The Daily Truth- PJ Speaks on the Plays and moments of the decade.

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2009 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Preview

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The Hawai’ian Islands have a long bowl tradition, beginning all the way back in 1936 with the forgotten Poi Bowl, continuing in the 80s and 90s with the well-known Aloha Bowl and culminating with the present-day Hawai’i Bowl. This will be the 8th playing of the game and only the second doesn’t include the home island Hawai’i Warriors.

Golden State trades Stephen Jackson to Bobcats

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Golden State Warriors found a home for the disgruntled swingman Stephen Jackson on Monday, sending him to the Charlotte Bobcats in a four-player deal that pairs him with coach Larry Brown. Stephen Jackson, rescued from Golden State, goes from one hard-to-please, curmudgeonly coach to another. Read more In the trade, first reported by Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, the Bobcats sent shooting guard Raja Bell and forward Vladimir Radmanovic to the Warriors for Jackson and guard Acie Law.

Stephen Curry Probably Wishes He Was Drafted By Another Team … Or Stayed at Davidson

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The Warriors are the new Clippers. Here’s what petulant point guard Monta Ellis had to say about playing in the backcourt with first-round draft pick Stephen Curry:

Stephen Curry has signed contract with Warriors

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Crawford to Atl

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Sources: Hawks to deal two to Warriors

Why does GS want to force crawford out?

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The Warriors front office seems to be hoping that Crawford opts out, but the lack of teams with salary cap space could be enough to keep him in Golden State.

NBA Power Rankings March

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Yao to retire in 2010?

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The Daily Beat: PJ's Daily Blog #1: The Knicks and Stephon Marbury

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Power Rankings: Celtics begin on top, back and ready for more

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RASHAD EVANS DEFEATS CHUCK LIDDELL BY KNOCKOUT IN THE SECOND ROUND

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Schedule highlights: Season opens with champs versus King James

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The NBA's 2008-09 schedule is out ... and you know what that means. An equally anticipated document has to go with it: ESPN.com's first rundown of must-see games for the coming season to immediately input into your electronic calendar of choice. Oct. 28: Opening Night An earlier-than-usual launch to the season starts with a tasty TNT doubleheader, leading off with the new champs from Boston hosting LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers on ring night and capped by Greg Oden's long-awaited NBA debut in Blazers at Lakers. Oct. 29: Opening Night (continued) Elton Brand makes his 76ers debut in the same game that Jermaine O'Neal makes his official Raptors debut: Toronto at Philadelphia. Furtherm ore:Michael Beasley makes his pro debut at Madison Square Garden (along with Dwyane Wade's official return from injury) in Heat at Knicks, Ron Artest makes his Rockets debut in Memphis at Houston, and Oklahoma City makes its debut as a full-time NBA city with a visit from the Milwaukee Bucks. And ... ESPN dishes its own doubleheader doozy: Phoenix at San Antonio to renew year after year of recent playoff pleasantries, followed by Lakers at Clippers in a fitting bow for the Clips' new Angeleno point guard: Baron Davis. Oct. 30: Houston at Dallas (TNT) The Mavericks are one of two teams (along with Charlotte) that must wait until Thursday for their opening game, giving Mavs fans more time to fret that the Rockets' acquisition of Ron Artest reduces Dallas to the third-best team in Texas. Oct. 31: San Antonio at Portland (ESPN) The best of the Halloween fare, at least in NBA terms, is unquestionably Oden matching up with Tim Duncan. Nov. 1: Washington at Detroit (NBA TV) The league is still sorting out its full 96-game NBA TV schedule, but Wizards-Pistons has been confirmed as the opener of NBA TV's maiden doubleheader, which concludes with a Portland-at-Phoenix nightcap. [+] EnlargeJesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images If Yao can stay healthy, this could be a preview of the 2009 Finals. Nov. 4: Boston at Houston You don't have to wait long for a look at the NBA's reigning threesome of doom (Garnett, Pierce and Allen) throwing down against the new trio on the block (McGrady, Yao and Artest). P.S. How much playing time will the twins get in Phoenix at New Jersey ... also known as Robin Lopez at Brook Lopez? Nov. 5: Charlotte at New York Larry Brown returns to Madison Square Garden with his (latest) new team. We'll spare you the dates on Larry's returns to Denver, New Jersey, San Antonio, Los Angeles, Indiana, Philly and Detroit. Nov. 6: Houston at Portland (TNT) Yao Ming and Oden go toe-to-toe for the first time. Health permitting, of course. Nov. 9: Houston at L.A. Lakers The denizens of Lakerland who so badly wanted to see Artest in purple and gold will get their first dose of torture early. In L.A.'s first Sunday home game of the season, actually. Nov. 10: Portland at Orlando Oden will have lined up against Shaquille O'Neal (Nov. 1), Yao and Dwight Howard in a span of 10 days by the time he gets through this one. Health permitting, of course. Nov. 12: Atlanta at Boston Are the Hawks and Celtics rivals now because of what happened in the first round of the playoffs? Better question: Shouldn't Olympiacos be required to swing through Atlanta as part of the usual October spree of exhibition games against top European clubs? Nov. 13: Dallas at Chicago (TNT) Mavs owner Mark Cuban could know by this point whether he has won the race to buy the Cubs, which would make this somewhat of a home game for him and certainly spice up his relationship with Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, since Reinsdorf owns the White Sox. Nov. 14: Detroit at L.A. Lakers (ESPN) What sort of reception awaits Kwame Brown at Staples Center? Just a hunch: If history is any guide, Kwame needn't expect (or want) any mention of a cake. On the undercard: Kareem Rush's Philadelphia 76ers visit brother Brandon Rush's Indiana Pacers. Nov. 18: Cleveland at New Jersey LeBron and Jay-Z! In the same building! Exactly one week before LeBron goes to MSG to hang with Spike Lee and the Knicks! Cavs fans will want to avoid online consumption of the New York tabloids for a good few days before Thanksgiving. Nov. 20: L.A. Lakers at Phoenix (TNT) Kobe, tell me how many times do you think you and Shaq will be asked about recent rapping exploits? Detroit at Boston, incidentally, isn't exactly a bland appetizer for TNT. Nov. 21: Boston at Minnesota A hamstring strain prevented KG from playing in his first visit to 'Sota as an ex-Wolf last February. Hard to see him missing two in row, though. In Philadelphia, meanwhile, Baron and Elton will be in the same building for the first time since they did not end up on the same team as so many of us expected. And over in Oklahoma City, New Orleans is in town to play the OKC TBAs for the first time, which makes

