7/15 ESPN INSIDER - No Surprises coming

[OutletPass]

Don't expect major surprises Wednesday
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, July 15
Updated: July 15
9:58 AM ET


It's time to hire the wedding singer.


The NBA gives teams and free agents two weeks every summer to court each other. At the end of the period, the signings and surprises are supposed to trickle out. It's not working that way this year. Let's just say that when the clock strikes midnight tonight and the signing period officially begins, we won't have to hold our breath too long.

With just one day left in the dating period, we have a pretty good handle of who's getting hitched to whom.

Free agents like Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, Jermaine O'Neal, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Alonzo Mourning, Andre Miller, Corey Maggette, Juwan Howard and P.J. Brown all reportedly have made their choices. Even second- or third-tier free agents like Kenny Thomas, Kevin Ollie and Jake Voskuhl seem to know where they'll be spending the coming season.

Never has a signing period felt so ... final, before it had even begun.

There are a few top-notch guys still playing musical chairs, leaving us to wonder where they will land when the music stops, or if they'll be left without a chair altogether.
Here's a look at the eight best players still left on the board:

Elton Brand
Power Forward
Los Angeles Clippers
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
62 18.5 11.3 2.5 .502 .685


Elton Brand, Restricted, Clippers
Brand has gotten a ton of interest, he's just not sure that he wants it right now. The Jazz, Spurs and Heat would all, reportedly, love to throw him some max-contract love. But is an offer sheet the kiss of death for Brand this year? It appears so. While Brand's camp has tried to come up with some clever "speed bumps" to make Donald Sterling think twice about matching -- like making Brand's salary due, in a lump sum, at the start of the season (can you imagine Sterling writing a $10 million dollar check for anything?) -- everyone seems pretty well convinced the Clippers are going to match anything thrown Brand's way. Why? Because Clips executive vice president Andy Roeser told the Los Angeles Times the team had upped its offer to six years, $78 million. That's more than any other team can offer. So either Brand will end up in L.A. for the next six years, or he can sign a one-year tender and join Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett as one of the hottest free agents in the summer of 2004.

Gilbert Arenas
Point Guard
Golden State Warriors
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 18.3 4.7 6.3 .431 .791


Gilbert Arenas, Restricted, Warriors
The latest, courtesy of the Washington Post, has the Wizards talking to Arenas about a contract starting at $6.5 million a year. The contract assumes three things: 1) the salary cap will rise to $42 million, giving the Wizards that much room under the cap; 2) all of the talk about Arenas being a "west coast" guy are false; 3) Arenas is willing to come down (way down) from his reported demand of $9 million starting salary. If he doesn't, he might have little choice but to return to Golden State for at least one more season. The Jazz, Heat and Nuggets (even with Andre Miller in the fold) have shown interest in Arenas -- but not at agent Dan Fegan's numbers.

Arenas told the Denver Post on Monday that he doesn't want to play shooting guard -- ruling out Denver, unless the Clippers match the Nuggets' offer to Andre Miller. Fegan also told the Salt Lake Tribune that Arenas was still interested in the Jazz -- despite growing suspicions in Utah that he's using the Jazz to try to drive Arenas' price up. Most people in the league feel that, ultimately, Arenas will head back to the Warriors with an unspoken promise for the max next summer. But if he does decide he can live on $6.5 million a year, he'd likely have his choice among all three of those teams. Right now, my guess is he doesn't settle for less unless it's Sterling writing the check to bring Arenas to L.A.

Michael Olowokandi, Unrestricted, Clippers
It appears likely Olowokandi will get an offer from the Nuggets. He was scheduled to meet Monday night in Los Angles with owner Stan Kroenke. Olowokandi told the Rocky Mountain News he thought an offer was forthcoming. If the Nuggets balk at signing the Kandi man, he's probably back to square one. The Spurs seem to be settled on Rasho Nesterovic. And the Heat haven't been showing an enormous amount of interest. That may leave his agent, Bill Duffy, trying to complete mission impossible -- a sign-and-trade. Duffy told Insider he believed the Clippers were amenable to a sign-and-trade and that he had several things in the fire. However, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports today the Grizzlies, thought to be interested in a sign-and-trade, aren't an option.

Lamar Odom
Small Forward
Los Angeles Clippers
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
49 14.6 6.7 3.6 .439 .777


Lamar Odom, Restricted, Clippers
Odom is really in the same boat as Brand -- but without the offers. While there are teams that still put a very high value on his talent, his off-the-court substance abuse issues, a series of injuries and the stigma of the Clippers have driven his stock too low. Unless the Spurs or Heat come up with an offer that blows Odom away, he's better off waiting a year and trying to find more cash next season. Or is he? Right now the Jazz (and the Spurs, Nuggets and Heat, if they don't use up their money this summer) are the only teams expected to have enough cap room next season to do anything big. Ironically, they're the same ones calling the shots this summer. Why not just get it over with now?

