According to HoopsWorld.com, Jason Kidd is going to stay in Dallas.

This report does not sound definite to me.  The reality is that there are only two teams in on Kidd.  He is either going to Dallas or NY.  The reality is also that Dallas is a playoff lock for next year and Kidd will receive more money from Mark Cuban than he will from James Dolan.

I am not completely writing off Kidd yet until he officially says he is going to stay in Dallas.  That said, Kidd is a longshot in NY.  He always has been.

If Kidd doesn’t come here, Plan B has to be Steve Nash.  But Nash has to be traded for, and there are rumors that Nash might sign an extension in Phoenix.  Part of the lure of Kidd is that he can play here for a bargain price.  Nash, who is set to make $13 million next season, will probably not take a Jason Kidd type of discount next off-season to stay with the Knicks.  Going forward, I am not so sure Nash will be a $10-13 million player.

I would love Nash, but I am not so sure that he is coming here.  So while Nash is the preferable plan B, he might not be the realistic plan B.  So if not Kidd, Nash, or Sessions, then who?  As I wrote ealier today, Walsh has to capitalize on this free agent market.  If Kidd is out of the picture, then the best remaining free agents include Shawn Marion and Lamar Odom, both players that would join a crowded group of forwads in NY. 

As for free agent point guards, Mike Bibby will likely end up back in Atlanta.  Andre Miller will likely land in either Portland via S&T or simply remain in Philly for the money.  Raymond Felton, while a good player, just does not strike me as a top PG.  He would be an upgrade over Chris Duhon, but not to the extent that I would be overly excited.  He has good numbers, but he is a bad shooter. Plus, I see Michael Jordan trying to keep Felton and trying to add another player via free agency to a roster that showed potential last year.  Allen Iverson is probably not an option here.  Interestingly, he wants to play in Memphis next year. (As an aside, Iverson to Memphis would be exciting for them.  If it does not work out, then what is the worst that can happen?  Can that franchise be any worse than they are now?  Iverson to Memphis would give the Grizzlies two more 20 ppg scorers in one week, with the team having traded for Zach Randolph.  Hasheem Thabeet, Randolph, Gay, Mayo, and Iverson, with Sam Young, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, Darrell Arthur, and perhaps Hakim Warrick off the bench would be an interesting and potentially very exciting mix of players.)  Jarrett Jack is not the answer.  And despite what some commentators might think, CJ Watson is not the answer either.  Watson is a nice player and can be good in this system.  I thought he was fantastic last year in Golden State, but he is a backup and is a fall-back solution to give depth.  He is not a starting caliber PG on a playoff team.

I am not sure what Donnie has planned.  He should use his MLE to get a player that can help.  You never know when ther will be other players at this caliber available for such cheap prices.  But who will he spend it on if not Kidd?  Stay tuned… 

Via ESPN:

“Hedo Turkoglu has reached an agreement in principle to become a Portland Trail Blazer, according to sources.

Although a verbal commitment may be announced sooner, the terms of the contract cannot be finalized until Wednesday, after the NBA informs teams what next year’s salary cap will be.”

As Tommy said, this does affect the David Lee situation because now Portland has spent their money, Oklahoma City is more interested in Paul Millsap, Memphis got Zach Randolph, and Sacramento has Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes. David Lee’s only option is basically New York.  

Update Tommy Dee: hoopsworld is reporting the Dallas has stepped up their offer and it appears Kidd will stay…

This coming out of the Daily News and beat writer Frank Isola:

“Jason Kidd will have to decide whether playing at Madison Square Garden is worth forfeiting $12million.

“That is approximately the difference in the three-year offers Kidd received from the Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. A person close to the veteran point guard confirmed that the Knicks presented Kidd with a three-year contract worth approximately $18 million Saturday. The Mavs offered Kidd a three-year contract worth between $25million and $30million.”

It is the simple idea of buy low, sell high.  While much is made of the 2010 free agent class, people seem to be overlooking the quality free agents that are right underneath their noses right now.  Players like Jason Kidd, Ron Artest (MLE), Rasheed Wallace, Lamar Odom, Mike Bibby, Ramon Sessions, and Allen Iverson are all expected to be signed to MLE deals, or if they are lucky, slightly higher than the MLE.  That is quite the list for the bargain prices being thrown around.

I am sure that everyone has had a point in their lives where they bought something because the value was just too good to pass up.  If you have, then you should understand the situation at hand in the NBA right now.  The financial atmosphere for this year’s free agency is unprecedented in the league (as far as I can remember).  This summer, there is a tough mix of teams not having cap space and teams looking to cut costs.  For free agents, that is a bad mix.

