Smooth
07-05-2009, 04:44 PM
Didn't see this posted yet:
Balancing present, future tricky: NBA Insider
by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter
Sunday July 05, 2009, 4:54 AM
Let's get right to it: Is the fact LeBron James has just one year left on his contract hurting the Cavaliers in their free-agent pursuits?
To a certain extent, absolutely.
The Cavs are chasing role players in free agency and, in some cases, offering multiyear contracts. Without the ability to outbid other teams this summer, the biggest part of the Cavs' sales pitch is a chance to play for a championship and with James.
In Sports Illustrated's annual poll released in March, James was the far-and-away winner of the query, "Which opposing player would you most like to have on your team?" In fact, he nearly tripled Kobe Bryant's votes.
So not being 100 percent sure where James will be in 2010 is an issue. But it is an issue the Cavs are happy to be dealing with. They'd much rather be the team trying to keep its megastar than the ones ripping teams apart in the hope of getting a star.
The truth is all of the teams with the 2010 free agents are having their issues dealing with balancing the present and the future. It isn't easy, and the Cavs have been handling it about as well as anyone could expect or project.
For example:
• The Miami Heat is having some mildly serious back-and-forth with Dwyane Wade about the same topic. Last month, Wade went on a radio show in his hometown of Chicago and indicated he'll probably pass on a contract extension offered by the Heat this summer.
A few days later, Heat President Pat Riley reacted to that by saying he can't go forth with any major moves without getting a commitment from Wade past next season.
"There can't be any major franchise changes made without his commitment," Riley said. "What we do going forward is going to be predicated on that. I don't know if I want to change this team that much. Keeping the team together might be the thing until we can make the move in '10."
The Cavs and General Manager Danny Ferry have the same issue. The Heat, again very much like the Cavs, is in position to have massive amounts of cap space next summer and could use it to add a major free agent next to Wade. So it seems a reasonable request from Riley -- until you hear what Wade had to say the day after hearing Riley's comments.
"I'm in my prime right now, playing the best basketball I've ever played, and I feel as good as I ever felt. So let's not wait. Let's do it now if we can do it. So it's not about me signing a contract," Wade told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
"They have to do everything they can to make sure they want me there for the future. . . . I always have the best interest of the basketball team every time I take the court. But in this stage, where you're talking about contracts and free agency, you have to think about yourself and what's best."
Whoops. Now you have the Heat president and the soon-to-be free-agent superstar going back and forth in public about who is going to blink first over committing to the future. This is what the Heat are dealing with as the Cavs introduce Shaquille O'Neal. So keep that in mind.
• Friday, the Toronto Raptors appeared to make a massive decision by agreeing with Hedo Turkoglu on a five-year, $53 million contract. To do it, they are going to have to renounce the rights to at least six of their free agents, including Shawn Marion, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker. It seemed the Raptors were interested in re-signing several of them and reportedly had offers on the table to Delfino and Marion when they pulled them to sign Turkoglu.
Had they just re-signed their own free agents, they would have still had their mid-level and biannual exceptions to add role players to build on a strong finish to last season. Instead, they are giving a 30-year-old, one-time All-Star a $10 million-per-season contract and leaving themselves dangerously thin everywhere.
What is their justification for this? Well, earlier this summer, Chris Bosh said he would not sign an extension and would become a free agent in 2010 no matter what, which triggered a huge new wave of Bosh trade ideas. Meanwhile, as the Raptors are tossing and turning over going after Turkoglu or keeping their guys, Bosh is using his Twitter account to say how much he wants the team to sign Turkoglu.
So they are now going to sign Turkoglu and watch the rest of their assets disappear in the hopes of hitting a grand slam. And trying not to think about paying Turkoglu $13 million when he's 35.
• With Amar'e Stoudemire reminding everyone who will listen that he's part of the 2010 free-agent class, too, the Suns have twice seriously considered trading him in the past six months, even if it is for pennies on the dollar. And they probably will do so again.
• Ray Allen, a 2010 free agent, has been popping up in trade rumors attached to the Boston Celtics, even though they are denying it. Can you blame Boston for denying or thinking about it? No.
• The Houston Rockets, uncertain what will happen with the health of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady (who can both be free agents in 2010), alienated Ron Artest after offering him just a one-year contract. Then, they basically said goodbye to Von Wafer, one of their undervalued finds who helped them reach the second round of the playoffs, when signing Trevor Ariza to play his position.
So the point is lots of teams have issues with uncertainty after this season, it isn't just the Cavs. And there aren't any easy answers, either.
