Houston meeting with Gortat

[PeterBurns]

Via Twitter.
Daryl Morey (Houston GM)said he was meeting with Gortat at Midnight (Eastern)

"Meeting in a few w/ Gortat.Send a note to him NOW at [email protected] .He will receive.Show him how much we want him in Red!"

Can't you imagine Pop on Twitter.

CIAPOP "Just watched Gran Torino for the 10th Time, Eastwood was a pussy in that role"

[EricB]

CIAPOP "Just watched Gran Torino for the 10th Time, Eastwood was a pussy in that role


:lol


That would be a retarded move by Houston, they need a scoring center like a Villanueva or a McDeyss and their first option is Gortat!??!

[lefty]

Bigortat !

[NewJerSpur]

Depends on where they believe they will get the bulk of their scoring with Yao down. With him out, they were a perimeter oriented team that emphasized ball movement within their offense and did pretty well in the process. They might not necessarily be looking to replace Yao, which would be hard to do regardless of who you bring in.

[DynastyBuilder]

Going after him pretty hard, in person, at his home at 12:01

Rockets Make Their Pitch to Marcin Gortat (http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5800027750)
http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5800027750

[bigdog]

Via Twitter.
Daryl Morey (Houston GM)said he was meeting with Gortat at Midnight (Eastern)

"Meeting in a few w/ Gortat.Send a note to him NOW at [email protected] .He will receive.Show him how much we want him in Red!"

Can't you imagine Pop on Twitter.

CIAPOP "Just watched Gran Torino for the 10th Time, Eastwood was a pussy in that role"

:lol:lol

I don't think the Rockets will land Gortat. I doubt anyone would want to go there right now.

[loveforthegame]

It's going to be a tough sell for the Rockets for sure.

[Ditty]

smart move if yao was going to probably play this season

dumb move now letting this guy guard tim duncan if they sign him

gortat overated btw

he alright

[EmantheSpursFan]

Rockets need a center that can score, Gortat is more of a role player. Wish the best for the polish hammer but hopefully he's not playing in our division against us! haha

[tmtcsc]

:lol:lol

I don't think the Rockets will land Gortat. I doubt anyone would want to go there right now.

Don't underestimate the power of $$

[lurker23]

I'm happy with this development, and hope the Rockets land him. Gortat is a relative unknown in the long run, and I think it'd be good for the Spurs if he was taking up salary on their roster for 5 years.

[smrattler]

Gortat? Any relation to Borat?

Pop just twitter'd: "From Hawaii... fucking Nellie just beat me with his 34th beer, personal best. Someone just reminded us Free-Agency signing has started... catching next flight home on Saturday. Get back to ya."

[SenorSpur]

Backup plan for the fallen Yao?

[Marcus Bryant]

Gortat could be a nice fit there, or he could eat up a good chunk of cap for the next few years. It's dangerous with a player like him to commit too much. It reminds me of when someone gave Jim McIlvaine thirty million dollars.

[EricB]

Gortat could be a nice fit there, or he could eat up a good chunk of cap for the next few years. It's dangerous with a player like him to commit too much. It reminds me of when someone gave Jim McIlvane thirty million dollars.

Good ole seattle suuuupersonics.

[Marcus Bryant]

Evan Eschmeyer is another.

[Fdawg07]

Gortat could be a nice fit there, or he could eat up a good chunk of cap for the next few years. It's dangerous with a player like him to commit too much. It reminds me of when someone gave Jim McIlvaine thirty million dollars.


that ones almost better then Dampiers 7 year, 73 million.

[EricB]

Evan Eschmeyer is another.


Jamie Feick and his decent sized contract in New Jersey.

Isaac Austin signing with Miami :lol

[Marcus Bryant]

It's always dangerous signing a big man who has looked good in limited minutes. Obviously, it could pay off handsomely, but there have been many disasters in recent NBA history.

[loveforthegame]

Evan Eschmeyer is another.

:lol

Oh man, I forgot about him. That was Cuban right?

[EricB]

It's always dangerous signing a big man who has looked good in limited minutes. Obviously, it could pay off handsomely, but there have been many disasters in recent NBA history.

Jackie Butler.

[lurker23]

While I don't think he will be this big a bust, another contract that comes to mind is 5 years, $30 million for Jerome James. He earned that contract almost exclusively in the playoff series against the Spurs.

