Phoenix Suns restricted free agent Aaron Brooks has now signed with another team. The Suns probably don’t care too much, however, because that team is in China.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, he has signed a deal with Guangdong in the country of the currency manipulators.

“Phoenix restricted free agent Aaron Brooks has reached agreement on a deal with Guangdong in China, sources tell Y! Sports,” Wojo tweets.

Photo Caption: Frustrated by U.S. zone defenses, Brooks takes his ball and goes to China.

Brooks can’t return to the NBA until the Chinese season runs out, but who really cares? The players dissolved the union just like the NFLPA did and are planning on filing an anti-trust lawsuit, also just like the NFLPA did.

It’s getting ugly for the NBA and no one really cares.

Getting back to the original story, it’s not known at this time if Brooks really is planning on playing in China, or if this is an elaborate ruse by the United States to poke China in the eye by actually sending over former New Orleans Saints QB Aaron Brooks.

The Phoenix Suns are facing a very serious dilemma that actually isn’t a dilemma at all. They have to decide what they want to do with aging guard Vince Carter.

And it would be absolute Vinsanity to keep him. They could waive him and owe him $4 million (imagine getting that kind of money to essentially be fired from your job), or keep him and owe him $18 million for next year. $18 million….seriously. And NBA salaries aren’t out of whack?

Photo Caption: Carter is asked if he’s worth $18 million.

So, they could pay $18 million to a 34-year old guy that lost his starting job this season to Jared Dudley. Think they will?

We agree with beat writer Paul Caro on this one, who thinks it’s pretty certain that the team will move on from Carter.

While we don’t think Carter is complete toast at this point, we can’t see a team giving him significant money to be a starter in the league anymore.

According to Doug Jones of the Toronto Star, the Phoenix Suns have sent the Toronto Raptors Leandro Barbosa in exchange for sharpshooter Hedo Turkoglu. The Raptors also get D-League center Dwayne Jones.

This deal has been around for a while now, but the NBA finally signed off on it.

Photo Caption: Turkoglu was never voted Best Looking Player in the NBA by any media outlet.

Barbosa didn’t have a great 2009-10 season. He averaged 9.5 points, but missed two months with a wrist injury. And after a strong showing in the playoffs two years ago, Turkoglu never really became what the Raptors thought he’d be.

Maybe a fresh start is what both of these guys need.

Jared Dudley of the Phoenix Suns is good friends with Amare Stoudemire. Amare Stoudemire has signed with the New York Knicks. Apparently, Dudley has been told that LeBron James will soon too be joining the Knicks.

“Breaking News!!! My sources tell me Lebron will announce that he will be goin to the NY KNICKS tomorrow on ESPN.. This is serious.. WOW!!!!,” he tweets.

He’s either having a lot of fun with the masses, or he’s letting the cat out of the bag. We wouldn’t be shocked if LeBron ended up going to New York. It’s the biggest stage and the biggest market, and they can pay him tons of money.

Remember, James and his people initially got all worked up when rumors surfaced of Stoudemire signing a five-year, $100 million contract with the Knicks. It wasn’t that New York would be ruined for him because he didn’t want to play with Amare, but the fact that he was concerned over the Knicks having enough remaining cap space.

That would dovetail with what Dudley is tweeting. Do we know anything for sure? Absolutely not, but New York would not be surprised. Remember that they have been preparing for LeBron’s free agency for the past two years or so.

Free agent big man Amare Stoudemire is in New York this weekend to talk about basketball and money with the New York Knicks. It’s expected that he’ll sign a deal with the team soon.

But what’s interesting are his comments about Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony and San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker. According to Stoudemire, if he signs with the Knicks, those two are prepared to join him.

“I’ve talked to Carmelo Anthony that he needs to come out here,” Stoudemire said. “I’ve talked to Tony Parker. Both guys are ready to join me if I decide to come here. So we will see if we can work it out.”

There have been talks of the Knicks trading for Parker, but who knows if that’s even feasible. Anthony is under contract with the Nuggets, but can opt out. Who knows if opting out would yield him more money with the Knicks.

Meanwhile, Stoudemire’s agent, Happy Walters, is optimistic that they can seal the deal today in NYC.

“Yes, I mean we are here aren’t we?,” he said. “Hopefully it goes well (Monday). We are here in New York, aren’t we?”

Stoudemire sounds ready to sign on the dotted line too.

“It’s one of the most historic franchises in NBA history,” he said. “It’s a beautiful city. Madison Square Garden is definitely one of the most intriguing places to play. So they definitely have a few great points on their side.”

