# Wwspd



## Sug (Aug 7, 2006)

*What Would Sam Presti Do?*
By: Sug

<p style="line-height: 2.0em;> *There is a big decesion to be made in Seattle.* <img align=left







Rashard Lewis opted to become an unrestricted free agent, which means if he wants to walk away from the Sonics for big money he can. So the real question is what will Sam Presti do? He is really faced with three choices: Decide that he wants Lewis for a max 7 year contract and attempt to re-sign him, perform a sign and trade with another team, or simply let Rashard Lewis walk for no compensation. The Blazers greatest need is at the small forward position, and Lewis certainly fits the bill. He is an athletic player with a very nice outside shot. He has a history with Nate McMillian, and has been playing in the Northwest his entire NBA career.

*So how could the Blazers acquire Rashard Lewis?* 
The ultimate factor in all of this is convincing Lewis that Portland is the team for him. That starts with Nate, and ends with treating Lewis much like they did Greg Oden. They need to get him in town, and have him talk with Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge. They need to wine and dine him, and try to make him feel connected to the Blazers. Some people feel that Rashard Lewis, who turns 28 in August, is too old to fit the championship window for the Blazers. A seven year deal would keep Rashard in Portland until he is the ripe old age of 35. In the early 90's players like Drexler, Porter, and Kersey all left before the age of 32. All three went on to play big roles for other teams. Now will you be overpaying for Lewis at age 35? The answer is very likely(95%) that you will be paying Rashard Lewis more than he is worth at age 35.

*NBA Contracts GOT BACK!* 
The reality is that in today's NBA, NO NBA CONTRACT GETS LESS EXPENSIVE with age. Now that is a very important bit of information, because what that really means is that almost every NBA player is being overpaid by the end of their second contract. Any team that signs or trades for Rashard Lewis is going to overpay over the long haul of the contract. Since the structure of a NAB contract calls for increases every year, the very nature of contract is to reward a player for what they did at the back end of the deal. That is the way it is set up. Now I am sure Tom Penn could school me in the actual structure of a NBA deal, but this information is more directly related to how the salary impacts the teams cap space. The general rule is that every NBA contract will be cap heavy at the end of the deal.

*A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned*
Now we come to the true dollars and cents or in this matter _sense_ of the issue. So some people say they don't want to add that much money to the cap. <img align=right







Well first of all in order to get this deal done you will need to move some players to Seattle. This is where the whole issue becomes a wash, because the contracts we trade today will become much larger in the future. Both Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack have contracts the need to be renewed at the end of the 2009-2010 season. Each player will probably command a decent salary. For the 2007-2008 season they will make a combined 5.7 million. Each player will most likely command a starting salary of 6 to 7 million when the re-sign, which means in the long run they will cost as much as Rashard Lewis. Granted they might not be around that long, but at this point they might be our ticket to getting Rashard Lewis. Martell and Jarrett are not enough to get Rashard, but you can add in some other players that won't be long term salary issues in Seattle, and more importantly throw some draft picks at the Sonics. If there is one thing the Blazers have in place, it is enough youth. Giving up our 2008 first round pick would be the cherry on top of this whole deal. Seattle is trying to model what the Blazers did, and giving them an additional pick in nexts years draft would help speed up their process.

*The Shortest Distance Between Any Two Points*
Getting Lewis would give the Blazers a much improved chance at making the playoffs next season. To me that would be a very important step in heading toward a championship. The sooner the Blazers are in the playoffs, the better we will become as a playoff team. <img align=left







There is no substitute for experience, and if we are to one day bring home the trophy we will need to go through some growing pains. You cannot simulate the playoffs, you have to live them to learn them. As it stands currently the only Blazer with playoff experience is Steve Francis, and to be honest I do not see him on this roster past July. Rashard Lewis has playoff experience. Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden need to get as much experience in the playoffs as quickly as possible. I believe that adding Rashard gets you into the playoffs next season, and that is key.

