important to him. Boozer said that financial security and remaining in Cleveland were important.

"But during that meeting, it seemed like they were going down the road of wanting a commitment," Boozer said. "My agent pulled out the collective bargaining agreement, and he said that the rules don't allow a verbal or written agreement and everyone at the table understood that. During the course of that meeting, it was brought to my attention that [management] weren't going to pick up the option. They made that [decision] on their own."

Boozer said he had no idea why they Cavs didn't pick up the option.

"Maybe with me telling them that I wanted to be in Cleveland and wanting to have security could've made them believe I was going to sign with them, but that wasn't an agreement," Boozer said. "I never gave them my word, never signed a document and I never shook hands with the idea that I was going to sign."

The two parties met again on July 1. Boozer said this is when Paxson told him what the midlevel exemption was worth. During the Fourth of July weekend, Boozer met with Cavs management and they continued to discuss his future, and they talked about his role with the team. This was the turning point during the negotiations.

"During those conversations, I asked those guys about my role on the team, and I expressed to them the direction I wanted to go individually and with the team," Boozer said. "I wanted the chance to become an All-Star and some [in the meeting] didn't think I could accomplish that here. One primary person didn't believe I could."

That primary person, according to an unnamed source in a published report, is coach Paul Silas. From there, Boozer said he told the organization that he would explore his options.

"I called Paxson and Gordon and told them what was out there and the situation that was presented to me in Utah," Boozer said. "They told me 'You can't do this, you gave me your word.' I told them that I didn't give them my word. The only organization I gave my word to was Utah. I called [Utah GM] Kevin O'Connor and I told him that I accepted their offer and that's the only word I gave during this process. I plan to sign the offer sheet tomorrow."

Gund and Paxson were not available for comment. Silas was not available. He's in Oakland because of the his mother's recent death.

The Cavs, apparently, have not given up. According to league sources, the team offered Boozer on Monday a one-year deal for $5 million. If Boozer accepts the offer, he would become a restricted free agent next season. Boozer doesn't believe the Cavs' sincerity.

"Why would they try to sign me?" Boozer said. "They've tried to demoralize me as a human being. They tried to depict me as a kind of guy that bamboozled people. They've lied and painted a picture that we had an illegal deal. They tried to say we had an oral agreement before July 1, and that didn't happen."

There also are rumors that Boozer wanted out of Cleveland because of some animosity toward LeBron James, and that he wanted to become the top gun.

"I'm not saying I want to be the man," Boozer said. "I'm going to Utah where Andrei Kirilenko is already an established All-Star in this league, and they have stud players like Matt Harpring and Mehmet Okur. I feel mature enough, educated about the game enough and good enough to take on more responsibility. . . . Obviously, there's no question that the man on the team is LeBron, and he's well-deserving of it. There's no way I would try to overshadow him."

 

[Bat]

Lets see....every source from published reports totally contradict what Boozer says (in terms of him asking to be let out of his contract and understanding he would have to take the mid-level exception). That, coupled with his reponse not coming till a week after the fact, him cutting off communications from the rest of the world, and his agent resigning gives Boozer no credibilidy whatsoever. What a bitch.

This is also really bad for the league because Lebron now has no chance to make the playoffs next year. IIRC Boozer is also a Nike client, so i'm sure they are incredibly pissed at him too.

Getting to Shaq in Miami next year....I see him being great still, but not quite great enough to get the Heat to the finals. He has motivation, but that was true last year too after he took a beating in the press for his performance the entire season. And while he did show up in better shape, his age really showed. The Hakeem comparison is wrong because Hakeem never had anywhere near the pounding Shaq gets and he is more of a finesse player. Shooting turnaround jumpers at later ages is much easier than baning for position inside. Anyways, Shaq alone doesn't guarantee a finals berth. Hell, even in his prime that wasn't true , and now it definetly does not apply. He'll win them 50 games, but come playoff time he's quite handable now (see the Detroit series, where he had one great game, one good one, and three really bad ones, and didn't play a lick of defense throughout).

 

[Malleymal]

wow, thats the best story he can come up with, He is on my team now and I am very Happy , and hopes he succeeds by default, but when we go visit cleveland............

 

[DarienA]

Again, where are sigs? The laker fans don't realize Shaq will be in shape next year just to spite them. I'm no heat fan, I was a Hornet fan. They left town, now I'm a Bobcat fan. The Heat are my second favorite hated franchise besides the Hornets. Shaq will show you, and if he doesn't, I don't really care. But I'm telling you, he's pissed. He'll be in shape just to piss of the Laker fans who hate him for only winning three titles in five years.

