NBA Free Agency’s Winners And Losers

[duncan228]

NBA free agency’s winners and losers (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-winnerslosers071109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
By Adrian Wojnarowski

As the rejections and criticisms mounted lately, NBA executives and agents described Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard as “agitated” and “panicked” and even “desperate.” He kept returning to teams with the same proposals, only to be dismissed again and again. All his plans had imploded.

Pritchard has long liked to talk about never laying up on the golf course and burning through cell batteries and the way that the Blazers had outworked and outsmarted the NBA. Few have been terribly impressed with how Pritchard handled the highs of the job, and now there are doubts about how he’s handling its lows.

After the first 10 days of free agency, so far Pritchard stands as the summer’s biggest loser.

Hedo Turkoglu humiliated him with an 11th-hour dash for Toronto. By then, Trevor Ariza had already taken the Houston Rockets’ money. Pritchard couldn’t pry Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince nor Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich. The job wasn’t as hard when owner Paul Allen gave him tens of millions of buy up draft picks, but free agency is a far more level playing field. Truth be told, Pritchard has failed.

All this cap space, all these big plans, and Pritchard offered a $34 million offer sheet for Paul Millsap to play behind LaMarcus Aldridge. They need a small forward, but he refused to make a bid for the most talented one on the market – the Los Angeles Lakers’ Lamar Odom.

Odom could’ve been had for the Blazers, but Pritchard has, for now, committed his money to a backup power forward. He could’ve dented the Lakers and met his most pressing need with Odom’s length, athleticism and versatility.

For every advantage Pritchard had in assembling these Blazers, he’s struggling with the next step: managing it all.

Pritchard’s greatest gift has been his ability to persuade owner Paul Allen to spend money. Now, Pritchard is struggling to convince Allen to give Brandon Roy a full five-year max extension. The process has increasingly stunned and angered Roy. Whatever anyone thinks, no one has had more to do with the Blazers’ revival than Roy.

Beyond that, Pritchard has a problem with one of the most well-regarded coaches in the NBA: Nate McMillan doesn’t want to sign a contract extension. He’s tried to explain his desire for one-year contracts as some kind of self-motivational tool, but no one buys it. It’s clear that McMillan wants to be a free agent in 2011.

“He knows Portland isn’t the last place he’ll be,” a league source said. “Everyone will want him.”

Multiple league sources believe there’s a wedge between Pritchard and McMillan, but both general manager and coach have long denied it. Even so, it makes league officials wonder how deeply McMillan believes in his boss’ blueprint that he refuses to commit long-term to it.

The rapid rise is over in Portland, and now, Kevin Pritchard has to manage his creation. So far, he’s endured the most rugged summer of his executive career. Here’s the rest of the losers and winners in free agency.

Losers

• David Lee, Trevor Ariza’s agent

His tough talk and chest thumping bought his client, Trevor Ariza, a one-way ticket to post-Yao lottery land in Houston – for essentially the same contract the Lakers were willing to pay him. Way to earn your 4 percent, David.

• The New York Knicks

So, what happened to everyone dying to play for Mike D’Antoni in New York? So far, the AARP free agents – Jason Kidd and Grant Hill – used New York as leverage for more money in Dallas and Phoenix.

Now, the shrinking 2010 salary cap makes the chances of luring LeBron James even less likely. James would have to take even less money to go the Knicks, and there’s little chance New York will have the room for a second max-out free agent. Without it, New York can forget James.

• Lamar Odom

His agent has been desperately trying to find a sign-and-trade around the league, but there’s little there but the Lakers’ offer of $7 million per season. Odom had a terrific playoffs and Finals on L.A’s championship run, but he has few options to make the Lakers raise their offer. Why has Portland so far sat it out with him? It still makes no sense.

Winners

• Tim Duncan

Spurs executives Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford aggressively remade the Spurs into the Lakers biggest challenger again. Now, Duncan, 32, has a legitimate chance to beat Shaq and Kobe to a fifth championship.

