Howard saga stinks on a lot of levels and a real Home Run Derby

As you listen to the out-of-world Dwight Howard trade scenarios (and it’s beginning to make Toronto’s four-team, double sign-and-trade epic that ended up with Turk with the Raptors seem like a simple transaction) one word keeps popping into mind:

Why?

Why would the Cleveland Cavaliers want to help the Brooklyn Nets get any better?

Why would the Los Angeles Clippers or Charlotte Bobcats – the possible fourth teams in the convoluted transaction – come late to the table to facilitate a trade that makes a rival better.

Take the Cavs, for instance.

At one point they were going to get – and may still get – Kris Humphries as the centerpiece of their end of the transaction. Now, I like Hump a lot and he’s become a very solid player now that he realizes what he’s with and I hope he has a long and productive and lucrative career. But doesn’t he play the same spot as Tristan Thompson, a younger, cheaper Cav piece as that team tries to re-establish itself.

And shouldn’t the Cavs, more than any team in pro sports perhaps, be averse to letting other teams create all-star casts?

Didn’t the scream bloody murder when LeBron exercised his contractual right to join another team with two other all-stars and now they’re perhaps going out of their way to let a star get his way despite him not being able to move freely on his own?

I don’t get it, I truly don’t.

The league, once again, will look ridiculous when this is all over and done with if Howard has finagled his way to the one team he wanted to go to.

It will once again send the message that petulant players – and their agents – can hold teams hostage to get whatever they want.

I’m sure there will be more venting and whining and commenting if and when this gets done but right now, the salient points are that if I was a fan of a team facilitating a deal that would seemingly make a rival far stronger, I’d be ticked.

And for those who might think this is a player – Howard – getting tired of being treated like chattel and trying to simply work where he wants, here’s the main point: He willing told his team last March that he was “all in” and would stick around this year; he made quite the fuss about that and now it’s apparent he cannot be trusted.

This is not a free agent finding a new home, I have no problem with that regardless of the team a guy wants to go, this is a guy holding a franchise hostage with his petulance.

If I’m the Magic, I find some trade with some team that isn’t New Jersey, force Howard to go there, play a season and then become a free agent so he can go wherever he wants. For the salary that’s available next summer.

This whole Howard saga has stunk since it started, I guess it’s fitting that the greatest stench will come when it’s over. And will permeate the entire NBA.

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Apropos of nothing and only because a reader mentioned it and it made me smile, I think you need to put Bilko on a par with McHale, don’t you?

(And, yes, we need to some day take a poll of the greatest of the old-time sitcoms).

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Got another one of the silliest e-mails we get on a regular basis yesterday:

“Wade undergoes successful surgery”

Duh.

I’m waiting for the one that lands and says:

“Player X in danger of losing leg after minor surgery goes horribly awry”

Or:

“We think the doctors did a good job, as soon as the leeches get done cleaning up the wound we’ll know for sure.”

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I’m honoured to work in a craft with some great writers, insightful commentators, excellent reporters and generally good women and men.

And when I read something like this – my man Marc Stein’s tremendous recap of the Steve Nash story – it reaffirms that thought a hundredfold.

This is as good as it gets for its thoroughness and insight. And I know our business; this story could only be written after years and years of getting to know players and coaches and agents.

It’s great. I told Marc that last night; you need to read it.

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So, of all the contrived, made-for-TV pre-all-star events in any sport, I think I’ve got the home run derby near the bottom.

It drones on and Chris Berman has got to go and it was weird seeing a BP pitcher looking like he was pitching around Jose Bautista in the final round. The kids in outfield are kind of cute, I guess, but I half expected some brawl to break out when they were fighting over pop ups.

Now, I will admit it’s a shallow pool – the Saturday night of the NBA all-star weekend and the pucks thing are far from must-see TV – but I’d probably like to see four innings of a prospects game and some other skills competitions than three hours of batting practice.

Besides, the only true Home Run Derby has been off the air for decades.

Remember this?

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Oh yeah, the Raptors.

A whole bunch of travelling yesterday as Bryan, the Henchmen, the coaching staff and various others headed to Vegas for the Summer League (a little training camp this week, games start later on) so it was uber-quiet on the roster front.

But now that BC’s out there with a couple of dozen other GMs, who knows what might happen. The sense on the weekend was that things were going to calm down a bit, I hope that’s the case but, as we know, things have a way of heating up rather quickly.

One thing we don’t know yet, though, is who’s on the Summer League roster. It’s a rather fluid situation as teams try to piece together workable groups and agents try to get their clients into the most enviable situations.