The agent for Phoenix Suns big man Amare Stoudemire tells Yahoo! Sports that his client has officially opted out of his contract and is now an unrestricted free agent.

“Amar’e Stoudemire has exercised the opt-out clause in his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, his agent Happy Walters tells Y!,” Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

His agent’s name is Happy Walters? Really?

Anyway, the two sides were in negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday, but haven’t worked out a deal. The Suns could still try to keep him, but he’s now free to sign with any other team. We wonder to what extent he’ll be linked to LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

Former three-point guru Steve Kerr will not return to the Phoenix Suns next year as president of basketball operations and general manager. Suns managing partner Robert Sarver said that Kerr’s contract was up on June 30th and he had an opportunity to return to television as an NBA commentator.

Do the jobs of general manager and television commentator really come with the same pay check? We doubt it.

“After much thought and deliberation, I have decided this is the right time for me to move on both professionally and personally,” Kerr said. “The past three years have been exceptional for me. The work and dedication of everyone with the organization is tremendous and I appreciate the passion and commitment that Robert Sarver has for the Phoenix Suns and creating a perennial winner. I feel the team is well poised for the future, with strong leadership both on the roster and in the front office, and a good mix of veterans and young talent that will continue to grow together and succeed at the highest level.”

Sources tell the Arizona Republic conflicting stories on whether or not Kerr was asked to take a pay cut.

Of bigger importance right now is the fact that Kerr’s departure could affect whether or not the team is able to re-sign free agent Amare Stoudemire. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski thinks that this will be a problem.

“Kerr departure could have dramatically negative impact on ability to re-sign Amar’e, sources say. Suns star had gained strong belief in him,” he tweets.

That remains to be seen, but if it’s true it could be the beginning of the end in terms of dismantling the Suns franchise.

Phoenix Suns center Amare Stoudemire continued his roller coaster of quotes about whether or not he is going to play for his current team next year by saying he “absolutely” wants to play for the Suns.

Take that for what it’s worth, considering he also said he’s “50-50″ on returning.  Also, a week ago when he was asked if he would resign with Phoenix if they offered him a maximum contract he was quoted saying, “I’m not sure only because I want to win a Championship.  Cash is one thing, but winning is the ultimate goal.”

Furthermore, two days before Amare said that, a source close to him said he doesn’t expect Stoudemire to return to the Suns next season.  “Amare feels like the organization disrespected him,” the source said.  “Amare loves his teammates and has really enjoyed playing for the team these last few month, but he’s reluctant to commit to Phoenix long-term.

Whatever, it’s no use listening to what Amare, the Phoenix Suns, or any sources close to the situation say, because each report contradicts the previous one.  We’ll just have to sit back and wait, just like we are doing for Lebron, D Wade, Bosh, Danny Manning, and Joe Johnson.

According to Mike Trudell on Twitter, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson thinks that Andrew Bynum will play in Game 4 vs. the Phoenix Suns. That’s music to Lakers’ fans’ ears.

“Phil Jackson expects Andrew Bynum to start tomorrow: “I think he’s going to be fine,” Trudell tweets.

Says you, Phil. Bynum is playing with a painful knee injury. At this point, it is basically guaranteed that Bynum will need offseason surgery.

But the idea of relying on Lamar Odom isn’t one that sits well with the Lakers. You just never know what you are going to get with him, and in Game 3 it wasn’t good.

And on top of that, he has a lackadaisical attitude that doesn’t inspire confidence from anyone. T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times asked him if he was bummed out about his Game 3 performance.

“No,” Odom says. “Life is good.”

That’s good to know. Lakers fans probably love hearing that.

“It’s just a game,”‘ he says. “It’s just like when you play great, you put those games behind you, and when you play bad, you put those behind you.”

Technically he’s correct. But to many fans (and team executives that don’t want to lose their jobs over losses that can pile up when you play like crap) it’s more than that. They don’t want to hear that you are ok with a bad performance.

“The greatest players in the world sometimes play bad in any sport,” Odom says. ” Joe Montana had one before. Gretzky. It happens. I’m just Lamar.”

You got that right, Lamar. And that’s why the Lakers will push Bynum as hard as they can to get him to play in Game 4.

If it seems like the people here at OTR are obsessed with posting stories about sports figures who get arrested, it’s only because that is exactly the case. Say what you want, we have schadenfreude issues.

It would seem that the mother of Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire had a little bit of a run-in with the law. And when we say “run-in,” we mean she was arrested.