How much money would some of these free agents make next off-season, an off-season in which many teams will have cap space?  If the Lakers had cap space, do you realy think that Ron Artest would have signed for the MLE?  Artest realized that the MLE was the best he could do from teams other than Houston.  At that point, he simply picked his team, not his price.  The same will happen for Rasheed Wallace and a few other free agents.  It really is kind of crazy to see how this free agency is shaking out in favor of the NBA teams.  It is a strong buyers’ market.

This leads me to the Knicks.  There seems to be a split on whether or not to give Jason Kidd a contract.  Some think he is too old.  Some think he is shot.  Others think he has a couple of years left in his tank and that his leadership is something to consider.  For me, at the MLE, Jason Kidd is just simply too good to pass up.  Where else will the Knicks get a player like Kidd, who is coming off a solid year, for that kind of money?  To put his potential contract into perspective, remember that in the past, Isiah Thomas signed players like Jared Jeffries and Jerome James to the MLE.  Jason Kidd… Jerome James… Jared Jeffries… you tell me, which name does not fit with the other two?  Here is another question, if Kidd signs with the Knicks, what will all three have in common?

As for David Lee, some feel as though we should just let him go in order to preserve cap space for next year.  If you ask me, give me Jason Kidd, David Lee, some remaining cap space, and a playoff run in 2009 over a player like Amare, Joe Johnson, or Chris Bosh next summer.  Make no mistake, Amare and Bosh will receive max deals next summer.  Joe Johnson will get one that is close.  There will be too much available cap space and too much competition for them not to get those deals.  But if you ask me, aside from LeBron and Wade, no other free agent will come here and turn the entire franchise around.  No other free agent can lead this team to title contention on their own.  Because of that, Walsh should absolutely get a star free agent, such as Kidd, this summer.  For nearly 1/3 the price, Jason Kidd can help lead this team over the next three years as well as some of the max 2010 free agents not named Wade or LeBron.  For $8 million per season, Lee has too much value to let go.

Speaking of Jason Kidd being too old and speaking of the 2010 free agent crop, keep in mind what we are trying to do.  Right now, the Knicks are in a rebuilding process.  There is no mistaking that.  But, we all have to keep in mind when that rebuilding process is going to end.  If the Knicks land LeBron next summer (that’s the plan, right?), the rebuilding process is over.  If the Knicks land LeBron next summer, we will not see him as the first step towards greatness.  We will see it as the ultimate step towards greatness.  Rebuilding mode will transform very quickly into winning mode.

Donnie Walsh should seize the moment here.  This off-season is very unique.  Players will be forced to sign for deals that they would have never fathomed. I think Walsh understands this and is trying his best to capitalize.  It is simple math and it is simple logic.  While players like Joe Johnson will be signing for close to $16 million per season, players like Kidd (if he signs here) and Ron Artest will be making $6 million per season.  If you see that imbalance, then you see my point.

Check me out live on Bigapplechannel.com. I’m on as we speak…

Via Globe Sports:

“…Speaking yesterday in suburban Vancouver, where he presided over the opening of the Steve Nash Sports Club, his second athletic complex in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, Nash said his agent, Bill Duffy, is scheduled to meet with Suns general manager Steve Kerr next week. Nash also suggested a deal could be announced in the near future.

But the Victoria, B.C. native, who is heading into the final year of a contract that will pay him $13.1 million U.S. in 2009-10, acknowledged that if the sides can’t reach a consensus, “than a trade would always be a possibility.” And if that’s the case, the point guard said he would like to play in New York, where his family spends its summers.

“I would preface it by saying that I love Phoenix and that’s what I’m focusing on right now,” Nash said. “But I live in New York City, and I love it there, and [Knicks head coach] Mike D’Antoni was one of my favourite coaches. If it didn’t work out in Phoenix, obviously that would be a place I’d consider…”

Nash is seemingly marketing himself here now more than Stephen Curry did. The Suns are  a mess Steve, so it shouldn’t be that hard of a decision, unless Jason Kidd decides that he wants to come here first.

Via Marc Berman:

“Grant Hill isn’t the only Lon Babby client the Knicks hope will be on their club come October. In fact, the Knicks may have found their “Almond in the Rough.”

In another sign of Nate Robinson’s looming exit, the Knicks signed Morris Almond, Utah’s 2007 first-round pick out of Rice, to their summer-league team. According to a team source, the Knicks fully expect to sign the free agent sharpshooter for next season as long as he performs decently in Las Vegas. The summer league begins July 14.”

