Sacramento 91 vs. Philadelphia 125* (National Basketball Association)

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National Basketball Association

Sacramento 91
Philadelphia 125

Power Rankings: Lakers rise, Celtics fall after first week

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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

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.

Brand new Sixers are instant East challengers

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Are the Philadelphia 76ers, as presently constituted, good enough to win the East in the 2008-09 season? Doubtful. But are the Sixers good enough to win a playoff series or two and scare the bejeezus out of Detroit and Boston? You bet. And if they add a shooter and get another year of growth from all their young studs, will they be in position to win the conference in 2010? Absolutely. It's amazing to think this is the same team that dealt Allen Iverson less than two years ago because their prospects had become so grim, and the same squad that fired general manager Billy King last winter in the wake of several awful contracts. The Sixers' turnaround may not seem fast compared to Boston's worst-to-first U-turn, but has been amazingly swift by anyone else's standards. Even without Brand, Philly had rebounded impressively enough from a 5-13 start to take the Pistons to six tough games in the first round of the playoffs this spring. And Philly did this with two gaping, open sores on their roster: power forward and shooting guard. Brand, obviously, fills the power forward slot quite nicely and gives the Sixers the half-court, low-post threat they so obviously needed. Philadelphia's primary option there last season was Reggie Evans, a warrior and a gamer whose low skill level is reflected in his stats: a pedestrian 11.05 player efficiency rating, just 9.0 points per 40 minutes and 43.8 percent shooting. The Sixers also used Thaddeus Young, a teenaged rookie who is going to be unbelievably good but was undersized for the 4 spot at 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, and another, much less impressive rookie in Jason Smith. Now they can replace Evans and Smith with Brand, move Young back to his natural small forward spot, and plug Evans into the backup big man role that he was meant to play. Plus, moving Young to small forward means moving Andre Iguodala to shooting guard, which takes care of the other problem in the Sixers' starting lineup. Willie Green moves to the bench and soaks up the minutes vacated by the trade of Rodney Carney, Louis Williams stays in his sixth-man Microwave role behind Andre Miller at the point, and everybody lives happily ever after. Here's how the math works. Let's be conservative and say Brand isn't quite the player he was before the Achilles injury, and puts up a PER of "only" about 20. (His career PER is 22.7, and not counting his 2007-08 lost season, his lowest mark in L.A. was 21.7.) That's still better than anybody on the Sixers had last season, and nearly doubles the PER of Evans and Smith. My basic rule of thumb is every additional point of PER over 2,000 minutes of play is worth an additional win, meaning replacing the Smith/Evans combo with Brand should be worth nearly 10 wins. If so, that takes the Sixers from 42.5 wins a season ago (their expected wins based on their point differential) to 52 in 2008-09. And 52 wins in the East makes you a pretty strong contender. That, mind you, is without considering any improvement from the rest of the roster. But one has to think the Sixers would have been better in the coming season even without adding Brand. Consider that Young boasted a 16.58 PER as a 19-year-old rookie last season even while playing half his minutes out of position, or that Williams was at 16.71 when he should have been a junior in college, or that Smith can still get better and first-round pick Marreese Speights should provide added frontcourt beef. Conversely, the only key player one could reliably expect to perform worse than last season is Miller, a 32-year-old point guard. Even here, the Sixers are somewhat insured -- he's in his walk year, and Williams is waiting in the wings. If there's a reason the Celtics shouldn't be exactly quaking in their boots quite yet, it's because Philly still has one glaring weakness: outside shooting. Philly was last in 3-point percentage last season and at some point the Sixers need to get a shooter to make defenses pay for double-teaming Brand and collapsing against the drives of Iguodala, Miller and Young. Unfortunately, the Sixers had to trade an ace shooter, Kyle Korver, in order to generate the cap space to bring in Brand. It's a deal they'd do again in a heartbeat, obviously, but it's also somewhat ironic. Fortunately, they're now in position to nab prospective veteran free agents who are looking to join a contender -- a status that was unthinkable nine months ago -- and should be able to pick up a shooter on the cheap at some point between now and the playoffs. Philly also has to do some housekeeping by retaining Iguodala -- a restricted free agent who could become the target of a big-money raid by the Clippers, especially if they're hell-bent on revenge -- and Williams, who is also restricted. But that shouldn't be a major obstacle given their solid cap position and ability to match any offer. Even with poor shooting, the Sixers should ascend into the

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

With new acquisitions such as Beasley, Brand and J O'Neal what will the playoff picture look like in the east?

