Dash

Spurs would be a great fit for Battier (essentially taking over the Bruce Bowen role from the championship years) and San Antonio isn't very far from his home in Houston. Still if he wants to go ring chasing then Miami may be his best bet. FYI Battier's lastest tweet left strong indications that he means to announce his decision tomorrow.

Celtics are still pushing for Paul.

Pretty much. Brooks isn't gone for the entire season by the way, he will be back when the CBA season ends in March.

For the veteran's minimum I believe. Wizards have a nice young core with Wall/Vesely/McGee but need a veteran presence in the locker room. Decent signing.

Not a bad signing if he's coming in cheap, Telfair was okay last season IIRC.

We already knew Gordon wasn't in the Clippers' lastest proposal but management providing assurance to him could mean that they have no intention of ever dealing him unless they go back on their word. Good move on the Clippers' part, they're going to be fine regardless of what happens in the Dwight or Chris Paul sagas. If Curry isn't in the Warriors offer then the Clippers have the best package for Paul.

Good stuff BFT. Age limit is what I'll be keeping my eye on, didn't realize that being drafted straight out of high school was even on the table.

FML Well lets see if Thabeet made any improvement...

I don't see how this is a bad deal for the Kings, Chuck is a quality big.

Looks like there might be a snag in negotiations. Warriors want a guarantee from Paul if they're going to include Curry in the deal.

Clutch is saying that its not official yet. IF this is true then we're kind of screwed.

So prior to the meeting with the Spurs brass this morning, this is how the race for Butler was looking like: 1. Bulls 2. Spurs 3. Clippers 4. Nets If the Spurs made a good enough impression, they could move up to #1 but more likely the Bulls are still the favorites. However, San Antonio sudden decision to amnesty cut Jefferson a few minutes ago could mean they feel they're close to a deal with Butler or another small forward.

Amnesty puts Spurs in position to sign Butler.

Looked like he was going to stay for at least another year but seems they have changed their mind.

First I've heard of the Lakers being a top player for Chris Paul, every report from Woj indicates that there has little movement up in their front. That said, there is no way the Hornets take Gasol + Odom over the Celtics', Warriors' or Clippers' offers. No Bynum, no deal.

HUGE if true, would make the Warriors the instant favorites.

Speaking of which...

Looks like the Rockets won't be on national TV this year.

Sam Amick is reporting Ekpe Udoh is also in Warriors' pitch for Paul. Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/217066/Warriors_Offering_Curry_Thompson_Udoh_For_Paul#ixzz1foRK8qsb

Personally I think Chris Paul will end up in Boston, Clippers reluctance to include Eric Gordon in deal may cause them to come up a tad short (although granted they appear to be the front-runners for now) and I can't picture Paul resigning with Golden State (both teams want him to sign an extension by the way while Boston does not). Also an underrated but very valuable asset Celtics own in bid for Chris Paul is Clippers' 2012 first round pick (only top 10 protected).

B+ for the Rockets sounds about right, I gave them a B right after the draft but from the looks of it the Rockets appear to have at least nailed the Motiejunas pick (judging from his performance in Europe). There have been positive reports on both Marcus Morris and Chandler Parsons as well. Too early to tell how each pick will turn out since we have yet to even play a game but the positive feedback/video on all our picks makes me feel a lot better about our draft night.

RicBucher Ric Bucher 3) Paying max to DH12 and Blake very likely means losing EGordon. DeAndre can be had for half of DH12's number and hierarchy remains clear. RicBucher Ric Bucher 2) DH12 + Blake might work down the line when Blake gets a J, but DH's timeline to title shorter than that. RicBucher Ric Bucher Not sure when I'll have a link for you, so here's more on DHoward-Clips mutual Heisman: 1) both realize DH and Blake are not a good fit...

Wondering if that number is what the Hornets would want to pay him or the Clippers' own offer regardless of the situation. If the Hornets don't like the deal (which might be likely because this could easily turn into an awful contract) then it could hurt the Clippers' pitch for Paul.