Churning the NBA Rumor Mill
It is quickly approaching that time of year where the NBA rumor mill starts up in full effect. Who are the Cavs looking at to help LeBron get to the Finals next year? Is Andre Miller fleeing Philly or is he interested in coming back? Who are the Kings looking at to lead the team next season? Continue reading for updates on those stories and more.
Andre Miller’s agent tells the Philadelphia Daily News that his client has not ruled coming back to Philadelphia if the money is right. It sounds as though the veteran point guard is just looking to sign for the most money possible and winning a championship is not at the forefront of his mind right now.
The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Kurt Rambis has emerged as the top candidate for the Kings head job despite GM Geoff Petrie there is no clear cut candidate at this time. The consensus seems to be that Rambis, Paul Westphal, and Boston associate head coach Tom Thibodeau are the three finalists to land the gig.
The Charlotte Observer reports that the Portland Trail Blazers are putting feelers out around the league about trading into the lottery in an attempt to land Davidson sharp-shooter Stephen Curry. This would definitely be an interesting development given the Blazers currently have last year’s number 11 pick Jerryd Bayless on the roster. The thought is that given that Brandon Roy is generally the primary ball handler the Blazers would like to get a scoring guard with some point guard abilities to pair with Roy in the backcourt. The Blazers have five picks in the upcoming draft and would likely be willing part with Bayless, Sergio Rodriguez, or Rudy Fernandez if it meant landing Curry who is a more dynamic scorer.
Peter Vecsey says Carlos Boozer is telling friends he wants to play for either the Nets or Pistons next season. The Jazz are probably inclined to go with the younger up-and-coming Paul Milsap in favor of the oft-injured Boozer who has managed to play more than 51 games just twice in his five seasons with the Jazz. The Nets are currently in cost cutting mode and would need to swing a sign-and-trade to land Boozer so that scenario seems a bit unlikely. The Pistons, on the other hand, will have tons of cap flexibility this summer with both Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace’s contracts clearing about $34 million worth of salary from the books. It remains to be seen if Joe Dumars is secure enough in his position to sit on the money looking towards the summer of 2010 when there looks to be a bevy of talent hitting the market. If Dumars makes a play for Boozer it may signal a hint of him feeling the hot seat a bit and needing to get back into contention in the East. Boozer would be a good fit for the Pistons as they currently do not have any kind of a low post presence under contract for the next season.
