Sporots

[Americas Team]

WTF IS UP WITH TREV AND LO?!?!?!?!??!?!!!!!!!

This morning there was a rumor the Spurs were interested in Lamar. If I were a Laker fan I would be worried about that since that team will be good, the city is nice, I don't think there is state income tax and he might be a good fit. I mean Manu, Duncan, Parker, Jefferson and Lamar, that is a pretty good 5.

I wonder if having him come off the bench will some how weigh into this. He did not seem to like that. If the Spurs promise him a starting spot and the Lakers don't....

Why did Detroit sign Ben Gordan? Is it really worth 11 million a year to have him come off the bench? Is Rip near the end or going to be traded? It does not make a lot of sense to me. Though I have never been a huge Ben Gordan fan. He is no Vinny the Microwave Johnson.

[JPSpaulding]

Why did Detroit sign Ben Gordan? Is it really worth 11 million a year to have him come off the bench? Is Rip near the end or going to be traded? It does not make a lot of sense to me. Though I have never been a huge Ben Gordan fan. He is no Vinny the Microwave Johnson.

Agent 0.07

[isoS]

Lamar has stated categorically that he does not care about starting or coming off the bench -- he did at the start of the season, but when he saw that he could help the team more on the second unit, he embraced it. And it worked!

I'm already worried about the Spurs. If they get Lamar, it will be a double-whammy: we get worse and they get better. I can only hope the Lakers offer him enough to satisfy his financial needs, because I think in his heart he wants to stay. He loves the city and his teammates, and believes they have a winning formula in place.

If Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva are part of Dumar's vision for the future of the Pistons, yikes.

[jesterobobman]

As a Spurs fan, I think you guys are safe with Lamar. The only thing we can offer is the MLE(probably 5.8) or so, and there's no way to open up more space. The Spurs will spend that, but I don't see how the Lakers lose him unless they choose not to match that(maybe needing to go a tad higher to make up for bench vs starting), and I really doubt that happens, unless you start going after Artest. The Spurs are aiming for either Rasheed or McDyess, as a second starting Big. Anytime Matt Bonner is a starter, you have problems.

Joe Dumars has mental problems, while both BG and CV are good players, they're not stellar defensively, or good enough to make you elite. Of course, If they could find a way to flip Rip or Prince(+ change) to Utah for Boozer, they become a good team again.

And the Grizzlies have again proven their idiocy by trading for Zach Randolph, after giving up on Pau as he was too expensive(and also apparently passing on David Lee). Pau>Marc+Z-Bo. Not that you guys care, you got Pau for a Nickel.

[daveunfun]

Lamar has stated categorically that he does not care about starting or coming off the bench -- he did at the start of the season, but when he saw that he could help the team more on the second unit, he embraced it. And it worked!

I'm already worried about the Spurs. If they get Lamar, it will be a double-whammy: we get worse and they get better. I can only hope the Lakers offer him enough to satisfy his financial needs, because I think in his heart he wants to stay. He loves the city and his teammates, and believes they have a winning formula in place.

If Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva are part of Dumar's vision for the future of the Pistons, yikes.

I think Lamar stays, he needs the beach. ESPN is saying that Ariza may be the one to leave. The Lakers have perhaps picked which one they want to keep.

Imagine this...Kobe, Lamar and Pau vs. Lebron, Shaq and Ariza...

What's hilarious about the Ben Gordon thing is that he probably got the same offer two years ago from Chicago for about $10M a year.

[Having Fun!]

[TomHicks]

LA Times is reporting that Ariza isn't happy with the $5.6 million he was offered; but the Times points out that Ariza has the same agent as Bynum, whose contract took a while, too. Odom is reportedly asking for $10 million, and there's no word on what the Lakers offered him. $10 million would actually be a drop from what he made this season, which was $14 million, but the Lakers only paid $11 million of that.

[Shane]

Word on the street is that the Cavs are going after Artest

[Harry Bongers]

Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Trevor Ariza will get paid big bucks by the team that loses out on Hedo Turkoglu. Apparently, Portland or Toronto, whichever team does not sign Turkoglu, will offer Ariza between $32 million and $40 million deal.

[isoS]

Ugh... I guess maybe they're thinking that Lamar is the more developed player, but he can still be pretty streaky (esp. as a starter), and Ariza could be part of the team even after Kobe's done... Also, Lamar has gotten his big payday already, so if anyone should be taking a pay cut for the good of the team, it's him. Ariza has to get paid while he can, and this might be his one chance. Not that the Lakers can afford to pay him a crazy amount, and not that he deserves anything like a max deal, but it seems like they're already resigned to losing one of these guys, and they've decided Ariza's the one.

Also, other teams are artificially inflating Ariza's price tag, partly because he was on a championship team, partly because he's young and available, and partly, I'm sure, because they don't want the Lakers to be able to keep him. But let's be real: he's a role player. Every summer there's some role player who is a free agent, and dumb teams get too excited about the guy and give him too much money. The problem is, role players don't fit into every team. Ariza didn't fit in Orlando, for example. He fits great in L.A., but there's no guarantee he'll fit elsewhere. And wouldn't he be coming off the bench behind LeBron in Cleveland? He at least starts in L.A. Honestly, $5 mil is about right for him, but I understand why he needs to take this opportunity to get the biggest contract he can, because it's probably the only point in his career where he'll be able to do so.