Dribbles: In the wake of the Cavs' trade for O'Neal, many fans have wondered whether the Cavs could have traded for him at the trade deadline last February. Some use the inability to trade Wally Szczerbiak's contract at the deadline for a big man as the reason the Cavs did not reach the NBA Finals. That certainly is a defendable point. However, the Cavs and Suns were never on the verge of making a trade at the time.
The Suns had just fired coach Terry Porter and were playing very well and had decided not to trade Stoudemire or O'Neal in an attempt to make the playoffs. The Cavs were sensitive about making major changes to their team, as well. The trade talks did not become public until deadline day, which made it look as if it was close, but by that time they had mostly died.
• If you watched Shaq's introductory news conference Thursday, you may have heard Shaq several times reference "Uncle Jerome" for being his advisor. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert even introduced Uncle Jerome to the crowd. Uncle Jerome is Jerome Crawford, and he isn't Shaq's uncle by blood, but he's been like one for Shaq since he was a child.
Crawford is a former Newark, N.J., homicide detective who has been a mentor to Shaq his whole life and has been by Shaq's side for years as a personal bodyguard. He likely will have the same role with the Cavs.
It is not unlike the role of Randy Mims, who works for the Cavs as a player liaison and is one of James' closest friends and trusted advisers. Mims, whom fans will recognize as the friend who dances with James in recent State Farm commercials, has become a key part of the Cavs' organization.
• Why did the Cavs have to wait until Wednesday afternoon and Thursday to host Shaq? Well, he had some pressing business matters to deal with. On Tuesday, he closed on the sale of his Miami Beach mansion for $16 million. The 19,000-square foot, 2.5-acre estate cost him $18.8 million in 2004, and he tried to sell it a year later for as much as $32 million. Alex Rodriguez almost bought the house, which Shaq bought from former Heat center Rony Seikaly in 2007. It was bought by Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin, who is engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell. Shaq's main residence is in Orlando, Fla., where he lives near Tiger Woods.
• In its July 13 issue, ESPN The Magazine released a comprehensive ranking of the 122 NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL franchises. More than 50,000 people filled out surveys for the research, which includes analysis of ownership, coaching, players, title track, stadium experience, affordability, fan relations and bang for the buck.
The Cavs ranked No. 5 overall and the highest in players for their effort on the field and likability off of it. The Los Angeles Angels ranked No. 1 overall, the Los Angeles Clippers ranked No. 122. The New York Knicks were 121st. The Indians ranked 67th, and the Browns came in at 114th.
http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/07/balancing_present_future_trick.html
Balancing present, future tricky: NBA Insider
by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter
Sunday July 05, 2009, 4:54 AM
Let's get right to it: Is the fact LeBron James has just one year left on his contract hurting the Cavaliers in their free-agent pursuits?
To a certain extent, absolutely.
The Cavs are chasing role players in free agency and, in some cases, offering multiyear contracts. Without the ability to outbid other teams this summer, the biggest part of the Cavs' sales pitch is a chance to play for a championship and with James.
In Sports Illustrated's annual poll released in March, James was the far-and-away winner of the query, "Which opposing player would you most like to have on your team?" In fact, he nearly tripled Kobe Bryant's votes.
So not being 100 percent sure where James will be in 2010 is an issue. But it is an issue the Cavs are happy to be dealing with. They'd much rather be the team trying to keep its megastar than the ones ripping teams apart in the hope of getting a star.
The truth is all of the teams with the 2010 free agents are having their issues dealing with balancing the present and the future. It isn't easy, and the Cavs have been handling it about as well as anyone could expect or project.
For example:
• The Miami Heat is having some mildly serious back-and-forth with Dwyane Wade about the same topic. Last month, Wade went on a radio show in his hometown of Chicago and indicated he'll probably pass on a contract extension offered by the Heat this summer.
A few days later, Heat President Pat Riley reacted to that by saying he can't go forth with any major moves without getting a commitment from Wade past next season.
"There can't be any major franchise changes made without his commitment," Riley said. "What we do going forward is going to be predicated on that. I don't know if I want to change this team that much. Keeping the team together might be the thing until we can make the move in '10."
The Cavs and General Manager Danny Ferry have the same issue. The Heat, again very much like the Cavs, is in position to have massive amounts of cap space next summer and could use it to add a major free agent next to Wade. So it seems a reasonable request from Riley -- until you hear what Wade had to say the day after hearing Riley's comments.
"I'm in my prime right now, playing the best basketball I've ever played, and I feel as good as I ever felt. So let's not wait. Let's do it now if we can do it. So it's not about me signing a contract," Wade told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
"They have to do everything they can to make sure they want me there for the future. . . . I always have the best interest of the basketball team every time I take the court. But in this stage, where you're talking about contracts and free agency, you have to think about yourself and what's best."
