To kick off our NBA season preview, we talked about the Atlantic Division, home of the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics. With the Big Three finally getting rings, will we see Boston rule the Eastern Conference again? Or can the Raptors and 76ers, backed by big-time acquisitions, chase them in the division? Also, we talk about the New York Knicks and Mike D’Antoni’s impact on the team.

 

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“It means I’m a free agent, but my intentions are to stay with the Clippers. That’s always been my intention. I think with the pieces we have, we can do some damage.”

How quickly it all changes, doesn’t it? Elton Brand, no longer a Clipper, now a 76er. Los Angeles Clipper fans, dreaming of a Hollywood combo of Baron Davis and Brand, are trying to wake up from this nightmare.

There’s been a lot of “he said, he said” going around about how Brand believed he was disrespected by the Clippers’ take it or leave it offer of 5 years, $70 million. About how David Falk orchestrated this entire coup and screwed the Clippers. About how Brand was disingenuous about staying, pretty much cementing him as a Judas in the long history of the Clippers.

But I don’t blame him for leaving. In fact, I applaud him for leaving. After all, he already left before. But the Clippers couldn’t match an offer sheet this time.

Logically, it makes sense for Brand to leave.

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Millions of kids want to be “like Mike” and with good reason. He’s a sports icon, one of the most marketed people in history, and after all these years, a swingin’ bachelor. But he’s no Allan Houston. Remember him? The sweet-shooting Knicks star who, two years after retiring, is still the 2nd highest paid player in the NBA. Houston sat on his ass and made $20.7 million. Beat that MJ.

Other hilarious entires on the report of NBA Salaries include Brian Grant, who retired in October and still made $17.3 million. An honorable mention goes to Jalen Rose, who made $16 million and was on the court for 246 minutes all season. Topping the list of the highest paid player is Kevin Garnett. Despite his years of bitching, it’s still hard to sympathize with a guy who made $21 million for the Timberwolves this season.

A look at the highest team payrolls leads to a familiar discussion. Once again, the Knicks got a terrible return on their investment. Their team payroll is $139 million, which leads the NBA by nearly $50 million. In Jalen Rose numbers, that’s more than 12 hours of basketball! The Knicks won 33, meaning they spent more than $4 million for each win. The 76ers and their $88 million payroll won 35 games this year.

Go ahead and take a look at the bottom of the team payroll list. These are teams that have built the right way. The Toronto Raptors’ payroll was a paltry $53 million and they won 47 games. Even more shocking, the Chicago Bulls’ payroll was also $53 million. All they’ve done is build the youngest core of talent in the NBA and swept the Miami Heat. Need a philosophy on running an NBA franchise? It’s all in the numbers.

First there was the Gilbert Arenas three point shooting contest. Now there’s Kyle Korver practicing…well practicing nothing useful. This video from the 76ers practice has been floating around showing Korver hitting an off the wall shot in practice. Wow Kyle, that’ll really help your team during the game. No wonder the Sixers are mired in mediocrity, they waste their time in practice on this crap. Regardless, it’s a pretty sweet shot, and would be a great way to end a game of horse. The quality is terrible, but you get the idea.

I always think good highlight montages deserve some real sappy music to go with it. Allen Iverson doesn’t know the meaning of sappy music so we have some rap to accompany this video. Regardless, it’s a nice tribute to a guy who had been in Philly since 1996. Let the Denver chapter begin. Pretty soon, we’ll be talking bout “sharin scoring man.”

It appears the Allen Iverson Philadelphia saga is over. Reports say he’ll be headed to Denver, with confirmation expected later today. The deal looks like this:

Denver Gets:

Allen Iverson

Philadelphia Gets:

Andre Miller

Joe Smith

Two 2007 First Rounders

Possible Scrub to be Named Later

I think it’s a good move for the Nuggets and maybe disappointing for the 76ers. The 76ers were hoping to lure a young talent like Randy Foye or Shaun Livingston away from either the Timberwolves or Clippers. They got neither. Andre Miller is a nice distributer of the ball but who the hell is he going to distribute the ball to? Maybe the 76ers should just tank the season and enter the Greg Oden lottery sweepstakes. The 76ers have a nice collection of draft picks shaping up in what could be a phenomenal draft. Unfortunately for them they couldn’t lure an established youngster alongside those two first rounders.

For the Nuggets, it certainly creates a second scoring option. But that’s the thing, can Iverson be a true “second” scoring option? He’s the league’s leading scorer and he goes to a team with Carmelo Anthony, the NBA’s second leading scorer. Will there be enough shots to go around? That is what will ultimately determine the success of this deal. I have to admire what the Nuggets have done here. They’ve accommodated their young superstar with another star, something the Timberwolves didn’t make a very good effort at. For now, Iverson will be the main attraction in Denver because of Melo’s suspension. But what happens in 15 games could be another story.