Bell Picks Jazz Over Lakers?

Raja Bell must really have beef with Kobe, as he opted to sign with the Utah Jazz after considering an offer from the defending champion L.A. Lakers (Or maybe he figures he could possibly be a starter in Utah). Bell also recieved an offer from the Bulls, but he was all about returning to Utah, where he loved playing for coach Jerry Sloan. Bell played in only 6 games last year for the Bobcats/Warriors after suffering a wrist injury.

Nets Hire Billy King as GM

Now before I get started, most assume that I’m going to rip the Nets for hiring ex-Sixer GM, Billy King. The fact is, I miss Billy. Miss? Yes, I miss him. Current Sixer GM Ed Stefanski is that bad. King started with Philly in 1998, and stuck around until 2007. This means he was in part responsible for the Sixers title attempt, and hiring Larry Brown. I will say that Billy King is a coach’s GM. This means he will get what the coach wants. This can be good and bad depending on if the coach is a Larry Brown, or a Randy Ayers. King is also very patient, which will be needed in the front office of the Nets as they are obviously in a rebuilding stage. His first assignment in replacing Rod Thorn will be finding a power forward. Good luck.

Turkoglu headed to Phoenix. Calderon Stays Put:

Originally, PG Jose Calderon was set to be shipped to Charlotte but after MJ and Larry Brown pulled the plug, the Raptors and Suns had to stick with a 2 team trade that didn’t include Jose. Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones head to Toronto for Hedo Turkoglu, who lasted only one year in a Raptors uniform. On the side, the Suns also signed Josh Childress from overseas, after a 2 year absence from the team. Looking at this Suns team, they are surrounding Steve Nash with tall shooters, who can run the floor. Smart.

Tidbits:

• Shaq Diesel is reportedly looking at sign and trade offers from teams including the Knicks, Celtics, and Hawks. I don’t think he’ll be going to either.
• The Warriors were bought for a record $450 million dollars by two rich dudes. Must be nice.
• The Nuggets re-signed Anthony Carter, and also signed Shelden Williams to replace Johan Petro (Ha!).