Whoops. Now you have the Heat president and the soon-to-be free-agent superstar going back and forth in public about who is going to blink first over committing to the future. This is what the Heat are dealing with as the Cavs introduce Shaquille O'Neal. So keep that in mind.
• Friday, the Toronto Raptors appeared to make a massive decision by agreeing with Hedo Turkoglu on a five-year, $53 million contract. To do it, they are going to have to renounce the rights to at least six of their free agents, including Shawn Marion, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker. It seemed the Raptors were interested in re-signing several of them and reportedly had offers on the table to Delfino and Marion when they pulled them to sign Turkoglu.
Had they just re-signed their own free agents, they would have still had their mid-level and biannual exceptions to add role players to build on a strong finish to last season. Instead, they are giving a 30-year-old, one-time All-Star a $10 million-per-season contract and leaving themselves dangerously thin everywhere.
What is their justification for this? Well, earlier this summer, Chris Bosh said he would not sign an extension and would become a free agent in 2010 no matter what, which triggered a huge new wave of Bosh trade ideas. Meanwhile, as the Raptors are tossing and turning over going after Turkoglu or keeping their guys, Bosh is using his Twitter account to say how much he wants the team to sign Turkoglu.
So they are now going to sign Turkoglu and watch the rest of their assets disappear in the hopes of hitting a grand slam. And trying not to think about paying Turkoglu $13 million when he's 35.
• With Amar'e Stoudemire reminding everyone who will listen that he's part of the 2010 free-agent class, too, the Suns have twice seriously considered trading him in the past six months, even if it is for pennies on the dollar. And they probably will do so again.
• Ray Allen, a 2010 free agent, has been popping up in trade rumors attached to the Boston Celtics, even though they are denying it. Can you blame Boston for denying or thinking about it? No.
• The Houston Rockets, uncertain what will happen with the health of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady (who can both be free agents in 2010), alienated Ron Artest after offering him just a one-year contract. Then, they basically said goodbye to Von Wafer, one of their undervalued finds who helped them reach the second round of the playoffs, when signing Trevor Ariza to play his position.
So the point is lots of teams have issues with uncertainty after this season, it isn't just the Cavs. And there aren't any easy answers, either.
Dribbles: In the wake of the Cavs' trade for O'Neal, many fans have wondered whether the Cavs could have traded for him at the trade deadline last February. Some use the inability to trade Wally Szczerbiak's contract at the deadline for a big man as the reason the Cavs did not reach the NBA Finals. That certainly is a defendable point. However, the Cavs and Suns were never on the verge of making a trade at the time.
The Suns had just fired coach Terry Porter and were playing very well and had decided not to trade Stoudemire or O'Neal in an attempt to make the playoffs. The Cavs were sensitive about making major changes to their team, as well. The trade talks did not become public until deadline day, which made it look as if it was close, but by that time they had mostly died.
• If you watched Shaq's introductory news conference Thursday, you may have heard Shaq several times reference "Uncle Jerome" for being his advisor. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert even introduced Uncle Jerome to the crowd. Uncle Jerome is Jerome Crawford, and he isn't Shaq's uncle by blood, but he's been like one for Shaq since he was a child.
Crawford is a former Newark, N.J., homicide detective who has been a mentor to Shaq his whole life and has been by Shaq's side for years as a personal bodyguard. He likely will have the same role with the Cavs.
It is not unlike the role of Randy Mims, who works for the Cavs as a player liaison and is one of James' closest friends and trusted advisers. Mims, whom fans will recognize as the friend who dances with James in recent State Farm commercials, has become a key part of the Cavs' organization.
• Why did the Cavs have to wait until Wednesday afternoon and Thursday to host Shaq? Well, he had some pressing business matters to deal with. On Tuesday, he closed on the sale of his Miami Beach mansion for $16 million. The 19,000-square foot, 2.5-acre estate cost him $18.8 million in 2004, and he tried to sell it a year later for as much as $32 million. Alex Rodriguez almost bought the house, which Shaq bought from former Heat center Rony Seikaly in 2007. It was bought by Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin, who is engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell. Shaq's main residence is in Orlando, Fla., where he lives near Tiger Woods.
• In its July 13 issue, ESPN The Magazine released a comprehensive ranking of the 122 NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL franchises. More than 50,000 people filled out surveys for the research, which includes analysis of ownership, coaching, players, title track, stadium experience, affordability, fan relations and bang for the buck.
The Cavs ranked No. 5 overall and the highest in players for their effort on the field and likability off of it. The Los Angeles Angels ranked No. 1 overall, the Los Angeles Clippers ranked No. 122. The New York Knicks were 121st. The Indians ranked 67th, and the Browns came in at 114th.
http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/07/balancing_present_future_trick.html