[Ditty]

raef leafrentz

[smrattler]

It's always dangerous signing a big man who has looked good in limited minutes. Obviously, it could pay off handsomely.

Not quite the same thing and hopefully not the case but reminds me of what I said about Jerome James a few years ago.

And the whole trend of NBA teams over-paying the few real bigs that show ANY kind of potential.

I say Buyer Beware.

[Ditty]

While I don't think he will be this big a bust, another contract that comes to mind is 5 years, $30 million for Jerome James. He earned that contract almost exclusively in the playoff series against the Spurs.


o yah :lolsuprisngly hes shutted up since he got to new york

[NewJerSpur]

Though Jerome James hasn't lit the world on fire in New York, it's hard to take the team's performance in general seriously during Isaiah's tenure, especially given his interesting rotations, etc. D'Antoni had no place for him within his offense.

[smrattler]

Though Jerome James hasn't lit the world on fire in New York, it's hard to take the team's performance in general seriously during Isaiah's tenure, especially given his interesting rotations, etc. D'Antoni had no place for him within his offense.

I see where you are coming from, but try going to any Knicks board and pitch that to them. You won't find many agreeing with you. :lol

Every time Knicks fans mention him, they are usually trying to categorize how worthless he is exactly in terms of Knicks history.

Love Knicks fans. :lmao

[objective]

Jerome James also had monster games against the Kings that year, if I remember right.

[ploto]

They are choosing to go hard after someone they can actually get.

[NewJerSpur]

I see where you are coming from, but try going to any Knicks board and pitch that to them. You won't find many agreeing with you. :lol

Every time Knicks fans mention him, they are usually trying to categorize how worthless he is exactly in terms of Knicks history.

Love Knicks fans. :lmao

He hasn't really gotten a real chance to show his worth or lack there of. Part of it I believe was due to injury or poor conditioning. He's been in the doghouse from one regime to the next beyond that.

[lurker23]

Jerome James also had monster games against the Kings that year, if I remember right.

You're correct. He had some monster games in extended minutes against the Kings in the first round, then some good games in somewhat more limited minutes against the Spurs in the second round.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?playerId=383&year=2005

[flame]

What's to keep people like me from e-mailing "YAO IS BROKE! RUN FOR THE HILLS" to Gortat?

.......brb

[smrattler]

What's to keep people like me from e-mailing "YAO IS BROKE! RUN FOR THE HILLS" to Gortat?

.......brb

We're about to find out... go for it!

[robbie380]

It's always dangerous signing a big man who has looked good in limited minutes. Obviously, it could pay off handsomely, but there have been many disasters in recent NBA history.

rockets could only offer the MLE at the very most and i highly doubt he even offers that much. i also doubt morey will be willing to give gortat anything longer than 3 years since that has been his modus operandi with free agents. he simply doesn't offer long term deals to role players. hell he only offered wafer 1.75mil/year for 2 years and wafer obviously turned it down. i liked wafer but he was a major bonehead at times...especially during the playoffs when adelman had to send him to the locker room. i'm pretty sure that dumbass earned his ticket out of town after that retarded incident.

[Marcus Bryant]

MLE to Gortat is overpaying. Anything more than $3 mil starting/3 years is too much.

[HarlemHeat37]

Overpaying for big men is what the NBA is all about..

Marcin will get his money, and he won't disappoint IMO..

[robbie380]

MLE to Gortat is overpaying. Anything more than $3 mil starting/3 years is too much.

i agree it's overpaying but i am just saying that full mle for 3 years wouldn't be a complete trainwreck since it is only 3 years. and i am pretty certain morey doesn't want to use the full mle on gortat since he suggested he would like to use some of it on our 2nd rounders to lock them up longer and potentially cheaper...if they perform well.

[NewJerSpur]

Overpaying for big men is what the NBA is all about..

Marcin will get his money, and he won't disappoint IMO..

I'm in the minority, epsecially with the numbers being tossed around, but I still wouldn't mind seeing him here.

[Spurs Brazil]

I don't like Gortat. I hope he sign with the Rockets

[mystargtr34]

I wonder what his mentality is. Is he willing to be strictly a back up playing 15-20 minutes a night, which would be the case in Houston. Its not a given yet that Yao will be out for the entire 2009-2010 season.

