ducks
07-14-2005, 09:53 AM
Daniels would like to follow McMillan to Trail Blazers
The eight-year veteran free agent guard played the past two seasons in Seattle for Portland's new coach
Thursday, July 14, 2005
JIM BESEDA
The Oregonian
LAS VEGAS -- Free agent guard Antonio Daniels is considering an opportunity to rejoin the Trail Blazers and said Wednesday he hopes to be able to make a decision by the end of the week.
Daniels and his agent had dinner Tuesday night with Blazers general manager John Nash, player personnel director Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan.
McMillan coached Daniels the past two seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, and the two talked briefly after McMillan took the Portland job last week.
"I played my best basketball under Nate, and I don't think that was by accident," Daniels said while watching some of Wednesday's Vegas Summer League games at UNLV's Cox Pavilion. "As a former player, he understands a lot about the game, and one thing I love about him is he finds a way to bring out the best in his players.
"And he's always straight up with me. I'm being honest; you can't take that for granted."
The Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland, Toronto, Utah and Washington also have shown an interest in the 6-foot-4 point guard and eight-year veteran, who averaged a career-high 11.2 points and 4.1 assists in a reserve role last season.
Nash rated the Blazers' interest level as "real" but downplayed the notion that an agreement with Daniels is imminent. He said Tuesday's dinner meeting with agent Tony Dutt was more of an "exploratory conversation, and we're still assessing the situation, trying to determine what options we have."
The Blazers have committed to an estimated $58 million in salary for next season and have a mid-level exception worth a projected $5.2 million to spend. If the Blazers decide to use all or some of that on Daniels, it could push their payroll over the luxury-tax threshold, which Nash said the team wouldn't do.
The league is still awaiting ratification of the collective bargaining agreement before it sets this season's tax threshold, and Nash said the Blazers won't make offers to free agents until after he knows the threshold.
"It would be misleading for me to say we're at a point where we're prepared to make a commitment," Nash said. "We're just trying to determine what players are interested in us, and at some point we will begin to get serious, but until we get those numbers we can't be."
Nash also said the Blazers have plans to meet with several other free agents before July 22 -- the first day free agents can sign contracts.
And if Daniels' plan is to make a decision by the end of the week, Nash said that might not match the Blazers' timetable.
"I'm afraid we're not prepared to move that quickly," Nash said. "But he has other options also, so he very well could make a decision by the end of the week. Until we know what the numbers are with regard to the collective bargaining agreement, we're still a little bit hesitant to get too serious with anybody."
Daniels earned an estimated $2.2 million last season and opted out of the final year of what was a three-year contract to become a free agent. He is looking for another multiyear deal, and he doesn't seem convinced that the Blazers are as serious about watching the bottom line as Nash has said.
"Honestly, I can't afford to worry about what Nash says to the media," Daniels said. "I have to be concerned with what he says to my agent and to me.
"At the end of the day, they're going to do what they do. Whether or not they choose to spend the mid-level exception or not, that's totally on them."
Dutt, who also represents Blazers guard Derek Anderson, said Daniels has been offered the full mid-level exception by at least two teams and also has at least one offer of a five-year deal.
"We've been offered less in other places, and we've got to evaluate everything in order to make a good decision at some point," Dutt said Wednesday before huddling with Blazers President Steve Patterson during the Blazers' 79-74 loss to Cleveland.
The Vancouver Grizzlies selected Daniels fourth in the 1997 NBA draft, and he spent one season with the Grizzlies before being traded to San Antonio. After four seasons with the Spurs, he played one season in Portland and signed as a free agent with the Sonics before the 2003-04 season.
Notes:
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey accused former Sonics assistant Dean Demopoulos of backing out of an agreement to join his staff to accept McMillan's offer to become an assistant with the Blazers. Demopoulos was in Las Vegas and sat with McMillan during Wednesday's game but declined to comment. McMillan said he has an opening for Demopoulos on his staff "if his heart is into it," but said nothing has been made official. . . . Former Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe also sat with McMillan and is considered another candidate for his staff. . . . Former Blazers assistant Jim Lynam has accepted an offer to join Maurice Cheeks' staff in Philadelphia.
