Suns waive Brown, totally should have signed Damon

From the Stories Only I Care About Department, I present to you the news that the Suns have waived Dee Brown. I have come to grips with the cold reality that Damon Stoudamire will never return to the Leauge, but knowing that this was apparently a temp position makes me feel a little better about Brown beating him out for the spot.

Suns sign Brown, ruin Christmas

You may not have known because it got so few pixels, but I was mildly excited by the idea of Damon Stoudamire trying out for the Phoenix Suns. I was somewhat of a Stoudamire fan throughout the years, but I was moved to full-out rooting for the guy after I heard him booed upon his first return to the Rose Garden after leaving the Blazers. Seriously people, I know he got caught with weed a few times and that makes you mad. So lets all boo the hell out of him. Even though the team won a whole lot of games when he was at the helm. Even though he is one of a very few people actually from Portland to make the League. Even though he has done some very good things for the community. Boo this man!

Nothing like a quick mini-rant on Christmas Eve. Anyways, my dreams of seeing Damon come off the bench for the Suns are now destroyed as Phoenix has signed Dee Brown to the spot. Since the Suns are in desperate need of a steady vet to keep things rolling when Nash is laying off to the side of the court wrapped up in towels, I thought Damon had a great shot. But it didn't happen, and now Damon is back to his day job as Director of Player Development for the Rice Owls. Of course.

Suns at Portland, Pre-pregame

You know the Phoenix Suns must be in town when you get an evening text from a friend saying they are looking at Shaquille O'Neal in a downtown coffee shop, and that he is indeed "very large."

A quick check on Shaq's twitter verified the man's presence:

Its so cold in porland the sun just sent me a text, yo shaq ill c u n may Schwwwwwww

Somehow technology seems to be making Shaq even more random, I didn't think that was possible. But if The Big Genie doesn't like the weather he should challenge it to a duel. I bet Shaq could destroy ARTIC BLAST '08: COLD TEMPERATURES 4 REALZ! in a cage fight. Then maybe the City of Portland would reopen the street I live on. Blah.

It probably doesn't help the Blazers that the man is carrying on about how he could average 27 and 10 this season. You know, if he was into that sort of thing. While it seems like bluster, hopefully Shaq's old joints will still be frozen at tip off. Because while he couldn't put up those numbers against the entire League, it seems he may be able to pull it off against Greg Oden. Seriously Shaq, we know you are great and all that. No need to prove anything. Our guy has confidence issues enough as it is.

Oh yeah, and make that roster Damon!

Now, game links to keep you from doing any actual work for the rest of the day. Because I care.

- Sheed's Shakedown
- 15 Thoughts
- Pre-thoughts
- BE Preview

Damon Stoudamire not happy with aging, Grizzlies agree

I'm feeling a little restless tonight. Last time, this resulted in the infamously wasteful "Consistent Stat." Tonight, there is a morsel of Blazer-related news to protect you all from a thousand-word post about statistics. Damon Stoudamire isn't getting playing time in Memphis, and he wants out.

The 34 year old Portland native and ex-Blazer has had it with having his playing time cut in the name of a youth movement, and is seeking a release or trade. Damon has defied odds for much of his career, at every level his height (generously 5'10) has fed skeptics. But at this stage, will any team be interested in his services? I've listed the age and the height, but there was also that whole season ending knee injury thing during in 2005-06. His contract has another year and 4.65 million after this one, so he's not yet quite entered the "expiring contract zone of hotness" recently occupied by luminaries like Theo Ratliff.

These elements would seem to make a trade relatively unlikely, at least for this season. If he can gut it out for the remainder of the year, it would likely be open season on that delicious expiring contract. Of course, then teams would be interested in his contract, not his skills, which would mean any opportunities to contribute on the court would be incidental.

So in the short term, Stoudamire needs to pray for a buy out. But there's a slight snag here. The Grizzlies lose 10.9 million a year, more than every other team except the Blazers and the Knicks. Due to the extreme wealth of the owners, the Blazers and the Knicks can deal. With the Grizz? Kind of an issue. That owner has a billion, not 16 billion. I want you to know I threw up a little typing that.

They'll do a buy out all right, as long as it means they don't have to pay nearly as much as the contract promises. Is the situation bad enough that Damon will walk away from millions? Is he ready to face the possibility that even if he does leave, teams may not exactly be lining up to offer him the role he wants? Expiring contract can be a tough role to adjust to, as can "former NBA player." But you never know, things could work out. Best of luck.