*Law Don't Go Around Here, Savvy?*
Some people might think we have our own Rashard Lewis right here in our own backyard. Travis Outlaw is an athletic freak, and he has the ability at times to score in bunches. He makes eye popping blocks, and when he gets above the rim he can really throw it down. All of that is great, but he is no Rashard Lewis. The gap between these two is really found between the ears. I love Travis, and he might be the nicest person on the face of the earth, but he lacks the BBIQ to become a Rashard Lewis type player. I strongly believe you sign Travis long term, because he is the good version of Ruben Patterson. The ultimate role player that will hustle, and energize your team. There are also reports that James Jones is coming over from the Suns, and that is great. That kid can play some D, shoot the three, and take a charge. Again, he is not Rashard Lewis. Lewis plays the game at another level, and that is why the Blazers should look to add him to the mix. When Lewis hits his prime at age 28 to 32 he will be surrounded by the best young talent in the NBA. He will be the man, and that is what he wants. After the April 14th game at the Rose Garden, Rashard was asked about coming to Portland. He said "I still got a lot of growing to do myself," Lewis said. "It would be good to grow with these guys and be more of a focal point and be built around." I say bring him in and let him grow.</p>


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Wow. Very nice, and I agree on all points. 

The only thing that is wrong in here is signing Lewis to a 7 year deal. He can only sign a 6 year deal max with the Sonics, and only a 5 year deal with a team that doesn't have his Bird Rights. So if we signed him at 5 years, he'd be 33 by the end of it which would be absolutely perfect.

Great stuff though.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Nice article, but even without Rashard Lewis, the Blazers will DEFINITELY make the playoffs next year. There's no way we're sitting on the sidelines during the next postseason, so our young core will start getting experience in the playoffs right away, even if we don't add another player like Lewis. Having said that, however, I would love to have Lewis on the team.

However, he will never be "the man" on the Blazers. That title belongs to Greg Oden.


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## Sug (Aug 7, 2006)

Blazer Freak said:


> The only thing that is wrong in here is signing Lewis to a 7 year deal. He can only sign a 6 year deal max with the Sonics, and only a 5 year deal with a team that doesn't have his Bird Rights. So if we signed him at 5 years, he'd be 33 by the end of it which would be absolutely perfect.
> 
> Great stuff though.


Now I might be wrong, but I think it is 6 years with the option for a 7th if you have bird rights. I don't believe that Rashard would come here for the MLE so the five year deal probably would never happen. If you could get Lewis here for a max MLE for five years that would be GREAT! I just don't think it would happen.


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## Sug (Aug 7, 2006)

Talkhard said:


> Nice article, but I take issue with your main premise. Even without Rashard Lewis, the Blazers will DEFINITELY make the playoffs next year.


I am a huge Blazer fan, and I have a homer view at times. I just don't agree that we are a lock for the playoffs without more experience. Don't get me wrong I love out current roster, but there is a good chance we do not make the playoffs next season without further trades or FAs.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Sug said:


> I am a huge Blazer fan, and I have a homer view at times. I just don't agree that we are a lock for the playoffs without more experience. Don't get me wrong I love out current roster, but there is a good chance we do not make the playoffs next season without further trades or FAs.


You can't be serious. Any team with Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and the rest of our roster is going to make the playoffs. Hell, we weren't that far away last year without Oden.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Sug said:


> Now I might be wrong, but I think it is 6 years with the option for a 7th if you have bird rights. I don't believe that Rashard would come here for the MLE so the five year deal probably would never happen. If you could get Lewis here for a max MLE for five years that would be GREAT! I just don't think it would happen.


Well since he would be S&T'ed here then yes it'd probably be a six year deal. But I think with the new CBA the NBA put in a year or two ago, the longest contracts are now 6 years. 




