Antonio McDyess

Hoops Rumors Retro: Antonio McDyess To The Nuggets

September 5th, 2017 at 7:26pm CST by Austin Kent

Before the chair, before Grandpa Pierce, before DeAndre Jordan‘s infamous change of heart and the Emoji War that inspired it, there was Antonio McDyess. McDyess, obviously, but then of course French-Canadian ice hockey legend Patrick Roy, an impromptu charter flight across the southwest, dozens of unanswered pager calls and a good old-fashioned Rocky Mountain blizzard.

In January 1999, a 24-year-old with jetpacks for calves and long sinewy arms found himself at an emotional fork in the road. Fresh off of his third season in the NBA and his first in the desert, Suns power forward Antonio McDyess had the choice between re-signing with the team he just won 56 games with or returning to the basement-dwelling franchise that shipped him out of town less than 18 months prior.

After playing his first two seasons with the Nuggets and establishing himself as one of the most satisfyingly athletic big men in the game, McDyess enjoyed his first taste of team success following his arrival in Phoenix. The trade that sent him from Denver to the Suns prior to that 1997/98 season was precipitated by the fact that McDyess and his representative, Arn Tellem, were seeking a six-year, $100MM contract extension back when the club’s front office refused to go any higher than $70MM.

“I guess they had no choice but to trade me,” he said at the time, adding shortly thereafter that he didn’t think there was any possible way he would return to the Nuggets when he hit free agency seven months later.

Of course it was seven months later when things got unprecedentedly interesting.

When the NBA revealed that the lockout had ended and there would be an abbreviated 50-game 1998/99 season, basketball fans the world over braced themselves for a whirlwind free agency period in the middle of January. It was during this frenzy that McDyess flipped and then flopped and then, assuming he’s only human, broke down in tears at a Calgary Flames game while clutching a Hall of Fame goaltender’s hockey stick. Just go with it, trust me.

While the quote above – and another from the same Deseret News piece calling the idea of McDyess returning to Denver “the biggest fib” he’d heard this year – may have done a good job of accurately depicting what was in his head at the time, it didn’t account for what would come next.

From various interviews over the years, we can piece together that McDyess initially opposed the idea of returning to the Nuggets because they traded him, but ultimately soured on a return to Phoenix because he felt the Suns didn’t feature him enough in their offense.

At that point, nearly a year after saying that he had no intention of returning to Denver, McDyess and Nuggets general manager Dan Issel zeroed in on a deal that would see him return to Colorado. Just when the club was set to announce that it would be bringing McDyess back on a new long-term deal, however, the forward got cold feet and cancelled the press conference.

Back in 1999, Sports Illustrated’s Jackie MacMullan wrote that McDyess’ doubts about returning to Denver were fueled by the fact that the Nuggets would be forced to renounce the rights to LaPhonso Ellis, a teammate and close friend of McDyess’ during his first tenure with the club.

Turned off by the realization that he wouldn’t get the chance to play with Ellis, McDyess started questioning the decision to sign the deal altogether and ultimately called Jason Kidd, Phoenix’s starting point guard of the day, to express his reservations. Kidd, 25 years old at the time and fresh off of his first full season with the Suns, in turn rallied teammates George McCloud and Rex Chapman to join him on a Colorado-bound private jet in order to meet with McDyess face-to-face and convince him to fully back out of the decision and return to Phoenix.

As MacMullan wrote back in 1999, when Issel heard that a convoy of Suns teammates were coming to try and change McDyess’ mind, he brought the power forward to McNichols Arena for an NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and visiting Calgary Flames.

“If Antonio had left that arena without some kind of handshake deal, we were in trouble,” he told MacMullan.

So serious were the Nuggets about getting a commitment that night that when they learned that the free agent’s favorite player was Avs goaltender Patrick Roy, they introduced the two prior to puck drop, a meeting from which the forward is said to have come away with one of the goaltender’s sticks.

Eventually Issel and McDyess made their way up to a private box prior to Kidd and company’s arrival at the arena. When the Suns teammates, desperate to connect with McDyess, they were railroaded by security who, per Chapman, went so far as to tell them that McDyess had specifically said to “beat it.”

Pressed by Chapman, the security guard admitted that he was just parroting what he had been instructed to say but the wheels were in motion.

McDyess and Issel were ultimately joined in the private box by head coach Mike D’Antoni and guard Nick Van Exel (who drove through a blinding snowstorm from their training camp facility in Golden Springs just to be there) and any lingering doubts that McDyess had about returning to Denver were assuaged. Within 24 hours, the six-year, $67.5MM deal that would stretch 2003/04 season was announced by the organization.

