Hooped Up

The Grizzlies have a nonbinding agreement in place with the Los Angeles Clippers for a trade that would swap recently acquired guard Quentin Richardson for forward Zach Randolph, NBA sources confirmed late Wednesday night.

The deal cannot become official until next week due to rules under the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Also at play is the unpredictable nature of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who nixed a draft-night trade the Grizzlies proposed in an attempt to acquire Randolph.

Commercial Appeal

The Pistons wasted no time signing free agents as fast as they could and as a result Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva will now call Detroit home.

According to league sources, Ben Gordon has agreed in principle to a deal worth $55 Million over 5 years and Charlie Villanueva has agreed in principle to a $35 million pact with Detroit for the same length of time. Last season with the Bulls Gordon averaged 20.7 points for the Chicago, leading them in scoring for the fourth straight year and should be able to keep near that average in Detroit.

Charlie Villanueva, who turns 25 next month, averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds last season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Villanueva went from being a restricted free agent to an unrestricted one when Milwaukee chose to not make him a qualifying offer.

I’m officially confused about what Joe Dumars is trying to do in Detroit.

Via Press Release

An opening day Cleveland Cavaliers starting line up of Mo Williams, Ron Artest, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao and Shaquille O’Neal would be kinda sick and Danny Ferry thinks so too.

According to several league sources, the Cavs have been been in contact with Houston Rockets free agent forward Ron Artest. It even included a face-to-face pitch from LeBron James on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, as both were in Southern California for various events.

Offensively the Cavs would be slightly better than last year if they added Artest. Defensively, they would be the best team in the NBA. If Ron Artest wants to win, more than get paid adding Ron-Ron would be big for the Cavs.

Let’s hang out and see how the dollars play out on this one.

Via Cleveland Plain Dealer

Hip-hop artist and part owner of the New Jersy Nets Jay Z and NBA MVP LeBron James roll deep. Even though talk of LeBron James to what will be the Brooklyn Nets in 2010 has died because his asking price is going to be through, these guys seem down for one another.

Anyway the hardest working retired rapper in the game is back with a new album dropping in September “The Blueprint³ ” and one of his latest singles on the album is “Death of Autotune” (lets hope) with new video to match.

Watch for LeBron James at the 3:57 mark not paying basketball on the ball court with Jay-Z. Harvey Keitel makes an appearance in this video too, but he didn’t average 28ppg, 7 ast and 7 rebs this past season so nobody really cares.

Portland Trail Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard contacted Lon Babby late last night, to begin discussion about adding his client Hedo Turkoglu to his roster. However, Rudy Fernandez ain’t happy about that.

“Kevin Pritchard and [assistant general manager] Tom Penn called me at the earliest possible moment and expressed enthusiasm for engaging in discussions about Hedo becoming a Trail Blazer,” Babby told the Oregonian. “We have begun that process.”

After Fernandez hear the Blazers were interested in adding Turkoglu who plays the same position as him, rumours of him going back to Europe (for more money) surfaced and Portland could have some problems on their hands if Turkoglu and Fernandez are wearing the same jersey.

What’s a GM to  do?

Via The Oregonian + ESPN

All those double-doubles coming off the bench are about to pay off for David Lee if he stays in New York according to the Daily News.

A team source claims the Knicks will offer Lee a four-year deal worth $32 million, which is below his asking price of $10 million per season. The Knicks have the right to match any offer given to Lee, as well as Robinson, but the club wants to remain fiscally responsible as it pertains to the summer of 2010.

“There’s no question he’d love to stay in New York,” Lee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein said yesterday. “But you are only a free agent so many times in our career, especially in the prime of your career.”

The Knicks have been flirting with the idea of trading David Lee since he was drafted and even if he signs a deal worth $32 million, I doubt that would change. But will another team offer Lee more is the real question.

Via NY Daily News

For me when somebody says the beautiful game, I think of basketball first. It’s a game of constant motion and unique characters from every part of the world, and ten different things are going on all at once for 24 seconds at a time until the final buzzer sounds. The people that capture these moments with a camera, paint brush or pencil to me are  just as important as the refs, coaches and fans that give a NBA game life.

For me their are five artist that capture the NBA game and players exceptionally well and are the best basketball artist in the business.

Find out who and see some of their amazing work after the jump.

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Nuggets guard J.R. Smith has been sentenced to 90 days in jail Tuesday night for causing an auto accident in June 2007 that killed his friend. Smith will likely end up serving only 30.

Municipal Judge Debra J. Gelson suspended 60 days of the sentence providing Smith performs 500 hours of community service consisting of visiting sick children at hospitals. He also must pay a $500 fine plus $39 court costs, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Smith was taken into custody immediately by New Jersey state police and taken to Monmouth County Jail.

Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday night by The Denver Post. The team later sent out a news release from Warkentien.

Denver Post

While insiders contend the organization remains undeterred in its efforts to consummate a trade for Los Angeles Clippers forward Zach Randolph, there are several other options the Griz can now consider in hopes of bolstering their frontline. Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is determined to bring to Memphis a high-caliber power forward, making that his priority this offseason, less than two years after gift-wrapping Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers. That player must fit the criteria, though, of being young, productive and reasonably priced.

Memphis Commercial Appeal

You might not now the name yet, but former high school star Lance Stephenson aka “Born Ready” is going to be a Bearcat before he makes his way to the NBA.

“The former Lincoln basketball star whose future has been complicated by a sexual harassment case and questions about his amateur status, has ended months of speculation by finally deciding on a college. A family source said Tuesday that Stephenson intends to suit up for the University of Cincinnati, the school he and his family visited over the weekend.

“Unless something out of their control happens, he’s going to Cincinnati,” the source said. Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin, who is no stranger to the Lincoln program, said Stephenson signed a financial aid agreement with the Bearcats and expects Stephenson to attend summer school.”

See why NBA scouts are excited after the jump.

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