IAWTP

 

[Cloudy]

This is also really bad for the league because Lebron now has no chance to make the playoffs next year. IIRC Boozer is also a Nike client, so i'm sure they are incredibly pissed at him too.

Yep. IMO, Booze was the real MVP of that team...

More juicy NBA stuff ^_^

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/9140334.htm?1c

Three years ago, Eddie Jones and Shaquille O'Neal becoming teammates again would have made for a dicey situation.

That's because in 2001, O'Neal released an autobiography that said this about Jones, his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate:

``Eddie Jones, our slash-and-burn shooting guard, he was mad because he wasn't getting his shot. Eddie was mad because a youngster named Kobe Bryant was turning into a bigger option than him. Eddie was mad because he heard trade rumors. Eddie was mad because he was gonna try to ask for more money than Kobe and everybody knew Kobe was the future and the Lakers weren't going to do it. Basically, Eddie was always mad.''

O'Neal also said in the book that Jones didn't want the ball in crunch time.

Jones' response then?

``He always has his opinion. Selfish guys do. If I wrote a book, I could write a great book. But I'm way too classy for that.''

But both players said recently their relationship has since been repaired, with the two speaking as recently as Saturday -- the day O'Neal agreed to be traded to Miami.

Said Jones: ``There's no beef. We're cool. We don't talk about it. It was squashed.''

So lets take a look at the list.. First Penny, then Jones and now Kobe. I guess Wade will also be the "selfish guy" lol

 

[DarienA]

So lets take a look at the list.. First Penny, then Jones and now Kobe. I guess Wade will also be the "selfish guy" lol

I don't know about Penny not having followed him... but come on... Eddie Jones? Not exactly super talented... and to deny that Kobe had his selfish moments during this past season means you watched Lakers games with your eyes closed.

 

[Cloudy]

The main "selfish" actions of all 3 guys was not deferring to Shaq like the other guys on the team. The guy seriously cannot stand not being "the man". At what point does Shaq get some of the blame for not co-existing with other stars (Yes, EJ was a star back then)?

 

[DarienA]

The main "selfish" actions of all 3 guys was not deferring to Shaq like the other guys on the team. The guy seriously cannot stand not being "the man". At what point does Shaq get some of the blame for not co-existing with other stars (Yes, EJ was a star back then)?

At which point did you see a series of games where Shaq refused to pass the ball? Where Shaq took every shot everytime he had the ball regardless of whether it was a good short or not?

Eddie Jones a star? Oh please.... since when do we toss around the word star so loosely? Eddie's a great 3 point shooter... but the go to man in a game? Hardly.

These are the stats of a star? http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/statistics?statsId=2633

Now that's not to Shaq shouldn't take any blame... after all he is the only one who has control of what he does with his weight, and how much effort and help he asks for in free throws... but he's never been overtlyselfish ON the court IMO

 

[Blackace]

The main "selfish" actions of all 3 guys was not deferring to Shaq like the other guys on the team. The guy seriously cannot stand not being "the man". At what point does Shaq get some of the blame for not co-existing with other stars (Yes, EJ was a star back then)?

Well Shaq was the star when Kobe came and it didn't suit him too well also... Both them have fat egos...

 

[Cloudy]

Believe it! Lakers got better of Shaq deal

Sam Kellerman / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 6 minutes ago

The Shaq trade sure is a ripoff.

But it's not the Lakers who got jerked.
If the Lakers had traded Shaquille O'Neal for Lamar Odom, straight up, I would say Miami got the better of the deal, but not by much.

I hear you laughing. That's cool. Just take a look at this past season, when Odom had more rebounds per game than Shawn Marion or Yao Ming, more points per game than Steve Francis or Latrell Sprewell, and six more double-doubles than Dirk Nowitzki.

Still, whatever Odom did, it certainly doesn't compare to what Shaq did for the Lakers, right?

Wrong. It's closer than you think.

Shaq had 21.5 points per game to Odom's 17.1. Shaq had 11.5 rebounds, Odom had 9.7. Odom had more assists, 4.1 to 2.9.

Shaq is 32 years old, on his way down the other side of the mountain. Odom is 24, coming off a breakout season that established him as one of the elite young players in the game.

I notice you've stopped laughing.

While Shaq led the "Greatest Team Ever Assembled" to a less-impressive result than everyone expected, Odom led the rag-tag Heat to a turnaround that stunned the NBA, as they came back from a 5-15 start to not only make the playoffs, but beat Charlotte in the first round, and then take two games from the Pacers.