The trio of Suns players eager for one last chance to retain their explosive, young teammate never did make contact. Would history have unfolded differently if they had?

“I probably would have been more confused than ever,” McDyess said.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Retrospective: Stephon Marbury To Knicks

August 30th, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Kevin Love trade saga now finally over, fans of all the teams involved are left to wonder whether or not their franchise got the better end of the deal. The Wolves dealt away their franchise player for a number of intriguing pieces, and the Cavs nabbed another star to pair alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, while the Sixers chances to nab the No. 1 overall pick have improved markedly. It’s always a risky undertaking when dealing a top-tier player away, as many past trades have demonstrated. It’s with that in mind that I’ve been looking back at other blockbuster trades and how they have worked out for all involved.

So far I’ve examined the trades that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers; Deron Williams to the Nets; Kevin Garnett to the Celtics; Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks; Chris Paul traded from the Pelicans to the Clippers; and the trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal from the Lakers to the Heat. Next up is a look at a trade that occurred on January 5th, 2004–the deal that sent Stephon Marbury from the Suns to the Knicks.

I’ll begin by running down the assets involved:

The Knicks received Marbury; Penny Hardaway; and Cezary Trybanski.
The Suns received Howard Eisley; Charlie Ward; Antonio McDyess; Maciej Lampe; the draft rights to Milos Vujanic; a 2004 first-rounder (Kirk Snyder); and a 2010 first-rounder (Gordon Hayward).

This trade had all the makings of a great story–a hometown star returns to change the fortunes of the Knicks franchise. Marbury was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and was a lifelong team fan. The Knicks were firmly mired in mediocrity, and this trade was intended to be a major step towards reversing the franchise’s fortunes.

Here are the Knicks’ records prior to trade:

2000/01: 48-34 (Lost in first round to Raptors)
2001/02: 30-52
2002/03: 37-45

The Knicks used this trade to acquire the star point guard they desperately needed, plus it also helped correct the less-than-stellar results of the franchise’s big move from the year before. I’m referring to the ill-fated deal that sent the draft rights to Nene; Marcus Camby; and Mark Jackson to Denver for Antonio McDyess and Frank Williams. McDyess was intended to be an anchor for the franchise, but instead he just added to his injury history, and only played in a total of 18 games in New York. Nene and Camby were much more productive over the years, and this trade ended up being one of the more imbalanced ones that you’ll see.

When New York made the Marbury deal, which was the first major move made during the Isiah Thomas regime, the Knicks hoped this would lead to a change in culture and a reversal of fortune. Things didn’t quite work out that way. Here are the Knicks’ records during the Marbury years:

2003/04: 39-43 (Lost in first round to Nets)
2004/05: 33-49
2005/06: 23-59
2006/07: 33-49
2007/08: 23-59

Not all the blame can rest on Marbury’s shoulders for the franchise’s lack of success. The Knicks didn’t have much talent around him, and a number of personnel moves ended up backfiring spectacularly during this era. But Marbury didn’t exactly perform up to the levels he did in Minnesota and New Jersey, either. Here are Marbury’s numbers during his time in New York:

2003/04: 19.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 9.3 APG. His slash line was .431/.321/.833.
2004/05: 21.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 8.1 APG. His slash line was .462/.354/.834.
2005/06: 16.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 6.4 APG. His slash line was .451/.317/.755.
2006/07: 16.4 PPG, 2.9 RPD, and 5.4 APG. His slash line was .415/.357/.769.
2007/08: 13.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 4.7 APG. His slash line was .419/.378/.716.

His first two years with the Knicks were excellent statistically, but he tailed off significantly starting with the 2005/06 campaign. Marbury’s lack of productivity led to him spatting publicly with then-coach Larry Brown.

Brown claimed that Marbury refused to take responsibility for his part in the team’s disastrous 2005/06 season. Marbury responded by saying, “I think it’s personal now. I don’t think it’s about basketball anymore. Now it’s to the point where he’s [Brown] putting his 30-year career against my 10-year career. You know, coach is a great coach is what everyone says. We’re supposed to be better than what we are. Did it happen now? No.”

Brown responded by saying, “So, you’re the best guard in the league and the team is 17-45, yeah, it’s the coach’s fault. I don’t know why you play a team sport and not be concerned about making your teammates better and helping your team win games. That’s the only thing that really matters, and if you’re the best player, surely you’re going to have some effect on the game’s outcome.”

That was Brown’s only campaign on the New York bench, and he was replaced the following season by Thomas, who also ended up clashing with Marbury, whose popularity was on the decline with the Knicks’ fan base thanks to all the issues and losing seasons. This player-coach feud culminated with rumors that Marbury and Thomas had allegedly gotten into a physical altercation at practice. Marbury further angered the organization and fans when he elected to have season-ending ankle surgery in February of 2008, which the team had deemed unnecessary at the time.