Or, does he feel like if he signs elsewhere such as with the Mavs he can compete for a starting job against Erik Dampier, or share equal minutes off the bench. Maybe he doesnt care about winning over getting paid since he hasnt had that lucrative deal yet. He could take an offer from Indiana or New York if its for the same money as Houston, if he feels like he has a chance to become a full time starter.

But either way, i think hes going to be overpaid. Its a classic case of premature ejaculation from NBA GM's paying for potential and being 7 feet. I think he might get something starting at $4.5M over 5 years, totalling about $30M.

[td_tp_manu]

Stromile Swift 2005 v2. ?

[mystargtr34]

Stromile Swift 2005 v2. ?

I think more Jerome James, which is why i think New York might ultimately stay away.

[lurker23]

I know I was one of the first people to bring up Jerome James, but to be fair, I don't think the comparison as far as the players and skill sets go is very valid. I think whoever signs Gortat will generally be happy with his defense and work ethic. However, the reason I brought up Jerome James is that I feel someone is poised to give Gortat $5+ million per year, and I don't think he will be productive enough or consistent enough to be worth that kind of money, especially if you tie up that money for 4-5 years.

[mountainballer]

what's the problem. we should be happy if the Rockets spend their MLE for Gortat. this means one competitor for Sheed/Dyess gone.
(they were rumored to have a great chance to land McDyess, since he lives in Houston)
Gortat isn't a bad idea for them. he can play a Dikembe impersonation and alongside Scola or Landry he should fit pretty well.

[iilluzioN]

what does this has to do with the spurs? NBA forum?

[Samr]

that ones almost better then Dampiers 7 year, 73 million.

Brian Cardinal, anyone? (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/brian_cardinal/career_stats.html) 6 years, 37 million. It pales in comparison to the numbers on Dampier's contract, but at least Dampier was somewhat of a decent player (not for the money).

Whenever I think of people getting overpaid just because the FA market is in need of that type player, I think of BC. That guy's set for life off some good timing.


Here's another fun article: The NBA's 68 worst contracts. (http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/03/05/the-nbas-68-worst-contracts/)


Note to Spurs: DON'T DO THAT

[urunobili]

He deserves more than MLE.... Gortat > Varejao

[Obstructed_View]

He deserves more than MLE.... Gortat > Varejao

Varejao is looking to get a contract worth over 40 million, so if Gortat's better than half of Varejao then it's not that terrible of a contract.

[rjv]

i do not recall gortat doing anything at all against gasol, bynum or odom in the finals. he appears to be a nice back up but not anything at all the dissimilar to a nazir mohammed, elson or rasho.

[ffadicted]

CIAPOP "Just watched Gran Torino for the 10th Time, Eastwood was a pussy in that role"

:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:l ol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

[Obstructed_View]

i do not recall gortat doing anything at all against gasol, bynum or odom in the finals. he appears to be a nice back up but not anything at all the dissimilar to a nazir mohammed, elson or rasho.

You're aware that Gortat has this other guy ahead of him in the rotation that's pretty good, right? The "he's not even good enough to start" line is getting progressively more lame, folks.

[objective]

Gortat was abused by Odom when he tried to guard him.

[GSH]

rockets could only offer the MLE at the very most and i highly doubt he even offers that much. i also doubt morey will be willing to give gortat anything longer than 3 years since that has been his modus operandi with free agents. he simply doesn't offer long term deals to role players. hell he only offered wafer 1.75mil/year for 2 years and wafer obviously turned it down. i liked wafer but he was a major bonehead at times...especially during the playoffs when adelman had to send him to the locker room. i'm pretty sure that dumbass earned his ticket out of town after that retarded incident.


Marcin Gortat’s agent is telling teams he already has a full midlevel offer. League executives think it is likely from the Houston Rockets, who met with Gortat after midnight on Wednesday.



Brian Cardinal, anyone? (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/brian_cardinal/career_stats.html) 6 years, 37 million. It pales in comparison to the numbers on Dampier's contract...

The story is that Heisley was frustrated with Jerry West's lack of results, and walked into his office demanding to know why he wasn't getting players signed. So West immediately called Cardinal's agent and offered him the full MLE, then turned to Heisley and said, "There. Happy now?" They swear it's a true story, and it's about the only way that contract makes sense. It's safe to say the Spurs are in no danger of anything remotely like that deal.

