It wasn’t a surprise to many, but Oklahoma City finally came clean with the name of their new NBA team.

The final verdict: The Oklahoma City Thunder

Apparently the NBA isn’t too good at keeping a secret. Images of the team logo began to surface over the weekend and even merchandise was popping up at the NBA online store hours before the announcement yesterday. Back in July, an ABC affiliate actually leaked information that the name of the team, formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics, was going to be called the Thunder, but the name wasn’t officially chosen yet.

Why?

Because officials were considering other names such as: Wind, Barons, Marshalls, Bison and Energy.

Hm, I honestly think they couldn’t have chosen a more boring list of team names. Wonder who the mascot is going to be, Captain Planet?

Source: SI

Through a colonoscopy.

That’s right folks. Sir Charles is going to show you what his good ol’ colon looks like. I wonder how TNT’s coverage is going to be on this. Do you think Kenny Smith is going to give some commentary, halfway through the procedure?

“It looks like Charles needs to relax a bit more out there. That camera is have a hard time finding it’s way around his defensive spleen. I like to see him loosen up and just go with the flow. Ok, back to you Doc.”

But with all humor aside, Barkley is going to televise the procedure in the name of a cancer benefit. I guess letting people know the “inner” you is always a good way to promote having a doctor probe you. I’m in!

Source: SBB

The former highlight reel, Mr. Shawn Kemp is back! That’s right folks, the 40-year-old Kemp has come out of retirement and signed a deal with the Italian team, Premiati Montegranaro.

How Kemp will hold up professional is sure to raise some eyebrows. He hasn’t played since the 2002-2003 season when he was with the Orlando Magic and averaged a dismal 6.8 points a game.

The only reason why I can think he came back has to be to pay for all his child support payments. Kemp, if you didn’t know, is just as famous for his ability to father children than his dunks. The man has seven kids from six different women and ranks tops on the 100% Injury Rates’ blog for those who should have a busy Father’s Day.

Source: USA Today

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decision not to play Jason Kidd in the final minutes of a recent exhibition game against Russia.

Kidd was supposed to be a leader of the team, who after suffering crushing defeats in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and not winning a major international tournament since 2000, is clearly in need of something. That something was supposed to be Kidd, whose experience and leadership was supposed to help transform the Redeem Team into something closer to the glory days of the Dream Team.

However, the emergence of Chris Paul and Deron Williams has at the very least made Krzyzewski and company question who will receive the bulk of the minutes and how to best integrate the other two into the lineup. What it got me thinking was who the best point guards in the league are.

So I asked myself if I had to start the next season with any point guard; who would it be? Assuming that it was for one year only and the only goal was to win a NBA championship this year, here is my list for the top four.

4] Steve Nash: Nash is difficult to peg because while he has led one of the most prolific offenses this decade, there are some questions about his defense and age. A couple years ago he would have been a lock to be number one on this list, but at age 34 the decision is complicated.

He was second in assists per game last season and has averaged at least 10 since arriving in Phoenix, but his numbers in Dallas weren’t nearly as strong. This makes one wonder how effective he will be in a more traditional offense, like the one he looks to have next year with Shaq.

3] Tony Parker: It is hard to argue against Parker’s resume. Since being drafted 28^th overall by San Antonio in 2001, Parker has won three NBA championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2007. He works the pick and roll as well as anybody in the league and is deadly around the basket.

One could argue that he has the benefit of playing alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, but you don’t see the point guards that play with Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett or Dwight Howard on here.

2] Deron Williams: Williams is in a difficult situation. He plays for a franchise that housed one of the all-time greats in John Stockton and Williams was drafted one spot higher than Chris Paul in 2005. As a result, he will be compared to Paul his entire career, but maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.

He only scored about two points less than Paul a game last season and shot slightly better than Paul from the field and from behind the arc. The greatest thing you can say about Williams at this point: it isn’t crazy to argue that one day he ends up with more hardware on his fingers and in his trophy case than Paul.

1] Chris Paul: Even with the high upside of Williams, in the last year no player in the NBA has had their stock rise higher than Paul. He’s played a huge part in reinvigorating not only the Hornets, but the city of New Orleans.