The Knicks explored potential trades for Marbury, but there wasn’t much interest in the then-31-year-old guard, who still had two years, and nearly $42MM remaining on his contract. Mike D’Antoni took over as head coach in 2008, and New York signed Chris Duhon as a free agent, and Duhon in turn won the starting point guard job during training camp. Marbury was placed on team’s inactive list. He and the team debated over his role and playing time, and when they were unable to come to an accord on a potential buyout, Marbury was banned from attending any practices or games.

The Knicks and Marbury finally reached a buyout arrangement in February of 2009, and after clearing waivers, he signed with the Celtics. Marbury finished out the season with Boston, averaging 3.8 PPG and 3.3 APG. The Celtics offered him a contract for the veteran’s minimum of for the 2009/10 season, which Marbury declined. He has been out of the league ever since.

Penny Hardaway was a shell of the superstar player he was during his years with the Magic. Injuries had taken their toll on his production and ability to remain on the court. Hardaway hadn’t lived up to the seven-year, $86MM contract he had inked in 1999 as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent him from Orlando to Phoenix.

Hardaway was productive for the remainder of the 2003/04 season, and he played well in the Knicks’ first round playoff series loss to the Nets, averaging 16.5 PPG, 5.8 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.5 steals. After that he would only appear in 41 contests over the next two seasons due to injuries. Hardaway’s numbers with the Knicks were:

2003/04: 9.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.9 APG. His slash line was .390/.364/.775.
2004/05: 7.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 2.0 APG. His slash line was .423/.300/.739.
2005/06: 2.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 2.0 APG. His slash line was .286/.000/1.000.

His time in New York ended in February of 2006 when he was traded back to Orlando, along with Trevor Ariza, for Steve Francis. Hardaway was then waived by the Magic in a cost-cutting move.

Cezary Trybanski only appeared in three games for the Knicks, averaging 0.3 PPG. He was then traded to the Bulls along with Othella Harrington; Dikembe Mutombo; and Frank Williams, for Jamal Crawford and Jerome Williams. Trybanski was waved by Chicago prior to the start of the season and he has been out of the league ever since.

The Suns made this deal to free up cap space for the summer of 2004, when they hoped to make a splash in free agency and build around their core of Amar’e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, and Shawn Marion.

The Suns records prior to the trade were:

2000/01: 51-31 (Lost in first round to the Kings)
2001/02: 36-46
2002/03: 44-38 (Lost in first round to Spurs)

This deal is an odd one in that the Suns gave up the best player, didn’t receive much long term value in return, essentially squandered the draft picks they acquired, yet still came out ahead in the end. This is all thanks to the free agent signing of Steve Nash in July of 2004. All Nash did was win the MVP award in his first season and lead the Suns to the Western Conference Finals.

The Suns’ records post trade:

2003/04: 29-53
2004/05: 62-20 (Lost conference finals to Spurs)
2005/06: 54-28 (Lost conference finals to Mavs)
2006/07: 61-21 (Lost in second round to Spurs)
2007/08: 55-27 (Lost in first round to Spurs)

Howard Eisley finished out the rest of the 2003/04 season with Phoenix, averaging 7.1 PPG and 3.4 APG, then reached a buyout arrangement with the Suns for the remaining two years of his deal. Eisley then signed a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the Jazz that summer.

Charlie Ward was waived the day after the trade by Phoenix and was picked up shortly after by the Spurs for the rest of the 2003/04 season, when he averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.3 APG. Ward appeared in 14 games for the Rockets during the 2004/05 campaign, and then retired after the year.

Milos Vujanic was originally selected by the Knicks with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. He never appeared in an NBA game, and played eight seasons in the Euroleague and Italian League before retiring in 2009.

Maciej Lampe was another second-round selection by the Knicks, taken with the No. 30 overall pick back in 2003, but he never appeared in a game while with New York. After the trade Lampe averaged 4.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG for the Suns. Lampe’s time in the desert came to an end in January of 2005, when he was traded along with Casey Jacobsen and Jackson Vroman to the Pelicans for Jim Jackson and a 2005 second-rounder (Marcin Gortat).

Antonio McDyess finished out the 2003/04 season with the Suns, averaging 5.8 PPG and 5.8 RPG. After the season he became a restricted free agent and signed with the Pistons, where he stayed for five seasons, and he became a valuable contributor off of the bench.

Both first round draft picks that the Suns acquired in the Marbury trade were later packaged along with Tom Gugliotta and a 2005 second-rounder (Alex Acker) and sent to Utah for Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten. This ended up being a terrible trade for Phoenix, as neither Clark or Handlogten appeared in an NBA game after being acquired by the Suns.