Lakers let Turiaf go to Warriors, will look to Bynum in middle

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LOS ANGELES -- With great reluctance, the Los Angeles Lakers decided at Friday's deadline they wouldn't match Golden State's offer for Ronny Turiaf, meaning the former second-round draft choice will move up the California coast to play for the Warriors. ESPN.com's J.A. Andande first reported the Lakers would not match the offer. "There are emotional ties with Ronny that go beyond basketball," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said on a conference call. "I think that makes it difficult. I think organizations that draft players who turn out to be good players, it's hard for them to let go of those players. And if you know Ronny, you know he's a special kid." The Warriors signed Turiaf, a restricted free agent, to a four-year, $17 million offer sheet last week. By rule, the Lakers had seven days to decide whether to match it. The three-year veteran from Gonzaga averaged 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 78 games with the Western Conference champions last season, making 21 starts. The Lakers played much of last season without starting center Andrew Bynum, giving Turiaf the opportunity for more playing time than he would have had otherwise. But, Kupchak said, Bynum is expected to be healthy when training camp begins in early October, and Turiaf's opportunities figured to be diminished significantly. Kupchak said Bynum has been in New York and underwent physical therapy in 19 of the last 21 days and has been cleared to work out and play. "He's basically on his own to begin conditioning and basketball activity, starting today," Kupchak said. "It's a process. Based on what he did last year, I would expect him to come in in mid-September basically in great shape. I know that's his goal. He's coming back this weekend, we're going to meet with him Monday. He will go to Atlanta late next week to begin his training for the upcoming season." With frontcourt players like Bynum, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza and Chris Mihm on the roster, that wouldn't appear to leave much playing time for Turiaf. Kupchak said he believes that Mihm, who missed most of the last two seasons with ankle problems, will also be fully healthy at the start of training camp. "We will miss Ronny, we will miss his contributions on and off the court, the emotion and the energy he brought, whether he's playing or not," Kupchak said. Kupchak said he met with Turiaf for about an hour Thursday. "It was a very emotional meeting because he loves the city, he loves the organization, there are certain bonds here," Kupchak said. "He feels it's in his best interests to move on. The last thing you want is a young player like Ronny no matter what he's being paid is being on the bench at 25 years old and not playing. "We discussed it yesterday, he wants to play, and sees an opportunity to play in Golden State at least twofold what he can play here." The Warriors certainly have a much greater need for big men than the Lakers. Kupchak said the Lakers will now focus on re-signing guard Sasha Vujacic, another restricted free agent.

Suns reportedly to sign ex-Warriors forward Barnes

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Marbury gone? Knicks sign a big PG?

