Rasheed Visiting San Antonio Next Week!

[Obstructed_View]

dice would be a better fit for the spurs really..surprised sheed is the number 1 target.

What has the team said to convince you that he is?

[DPG21920]

Did not see posted:

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics made their pitch to Rasheed Wallace on Thursday. And Wallace was receptive.

A contingent from the Celtics organization -- including owner Wyc Grousbeck, President Danny Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers and All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen -- descended on Wallace's suburban Michigan home on Thursday for a three-hour meeting with the free-agent forward.

"Solid, thorough, cogent and very impressive," Wallace's agent, Bill Strickland, told SI.com about Boston's recruiting trip. "[They] definitely gave Rasheed and his wife something to think about."

During the course of the meeting the Celtics offered Wallace a contract using their entire mid-level exception. It is unclear how many years Boston offered Wallace, who will be 35 at the start of next season.

Multiple league executives believe Wallace is deciding between Boston and San Antonio. Both the Celtics and Spurs can offer Wallace the full mid-level exception ($5.6 million). With Ron Artest agreeing to terms with the Lakers and Trevor Ariza agreeing to a deal with Houston on Thursday, league sources expect Cleveland to make a late push for Wallace's services. Orlando, should they choose not to re-sign restricted free agent Marcin Gortat, is also a possibility.

However, Boston and San Antonio stand as the strongest candidates. The Celtics can offer Wallace a chance to stay in the Eastern Conference as well as the opportunity to play with Garnett, who is a close friend. San Antonio, which traded forwards Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas last month in the deal for Richard Jefferson, can offer Wallace a starters role. Boston's interest in Wallace is believed to be as a backup.

Wallace has given no indication as to when he will make a decision.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ace/index.html

[Blackjack]

Chris Mannix was on 760 a couple of hours ago and stated that the Wallace sweepstakes is a two horse race, and that those in the know believe the Spurs are the front-runners. They believe Wallace's preference is to land with the Spurs and that they are in the driver's seat, as of this moment.

He did reiterate what his agent had to say about how impressed Wallace and his wife were with Boston's visit, but that they would take their time and weight their options before making a decision. He also went on to mention most of what he had to say in his article that DPG posted, but it doesn't seem to be the forgone conclusion ESPN and people of their ilk having trying to push down our collective throats.

[raspsa]

I'm hoping the long history between TD and Sheed sways the latter to come to SA. Ar rhis point in his carreer, Sheed is probably intrigued with the idea of having TD as a teammate. TD's personality complement's Shed 's better than Garnett's IMO.

[DPG21920]

It will come down to years offered. I think 3 should do it, but will the Spurs want to offer that? If the Spurs offer 3 year MLE, then I believe they have a very good shot.

[xtremesteven33]

Chris Mannix was on 760 a couple of hours ago and stated that the Wallace sweepstakes is a two horse race, and that those in the know believe the Spurs are the front-runners. They believe Wallace's preference is to land with the Spurs and that they are in the driver's seat, as of this moment.

He did reiterate what his agent had to say about how impressed Wallace and his wife were with Boston's visit, but that they would take their time and weight their options before making a decision. He also went on to mention most of what he had to say in his article that DPG posted, but it doesn't seem to be the forgone conclusion ESPN and people of their ilk having trying to push down our collective throats.

thanks for the update

My guess is that Sheed is trying to get a 3 year deal out of the Spurs.

[Blackjack]

It will come down to years offered. I think 3 should do it, but will the Spurs want to offer that? If the Spurs offer 3 year MLE, then I believe they have a very good shot.

Maybe, maybe not?

Mannix seemed to suggest that the feedback he was getting was that the Spurs were actually 'Sheed's preference all along and that the reason for the full-out courtship on Boston's part, was due in big part because they also believe the same thing.

Who knows? It's all endless speculation at this point.

The fact that it's realistically a two horse race and that 'Sheed is actually making a visit to S.A., at least gives me a little more hope that the Spurs can find a way to seal the deal.

[Spursfan092120]

thanks for the update

My guess is that Sheed is trying to get a 3 year deal out of the Spurs.

Give it to him...in 3 years, he STILL won't be as bad as Bonner.

[rayray2k8]

There is no point in checking up on this every hour.
By Wednesday he should be be indicating where he might land.

[picnroll]

You'd think that the Spurs and Pop have wanted Sheed forever, dating back to when Portland traded him to Atlanta, would count for something to Sheed.

[Obstructed_View]

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Rasheed's agent is talking up Boston to try to drag another year out of the Spurs. They could probably give him two with a starting job and he'd take it. Can they do a team option third year with the MLE?