Stoudemire was driving 60 mph and was straddling two lanes of traffic. The police don’t like this. So, they pulled her over and saw that she was driving a vehicle that didn’t have an ignition interlock device on it. She said she didn’t know she needed it on all her vehicles and that this particular Cadillac Escalade was rented.

Photo Caption: Not her first rodeo.

The arresting officer wrote that her eyes were “watery and glassy” and that she told him that she was on her way to an alcohol class. Uh huh, sounds about right.

She was arrested and put in the back of the police vehicle. Amare and a friend eventually showed up, and she began to shout “Amar’e!” repeatedly and asked for an attorney. Amare and his friend were asked to leave because they were causing her to act up. Christ, I can’t make this stuff up.

She is charged with speeding, operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device and failure to drive in a single lane. Sounds like someone narrowly avoided a DUI charge as well.

The Arizona Republic notes that this is not her first brush with the law. She’s been in and out of jail dozens of times on charges ranging from drug possession to prostitution. Maybe they should let Jeff Ireland interrogate her.

Months after blockbuster trade rumors circulated the sports world, the Phoenix Suns have changed their tune and seem to be close to signing Amare Stoudemire to a contract extension.

Fanhouse.com is reporting that according to sources with knowledge of the situation, Phoenix is now determined to keep the five-time All-Star and has offered a contract extension as recently as last week. While the terms of the offer are not known, a source close to the 27-year-old Stoudemire said of the proposal, “they’re getting closer [financially] to where they should be.”

Since the trade deadline the Phoenix Suns have been on fire with one of the best records in the NBA at 22-5 (.814 winning percentage), including a 10-game winning streak in which they averaged 118.7 points per game.  They finished the season 54-28, clinching the 3rd seed in the Western Conference.

The turnaround might have opened the eyes of Steve Kerr and the Phoenix front office.  Six-foot-ten, 250 pound men who can run the floor with Steve Nash don’t come around too often.  There’s probably 29 other teams in the NBA that would love to have the services of Stoudemire.  The Suns are in no need to start rebuilding their franchise by trading Amare or letting him walk at the end of the season.  Nash and the rest of the Suns still have some good years left.  There’s no need to waste them.  And no need to mess with the chemistry.

Miami Heat fans could not have been happy with the turn of events that happened on Wednesday.  First, Amare Stoudemire was told by the Phoenix Suns that he won’t be dealt.  Second, six-time All-Star Dwyane Wade went down with a calf injury Wednesday night.  Third, Wade’s teammate Jermaine O’Neal strained his back and also left the game.  And lastly, their team ‘almost’ lost to the lowly New Jersey Nets.

Let’s focus on Wade.  Dwyane left Wednesday’s game with a strained calf after hearing a ‘pop,’ an injury that had been bothering him for some time.

“I took two steps and it felt the same way, so I knew that I needed to get out,” Wade said.  “I guess we will see in the next day or so.  It’s still to be determined.”

The injury most likely will shut Wade down for the rest of the week including games at Memphis and Dallas.  Missed time after that?  Only time will tell.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have finally made a deal, but it’s not with the Phoenix Suns, league sources have told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

The Washington Wizards have sent All-Star forward Antawn Jamison to Cleveland in a six-player, three-team deal.  The Cavs are sending Ilgauskas and a first-round pick to the Wizards.  The Wizards get Brian Skinner and Al Thornton from the Los Angeles Clippers.  The Cavs will also get Sebastian Telfair from the Clippers and the Wizards will send Drew Gooden to the Clippers.

PHOTO CAPTION: Sebastian Telfair finds his fifth team in six years.  This clearly is not the big news from this trade.

OTR stood by Wojnarowski when he first reported the news last evening that Cleveland had made significant progress in acquiring Antawn Jamison, despite columnists from ESPN saying otherwise.

UPDATE: ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard had this to say “Sources with direct knowledge of negotiations between the Cavaliers and Wizards deny a report that the Cavs have made an offer (Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamario Moon, first-round pick) for Antawn Jamison.”

However, OTR is siding with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports on this one.

ORIGINAL STORY: With Phoenix not committing (yet) to sending Amare Stoudemire to the Cavs for Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson, Cleveland has elevated their talks with other teams.  Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that one of their trade discussions has made significant progress and is actually preferred to some members of the Cavaliers’ management and coaching staffs over the Stoudemire deal.

Sources tell Wojnarowski the Cavs have offered Ilgauskas, Jamario Moon, and a No. 1 pick for the Wizards’ Antawn Jamison and Mike James.  Washington is still trying to squeeze another pick or young player out of the deal and that player could be the familiar name J.J. Hickson.

