Our resident NBA nerd David Kay is on vacation this week; in a much warmer place. However, being out of the country hasn’t stopped him from being on top of the news. He’s got a lot to say on what’s been going on with the league this week.
Los Angeles Clippers sign SF Caron Butler to 3-year, $24 million contract
It was no secret that the Clips were looking for an upgrade at small forward and they found their man in Butler. He ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee and is coming off major surgery but that happened nearly a year ago so he should be back to full strength. Butler will provide L.A. with another perimeter to scorer to compliment Eric Gordon on the wing and Blake Griffin inside.
Miami Heat sign SF Shane Battier
This is a huge addition for a Heat team needing to up-grade their talent off the bench and find players willing to succeed in their complimentary roles to LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Battier is the consummate glue guy and will provide the heat with a defender, winner, three-point shooter, and terrific locker room presence. Miami’s goal is to win the NBA Title this season and signing Battier takes them one step closer to accomplishing that feat.
Phoenix Suns sign SG Shannon Brown to 1-year, $3.5 million contract
The Suns were looking for a shooting guard since declining the option on Vince Carter’s contract and found a cheap, one-year deal with Brown. Brown will compete for playing time with Josh Childress and Mickael Pietrus and could end up winning a starting spot. With Aaron Brooks trapped in China, Brown will also be able to serve as the back-up point guard to Steve Nash.
Portland Blazers re-sign C Greg Oden to 1-year, $8.9 million contract
This is Oden ultimately opting to accept the qualifying offer on the final year of his rookie contract and is not surprising at all. It was doubtful that any team was going to try and steal Oden away with a long-term deal since the big man has been riddled with injury since arriving in the league. Oden now has one year to prove he is healthy and be a contributor in Portland.
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.