Points : 163

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Joakim Noah for $18 million a year? Forget it, Wolves fans, the Knicks ...

The true madness of this year’s NBA free agent class — the first group to cash in on the bloated TV contract that will goose the salary cap from $70 million to $94 million from last year to this year — won’t come from superstars like Kevin Durant or LeBron James. Insomuch as anyone deserves to make tens of millions of dollars a year to play a game, the very best of the best do. The real ridiculousness will be in the overpaid middle class. When this rising tide lifts all boats, they will be there starting Friday — ready to upgrade to yachts. Among the most notable players in this mix: Joakim Noah. Wolves fans for a while thought Noah — the 31-year-old former Bulls big man coming off an injury-marred season in which he averaged just 4.3 points — might be a good fit to rejoin former coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota. But if a report from the Washington Post is accurate, you can forget that — and gladly. The Post reports Noah is “almost certainly” going to sign with the Knicks once free agency officially begins Friday, at a price tag of $18 million per season. This is not a misprint: $18 million per season. If that’s the going rate for a guy like Noah this year, the Wolves are best off waiting this thing out. As this piece suggests, Minnesota is still likely to trade Ricky Rubio — and after the free agent rush leaves some teams broke and others desperate, dealing him will likely be the smartest and most cost-effective way to upgrade the roster. But good for the Knicks. They’re gearing up for a pretty nice run at the 2011 NBA title.

StarTribune Timberwolves
414 days ago
163 Ballers sent
Read more of this news on StarTribune Timberwolves

Points : 45

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Kevin Durant Could Help the Suns get Blake Griffin

Free Agency will begin at midnight July 1st, and although teams won't be able to officially offer players contracts until after the moratorium July 6th, teams will be lining up to sign ...

Valley of the Suns | 415 days ago | 45 Ballers sent

Points : 81

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Meeks deal ups Pistons war chest – and makes free agency that much more ...

Tristan Thompson finds a cutting LeBron James who throws down the sick reverse stuff.

Detroit Pistons | 415 days ago | 81 Ballers sent

Points : 38

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Timberwolves Notes: Durant interest, plus other free agents

Free agency begins in earnest at 11 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, but we're beginning to get more of a glimpse into what the Timberwolves are looking at doing. ...

Dunking With Wolves | 416 days ago | 38 Ballers sent

Points : 93

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But…why wouldn't Kevin Durant consider the Timberwolves?

Free agency has not started yet, but fans are receiving a heavy dose of Kevin Durant rumors, and it's really not that surprising that the Timberwolves ...

Dunking With Wolves | 417 days ago | 93 Ballers sent

Points : 156

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Massive LeBron James banner isn't going anywhere

Sherwin-Williams was going to remove the banner this summer. Clevelanders had other plans.

USA Today .com | 417 days ago | 156 Ballers sent

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2010 NBA Mock Draft
01. John Wall (WW)
02. Evan Turner (76ers)
03. Derrick Favors (NJN)
04. Wesley Johnson (MT)
05. DeMarcus Cousins (SK)
06. Ekpe Udoh (GSW)
07. Greg Monroe (DP)
08. Al-Farouq Aminu (LAC)
09. Gordon Hayward (UJ)
10. Paul George (IP)
2009 NBA Mock Draft
01. Blake Griffin (LAC)
02. Hasheem Thabeet (MG)
03. James Harden (OCT)
04. Tyreke Evans (SK)
05. Ricky Rubio (MT)
06. Jonny Flynn (MT)
07. Stephen Curry (GSW)
08. Jordan Hill (NYK)
09. DeMar DeRozan (TR)
10. Brandon Jennings (MB)
Scoring
01. Kevin Durant27.7
02. LeBron James26.7
03. Carmelo Anthony25.6
04. Dwyane Wade25.5
05. Kobe Bryant25.3
06. Amare Stoudemire25.3
07. Derrick Rose25.0
08. Monta Ellis24.1
09. Kevin Martin23.5
10. Dirk Nowitzki23.0
Rebounds
01. Kevin Love15.2
02. Dwight Howard14.1
03. Zach Randolph12.2
04. Blake Griffin12.1
05. Kris Humphries10.4
06. Pau Gasol10.2
07. David Lee9.8
08. Al Jefferson9.7
09. Emeka Okafor9.5
10. Tyson Chandler9.4
Assists
01. Steve Nash11.4
02. Rajon Rondo11.2
03. Deron Williams10.3
04. Chris Paul9.8
05. Jose Calderon8.9
06. Raymond Felton8.3
07. John Wall8.3
08. Jason Kidd8.2
09. Russell Westbrook8.2
10. Derrick Rose7.7
Steals
01. Chris Paul2.4
02. Rajon Rondo2.3
03. Monta Ellis2.1
04. Russell Westbrook1.9
05. Tony Allen1.8
06. Mike Conley1.8
07. Jason Kidd1.7
08. Raymond Felton1.7
09. LeBron James1.6
10. Trevor Ariza1.6
Blocks
01. Andrew Bogut2.6
02. Dwight Howard2.4
03. JaVale McGee2.4
04. Serge Ibaka2.4
05. Andrew Bynum2.0
06. Darko Milicic2.0
07. Al Jefferson1.9
08. Amare Stoudemire1.9
09. Tim Duncan1.9
10. Roy Hibbert1.8
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