[Hoopsworld] Derek Anderson to Houston a done deal?

NBA Rumors: Derek Anderson to Houston a done deal?

I didn't see this posted anywherelse but came across it. Derek Anderson's agent says he will be a rocket by thursday. There's also some other interesting rumors but I don't know how reliable this site is. Take it for what it's worth, a rumor column. Rocket info in bold .

NBA RUMOR MILL - Lakers & Boozer?
By Steve "BskBALL" Kyler
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Feb 20, 2005, 10:13

THURSDAY IS D-DAY
With Thursday’s NBA trading deadline approaching, and the NBA’s brain trust converged on Denver the trade rumors are swirling, and a few deals will likely get done before the NBA closes the window on trades. Here are some of the things to know:

Lakers On The Move?: It appears the Lakers are closing in a “significant” transaction according to sources near the team. The speculation has been the club may be trying to pry Carlos Boozer away from the Utah Jazz, who recently labeled Carlos a “disappointment”. The Lakers are looking for a chemistry change and if a package of players like Caron Butler and Chris Mihm could yield an impact player the Lakers are exploring it. According to those near the team virtually anyone can be had except for Kobe and Lamar Odom. Beyond that, the talking has begun and Mitch Kupchak and company are rumored to be exploring every team in the league for a talent infusion – even New Orleans and Baron Davis.

Dale Davis Is Gone: The Golden State Warriors have made it clear they would be willing to “talk” about a Dale Davis deal, Davis has an ending contract and for a team looking for some added beef and veteran leadership in the playoffs, Davis could be attractive. The Nets had interest in Davis, but were not able to get the Warriors to part with two players without sending back some talent. Davis has asked the club publicly to explore moving him. Its likely Dale will be elsewhere by Thursday, don’t rule a team like San Antonio who missed out on Karl Malone triggering a deal, if they can find the right trade package.

Package Deal For The Blazers: So you want Shareef Abdur-Rahim do you, gonna have to take Derek Anderson in the mix. Nick Van Exel and his ending deal look attractive, how about Derek Anderson on the side? If the Trailblazers trigger a deal before Thursdays deadline it’s going to be a package deal. The Club is interested in trades according to agents with players in PDX, but the deals at this point are too hefty in salary terms to have any serious suitors. Derek Anderson told reports that he was told by his agent he’d be in Houston by Thursday, prompting many to speculate he and Maurice Taylor were swapping situations. Sources in Houston massively downplayed any deal involving a guard, let alone a guard with chronic debilitating migraines. For the Blazers Van Exel has said he’ll retire, removing some $14 million from the payroll, Shareef Abdur-Rahim’s ending deal creates an additional $14 million in cap relief, and Damon Stoudamire’s $12.5 million comes off as well. The Blazers could be looking at next year as the first year they didn’t hemorrhage money, and could have some breathing room under the salary cap.

Timberwolves Looking: Despite a breath of optimism from the club under Kevin McHale as head coach, there are several members of the media in Denver saying they have been told Minney is looking to deal. The Miami Heat have expressed interest in Latrell Sprewell, considered by most to be a focal point of the dysfunction in Minnesota. Sam Cassell and Troy Hudson have both been mentioned in trades, but it’s hard to believe anyone takes those two for anything of value. The annual Wally Szczerbiak to New York rumors have surfaced, but the team says Wally is not on the market. Michael Olowokandi continues to be a popular target in the media but even at $5 million he’s overpaid. The Wolves have some options they are exploring, but as of today nothing benefits the Wolves, who feel they must make the playoffs this year.

Hawks At The Table: What will Samuel Dalembert and Willie Green get you? Could get you Antoine Walker, if the right number of draft picks and cash were included – the Hawks might even take Glenn Robinson back to balance out the salaries. The Hawks are not closed to the idea of making a trade and Antoine Walker and his ending deal head the class. Tony Delk and Al Harrington both have been mentioned, but none of them are the gem for a playoff team like Walker, the question remains what team is sitting on $13.5 million in contracts they’d be willing to pass to Atlanta, and who has the right mix of young potential players and draft picks to make Atlanta bite. The Hawks are playing a bit of poker with would be suitors, but don’t be surprised is Philadelphia makes Allen Iverson happy and gets him help this season, by way of a deal with or through Atlanta.