TalkHard said:


> Nice article, but even without Rashard Lewis, the Blazers will DEFINITELY make the playoffs next year. There's no way we're sitting on the sidelines during the next postseason, so our young core will start getting experience in the playoffs right away, even if we don't add another player like Lewis. Having said that, however, I would love to have Lewis on the team.
> 
> However, he will never be "the man" on the Blazers. That title belongs to Greg Oden.


I'm not so sure we are a lock. If we keep the roster as is, which I believe other than resigning Outlaw, we will, it'd look like this:

C: Greg Oden / Joel Przybilla / Raef LaFrentz
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Channing Frye / Malik Rose / Josh McRoberts 
SF: Travis Outlaw / James Jones
SG: Brandon Roy / Martell Webster / FREE AGENT SG*
PG: Jarrett Jack / Sergio Rodriguez / Taurean Green

*=Pritchard was talking about in a recent interview about how their top priority is resigning Travis, but they will also look for a Free agent SG.

Back on topic, I'm not sure that lineup makes the playoffs, there is a chance, but in the interview after that rally downtown, KP and Nate both said they aren't looking for a title in the next year, but they want this team to gel together, which makes me believe this is the last year of just making sure the team gels and develops and then next year we will aim for the playoffs and deeper. 

Just my .02


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Blazer Freak said:


> C: Greg Oden / Joel Przybilla / Raef LaFrentz
> PF: LaMarcus Aldridge / Channing Frye / Malik Rose / Josh McRoberts
> SF: Travis Outlaw / James Jones
> SG: Brandon Roy / Martell Webster / FREE AGENT SG*
> PG: Jarrett Jack / Sergio Rodriguez / Taurean Green


Looks like a playoff team to me!!


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Talkhard said:


> Looks like a playoff team to me!!


That's yet to be seen. How quickly does Oden get used to the NBA game? How does LaMarcus do as a starter? Can Outlaw finally put it together for a whole season? Can Brandon Roy improve and develop into our go-to guy this season? 

There are still too many questions to be answered before we know if this is a playoff team.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Blazer Freak said:


> There are still too many questions to be answered before we know if this is a playoff team.


I think you are underestimating what a big difference a shot-blocking, defensive-minded center like Oden will make. His presence in the middle is good for at least 10 more wins than last year, in my opinion. That's enough to get us into the playoffs.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

I don't think KP and staff have positioned themselves to be in a powerful position of leverage on july 1, 2009, just to invest in Rashard lewis for a max contract.

They know that within 3-4 years Oden, Roy and Aldridge will all be in line to receive max or near max contracts...add lewis to that and portland could be paying 60 million dollars to 4 guys. not gonna happen.

Rashard Lewis would be a good addition to portland, I think that the blazers would simply view his price as too high. And if they sent Jack over as part of the trade then they'd definitely have to sign steve blake for the MLE

Rashard Lewis won't be a blazer


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Talkhard said:


> I think you are underestimating what a big difference a shot-blocking, defensive-minded center like Oden will make. His presence in the middle is good for at least 10 more wins than last year, in my opinion. That's enough to get us into the playoffs.


Oh I know, but you are underestimating the difference of not having Zach and his 23/10. 

We'll have to see.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

moldorf said:


> I don't think KP and staff have positioned themselves to be in a powerful position of leverage on july 1, 2009, just to invest in Rashard lewis for a max contract.
> 
> They know that within 3-4 years Oden, Roy and Aldridge will all be in line to receive max or near max contracts...add lewis to that and portland *could be paying 60 million dollars to 4 guys. not gonna happen.*
> 
> ...


Says who? Paul Allen is our owner, and if paying $60 million for 4 guys would enable us to win a championship the guy would do it.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Blazer Freak said:


> Says who? Paul Allen is our owner, and if paying $60 million for 4 guys would enable us to win a championship the guy would do it.


says me for one thing

and thinking rashard lewis is the key to a champioship is ridiculous

the key right now is about 4 or 5 years of experience, and managing contracts and salary levels so players can be added when the need is apparent and the players are available.