PHOTO CAPTION: Jamison commits a five-yard penalty for carrying the basketball

Although it’s being reported that many Cavs officials feel Jamison could be a better fit than Stoudemire, it could be Cleveland just blowing smoke.  If at any time Phoenix feels threatened that Cleveland and Washington could strike a deal, the Suns might feel inclined to pull the trigger on the Stoudemire deal.  But if not, the Cavs get a real nice player in Antawn Jamison who actually might be the smarter choice.

Sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein that the Miami Heat are after the the Phoenix Suns’ Amare Stoudemire. One source told Stein that the Heat are “coming hard” after the forward.

Apparently, the Suns have no interest in getting Jermaine O’Neal back in return. But, they would be interested in the young Michael Beasley. However, many people are talking about the Suns being very interested in the Philadelphia 76ers’ Andre Iguodala.

One source said of the Sixers, “they’re the wild card.”

We’ll have to see what happens. Right now, there are a ton of rumors about who will go where. We still have another three days or so before everyone’s best deals are put on the table.

Contrary to what The News-Herald is reporting about Stoudemire not being interested in playing in Cleveland, NBA columnist for Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski had this to say on Twitter, “Source close to Stoudemire says he’s completely open to Cleveland, loves idea of playing with LBJ and has never indicated otherwise to Cavs.

Cleveland Cavaliers beat writer Brian Windhorst has also disputed the news on Twitter, “Contrary to reports, sources say Amar’e Stoudemire has not told Cavs he doesn’t want to play in Cleveland.”

PHOTO CAPTION: Could Rick Smits finagle himself in a deal for Stoudemire?

Therefore, that leaves us right where we started.  Phoenix is waiting for the best possible offer.  Sixers GM Ed Stefanski is mulling over the thought of trading Andre Iguodala.  Cleveland is hoping to land Amare Stoudemire and lining up option B (Antawn Jamison) and option C (Troy Murphy) if they don’t.  Miami is waiting in the wings in hopes to steal the thunder.  And the New Jersey Nets are counting their wins on one hand.

UPDATE: Cavalier’s beat writer Brian Windhorst on Twitter, “Contrary to reports, sources say Amar’e Stoudemire has not told Cavs he doesn’t want to play in Cleveland.”

ORIGINAL STORY: I have no clue where the source got their information or who the source is, but The News-Herald is reporting that Phoenix Sun Amare Stoudemire let it be known that he does not want to come to Cleveland.  Furthermore, the Cavs have reportedly been informed of the news and have gone in another direction.

Therefore, the deal that would have sent Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson to the Suns for Stoudemire is no more.

The only way OTR will believe this rumor is if Shaquille O’Neal is that horrible of a person to play with anymore.  Reportedly, Stoudemire didn’t mesh with O’Neal last year in Phoenix.  It’s quite possible, Amare doesn’t want any part of Shaq.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Shaq could be the latest road block preventing the Cavs to land Stoudemire

If this is true, and OTR is still skeptical of the source, then the Cleveland Cavaliers will turn their focus on acquiring Washington Wizards forward Antawn Jamison.

You gotta love these trade rumors flying around.

The dealings between Cleveland and Phoenix seem to be a last resort for the Suns.  They aren’t impressed with Ilgauskas and J. J. Hickson, but realize they need to get something for Amare Stoudemire before he walks away.

The something the Suns want still remains to be Philadelphia Sixers guard/forward Andre Iguodala.  Phoenix has even upped the ante to include Leandro Barbosa in the deal along with Stoudemire, according to ESPN.com’s Chad Ford.  Furthermore, a three-way deal is also possible that would send Hickson, Barbosa, and Ilgauskas to Philadelphia, Stoudemire to Cleveland and Iguodala and Dalembert to Phoenix.

PHOTO CAPTION: Can Leandro Barbosa’s name finally get a deal done?

Either trade scenario makes sense for Philadelphia.  Iguodala and Dalembert are well overpaid.  Iguodala just entered a monstrous contract and Dalembert is scheduled to make over $12 million next season.  Sixer’s GM Ed Stefanski should be concentrating on getting those salaries off the books for a team that is going nowhere with their current roster.

Phoenix does not seem to be in any rush to get a deal done with just Cleveland.  They have till February 18th to unload Stoudemire.  Expect them to wait it out as Philadelphia makes the decision on whether or not to move Iguodala.

It’s clear that the ball is still in Philadelphia’s court.

There seems to be a snag in the trade that would send Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J J. Hickson to Phoenix in exchange for five-time All-Star Amare Stoudemire.  And that snags name is Andre Iguodala.