One thing to know, though: The only people on the Toronto roster who really matter are Ed Davis, Terrence Ross and, to a somewhat lesser degree, Quincy Acy.

The rest is flotsam and jetsam and while someone will undoubtedly score a lot of points and make their names known, this is all about seeing how Davis and Ross and Acy perform.

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Comments

[Jerry]

Marty, great Ernest Borgnine film, or greatest Ernest Borgnine film?

[JT]

Doug, can you ask the folks who run the website to have a link on the main sports page to your blog? It disappeared a week or two ago and I have to find your hyperlink name before finding the blog again (if you don't have a blog story as a main story on the main sports page). It's about 4 more clicks after the sports page. Many thanks!

Blogger's note: Will pass this on

[Big Bucky]

The trading of Howard is not for Humphries - this is why the deal hasn't gone through...The Cavs stated last night that they can sign Hump out right, that the Nets needed to include Marshon Brooks...Now that it is known Brooks can be had - other teams like the T-Wolves and B-Cats are invovled. This is why Cleveland is involved, to get Brooks - who is a fantastic player filling a position the Cavs really need to fill. Really Doug, this type of reporting is not hard! Just read, man....read!!!!!

Blogger's note: You've missed the point entirely but who cares. Thanks for taking time out of your day

[AT]

The Marc Stein piece was an excellent behind the scenes look at what happens from a players perspective during free agency. I think the only questions that remain are:
1. Would BC still have signed Fields if he knew that Nash wasn't coming here?
2. Did the delay prevent BC from making any moves ?
It really is water under the bridge nw but kudos to BC comes out looking good as he did all he could to bring Nash here.I just hope that BC is not done yet, otherwise we may be in for another long season.

Blogger's note: Most likely and no

[Mr. Truth]

I don't mean to be rude but...

Have some of the irregulars simply not learned how to bookmark a page in their browsers? You could bookmark websites even in the days of Netscape!

[John]

Great article by Stein. I was a little disappointed by Hume's article the other day; I'm guessing this is one of those areas where you and him will have to have disagreeing views.

[sam]

I agree - the Dwight Howard saga got old a long time ago -
I maintain he had it made in Orlando until he decided to go all Carmelo on the organization.
The NBA is a players league where the rich get richer creating a competitive imbalance. You will have a handful of super teams and the also rans.

I would think the Cavs have a pretty good thing going with the high draft picks the last couple of years, that being involved in the trade would only complicate what they are trying to build. The Betss - do they even have any future draft picks left?

[DANIEL]

Maybe the Cavs are getting cash. That's the only reason I'd go along with it in their shoes, a great big pile of dough.

That said, who else would want Dwight Howard for a season? Yes, let's trade for a petulant All-Star with a large contract who just bailed on Stan Van Gundy. What GM would want that?

[scoobi]

Although Nash was a free agent, why on earth would Robert Sarver or Lon Babby agree to make their nemisis even more dominant for three seasons for the rights to a measly 4 picks, all projected to be likely 25-30th, and 55-60th?
Its been said by Nash that they did it out of mutual respect between the two men, but it makes the Suns appear to be saying " well we are rebuilding anyway, lets be the Lakers whipping boys for three years while we restock".....

And dont forget, the whole reason that Miami was able to make the moves that it did is via BC making the JO trade. Remember, the three of them signing was hinted at the year before it happened, and then next season Sam Presti I think trading a pick for Daquan Cook , who represented the last roster player needed to be moved so James and Bosh could sign. They also do very bad things to one another, like inflate players value in offer sheets to "stick it" to other teams. Hello Roy Hibbert...looking right at you and Portland. This often backfires, so its double funny.

They help eachother for unknown reasons. Maybe its just an Old Boy's club and they all sit laughing as the money rakes in.( there are what, a pool of about 45 guys that in any given year are GM's.) Put together enough superteams, (we are at a legit 4 now) and maybe revenues will increase, and more people become interested. Or, the exact opposite will happen...........

Blogger's note: You're dead wrong on the JO thing, as everyone has been for years. Don't sweat it though

[Lorie]