Rashard Lewis will not be a blazer....see, I said it again


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

moldorf said:


> the key right now is about 4 or 5 years of experience . . .


I really don't see it taking that long. Not that it's a perfect comparison, but Jabbar won a title with Milwaukee in only his second year. Milwaukee's record the year before they drafted him was 27-55, so they were starting from even farther back than the Blazers are with Oden.


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## Five5even (Jun 15, 2007)

Rashard Lewis would definetely make us stop thinking about Zach's 24/10 pretty quick, however i dont know if he would be the best move to make. I would love to have Rashard on our team, but i think having him on the team effectively removes any chance of signing the last piece to the puzzle in the offseason a few years down the road when Francis, Raef and others come off the books.

If you listened at all to press conferences in the last few days, KP certainly seems to indicate that they are looking at a timeframe in a few years to add in the "last piece".

For now, we will be watching the team gel for the next 2 years, then we bring in the final piece with that free cap space generated from Francis and Raef's contracts.

Although, signing another FA isnt completely out of the question, it is probably more likely at this point to see us with Outlaw and James Jones next season.


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Talkhard said:


> I really don't see it taking that long. Not that it's a perfect comparison, but Jabbar won a title with Milwaukee in only his second year. Milwaukee's record the year before they drafted him was 27-55, so they were starting from even farther back than the Blazers are with Oden.


they added more then just Jabbar and had a couple of good veterans.

remember, Jabbar came in after 4 years in college. Oden won't turn 20 until 1/3 of the season is over. 4 to 5 years and oden would be about the same age as jabbar when he won the title.

And the playoffs weren't the grueling affairs they are today, nor were teams dealing with a salary cap


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

moldorf said:


> They added more than just Jabbar and had a couple of good veterans.


Oscar Robertson was added in Jabbar's second year, and that made the difference. I think Brandon Roy is (or can be) an Oscar Robertson type of player, and I've said so previously. We also have a guy in LaMarcus Aldridge who is going to be just as good or better than Bobby Dandridge, who was another big piece of that 1971 Milwaukee team.



> And the playoffs weren't the grueling affairs they are today, nor were teams dealing with a salary cap


Not sure what your point is. Today's players also get much better attention from trainers and stay in better shape during the off-season. The salary cap argument seems irrelevant to me.


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## Ukrainefan (Aug 1, 2003)

My thinking is; "why wait to put the last piece in play"? All we need is a SF and maybe a better PG (Blake?). Let's add that piece now and let them start playing together.


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## Talkhard (May 13, 2003)

Ukrainefan said:


> My thinking is; "why wait to put the last piece in play"? All we need is a SF and maybe a better PG (Blake?). Let's add that piece now and let them start playing together.


Agreed. Let's go for broke.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Talkhard said:


> Agreed. Let's go for broke.


I too agree, partly. I think the person we should aim for is Gerald Wallace. 25 years old, averaged 21pgg the last 45 games of the season, and he'd fit right in with our core. In 2-3 years, he'll be in his prime right when we are vying for that title.


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## crowTrobot (Jun 24, 2005)

we do not need blake.


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## graybeard (May 10, 2003)

crowTrobot said:


> we do not need blake.



I agree. Sergio, Roy and Rudy will be dynamite together.


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

Blazer Freak said:


> Wow. Very nice, and I agree on all points.
> 
> The only thing that is wrong in here is signing Lewis to a 7 year deal. He can only sign a 6 year deal max with the Sonics, and only a 5 year deal with a team that doesn't have his Bird Rights. So if we signed him at 5 years, he'd be 33 by the end of it which would be absolutely perfect.
> 
> Great stuff though.