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Sources say Brand will spurn Clippers, sign with 76ers

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The Philadelphia 76ers have apparently won the Elton Brand free-agent sweepstakes. NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday that Brand has informed the Sixers that he will accept a five-year deal worth an estimated $82 million and spurn what was presumed to be a slam-dunk return to the Los Angeles Clippers to hook up with Clipper-to-be Baron Davis. The Sixers cannot formally sign Brand before midnight, with Wednesday serving as the first day that NBA teams can officially complete signings and trades after the lifting of a leaguewide moratorium which began July 1. But Philadelphia has secured Brand's verbal commitment, sources said, after first reaching an agreement in principle with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a trade that, according to sources, will send Sixers forward Rodney Carney, center Calvin Booth and a future first-round pick to the Wolves without Philadelphia having to take back any salary. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the Sixers will receive a future second-round pick in return. That trade will shave nearly $3 million off the Sixers' payroll next season and increase what was already substantial salary-cap space, positioning them to sign Brand to a five-year deal believed to be starting in the $14-to-15 million range. Exact figures are expected to be available later Tuesday evening when the league reveals next season's salary-cap figure to its 30 teams and the media. Said one source close to the process: "Elton wants to go East." Another source had described Brand as leaning "70-30" in favor of going to the Sixers and didn't rule out the possibility that the Clippers could still increase their five-year offer beyond the latest estimate of roughly $75 million. The Clippers are also the only team in the running with the ability to offer a no-trade clause to Brand, something that only one other player in the league -- Staples Center co-tenant Kobe Bryant -- has in his contract. Philadelphia 'sshedding of two salaries to set up a major free-agent signing is reminiscent of the move made by Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 1996, when then-Lakers personnel chief Jerry West sent Anthony Peeler and George Lynch to the then-Vancouver Grizzlies, creating the cap space that made it possible for L.A. to sign Shaquille O'Neal away from Orlando. Getting Brand away from the Clippers might not quite have a Shaq-sized impact on the Sixers, but it would be an undeniable coup for Philadelphia on a variety of levels. Brand is the proven power player Philadelphia clearly lacks on an otherwise promising roster that won many admirers as last season progressed. The Sixers extended Detroit to six games in a first-round series more competitive than many anticipated and, if they can formally secure Brand's signature, would be adding a two-time All-Star to veterans Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala, top youngsters Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young, and the considerable wingspan of Samuel Dalembert at center. A move to the East would also come with on- and off-court benefits for Brand, sending him to a conference with far fewer title contenders and moving him closer to his East Coast-based family with Brand and his wife expecting their first child this fall. If Brand indeed goes through with his apparent intent to join the Sixers, such an outcome is bound to be widely branded as a shocker after he and agent David Falk announced last week that Brand was opting out of the final year of his previous contract (worth $16.4 million) to give the Clippers more payroll flexibility to strengthen the team around Brand. Within 24 hours, L.A. responded on the first day of free agency by reaching a verbal agreement with Davis in what easily ranks as the biggest free-agent coup in Clippers history. Brand told ESPN.com on June 30 that his "intention is to stay" with the Clippers, while Falk spoke optimistically of Brand signing a deal to "finish his career with the Clippers" if the team could make another significant personnel acquisition or two. ESPN.com reported late last week that Davis was the player Brand specifically asked Clippers management to chase in June. During the ensuing week, while L.A. has been trying to convince its 29-year-old franchise forward to stay, Brand has also been weighing an offer from the Golden State Warriors believed to be worth more than what the Clippers or Sixers can offer him. After Davis informed the Warriors that he was leaving the Bay Area to sign a five-year deal worth an estimated $65 million with his hometown Clippers, Golden State responded by presenting Brand with a five-year offer worth an estimated $90 million