Paul was the biggest reason the Hornets secured a number two seed in the mighty western conference last year and has turned Tyson Chandler into the player the Chicago Bulls hoped he would be. If that wasn’t amazing enough, among point guards last year Paul was a statistical powerhouse – second in scoring, first in steals and first in assists (on a per/game average).

That’s good enough to be number one on my list – and if Team USA wants to bring home the gold – Krzyzewski better have Paul as first on his.

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And it’s just a matter of time before some marquee names make the trip across the Atlantic. But what is a superstar’s price before they go play against lesser competition?

For LeBron James, that number is $50 million…a year.

James becomes a free agent at the end of the 2009-2010 season with many teams already clearing up some salary cap space in hopes of a potential run for one of the best players in the world. And he’s sure to command close to $20 million a year, with him already due to make around $13 million this season. Twenty will already be a reach for many teams, but $50 million would be too much. Or would it?

I’m sure there will be some Euro team that has no talent willing to bring over the star power of James for only a season at his asking price. Maybe at $50 million or close to it.

Lets see if James really is greedy enough to take his skills to inferior competition. Everybody has a price, but when you’re already making over $20 million a season with endorsements, it’s a bit ridiculous to jump ship for more money.

When you’re a pro, isn’t it about playing against the best, not playing for the most money?

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Artest was already in the Western Conference last season – although on the playoff irrelevant Sacramento Kings – but by pairing him with All-Stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, the mighty west just got a lot more difficult.

The move wasn’t exactly a shocker. Artest had publicly admitted he regretted not opting out of the last year of his contract after watching marquee free agents like Elton Brand and Baron Davis decide their own fate. Rumor mills have been turning all summer, especially at the idea of a trade that would have sent Artest to the Lakers for Lamar Odom.

Kings GM Geoff Petrie settled on Houston though, receiving back up Bobby Jackson, first-round pick Donte Greene and next year’s first-round pick in return. Not quite the coup the Lakers pulled off in getting Pau Gasol, but a nice trade for the annual first-round-exit Rockets.

The question now is whether or not T-Mac and company can finally abandon their perennial above average status and finally join the Lakers, Spurs and recent juggernaut Hornets in the battle atop the west. The answer is … well there isn’t exactly one.

McGrady has never been able to claw his way out of the first round, and both he and Ming have a reputation of being soft. Artest will bring with him a tenacious attitude that should shore up any questions of the Rockets toughness.

Artest is also known as a defensive stopper, which coincidentally, is the one thing that the Rockets can say they are already pretty good at. They ranked second in the NBA last year on defense and also have Shane Battier on their roster – who isn’t exactly a slouch on the perimeter.

The biggest perceived challenge is Artest’s large personality and sometimes volatile emotions. We all remember the brawl at the Palace, but Artest has played for Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman before and put up some of his best numbers in his career under Adelman’s guidance.

Regardless of how it turns out, you can’t fault the Rockets for trying. They weren’t going to win a title with the roster they had last year, and while I still don’t put them above the Lakers, Spurs, and Hornets, at least they’re taking a risk and shaking things up.

Now, for the Rockets sake, let’s hope Artest doesn’t decide to shake things up again.

The Detroit Pistons pulled off a move of McHalean proportions Monday, signing Kwame Brown to a contract believed to be for two years and eight million dollars.

I have just one question … what in the heck are you thinking Joe Dumars?

First of all, one of the Ten Commandments in basketball operations is to never give money to anyone drafted by Michael Jordan. Secondly, while Brown came into the league as a number one overall draft pick with no ceiling, he is now a journeyman at best.

When did it become a good idea to give a NBA journeyman who will never be one of the seven best players on a championship team four million dollars a year? I know teams usually pay a premium for big men, but let me run down a list of overpaid centers and forwards that teams are currently wishing they didn’t have on their books (salaries rounded off):

Nazr Mohammed, $6 million; Ben Wallace, $14.5 million; Rasho Nesterovic, $8.4 million; Mark Blount, $8.5 million; and I could go on and on.

When the Lakers traded away Brown, it was one of the greatest moments in the life of a Lakers fan. Brown was an underperforming player who all too often played small in big moments. He was allergic to the rim, had poor hands, and left much to be desired.