With Dwyane Wade missing a quarter of the season to injury, Odom held the Heat together, frequently running the offense as a 6-foot-10 point-forward, and posted Miami's first triple-double in nine years (the eighth in Odom's five-year career).

If you add only Brian Grant to a hypothetical Shaq-Odom swap, the Lakers already gain the edge in value. Grant is one of the toughest, most efficient players in the NBA. His shooting percentage is .491 — for his career. Most important, he does a credible job defending any post player in the league, including Shaq. Grant is the kind of smart, gritty player you can easily picture on the champion Pistons. The kind of player the Lakers could have really used against them.

Now add Caron Butler, a young, explosive small forward who averaged 15 points and nine boards in the Heat's first-round upset win over the Hornets, and the trade is completely lopsided.

With a future first-rounder on top of everything, it's not a ripoff. It's a car-jacking.

Granted, Miami is getting one of the most famous athletes in recorded human history. Shaq is the still the greatest attraction in the NBA and one of its very best players. We're talking about a guy who fairly recently won three consecutive finals MVP awards. He instantly makes the Heat the most fascinating team in the East, and also the most feared.

But let's face it: his lateral quickness is a shadow of what it once was. He just doesn't get to loose balls like he used to, which is particularly costly in the postseason. Many times in the finals, the Lakers lost possession, not because any Piston jumped higher for the ball than O'Neal, but because they were faster on the horizontal plane, darting and lunging. Sudden speed leaves big men when they're Shaq's age, and the curve is steep.

Fortunately, he will be paired in Miami with Wade, who should have been part of a three-way co-rookie of the year award with LeBron and Carmelo last season. (Wade was the only one of those rookies still standing in the second round of the playoffs.) Wade is a lot like Bryant — a physically strong guard who's not afraid to take it to the hole and has a reputation for hitting big shots.

So the self-proclaimed MDE (Most Dominant Ever) gets another Kobe. Shaq and Wade will be great to watch together, regardless of how far the Heat go. But as the NBA plays into the second half of this decade, the more significant pairing will be in L.A.

Because provided Kobe stays with the Lakers, Lamar Odom just might be his Scottie Pippen.

Some nice stats but at this point Kobe is in a no-win situation (not literally as far as hoops goes). If he stays, everyone will say he forced Shaq and Phil out. If he leaves, people will still say that plus he "Boozered" the Lakers lol

 

[Blackace]

At which point did you see a series of games where Shaq refused to pass the ball? Where Shaq took every shot everytime he had the ball regardless of whether it was a good short or not?

Eddie Jones a star? Oh please.... since when do we toss around the word star so loosely? Eddie's a great 3 point shooter... but the go to man in a game? Hardly.

Or not shoot when his teammates complained about it....

 

[DarienA]

Regardless of the disagreements I have to say I'm more excited about next season's basketball than I've been for basketball in quite awhile... this "shaking up" during the off-season I think is going to end up being great for the fans and for the NBA in general.

 

[Cloudy]

I'm not saying those 3 guys didn't have their own selfish traits but not anymore than Shaq or any other premier player. Remember, Shaq is the one who refused to play defense unless he got the ball on the other end EVERYTIME. Am I the only one who remembers "If you don't feed the dog, he won't guard the house"?

Eddie Jones a star? Oh please.... since when do we toss around the word star so loosely? Eddie's a great 3 point shooter... but the go to man in a game? Hardly.

He was the go-2 guy in Charlotte for 3 seasons and averaged 20+ one year. Last year, in his 12th season, he averaged 17+ ppg. How many non-stars (that are not big men either) do that?

Regardless of the disagreements I have to say I'm more excited about next season's basketball than I've been for basketball in quite awhile... this "shaking up" during the off-season I think is going to end up being great for the fans and for the NBA in general.

Agreed. Stern is absolutely loving this lol

 

[Cloudy]

Yet another Boozer take...

New twists on Boozer tale

Agent resigns, Cavaliers offer new contract. But Boozer not budging

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal staff writer

The heat is rising on Carlos Boozer, but he doesn't seem to be budging.

The Boozer saga took a few wild twists Monday. His agent, Rob Pelinka, resigned and the Cavaliers presented Boozer with an olive branch, a new contract offer. But the bottom line seems to be the same -- he's still headed to the Utah Jazz.