Richard Jefferson gives the Spurs a younger, more athletic scorer and defender. Antonio McDyess was the Spurs’ top priority in free agency. Perhaps DeJuan Blair’s knees won’t last a decade in the NBA, but for a minimal second-round investment he could contribute through what’s left of Duncan’s window. They just need Manu Ginobili to be himself again.

Spurs owner Peter Holt has boldly pushed his franchise into the luxury tax for next season, a small-market owner hell-bent on winning another championship.

• Marcin Gortat

As a 12-minute-a-game center for the Orlando Magic, Gortat scored himself a five-year, $34 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, two sources familiar with Orlando’s plans believe Magic GM Otis Smith is strongly considering to match the offer and keep the 7-footer.

• Joe Dumars and Bryan Colangelo

This was the summer to get the most out of your money in free agency, and the GMs of the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors understood that waiting for 2010 wasn’t the wisest move.

Dumars gets a terrific young core with free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva and can still use Prince or Richard Hamilton as chips for a frontline big man. Utah’s Carlos Boozer still lingers as a possibility.

Colangelo stole Turkoglu out of Portland’s clutches, and then worked a sign-and-trade with Orlando to spare his mid-level exception. Colangelo won’t give up on convincing Chris Bosh to stay with Toronto.

• Eastern contenders

Despite the bleak economic climate, ownership in Boston, Cleveland and Orlando pushed themselves deep into luxury tax for next season. The arms race in the East escalated with Shaquille O’Neal to the Cavs, Vince Carter to the Magic and Rasheed Wallace to the Celtics. Nevertheless, this has been a summer of the haves and have-nots. Those with a chance to win are going for it, and yet a lot of the NBA is determined to cut costs and spare themselves financial losses.

[Shastafarian]

• Marcin Gortat

As a 12-minute-a-game center for the Orlando Magic, Gortat scored himself a five-year, $34 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, two sources familiar with Orlando’s plans believe Magic GM Otis Smith is strongly considering to match the offer and keep the 7-footer.



:lmao

[Libri]

Antonio McDyess was the Spurs’ top priority in free agency.So it was McDyess and not Wallace?

[SonOfAGun]

a small-market owner hell-bent on winning another championship.

yeeeeehaw

[Blackjack]

Antonio McDyess was the Spurs’ top priority in free agency.

Has Ludden, in an effort to seperate himself from the Spurs, been handing of his Spurs information to Wojnarowski?

Maybe he just meant that finding a starting-4 was there top priority, but it's been a little odd that all of the breaking Spurs news and better insights/tidbits have been brought to light by Wojnarowski..

[Libri]

the AARP free agents – Jason Kidd and Grant Hill:lol

[Blackjack]

Is it me, or is it kind of funny how people seem to be taking pleasure in Pritchard's perceived comeuppance?:lmao

[Spurs Brazil]

Two interesting things:


Antonio McDyess was the Spurs’ top priority in free agency.


Gortat scored himself a five-year, $34 million offer sheet from the Dallas Mavericks. Nevertheless, two sources familiar with Orlando’s plans believe Magic GM Otis Smith is strongly considering to match the offer and keep the 7-footer.

[toki9]

What's the rep on Pritchard? Seems like a lot of people enjoy watching him fail. Is he just not liked around the league? Anybody with some insight?

[Spurs Brazil]

Is it me, or is it kind of funny how people seem to be taking pleasure in Pritchard's perceived comeuppance?:lmao

Wojnarowski also wrote an article last season critisizing Pritchard a lot and now he comes with this.


Miles separated Blazers GM from greatness
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
Jan 17, 7:50 pm EST

The bully-boy bluff ends now because the Portland Trail Blazers always were without the guts to file a lawsuit over Darius Miles. Their threatening email had been a desperate final act of a franchise awash in arrogance. Blazers officials hoped the threat of Paul Allen’s riches could scare the NBA. Mostly, it made everyone laugh.


For whatever hollow intimidation they used to try to stop the signing of Miles, Blazers officials understood this: They were the last people who would’ve wanted to go under oath about the behind-the-scenes machinations of Miles’ injury retirement. Only the Blazers would’ve been on trial. Only they would’ve had to answer the most uncomfortable of questions.