[Obstructed_View]

Gortat was abused by Odom when he tried to guard him.

You mean when Odom was hitting threes and running the floor? I can't imagine why.

[EricB]

A team would be nuts to pay him anymore than the MLE.

[Spurs Brazil]

Marcin Gortat’s agent is telling teams he already has a full midlevel offer. League executives think it is likely from the Houston Rockets, who met with Gortat after midnight on Wednesday.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ApYIUnOjeceWQAaZyjIDaJu8vLYF?slug=aw-gordonvillanueva070109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Sobe_Kucks]

Gortat could be a nice fit there, or he could eat up a good chunk of cap for the next few years. It's dangerous with a player like him to commit too much. It reminds me of when someone gave Jim McIlvaine thirty million dollars.

Or when the same franchise (Houston) gave Kelvin Cato a $42million dollar extension. I'd like to think their GM is a little smarter than that now. Either way... they are making a huge push for Gortat since they are in scramble mode with Yao's future up in the air.

[Obstructed_View]

A team would be nuts to pay him anymore than the MLE.

A team without a center that took the Lakers to seven games would be stupid not to pay to get a guy that can block shots, rebound and defend in the post.

[robbie380]

richard justice, a reliable houston reporter, was on the radio earlier and bluntly stated that the rockets did not offer the full mle and would not be raising their offer to the full mle.

[ploto]

Marcin Gortat’s agent is telling teams he already has a full midlevel offer.

Agent is trying to drive up the price- or force some team to up their offer.

[yavozerb]

richard justice, a reliable houston reporter, was on the radio earlier and bluntly stated that the rockets did not offer the full mle and would not be raising their offer to the full mle.

I am going to laugh at the team that believes this guy can play 30+ minutes against starters and produce good numbers...But hey, as long as it isn't the spurs who throw mle kind of money its all good.

[50 cent]

Then they probably won't get him as it sounds like Orlando is prepared to match up to $4M a year. It's going to take the full MLE to pull Gortat away.

[duncan228]

Rockets offer Gortat contract (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/07/01/rockets.gortat.ap/index.html)

The Houston Rockets launched an all-out bid to sign Polish center Marcin Gortat on Wednesday, including an offer for the Orlando Magic backup player.

With the future of star Yao Ming uncertain, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey showed up at Gortat's home in Orlando just after midnight local time, virtually the minute that NBA teams were officially allowed to begin negotiating with free agents.

Morey even announced the meeting on his Facebook page and urged fans to leave notes for Gortat at an e-mail address -- [email protected]. Morey said that within 10 minutes of his face-to-face meeting with Gortat, more than 100 e-mails had already arrived and the number climbed above 2,000 by noon Wednesday.

"He was reading them with some intensity," Morey said in a phone interview. "He was impressed by the number of messages and how much the fans seem to care about their team. I knew Rockets fans would come through."

Morey said the Rockets made Gortat an offer, but would not divulge details.

"He's someone we've targeted for some time, even before this season," Morey said. "Although he's early in his career in terms of experience, we feel like he's a guy who has a lot of potential over time."

Gortat's agent, Guy Zucker, did not immediately return a phone message.

All the love for Gortat is driven by the uncertainty surrounding Yao. A team doctor said on Monday that the hairline fracture in Yao's left foot could potentially threaten his career.

The team said last week that Yao was out indefinitely and was seeking other medical opinions to plot a new course of treatment. Morey had no update on Yao's condition on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-11 Gortat averaged just 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds a game last season and 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds during the Magic's playoff run to the NBA finals. He's a restricted free agent, meaning the Magic can match any offer from another team to keep the player.

Gortat is one of the few true centers among this summer's crop of free agents, and the Rockets aren't the only team interested. The Dallas Mavericks jumped into the mix on Wednesday, too, sending coach Rick Carlisle to handle some of the recruiting.

Dallas is looking for a big man to back up starter Erick Dampier, though Dampier's expiring contract makes him a juicy trade target this offseason. The Mavericks may be dangling a bigger role for Gortat, either right away or by the start of the following season.

Dallas also can offer the chance to be part of a team that's won 50 games and made the playoffs each of the last nine years. With Dirk Nowitzki still in his prime, team owner Mark Cuban is doing all he can to win now -- something that might be tougher for the Rockets to do with Yao and Tracy McGrady recovering from serious injuries.