I hope this isn’t premature, like the Anthony Roberson signing was.  I hope the Knicks did their homework on Almond and extensively scouted his time at Rice and in the NBDL if this is true.  There’s no question he can score, but there’s a reason he hasn’t been able to stick in the league.  I don’t think the signing should be because he can drop 25 points on a bunch of scrubs in the Summer League.  But I do trust Donnie Walsh and Almond has unlimited range.  I’m not sure if he’s really a spot up shooter.  I also heard some rumors about some of his Jazz teammates making fun of him because he never passed.  Anyway, this summer league team is going to be great.  The starting lineup will probably be Toney Douglas, Almond, Korolev/Acker, Hill, and Sene.  That team shouldn’t lose many games, if any.  I’m also excited about seeing Tyreke Evans, James Johnson, Thabeet, and Austin Daye.  

Also, for those who don’t support signing Jason Kidd and Grant Hill, consider that the Knicks did not have a captain last year.  I figured Chris Duhon was the captain, but after finding this out, I now can understand why this team went into so many slumps where they looked uninterested and clueless on the court.  Kidd, albeit 36, won’t let that happen.  Grant Hill would not only really help Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari but despite being 36 years old, he played in all 82 games last year for the Suns, and started 67.  His health doesn’t bother me.

So, my mole has confirmed to me once again that the Blazers are rolling out the red carpet for Hedo Turkoglu, in fact, he’s in the great northwest as we speak. He’s out there listening to the Blazers offer, but as my source has told me, the chances of him signing with the Blaze is “60-40,” as the Raptors are seriously in play.

Clearly the Turkoglu situation has an impact on the David Lee situation, and let’s go ahead a say it, Lee to Portland is not going down from what I’m hearing (there goes another suitor) so as a Knick fan, keep a real eye on what Hedo decides on. If he chooses Toronto, a safe-haven for Europeans, then the door would seemingly be officially closed on the teams interested in Lee.

The most ideal situation for the Blaze, as of the last week from what we’ve reported and what we’re still hearing, would be to ship Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake in a sign and trade for Andre Miller, then to snag Turkoglu for the full monte. In order for that to happen, the Blaze will need to trade Martell Webster and may use a pick to make that happen. Worst case scenario would be to bring in Turkoglu and figure out the best case scenario at the point if it’s not Miller. That could mean sticking Brandon Roy at the one for more minutes and bringing in a stop-gap.

Speaking of Roy, our mole has also confirmed to us that the reason why the Blazers have little interest in Nate is based on the fact that Roy feels that Nate, from AAU to college, has always overshadowed him.

So, as we said, don’t expect  either Lee or Nate to end up in Portland.

Via ESPN:

“Restricted free-agent center Marcin Gortat was scheduled to fly to Dallas on Thursday after giving the Mavericks a verbal commitment to sign an offer sheet with them next week, according to NBA front-office sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Mavericks are bringing Gortat to town to tour the area and the team’s facilities after extending him an offer believed to be worth Dallas’ full mid-level exception — which could translate to a five-year deal starting at roughly $5.6 million — in hopes of dissuading theOrlando Magic from matching the offer.”

Via Matt Watson:

“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. That’s the mindset that Ron Artest has apparently taken following today’s news that he’s agreed to joinKobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Artest was instrumental in helping the Rockets take the eventual champion Lakers to seven games during the Western Conference semifinals. Instead of serving as Kobe’s antagonist, he’ll become Kobe’s sidekick. 

According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, Artest met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and spoke with Phil Jackson on Thursday before instructing his agent to get a deal done. Details of the agreement — both the length and the amount — are still unknown, but from the sounds of it, Artest isn’t about to quibble over the details. 

“I don’t really care about the money,” Artest told Berger. “I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”

According to the Pioneer Press, Rick Rubio is prepared to stay overseas, making the choice of drafting Jonny Flynn a huge mistake for David Kahn.

The report was that Rubio was content with the Wolves for about 4 minutes until the drafted Flynn, leading to Rubio’s disgust with Minnesota.

“…The Minnesota Timberwolves’ top draft pick, Ricky Rubio, 18, will remain in Spain to play for his DKV Joventut basketball team for the remaining two years of his contract rather than try to move to the NBA this season, El Periodico reported today. The Barcelona newspaper also says Rubio, who was paid $97,000 last season, plans to withdraw his contract lawsuit against DKV Joventut…”

So let’s see, Rubio is going to stay with his old team? This smells like yet another play for Rubio. Dropping the lawsuit is an interesting turn of events and one that I am shocked at.  How could the Wolves NOT try him soon and get for him while his value is so high? How can they let him sit overseas?