From leaked drug tests and public proclamations of private medical records to trashing Miles to rival executives and daring to claim him off waivers to stash him away on the inactive list, Portland’s front office acted in bad form and bad faith. Yes, the Jail Blazers lived again.


So sure, go ahead and sue the Memphis Grizzlies for signing a player to a 10-day contract who had 13 points in a quarter on LeBron James, then 10 points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes on the Utah Jazz. Miles played his 10th game of the season on Friday night, and this saga finally is over. His $18 million goes back on Portland’s salary cap, and the Blazers deserve the return of every cap-clogging cent.


It isn’t a matter of whether Miles can play in the NBA again, but how well and how long. If he’s just a 10-day contract player, well, he’s the best of those available on the market. When his deal ends Monday, several league executives told Yahoo! Sports they’ll contact his agent about signing him.


Memphis is expected to offer Miles a second 10-day contract, but there could be better opportunities for him.


“I’m pleased with the production Darius has had, especially considering that he’s been off the court for over a year and a half,” Miles’ agent, Jeff Wechsler said by phone on Saturday. “He’s shaken the rust off, and he’s been very productive in the games that he’s played.”

The irony of it all, of course, is that Miles has turned into an improbable teacher to the Blazers, giving them some lessons on professionalism and humility. Yes, he had been immature for most of his career. He had made terrible mistakes. Only now, he has grown up. After having him with the Celtics in the preseason, the Boston Celtics’ Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers believe it. So does more and more of the league now.


Through it all, Miles never wished ill will on Portland. His comeback never has been about costing them salary-cap space on his injury retirement case. Management wanted out of his $48 million contract in Portland and found a way. All along, Miles told the Blazers he would try to play again. He honored his word.


And the better he has looked, the worse it has reflected on Portland GM Kevin Pritchard. As much as anyone, this mess has exposed him. He wanted to be the star in the good times in Portland, wanted all the bouquets and bows for his work on the job. He started to believe his own clippings, his own mythology, and he thought he could get away with anything.


From the start, Pritchard stumbled into the one rabid NBA market where a general manager can aspire to celebrity. Portland declared Pritchard the Golden Boy, the Gambler, and played songs about him on the radio. Never once did he seem embarrassed. Never did he do much but furiously feed the rush to declare him a genius.

He bragged of draining three cell-phone batteries a day. He bought high-risk stocks, and he never laid up on a par-5. He loves those little details about himself getting into the papers. True? Who knows? It sure made for a fast-rising legend, though. He wanted everyone to believe that he worked harder and longer and smarter. Maybe he thought it all portrayed a confidence, but it mostly masked an insecurity.

He had taken the San Antonio Spurs’ computer scouting programs and made them bigger and better. “Kevin’s baby,” the local paper said the Blazers called it in their offices. Rip City wanted a hero to make the Jail Blazers go away, and Pritchard indulged himself in it all.

Portland owner Paul Allen gave Pritchard the biggest stack of chips to bring to the table, and Pritchard flaunted them to everyone. He stockpiled draft choices like Reagan did nuclear warheads, buying up millions of dollars worth of picks from cash-strapped teams over the past several seasons. He never has been afraid to rub that advantage into the faces of his peers. The Blazers still haven’t been to the playoffs under him, but any opposing GM on the wrong side of a deal with Portland is considered to have been Pritch-slapped.

It’s strange, but every transaction in Portland has been treated like a validation of Pritchard’s genius. Now, his apologists are blaming Paul Allen and president Larry Miller for the Miles mess, only it doesn’t work like that. Pritchard is the face of the franchise because he made it that way.


Pritchard has mismanaged the Miles situation from the beginning. Once the league doctor agreed that Miles’ knee injury was a career-ender, Pritchard’s dubious intentions came tumbling out of him.

“Two doctors said Darius had the worst microfracture injury they had ever seen,” he publicly said. “They would never have him play basketball, and the odds of having knee replacement surgery [are] high. I hear that, and as a general manager, I didn’t want it on my conscience – that I had a kid have to go through a knee replacement surgery.


“That’s a pretty major surgery. They saw [two bones] and replace [the knee]. It’s a bad deal.”

