In the coming week, expect a number of trade rumors, requests, and roster movements. The NBA trade deadline is February 18^th.

Nevertheless, it is Amare Stoudemire who is captivating bloggers and journalists alike. In his seventh NBA season, Stoudemire is averaging just over 21 points and almost 9 rebounds per game.

Over the past several weeks, rumors have boiled about his desire to leave Phoenix. Whether it’s a clash with management (which definitely could be the case), a yearning for a title, or potentially a need to try out a new market, the trade may just happen.

According to multiple blogs and NBA junkies, it looks as though the Phoenix Suns maybe brokering a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers to send Stoudemire and up north for potentially llgauskas and J.J. Hickson. However, any such terms are by far preliminary in nature. It is also said that there could be a multiple team deal involving the Cavs, Pacers, and Bulls.

One constant is Stoudemire’s desire to leave and Phoenix’s desire to dump Jason Richardson’s contract on someone else ($13.3 million this year, $14.4 next year).

Ever since Steve Kerr took over as GM in Phoenix, tensions have been high. Kerr’s move to revamp Phoenix into more of a half-court style team (only seen in San Antonio) has not set well with fans and players, who were just fine with fast-break, run-and-gun style of basketball.

Regardless, if you’re Happy Walters (Amare’s agent), have fun pleasing him this time (apparently Stoudemire has had his ‘fair share’ of agents); maybe throw in some complementary peanuts for his long flight east.

If you have some time on this busy Monday, check out the excitement from All-Star Weekend:

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/top_plays/2010/02/13/20100213_top10.nba/#

However, the NBA plans to cut the salary cap for the 2010-2011 season. This could have a huge impact on who championship contending teams are able to pursue. The current 2009-2010 salary cap is set at $57.7 million, and many teams expect a $3 million to $6 million cut. The New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Miami Heat plan to have the most money to spend in free agency. Many playoff contending teams could look to smaller names to get them into better contention. Names such as Carlos Boozer and Joe Johnson will also be available. The Heat may look at keeping Wade and adding a couple of pieces through the draft and a smaller contract in free agency.

With less room to operate under the cap, it is tough to imagine LeBron, Bosh, or Wade going to another playoff contending team. Look for teams to add less expensive players and improve for the draft in the 2010 off-season. Many big-name players will likely remain with their teams on a smaller term deal until the cap situation improves. The amount of salary cap that the NBA cuts will have a huge impact on whether or not these stars switch jerseys in 2010-2011.

Two years ago, Gilbert Arenas signed a six-year, $111 million contract with the Washington Wizards. NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended Arenas indefinitely without pay, and the length of the suspension will most likely be determined after the sentencing. The large sum of money Gilbert Arenas was set to earn in the years to come may be in jeopardy.

The Washington Wizards have multiple incentives encouraging them to void Arenas’ contract. The Wizards have been looking to dump large contracts to jump-start a rebuilding process. Arenas is still a great player, but after the turmoil he caused the franchise, the Wizards have no reason to keep him with the team during a rebuilding phase.

However, the Wizards may have a difficult time voiding Arenas’ contract. The NBA Players Association will fight the Washington Wizards attempt to void Arenas’ contract at any cost. It is unlikely that the Wizards will be able to dump Gilbert Arenas’ contract in such an easy manner. However, it is likely that the Wizards will attempt to trade Arenas, and most importantly to Gilbert, he is still without pay.

Commissioner David Stern has routinely come down hard on criminal offenders playing in the NBA, and Arenas will not be an exception. Following the March 26 sentencing, sports fans will get a clearer picture of what this mistake means to Arenas, but it is clear that
his decisions are already hurting this once heralded player.

It is difficult to deem anything involving Gilbert Arenas as a surprise anymore. However, storing guns in his locker and then being accused of drawing a weapon on teammate Javaris Crittenton during an alleged altercation over a gambling debt certainly is not only surprising, but alarming. With David Stern electing to suspend Arenas’ indefinitely without pay and criminal investigations still pending, the assumption, unfortunately, is that the worst is yet to come for Gilbert.

Suspensions regarding off the court infractions have typically been levied upon completion of criminal investigations, however this situation is extremely unique. With Arenas’ public comments, lack of any form of contrition and utter mockery of the situation with his “finger pistols” (pictured right) during introductions prior to Tuesday’s game, it is apparent that David Stern had seen enough. Wednesday Stern opted to suspend Arenas’ indefinitely pending completion of those investigations with additional sanctions likely. Stern’s statement even ominously included that the situation “will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse”.

