Liberty Links: A daily post with links to all things pertaining to the Philadelphia Sixers
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says the entire 2011-12 season could be lost:
So the NBA leveled the lockout at midnight on Thursday, and there's a real chance the NBA is gone for a full year now. This has the makings of the NHL's labor war of 2004-05, where the cost of instituting a hard salary cap cost the sport a complete season.
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Kurt Helin of PBT conducts a Q&A regarding all things NBA Lockout:
What are the owners proposing?
The owners want a radical change in the system. They want to put in a "flex cap" of $62 million per team. For some perspective, the Dallas Mavericks payroll last season was $86.2 million (the team with the lowest payroll was Sacramento at about $44 million). Teams could not exceed that $62 million number except to sign their own free agents, and even then teams could not exceed a second figure that would not be more than a few million higher.
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Kurt Helin of PBT: League tells teams contact with player means $1 million fine
The league has told the owners and team officials that any contact with a player during the lockout will bring a $1 million fine on the organization, according to Ric Bucher of ESPN.
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Much more after the jump.
Kurt Helin from PBT: Durant says NBA players not going to give in
"No matter how long the lockout's going to take, we're going to stand up. We're not going to give in," [said Durant].
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Zach Lowe from SI: Competitive balance cuts to heart of lockout
"The NBA has never been a competitive league, and it's never going to be a competitive league," Berri said. "Some teams get the best players and some teams don't. However you shuffle the league, it's going to be the case that a few teams are dominant and a bunch of teams are not - just like in the 1980s, with the Celtics, Pistons, Sixers and Lakers. You are not going to manufacture five LeBrons. There is nothing Memphis can do to turn Rudy Gay into LeBron James."
This is a great read from Lowe, as he touches on the NBA's biggest problem: the lack of fresh competition from year-to-year the NFL has seemingly perfected.
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Kurt Helin from PBT: VIDEO: LeBron James dunks on youth camper
The home video is below - James misses a couple of wide-open jump shots (insert your own joke about that here) then after the second miss follows it by getting the ball, charging the rim and throwing down the dunk. Thing is, the kid was just standing under the rim after finishing his layup.
Watch the video for yourself. Everything about it is perfect.
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Kate Fagan of Deep Sixer conducted an hour-long chat, which is always filled with a few interesting tidbits:
They were playing it close to the vest because they didn't want teams above them to start wondering why they were so into [Vucevic], but they feel he's a 10-year player in this league. Which at the No. 16 spot is the most you can hope for.
The Sixers were telling other general managers that they wouldn't be making a trade until the new ownership took over. I think if the sale wasn't an issue, Iguodala would have been traded. But it was an issue.
Vucevic was looked at, from day one, as a center-in-training, not next season's starter.
I'm telling you that two months ago they wanted Vucevic. I'm not telling you that last Thursday after the draft they tried to spin it like they wanted the guy. They got the guy they wanted. 100 percent.
No, the Sixers are not going to try for [Tyson Chandler or Nene]. They have a very specific plan about how to fill out the interior position and it started with drafting Vucevic and it was supposed to continue with re-signing Spencer Hawes (assuming nobody was going to crazy overpay for him).
ET isn't becoming the two, I don't think. I believe the staff and front office is looking at him as a small forward next year. Pending moves, of course.
Then again, her chats are kind of depressing.
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Brew Hoop shows why Draft Express is the best (most accurate) NBA draft website.
Jonathon Givony earns his reputation with the best performance in both precise picks (8/14), the expanded within +/- 1 slot picks (11/14), and the least number of +/- more than two slot Failure picks. This one is a no doubter. Keep Draft Express high on your list heading into the next draft, because they are the goods.
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Jrue Holiday tweets that he told Thorn and Stefanski to sign his brother, Justin.
"@jmulhern90: @Jrue_Holiday11 Tell Rod Thorn and Ed Stefanski go sign your older bro before some other team gets him! #sixersnation" I did
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Chad Ford of ESPN thinks Thaddeus Young could leave via free agency:
While it's tough to gauge whether he's a potential star, given his supporting role with the team, he'll get a nice offer from someone. The Sixers have some financial woes, which means they may not be able to afford to lock him up. He could be one of the few players on this list that actually changes uniforms this year.
I disagree. I think the Sixers are committed to re-signing Thad. However; things may change with new ownership.
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According to Hoops Hype Dong is close to signing overseas!
Free agent forward Darius Songaila is close to an agreement with Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania, one source told HoopsHype. The Lithuanian, an eight-year NBA veteran, played in just 10 games with the Sixers last season, averaging 1.6 ppg and 1.0 rpg.
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Kate Fagan of Deep Sixer describes how the NBA lockout affects the Sixers organization:
What does this mean for the 76ers? Well, first of all, a variety of factors have conspired to delay a potential trade of Andre Iguodala. The overarching one was the uncertainty of what the next CBA will bring. We've outlined the potential changes to the CBA and how teams are hesitant to make moves without knowing the details of the next CBA. Another factor was the shift in team ownership, which in its own way handcuffed the current front office from making a franchise-changing trade before the new ownership assumed control. Now, in a few hours, there will be a moratorium on all player moves, which will serve to freeze frame the Sixers' roster as it is right now.
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