The Guru Sports Show

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Restricted free agent Josh Smith visits Sixers

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PHILADELPHIA -- Josh Smith wasted no time taking advantage of his restricted free-agent status, spending Wednesday visiting the Philadelphia 76ers -- a franchise with plenty of cap room to make a big offer. The 22-year-old Smith toured the city and visited the Wachovia Center with Sixers officials, who would like to woo the forward away from Atlanta with an offer sheet too expensive for the Hawks to match. As he's a restricted free agent, the Hawks can match any offer made to the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Smith. Smith Bu tone of Smith's agents said Wednesday night the former slam dunk champion was impressed with his tour of the city, which included a meeting with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. "They showed a very genuine interest," said Smith's agent, Wallace Prowther. "Early, early next week we'll have a much firmer grip on which direction things are going in." The Sixers can try and make match an offer sheet tough to accomplish. The Sixers have about $11 million in salary cap space available and could use all of it to offer Smith a five-year contract. The Hawks have said they would match any contract offer to Smith, but are on the hook next season for big contracts for Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson, and they still want to re-sign forward Josh Childress. Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. said shortly after the season he was committed to keeping Smith and Childress. "We're absolutely, without a doubt, very committed to keeping both as Hawks players for the long haul," he said. "We believe in them and think they're a critical part of this team and that they're going to be part of this franchise for a long time." Smith's numbers have increased in each of his four NBA seasons since Atlanta made him a first-round pick out of high school in 2004. He averaged 17.2 points and 8.2 rebounds last year and helped the Hawks make the playoffs. Smith and his agents met with the Hawks on Tuesday. Prowther said other visits where scheduled, but declined to name the teams. "The process is early, but I will say that things went very well," he said. Smith would be a nice fit for the up-tempo Sixers and would be a huge upgrade over last year's power forward, Reggie Evans. He's one of the premier shot blockers in the league and could team with starting center Samuel Dalembert and small forward Thaddeus Young to form one of the top frontcourts in the Eastern Conference. "From the outside looking in, it looks like he'd fit well," Prowther said. Teams began negotiating with free agents on Tuesday and can begin signing free agents on July 9.

Brand to opt out, hopes to work out deal with Clippers

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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.

Can u imagine the Celtics losing in the first round this year???

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Playoff Predictions? Conference Champs, Conference runner-ups, and Finals winner.

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10 most memorable fights in NBA

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NBA Power Rankings: Do you think they have it right?