Morey said that the Rockets were looking for a reserve center even before the severity of Yao's injury was known. Dikembe Mutombo, who backed up Yao over the last five seasons, is retiring.

"We were targeting lots of players," Morey said. "We feel like Marcin would not only make a good backup, but also has the potential to be a solid starter."

[Marcus Bryant]

"He was reading them with some intensity," Morey said in a phone interview. "He was impressed by the number of messages and how much the fans seem to care about their team. I knew Rockets fans would come through."

My God, that's fucking stupid. And of course, Jethro in Liberty County was sending the Big Pole an email at midnight while dry humping his Clutch the Bear doll.

One wonders what a certain Greek in Montrose was doing...

[Mavs<Spurs]

my god, that's fucking stupid. And of course, jethro in liberty county was sending the big pole an email at midnight while dry humping his clutch the bear doll.

One wonders what a certain greek in montrose was doing...

+ 1.

[Spurs Brazil]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4299705

Rockets, Mavs chasing Gortat

By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com
Archive
Restricted free agent Marcin Gortat was scheduled to meet Wednesday with the Dallas Mavericks, ESPN.com learned, making the Mavs the second Texas team to personally court the Orlando center in the first 24 hours of free agency.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Moray showed up at Gortat's home in Orlando just after midnight ET Wednesday, virtually the minute teams were officially allowed to begin negotiating with free agents. Morey even announced the meeting on his Facebook page and urged fans to leave notes for Gortat at an e-mail address -- [email protected].





"He was reading them with some intensity," Morey said. "He was impressed by the number of messages and how much the fans seem to care about their team. I knew Rockets fans would come through."

A third Texas team, the San Antonio Spurs, also was making a play for the 6-foot-11 center from Poland who spent the past two seasons backing up Dwight Howard with the Magic. Other teams that have expressed interest include the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, a league source told ESPN.com.

Orlando has the right to match any offer Gortat receives, but such a move would put the Magic far into luxury tax territory. The Magic's other key free agent, Hedo Turkoglu, is unrestricted, and Orlando has similar luxury tax concerns in deciding whether to retain him. Turkoglu was scheduled to meet Tuesday night with Blazers coach Nate McMillan, then fly to Portland later this week.

Gortat has only two years of NBA experience, putting him into a category known as an "Early Bird" free agent.

The "Early Bird" rules were changed in the last collective bargaining agreement after the Washington Wizards signed Gilbert Arenas to an offer sheet that the Golden State Warriors were unable to match because of their existing salary cap commitments.

Under the new rules, no team can offer Gortat more than the mid-level exception (expected to be about $5.8 million for the upcoming season) in the first two years of any offer sheet.

But a team could include a third year (and a fourth and/or fifth) at any number up to the maximum allowed under collective bargaining rules -- provided that the team tendering the offer sheet has enough space under the cap to absorb Gortat's new cap number, which would be different from his actual salary. (For instance, Oklahoma City could offer a three-year deal with salaries of $5.8 million, $6.2 million and $12 million, which would put Gortat on their cap for $8 million -- $24 million divided by three -- in each of the next three seasons. But if Orlando were to match such an offer, Gortat's actual salary, not his average, would go on the Magic's cap.)

Gortat's agent, Guy Zucker, said Morey even showed up in Orlando with a Rockets jersey with Gortat's name on it. He also said his client was interested in the Rockets.

"We had planned to meet teams later on in the process," Zucker said. "So this was a big surprise. The jersey with his name on it really caught him off-guard."

Morey said the Rockets made Gortat an offer, but would not divulge details.

"He's someone we've targeted for some time, even before this season," Morey said. "Although he's early in his career in terms of experience, we feel like he's a guy who has a lot of potential over time."

All the love for Gortat is driven by the uncertainty surrounding Yao Ming after the team doctor said Monday that the hairline fracture in Yao's left foot could threaten his career. The team said last week that Yao was out indefinitely and was seeking other medical opinions to plot a new course of treatment. Morey had no update on Yao's condition on Wednesday.

Gortat averaged just 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds a game last season and 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds during the Magic's playoff run to the NBA Finals.

Dallas is looking for a big man to back up starter Erick Dampier, though Dampier's expiring contract makes him a juicy trade target this offseason. The Mavericks may be dangling a bigger role for Gortat, either right away or by the start of the following season.

