Better Team this year:Bobcats or Knicks???

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Gordon thinks he will be traded, also considers playing in Europe

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The slow, drawn-out negotiations between Ben Gordon and the Chicago Bulls took a turn toward closure Friday night when the free-agent guard said he doesn't think he'll be a Bull next season. Ben Gordon Shooting Guard Chicago Bulls Profile 2008 Season Stats GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 72 18.6 3.1 3.0 .434 .908 "I guess it's safe to say I've played my last game in a Bulls uniform," Gordon said. Gordon, who has led the Bulls in scoring the past three seasons, said his agent, Raymond Brothers, has been speaking with other teams about sign-and-trade possibilities. "I'm pretty optimistic it'll happen," said Gordon, who averaged 18.6 points last season. "It's very likely." Brothers refused to name the teams he's spoken with, but added playing in Europe is also a possibility. He said the only certainty is Gordon will not sign the Bulls' one-year qualifying offer of $6.4 million. Bulls executive vice president John Paxson did not return a phone call seeking comment. Gordon admitted he's frustrated and "feels slighted" by the slow pace of negotiations with the Bulls. He said at this point it would be best for him to play elsewhere since Chicago's backcourt is seemingly full, with Derrick Rose, Larry Hughes and Kirk Hinrich. "It's a numbers game," he said. "Last season at the trade deadline, they brought in more guards and I saw my minutes drop and didn't understand why. This year, the problem's still the same. I don't see it getting better, so maybe it'll be a better situation for me personally somewhere else." Chicago offered Gordon a five-year, $50 million contract last season, but he turned it down. This summer, reports have surfaced saying Gordon believes he should be the Bulls' highest-paid player because he's their leading scorer. Chicago recently signed Luol Deng to a six-year, $71 million deal. "I've just got to wait and see what happens," Gordon said. "It's a tough time." Gordon spoke at the "Bowling Bash and Celebrity Fundraiser" thrown by his New Life Foundation in Yonkers, N.Y. The event was seeking to raise money for the sports department at Mount Vernon High School, Gordon's alma mater. The school, which has a vaunted basketball program that's produced several NBA players, is in danger of losing its winter and spring sports teams. Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand, Charlotte Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor, UConn coach Jim Calhoun, rappers Irv Gotti and Heavy D and former world boxing champion Iran Barkley were among the celebrities in attendance

Cats' Boykins latest NBA player to bolt for Europe, signs $3.5 million deal

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After a decade in the NBA, Earl Boykins has joined the growing legion of veteran role players unable to resist the lure of European riches. Boykins' Cleveland-based agent, Mark Termini, announced Tuesday that Boykins has signed a one-year contract with Italy's Virtus Bologna. The deal, according to Termini, is worth more than $3.5 million for the 2008-09 season, which would make the 5-foot-5 guard Italy's highest-paid player. Boykins Since free agency began July 1, Boykins is the ninth player who worked in the NBA last season to bypass the tight free-agent market for role players at home and head overseas. Yet he's just the third -- following Josh Childress and Carlos Arroyo -- who played almost exclusively in the NBA before considering interest from abroad. Childress spurned a five-year offer worth an estimated $33 million from the Atlanta Hawks to sign a three-year deal worth at least $20 million from Greek power Olympiacos. With the Orlando Magic signing Anthony Johnson as Jameer Nelson's new backup, Arroyo on Monday chose to sign a three-year deal with Israeli giants Maccabi Tel-Aviv that will pay him $2.5 million net per season, with Maccabi covering Arroyo's taxes. Childress and Arroyo both have an escape provision in their contracts which enables them to return to the NBA after each of the next two seasons if they choose. All of the other players to sign with European clubs in recent weeks -- Serbia's Nenad Krstic, Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa, Argentina's Carlos Delfino and Slovenia's Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec -- played for top-level teams in Europe before coming to the NBA. Boykins had a breakout season offensively in 2006-07, averaging nearly 15 points per game for Denver and Milwaukee. But an equally limited free-agent market for rotation players in the summer of 2007 -- after he opted out of the final year of his contract, worth $3 million, with the Bucks -- prompted Boykins, 32, to wait until late January before signing with the Charlotte Bobcats. Boykins wound up playing in 36 games for the Bobcats, but he averaged just 5.1 points and shot below 40 percent from the floor (.355) for the first time since establishing himself as a full-time NBA player with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2001-02. According to Termini and co-agent Andy Bountogianis, Boykins' deal includes income from Bologna's sponsorship and marketing arms, which is not an option for NBA players because of salary-cap restrictions.

