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LaMarcus loves hearing all PF's names around
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindbla...er_for_ut.html
After a series of trades fell through this week, the Trail Blazers have settled on their next target: Utah power forward Paul Millsap.
Although Millsap is a restricted free agent, meaning the Jazz can match any offer, the Blazers are preparing what one source called a "toxic" offer designed to exterminate interest from other teams.
Millsap, 24, is a bruising and active player who excels at rebounding. Despite being only 6-foot-8, Millsap last season used his 250-pound frame to average 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game. His 3.3 offensive rebounds per game ranked fourth in the NBA and his 251 offensive rebounds ranked sixth.
If Millsap signs an offer sheet accepting the Blazers' deal, Utah will have seven days to match the offer. The Jazz is already facing the luxury tax next season with a team salary of more than $73 million. Their finances, and prospects of competing with a lucrative offer to Millsap, took a hit last week when Carlos Boozer ($12.6 million), Mehmet Okur ($9 million) and Kyle Korver ($5.1 million) all exercised options to stay in Utah.
The Blazers figure to exhaust nearly all of their cap space to lock up Millsap. They are $7.7 million under the cap, but can gain an additional $1.65 million by renouncing the rights to Petteri Koponen and Joel Freeland. However, in the process, the Blazers would be assessed with a roughly $450,000 cap hold for having less than 11 players, thus giving them $8.9 million in cap space.
Millsap is from Grambling, La., and attended Louisiana Tech, where he became the only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in rebounding for three consecutive years. He entered the 2006 NBA Draft after his junior season and was a late second-round pick (47th overall), but immediately became a rotation player, earning second-team All-Rookie honors.
In his third NBA season last year, Millsap started a career-high 38 games while filling in for the injured Boozer. He had a career-high 32 points at Boston in December and tied his career-high with 17 rebounds in a January game at the Lakers.
Sources say Millsap has told the Blazers he would be amicable to playing behind LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers' returning power forward and one of the franchise's cornerstones. The Blazers are hoping Millsap provides some interior grit and toughness, two qualities that were lacking in a first-round playoff loss to Houston.
The move would appear to most affect Travis Outlaw, who was expected to move into the backup power forward role full-time this season, but there has been no indication whether another move was imminent.
On Tuesday, Millsap's agent, DeAngelo Simmons, declined to comment on the Blazers and their interest. Simmons did not return phone messages Wednesday night.
LaMarcus loves hearing all PF's names around
I guess they know Oden is a bust and they want a big to fill his shoes.
too undersized though.
Idiot Blazers....
Odom >>> Millsap, would hamper the Lakers considerably, and is a UFA. They wouldn't have to wait for a matching offer. If you're going to commit to a PF, Odom would be my choice.
How come the Heat aren't making any moves? I thought Wade wanted a championship team.. get freaking Odom or Millsap then!
Heat is courting Allen Iverson.
Riley learned his lesson when he chased after Smush to spite the Lakers "I'll show 'em!!!" He ended up paying him two years not to play and to stay out of south Florida. So what did Smush do? The little went to Staples, and onto the Clippers side of the locker room. Can ya imagine Kobe walkin' in there and finding that ?
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, now Riley is gonna show Larry Brown...who tried to show the Lakers when he got Radmo'ed.
Millsaps a Pf... Any ways I'd rather they go after Odom but Millsap wouldn't be bad either even if both don't come at least it'll make Jazz or LA pay more for either of those two
That's what I was thinking, he won't require several years, either. Would free them up to trade some of their SF's as well and round out the team.
I really don't understand the Blazers choice...
With Oden and Przybilla you need someone in the front court with more offensive talent.
Odom is perfect for them...his value like a player is double than the one of Milsapp, is more experienced, quite like the same rebounder, has a jump shot and is also capable to be a slasher...plus Odom has been the main reason why L.A. has always been a match up nightmare for every other team (and could tranfer that value to the Blazers front line).
and also, the chances that utah match the offer is quite like the same of L.A. to match the offer for Odom...
So no reason for not going for quality.....
WTF Millsap will do in Portland with Aldridge there
lol Blazers
lol Millsap
But ask TLong...he's the next coming of Tim Duncan.
^ thats only if he signs with the blazers. if the blazers get odom, hes going to be the next magic johnson/scottie pippen in one
The Lakers are going to get Lamar back for way cheaper than they expected. This waiting is really paying off.
I guess their done with Odone
Don't blame them
Got damn it go after Odom and steal him somehow.
just go after odom. , odom and turkoglu are basically the same player and play the same role with turkoglu only having a better jumpshot.
Odom. He's a Laker. We don't want that. It's Millsap and if that falls through it's Bass.
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