His conscience, huh? Those were words directed at the rest of the league, trying to tell every other team that Miles was too far gone for them to consider bringing back. He must have believed people were stupid. All around the NBA, it made everyone think: Pritchard sounds scared that Miles isn’t done at all. Why else would he be trying so hard to convince everyone otherwise?

Bad enough that Pritchard spoke out of turn on a player’s medical condition and possibly violated privacy laws, but it was clear that a campaign to frighten away potential teams was under way. From there, it went underground. If the Blazers couldn’t scare people on Miles’ knee, it wasn’t long, league executives say, until Portland turned to his character.


Pritchard has a great eye for talent, but that’s just the start of constructing a contender, a champion. The greats of his profession understand the humbling nature of the job – genius today, bum tomorrow – and mostly stay in the shadows, deflecting praise on coaches and players. Once you try to make yourself the star in the good times, you’re asking for trouble when they go bad. So now, his hubris has been Pritch-slapped into silence, and maybe in the long run, it’s the best thing that could’ve happened to the Blazers. Maybe they needed this sobering reminder of reality.

Portland loses cap space now, and it loses some respect. All that arrogance, all those threats and a 27-year-old that Kevin Pritchard and his posse had dismissed as character-free, as the last holdout of the Jail Blazers, taught them a lesson.


Yes, the Jail Blazers made a comeback this season.


Only this time, they wore suits.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-milespritchard011709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Shastafarian]

What's the rep on Pritchard? Seems like a lot of people enjoy watching him fail. Is he just not liked around the league? Anybody with some insight?

He came from the Spurs FO. I guess people are bitter he isn't deliberately sabotaging himself to help the Spurs win a ring. There's also the Batum Thievery*.

* - perceived thievery

[exstatic]

Is it me, or is it kind of funny how people seem to be taking pleasure in Pritchard's perceived comeuppance?:lmao


What's the rep on Pritchard? Seems like a lot of people enjoy watching him fail. Is he just not liked around the league? Anybody with some insight?

He was a complete dick regarding sending out that memo basically threatening every team in the league if they signed Darius Miles.

[Shastafarian]

He was a complete dick regarding sending out that memo basically threatening every team in the league if they signed Darius Miles.

Oh yeah I forgot about that. :lol The one good thing Memphis has done in the past few years.

[celldweller]

Antonio McDyess was the Spurs’ top priority in free agency

I think down deep inside we all thought that, but with Sheed around didn't want to believe it.

McDyess = Spurs Material
Wallace = Big name but not Spurs Material

[Marcus Bryant]

Spurs owner Peter Holt has boldly pushed his franchise into the luxury tax for next season, a small-market owner hell-bent on winning another championship.

One wonders if that will be the case for the 2010-11 season.

[CubanMustGo]

One wonders if that will be the case for the 2010-11 season.

Probably depends on the ROI for this year's moves ...

[ChumpDumper]

One wonders if that will be the case for the 2010-11 season.If the salary cap goes down even half as much as the doomsday scenarios, the Spurs obligations for that season will put them at or above the cap with about seven players on the roster. Resigning Manu or getting a player like him could put them into tax territory almost immediately.

[exstatic]

If the salary cap goes down even half as much as the doomsday scenarios, the Spurs obligations for that season will put them at or above the cap with about seven players on the roster. Resigning Manu or getting a player like him could put them into tax territory almost immediately.

What are the doomsday scenarios, CD?

[Phenomanul]

This doesn't even factor Patrick Mills' broken foot...

[timvp]

Antonio McDyess was the Spurs’ top priority in free agency.

Interesting. Wojo is pretty damn good about his info. He broke the RJ trade and the McDyess signing. He also broke the KT trade.

But ... we'll probably never know for sure.

Oh well, McDyess had to have been top two at worst.

[ChumpDumper]

What are the doomsday scenarios, CD?I think there is a thread about the NBA memo predicting a possible drop of $10 million over the next two years. Apparently it could drop anywhere from $4 to $7 million next season.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/07/lebron_james_more_likely_to_st.html

[benefactor]

He kept returning to teams with the same proposals, only to be dismissed again and again. All his plans had imploded.
Karma beeach.