Clippers' Gordon injures hamstring, done with summer league

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LAS VEGAS -- The Los Angeles Clippers confirmed on Sunday that lottery pick Eric Gordon will miss the remainder of the NBA Summer League on the campus of UNLV with a strained left hamstring. Gordon Gordon, who has shown some nice flashes in two games despite his struggles from perimeter, suffered the strain Saturday in a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. The injury, while not believed to be serious, rules out what looked to be one of the better individual duels in Vegas this summer: Gordon's scheduled showdown Wednesday night with O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies. Drafted No. 7 overall last month out of Indiana, Gordon has missed 19-of-28 shots from the field in two games but has relied on his strength, body control and confidence to get to the free-throw line 21 times (making 16) in just under 60 minutes of court time, enabling him to average 19 points along with 6.5 rebounds. Clippers summer league coach Kim Hughes has been primarily playing Gordon as a shooting guard, a position in which he is likely to be deployed most as a rookie alongside Baron Davis. "I think once [Gordon] figures it out, he'll understand that he doesn't have to take the first available shot," Hughes told NBA.com. "When he uses the picks a little bit more, we'll send the ball to him weak side and he won't have to shoot the ball so quickly. I think he's got a good feel for the game, I think he can break his own guy down one-on-one and I think in transition he can be a monster."

Ranking the best available free agents

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At midnight Wednesday, NBA free agents finally could change teams. As you might have noticed, there already has been plenty of action. Baron Davis stunned us by agreeing to a five-year, $65 million deal with the Clippers. Then, Elton Brand one-upped his buddy by bolting the Clippers for a five-year deal with the Sixers. Then, Corey Maggette bolted the Clippers for the Warriors, agreeing to a five-year deal worth about $50 million. Also, Chris Duhon is leaving the Bulls for the Knicks, DeSagana Diop is saying goodbye to New Jersey and returning to Dallas, Mickael Pietrus is jumping from the Warriors to the Magic, and James Jones is leaving Portland for Miami. So much for the sleepy, uneventful free-agency period we predicted. Only a handful of free agents have agreed to re-sign with their teams. Gilbert Arenas agreed to a huge six-year, $111 million deal with the Wizards. Jose Calderon quickly agreed to re-up with the Raptors. And Beno Udrih agreed to a five-year, $33 million deal to remain with the Kings. It's the restricted free agents who have struggled to get deals done. Though the Hawks' Josh Smith has earned some interest, it's been uncomfortably quiet for a number of restricted free agents, such as Emeka Okafor and Luol Deng. Teams are hesitant to offer big deals to restricted free agents because once the player signs an offer sheet, his former team has seven days to match -- which thus ties up cap space for a week. However, with all of the top unrestricted free agents off the market, the focus should shift to the restricted free agents. Now that Brand is leaving the Clippers, Los Angeles becomes one team flush with cash to spend on free agents. Even with Baron Davis' deal in the books, the Clippers should have $13.8 million to spend given the new $58.68 million salary cap number. The Warriors also have significant room, even after signing Maggette. Assuming the Warriors keep restricted free agents Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis, the team should have roughly $9 million to $10 million of cap room to spend, depending on Maggette's starting salary. The Grizzlies got under the cap by trading away Pau Gasol for expiring contracts at the trade deadline. But Memphis GM Chris Wallace has been sending signals that the team might not spend its estimated $14.5 million in cap room this summer. The Grizzlies are hinting that they will wait until the summer of 2009, when they'll have more cap room. Meanwhile, the Sixers will use virtually all of their cap space on signing Brand. Here's a look at who's left on the market: Group I: Restricted free agents Only six first-round draft picks from the 2004 draft were signed to extensions last fall. That means some serious young talent is available this summer. These players' restricted status makes it likely they'll stay with their current teams, but at least they'll be in play: Smith1 .Josh Smith, Hawks: Smith has been the hottest restricted free agent, drawing interest from the Sixers, Clippers and Warriors. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is his questionable attitude. Right now, only two teams, the Clippers and Grizzlies, are far enough under the cap to give Smith an offer sheet big enough to potentially scare the Hawks. Given Atlanta's messy ownership situation, would the Hawks match a huge offer from L.A. or Memphis? That's the big question right now. 2. Andre Iguodala, Sixers: Iguodala's decision to turn down a $57 million deal last summer is tough to justify. At the time, the Sixers appeared to be the only team with significant cap room; I'm not sure where he thought his next paycheck would come from. Now that Elton Brand's on board, expect the Sixers to do everything possible to lock him up. Okafor3. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats: Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency this summer. He's not the best player on this list, but he's the best young center on the market and one of the few guys in the league who's a lock to average a double-double. It sounds as if the Bobcats are open to a sign-and-trade if the right deal were to come along. 4. Luol Deng, Bulls: Everyone loves Deng's talent, including the Bulls. At least they used to. Injuries and a poor season have hurt his value around the league. Still, it's hard to see the Bulls not matching any offer Deng gets next summer. He declined a $57.5 million extension in October, so if he makes more than that, he'll come out ahead. It will be interesting to see whether the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less. Biedrins 5.Andris Biedrins, Warriors: Biedrins didn't get the lucrative contract offer that several others did. He was looking for something in the five-year, $50 million range but got an offer that reportedly was substantially