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1 (1) Rockets 46-20 Since no one has guessed right yet in trying to project when this winning streak is going to end, perhaps we need to ask a new question. Such as: How on earth did these Rockets lose six straight games back in November? 2 (2) Celtics 52-13 Nice St. Patrick's Day treat for the league's only 50-win team . . . back-to-back games in San Antonio and Houston. Of course, if the Celts sweep both and thus halt Houston's historic streak, No. 2 will be too low. 3 (6) Pistons 48-18 Disconcerting as it was to lose at home to Philly right after the Sixers lost at home to Boston, Detroit answered about as loudly as you can in the regular season with the impressive home W's over the Spurs and Hornets. 4 (4) Jazz 44-24 Ray Allen's injury departure diminishes Friday's breakthrough in Boston . . . but only a little. The Jazz just gained some much-needed confidence on the road to go with the distinction of being the last team to beat Houston. 5 (3) Lakers 45-21 It won't be easy -- and the Lakers honestly have bigger concerns if Pau isn't back in a few games -- but Kobe can't do his MVP campaign any harm if he can keep LA in the top five with Bynum and Gasol out injured. 6 (7) Hornets 44-21 Cause for concern? Paul and West are indeed banged up, but neither injury appears serious. Cause for optimism? The Hornets have two wins over San Antonio by at least 24 points, which is saying something. 7 (8) Suns 44-22 Bad news: 10 of its next 14 games are roadies. Good news: Phoenix just won big games with two different teams, the Spurs (grinding) and the Warriors (running). Just what the Suns were hoping for with Shaq. 8 (9) Mavericks 44-23 The Mavs mowed through the cupcake portion of their schedule with five full-on routs. Now to see how much momentum and continuity they've gathered up with J-Kidd as the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs come to town. 9 (5) Spurs 44-22 More from our Didn't See This Coming files: San Antonio is a mere 9-11 this season against the rest of the West's top eight. Our friends at the Elias Sports Bureau say only Phoenix, at 7-14, has been worse. 10 (10) Warriors 41-24 The Warriors need a 9-8 finish for their first 50-win season since Webber was a rookie . . . and Baron needs to play in just five more games for his first 70-game season since playing all 82 in each of his first three years. 11 (14) 76ers 33-34 March Madness, indeed. The Sixers are 7-1 this month and 15-4 since falling 12 games under .500 on Feb. 4. That adds up to some tasty revenge for not having a single representative in All-Star Weekend events. 12 (13) Magic 44-24 The Magic were the league's third-fastest team to clinch a playoff berth. Count that as a surprise that can only help Stan Van's Coach of the Year candidacy and Hedo's odds in the Most Improved Player race. 13 (11) Nuggets 40-26 I'm afraid that those entertaining 168 points weren't enough to drastically change Denver's outlook. Not with a five-game trip looming for a 12-19 road team and not when Seattle is on the schedule only once more. 14 (18) Wizards 33-32 Butler is back and so is Washington's .500 record. The problem is Philly's surge up the East ladder, which threatens to bump the Raps or the Wiz down to the dreaded No. 7 seed and a first-round series with Detroit. 15 (12) Cavaliers 38-29 Big Z and Big Ben are ailing and the Cavs are just 8-6 since swinging their big trade. Something else to concern LeBron: Houston seems intent on winning every game until T-Mac at least passes LBJ in the MVP race. 16 (15) Trail Blazers 35-32 Oden is suddenly back on the practice floor and the Blazers won't let their record dip below .500. I know March generally belongs to the collegians, but no one will mind if we keep calling these guys Cinderellas. Right? 17 (17) Kings 30-36 The question was inevitably raised by our man Marty Mac in Sactown even though Theus is winning more than expected as an NBA coaching rook: Do Kings fans now miss the coach who's on that 22-0 run in Houston? 18 (16) Raptors 34-32 The Raps are wise to rest Bosh for safety's sake, but the wait for his return must feel like forever. Bosh hasn't played yet in March and Toronto is 0-6 on the road, with just two W's in nine games. Over Seattle and Miami. 19 (22) Nets 28-38 Does it hurt more, Leasterners, coming from one of your own? The Nets lose six straight to Western teams, beat Cleveland in their return and Richard Jefferson says, "It's good to be back in the Eastern Conference." 20 (19) Hawks 28-38 If the Hawks miss the playoffs after all that time in the top eight, they'll surely know why. Beating the Knicks at MSG was only Atlanta's third win in 22 road games, including a 2-8 road record in the Mike Bibby Era. 21 (20) Bulls 26-39 The latest farce in the East's "race" for No. 8: Chicago is still alive and still hasn't won three games in a row all season. The M-Stands-For-Misery trio of Memphis, Minnesota and Miami ar

Sixers Roll Past Listing Clippers, Keep an Eye on Playoff Berth

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The Philadelphia 76ers avoided a letdown after their upset win at Phoenix by routing the Los Angeles Clippers 106-80 on Monday night.

76'ers in eighth playoff spot in the East. Will the Sixers make it into the playoffs 1 year after trading A.I, and was this a good trade.

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who will win a championship first in PHILIDALPHIA?

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PHILLIES FLYERS SIXERS EAGLES?