Off the court, Arenas now needs to turn his attention to the legal issues he faces. The strict gun laws of Washington DC, coupled with the fact that Arenas’ guns are not registered in DC but in Virginia where he resides, make severe fines and even jail time a legitimate possibility. While the situation is very unique, some elements are similar and will surely draw comparisons to the Plaxico Burress case, which unfortunately did end with jail time for Burress.

Gilbert Arenas does not retain the services of any agent or agency. In fact, Gilbert negotiated his own 6-year $111 million deal personally with the Wizards late owner, Abe Pollin. Surely, professional guidance in handling the situation from the start would have helped Arenas’ immensely. His initial denial, lack of any remorse, and attempt at chalking it up to a locker room prank, certainly exacerbated the situation and could have all been avoided.

Ultimately the remaining approximately $80 million of that contract may very well be in jeopardy. Depending on the duration of his suspension and potential charges he may face, the Washington Wizards would have the right to seek termination of his contract. As a dismantling of the Wizards roster, which has been underachieving this season has already been discussed, this unfortunately would be an avenue for the Wizards to eliminate their long term and immense monetary obligations to Arenas.

Arenas has long had the reputation of being a quirky, goofy guy. He said and did what he pleased seemingly not concerned with what other people thought. Sadly, those very qualities that made him an appealing athlete seem to have had a negative impact on the course of this unfortunate situation, and may have even been the cause.

On December 28th, New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson was fined $25,000 for publicly demanding a trade. NBA policy does not allow players to make trade demands through the media. The NBA considers actions like this “detrimental to the NBA.” However, Robinson never made the demand himself. In fact, it is his desire to remain in New York. Robinson was hit with the fine due to his agent’s comments on December 19th. Robinson’s agent, Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports, had said that he could not let his client rot on coach Mike D’Antoni’s bench and not do anything about it. Goodwin requested that if the Knicks weren’t going to play Robinson, that they should trade him so that he could move on with his career. He believed there was a personal motivation on D’Antoni’s part for not wanting to play Robinson. At the time, Robinson had not played for eight straight games.

Robinson denied authorizing Goodwin to make the comments or that he wished to be traded. Apparently, Goodwin had it wrong about D’Antoni’s feelings on Robinson as the guard lit it up for 41 points this weekend against Atlanta. Now it appears that D’Antoni will use Robinson as a regular in the rotation.

While things turned out good for Robinson in the end, something should be said about the agent’s actions in this case. An agent shouldn’t speak on behalf of a client without the client’s consent, especially on a matter as important as requesting a trade. Goodwin should have voiced his concerns about Robinson’s playing time with Robinson prior to speaking to the team.

Goodwin should also not make comments that are detrimental to the NBA. His business depends on his relationships with teams. When Goodwin goes to negotiate with the Knicks on future contracts, it is likely that they won’t forget the agent’s actions. Robinson’s next contract or another client’s contract may not be as favorable due to Goodwin’s comments about D’Antoni and the Knicks. If I were Robinson, I would be sending Goodwin a $25,000 bill for the comments he made to the Knicks. Robinson shouldn’t have to pay for his agent’s poor judgment.

My guess is that Goodwin recognized that this was a pivotal year for Robinson as he becomes a free agent after the season. With the little interest that Robinson received prior to signing with the Knicks last season, his agent wanted Robinson to play as much as possible in order to showcase him and increase his free agent status.

Goodwin’s concerns are justified. No one wants their client to warm the bench and not play. It’s not good for the player, whose interests the agent represents. It is also not good for business, as an agent will build a reputation around his client’s success. But an agent must not speak on behalf of a client without making sure the client is on board with what the agent is going to say.

In this situation, Robinson has maintained that he wishes to remain with the Knicks and doesn’t want to leave. His agent may have jeopardized these wishes as it has been reported that the Knicks have attempted to trade Robinson on a few occasions recently. The most recent rumor is that Robinson was going to Memphis for Marcus Williams and a draft pick. However, it is believed that the deal fell through when Robinson exercised his veto power over the deal. This furthers the notion that Goodwin acted on behalf of Robinson without consulting him first and has not advanced his client’s true interests.

The $25,000 fine appears to be the first time in the NBA that a player has been fined for something an agent said. Hopefully agents now see what their ill advised comments can do to their clients and this will be the last time a player is fined for what his agents say.