Not to nip pick, but I believe he would still be 33 during the 6th year of his contract. He would turn 34 in August after his 6th year. Which supports your case even more.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

moldorf said:


> they added more then just Jabbar and had a couple of good veterans.
> 
> remember, Jabbar came in after 4 years in college. Oden won't turn 20 until 1/3 of the season is over. 4 to 5 years and oden would be about the same age as jabbar when he won the title.
> 
> And the playoffs weren't the grueling affairs they are today, nor were teams dealing with a salary cap



Exactly.

No matter how good Oden *will* be, he is still a 19 year old kid. Nor do we have a player comparable to a mature Oscar Robertson playing with him.

Something tells me this forum is going to be a brutal place 10 months from now, as the team misses the play-offs and people are screeching to blow the team up and start over.


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## Five5even (Jun 15, 2007)

Oldmangrouch said:


> Exactly.
> 
> No matter how good Oden *will* be, he is still a 19 year old kid. Nor do we have a player comparable to a mature Oscar Robertson playing with him.
> 
> Something tells me this forum is going to be a brutal place 10 months from now, as the team misses the play-offs and people are screeching to blow the team up and start over.


I agree. This team is still very inexperienced and young. We lost our 23/10 guy a few days ago. And even at with zach we were well below .500 last year.

The playoffs arent going to happen overnight. I believe this is why KP is positioning this franchise for a big move in 2009-2010 with Francis and Raefs big contracts.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Oldmangrouch said:


> Exactly.
> 
> No matter how good Oden *will* be, he is still a 19 year old kid. Nor do we have a player comparable to a mature Oscar Robertson playing with him.
> 
> Something tells me this forum is going to be a brutal place 10 months from now, as the team misses the play-offs and people are screeching to blow the team up and start over.


I sure as hell won't be. If this team gels and grows together this year I'll be fine. Imagine the Blazers with some more talent from the draft next year? Oh boy..


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## moldorf (Jun 29, 2007)

Five5even said:


> I agree. This team is still very inexperienced and young. We lost our 23/10 guy a few days ago. And even at with zach we were well below .500 last year.
> 
> The playoffs arent going to happen overnight. I believe this is why KP is positioning this franchise for a big move in 2009-2010 with Francis and Raefs big contracts.


not only that, but then that "common wisdom" that a team needs veterans would diminish if portland allowed the team to grow up together.

the next 2 years are about developing the talent already here AND managing contracts and salaries with an eye towards july 1, 2009


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

Just FWIW.

Cruising the Web this afternoon, I found *4* different stories on Lewis.

1) SI is reporting that his "hometown" Rockets are going all out to acquire him.

2) Sources (Seattle?) told ESPN that Lewis wants max money *unless* he can sign with a team that will contend right away.

3) Tony Dutt (Lewis' agent) gives an interview saying Miami is very much in the hunt.

4) Dutt gives a different interview in which he says Orlando is the front runner.

Tis the season for misdirection and misinformation!


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## Verro (Jul 4, 2005)

It's hard to say, Lewis is certainly tempting from a fan's perspective. However, KP doesn't seem like a quick fix, win now, kind of guy. I think his aspirations are longer term. If he thinks we have a decent chance of landing one of the 3 young PG FA's in '09 or one of the 3 young SF's in '08 (with additional contract tweaking), I wouldn't be surprised if he waits.


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## BenDavis503 (Apr 11, 2007)

He is going to Orlando.

Bet.


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## graybeard (May 10, 2003)

BenDavis503 said:


> He is going to Orlando.
> 
> Bet.


 Orlando doesn't have the pieces for a sign & trade. They damn sure aren't trading Darko for him.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

graybeard said:


> Orlando doesn't have the pieces for a sign & trade. They damn sure aren't trading Darko for him.


According to published reports, if Orlando doesn't re-sign Darko, they will be 16 million under the cap. 

Given the choice between Lewis and Darko, who would you spend the money on?


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## graybeard (May 10, 2003)

Oldmangrouch said:


> According to published reports, if Orlando doesn't re-sign Darko, they will be 16 million under the cap.
> 
> Given the choice between Lewis and Darko, who would you spend the money on?