With Brand out of picture, Warriors reach verbal agreement with Maggette

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What next for the two teams that tried and failed to secure an agreement with this summer's No. 1 free agent? The Golden State Warriors quietly pulled out of the Elton Brand chase Tuesday afternoon once they realized that Brand was going to Philadelphia if he was going anywhere, quickly moved on to new targets and reached a faster-than-expected verbal agreement to sign someone else from the Los Angeles Clippers: Corey Maggette. Although Golden State still has a huge hole at point guard after also losing Baron Davis to the Clippers, sources said that the Warriors are also preparing to sign Los Angeles Lakers restricted free agent Ronny Turiaf to a four-year offer sheet in the $4 million-a-year range, which the Lakers would have seven days to match. The Clippers, meanwhile, are expected to meet face-to-face as early as Wednesday with Atlanta Hawks restricted free agent Josh Smith, who was already in Los Angeles as of Tuesday. It's believed that a hard run at Smith and another restricted free agent -- Charlotte Bobcats center Emeka Okafor -- are at the top of L.A.'s priority list as it seeks to fill the holes created by the departures of Brand and Maggette. If the Clippers wind up signing Smith or Okafor to an offer sheet, as with Turiaf, their respective teams would have seven days to match. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that Maggette decided against waiting to see if the Clippers would keep Brand or lose him to the 76ers -- with the latter theoretically creating an opportunity to stay with the Clippers -- to jump at a five-year offer from the Warriors worth a reported $50 million. The Warriors, Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies are the only teams with salary-cap space to spend on free agents above the mid-level exception, which the league announced early Wednesday to be worth $5.585 million next season. Philadelphia was on that list as well before reaching a verbal agreement Tuesday to sign Brand away from the Clippers. Maggette had drawn strong interest from several top contenders who are over the cap and only had the mid-level exception to offer -- including Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando, Utah and most notably San Antonio -- but was intent on holding out to try to sign with a team that had cap room. Maggette averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season for the Clippers, then opted out of a contract that would have paid him $7 million next season. Golden State initially responded to the loss of Davis by offering Brand a five-year deal worth an estimated $90 million, but the Warriors never came as close to luring Brand away from L.A. as the Sixers. The Warriors also lost swingman Mickael Pietrus to Orlando on Tuesday and will now try to integrate Maggette with veterans Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington and two prized restricted free agents they expect to re-sign comfortably: Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins.

Bobcats make signing Okafor to longer deal a 'priority'

