1. Raja Bell probably won’t report. He’s playing for a contract next year and he’s not going to get consistent minutes in Golden State (because no one does). I’m guessing Bell asks for a contract buyout and tries to sign-on with the Knicks, Phoenix, or possibly New Orleans. Bell wouldn’t get the most run in Phoenix, but he might enjoy a reunion with his former teammates (and they could use his defense).
2. It should be crystal-clear by now that Okafor was NOT traded because of money. During the summer, Charlotte shipped Okafor to New Orleans under the guise of “cap flexibility.” However, Okafor was rumored to be a player that Larry Brown really didn’t like because of his attitude and unwillingness to play even slightly hurt. Seeing how poorly Okafor has fit in with the Hornets, it looks like Charlotte outsmarted New Orleans and most of the pundits. Good show.
3. Stephen Jackson will do well under Larry Brown…for a while. Stephen Jackson will likely thrive in Charlotte for the rest of the year. Larry Brown knows how to reach disgruntled vets (see Rasheed Wallace), and he commands respect. Jackson will be the focal point of the offense, with G-Wallace and Diaw being nice complementary players. However, once the Bobcats miss the playoffs and/or get trounced in the first round, Jackson will start crabbing about finding a new home.
4. Charlotte might just like Acie Law, and Acie Law should be ecstatic. Law won’t see much time on the court, but he should be excited. There is no finer point-guard coach in the NBA than Larry Brown. Even if Law doesn’t crack the rotation, the practices can help him salvage his career. He might even be able to secure a contract as a backup next summer (see below).
5. Ray Felton is looking more and more like a goner. Felton held out this summer for a big deal, and Charlotte decided the best move was to let Felton become a free agent next year. With Stephen Jackson holding down the SG slot for the next 2 to 4 years, Felton’s value to Charlotte as a combo guard is diminished. D.J. Augustin is going to continue to improve, and Felton will likely become an expensive luxury that Charlotte won’t be able to keep next year. Therefore, I expect Felton to be shopped this year pretty heavily.
6. The Warriors will still suck. Blaming all the problems on Jackson is convenient, but the damage has been done. Nellie isn’t capable of leading this team, and Jackson has illustrated that clearly for the last month. The young players in Golden State will never fully respect their coach, and that means the team will stink.

If only Golden State could have traded Nellie’s contract too.

Stephen Jackson would rather be anywhere but Golden State, and his play is showing it. Whatever trade value he had before, it’s lower now.

Seems to me that a deal could be made that would benefit both teams. Stephen Jackson ($7.65 million this year) for Wright and Posey ($8.03 million).

Here’s what I like about this deal:

• Jackson makes New Orleans wildly better. CP3 and David West have a 3rd banana that fits at either the 2 or the 3. Peja still comes off the bench, and if Posey can somehow find the energy and desire, he could start at SF.
• Jackson won’t be dragging down his team in Golden State anymore. Honestly, the Warriors need another promising young player (Wright) like they need a hole in the head, and Peterson is going straight to the end of the bench. However, Wright is going to be easy to package with some of the other youngsters for a good veteran at the trade deadline (Amare, I’m looking at you).
• The Warrior’s cap situation is much improved. There’s still the anchor that is Corey Maggette , but losing Jackson brightens the cap situation in Golden State.
• It’s as good as anything Golden State has been offered up to this point. If I were New Orleans, I’d try and pawn off Posey instead of Mo Pete…but Golden State isn’t that dumb (are they?). A decent youngster and a smallish contract is a better offer than Big Z (who won’t re-sign and won’t help Golden State win).
• If they make the move now, Golden State’s season has more potential. Getting rid of Jackson will help this team a lot…maybe even enough to put them on track to get the 8th seed.

Here’s what I don’t like about this deal:

• Unless New Orleans includes a draft pick, this is cheap-selling Jackson. It’s true that as of right now, there aren’t any great offers for Jackson on the table…but that might not be the case in February. Patience is a virtue when evaluating NBA trades.
• New Orleans is still screwed cap wise. This deal has to make them a championship contender, because if it doesn’t they’ll need to dump somebody good for cap relief. If New Orleans holds on to both of these players, they’ll have 2 expiring contracts that can be easily dumped next summer for cap relief.

Bottom Line – It’s too early to move Jackson, but if Byron Scott can sell his ownership on the idea that Jackson makes them unbeatable, it’s entirely possible these teams will be discussing a trade in the next few months. I’m pretty confident that Peterson, Posey, and Wright will be in the discussion…so it’s worth keeping an eye on.

1) Phoenix Suns – With all the angst from last season, these guys have got a big chip on their shoulder that should translate to the best record in the league.

2) Dallas Mavericks – Just because they bombed out of the first round last year doesn’t mean they won’t be a force in the regular season. There’s nothing wrong with this team.

3) San Antonio Spurs – Every year I think “these guys are too old”, but they just keep getting it done. As long as Duncan and Parker are healthy, they’re the team to beat.

4) Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets will beat out the Jazz for the best record in the Northwest division. They’ve got an easy schedule through December, and they’ll finish strong as usual.

5) Utah Jazz – The Jazz had an interesting off-season that will impact their regular season performance, but they should manage to stay very close to Denver for the division lead.

6) Houston Rockets – Adelman’s clever offensive scheme will make Yao Ming the best player in the west (at least on paper), but there will be a learning curve.

7) Golden State Warriors – Assuming Baron Davis is healthy, Warriors run-and-gun basketball will challenge every team they play in the regular season.

8 ) Memphis Grizzlies – Pau Gasol can be a dominant player when healthy, and this team has a enough talent to make a grab for the last spot in the playoffs.

While I’m not going to predict how these seeds will perform in the playoffs until we get closer, I will officially declare my favorite to win the Western Conference. (drum roll…)

Phoenix. The Suns have everything they need to win, and they won’t be denied this year because of questionable calls. While I’m at it, I’ll go ahead and say that Phoenix will also be the NBA champ in the upcoming season.

Also, my pick for last place in the Western conference goes to the Sonics. Between the lack of veteran talent, the lack of defense, and the ownership’s bid to move the team, anything more than a terrible season is wishful thinking.

Nelson shouldn’t be brought back. Here’s why:

1. Employees that threaten to retire shouldn’t be encouraged to stay.

Think about this one for a second — Nellie’s not threatening to go find a better coaching opportunity, he’s threatening to leave coaching forever. That’s not a simple decision. Retirement means never having to answer to anyone ever again. It also means you feel like you’ve done everything you needed to do. Retirement is permanent, and it’s a different mental state. Using money to keep Nellie from retiring would be foolish because, fundamentally, he doesn’t want to work anymore.

2. Nellie has a history of playing games.

Some people will read my first point and say “Nellie’s just saying that he wants to retire — he doesn’t really mean it.” Here’s a question — why keep an employee in such a trusted position when you think he might be lying to your face? Nellie’s position with the Warriors is crucial — coaches can make or break teams, and their impact lasts one or two seasons longer than their tenure. So asking a lying, game playing coach to run your locker room for the next season or two could damage your prospects for the next 3 or 4 years. There isn’t a management book in the world that would suggest you keep a guy like Nelson if you think he’s lying to you.

3. Take the hit now — don’t save it for later.

The case for keeping Don Nelson, and bowing to his contract demands, is that Nelson’s departure could cause the team to lose momentum. NEWS FLASH — Nelson is 67 years old. He’s going to leave sooner or later. Why not take the hit now when you’ve got the fans excited and the team believing in themselves? Every year that he coaches, the belief that Nellie is the reason for the Warriors’ success is reinforced. Let Nelson go now, and you have a better chance of convincing the players and fans that Nelson just accelerated an inevitable return to primacy, not the other way around.

4. If you give a mouse a cookie…

Ok — let’s say you take the first three reasons and throw them out the window. Let’s say you give Nelson what he wants. What’s to stop him from pulling the same stunt again next year? Let’s say Nelson gets his 3 year, $5 million a year guaranteed contract. Let’s say he leads the Warriors to the Western Conference Finals (hard to believe I know, but let’s pretend). What happens next year? Does he threaten to retire again? It worked once before, why wouldn’t he try? What if the Warriors don’t get farther — what if they choked? Would Nelson say he didn’t want to stay because the team sucked? Here’s something I’ve learned in the business world: You can’t negotiate with an unreasonable person. Nelson has proven in the past he can be unreasonable at times. The Warriors should know that whatever Nelson does this offseason will probably be repeated at some time in the future.

Nellie is a great guy, and a great coach, but he should be allowed to leave. He’s proven that he’s not committed to basketball because he’s threatening to retire, and he’s proven he’s not committed to the Warriors because he’s trying to renegotiate a standing contract. Let Nellie leave on a high note. Taking the Warriors to the second round of the playoffs was an accomplishment, and using “Nellie ball” to beat the Mavericks was awesome. Now, Nelson should go to Hawaii and enjoy the good life and the Warriors should take their lumps and move on.

It’s got to be rough being Andrei Kirilenko this last 6 months…

Anyone else think it’s odd that there isn’t a contract extension in place for B-Diddy? Seems like this would be the perfect season for Baron to lock up the big bucks. Not that I don’t love Baron (’cause I do), but he’s likely to get hurt again if history is any indicator. I don’t think he’s worth any more than $10million a year now, but I think he’d get at least that much in an extension. For Baron, he can lock up big bucks for a few more years and not worry about injuries hampering his earning power. It would be smart to sign now.

At the same time, doesn’t it make sense for Golden State to wrap up this contract sooner rather than later? Baron’s proven he’s one of the best point guards in the game (when he’s healthy). There aren’t exactly a lot of good point guards available in the NBA either. What value would he have on the open market if he had a good year? How many teams would love to have big Baron? If you’re Chris Mullins, why wait to find out?

I can see it both ways, but what do you think?