There are some phrases an NBA organization never wants to hear, and “It’s time to clean house” is one of the worst. Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls are dangerously approaching this breaking point. After an incredible postseason fight in last year’s playoffs against the Boston Celtics, many saw the Bulls as a young group ready to play on the main stage. Many believed they could be a successful team within the Eastern Conference, who, most likely would not win their division (seeing as how they play in the same division as the Cavs), but could compete with any team in the conference – sort of what the Atlanta Hawks are doing now. In reality, the Bulls are doing exactly the opposite. In the first quarter or so of the NBA season, they have fallen to a poor 11-17 record. Granted they have secured wins against some of the elite teams in the NBA, but they have also fallen to the worst of the worst. The team took another step towards the depths of damnation on December 21^st, when they blew a 35-point lead in the 3^rd quarter to the Sacramento Kings. The Kings ended the game on a 58-19 run to win by four. That kind of occurrence is not supposed to happen in the NBA. Teams are supposed to be able to coast on a 35-point lead, but obviously the Bulls are not the team they, the media, and fans thought they were. For that reason, it seems as if it’s time for the Bulls to clean house.

Luckily for the Bulls, they have a few key pieces to the puzzle of success. The most obvious of those pieces: Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose has the skill, the vision, the tenacity to be a superstar in this league, and it’s only a matter of time before he realizes his full potential. He reminds me of a young Dwyane Wade, only he possesses the court vision and passing ability of a Chris Paul type player. For Derrick Rose to truly become the superstar he is capable of being, he must work on his game. First off, he must become more aggressive on the offensive end. Too many times, Rose gets comfortable in his sets, and does not use his incredible explosiveness and quickness to get to the rim. From watching a mere 2 minutes of an NBA game in which Rose plays, it’s easy to see that he can get to the rim at will, but for him to truly be an unstoppable force, he needs to develop a jump shot. Like Dwyane Wade, Rose did not enter the NBA with a pure shot, but with the development of an outside shot, Rose will be virtually unguardable. Rose is obviously a keeper in the rebuilding process of the Chicago Bulls.

At the culmination of the current NBA season, other than Derrick Rose, the Bulls will have six players under guaranteed contracts, one of which is Tyrus Thomas, who is a restricted free agent. Thomas is owed just over $6.2 million next season, and it seems as if he will most likely stay with the Bulls. In addition, John Salmons has a player option for the 2010/2011 season worth $5.8 million. Assuming Salmons and Thomas return to the Bulls, the Bulls will have $43,915,782 of committed contracts. NBA executives project the NBA salary cap to be around $54 million and the luxury tax threshold to be somewhere around $67 million, leaving the Bulls around $20 million or so to play the free agency game, in what looks to be the best free agent class in the history of basketball.

Of the players under contract, the Bulls will be retaining some key players, such as Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, and Kirk Hinrich. Joakim Noah is player who can be a key part of the future of the Chicago Bulls. Noah’s relentless attitude on the court combined with his size makes him a hot commodity to any NBA team. He is player who can comfortably play the center position, and do it with relative success. He is a monster rebounder, a decent scorer, and a great defender. Luol Deng is an athletic small forward who is owed over $11 million in the coming season. Deng is playing at a relatively high and efficient level this season, averaging 18 pts and 8 reb per contest. Kirk Hinrich is a different story. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Hinrich fan, but he is not worth the $9.5 million he is being paid this year and the $9 million he is owed next year, especially coming off the bench as he is now. Hinrich is averaging a mere 8 pts and 3 assists this season while shooting an abysmal 36% from the field and 32% from long range. The Bulls are definitely not going to be able to restructure Hinrich’s contract, so their best bet would be to unload his contract to a team in need of a smart point guard who is usually a good shooter and is always a pesky defender. Ideally, they would love to get back an expiring contract, but with so many teams looking to play the free agency game this coming summer, I find it hard to believe they would be able to get something worthwhile.

If the season continues the way it is going now for the Chicago Bulls, it will be a fun time for fans this coming summer. As of now, the Bulls would be fighting for an 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but let’s assume they do not make the playoffs and end up in the NBA lottery. The coming year’s lottery picks feature many NBA ready players that could make an impact sooner rather than later, but where the real fun comes in is the free agent market. As stated earlier, the Bulls are looking to have a significant amount of spending money this summer, and hope to be able to lure a top tier free agent. Sadly, seeing as how I am a die-hard Heat fan, it seems as if the Bulls most likely choice in the free agent market would be Dwyane Wade. To fathom a team of Wade, Rose, Deng, and Noah, with a supporting cast of Hinrich, Thomas, and Salmons is amazing. That team could do great things very quickly, but I do not think it’s going to happen. The Bulls, though, do need to lure in a big name to continue being successful. Ideally, the Bulls would want to pair Rose in the backcourt with an athletic 2-guard that can shoot from the outside; somebody like Joe Johnson or Tracy McGrady or even a Manu Ginobili. This will space out the court, allowing Rose more flexibility to penetrate the lane and kick out to shooters. In addition, the Bulls need to add somebody to fill in the starting role as a power forward. Tyrus Thomas, although an athletic freak, is not fit to start in the NBA. He is a great energy burst off the bench and could best be utilized in that capacity. One option would be to pursue the likes of Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, or Dirk Nowitzki (if Nowitzki decides to use his Early Termination Option). All are big names that will be unrestricted free agents in the coming summer, and as stated before, the Bulls have the money to sign a free agent of that caliber. To fill out the roster, the Bulls should acquire a veteran point guard to teach Derrick Rose the ins and outs of the NBA game, preferably at the veteran’s minimum salary. Some players that fit this description would be Jason Williams, Steve Blake, or even Derek Fisher (if they could ever coax him to leave the Lakers).

