Sam Smith has thrown out some crazy trade ideas before, but this just might top all of them:

While I'm thinking of it, do you still have Kwame?  I'd love to have him back too.

Sincerely,
Ernie Grunfeld

P.S. When are you going to get back to me on that Arenas for Coby Karl trade?  LOL!

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Cavaliers are looking to trade Larry Hughes (not a shocker) but they're also reporting that the Wizards are interested (much more of a shocker):

Like Shoals, I don't really see anything that would be gained by trading for Hughes.  Obviously, Hughes had his best year while he was here but I doubt that he'll come anywhere remotely close to that same production if he returned.  He'd almost certainly play better in Washington than he has in Mike Brown's system but I don't think it will be a night and day difference.  Just for the sake of discussion, I played with the trade checker and a Stevenson and Thomas for Hughes trade would work.  Another thing to consider is that the Cavs are also trying to swing a trade for Andre Miller,  so perhaps the Wizards are only in it as a third party to make that deal work.  I really don't think there's any substance to this rumor, but it's worth mentioning, I suppose.

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• Basketball Prospectus has an in-depth look at the future of Gilbert Arenas, his knee, and the team.  Let's just say it's not pretty.
  
  Arenas' knees are simply breaking down under the stress of his activity, as proven by continued, chronic swelling and the reduction of function in the twice-repaired meniscus complex. The three-month recovery quoted by the Wizards is extremely aggressive--most physicians interviewed for this piece felt that six months was a more likely scenario--but none would rule it out. "Pain tolerance is what it will come down to," said one orthopaedist who regularly performs this type of surgery on skiers. Arenas may be able to come back from this on his schedule, but for his career, the clock is ticking.

  As for the team's chances to survive without him, Kevin Pelton and Will Carroll hedge their bets a bit, but are fairly pessimistic, pointing to the incredible efficiency of Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison as evidence that they can't stay this hot for long.  They also question the defense, which has struggled since Gilbert went out.  A good read.
  

• An interesting tidbit from deep inside this Rocky Mountain News article: The Wizards have some interest in Mike Wilks, who was just released by the Nuggets.  At least that's according to Wilks himself.  Here are his career numbers. UPDATE: According to Wizards Insider, no moves are planned at this time.
  
• It's confirmed: Gilbert is pardoned for this moment.
  
• Hogs Haven, Steinberg, and Jason LaCanfora have been doing an outstanding job covering the Sean Taylor tragedy.
  
• Keep those diaries coming.
  
• A pessimist would look at the number one guy on this list.  An optimist would consider the guy who should be on there and is five years younger.
  
• Michael Lee loves him some Pacers.
  
• Ballhype's Jason Gurney plots the birthplace of every NBA player on a Google map.  Fun times.
  

I get the distinct feeling that the new trade rumors won't just die down overnight so I might as well mention that Ernie Grunfeld had this to say regarding to latest trade rumors:

Of course, I can't really envision a scenario in which Ernie would say that he is considering trading his star player but I think how quickly and forcefully Grunfeld came down on this would lead me to say that the Kobe rumors are just that.  Ivan Carter argues at Wizards Insider why a trade is unlikely and for the record I agree with him, although part of argument hinges on the assumption that the Lakers' front office is doing their jobs, which is highly debatable.  

If the trade actually happens, we might need some good monitor cleaner for The Court Reporters.

Just when it looked like we were in the clear regarding the Kobe rumors it looks as if the Wizards have been sucked back into it.  Here's what Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune reported about the Wizards possibly making a trade for Kobe:

I'm leaning toward bunk on this rumor, but that's also what I said when I heard that the Celtics were about to make a move for Garnett.  I still believe at the end of the day if Kobe does get traded, he'll be heading to Chicago  because they have the best package to offer.  But Washington has the one thing that Chicago doesn't -- an all-star player.  If the Lakers are looking for the player with the most star power that's tradeable, it's Arenas.  Not trying to say that the Wizards should make the move, just trying to offer the other side of the argument.  Feel free to argue how likely and/or how feasible a Kobe trade would be, as well as the ramifications if one went through in the comments.

Update [2007-10-29 13:5:25 by Pradamaster]: Well, well, well. Our man Marc Stein confirms that this isn't necessarily Sam Smith talking out of his behind.

My piece of advice to the Lakers: Take the Chicago deal instead.

Could the Wizards add another blogger to their roster next year?

Jackie Christie.