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Maggette signs contract with Golden State

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OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors acquired free agent Corey Maggette on Thursday, signing away the Los Angeles Clippers' scoring leader. While the team would not comment on terms of the contract, a person with knowledge of the deal previously told The Associated Press that Maggette would be signed for five years at around $50 million. Maggette The6-foot-6 swingman is expected to be a good fit for Warriors' coach Don Nelson's frenetic, fast-paced style of play. The 28-year-old former Duke star appeared in 70 games last season with the Clippers and averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.01 steals in 35.7 minutes per contest. Maggette trades teams with Baron Davis, who left the Warriors last week to sign with the Clippers. Davis opted out of a $17 million deal for next season to accept a smaller salary to play in his hometown with Elton Brand and perhaps Maggette. However, Brand signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday and now Maggette is a Warrior. Landing Maggette was not necessarily easy for the Warriors. He reportedly received interest from five other teams, including reigning NBA champions Boston, as well as San Antonio. But the Warriors were able to offer a longer-term deal and more money after Davis' departure cleared cap room for the team. Maggette is expected to fill voids left by the departure of swingman Mickael Pietrus to Orlando, and the loss of forward Matt Barnes, whom Nelson said won't be back. "He's been one of the most productive players in our league for the last several years and provides us with additional versatility and veteran leadership," said the Warriors' top basketball executive, Chris Mullin. Veterans Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington are the only regulars currently under contract, but Mullin has said the team will sign high-scoring guard Monta Ellis and center Andris Biedrins -- both restricted free agents -- at any price, hopefully to long-term deals

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.

Sixers strengthen low post play, sign Brand to five-year deal

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PHILADELPHIA -- Elton Brand believed his career would end as an L.A. Story. Forced by an ultimatum Brand would not accept, the would-be movie mogul and two-time NBA All-Star instead opted to take his production east and see his name roll on the credits of Philadelphia's roster. Brand and the 76ers made it official Wednesday on a five-year deal worth $79.795 million, a shrewd move that promptly turned the emerging franchise into Eastern Conference contenders. "I'm prepared to do some big things this year," Brand said. For that kind of commitment, Brand should be ready. Last week, Brand opted out of his contract with the Clippers, but Los Angeles was expected to make a strong push to re-sign him. Instead, he spurned the Clippers once agent David Falk said he was offered a "take it or leave it" contract on June 30. The deal was nearly $20 million less than what Brand signed for in Philadelphia. "My intention was to try and work something out with the Clippers," Brand said. Falk said the greater insult came when he was told that Clippers owner Donald Sterling said he would be happy with the 29-year-old Brand's decision either way. Messages seeking comment left with the Clippers were not immediately returned. Falk also said the Golden State Warriors offered more total money -- about $90 million -- but Brand felt the 76ers were a better fit. Sixers president Ed Stefanski was on the phone with Falk shortly after midnight on July 1 -- the first day teams could begin negotiating with free agents. Philadelphia wanted to land a big man this summer and had Hawks restricted free agent forward Josh Smith in town last week for a visit, but he left without being presented with an offer sheet. Smith will look elsewhere, or possibly stay in Atlanta. The 76ers entered the summer $11 million under the salary cap, but even that wasn't enough to land a franchise-shifting free agent like Brand. Philadelphia was able to swing a deal with Minnesota that sent forward Rodney Carney and a future No. 1 pick to the Timberwolves as part of a trade that cleared an additional $2 million in salary cap space. The trade allowed the Sixers to offer a starting salary in the $14-million range. Brand had $16.4 million left on deal he signed in 2003. AP Photo The Sixers are hoping the addition of Elton Brand, right, will give the team the low post presence it lacked during last season. "All we kept saying was we needed an opportunity, and that opportunity came," Stefanski said. Brand's arrival signals the Sixers are ready to become a threat to contend in the East. He should immediately bolster the frontcourt, and his career numbers of 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds over nine seasons make him one of only four active players to average a double-double. However ,Brand played in only eight games last season because of an Achilles' tendon injury. Brand said Wednesday night he was 100 percent and ready to go. "I won't let anybody down," he said. Brand was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft out of Duke and spent two seasons with the Bulls before he was traded to the Clippers. Brand had tried to leave Los Angeles once before as a restricted free agent. He signed an offer sheet with Miami, but returned to the Clippers once the deal was matched. Brand also founded Gibraltar Films and served as co-producer on a movie that starred Christian Bale. The Sixers had been pointing toward this summer since they traded 2001 NBA MVP Allen Iverson in 2006 and decided to rebuild. They started clearing contracts -- notably last season's trade of Kyle Korver to Utah -- to have enough cash under the cap to pursue a marquee free agent. Once Brand surprisingly rejected the Clippers, the 76ers had their man. Brand joins a Sixers team that is no longer the lottery-bound loser it was a year ago. Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert and the blossoming Thaddeus Young turned the 76ers into a surprise playoff team, even stretching Detroit to six games in a first-round series. Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks had his team playing hard every game and he earned an extension from Stefanski. The Sixers got only 5.2 points out of last season's power forward, Reggie Evans. "I feel even stronger and tougher once I've got Elton Brand behind me," Stefanski said. "I'd have to say, yes, we have closed the gap." Their starting lineup now looks like this: Miller and Iguodala in the backcourt; Young, Brand and Dalembert in the frontcourt. Willie Green, Louis Williams and Evans become the top reserves. The Sixers played an up-tempo style in the second half of last season that helped turn their season around. Stefanski said Brand -- even coming off an injury -- fits in fine with their running game. "This guy can run," Stefanski said. "This is the prototype power forward." Now, Philadelphia has made a move that shows it not only expects to make the playoffs -- it can