Although the Bulls are going through tough times at the moment, they are not far from becoming a successful team. They have some key pieces needed to be successful, and with the addition of just a few more, they could be a dangerous team in the Eastern Conference. The last thing the Bulls would need to do to really get over the hump would be to fire Vinny Del Negro and bring in a coach capable to teaching a young team to play together offensively and, most importantly, defensively, in an attempt towards reaching the ultimate goal. The capability is there; it is simply a question as to whether the organization can make it happen.

The 76ers, who have lost PG Lou Williams for eight weeks with a broken jaw, decided that Iverson was the “best available free agent guard” to take the place of Williams. Terms of the deal were undisclosed but the pro-rated share of the $1.3 million veteran’s minimum would be worth just over $1 million.

Reading his retirement statement, it was clearly apparent that he was not ready to hang it up.

I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn’t help my team the way that I was accustomed to. However, that is not the case. I still have tremendous love for the game, the desire to play, and a whole lot left in my tank. I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level

Now the bigger question is how much is still left in that tank, and how much longer can he compete at the highest level. Leon Rose, Iverson’s agent, will likely advise Allen to play out this year and try to parlay his performance into another contract at the end of the season. While Iverson can still be a dynamic scorer, he will likely have to prove that he can accept a lesser role next year, in order to secure another contract and avoid a situation similar to the one he experienced this year with Memphis.

According to ESPN.com, it seems as if Allen Iverson’s chances of making a difference in this year’s NBA season are dwindling even further than they had already. The New York Knicks announced this morning that they will not be signing the 10-time all star. The former MVP and scoring champion was waived on Tuesday after taking a leave of absence for family issues, or for what most believe to be, unhappiness with coming off the bench.

This past summer (when Iverson was an unrestricted free agent) marked a pivotal point in his career. He had two options: 1) Change his attitude and playing habits, or 2) Continue to act like the immature player we have all come to know.

Teams have been scared of what they were getting when singing Iverson, and they had every right to be. Very rarely in Iverson’s career has he helped a TEAM to succeed. He has always been a player with the ability to score at will, and be a great passer as well, but rarely has he displayed the ability to work as a team player for the greater good of the team. There was that one 2001 finals run, coached by Larry Brown, which brings many people to speculate that in this time of turmoil in Iverson’s career, Brown may take a chance on him.

The real issue in signing Iverson comes back to the same point every time: Can he sacrifice his love for having the ball in his hands to create a winning atmosphere? At the end of last season, knowing his time with the Detroit Pistons was coming to and end, he said that he was willing to do anything to win a championship. He wanted nothing more than to be happy and win. But like always, things are much easier said than done. He eventually signed with the one team that showed enough interest, and yet again, displayed his displeasure with a supporting role.

Allen Iverson has always been, and will most likely always be, a cancer to the teams he plays on. He will go in and ruin any type of team chemistry that team may have had. He was able to be successful on the Sixers for many years because they would give him the ball, and let him do his thing, but after 10 years, they grew tired of his selfish attitude. From there, he went to the Nuggets, a team with great potential, and a seemingly great situation for Iverson as he would be paired with a great scorer in Carmelo Anthony, but like in Philadelphia, the Nuggets just could not develop the type of chemistry needed to go deep into the playoffs. He then traveled to Detroit, where the team grew so tired of him so quickly, they milked his back injury for everything it was worth, and basically paid him to sit on the bench for the remainder of the year. And, most recently Iverson and the Grizzlies had to part ways after only 3 games, due to his unhappiness with coming off the bench.

