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Woelfel: Clippers, Knicks in hot pursuit of Sessions
Gery Woelfel again chimes in with news on the Ramon Sessions front, now reporting that the Clips have joined the Knicks and a mystery team (possibly OKC) as parties willing to throw MLE deals at Sessions. The Clippers already have Baron Davis locked in at the starting point position, so the Knicks would appear to be a far more preferable destination. L.A. also traded for Bassy Telfair today, so while he's certainly not as good as Sessions it might indicate their own doubts about being able to get Ramon in a Clipper uniform.It is believed James "Chubby’’ Wells, Sessions’ agent, is looking for a five-year deal that would be worth approximately $34.5 million. Both the Knicks and Clippers apparently are amenable to that request.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out since pretty much all the information in the press is coming from Sessions' agent (he's also the basis of a JS story today). Naturally he'll be asking for a max MLE deal since that's the most he can get, and it's reasonable to think at least one time is willing to give him a deal starting at the MLE. The better question might be whether it's going to be a five year deal like Wells wants or something shorter.
Posting and Toasting: Knicks meet with Miller
Over at Knicks blog Posting and Toasting, it appears the current priority is with Andre Miller, who visited NYC today but has yet to agree to a deal.
Miller's not that old, commands respect from his teammates (and not just "Hey, weren't you in NBA Hangtime!?" respect), and has played in all 82 games his last two years. He'd also serve as an able mentor for Toney Douglas, whose already shown signs that he might one day be a serious point guard with some tutelage. A Duhon-for-Miller swap might make some sense, too. Duhon's got an expiring contract, and he'd likely be the odd man out if sandwiched between the more proficient Miller and the upstart Douglas. Keep an eye out for an actual offer, and don't be surprised if Ramon Sessions is next in line.It's quite possible the Knicks prefer Sessions, but as an unrestricted free agent Miller is simply less of a hassle to sign. I'm hoping the simplicity factor wins out, but that might be wishful thinking.
Nova Fantasy Sports: Allen to Nuggets for Weems?
Nova Fantasy Sports is reporting that the Bucks are on the verge of trading Malik Allen and his $1.3 million expiring contract to Denver for second-year guard Sonny Weems, who would be owed just $175k if waived immediately.
I hadn't heard of this site before but a) there's no reason a sane person would fabricate a Malik Allen trade rumor and b) some reputable posters at RealGM are corroborating that this could very well go down. If it does it would be a no-brainer for the Bucks, as Allen doesn't provide anything of value at this point and the Bucks would be able to save a little over $1.1 million by converting Allen's contract into a smaller, partially guaranteed deal.
I'd probably do this deal regardless of the Sessions situation, but it's worth noting that this move alone would clear enough room to re-sign Sessions for the MLE without going over the 09/10 tax. That begs the question of whether the Bucks really are preparing themselves financially so they can match an MLE deal for Sessions, or whether they're simply trying to scare other teams off by showing they've got the cash to do a deal. In an ideal world other teams wouldn't even bother trying to go after Sessions because they figured the Bucks would match anything, but it doesn't look like that's the case.
Gardner: Skiles liking what he sees in Jennings
Charles Gardner provides a great read today on the budding Skiles/Jennings relationship.
"I thought he proved what we thought we knew, that he's a pure point guard," Skiles said. "He had this rap against him, that he's more of a scorer and not a point guard."His first thought is to facilitate the offense. In my opinion, he was the best guard out there (in summer league). He shot over 40% from three and just really did a nice job."
TrueHoop: Jennings talks about...talking
Kevin Arnovitz has some interesting video from Vegas on Jennings and his work with communications guru Steve Shenbaum, who has been working with Jennings for the past year on his speaking skills.