Blake Griffin Dunks On Knicks, Amar'e Shows Respect - video

 Blake Griffin continued his dunking dominance Saturday night against the Knicks. His latest monster slam was so nasty that Amar'e Stoudemire gave the rookie a nod during the next dead ball situation. 

 Griffin finished the game with career highs at 44 points and 7 assists. He also grabbed 15 rebounds. Stoudemire scored 39 points, his most as a Knick, and grabbed 11 boards. 

 The Knicks won 124-115 and finished their Western road trip with a three game winning streak. The Clippers have lost 9 straight. 

 If NBA commissioner David Stern insists on contracting a franchise, the 1-13 Clippers must be tops on the list. 

Blake Griffin's Debut Dunks - Video

 Blake Griffin didn't waste any time unleashing his outlandish athleticism on the NBA. He had 20 points, 14 boards, 4 assists and 2 monster dunks in his debut against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Staples Center wasn't rocking as hard as it does for Laker games, but it was the most aerial excitement the Clippers have had in years.
 Some things haven't changed as the Clippers lost 98-88. Don't blame Blake though. The rookie shot 8-14 while vets Chris Kaman and Baron Davis combined for 7-29. The Clippers face the Golden State Warriors on Friday. With their soft paint defense, expect more nasty dunks from Blake Griffin.

    

Four Franchises For David Stern's Contraction Plan

 NBA commissioner David Stern said he thinks the subject of dissolving teams will be considered during the league's contract negotiations with the players' union next year. 

 "I think that's a subject that will be on the table with the players as we look to see what's the optimum way to present our game and are there cities and teams that cannot make it in the current economic environment," Stern said.

 A post on nba.com said Stern wants to reduce player costs by $700-800 million next year because the league is losing too much money. While he claims that league expansion has always been his goal, he's willing to consider contraction as a way of chiseling away at player salaries. 

 I don't think David Stern would cut off his hands to save money on gloves. He seems more like a guy who'd save nickels and dimes by cutting back on his kids' allowances and feeding his dog less. He'd rather pay the players less than have less teams to show off in the sports world. 

 Maybe the league should squash some squads to save money. Here are four teams, two in each conference, that the league might be better without.

 1. Los Angeles Clippers. Donald Sterling is the worst owner in basketball. In forty years of existence, they've never won a championship, conference title, or even a division. They were losers in Buffalo, losers in San Diego and losers through 3 different Los Angeles Laker dynasties. Contraction can commence with the Clippers. Total contract value saved: $116 million.

 2. Indiana Pacers. The Reggie Miller era Pacers were fantastic. Dale Davis, Mark Jackson, Rik Smits. Derrick McKey. And then Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal. But now, with Dookies Josh McRoberts and Mike Dunleavy playing with Tyler Hansbrough on Larry Bird's melaninically challenged dream team, the Pacers are a boring squad of perennial losers. 

 Indianapolis already has Peyton Manning and the Indy 500. They can afford to lose the Pacers and the NBA would be better without Klan Kapital, Indiana. Total contract value saved: $140 million.

 3. Minneapolis Timberwolves. I love the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. If they lost the T-Wolves because of contraction, I'd want them to get another team as soon as the league had more money. 

 The Timberwolves can go though. Kevin McHale's bad business with Joe Smith cost them five first round picks, crippling them from 2000-2005. Flip Saunders couldn't figure out how to win with MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett. They haven't made the playoffs since 2004 and their big 2010 off-season acquisition was dud Darko Milicic thanks to the anti-savvy of their general manager David Kahn.

  Minnesota lost the original Lakers in 1960 and can survive losing the Timberwolves. Total contract value saved: $68 million.

 4. Charlotte Bobcats. I have family in Charlotte. I got nothing but love for Charlotte. Yet I wouldn't mind seeing the league fold Michael Jordan's team. In this past offseason, MJ has hated on both Kobe Bryant & LeBron James. I don't remember any other owner hating on either except for Dan Gilbert's rant against LeBron.

 MJ is turning into an old crabby hater. He got his rings as a player but can't recapture the glory as a front office exec. So he takes pot shots at young guys who threaten to eclipse some of his marks. 

 Charlotte deserves better. The NBA should dissolve the Bobcats now and come back in five years with yet another Charlotte team, this time owned by Magic Johnson. Total contract value saved: $169 million.

 With the removal of those four franchises, the NBA would save nearly $500 million in player salaries. Once the economic climate improves, Minnesota and Charlotte would be welcomed back into the league with better ownership & brighter futures. Angelenos would unite in support of their one and only real basketball team, the Lakers. And Indianapolis could become the first city to land a team in the All-American Basketball Alliance.

    

Cap City

From Mark Cuban to Pat Riley, Jay-Z to Donnie Walsh, NBA front office hustlers are ready to make deals with players who are looking to get made and paid. Armed with salary cap room and hype machines, teams are hours from unleashing furious sales pitches to sign a variety of all-stars. Championships won't be guaranteed, but ticket sales will.

Here's how the big front office players are stacked up on Free Agency Eve.

Once Dwyane Wade opts out of his contract, the Heat will have an astonishingly low payroll of less than $6 million for only 2 players, Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. They have the most cap room, Pat Riley's influence, the lure of Wade already being a winner there, and the weather and vibe of Miami. They are possibly in the best position to capitalize on this summer of the stars. 

 

Jay Z and his Russian financier have gotten the Nets' payroll down to only $19.8 million. Rising stud Brook Lopez will only make $5 million over the next 2 years. Cap space is a plus but spending 2 years in Newark may be a challenge. 

The Knicks have also slashed their payroll with only the last year of Eddy Curry's hefty deal weighing them down. Yet owner Jimmy Dolan has created an atmosphere of losing that may destroy the lure of playing in the so-called Mecca of basketball Madison Sq. Garden.

The Chicago Bulls are stuck with 4 more years of Luol Deng for $50 million, but they have Derrick Rose cheap for the next 2 years and one more season with Noah making $3.1 million. They have cap space and a storied tradition behind them, but loyalty concerns surround the franchise.

The Clippers have cleared decent cap space but they're stuck paying Baron Davis $40 million over the next 3 years. Chris Kaman is a decent big man, but also expensive at $23 million over the next 2 years. Factor in their history of disasters and who wants to play on a jinxed team with the underachieving and overpaid?

And then there's the sadness of the Mavs and Cavs. Dirk Nowitzki is opting out of Dallas and even without his huge contract, they're still maxed out with Dampier, Terry, Butler, Kidd and making $47 million between them. Cuban doesn't mind the luxury tax, but his team won't be much better with or without Dirk next season.

The Cavs are similarly strapped with LeBron opting out, leaving Cleveland with Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams and Varejao for multiple years of $35+ million combined. If they re-sign James, how will they improve? If they lose him, the franchise and city are heading further into an abyss.

Even more teams will undoubtedly play a big part in the coming roster shuffles. Speculation will happen, signing will happen and again, amazing will happen. This time next year, who will be the studs and who will be the duds? We're 82 games from finding out.

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