Utah used the 2004 first-rounder to select Kirk Snyder with the No. 16 pick. Snyder was a bust and was traded after one season to the Pelicans. His career numbers in four NBA seasons were 6.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.1 APG. Some notable players that Utah could have had with that selection instead of Snyder were Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Jameer Nelson, Kevin Martin, Anderson Varejao, and Trevor Ariza.

It’s the other draft pick from the Marbury trade that is more haunting to both Knicks and Suns fans. With the No. 9 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Jazz selected Gordon Hayward. Let’s look at Hayward’s numbers since entering the league:

2010/11: 5.4 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG. His slash line was .485/.473/.711.
2011/12: 11.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG. His slash line was .456/.346/.832.
2012/13: 14.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG. His slash line was .435/.415/.827.
2013/14: 16.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 5.2 APG. His slash line was .413/.304/.816.

Hayward signed a four-year, $62,965,420 offer sheet with the Hornets this summer, which the Jazz quickly matched in order to keep Hayward in Utah for the foreseeable future.

Like I mentioned earlier, this is an odd trade in how it worked out. This became another failed deal during the Isiah Thomas years for the Knicks. The franchise could have benefited long term from retaining those two first-rounders, and saved themselves a number of headaches and public relations hits that resulted from Marbury’s presence on the team.

The Suns came out OK here, despite not receiving any long term assets besides salary cap room. Their signing of Nash away from the Mavs was a turning point in the franchise’s fortunes, and it wouldn’t have been possible if Phoenix hadn’t dealt away Marbury’s and Hardaway’s contracts. But it’s still hard to give them too much credit, seeing as they later gave up the two valuable first rounders they had acquired to Utah for essentially no return.

The Suns win this by default, but it’s interesting to imagine what might have happened had they held on to those picks and nabbed Josh Smith and Hayward instead. That would have truly been a landslide victory for them in regards to this deal, rather than winning it by default. The Marbury trade is a prime example of the risks involved for all franchises when making blockbuster deals. Knicks fans are still feeling the pain from all the misfires during 2000s, which included this one.

Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Paul, McDyess, Pacers

November 4th, 2012 at 12:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus examines the depth of the Clippers, and says that the team has received numerous inquiries about reserve point guard Eric Bledsoe. The Clippers won't consider moving Bledsoe until they sign Chris Paul to a long-term contract, Pincus hears, adding that most executives expect Paul, an unrestricted free agent next summer, to stay with the team. There's plenty of other news from around the Association on the first weekend of the regular season, so let's dive right in.

We heard yesterday that Antonio McDyess is considering a comeback, but he has no interest in joining the Wolves, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
In his third season, Lance Stephenson is finally making an impact for the Pacers as he receives minutes for the injured Danny Granger, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. Montieth adds that Granger, who's out indefinitely, could face surgery on his sore left knee.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com examines the options for the Warriors in the wake of Brandon Rush's season-ending injury, and mentions Mickael Pietrus, Maurice Evans, Josh Howard and Kenyon Martin as "free agent names arising" in case the team goes looking for a replacement.
C.J. Watson drew interest from other teams that could have offered more money, but he decided to sign with the Nets on a minimum-salary deal instead, notes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post.
Jeff Teague is using the Hawks' decision not to extend his rookie-scale contract this week as motivation, but he isn't upset with the team, the point guard tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld.
In the same piece, Greene also checks in with Rockets swingman Daequan Cook, who's looking to prove his worth as a teammate after his inclusion in the James Harden trade caught him off guard.
Neil Olshey took the Blazers' offer to become GM after owner Paul Allen put it on the table with the condition that Olshey was not to give the Clippers a chance to match, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
Trey Johnson, who spent 11 games with the Hornets last year, was close to signing with Angelico Biella, but it appears the deal is falling apart, Sportando's Emiliano Carchia reports.

Antonio McDyess Contemplating Comeback

November 1st, 2012 at 10:48pm CST by Zachary Links

After sitting out a season in retirement, former All-Star Antonio McDyess is contemplating a return to the NBA, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The forward has been working out in Houston and has instructed agent Andy Miller to find out what clubs might be interested in him.

The 38-year-old is known in league circles for his all-around professional demeanor and could be a worthwhile pickup for a team looking for a calming veteran influence. McDyess last played with the Spurs in 2010/11 where he averaged 5.3 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 19 minutes per contest. The veteran has had to undergo a number of knee surgeries throughout his career but still managed to average 12 PPG and 7.5 RPG across 15 seasons.

Antonio McDyess