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View Full Version : Could Sterling be getting religion?



picnroll
07-17-2003, 11:47 AM
Sterling is making loud noise that he'll re-sign Brand and Maggette and retain Odom. They're letting Miller go but making noise they'll go after Arenas. The Clipper website had Brand, Maggette, Odom, Miller, Olowakandi, & Q as part of its rotating banner. Now, it has Brand, Maggette, Odom, Q and Dunleavy. Also the Clips Staples lease is up in two years and if they don't have a competitive team they could either get booted or have their lease rate go up substantially.

Is Sterling looking at the impending decline of the Lakers post 2004 and deciding it's time to be the big dog in town? Are Laker's bandwaggoners going to be making a mass migration form the Lakers' Staple Center to the Clippers Staple Center? Is Pat Reilly about to get royally screwed? Is any of this possible. Nahhh. Must be some alternate universe?

Two things for sure. If Sterling is getting religion we'll know if in fifteen days if he reels back iin Brand and Maggette. And if Sterling is getting religion Kobe is outa LA because he isn't going to want to be playing for th LA Scrubs.
link to article (http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6322196.htm)

Brand signs Heat offer sheet
REPORT: CLIPPERS PLAN TO PURSUE ARENAS TO FILL ANDRE MILLER'S SPOT
Mercury News Wire Services

Free agent Elton Brand signed an offer sheet with the Miami Heat on Wednesday, forcing the Los Angeles Clippers to match the deal or lose the rights to the former All-Star forward.

The Clippers also face losing forward Corey Maggette, who signed a six-year offer sheet from the Utah Jazz, and point guard Andre Miller, who signed the Denver Nuggets' six-year, $51 million offer.

But, the Los Angeles Times is reporting, Clippers officials said privately that they will match offers to keep Brand and Maggette, but not Miller. The team then would join the pursuit of Warriors free-agent guard Gilbert Arenas.

The Clippers, who previously offered Brand an extension worth more than $60 million, have 15 days to match the offers.

``This organization has always been committed to winning,'' Heat Coach Pat Riley said in a statement. ``This offer sheet for Elton Brand is a continuance of that commitment to try to win and put the best possible players on the floor for our fans to enjoy.''

The Heat did not disclose terms of the offer sheet, which is believed to be six years for $84.2 million.

The offer sheets to Brand and Miller were believed to be structured to force the Clippers to make huge immediate lump-sum payments -- up to $28 million in Brand's case -- if the Clippers decide to match.

The Clippers already have lost unrestricted free agent Michael Olowokandi to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Coolidge
07-17-2003, 12:50 PM
The Clippers always talk. They've said they would pursue max free agents before and then nothing happens.

CosmicCowboyXXX
07-17-2003, 12:54 PM
I still think they will match Brand...they have already offerred him basically the same deal less one year and without the front load...I don't see that as being the deal killer...plus Maggette's deal is not that expensive...I could see him matching both...

Coolidge
07-17-2003, 12:56 PM
The front load is the key. Sterling won't match that.

CosmicCowboyXXX
07-17-2003, 12:58 PM
interest rates are at historic lows...

it wouldn't cost shit to borrow the front load...:rolleyes

kohai
07-17-2003, 12:58 PM
Brand and Magette would be my guess. Everybody else walks.

CosmicCowboyXXX
07-17-2003, 12:59 PM
I agree...

I think if we offered Odom a 6 year deal starting at about 7 million Sterling would not match after taking down Brand and Maggette...

picnroll
07-17-2003, 01:02 PM
Brand and Maggette get signed and Odom and Arenas might come for a lesser deal just to be in LA and be with buddies. How sweet you think it would be for these guys to finally be the dogs of LA after being in the Lakers' shadows?

Coolidge
07-17-2003, 01:05 PM
It doesn't matter how low the cost would be, Cowboy. Sterling has proven time and time again to not be willing to take on long term financial commitments.

With respect to the frontloading Sterling would have far more profitable uses for borrowed funds than to use them on some player. Ditto for his cash on hand.

CosmicCowboyXXX
07-17-2003, 01:11 PM
NBA minimum salary rules virtually require him to pay at least one...you are trying to say that Sterling never pays big long contracts but he has already offered Brand a 5 year contract starting at max dollars... adding one more year is no big deal...and the front load on the contract just means he receives less than he would otherwise in years 2-6...

Coolidge
07-17-2003, 01:13 PM
He's not going to commit that much to one player. Carrying a contract like that means that he has to get coverage for the risk of a severe injury to Brand as well.

CosmicCowboyXXX
07-17-2003, 01:14 PM
whatever

lets just agree to disagree...

we will know who is right in 14 days...

Aggie Hoopsfan
07-17-2003, 01:32 PM
With respect to the frontloading Sterling would have far more profitable uses for borrowed funds than to use them on some player. Ditto for his cash on hand.

The guy profited 45 million dollars this past season, you think he can't come up with the money?

AHF

Coolidge
07-17-2003, 01:46 PM
You are missing the point, Aggie. He would like for that to continue. Doling out a max contract doesn't fit with the way he operates that team. He's been successful financially because he doesn't operate the way you seem to think he should. Just because he has that money doesn't mean he's going to spend it.

Aggie Hoopsfan
07-17-2003, 01:50 PM
Well the guy is facing being kicked out of his lease here after the 05 season if he doesn't field a competitive team.

Reports out of LA today say that they will match Brand and Maggette and also offer an extension to Odom.

AHF

Coolidge
07-17-2003, 01:53 PM
None of us know what the terms of that lease are but I don't see Sterling entering into a deal like that. It's not like the Clippers were that great of a draw even with all their young talent.

ducks
07-17-2003, 02:01 PM
well it will be intersting if he pays them how well they will play. last year they did not play as a team. will they next year now they have gotten paid. They have the talent and could make the playoffs IF THEY PLAYED TEAM BALL.
They need a point and I think they might even call on speedy. if sterling is goign to max three players he is going to want to win to. making the playoffs will make more money.

maybe sign and trade speedy for those cheap guys.

that is assuming speedy wants to go the clippers.

gospurs21
07-17-2003, 02:08 PM
the only reason Speedy would agree to a sign and trade is to go to a team that is over the cap. Do you just pull this shit out of your butt or what?

Speedy will not go to the clippers. Even if he did, they could just sign him outright.

Go Spurs...

ducks
07-17-2003, 02:11 PM
No gospurs

I took this from the espn insider


trading one low-priced player like Marko Jaric, Quentin Richardson, Chris Wilcox or Keyon Dooling to a team with cap space for a future first-rounde

and sterling is cheap if he is going to max three players then he might do a sign and trade to take some salary back.

also speedy is on good terms with pop so pop might convince him to do that.

the spurs could have made him a restriced fa but they choise not to. speedy might thank him

Aggie Hoopsfan
07-17-2003, 02:20 PM
I think if Sterling is going to take on three big contracts he'd rather have Jaric on a rookie deal than Speedy on a deal that starts in the neighborhood of the MLE.

AHF

ducks
07-17-2003, 02:25 PM
yeah but if he pays all that money he wants them to make the playoffs and make more money.

he is also is after arenas. and arenas deal would start out at 7.5 million

speedy may want to go east anyhow. he would be stupid not to.

Aggie Hoopsfan
07-17-2003, 02:50 PM
As much as I like Speedy, you're fooling yourself to think that Speedy, at a deal starting at about 5 million, is anywhere near as good as Arenas is for just 2 mil more.

AHF

ducks
07-17-2003, 02:52 PM
I do not think he is as good but I do not think clippers will land him either. speedy is alot of people's plan b