According to published reports, Orlando intends to re-sign Darko. Without Darko why would Rashard want to go to Orlando. One of the main reasons he wants out of Seattle is that he is tired of losing. Dwight Howard can't do it all.


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## Blazer Freak (Jul 11, 2004)

Oldmangrouch said:


> According to published reports, if Orlando doesn't re-sign Darko, they will be 16 million under the cap.
> 
> Given the choice between Lewis and Darko, who would you spend the money on?


They have to renounce their bird rights on him to clear up that $16 million, which means they lose the ability to go over the cap to sign him and such.


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## graybeard (May 10, 2003)

Orlando is the team Rashard uses as leverage to go to the team that he wants. Orlando has nothing that Seattle wants, they just don't have anything to trade. Darko is a whimp with his 8 points and 5 rebounds per game and is not better than what the sonics already have.


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## Draco (Jun 28, 2003)

Orlando has the best chance to outright sign him.

Houston is an interesting option if they can give Seattle the necessary pieces. Yao/McGrady/Lewis is the best 3 man combo in the league. All three of them are in their prime at around 26-28. The could contend for titles for the next 7 years.


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## crowTrobot (Jun 24, 2005)

Draco said:


> Yao/McGrady/Lewis is the best 3 man combo in the league. All three of them are in their prime at around 26-28. The could contend for titles for the next 7 years.


yao and mcgrady can't get out the first round right now - adding lewis isn't gonna instantly turn them into a 7-year contender. lewis is not michael jordan (as the sonics record over his career will attest).


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

graybeard Darko is a whimp with his 8 points and 5 rebounds per game and is not better than what the sonics already have.[/QUOTE said:


> Which contradicts your earlier point. Lewis isn't going to care if Orlando tosses Darko overboard if it means more money for *him*! :biggrin:


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## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

crowTrobot said:


> yao and mcgrady can't get out the first round right now - adding lewis isn't gonna instantly turn them into a 7-year contender. lewis is not michael jordan (as the sonics record over his career will attest).


He's not Michael Jordan but neither was Rasheed Wallace when he joined the Pistons.

Adding pieces help. You don't have to be a savior.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

Don't forget, the Rockets just hired a coach who believes in offense!


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

OK, a new twist on the Lewis to Orlando discussion. This story apparently started on Hoopshype and is being repeated on the Orlando board - so take it FWIW.

The rumor is that Fran Vasquez (remember him?) is finally interested in making the jump to the NBA. IF he does, he would be on a first year rookie contract, even though he was drafted a few years back. This would seriously undercut Orlando's incentive to re-sign Darko. They could add Vasquez, renounce Darko, and still be far enough under the cap to make a serious bid for Lewis.

I don't know if I believe it....but it is food for thought. Vasquez never received the same ammount of hype as Darko - but he is a better player.


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## ryanjend22 (Jan 23, 2004)

good read, but rashard just won't be a blazer. like stated, the purpose now is to gel. gain some experience. if we make the playoffs, great, but i do not feel this is a pressing need in the organization for '07-'08. i think we will pull it off (playoffs) regardless of 'shard.

if we want to win a championship in 3 years it can be done. however we need that rashard money to sign the appropriate pieces when the time comes. rashard doesn't make us a championship team even though i like him. it doesn't feel right.


bottom line, lets save our cake up and get right at a later date. next years FA class is amazing.


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

Are we actually going to have cap room in '09?

I understand large contracts are coming off of the books, but won't we have to be re-upping Jack or Webster that offseason? What about adding potential draft picks and MLE free agents?

Could someone smarter than me on the cap answer this question? I keep seeing talk of capspace, but haven't seen the numbers.

My own personal feeling is that it would be better to add "the last piece" now rather than later. Even if we did have capspace, we don't know who will really be available and if they would be willing to sign with Portland. 