[Tully365]

Wow, perceptions change fast in the NBA. Last summer there was a poll on spurstalk asking if RC should be fired and, amazingly, 50% said yes, with many of them using Pritchard as an example of how a good & aggressive GM should behave. Now RC is back to being lauded as an understated genius, and Pritchard gets written up as arrogant jerk....

[poeticism707]

Is it me, or is it kind of funny how people seem to be taking pleasure in Pritchard's perceived comeuppance?:lmao

Hopefully Pritchard redeems his professional reputation by either landing Odom, or making the Lakers pay far more than 7m per year.

[Bruno]

KP using his capspace for a backup PF is damn stupid.
The only way it makes sense is if they plan on trading Oden or Przybilla and play some minutes with a LA/Millsap frontcourt.
Spurs have had a awesome offseason, it's a day dream.
$34M for Gortat is unreal, it would be quite stupid for Magic to match it

[Dro210]

"Pritch-slapped".... lmao


Hopefully Pritchard redeems his professional reputation by either landing Odom, or making the Lakers pay far more than 7m per year.

I wish that were possible, but it's not even gonna have a chance to happen unless Utah matches Millsap's offer sheet... and I don't think that's very likely.

[Galileo]

So it was McDyess and not Wallace?

'Dice > 'Sheed

better PER, more double-doubles, better in regular season, better in playoffs, better team player, better at Center, better on D.

Dice was even drafted ahead of Sheed in 1995.

Sheed is on the way down, Dice is not, just look at their stats.

[poeticism707]

"Pritch-slapped".... lmao



I wish that were possible, but it's not even gonna have a chance to happen unless Utah matches Millsap's offer sheet... and I don't think that's very likely.

I think Utah matches Millsap's offer sheet from Portland because it is a very reasonable offer for him, keeps both Boozer and Millsap this year, and lets Boozer walk next summer as a UFA.

Then, Portland, in it's desperation, chases Odom, HARD.

[Dro210]

I think Utah matches Millsap's offer sheet from Portland because it is a very reasonable offer for him, keeps both Boozer and Millsap this year, and lets Boozer walk next summer as a UFA.

Then, Portland, in it's desperation, chases Odom, HARD.

I hope you're right.... I think Utah needs Millsap too

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

What's the rep on Pritchard? Seems like a lot of people enjoy watching him fail. Is he just not liked around the league? Anybody with some insight?

He had a wealth of first round draft picks the past couple of years and made some great picks, and also packaged some to create cap room, etc. He was labeled a shining star.

But his rep the past year so has been that he won't let himself 'lose' a trade, i.e., unless it makes Portland better and you worse, he ain't doing it, even if it makes financial/strategic sense for him to do so.

People around the league are tired of it apparently. Pretty funny.

Oh, and he's also obviously a dumbass for not going after Odom when the guy fulfills Portland's most glaring need.

[poeticism707]

I hope you're right.... I think Utah needs Millsap too

It's this simple:

the Lakers don't beat the newly stacked Spurs without Odom.

Odom keeps that horrible bench from being EXPOSED.

And with Odom's athleticism, height, ability, being able to play positions 1-5, he's IRREPLACEABLE FOR THE LAKERS.

Assuming both teams are healthy, the Lakers without Odom don't beat the Spurs, because they lose their big man versatility. If there is one player that is the poster child for the triangle, it's Odom.

Again, I think Utah matches that salary for Millsap. They'd be foolish not too: it's a real deal for what he is worth. That way, next summer they let Boozer walk, and can be SERIOUS PLAYERS in the 2010 free agency.

And based on what I'm seeing, Portland should easily be desperate enough to pursue Odom, and either get him or make the Lakers overpay.

Don't forget, that asking a semi-injury prone player like Odom to take a 1 year deal, even for 7m a year, is a HUGE RISK. Maybe he has another year like last year, and it's not a problem. Or maybe get's injured substantially, and can't even sniff a long term deal with the Lakers or anyone else.

If I were Odom, I'd have to leave my team, even it were the Spurs, for 1 year versus 4 years. It's not just about the money, it's the security.