PHOTO CAPTION: “I once caught a fish this big”

The Philadelphia 76ers forward/guard is Phoenix’s top choice, according to numerous sources.  However, the Sixers are very hesitant on trading Iguodala, who they consider their best player.

The Phoenix Suns are not jumping the gun on any deal.  There’s more than one buyer for Stoudemire and Suns general manager Steve Kerr is going to wait for the best offer.

The ball now seems to be in Philadelphia’s court.  If at any time from now until the trade deadline Sixers GM Ed Stefanski decides to pull the trigger on Iguodala, Stoudemire could be in a 76ers uniform come February 19th.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns are inching closer and closer to getting a deal done that will send five-time All-Star Amare Stoudemire to Ohio.  League sources tell ESPN.com that the Cavaliers would send Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J. J. Hickson to Phoenix to acquire Stoudemire’s rights.  There was no mention of a first-round pick being involved in the deal.

PHOTO CAPTION:  Amare Stoudemire seen here at the All-Star game with New York Knick Nate Robinson

ESPN.com also states the ball is in Phoenix’s court.  They are mulling over if Ilgauskas’s $12 million expiring contract and J. J. Hickson are enough to part ways with Amare.

Cleveland is prepared to sign Stoudemire to a long-term contract extension this summer and they believe this could be what it takes to keep Lebron in Cleveland.  James will become a free agent when the season ends this year.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to land Amare Stoudemire before the trade deadline on February 18th it looks like they might have to give up a lot.  But what’s a lot?

PHOTO CAPTION:  “Trade me already!”

The Suns are insisting they get back a young player and a first-round pick in any deal for Stoudemire, so Cavaliers power forward J. J. Hickson would almost certainly have to be part of the deal, sources familiar with the talks told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher.

Is that really a lot?  I know J. J. Hickson is a nice player, but will keeping him or trading him have any factor on whether or not the Cavaliers can win it all?  I don’t think so.  Especially not if Cleveland is able to add Stoudemire to their roster.  And what’s a late first-round pick worth?  Christian Eyenga?  Who else would be involved in this deal?

PHOTO CAPTION: Your 30th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft

ESPN is also reporting several other teams still have legitimate shots at landing Amare.  So, for now it seems Phoenix is staying put until they get their socks knocked off with an offer.

Lebron James might be getting some offensive help very soon.  The Plain Dealer, a newspaper in Cleveland, is reporting the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns have been discussing a deal involving five-time All-Star Amare Stoudemire for nearly a month.

PHOTO CAPTION:  When asked to play defense, Amare gets confused

The report confirms a meeting between Cavs general manager Danny Ferry and Suns GM Steve Kerr Friday afternoon in Dallas.

Stoudemire’s name has been linked to numerous teams over the past month in trade rumors.  Although it is not sure where he will end up, you can almost guarantee he’ll have a new home before the trade deadline on February 18th.  Amare can opt out of the final year of his deal after the season, so the Suns are aware they need to trade him to get some value rather than let him walk away.

Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash took advantage of the Golden State Warriors Friday night by delivering 20 assists to go with 18 points, six rebounds a block and three bombs from beyond the line.

Did anyone plan on guarding him at all? Just a suggestion.

This is the sixth time in Nash’s career that he’s dished out 20+ assists. Very Allen Iverson-like.

Photo Caption: Steve Nash plays under control at all times.

League sources tell ESPN that two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash has informed the Phoenix Suns that he will agree to a two-year $22 million extension. He is expected to formally (formally?) announce the decision via his Twitter account later today. That’s about as much interest we have in telling you about this story.

Photo Caption: Steve Nash accepts the award for Best Looking Man in Phoenix.

ESPN is reporting that sources tell them that Shaquille O’Neal to the Cavs is done.

Not much more info right now, but stay tuned.

League sources have told Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski (pronounced: Smith) that the talks between the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers are heating up regarding Shaquille O’Neal. Better known for his rapping with Fu Schnickens, O’Neal actually has quietly carved out a decent NBA career.

One league exec says that there is an “inevitability” to the talks and that, “It’s going to get done.”

Now they just need to find a package that works for Phoenix. Aside from Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace, the Suns want cash and draft picks. They have also tried to get a third team involved, but haven had no luck so far.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q7bpMiiVlA&hl=en&fs=1&]

An NBA sources tells the Boston Globe that the deal of Minnesota forward Al Jefferson and the sixth-overall pick for Amare Stoudemire ain’t happenin’. Another source said that the deal was definitely discussed, but that the Suns were quickly turned down. It’s well known that the cost-cutting Suns are looking to dump Stoudemire and his hefty salary.