This would be a great time for Kobe to do something no superstar has ever done, and never will because it sets a dangerous precedent: take a pay cut to help the team sign both Ariza and Odom. Let's face it, Kobe has enough money. More than he'll ever need. In fact, he'll probably make enough in endorsements next year to pay Ariza's asking price. I know it's a business and this would be a bad business move on Kobe's part, but if he wants to win, this is a critical moment. This might be the difference between repeating and not repeating. All these other teams are making moves to get better, and the one advantage the Lakers have is that their guys have chemistry, they're proven winners. They don't have to integrate new players and figure out how to win with a different squad. If they lose Ariza they lose a big part of what made them champions. I don't think it's over -- I think they're playing hardball and waiting to see what other teams will do (knowing other teams are cash-strapped this year helps) -- but I am concerned that they won't be able to afford to keep this team together.

[scamboogah]

This would be a great time for Kobe to do something no superstar has ever done, and never will because it sets a dangerous precedent: take a pay cut

I'm pretty sure Charles Barkley did this in Phoenix and in Houston.

[nick]

This would be a great time for Kobe to do something no superstar has ever done, and never will because it sets a dangerous precedent: take a pay cut to help the team sign both Ariza and Odom

Tim Duncan (kinda) did it. He agreed to something like $10 million less than the max on his last contract extension so that the Spurs could afford to keep Parker and Manu around in his later years.

[matt in the east]

The super duper stars can afford to take pay cuts, because they get so much friggin' money on endorsements. I understand Ariza trying to get top dollar, because after his career is over his earning potential will be null and void. Let's face it: he's not quite broadcast material. It's possible that the only money he'll ever earn in his entire life is directly from basketball contracts, and he only has about an 8 year window to really cash in. A lot of people complain about the greed of athletes, but if I was in their position I'd go for every cent I can get, knowing that I won't have revenue coming from anywhere else.

[isoS]

On the other hand, if he plays an integral role in a Laker dynasty, he'll get local broadcast work if he wants it. Have you seen Michael Cooper? Not exactly Walter Cronkite (RIP).

[jon]

What, no one wants to talk about how the Clippers traded Zach Randolph to Memphis for Quentin Richardson plus the pleasure of not having Zach Randolph on the team?

[matt in the east]

I was expecting them to move Camby or Kaman because the general consensus was that no one would take Randolph. But the Grizzlies rolled the dice and I think the move wasn't as bad as people say it was. Zach can play and he'll be surrounded by pretty good guys: Mayo, Gay, Gasol, Thabeet, and Conley. I like all of those guys from a character standpoint and if Zach wants to do Zachy things he'll be a lone wolf.

The Clips were a bad fit for him because of their long history of sketchy players as well as the fact that they didn't have many good character guys or an influentual coach to keep him in line.

I dare say that this might actually work out positively for the Grizz as long as they keep Zach away from rib joints and strip joints -- which are on every other block in Memphis.

[scamboogah]

What, no one wants to talk about how the Clippers traded Zach Randolph to Memphis for Quentin Richardson plus the pleasure of not having Zach Randolph on the team?

A Clippers/Grizzlies trade is only notable for the intrinsic comic value of imagining Mike Dunleavy and Chris Wallace both thinking to themselves, "Boy, I really got one over on that guy. This ought to fix my reputation as the worst GM in the league...".

[TomHicks]

Magic Johnson took a 3% pay cut so the Lakers could sign Terry Teagle (the Sasha of his day) in 1990. I went and Googled it to double check.

Anyone want to guess how much Magic was being paid that season before he took the cut?

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=6955,1354930

This LA Times story also mentions Barkley, and Jordan deferred part of his salary so the Bulls could sign Dennis Hopson.

[matt in the east]

i'm getting a kick of that old newspaper. look at the dee brown story!

[isoS]

It's probably illegal, but the Lakers should offer Kobe a share of the franchise (upon retirement) in exchange for a pay cut. It would be a good move for him long-term, and short-term it would free up money to sign ODIZA!

The thing that really scares me is that the Lakers already have $75.9 million in salary committed for next year, and that's for 10 players. So it's not like they're being stingy: they're over the cap without even a full roster.

I don't think Cleveland will be able to afford to outbid the Lakers for Ariza though -- apparently the only teams who can are the Blazers and the Raptors. If the Blazers get Turkoglu, then Ariza will have to make a tough choice: more money to play in Toronto (no disrespect to the city, I just mean they're not exactly in Finals contention) or less money to stay in LA. I think Turkoglu might stay in Orlando, which means Portland will push hard for Ariza, and given their young, talented roster it will be tempting for him to sign there. I guess Laker fans have to hope the Blazers don't see Ariza being worth more than $6 mil or so a year even if they can afford it. But maybe the Lakers will just wait and see what offers he gets, then match regardless (I hope!). Then it's Odom who will be swinging in the wind... Although Toronto and Portland could go after him too.