I'll mention right up front that this is over in the FanPosts because it has nothing to do with the Clippers.  It's about free agency and relates to the Clips tangentially, but still.  It's SP's site, and if he wants to move things over, awesome. 

So Hedo makes a tentative deal with the Blazers, first reported, in a rather professional fashion, by uberbballblogger and Blazer fan Henry Abbott--kind of a minor question about supposed journalistic impartiality there, but things are moving quickly these days, and it's rather unfortunate that Abbott's story ended up falling apart.  So he just wrote a nice retraction, comparing the tentative deal--emphasis on tentative--to buying a house.  You make an offer, it's accepted, but both parties can get out of it for a period of time.  These are big, expensive deals, and that's a good thing.

Anybody out there in Clipperdom reminded of a little deal that unraveled around this time last year?  The FElton Fiasco still haunts us, and we shouldn't let this Turkoglu Turnaround go by without a nod at our own tumult last July.

This is a great coup by Toronto.  The part that interests me is that it means that they can't sign Shawn Marion.  I find Marion a talented but overrated player.  For some reason I'm pulling for Lamar Odom to make a great deal, but I like the idea of a team taking Turkoglu and rejecting Marion.  Okay, the reason to value Odom and hope for him to make a great deal is pretty obvious--it's to pry him away from the Lakers.

Marion was a prime beneficiary of the D'Antoni system and playing with Steve Nash.  He can make plays all day long, run the floor, and he rebounds really well.  It's interesting to put him into the conversation of Artest, Ariza, Odom, Battier and Turkoglu--and why not add Thornton to the mix.  Or Blake Griffin.

This is also AGGT:  Advanced Glue Guy Theory.  One of the simplest ways to look at it is whether a player makes other guys on his team better.  It's moving the ball, ball-handling, the ability to penetrate, to finish or dish, court vision.  Turkoglu was very impressive in the playoffs.  Of course, it helps quite a bit for him to play with Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis, but he played some great basketball.

Portland gets to regroup.  Maybe they'll sign Odom.  Not sure what happens to Marion now.  Marion was identified as problematic in Phoenix, when he wanted more credit for their success.  It seems as if it was more about the coach and Steve Nash, and the system was a great fit for Marion.  Not sure why, but I'm not feeling the need to wish him well, and I don't mind Portland missing out on a great player either.