Post by dj on Mar 2, 2009 0:35:19 GMT -5
Off season happenings and rumors.
Duck-Young did not go Bak.
To everyone's surprise, 23 year old superstar Duck-Young Bak, left a substantial amount of money on the table last month when he opted to sign a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, rather than re-upping with his former club, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks, coming off a surprisingly strong season, were planning to build around the Korean sensation for the foreseeable future and were shocked when Duck's agent informed them that his client decided to take his career in another direction. Sources close to the situation reported that there may have been some tension between the player and Buck's management, stemming from an incident in which the the club reportedly refused to include teachings of Duck's beloved religion, Confucianism, during team practices. Duck is reported to have strong religious affiliations and was adamant that the rest of his team learn some of the religion, which is derived from the teachings of Chinese philosopher
Confucious. Insiders suggest that the Timberwolves were open to providing some type of educational material about the subject
for their players, if Duck signed with the club.
Cream-er of the crop?
Power forward Jack Creamer has been traded twice this off season. A recent BBS article listed Creamer as being one of the worst contracts in the league and we tend to agree with that notion. Creamer is a solid veteran player that that can contribute to a team. He's also very limited in certain aspects of the game has shown no signs of improvement over that last few seasons. For four straight seasons, Creamer has put up a consistent line of approx. 11 ppg and 12 rpg. Creamer has another 6 years remaining on his contract, at a total cost of 107 million dollars. 107 million dollars for 11/12 is a massive overpay in any book, yet teams are still willing to roll the dice and take a gamble on the former number 2 overall pick. Unfortunately, the only way they can win at this game is if they manage to dump that contract on to somebody else.
Ous-da-mane?
Apparenlty, not Sembene. Drafted 4th overall just a season ago, there were big expectations placed on Sembene coming into the league. A season later, Sembene has struggled to adjust to the BBS game. Scouts are reporting the Sembene is struggling to score and pass the ball, somewhat important skills for a point guard. His defensive game seems to be about the only thing he's bringing to the court right now, which has Seattle management extremely disappointed and somewhat concerned. Sources indicate that Sembene has been seen associating with the "wrong crowd" and that he has developed a taste for the "partying lifestyle". Still a young cat at 22 years old, Sembene's potential certainly hasn't dried up, but he definitely needs to get his mind focused on playing ball and developing his game rather than working his game in Night Clubs across North America.
Duck-Young did not go Bak.
To everyone's surprise, 23 year old superstar Duck-Young Bak, left a substantial amount of money on the table last month when he opted to sign a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, rather than re-upping with his former club, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks, coming off a surprisingly strong season, were planning to build around the Korean sensation for the foreseeable future and were shocked when Duck's agent informed them that his client decided to take his career in another direction. Sources close to the situation reported that there may have been some tension between the player and Buck's management, stemming from an incident in which the the club reportedly refused to include teachings of Duck's beloved religion, Confucianism, during team practices. Duck is reported to have strong religious affiliations and was adamant that the rest of his team learn some of the religion, which is derived from the teachings of Chinese philosopher
Confucious. Insiders suggest that the Timberwolves were open to providing some type of educational material about the subject
for their players, if Duck signed with the club.
Cream-er of the crop?
Power forward Jack Creamer has been traded twice this off season. A recent BBS article listed Creamer as being one of the worst contracts in the league and we tend to agree with that notion. Creamer is a solid veteran player that that can contribute to a team. He's also very limited in certain aspects of the game has shown no signs of improvement over that last few seasons. For four straight seasons, Creamer has put up a consistent line of approx. 11 ppg and 12 rpg. Creamer has another 6 years remaining on his contract, at a total cost of 107 million dollars. 107 million dollars for 11/12 is a massive overpay in any book, yet teams are still willing to roll the dice and take a gamble on the former number 2 overall pick. Unfortunately, the only way they can win at this game is if they manage to dump that contract on to somebody else.
Ous-da-mane?
Apparenlty, not Sembene. Drafted 4th overall just a season ago, there were big expectations placed on Sembene coming into the league. A season later, Sembene has struggled to adjust to the BBS game. Scouts are reporting the Sembene is struggling to score and pass the ball, somewhat important skills for a point guard. His defensive game seems to be about the only thing he's bringing to the court right now, which has Seattle management extremely disappointed and somewhat concerned. Sources indicate that Sembene has been seen associating with the "wrong crowd" and that he has developed a taste for the "partying lifestyle". Still a young cat at 22 years old, Sembene's potential certainly hasn't dried up, but he definitely needs to get his mind focused on playing ball and developing his game rather than working his game in Night Clubs across North America.
