As expected, NBA teams are spending big bucks

We all knew the big jump in the salary cap would result in some amazing contracts when the NBA free agency bargaining period started at 11:01 Central Thursday night.

Even so, some of the numbers are hard not to shake your head at.

As my colleague Mike Rand already blogged today, If the Knicks, as reported, are ready to give Joakim Noah a four-year deal worth $72 million, then more power to them. I don't really understand this deal, for a 31-year old center who has injury issues. His calling card was always defensive intensity that made up for certain offensive shortcomings. I wonder if he has the ability to bring that on a nightly basis any longer.

But, knee-deep in the first day of negotiations, it's clear that teams are spending wildly. Bradley Beal is a talented young player, but he's been injury-prone, appearing in just 55 games last year. And yet Washington moved quickly to keep him by offering a reported 5-year, $130 million deal.

Meanwhile, it looks like Chandler Parsons will get max money from Portland, Nicolas Batum got $120 million to stay in Charlotte and the Lakers, for some reason, agreed to terms with bench-warming Cleveland center Timofey Mozgov on a 4-year, $64 million deal.

Amazing.

But that, folks, is the new normal.

Meanwhile, with the Wolves, president of basketball operations and coach Tom Thibodeau is supposed to talk with Luol Deng today. We should know by tonight how that went. Also, it appears the Wolves have at least contacted Atlanta G/F Kent Bazemore, Lakers F Brandon Bass, former Gophers star Kris Humphries, Chicago guard E'Twaun Moore and Brooklyn PF Willie Reed.