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The Charlotte Bobcats vs. Emeka Okafor. Part II. For the second straight summer, the Bobcats will try to lock up the first draft pick in team history to a long-term contract. This time, however, the sense of urgency is greater because Okafor becomes a restricted free agent Tuesday. Emeka Okafor Power Forward Charlotte Bobcats Profile 200 8Season Stats GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 82 13.8 10.7 0.9 .535 .570 While the Bobcats can match any offer another team makes -- and few teams have the salary cap space to offer the power forward big money -- managing partner Michael Jordan showed some concern about getting a deal done with Charlotte's top rebounder, shot blocker and defensive force. "We're going to do everything, but sometimes negotiations can be tough," Jordan said last week. "We felt like we put out a great value for Emeka last year and here we are dealing with the same situation." A person with knowledge of the negotiations said Okafor was offered a five-year deal last summer worth at least $12 million per season. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly, said Okafor could have earned up to $13 million a year if he met certain incentives. Okafor's agent, Jeff Schwartz, did not return phone messages on Monday. When asked about his future late last season, Okafor said, "Of course I want to be here." If they don't agree on a deal again, Okafor could sign a one-year qualifying offer worth $7.1 million. He would then become an unrestricted free agent after the 2008-09 season. "We plan on trying to get something done, like we tried to get something done last year," general manager Rod Higgins said. Dwight Howard of Orlando, the only player selected ahead of Okafor in the 2004 draft, received the NBA maximum, five-year, $85 million deal last summer. But Howard is a two-time All-Star and dominant offensive player. While Okafor was tied for 10th in the league with 39 double-doubles last season and has averaged 2.0 blocks per game in his career, he's not a consistent scorer. He averaged 13.8 points a game last season, but struggles to finish around the basket and is still working to develop a consistent 15-foot jumper. Okafor also shot a miserable 57 percent from the free-throw line last season. But the Bobcats need Okafor's presence in the paint, and working in their favor is the salary cap plight of most of the league's teams. Only Philadelphia and Memphis, and perhaps the Los Angeles Clippers, could open enough cap space to offer Okafor something approaching what Charlotte offered a year ago. If the Bobcats lock up Okafor in the $12-13 million a year range, it would leave them little wiggle room under the cap to go after other free agents in what's considered a weak class. One possible target was taken off the market Monday. Antawn Jamison, a Charlotte native and former star at North Carolina, agreed to a deal that keeps him in Washington. The Bobcats could also get involved in sign-and-trade deals with free agents. The Bobcats' dangling of forward Gerald Wallace as trade bait last week before the draft showed there are few untouchables as new coach Larry Brown shapes the roster. Brown has had high praise for Okafor, whom he coached in the 2004 Olympics. Okafor had a strained relationship with former coach Sam Vincent, with whom the mild-mannered Okafor had a heated exchange during a December practice. With former coach and vice president Bernie Bickerstaff leaving the organization this spring, Higgins will likely be Charlotte's chief negotiator with Okafor's agent. "The guy is a priority," Higgins said. "It needs immediate attention."

The Best Available Free Agents

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Iguodala 1. Andre Iguodala, Sixers: Iguodala's decision to turn down a $57 million deal last summer is tough to justify. At the time, the Sixers appeared to be the only team with significant cap room; I'm not sure where he thought his next paycheck would come from. He had a great regular season, but a woeful postseason has put his stock back in check. He's coveted by the Grizzlies, but the chances of them prying him away from Philly look very slim. 2. Josh Smith, Hawks: On talent and potential, Smith should be on top of this list. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is a questionable attitude. Nonetheless it appears the Hawks have to re-sign him. Given the Hawks' ownership woes, Smith is one of the few restricted free agents a team with cap space may try to pluck away -- the same way the Hawks did with Joe Johnson a few years ago. I could see the Sixers making a run at him. Okafor 3. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats: Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency this summer. He's not the best player on this list, but he's the best young center on the market. Still, there's no guarantee he'll get more money from another team. I'm sure the Grizzlies will be interested, but they know the Bobcats will match. I don't see him going anywhere, but a sign-and-trade isn't out of the question here if the negotiations go on too long. 4. Jose Calderon, Raptors: Calderon played at an All-Star level this past season. When T.J. Ford went down with injuries, he became the leader of the Raptors and proved to be the best true point guard on the free-agent market. The Raptors say they'll match any offer for Calderon and I believe them -- especially now that they've agreed to a trade with the Pacers that will ship T.J. Ford to Indiana. As it stands now, he's their only point guard. Still, don't be shocked if the Sixers make a big offer to him. They need a long-term replacement for Andre Miller and I hear Sixers GM Ed Stefanski is a big fan. Deng 5. Luol Deng, Bulls: Everyone loves Deng's talent, but so do the Bulls. At least they used to. Injuries and a poor season have hurt his value around the league. Still, it's hard to see the Bulls not matching any offer Deng gets next summer. He declined a $57.5 million extension in October, so if he makes more than that he'll come out ahead. It will be interesting to see if the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less. 6. Andris Biedrins, Warriors: Biedrins didn't get the lucrative contract offer that several others did. He was looking for something in the five-year, $50 million range and got an offer that was reportedly substantially lower. Biedrins falls a little bit into the Anderson Varejao category -- energetic big man whose stats don't tell the whole story in terms of on-court contributions. Given that he continues to improve and he's only 21 years old, it's hard to believe the Warriors wouldn't match an offer. Ellis 7. Monta Ellis, Warriors: He's young and he can score. But his restricted status is going to hurt him. No team has the money to offer him more than the midlevel, and he probably feels as though he's worth considerably more than that. He's a player who may be better off taking the one-year tender from the Warriors so that he can be an unrestricted free agent in 2009. 8. Josh Childress, Hawks: Childress doesn't get nearly the respect or hype of many of his teammates in Atlanta, but he's been a devastatingly effective sixth man and who might still be expendable given all of Atlanta's wing talent. He probably can't get more than a midlevel deal on this market, but he'd be a bargain at that price. Gordon 9. Ben Gordon, Bulls: Of all the players who turned down lucrative contract extensions last summer, Gordon made the most mind-boggling decision. He turned down a five-year, $50 million deal that seemed above market value on a down season. For him to recoup that money this summer seems almost impossible … and now that the Bulls have added Larry Hughes to the mix, it's no longer clear where Gordon fits into the picture. There isn't a huge market for undersized 2-guards with streaky jump shots. Gordon is most likely to be the top restricted free agent not to have his offer matched, but he's going to struggle to get a huge offer from anyone. Gordon may be better off taking the Bulls' one-year tender offer. 10. Nenad Krstic, Nets: Before his knee injury last season, Krstic looked like he'd be locked up by the Nets. Now the uncertainty over his health could hurt his value. Philadelphia is one team to watch for. Sixers GM Ed Stefanski was a fan while he was back in New Jersey. A sign-and-trade is another possibility for the Nets.