According to NBA sources, Pelinka removed himself under pressure from his corporation, SFX Sports Group. Within the same time frame, the Cavaliers contacted Boozer and offered him a one-year, $5 million deal that would keep him in Cleveland but still allow him to be a free agent next summer.

Boozer, however, still intends to sign a six-year, $68 million offer sheet with the Jazz Wednesday, a source close to him confirmed Monday night.

Pelinka had been under enormous scrutiny in recent days after he negotiated the Jazz deal for Boozer. Though no deal with the Cavaliers was ever officially in place, the club felt Pelinka and Boozer had gone back on a trust to re-sign in Cleveland after the Cavaliers let Boozer out of the final year of his contract.

Fellow agents and NBA general managers roared in protest, many claiming privately that Boozer not re-signing with the Cavaliers could destroy a necessary trust needed in negotiating future deals. Some threatened to hold the deal against Pelinka and SFX, a large company that represents hundreds of pro athletes, in the future.

Pelinka, who also represents free agents Kobe Bryant and Morris Peterson, and SFX stood to earn about $2.7 million, the standard 4 percent commission, on Boozer's deal with Utah. But that is less than 1 percent of the company's annual earnings while perhaps tens of millions in future deals might be in jeopardy.

Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson, who privately called on Pelinka to resign after learning of Boozer's Utah deal, responded with a fresh contract offer. If Boozer were to forget the Jazz deal and take the new Cavaliers' offer, he'd be a restricted free agent after next season. At that time, the Cavaliers would have his full rights to match any offer Boozer received regardless of their salary cap position.

On the surface, it is still an opportunity for Boozer to get a massive raise, more than $4.3 million, from what his original contract called for next season, $695,000. Plus returning to the Cavaliers would perhaps repair some the national outrage that forced Pelinka to jump ship. The original Cavaliers offer was $41 million over six years, the most they could offer under salary cap rules.

With the new contract offer, he could be in position to stay with the Cavaliers long-term and still get his market value, which the Jazz determined to be around $11 million per season, or perhaps even more next year.

But Boozer apparently wants the security now and doesn't want to return to the Cavaliers. The source said Boozer wanted to be a bigger part of the Cavaliers' offense next season, a plea he took to Cavaliers coach Paul Silas in a meeting July 5, four days after becoming a free agent.

Last season, Silas felt Boozer's role was to primarily be a rebounder and an energy player who got his points off rebounds or when the offense broke down. According to sources inside the Cavaliers organization, Silas didn't see Boozer's role changing next season. The Cavaliers contest that Boozer had informed them he was planning on testing the free-agent market before the Silas meeting even occurred.

Once Boozer signs the offer sheet on Wednesday, the Cavaliers still have 15 days to match the offer, but very likely won't. Sources told the Salt Lake Tribune on Monday that the Jazz will pay Boozer in excess of $11 million in the first year of the deal. That means the Cavaliers would have to clear around $9 million in salary room to duplicate the offer.

 

[Blackace]

ok Konex just link to them or pull out the important parts of all those articles... ya know?

 

[bionic77]

I'm not saying those 3 guys didn't have their own selfish traits but not anymore than Shaq or any other premier player. Remember, Shaq is the one who refused to play defense unless he got the ball on the other end EVERYTIME. Am I the only one who remembers "If you don't feed the dog, he won't guard the house"?



He was the go-2 guy in Charlotte for 3 seasons and averaged 20+ one year. Last year, in his 12th season, he averaged 17+ ppg. How many non-stars (that are not big men either) do that?



Agreed. Stern is absolutely loving this lol

Don't put it all on Shaq, it was a combo of Shaq, Kobe, and Phil. All it would have taken was one of them to be the bigger man and indulge the others, but their egos got in the way. The other option would have been to "Jordan" them and physically beat them into seeing your point of view (usually Jordan's view was "play great defense, get me the ball, and if you miss that open layup or three I am going to split your head in two, you heard me Bill Cartwright").

 

[Cloudy]

ok Konex just link to them or pull out the important parts of all those articles... ya know?

lol okay

 

[Cloudy]

Umm, I can't link this but I'm sure you guys don't mind. Today's Insider

Sorry...Konex... I loved the insider stuff...... but I told you... can't post full articles....

 

[Kruza]

I live in Michigan and I watched the parade. Sheed was really acting suspect saying stuff like "they were a great team without me" and being distant. Maybe it was posturing to get leverage with Dumars but I would not be surprised if he doesn't re-sign with Detroit...

Come again?

And the acquisition of Antonio McDyess just puts the cherry on top of this sweet offseason.