At the same time I can’t help but feel sorry for him. After all, it isn’t his fault that he was drafted too high and put in a situation where it was nearly impossible to succeed. It’s not his fault that he wasn’t forced to play at least one year of college ball, which may have shown him that he needed more time to develop or at the very least let scouts know he shouldn’t have been a number one pick.

Still, I can’t help but hate the move. The Lakers tried desperately to move Brown and were lucky enough to land Pau Gasol. The Grizzlies, who gave away Gasol to get him, dropped him faster than you can say salary dump.

The Pistons, well, apparently they believe in charity. The only kudos I will give to Brown; apparently he is smart enough to take it.

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Even if it means going to Greece.

Josh Childress, now formerly of the Atlanta Hawks, gave up millions in the NBA to only get more millions in Greece to play for the Olympiakos.

Despite being a solid player in the NBA, Childress was never a star after being chosen sixth overall by the Hawks in 2004 out of Stanford. With the Hawks offering him a contract that was over the mid-level amount, which is at $5.5 million, Childress opted to go overseas for lesser competition and a three-year, $20 million contract. The contract also allows him to opt out after each year if he chose to do so.

Good move for Childress. Why not go to Greece and make a bigger name for yourself and get paid more in the process? If he doesn’t like it, then come back over to the states, still get paid millions and pick up where you left off.

Oh the hard decisions some people have to make in life. Athletes have it so rough.

Childress averaged 11.8 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Hawks last season.

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But not everyone in life get what they want. Just ask Cleveland.

Carlos Boozer has hinted at Team USA camp that he will be signing a contract with the Jazz next season when he is eligible. His Jazz and fellow Olympian teammate Deron Williams recently signed a $70 million contract with the Jazz, now everyone is wondering if Boozer will jump ship like he did in Cleveland or head to warmer climates. Miami?

Here is what Boozer has said:

“He’s going to be smiling for the next four years” because of his new contract worth up to $70 million, Boozer said. “And we will, too, because we’ll have him on our side.”

“We”, Carlos? As in you and the Jazz?

“We’ve been talking about our combination . . . for two years already,” Boozer added, “so we already have our thing lined up.”

There is that “we” word again.

This man likes to play with people’s emotions. Just spit it out already!

Source: The Salt Lake Tribune

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Baron Davis kicked things off by leaving Golden State to play with his buddy Elton Brand in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Davis, Brand decided to head to the Eastern Conference and pursue his title dreams with the Philadelphia 76ers.

This left the Clippers with quite a bitter taste in their mouth, but also a lot of cap room. They decided to use part of that cap room Wednesday by trading for veteran big man Marcus Camby. So just how much is the reigning NBA shot block king worth?

As it turns out, he’s not worth a whole lot. Denver traded the defensive guru for what basically amounts to a box of Cracker Jacks. For the rights of Camby’s services, the Clippers only had to give the Nuggets the option of switching second round draft picks in 2010. Go ahead and let that sink in for a moment.

The Nuggets were the eighth seed in the Western Conference last season and atrocious on defense, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to get rid of their best defensive player. It does provide them with some much needed cap relief, but when that comes at the expense of a playoff berth, I’m not sure it’s worth it.

Although the Camby deal is hard to stomach, it’s not even the worst trade involving a Los Angeles team in recent history. Here are three recent trades that made the Camby-for-a-swap-of-draft-picks look like a genius move by the Nuggets.

3) The Lakers trading Shaquille O’Neal to the Heat for Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and Caron Butler. Although the Lakers decision makers wouldn’t say it, this trade was more about Kobe and Shaq feuding than anything else. The Lakers are now back in title contention, but Miami won an NBA championship while Kobe and company watched from the comfort of their own homes.

2) The Memphis Grizzlies trading Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks. The Lakers received an all-star caliber big man without giving up any of their top-10 players, and the Grizzlies, well, the Grizzlies got nothing. Brown never lived up to potential and Crittenton is destined to be one of the most dynamic players in the Spanish league. The Lakers, on the other hand, are coming off of a trip to the NBA finals and look to make their way there a few more times in the coming years.

1) The biggest coup in LA history has to be the Hornets giving up Kobe Bryant in exchange for Vlade Divac. Divac was a popular player and solid big man, but Bryant has turned into one of the best players in the history of basketball. Divac will be remembered for teaching American basketball players how to flop while Bryant will be remembered for bringing three (and counting) championships to LA.

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