So, I think Odom could definitely be enticed away because no one wants to gamble and lose it all.

[Dro210]

Yea, I agree with all of that... and I know losing Odom hurts the Lakers bad... That's why I hate Portland right now for not going after him yet.

[poeticism707]

Yea, I agree with all of that... and I know losing Odom hurts the Lakers bad... That's why I hate Portland right now for not going after him yet.

Yeah, I don't know what Pritchard is thinking. With all of the athleticism Portland has, Odom for only 4 years and 40m would be GREAT FOR THEM. He's very unselfish and get's teammates involved, doesn't need to score a lot, but he's a instant mismatch as soon as he steps on the floor.

Coupled with the fact that he's ONLY 29, and already proven himself as a NBA champion, it's a no brainer.

This could be the piece that puts the Blazers into contention, or worse case scenario gets them one piece away from contention.

With the overload of talent they have in Portland, Pritchard could easily trade away whatever he doesn't need for what he does, be it a point guard, or whatever.

So Pritchard is really showing how he loves to build up a great poker hand, but doesn't ever want to lay his cards on the table.

Hopefully Utah does both teams a favor and matches Millsap, and Pritchard wises up and get's Odom, and that would redeem all his prior mistakes.

[Spursmania]

Oh, and he's also obviously a dumbass for not going after Odom when the guy fulfills Portland's most glaring need.

Clearly his decision not to go after Odom plus giving Roy a hard time for wanting a 5 year contract underscores his inability to truly be a great GM. You think Roy is going to be real happy with this guy even if he gest his 5 year deal? These mistakes are glaring and undercut many of the positive perceptions people once had of him. He has been overestimated as a GM in my book.

Hopefully Utah matches Milsap's offer. Then this idiot would have no alternative but to go after Odom which is the player he should have gone after in the first place.

[Shastafarian]

Oh, and he's also obviously a dumbass for not going after Odom when the guy fulfills Portland's most glaring need.

Since when is Odom a PG?

[HarlemHeat37]

Odom doesn't fit with the Blazers at all, as I've been saying for weeks here..

[Buddy Holly]

Interesting that Odom's against is seeking s&t's. Mason, Finley and Bonner for Odom?

[Spursmania]

Brandon Roy to Blazers: "I've done everything I can."

by John Canzano, The Oregonian
Friday July 10, 2009, 2:25 PM

Brandon Roy told KJR radio in Seattle today that he's frustrated and disappointed with the Trail Blazers handling of his contract extension negotiations. He talked a lot about the hard work he's put in, and all he's done to make his dreams come true, and about being patient as he watches the good days and bad days come down the pipeline.

He wants to get a deal done and is confused as the rest of us as to why the left brainers in the organization are standing in the way.

I wrote about the Vulcan influence we're seeing on the Blazers operating procedure in today's column. I have the interview and will replay a portion of Roy's interview today on the Bald-Faced Truth radio show at 3:05 p.m. and we will discuss, but here's a couple of quotes from Roy.

On watching the negotiations: "I sit back and think about all the hard work I've put into my dream... excited about the opportunity to provide for my family. I go in... knowing that I've come into the league and I've done everything I can do to get a max contract."

On how he feels about the negotiations: "It's 50-50 right now... I'd love for something to get done so I can move forward and meet free agents..."

On whether he was involved in the Hedo Turkoglu recruitment: "Not playing much of any role. It's hard for me to go out and recruit Hedo for five years when I have only one year on my deal."

Well played by Roy's camp. It's absurd that the organization is misplaying this negotiation so badly. Sign the guy already.

[SenorSpur]

What's the rep on Pritchard? Seems like a lot of people enjoy watching him fail. Is he just not liked around the league? Anybody with some insight?