Mock draft done by Fox Sports. Any changes?

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JAY-Z DISSES LEBRON'S OPPONENT IN NEW SONG

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Larry Borwn to be named Bobcats Head Coach

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Well-traveled Larry Brown has reached an agreement to return to the NBA as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday.

My NBA Bodog Picks

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Let me know if I need to make changes before April 4th. Thanks. Howks (H) over 76ers, Pacers (A) over Bucks, Jazz (H) over Spurs, Mavs (A) over Lakers, Magic (A) over Cavs, Celtics (A) over Bobcats, Wizards (A) over Bulls, Nuggets (H) over Kings, Mavs (A) over Suns, Pacers (H) over Bucks, Spurs (A) over Blazers, Timberwolves (H) over Grizzlies, Hornets (H) over Warriors, Lakers (A) over Kings, and Rockets (A) over Clippers.

NBA PICKS

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Last week I jumped 15 places. Thanks all. This week I didnt have time to post last nights games but went 4 wins and 3 losses on my own with my 3 losses only lossing by 5pts or less. Rest of games are posted. Please let me know if I need to make any changes. Sat. games 76ers (H) over Spurs, Suns (H) over Kings, Warriors (H) over Grizzlies - Sun. Games Pistons (H) over Hornets, Rockets (H) over Lakers, Bobcats (A) over Cavs, Hawks (A) over Knicks, Kings (H) over Raptors. Thanks all

NBA Power Rankings: Rockets # 1?

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Bodog NBA Pick'em

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I dont watch or follow the NBA that closely so all advice would be great. Please pick the winners. Thanks

Isiah Thomas talks about matchup with Jordan's Charlotte Bobcats

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More Knicks rhetoric but with a great user comment.

wallace out for two weeks because of a concussion

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after getting a huge blow to the head, the bobcats foward is alright

Charlotte Bobcat owner is trying to dump the team . I really don't blame him because the Bobcats have " stunk up the place " this season . Is the owner right to want to dump the team in the middle of the season ?

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If I was the owner of the Bobcats , I would have dumped the team after the second week of the season , but what does this do for his players and coaches ? Do they just completely shut-down for the rest of the season , they're going nowhere on a fast train !

Inside TIP: Ron Artest may be headed to the Denver Nuggets?

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Trade rumors are circulating about a Sacramento and Denver deal.

Kobe shoots the ball 44 times to beat the 9-28 Sonics by 2 points. So much for team ball!!!

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