[DPG21920]

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Rasheed's agent is talking up Boston to try to drag another year out of the Spurs. They could probably give him two with a starting job and he'd take it. Can they do a team option third year with the MLE?

50. What are option clauses? What kind of option clauses are there?
An option clause allows a contract to be extended for one additional season after the date it is scheduled to end. For example, a five-year contract with an option for the sixth year means that if the option is exercised, then the contract extends through the sixth season, but if the option is not exercised, then the contract ends after the fifth season. Options must be exercised by the July 1 that precedes the option year, except player options for players who would become restricted free agents, which must be exercised by June 25. Once exercised, an option cannot be revoked (for example, a player cannot invoke an option on June 20th and change his mind on June 25th). Conditional options are not allowed -- the existence of the option may not be contingent on some condition, such as the number of games the team wins or the points per game the player scores.

There are three types of options:

Team Options give the team the right to invoke the option year. There can be only one option year (except in the case of rookie scale contracts), and the option year can't be for a lower salary than the previous season.
Player Options give the player the right to invoke the option year. There can be only one option year, and the option year can't be for a lower salary than the previous season.
Player Early Termination Options (ETOs) give the player the right to terminate the contract early. An ETO can't occur prior to the end of the fourth season of the contract (which implies that the contract must be for at least five seasons).
A contract may not contain more than one option in the same season (for example, the last season cannot contain both a player option and a team option). A six year contract may contain an ETO following the fourth season and an option (either player or team) following the fifth season.

Rookie "scale" contracts for first round draft picks contain team options for the third and fourth seasons (team options for the third season exist only for players drafted in 2005 or later), which must be exercised by October 31 of the prior season No other options are permitted in rookie scale contracts. See question number 41 for more information.

Here's a summary of the differences between an option and an ETO:

Options can occur only when one season remains on the contract, while ETOs can occur when two seasons remain if the contract is for six seasons.
Options can be included in any multiyear contract, but ETOs are allowed only with five or six year contracts.
Options can be held by the player or the team, but ETOs are always held by the player (i.e., there's no such thing as a team Early Termination Option).
Option years may not have a lower salary than the previous season. ETOs have no such restriction.
A contract with a player option can be extended when the option is not exercised. A contract with an ETO may not be extended if the ETO is exercised.
There is an interesting twist regarding player options. What happens if the team waives the player before he invokes his player option? Can the player invoke the option after he is waived, thus guaranteeing his salary for the option year? To head off this situation, all contracts with player options must indicate whether the player receives his salary for the option year in the event the contract is terminated.

Player options were previously used as a way to give the player more money. A long-term deal was agreed upon with a player option after the player obtained Larry Bird rights. The player invoked the option, became a free agent, and then the team & player signed a new contract for more money using the Bird exception. However, since the current CBA prevents ETOs before the end of the fourth year or more than one option year, the usefulness of this tool is now very limited.

[DPG21920]

So yes OV, they can.

[Blackjack]

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Rasheed's agent is talking up Boston to try to drag another year out of the Spurs. They could probably give him two with a starting job and he'd take it. Can they do a team option third year with the MLE?

That's pretty much what I've gathered.

I don't claim to be an expert on contractual situations but I don't see why they couldn't if 'Sheed agreed to it.

If the Spurs view 'Sheed as someone they need to compete for a le over the next 2 years, the third year shouldn't be all that big of a problem. The Spurs and R.C. aren't a little bit pregnant with the salaries they've taken on, so you might as well go ahead and admit that the baby's on the way.

Like I said in another thread, worse comes to worst? You've got around a 6M dollar expiring contract in year 3, and as we've seen with the R.J. trade, that can be an asset.

[Obstructed_View]

So yes OV, they can.

Thank you. I did read through all that, but was kind of scratching my head. I SUCK at anything salary related, mostly because it bores me to tears, but also because it's hard to keep track of.

If the Spurs are going to go ahead and dive in for the whole ing MLE with Rasheed, then that's how they should do it. If he pisses about the length of the contract, they can ask him how much he enjoys the idea of backing up Davis and Garnett. Rasheed may not like attention, but there's no doubt he'd rather be a starter.

[CGD]

The Spurs are (correctly) pushing back on the 3rd year. If I'm Sheed's agent I scoff at a 3rd year team option because I know the Spurs are highly unlikely to pick it up.

I think a reasonable compromise is a 3rd year player option at less than the full MLE. This gives Sheed "free" money for that 3rd year, and provides the Spurs some flexibility during the same.