Whoops! I meant Doug Christie (I wonder how I got that confused) who is blogging as he tries to make a return to the NBA this season. The last 2 years Christie has only played 14 games, getting glancing looks from the Mavericks and Clippers but he's still as committed as ever to playing on a team this season as he states on his blog:

"When will she stop giving me all those books?"

Obviously if Christie was to be brought on board, it would be for his defense, that's always been his calling card and that wouldn't change here. So I ask you this, if you fall on Mason's side of the Great Debate, would you still take him if it came down to him (outside shooting and not much else) or Christie (defense and not much else)? I doubt that Christie would sign with the Wizards and I'm not sure that he'd even be a good fit but I wanted to throw the idea out there.

I was out all day yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to look over the details of the shooting incident outside DeShawn's house.  More facts have come out (see also below), so it's probably a good time to look at this again.

The good news is that it appears that Stevenson himself was neither the victim nor the perpetrator.  I'm sure that was everyone's first concern (it was definitely mine), so at least we don't have to worry about another Blatche-like arrest.  You also always have to hold your breath with Stevenson.  He has a checkered past, which included statutory rape charges soon after he entered the league, but he seemingly has turned himself around and become a model citizen.   With all that being said, there are still a lot of things about this incident that make no sense.

Initially, it was reported that Stevenson was having a party at his house, but the police report says that he was simply sleeping inside.  According to the report, two of Stevenson's friends (it's not clear how close), former NBA player Brandon Hunter and a guy named Ronnie Millsap, were coming home from a club and invited some girls over to Stevenson's house.  They were followed by a guy named Curtis Ruff, who has an extensive criminal record.  Stevenson lives in a gated community, but Ruff was let in because Stevenson's friends thought the girls were in that car.  When they stopped at Stevenson's house, Ruff came out and argued with the girls before opening fire.  Stevenson's friends claim they didn't fire back, yet Ruff still was hit in the leg.  Strangely, Stevenson and his friends are not pressing charges, even though Ruff hit Stevenson's car and was on his property.  

That's the story.  Clearly, there are a lot of gaps to fill in.

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• Why were Stevenson's friends inviting girls back to Stevenson's house when Stevenson was sleeping?  Either Stevenson was having something at his house and simply decided not to go out with his friends, or his friends just invited themselves over without letting Stevenson know.  If it's the first scenario, you have to wonder why Stevenson went to sleep, knowing his friends may be coming back.
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• How did Stevenson's friends not know they were being followed?  They thought that the SUV following their car was carrying the girls, but wouldn't they have seen the car they were driving?
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• How is Ruff, who has an extensive criminal record, not locked up?  There's no real answer to this question, but it still makes you wonder.
  

And that's not even before we get to the two biggest questions.  First, if Stevenson's friends didn't return fire, then how did Ruff get shot?  Could he have shot himself in order to make it seem like he was the victim?  Possibly, considering his lack of cooperation with authorities, but that seems a little far fetched.  Could Stevenson's friends be lying?  It's quite possible.

Obviously, this ties into the far bigger question: Why aren't Stevenson and his friends pressing charges?  There are a number of possibilities here.  They might not be pressing charges because Stevenson's friends did actually return fire and Stevenson wants to protect them.  Perhaps they aren't pressing charges because they aren't sure about the legal standing, although I can't imagine why that wouldn't be the case considering the incident took place on Stevenson's property.  Maybe it's because Stevenson doesn't want to group himself with Hunter and Millsap and has told them to go away.   Or maybe they aren't pressing charges because of the gangster (and believe me, I don't want to use that word) "don't be a snitch" mentality.  Perhaps Stevenson is worried that he's putting himself and his friends in danger if he presses charges.  

We have to remember that, not only are NBA players predisposed to many lowlife characters like Ruff, but Stevenson himself still is running from his past.  This happened on his property, but it doesn't seem like he had much to do with it.  Considering his past, it's very possible that he once knew a lot of people involved in criminal activity, and they have come back to bite him.   Until more facts come out, I have a hard time placing any blame on Stevenson's shoulders.  

I must confess, I can't remember the last time there was a situation where the protection on a conditional draft pick has taken this long to resolve.  

It's been four days since Ernie Grunfeld waited until the 11th hour until finally trading Juan Carlos Navarro to the Grizzlies, and it's still unclear what we're getting back.

