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Tickets at Ticket Master
Texas car dealer David McDavid wasn't the only one left out in the cold by Time Warner's recent decision to sell the Hawks to a different ownership group. Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor said he now believes the Hawks will match his team's three-year $22.5 million offer sheet to free-agent guard Jason Terry. "My feeling now is they will match," O'Connor said. "The new ownership situation has changed everything."
The Jazz were hoping McDavid's protracted ownership bid for the Hawks would hinder the organization's ability to re-sign Terry. But with the sudden, surprise sale to a group led by Boston businessman Steve Belkin, those hopes have all but vanished. Hawks GM Billy Knight has said all along he wanted to keep Terry, and it appears likely he'll get the approval.
Losing Terry is another big blow for the Jazz, who tried to sign Corey Maggette earlier this summer only to see the Clippers ticketmaster match the offer. O'Connor said he likely will turn his attention to the trade market to find a quality shooting guard. The good news for the Jazz is that by saving the $9 million on Terry next season (the contract was front-loaded), the team remains about $15 million under the salary cap. Thus, Utah could be a potential conduit in future trades as well as a possible player in next summer's free-agent market, which could include Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Eric Snow, Mike Miller, Vlade Divac and Quentin Richardson.
How tough is it to be a Warriors fan these days? It's not enough that the team lost its top two scorers, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, from a club that won more than 21 games for the first time in six years.
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But now they have to hear how newly acquired point guard Nick Van Exel, the
guy they got for Jamison, might be traded for more payroll relief. According
to one New York tabloid, the Warriors and Knicks have discussed a deal that
would send Van Exel to Gotham in exchange for ticketmaster Charlie Ward and
Kurt Thomas. The idea is that Golden State would then exercise an option to
buy out Ward's $6 million contract for $2 million.
New Warriors boss Chris Mullin denies he's looking to trade Van Exel. But Van Exel clearly was not thrilled about being traded from a contender in Dallas. He told some New York reporters recently that he'd love to play alongside his pal from his Denver days, Antonio McDyess.
Mullin calls Van Exel's reaction to the trade natural and says he has exchanged phone messages with the 31-year-old point guard. He also says he fully expects Van Exel to show up for training camp in Hawaii.
Still, it's not hard to foresee Van Exel being traded sometime in the future. With two years and $22.8 million left on his deal, he's a costly piece for a team going nowhere this season. Mullin surely will get some calls later in the season from clubs seeking to add a veteran scorer, and the guess here is he'll listen closely.
Michael Jordan wasn't playing, but the pickup games at Hoops the Gym in Chicago still had their usual NBA flair this summer. Maggette, Antoine Walker, Shawn Marion, Larry Hughes, Michael Finley, Elton Brand, Juwan Howard, Dwyane Wade, Eddy Curry, Marcus Fizer, Tim Hardaway and ticketmaster Rod Strickland were among the regulars. All spent time there working out with personal trainer Tim Grover, the guy who helped Jordan bulk up many years ago.
Marion, in particular, appears to have benefited from the workouts. He showed up in Phoenix the other day sporting noticeably bigger guns and claiming to have gained 14 pounds on last year's playing weight of 220. "I'm going to try to eat right so I can keep it on," he told the Arizona Republic. "I may hire a chef."
Fizer, who missed the final 36 games last year after suffering a torn right ACL, also appears noticeably more massive in the upper body. Before getting hurt last year, Fizer was emerging as a nightly double-double threat. Observers say he looked good in Hoops action, showing little signs of the knee injury.