Dallas also can offer the chance to be part of a team that's won 50 games and made the playoffs each of the last nine years. With Dirk Nowitzki still in his prime, team owner Mark Cuban is doing all he can to win now -- something that might be tougher for the Rockets to do with Yao and Tracy McGrady recovering from serious injuries.

Morey said that the Rockets were looking for a reserve center even before the severity of Yao's injury was known. Dikembe Mutombo, who backed up Yao over the last five seasons, is retiring.

"We were targeting lots of players," Morey said. "We feel like Marcin would not only make a good backup, but also has the potential to be a solid starter."

Zucker said Gortat was very tempted by the Rockets' offer. Houston pressed the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the second round of the playoffs and Zucker said that performance is a factor in Gortat's decision.

"It is a great potential situation," Zucker said. "It's a team with a great winning tradition, a very good roster and very good character. The team played extremely well in the playoffs and showed incredible spirit against the Lakers. It is a very interesting situation to Marcin."

Another offseason priority for the Rockets was re-signing Ron Artest, who is an unrestricted free agent after earning more than $7 million in a productive first season with Houston. Morey said he has contacted Artest's agent, David Bauman, to open negotiations. Bauman would not comment on the progress so far.


Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[ploto]

Under the new rules, no team can offer Gortat more than the mid-level exception (expected to be about $5.8 million for the upcoming season) in the first two years of any offer sheet.

But a team could include a third year (and a fourth and/or fifth) at any number up to the maximum allowed under collective bargaining rules -- provided that the team tendering the offer sheet has enough space under the cap to absorb Gortat's new cap number, which would be different from his actual salary. (For instance, Oklahoma City could offer a three-year deal with salaries of $5.8 million, $6.2 million and $12 million, which would put Gortat on their cap for $8 million -- $24 million divided by three -- in each of the next three seasons. But if Orlando were to match such an offer, Gortat's actual salary, not his average, would go on the Magic's cap.)

Useful info.

[GSH]

This from a Polish newspaper:

"NBA Magic have no intention of wasting a Pole, and is likely to offer him a new contract."


Heh... I like that. A Pole is a terrible thing to waste.

[MarHill]

I actually wanted Gortat on the Spurs. He would fill a piece of the puzzle in order for them win to a championship.

But, it looks like its going to take the full MLE to get him. I don't know if the Spurs wanted to do that.

[kingmalaki]

You guys are underrating Gortat. He isn't a stud, but he is an average NBA center...and those cost you right around what the MLE goes for. The guy has decent athleticism for his size, he can finish, he can board and he is a solid defender. All of those traits would be very noticeable if you watched him play in the postseason. He also defends the pick-n-roll well and did ok in the Magic's offense....so I think he would do ok in Adelman's motion offense.

[Shank]

I'm fairly certain it was the Mavs that offered him the full MLE. They've long had a hard-on for Gortat.

[45 bank shot]

I just hope the door of FA bigs won't close for us

[wildbill2u]

Houston is deperate with Yao out for the season and maybe forever. They have NO center at this point.

[Holt's Cat]

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/sports/pro/basketball&sa=NBA&eid=4299705


A third Texas team, the San Antonio Spurs, also was making a play for the 6-foot-11 center from Poland who spent the past two seasons backing up Dwight Howard with the Magic. Other teams that have expressed interest include the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, a league source told ESPN.com.

Oh God.

[kbrury]

Spurs are probably contacting everyone they are interested in if Plan A doesn't work.

[benefactor]

It's never a bad thing to keep all options open.

[FkLA]

Do not want.

[timvp]

The native of Poland has become one of the hottest free agents in the league with Houston and San Antonio also hot for him.

The Mavericks aren't saying anything about whether they are on the brink of an agreement with Gortat. He likely would cost the entire mid-level exception (about $5.5 million for the first year). If that were stretched out five years, the deal would be worth more than $30 million.

http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/07/mavs-in-the-hunt-for-gortat.html


Gortat on a full MLE contract doesn't make much sense. The Spurs would have to be 99% sure he's not a bust ... and I just don't know how they could do that with the sample size at hand ... and skewed sample, at that.

[loveforthegame]

If Dallas signs him for that contract I think they have some deal lined up that ships Dampier out.