[Blackjack]

Aldridge: Sheed Will Visit SA, Orlando


From NBA.com’s David Aldridge (via 3QC):

Boston lead owner Wyc Grousbeck, general manager Danny Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers, Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce all went to Detroit on Thursday to formally present Wallace with an offer for the full mid-level exception. But they left town without Wallace agreeing to a deal. Wallace will visit San Antonio and Orlando next week, according to a source, before making up his mind. Wallace is not likely to visit Cleveland.

Aldridge forgot to include the ghost of Red Auerbach, who visited Wallace in a dream last week. Either way, the Spurs are still going to get a shot to convince Sheed to join the team. At this point, I don’t think Boston, Orlando or S.A. is in a position to offer more than the full MLE. It all comes down to two questions: Which team he believes has the best chance of winning a le and which coach and players he would prefer play with.


What’s interesting about the “Sheed-stakes” is how ouroboric the media has been. The Boston Celtics have pursued Wallace in a highly public manner and the media have reported that pursuit in great detail. Then, when conducting news analysis, many have said, “all we hear about is how badly Boston wants Sheed, that must be where he is going.”

Personally, I prefer the considerably quieter manner in which the Spurs pursue free agents. I think public pursuits of players oftentimes make teams look either silly or desperate (often both). It creates media buzz that, in all likelihood, the player is not responding to. And it makes your franchise look impotent if it throws tons of energy into an FA and is still unable to reel him in.

If you conduct your pursuit quietly, you not only save face if you don’t get the guy but you don’t alert other free agents to the fact that they are playing second fiddle. Also, by not bombarding the free agent with undue media attention and excessive personal visits, you respect his decision-making process.

For purely supers ious reasons, I believe the Spurs are going to land Rasheed Wallace. I experienced a sign. A couple of days ago, a package from my mother arrived at my front door. When I opened it, I found a framed painting by Joel Kimmel. I immediately called my mother.

“Thank you, Mom. But why did you send this to me?”

“Joel sent it to me as a gift, so I figured I’d frame it and give it to you. Who is it?”

“It’s Rasheed Wallace.”

http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...ndo/#more-3499

[Ice009]

Pop should be in France between July 5th and July 11th for a basketball camp organized by TP.
If Sheed comes to SA next week, I damn hope Pop will be there and not in France.

. What is Pop doing???????????


Hmmmmmmmmmm could that Sheed siting in SA be true then and he talked to Pop earlier or maybe just Tim since Pop is not allowed to because he knew he was going to be in France?

[Blackjack]

. What is Pop doing???????????


Hmmmmmmmmmm could that Sheed siting in SA be true then and he talked to Pop earlier or maybe just Tim since Pop is not allowed to because he knew he was going to be in France?

I have a hard time believing 'Sheed was actually here but if he was, Tim was supposedly out of town.

Before the "Bigsheed" sighting, R.C. was interviewed on 760 and mentioned that the big fella' wasn't in town at the moment..

[EricB]

What is he doing?

Fullfilling a prior obligation.

Its aMLE

Theres nothing to sell. YOu either come or you don't.

[EricB]

I have a hard time believing 'Sheed was actually here but if he was, Tim was supposedly out of town.

Before the "Bigsheed" sighting, R.C. was interviewed on 760 and mentioned that the big fella' wasn't in town at the moment..

If he says he was there would be tampering concerns.

What do you think he's gonna say.

[Blackjack]

If he says he was there would be tampering concerns.

What do you think he's gonna say.

It could've been some really great pre-planned C.I.A. , but it was mentioned in passing when R.C. was asked about how Tim was doing health-wise, and what the team had him doing.

Like I said, it was before the hysteria of Bigsheed sightings, so it just might of been legit. (Is it a blessing or a curse that my favorite sports team makes me feel I need a degree in espionage?)

[SonOfAGun]

Something I just thought of,

Hasn't Sheed made numerous negative comments about San Antonio and how "surely the league wouldn't go against its golden boys" or something like that. Basically saying the Spurs are the angels of the league and treated nicely because of it?

I only remember one statement he made about Boston on how (only) the media knew BOS would win or something.

[Blackjack]

What is he doing?

Fullfilling a prior obligation.

Its aMLE

Theres nothing to sell. YOu either come or you don't.

His agent is obviously trying to gain some leverage by making visits to teams that aren't really in the picture

By most accounts it's a two horse race, but the agent is making a point of saying Orlando and Dallas are now somehow in the equation.

Maybe Cleveland's a legit possibility to go along with the aforementioned Spurs and Celtics, but the guy's trying to get his client more cash by drumming up enough interest to get a team to commit to 'Sheed for an extra year.

[Buddy Holly]

Before the "Bigsheed" sighting, R.C. was interviewed on 760 and mentioned that the big fella' wasn't in town at the moment..

I believe he was at Pop's daughters wedding in Maine.