Kruza

 

[Matrix]

Yao's got some guns forming..watch out league.

 

[Fifty]

Isn't he like 24? You'd think the guy would have had them a bit sooner..

 

[Matrix]

He did no upper weight training till the Rockets got ahold of him.

 

[Truelize]

Cloudy,
Keep posting the whole articles for me then. I'm pretty upset over this whole Boozer situation. If he leaves I am no longer a fan of his. He's a freakin second year player. His coach wants him to be an energy type player so that the offense he has chosen to run will work well. And Boozer goes and crys about it? Coach K didn't run plays for Boozer.

 

[Blackace]

Cloudy,
Keep posting the whole articles for me then. I'm pretty upset over this whole Boozer situation. If he leaves I am no longer a fan of his. He's a freakin second year player. His coach wants him to be an energy type player so that the offense he has chosen to run will work well. And Boozer goes and crys about it? Coach K didn't run plays for Boozer.

I will ban him if he keeps posting them...

D. Copyrighted Material

The posting of full transcriptions of articles and whole or partially-scanned images is not allowed. Users in breach of this rule are subject to banning, although a verbal warning may be administered for a first offense. The posting of review scores (without text), news summaries, rumors, and review paraphrasing is acceptable, as long as credit is given to the original source.

TOS your friend and mine

 

[Matlock]

All the more reason for him to keep posting 'em, man.

 

[isamu]

It was reported that the Lakers offered Shaq a 3yr, 90mil contract and Shaq turned it down because he wanted 6yrs, 180mil. That would have put Shaq at 38 going into the final year of his contract and the Lakers didn't feel it was worth the investment. Seems like Shaq is pretty damn greedy if you ask me.

 

[isamu]

...es he is old but this isnt the season where he is somehow magically going to start sucking.

What is all this talk about him being old? Since when the fuck is 32 years of age....old??? Gimme a fucking break. 40 is kinda getting there....50 is getting there....60 is old!

Kids these days....

 

[Bat]

I think Shaq was offered 2 years at 45 million and he wanted 2 years at 60 million. I don't think you can even give a guy a 6 year extension at his age.

Anyways, the break up of the Lakers is because of all the egos, not just one. Kobe, Shaq, Phil all are total egomaniacs (as are most superstars today) and it just wasn't a natural fit for all three of them, and each made things unnecessarily difficult.

 

[DJ_Tet]

As a Dookie I'll be a Boozer apologist, but this latest article is pretty sketchy.

First off, why would Cleveland let him out of the contract without an understanding that he would resign? Either there was a GROSS miscommunication or Boozer is lying. I'd have to guess that it's the latter.

Second, Boozer saying that the coach doesn't think he's All-Star material makes no sense. Clearly he is better than anyone you can get for $700,000, at worst. They wouldn't cut him out of that contract to "cut" him. Whether or not they felt he was due a raise, they would have kept his services for this year.

Smells like Boozer is lying, and he's stupid if he thinks people are buying it.

 

[DMczaf]

ESPN.com poll

1) Who is to blame for the Shaq-Kobe divorce?

52.3% Kobe

34.9% Both

7.8% Shaq

5.0% Neither


2) What's your take?

63.1% It didn't have to be this way

36.9% It had to happen


3) Shaq and Kobe will . . .

59.4% regret this

40.6% be happier apart


4) In which situation would Shaq be happier?

53.5% Staying with Kobe and winning titles

46.5% Being away from Kobe and not winning titles


5) In which situation would Kobe be happier?

61.1% Being away from Shaq and not winning titles

38.9% Staying with Shaq and winning titles


6) If you were the Lakers, who would you hold on to?

55.6% Kobe (age 25)

44.4% Shaq (age 32)


7) If the Lakers trade Shaq to the Heat, as reported, for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler and a first-round draft pick, who gets the better of this trade for the next two years?

82.8% Heat

17.2% Lakers


8) Who gets the better of this trade for the next five years?

59.2% Lakers

40.8% Heat


9) Who gets the better of this trade overall?

64.2% Heat

35.8% Lakers


10) If the Lakers keep Kobe and the Heat acquire Shaq, who will be legitimate title contenders next season?

46.8% Shaq and the Heat

33.4% Neither

13.0% Both

6.8% Kobe and the Lakers


Total Votes: 33,017

 

[Cloudy]

4) In which situation would Shaq be happier?

53.5% Staying with Kobe and winning titles

46.5% Being away from Kobe and not winning titles

So why did he demand a trade? Some people are dumb....