Rashard Lewis is a heck of a player who provides a skill set of need at a position of great need. 

I'm not sure if it's fair to assume that we would be able to get a better player in two years.

What's the argument against being a better team?

As Sug said in his great post at the start of this thread, why not let our young players develop on a playoff team with a veteran scorer like Rashard to take some of the pressure off of them?

Isn't winning games the easiest way to develop a winning culture?


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## More (Sep 3, 2006)

Oldmangrouch said:


> OK, a new twist on the Lewis to Orlando discussion. This story apparently started on Hoopshype and is being repeated on the Orlando board - so take it FWIW.
> 
> The rumor is that Fran Vasquez (remember him?) is finally interested in making the jump to the NBA. IF he does, he would be on a first year rookie contract, even though he was drafted a few years back. This would seriously undercut Orlando's incentive to re-sign Darko. They could add Vasquez, renounce Darko, and still be far enough under the cap to make a serious bid for Lewis.
> 
> I don't know if I believe it....but it is food for thought. Vasquez never received the same ammount of hype as Darko - but he is a better player.


Fran Vazquez already said that he intends to finish his contract with Barcelona (3 more years I think), that information was published by spanish media but soon contradicted by Fran. Anyways he would be sooo lost in the NBA its not even funny. Hope it helped.


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## G-Force (Jan 4, 2005)

The last two drafts ahve been a bonanza for the Blazers. Now you have a young team that is on its way to becoming a heavyweight contender in the competitive West. As long as the team shows improvement and adds some wins, missing the playoffs just *one* more season would not be the worst thing in the world. Another lottery pick next year would be okay, wouldn't it?


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

G-Force said:


> The last two drafts ahve been a bonanza for the Blazers. Now you have a young team that is on its way to becoming a heavyweight contender in the competitive West. As long as the team shows improvement and adds some wins, missing the playoffs just *one* more season would not be the worst thing in the world. Another lottery pick next year would be okay, wouldn't it?


Agreed 100%.

After the team's recent travails, it is tough for some fans to be patient. I understand the sentiment......but I am too much of a realist to expect miracles.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Plus, there are a huge load of point guards in the draft next year. We could probably get a guy in the low lottery as good or better than the top PGs in this year's draft next year.


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## Minstrel (Dec 31, 2002)

moldorf said:


> I don't think KP and staff have positioned themselves to be in a powerful position of leverage on july 1, 2009, just to invest in Rashard lewis for a max contract.


I'd rather have the certainty of Rashard Lewis than the chance to go after free agents in 2009, considering how rare it is for top free agents to switch teams.



> They know that within 3-4 years Oden, Roy and Aldridge will all be in line to receive max or near max contracts...add lewis to that and portland could be paying 60 million dollars to 4 guys. not gonna happen.


Allen has already invested in 100-million-plus payrolls, and that was for less-talented teams. Allen also said to Pritchard that getting Oden "changes everything." I think all the evidence points to Allen being willing to spend whatever he's allowed to on the team, if it's a serious contender.



Blazer Ringbearer said:


> Are we actually going to have cap room in '09?
> 
> I understand large contracts are coming off of the books, but won't we have to be re-upping Jack or Webster that offseason? What about adding potential draft picks and MLE free agents?


Well, Francis, LaFrentz and, I think, Przybilla all come off the salary structure at that time. Oden, Aldridge, Roy and Sergio will all still be on their rookie contracts. If Jack or Webster cost significant money, I think Portland will simply let them go (renounce their Bird rights). With Sergio, Koponen, Roy and Fernandez, Portland really doesn't need Jack. Webster hasn't shown anything yet and probably won't be worth spending significantly on.

I think Portland is currently set up to be well under the cap in 2009, while still having their core inexpensive. Getting Rashard Lewis would change that. Getting Shawn Marion wouldn't, since Marion's current deal also expires in 2009.

They do need to dump Miles sometime between now and then, though.


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