Orlando In The Hunt?: Don’t buy the hype… John Weisbrod can say he’s staying with this team, but rumor has it a few teams might be willing to help Orlando out, if Pat Garrity and Jameer Nelson get packaged together. With the Magic clearly one more significant player away, the magic will be one of the teams in the next week to seriously weigh their future. Jameer has been a nice find, and could be the Steve Francis of the future, but the time is now, not next year, not the year after. Atlanta and Tony Delk have been mentioned. Donyell Marshall is packed and ready to go in Toronto, who coveted Jameer Nelson at draft time. Don’t be shocked if a deal drops this week.

COACHES
New York? Minnesota? The Lakers? Orlando?… It is far to early to say, but if one had to speculate. Here are the players:

Phil Jackson: For The Jax faithful, he’s gonna talk this summer, he’ll talk with the Lakers, he’ll talk with the Timberwolves and the Knicks. At the end of the day, the Knicks job is most attractive, the Lakers will pay the most money, and the Timberwolves will give him the best chance to steal a ring and finally beat Red Auerbach. Neither situation is a no-brainer, and given Phil’s desires to be in more control, neither of these situations has that. Kevin McHale is gonna be the decision maker in Minnesota, and Auerbach would disown him for hiring Jackson. The Lakers is a “been there, done that” scenario, and the Knicks job has Isiah Thomas standing in the way. Smart Money: Phil does not coach next year.

Flip Saunders: The Knicks and The Magic would be fools not to explore Flip Saunders. The question is does Flip want to coach next year and do either of these teams offer the right mix of coachable players and a dare to be great situation? Flip could be a dark horse for the Lakers job, but if you know Flip he’s likely going to look east, because there are less obstacles to over come (Miami) in terms of getting close to the Finals. Smart Money: Flip Saunders is the next coach of the New York Knicks.

PJ Carlesimo: PJ will get his chance to dance, but at the end of the day PJ will tell you he has a pretty sweet deal in San Antonio, but most in the NBA view him as a head coaching candidate, and if Flip Saunders wavers on the Knicks look for PJ to be the next guy on the list. Its gonna take a hefty contract offer to pry PJ away from Gregg Popovich and the Spurs, but he’s out there. Smart Money: PJ talks to the Knicks and The Lakers, but stays in San Antonio.

Eric Musselman: Eric Musselman is gonna get some serious love from the Timberwolves, he’s exactly what the club needs. Musselman is not the highest profile name in the bunch, but once the hype settles and Phil Jackson bows out, Eric should be the front-runner. The Magic are likely to make a pass at Eric Musselman as well, but the Timberwolves would be a hard job for a guy like Muss to pass up, even though there is history for Eric in Orlando. Smart Money: Eric Musselman is the next heard coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jeff Bzdelik: The Orlando Magic will pursue Flip Saunders, and Eric Musselman, but Jeff Bzdelik will surface as an interesting candidate. If John Weisbrod can see through the Denver situation, he’ll find that Buzz is the right coach for the up and coming Magic, and unless Flip Saunders opts for warmer weather, or Johnny Davis strings together an amazing 2nd half – the Magic will be shopping for a coach in June. Smart Money: The Magic will want Flip, but will likely settle for Buzz, Jeff Bzdelik lands in Orlando this summer.

Del Harris: With the Dallas Mavericks going in a different direction in Avery Johnson as their would-be head coach, Del Harris will begin exploring the head coaching jobs being tossed his way. Expect for Del to interview with the Timberwolves and the Knicks, unless Flip Saunders inks early. Harris will also be a candidate for the Lakers job, and if Phil Jackson turns the club away as expected look for Del to get serious consideration in LA. Smart Money: Del Harris returns to the bench in LA.