Brad Miller, Unrestricted, Pacers
It's hard to believe there are two unrestricted legitimate centers out there for the taking. The bidding for Miller so far has been lukewarm, at best. The Spurs, Heat and Jazz (at this point the usual suspects) have shown interest -- but everyone believes Miller will end up back in Indiana, his hometown. Still if you're Utah or Miami, you might want to think about trying to lure Miller. He's big, he can score in the post, and he's got a pulse. That puts him among the top five centers in the NBA.

Richard Hamilton
Guard-Forward
Detroit Pistons
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 19.7 3.9 2.5 .443 .833


Richard Hamilton, Restricted, Pistons
Hamilton could be a big winner in the free-agent sweepstakes if others keep spurning teams like the Spurs. While the Pistons claim they'll do whatever it takes to keep him, Hamilton may be plan "C" for the Spurs if Nesterovic decides to return to Minnesota. He'd be a great fit in San Antonio, and the budget-conscious Pistons might balk a bit at overpaying to keep him. Either way, it should translate into a bigger raise for Hamilton this summer.

Jason Terry, Restricted, Hawks
No one, not even the Hawks, know what's going on in Atlanta at the moment. With the ownership of the team still in doubt, there might be an opportunity for a team like the Nuggets, Spurs or Heat to swoop in and pick up Terry on the cheap. With the addition of Boris Diaw in the backcourt, it appears the Hawks want to keep Terry. But will they be able to get the green light to match a big deal?

Speedy Claxton, Unrestricted, Spurs
Apparently he's everyone's plan "B" at the moment. Denver, Utah, Detroit, New York, Washington and Miami are all interested. But Claxton probably will have to wait a few weeks and see how Andre Miller and Arenas play out before deciding. He could get a lot more money if suddenly the Nuggets or Jazz are scrambling for a point guard in August.

Around the League
Corey Maggette
Guard-Forward
Los Angeles Clippers
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
64 16.8 5.0 1.9 .444 .802



Will the Clippers match offer sheets to Corey Maggette and Andre Miller? We probably won't know for sure until July 31. "Let me impress one thing upon you," Clippers spokesman Joe Safety told the L.A. Times. "We will use the whole runway." That means Utah and Denver likely will have to wait the full 15 days before getting an answer. While most expect the Clippers to balk at matching Denver's expected offer to Miller, there seems to be some interest in retaining Maggette. However, a Clippers source told the Times that Utah's offer to Maggette might price them out. "I've heard he might get a $7-million offer, and that's a lot of money." If that's true, that's a substantial increase over the $5.5 million starting salary the Nuggets were offering.
The good news is that the offer sheets to Maggette and Miller may open up a window of opportunity for Brand. Now that Brand has a big offer on the table from the Clips, he may just wait until July 31 to see what they do. If they match Maggette, then at least Brand can rest easier knowing at least one other top free agent will be making his home in L.A. If they let Maggette, Miller and Olowokandi slip away, Brand is probably better off taking the one-year tender.


Consider this. If the Clips were to match offers to Maggette, Miller and Brand, and if Rasho Nesterovic were to choose to go back to Minnesota, all four teams with cap room -- the Spurs, Nuggets, Jazz and Heat could be left empty-handed on July 31. One team, the Heat, already sounds like it is prepared to sit this offseason out.
Antoine Walker
Forward
Boston Celtics
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
78 20.1 7.2 4.8 .388 .615



Are the Knicks still trying to get their hands on Antoine Walker? According to the New York Daily News, the Knicks offered rookie Michael Sweetney, Kurt Thomas, Charlie Ward and Frank Williams to Boston for Walker. According to the report, the Celtics turned down the deal but might be interested in revisiting it if they can't get a better offer for Walker. That deal seems much more plausible than earlier reports that had the Celtics swapping Walker for Latrell Sprewell. The Celtics need some low-post toughness in the worst way, and Sweetney and Thomas could certainly provide it.
Summer Love
Kwame Brown
Forward-Center
Washington Wizards
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
80 7.4 5.3 0.7 .446 .668



Perhaps the Celtics should rename the Reebok Pro Summer League the Kwame Brown Big Tease. For the third straight year, Brown is here in Boston, wooing the unbelieving with his size, athleticism and soft shooting touch. We know it's only summer league, and Brown's modest 10 point, 8 rebound game is nothing to get excited over, but still, you can't help but see the talent itching to bust loose from Brown's laid-back demeanor. Brown took just seven shots, despite being guarded by Jerry Holman and Tahj Holden most of the game. His team-high eight turnovers had everyone shaking their head. Everyone, that is, except Kwame.
"I'm just happy to be here," Brown said with a smile. His team only scored 50 points, gave up a 32-0 run to the Hawks, but Brown just seems relieved he doesn't have Michel Jordan around to rub it in his face.