In today’s NBA, chemistry means everything, and Iverson is the antithesis of a player with the ability to develop chemistry. Many analysts suspected that if his stint with the Grizzlies did not go well, that contract would be his last, and in my opinion, it most likely should be. If I were in charge of putting together a team, I don’t think I would want to take the risk of having him disrupt what chemistry has already been put together. Iverson now has two choices: 1) Mean what you say and play as a TEAM player, or 2) Leave the NBA on somebody else’s terms, but please, if you do leave AI, leave with dignity and class.

Just a few days after an impressive 32 point, 9 assist performance against Chauncey Billups and the Nuggets, Brandon Jennings dropped an insane stat line. 55 points on 21/34 from the field (62%), 7/8 from 3pt range (88%), 5 rebounds and 5 assists with 4 turnovers. What makes his 55 point performance even more impressive is that he failed to score a point in the first quarter, went for 29 in the third, and most important of all, led his team to a victory.

Jennings’ difficult time in Europe has been well documented. From getting kicked out of practice for not working hard enough, to meager playing time and scoring output, many skeptics deemed his choice a failure very early on. However, Jennings apparently learned a great deal in his year abroad. While his flashy style and controversial public comments have painted one picture of Jennings, his actions and performance in the NBA have displayed something very different thus far.

When top scorer Michael Redd went down with yet another knee injury, many said “here we go again” for the woeful Bucks. However, Jennings apparently was not one of them. He has picked up the scoring load, shown poise and leadership, helping to guide his team to a 5-2 record with a 4 game win streak. He is also leading his team in points (25.6) and assists (5.1). Jennings is also adding over 4 rebounds a game, 1 steal and shooting nearly 50% from the floor and 57% on 3pt.

There is no question that we surely will see players choose the path of Brandon Jennings by going to Europe as opposed to their requisite year of college. There also certainly will be those who are not fit to make that jump. Hopefully we do not see a rash of “advisors” steering players who should be playing college basketball, towards the overseas payday for their own monetary gain; however, it may in fact be a good move for some players.

Maybe it takes a year of sitting on a bench in Europe, getting treated like any other professional player and having to work hard, rather than walking around a college campus like a celebrity for a year. Maybe it is too stressful for some to be labeled the next Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, etc. every night on ESPN during March Madness. Maybe, for some, this really is a successful path to choose.

While it is still too early to grade the Jennings experiment a complete success, I would venture to say that he is off to an exceptional start and proving a lot of doubters wrong. Somewhere Sonny Vaccaro is smiling.

Agent Mark Stevens is in the news again. Back in 2006 he was compared to Drew Rosenhaus when he and another high profile client, Ron Artest, were in a strikingly similar situation. Well he seems to be attempting to follow the same playbook in his most recent attempt to get Stephen Jackson traded out of Golden State.

After publicly stating a desire to be traded back in August and some initial backlash with coach Don Nelson resulting in Jackson being absolved of his duties as captain, things have seemed to quiet down in Golden State. Jackson has been playing without incident and has put up numbers in line with his career averages. Jackson even had a 15 assist night just a few days ago. Golden State is said to have been in talks with up to 10 teams with interest in Jackson and has been attempting to weigh offers and find a reasonable trade. It seemed as if an amiable end is possible after this falling out.

Then Jackson’s agent, Mark Stevens, decided to publicly insult Coach Don Nelson in an obvious effort to speed up the process of getting his client traded. Whether or not Stephen Jackson had known Stevens was going to publicly insult his coach, we will never know, but this seems all too familiar territory for Stevens and seems to be a well thought out plan (or not so well thought out depending on your point of view). Could this be Stevens’ way of speeding up the trade process, while attempting to deflect some of the blame from Jackson, who already has character issues and a bit of a troubled history in the league?

Where I take issue with the strategy is that now GMs are not only concerned with dealing for a player who is going to publicly bad mouth them or the team, they are going to be dealing for a player whose agent will publicly bad mouth the organization. That is certainly not the type of thing an agent would like to develop a reputation for. Maintaining a positive dialogue with the organization would certainly increase the odds of a mutually beneficial resolution. Stevens’ strategy may result in Golden State choosing to eliminate the headache and the contract by trading Jackson for little in return, which could result in Jackson ending up with another non-contender…which is why he originally wanted out of GS.

It remains to be seen how the whole situation will play out; however, the bigger question is when, if ever, as an agent, is it beneficial to make inflammatory comments about a client’s coach, team or management? While this may be the strategy that some choose to use, in the long run respectable, private negotiations seem to be the best avenue for accomplishing the goals of all parties involved. We have seen many a case in which an unhappy player and agent try to force their way out of a situation, but they very seldom work out positively for all sides.

*Note: Ron Artest is no longer represented by Mark Stevens and Stevens does not have any other NBA clients.