Good Morning, Doug!
Because Jose Bautista was a part of it, I tuned in to The Homerun Derby last night, and lasted for all of 5 minutes. Was put off by it for lots of reasons, but the first was the pure aesthetics; it didn't look pleasing to watch: too much going on that had nothing to do with baseball, Kauffman Stadium wasn't looking very attractive, the daytime sky didn't photograph well in the shots and the baby blue uniforms were unfortunate. And then there was the sound of Chris Berman, who I think should stick to his NFL preview show. So, thank you for the clip of the real Homerun Derby show. Imagine. No fans in attendance. Just the players, umpires and one Mark Scott who handled introductions, play by play, commentary and interviews with the players. And his explanation of the rules! Priceless! Did you catch Mickey's eyes glazing over even while he bravely told us that he'd "been here before" and understood how it worked! But wasn't it perfect in its pared down black-and-white elegance? That's how I like my baseball. Yup, I'm old. :) And so old in fact to have known that it was Phil (Bilko) Silvers who wrote the lyrics to this Sinatra classic. Another performer who knew a thing or two about paring stuff down to its essence and simply - and elegantly - delivering the goods. Cheers! (And Mark Scott had a rather large hardcover book on the broadcast booth table; do you or any Irregulars have any idea what that weighty-looking tome might have been?)
http://youtu.be/hTdwFYxv_ro

[nick]

"I’m waiting for the one that lands and says:

“Player X in danger of losing leg after minor surgery goes horribly awry”"

I don't get why notification of successful surgery is something to scoff at. Complications happen all the time -- just going under General Anesthetics is a risk in itself -- and we should be pleased every time they don't.

[David in Oakville]

The Stein piece really is a fascinating look into the perks of being an NBA all star. Given the effort put forth by BC and Larry Tannenbaum, it is hard to find fault except perhaps in the fact that the Raps as a team still look life and death to secure the eighth spot in the east and that was not good enough for a guy with multiple offers. The surprise for me in the article was the "seemingly" minor effort put forth by the Mavericks.
+
I like your solution to the Dwight Howard saga. I am thinking that the training staff in Portland could work wonders on Dwight's back (sarcasm). It would be just but how likely are you to find a team willing to rent Howard for a single year knowing that he is likely to sign with the Nets next summer and more to the point, how hard will Howard play.
+
I would really like to hear David Stern's thoughts on the "super team" phenomenon. It sure seems like this league is evolving into 6 or 7 elite teams and then a league of teams used to nurture rookies to determine who is good enough to join the elite squads. OKC is perhaps the lone exception at this point.

[Has]

Doug, planning igbt for summer league? im sure you'll enjoy that alot!

[LakeSimcoe]

If you cannot stop someone, let somebody else do it.

This is why Cavs, more exactly, Dan Gilbert, would like to facilitate another super team in Brooklyn, in order to oust Miami from....

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Well done once again all the way around, Mr. Smith.
If George "Little Poopies" Brett never makes another TV appearance in his life, that would be a very good thing. Chris Berman should simply become the living Fred Flintstone he is, and take his caveman show on the road (he could open for Phyllis Diller or something). I say bring back Mark Scott, prop him up in a chair, and let him say nothing at all. A far better show. And lower that infinite first round to 8 outs, please. Oh, and as another shout-out to Berman, as one of my current seamhead talking head favourites, Greg Zaun, would say, "Go sit in the truck."
Cheers. And happy All Star break. Go shopping, AA!

[Settons]

Hey Doug!

I agree with most of your writing. The one thing I am wondering about with the Cavs involvement in the DH trade is that they are conceding that they don't have a shot at beating the Heat any time soon, so could they be helping out another Eastern Conference team get stronger to prevent the Heat from winning multiple titles? It's the only theory I could think of of why they or any Eastern team would be part of this.

If I were the Magic GM, I would love to trade DH to the bobcats for a second round pick and let him suffer all year as punishment and not reward him by sending to the team he wants.

If there is ever a reason for a trade to get rejected for "basketball reasons", this is the one!

Keep up the good work.

[Eric-in-NS]

Mark Scott introduced Mays and Jensen as 'superstars'. I didn't realize the term had been around that long.

[coachd]

Hi Doug,
Great blog today. I just finished reading Scott Rabb's The Whore of Akron and after reading Stein's article on Nash and your blog about Howard the only logical conclusion that I can come up with is when it comes to superstar professional athletes, whatever they want is what they get. This is especially the case in the "star-driven" NBA. While we can make an argument that Nash's decision was based on sounder reasoning,in the end, he isn't that much different than Lebron or Howard. They are three superstars who ,in the end, got or will get exactly what they wanted. They are no different than those in general society who get exactly what they ever wanted. It's the way the world works.They are the 1%. I find it funny that in spite of all the restrictions that professional sports has placed on player movement this still happens.Why would the Cavs help the Nets? Why would the Suns help the Lakers? None of this makes sense. And yet, it happens. Why? Probably because it's always been this way and we should just accept it.