Earlier today, our very own Vanilla Gorilla mentioned a rumor from Memphis radio personality Chris Vernon's blog suggesting that the pick would start off being top-20 protected, then slowly make its way down until it becomes top-12 protected in 2013.  Vernon's blog appears kind of sketchy, and a quick scan of the archives makes him sound like a bit of a prick (which I'm sure he isn't...it just seems that way), but he does have some credibility.  He was the first to report on the Grizzlies hiring current general manager Chris Wallace, and he also broke the story that Wallace went to Argentina to meet with then-free agent Andres Nocioni.  Still, it's been over a day, and I haven't heard that report confirmed in any DC or Memphis papers.

In fact, Sports Illustrated's Marty Burns wrote an article on JCN today, and specifically mentioned that the Wizards are "reportedly set to get a lottery-protected first-round pick in the 2008 draft."  Still, I'd feel more comfortable if it weren't for Burns' language and his status as an overrated hack of a writer.  

Ivan Carter has been on the case, and says the following.

Wonderful.  Get ready for this saga to keep dragging on.  

Some of you (okay, probably none) must be wondering what I would do in this situation.  Well, I'd probably go to MJ and offer him Etan Thomas for a prime number protected pick.  Once he accepts, I'll hire someone to injure all his players and rig the lottery so the Bobcats win.  Then, only seconds after he celebrates getting the number 1 pick, I'll walk up to him and casually remind him that one isn't a prime number.  Then, he'd kick my ass.

Considering the emphasis of speed in our modern media world, it's a wonder to me that these types of things don't happen more often.

There's a report out a local station in Syracuse that Andray Blatche wasn't actually charged with sexual solicitation.  The basis?  Well, Blatche said so when he returned home.  And if Blatche says so, then it must be true, right?    

Umm...not really.  For starters, that's not what the police report says.  Additionally...well, there doesn't need to be an additionaly.  The police report is the bottom line.  Via Wizards Insider:

Nice reporting job by News Channel 10, huh?  In an attempt to get the story before anyone else, they neglected to even consider that Blatche wasn't telling the truth.  Well done.  That's called being spun.

As for Blatche, you have to wonder what he's thinking.  It's not like being charged is a guilty sentence, so why deny everything right now?  This has to be yet another example of the kid's poor judgement.  Really, what does he have to gain here?

Now, I'm willing to accept an argument that this was entrapment.  According to the police records, it was the undercover cob that first mentioned money, which sort of fits the definition of entrapment (any actual lawyers want to fill me in here).  But we still don't know whether Blatche would have brought money up eventually during the whole proceedings, so he's still caused significant damage to the public perception.  Finally, whether it's solicitation or forgetting to show up for a driving without a license charge, Blatche was still in a bad position.  That's far more important than the charge itself.

Ugh.  Back to your regularly scheduled top 20.

Thanks to jackpitt for the heads-up.

Ernie might be regretting asking for the moon with Juan Carlos Navarro.  

According to True Hoop's Henry Abbott, FC Barcelona officials told Navarro's representative Alex Saratsis that if a trade is not done by August 3 (that's a week from Friday), they plan on taking Navarro back by giving him a new contract with an even bigger buyout.  

Well, that officially sucks.  While re-signing DeShawn Stevenson didn't have much of an effect on Navarro's market value, in my mind, this certainly does.  Getting absolutely nothing for Navarro is definitely a situation Ernie wants to avoid, and now, if this report is true, that's a definitive possibility if he can't get a deal done.

At least there are still a lot of teams interested, at least according to Navarro's representative.

Clearly, this lowers the chance of the Wizards getting back anything more than draft picks or salary-cap relief for JCN.  Now that teams realize Ernie isn't negotiating from a position of strength, they'll definitely adjust their offers accordingly.  I also think this lessens the chance of Ernie finding a taker for Etan Thomas, Brendan Haywood, or Antonio Daniels.  Unless a team truly needs that type of player and can deal someone that's expendable, I don't see why they would take on one of the Wizards' problems now.  

I'm not sure if we can really blame Ernie here -- I still believe signing DeShawn was the right move -- but perhaps we should be second-guessing him a little bit for asking for so much right off the bat.  This isn't like baseball, where the Nationals get extra draft picks even if they didn't deal Alfonso Soriano.  There's a legitimate possibility the Wizards end up with nothing, and that's a big problem.  

I still am optimistic Ernie can figure something out, but this news doesn't make me feel good about the situation.