LETS MAKE A DEAL
The NBA and its players have apparently seen the writing on the labor wall, with how things have gone with professional Hockey, and word out of Denver is the frame work of a deal was agreed on, and that starting in March the league and the union will hold weekly sessions to nail down the details, with both sides saying they think a deal will get done on a new labor deal. So what is the new deal gonna look like:

Less Guaranteed Years: The NBA is asking the union to allow the maximum contract allowable to be reduced from 7-years to 4-years, they will meet closer to the middle with a 5-year maximum deal.
Player Escrow: The Player currently have 10% of their paychecks put into a fund to guarantee revenue percentages. This fund will be phased out, over the next few years, if not immediately. This will be the NBA’s bargaining chip to get its desires met.
Minor League Assignablity: The NBA wants to allow it’s teams to send a player under 20 to the minors for up to one season. The NBA is willing to pay a player his full salary to go down to the minor system for the chance to develop. It will open roster spots on NBA teams, and give the NBA Minor system a fighting chance economically with younger star power on it’s rosters.
Tighter Cap Rules: The NBA wants to see tighter economic controls to insure more teams stay closer to the salary cap. We could see a reduction in the way the Median Exception can be used, stiffer tax-type penalties for over spenders.
Both sides agree that there are no huge fundamental differences, but the devil is in the details. Both sides want to make a deal before April’s playoffs, and it seems the core issues are on the table without much in the way of animosity. The question is how tight will the players allow the salary cap to become, and how quickly does the NBA want the change to occur. Expect the tone of the new deal to be a gradual slide to a harder salary cap, and more free agency opportunities for the players in the league for more than 5 years.

ALL-STAR WEEKEND
So far so good… The Celebrity Game was horrible… that never should have made it’s way to television, but after that the programming became very good… The Rookie Game was watchable- Tony Allen proved he is a stud, ready to play. Dwight Howard showed why the Magic don’t run the ball through him. LeBron James is looking more and more Michael-esque, Carmelo was a good host… Josh Smith did not disappoint – bringing home the hardware in the dunk contest with some sick moves. Quentin Richardson surprised, but got hot to win the three-point contest. Tonight’s matchup, will be a coming out party for Amare Stoudemire, most of his teammates will force the issue to get the young man some recognition. Look for Gilbert Arenas to be taught a lesson or two by the Western Conference team, that you never say you’ll win the MVP of an All-Star event. Expect Shaq to shoot a three and make it. Look for the big man to bring the ball up as well. Overall Denver has been an outstanding host city, and it’s been a good entertaining weekend. Now lets go sell some ad space for the playoffs…

SOME SHOTS
Here are some of the random stories from the week…

WHERE ARE THE GEMS?:When you talk about the possible prospects in the NBA’s Draft Class of 2005, you have maybe four serious names, and a whole lot of unknowns – and not one single stud from the high school ranks. In 2005 the NBA’s top over prospect has to be Utah sophomore Andrew Bogut, the legit 7-footer has the total game, he is nasty on the glass, can hit the outside shot, and has a big NBA body. Chris Paul from Wake Forest comes in a close second depending on who gets the top pick, while UNC freshmen Marvin Williams and UCONN’s Rudy Gay land in the mix a promising young guys. All of the high schoolers mentioned by scouts have issues, and are long shots to be lottery picks. Gerald Green a 6-8-swing player, stands above the class, but not much better than Dorrell Wright, drafted by Miami – he’s got good seats to every home game right? Monta Ellis at 6-3 is somewhat undersized for his shooting guard game, Louis Williams is even worse at 6-2. CJ Miles is a more proto-typical 6-6 guard, but few scouts see him as pro ready. Not a good year to be a high draft pick holder, beyond Bogut and Chris Paul, your guess is as good as anyone.


SHAQ’s PAYDAY: Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t be in a better place for his ego. The Heat and the city of Miami love him; the team is winning, and according to Shaq, all is fine in contract world hinting to media that the ground work for a contract is extension is simply waiting on the calendar so he can get three more guaranteed years saying "It's going to get done and it basically is done… Everything is perfect. I've just got to wait until this summer, when it's official." Most feel Shaq will get three more years and roughly $90 million added to his deal this summer, making him by far the highest paid player in the NBA.


PEIRCE: GP Equals Playoffs: Most people who have played with Gary Payton have said the same thing Paul Pierce has been telling media in Denver, trading Gary Payton might cost the Celtics the Playoffs. Pierce in an open pitch to media that trading Gary would be bad says ``I think it would really hurt us. He's been a leader on and off the court. It'd be tough on us to make the playoffs if we trade him. We've got Marcus (Banks) and Delonte (West), but I don't know how ready they are to fill his shoes right now. I think they still need a little more seasoning.'' The Celtics have honored Gary wish to be traded west and have explored Gary’s value are finding that beyond teams willing to take Gary for next to nothing, no one is after Payton or views him to be as valuable as the Celtics do.