Jim Beseda: 503-221-8380; [email protected]
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/sports/112133531991281.xml&coll=7
The eight-year veteran free agent guard played the past two seasons in Seattle for Portland's new coach
Thursday, July 14, 2005
JIM BESEDA
The Oregonian
LAS VEGAS -- Free agent guard Antonio Daniels is considering an opportunity to rejoin the Trail Blazers and said Wednesday he hopes to be able to make a decision by the end of the week.
Daniels and his agent had dinner Tuesday night with Blazers general manager John Nash, player personnel director Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan.
McMillan coached Daniels the past two seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, and the two talked briefly after McMillan took the Portland job last week.
"I played my best basketball under Nate, and I don't think that was by accident," Daniels said while watching some of Wednesday's Vegas Summer League games at UNLV's Cox Pavilion. "As a former player, he understands a lot about the game, and one thing I love about him is he finds a way to bring out the best in his players.
"And he's always straight up with me. I'm being honest; you can't take that for granted."
The Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland, Toronto, Utah and Washington also have shown an interest in the 6-foot-4 point guard and eight-year veteran, who averaged a career-high 11.2 points and 4.1 assists in a reserve role last season.
Nash rated the Blazers' interest level as "real" but downplayed the notion that an agreement with Daniels is imminent. He said Tuesday's dinner meeting with agent Tony Dutt was more of an "exploratory conversation, and we're still assessing the situation, trying to determine what options we have."
The Blazers have committed to an estimated $58 million in salary for next season and have a mid-level exception worth a projected $5.2 million to spend. If the Blazers decide to use all or some of that on Daniels, it could push their payroll over the luxury-tax threshold, which Nash said the team wouldn't do.
The league is still awaiting ratification of the collective bargaining agreement before it sets this season's tax threshold, and Nash said the Blazers won't make offers to free agents until after he knows the threshold.
"It would be misleading for me to say we're at a point where we're prepared to make a commitment," Nash said. "We're just trying to determine what players are interested in us, and at some point we will begin to get serious, but until we get those numbers we can't be."
Nash also said the Blazers have plans to meet with several other free agents before July 22 -- the first day free agents can sign contracts.
And if Daniels' plan is to make a decision by the end of the week, Nash said that might not match the Blazers' timetable.
"I'm afraid we're not prepared to move that quickly," Nash said. "But he has other options also, so he very well could make a decision by the end of the week. Until we know what the numbers are with regard to the collective bargaining agreement, we're still a little bit hesitant to get too serious with anybody."
Daniels earned an estimated $2.2 million last season and opted out of the final year of what was a three-year contract to become a free agent. He is looking for another multiyear deal, and he doesn't seem convinced that the Blazers are as serious about watching the bottom line as Nash has said.
"Honestly, I can't afford to worry about what Nash says to the media," Daniels said. "I have to be concerned with what he says to my agent and to me.
"At the end of the day, they're going to do what they do. Whether or not they choose to spend the mid-level exception or not, that's totally on them."
Dutt, who also represents Blazers guard Derek Anderson, said Daniels has been offered the full mid-level exception by at least two teams and also has at least one offer of a five-year deal.
"We've been offered less in other places, and we've got to evaluate everything in order to make a good decision at some point," Dutt said Wednesday before huddling with Blazers President Steve Patterson during the Blazers' 79-74 loss to Cleveland.
The Vancouver Grizzlies selected Daniels fourth in the 1997 NBA draft, and he spent one season with the Grizzlies before being traded to San Antonio. After four seasons with the Spurs, he played one season in Portland and signed as a free agent with the Sonics before the 2003-04 season.
Notes:
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey accused former Sonics assistant Dean Demopoulos of backing out of an agreement to join his staff to accept McMillan's offer to become an assistant with the Blazers. Demopoulos was in Las Vegas and sat with McMillan during Wednesday's game but declined to comment. McMillan said he has an opening for Demopoulos on his staff "if his heart is into it," but said nothing has been made official. . . . Former Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe also sat with McMillan and is considered another candidate for his staff. . . . Former Blazers assistant Jim Lynam has accepted an offer to join Maurice Cheeks' staff in Philadelphia.
Jim Beseda: 503-221-8380; [email protected]
http://www.oregonlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/sports/112133531991281.xml&coll=7