You can also trace part of this league-wide disdain for Pritchard back to last year with the Darius Miles fiasco. You may recall, Miles had suffered what appeared to be a series of chronic knee injuries. Several operations later, he was merely a shell of his former self. He had several operations over the period, which caused him to miss the better part of his last 2+ seasons with the Blazers. Blazers team doctors and other medical experts officially pronounced Miles' injuries as "career-ending". The Blazers later cut Miles a check and released him. As a benefit, the Blazers were allowed to reclaim about 9mil in salary cap room, resulting from an injury exception. Apparently, one of the conditions of the injury exception was if another NBA team picked him up, within a certain amount of time, and provided Miles passed the physicals and played a certain percentage of playing time with his new club, then the Blazers would be reassessed the 9mil salary cap charge.

The genius boy Pritichard decided to be the bully and go on the offensive by sending an email to all NBA teams and GMs warning them of consequences if any team electing to sign Miles to a contract. The threatening emails scared no one, yet the NBA office stepped in and reprimanded Pritchard. The Grizzlies signed Miles to a 10-day contract. Miles played well enough during those 10 days, that, at the conclusion of the 10-day contract, the Grizz signed him for the rest of the season. Though he only played sparingly the rest of the season, he played in enough games to allow the Blazers to be reassessed the 9mil cap charge.

Many around the NBA and on this forum were quite amused by that turn of events. It couldn't have happened to a nicer prick. :lol

[Sisk]

Probably depends on the ROI for this year's moves ...

+1 - in the end it is still a business

[poeticism707]

Interesting that Odom's against is seeking s&t's. Mason, Finley and Bonner for Odom?

Odom's agent is seeking sign and trades?

Even if he is though, the Lakers would rather suffer imprisonment and torture than trade him to the Spurs.

Lest he becomes another Horry helping the Spurs win more championships.

[Mr. Body]

I don't get Portland's refusal to go after Odom. Maybe they think a Oden/Odom lineup will be confusing for announcers?

He can play all three frontcourt positions, depending on lineup. And yes, despite what chickenshit Lakers fans around here say, he sure as hell can play the SF. He often does. He ameliorates their glaring need for a playmaking/above average poing guard with his own facilitation abilities. All else besides, it absolutely kills the Lakers. Since when are they such cocksuckers about the team down south?

[HarlemHeat37]

Odom can't play SF, he hasn't played there successfully since his early Miami days..he's much bigger now..his shooting is way too inconsistent to play the 3..I don't think I saw Jackson play him there even once this year..

I understand going for Odom instead of Millsapp, since they'd be acquiring either guy to play the backup 4, but I wouldn't go after Odom otherwise if I'm Portland..the rumor is that they wanna flip Millsapp, so it seems like that's what will happen..

[Supreme_Being]

Wow, perceptions change fast in the NBA. Last summer there was a poll on spurstalk asking if RC should be fired and, amazingly, 50% said yes, with many of them using Pritchard as an example of how a good & aggressive GM should behave. Now RC is back to being lauded as an understated genius, and Pritchard gets written up as arrogant jerk....

Welcome to SpursTalk.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I totally agree with the article's slant on Pritch. If Pritchard had gone to Lamar with 30mi/3yrs, 4th year partially guarunteed, Lamar would have jumped at it (he wants 10mil per), he would have filled a need for the Blazers and severely weakened the Lakers all in one shot. Instead, he's fucked it all up.

How do these NBA execs so often overlook the obvious course of action????

The Odom thing, and the reticence to sign Roy, suggest to me that, for whatever reason, Paul Allen doesn't want to spend... WTF???

[Kori Ellis]

Some people overlook that some GMs don't go after Odom because of the drug issues. Sure, it was a long time ago, but he's got enough violations that it scares off some teams.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Some people overlook that some GMs don't go after Odom because of the drug issues. Sure, it was a long time ago, but he's got enough violations that it scares off some teams.

Interesting point, especially as Portland is in the Pacific North-West, an area known for its fine cannabinoids! :smokin :lol

It's also hilarious that society has such a double standard where THC and alcohol are concerned, but that's another matter entirely and I will now shut my trap.

[CaptainLate]

I think Utah matches Millsap's offer sheet from Portland because it is a very reasonable offer for him, keeps both Boozer and Millsap this year, and lets Boozer walk next summer as a UFA.

You don't ever let someone like a Boozer "walk". Even if you get the bad end of a deal you go get SOMETHING!