[doug]

good blog today as always but some things that were in my thoughts you mentioned...Chris Berman is gawd awful anymore, he is like a comedian you see at first and find him entertaining, then a bit later same act it's alright, later same act it's like turn this guy off, plus he provides no insight...and I have to agree that George Brett interview was terrible, also as I was listening to it I was thinking how does Hal McCrae who was just as instrumental to the royals during that time feel about Brett's demigod status in K.C........some people just don't get it it seems, as to the Blogger who mentioned about Cleveland and Hump, he did miss the point entirely as well as to the poster that said any surgery is serious and not to be taken lightly, yes we get it, I feel Doug was talking about cliches and routine programmed info teams give...the classic commercial to me is that rec league hockey player that comes off the ice and is interviewed and gives the perfect cliched interview all players give, organizations do the same with press releases....so anyhow cheers..and we should decide not to mention Howards name on here as were giving him what he wants press...we need to think of a acronym for him like we do for Carter...and to the person that mentioned bookmarks yes we are aware of them but I also am not on the same computer all the time and at work i am not going to bookmark Doug Smiths Sports Blog....just saying...ok cheers...

[Rob.V]

Yeah, that whole "loyalty" talk last year was just silly. Howard was loyal to the $16 million (or whatever it was). Alex Martins should be fired too! I'm not sure why these executives buy into this crap however my guess is they are simply too close to the players (or action from the inside). Every one of us could see Howard was full of it last year, and yet Martins by his own admission said he still believed Howard was going to be with the Magic long term.
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The league needs to look at ways to correct this flaw in the next CBA. Maybe the anwer is if you sign an opt-in or short 1 year extension it becomes a binding no trade clause for that one year. Something though, because the league doesn't just look like a joke, it IS a joke... to anyone that really cares to follow it.
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In hindsight, the Melo and Howard taking of hostages approach to being moved to their prefferred destinations is far, far more egregious than LBJ and Bosh simply excercising their right to move on as unrestricted free agents. Cleveland and Toronto should have traded each player well in advance of their FA status however if I'm any one of the 752 players having to be traded to accomodate Dwight Howard I am pissed off right now. The league needs to correct this for everyone involved.
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The agents? It's clear that these cats are great salesmen and hold a major influence over where their players end up. I wouldn't be surprised if they do the majority of work for GM's by concocting any trade proposal scenarios necessary to get their players to where they want to go.

[Mike D.]

The Stein article is very good: a rare glimpse into an aspect of the game that, frankly, doesn't seem like all that much fun. The FA process for someone at Nash's level sounds a bit like having to spend a solid week dealing with a stereotypical "if I tell you the right number, can we get your business today?" car salesperson. I'm beginning to understand why these guys have agents.

[Mos High]

The buiness of sports is ugly. I guess most people liked it better in the glory days, when the owners could do what they want with players and the players really couldnt fight back. The owners got so big and fat, that they couldnt even reach for that bottle of finest wine in there gold closet.

Magic probably lied to Howard about what they planned to do as well. Look there inner management gave info to Stan Van Gundy last year. Who knows what the full story is. All parties smell bad to me, D Howard will just take the fall.

I dont like the D Howard thing at all its silly, However the franchise could just pull a Rob Babcock and trade Howard for 2 players that were bench guys and a 1st round 16th pick guy named Joey Graham.
No believes me when I say Rob Babcock was a undercover agent that tried to ruined the Raptors franchise, but us real fans have held in and would let it happen!!!!

Pearson customs reps from Toronto Island airport and Pearson Airport...DO NOT LET BABCOCK LAND IN TORONTO and if he somehow dares please not with out being sent to detention for at least 72 hrs!

[doug]

so now there is a new member to the "I want to play on a winner and will take my b-ball and whine all the way there if I have to" club...and that is Kevin Love who just coincidentally signed a 4 year extension...if he was that perturbed about it all why did he sign the extension??....I notice players don't whine about cashing their pay cheques......and Kevin love is hardly the nucleus of a championship team, solid player yes...this has to stop as it's just ruining the game in my humble opinion...

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/332237-love-losing-patience-with-wolves-nears-ultimatum

[Mitch]

@doug and others with bookmarking at work issues...

Install and use Google Chrome as your home browser.
"Sign in" to chrome - requires a google account (simple to do).
Import and or create all your bookmarks.
Install and use Chrome as a browser at work.
When you are at work, "sign in" to Chroe and all your bookmarks will be there. Sign out when you leave.

Hope it helps!

[joe]

Hey Doug

You had mentioned earlier that it would be bad business to take back the offer BC gave Fields. What is the difference between a contract that Fields got and the qualifying offer that was sent out to Bayless, one that BC did in fact take back? Would that still be considered bad business?

Blogger's note: No. Apples and oranges. The offer sheet is a promise; the qualifying offer is bookwork