No one was more impressive on Monday than the Knicks' Michael Sweetney. Sweetney was a beast in the paint, clawing and grabbing for offensive rebounds (he had five) and finding clever ways to put the ball back in the basket. He finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists and, judging from the smile on Scott Layden's face, earned a warm place in the heart of the Knicks. Second round pick Maciej Lampe, on the other hand, struggled mightily in his first game. He shot just 1-for-7 from the field, had three turnovers and just looked frustrated the entire time he was on the floor. "I played terribly," Lampe said after the game. Of course, not every 18-year-old can be like LeBron.
J.R. Bremer
Point Guard
Boston Celtics
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
64 8.3 2.3 2.6 .369 .766



Well, maybe we should qualify the "impressive" remark. LeBron James scored 25 points, grabbed nine boards, had five assists and two blocked shots in just 29 minutes of play. His only real problem, again, was defense. He gave up big-time points to whomever he guarded -- Marcus Banks (10 points), J.R. Bremer (28 points) and Kederick Brown (16 points). Still, coach Paul Silas claimed LeBron's defense "wasn't that bad. We just need to play better team defense. I'm not saying everyone's perfect; you can always play better defense, but Lebron's coming along."

The Bucks look like they have three stars in the making in the summer league. Dan Gadzuric, coming off a dominant performance at the Orlando Pro Summer League, followed up with a nice 17-point, 8-rebound, 3-block game against the Knicks. Gadzuric looks like a different player from the one who showed up here last year. If he can play even remotely like that during the season, the Bucks have found their center. Marcus Haislip also was awesome, chipping in 19 points, six boards and four blocked shots. T.J. Ford also seems to be settling into a rhythm. After a shaky start in Orlando, his last couple of games have been very solid. He scored 16 points, handed out eight assists and only turned the ball over three times. The only knock was that the bigger Frank Williams torched Ford for 23 points.

The best point guard battle of the day featured Zoran Planinic and John Salmons. Planinic, the Nets' first-round pick, and Salmon, the Sixers' first rounder last year, both were great in the open floor. Both players are "super-sized" to play the point guard position, and both proved Monday that they were capable of handling it. Salmons ended with 29 points, 6 assists and just one turnover. Planinic had 12 points, 7 assists and four turnovers.

Speaking of the Sixers, it was nice to see Sam Clancy back doing his thing after missing the season last year with a torn ACL. Clancy has 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and grabbed 7 boards. While he still looked a little out of shape, Clancy proved he can be force to reckon with in the paint.

French league MVP Boris Diaw lived up to expectations Monday. He dished out six assists, grabbed five boards, played great defense and took just three shots from the field. Still Diaw was proud of the three shots he took. "Over here, coach lets you shoot the shot if you're open, I like that." OK, so what's the gameplan in France then? "You dribble, dribble, pass until the end ... there's always a better shot." That explains how Diaw won the MVP award averaging just 7 points.

Out in Los Angeles, the Nuggets finally are starting to see some production from second year forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Skita is reportedly up to 240 pounds and has really refined his game in the paint. Monday night he scored 22 points on 8-for-19 shooting. He also grabbed eight rebounds. Rodney White also has been playing well. White had 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, his second straight 20-point game in the summer league.

[Just211]

Michael Olowokandi, Unrestricted, Clippers
It appears likely Olowokandi will get an offer from the Nuggets. He was scheduled to meet Monday night in Los Angles with owner Stan Kroenke. Olowokandi told the Rocky Mountain News he thought an offer was forthcoming. If the Nuggets balk at signing the Kandi man, he's probably back to square one. The Spurs seem to be settled on Rasho Nesterovic. And the Heat haven't been showing an enormous amount of interest. That may leave his agent, Bill Duffy, trying to complete mission impossible -- a sign-and-trade. Duffy told Insider he believed the Clippers were amenable to a sign-and-trade and that he had several things in the fire. However, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports today the Grizzlies, thought to be interested in a sign-and-trade, aren't an option.

Looks like Kandi might be obtainable. He would be nice table scraps

[Hitman]

I have a better chance of bearing children that we do of landing Olokowandi

I think I would rather bear children than have the Mavs sign Joe Barely Cares Junior to a long term contract.