They actually matched the Heat's offer to Brand. I guess the sky is going to start falling now. http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0718/1582499.html Deal will be for $82 million over six years -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Clippers retained All-Star forward Elton Brand on Saturday by matching an offer sheet he signed with the Miami Heat earlier this week. The Clippers did not disclose the terms of Brand's deal, which is believed to be worth $82.2 million over six years. Los Angeles had 15 days to match the offer sheet Brand signed with the Heat on Wednesday. "I am very pleased that Elton Brand will continue to be an important part of our organization," said Elgin Baylor, the Clippers vice president of basketball operations. "I never doubted the outcome of this process and I couldn't be happier." Brand averaged 18.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 39.6 minutes in 62 games last season. The first overall selection by the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA draft, Brand has averaged 19.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 38.3 minutes over his four-year career. Brand, who could have signed a one-year tender and then become an unrestricted free agent next summer, didn't seem fazed that the historically penny-pinching Clippers are going to keep him from going to Miami. "If they match, I'm going to be excited either way," Brand told the Los Angeles Times by telephone on Friday when the Clippers; plans first came to light. "I'll be ready to go in a new direction with the Clippers, start winning some games and get into the playoffs. If they're going to match, that's saying they're in the direction of trying to get players." The retention of Brand is the first step in an unprecendented outlay of Cash by the Clippers, in efforts to retain much of the team's core. The Clippers also have indicated that they will match the six-year, $42 million offer Utah made to guard Corey Maggette. The Clippers already lost center Michael Olowokandi, who signed with Minnesota earlier this week, and likely will not match Denver's offer sheet to Andre Miller, a disappointment in his only year in L.A. According to the Times, new Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy called Brand on Thursday and repeated the team's interest in retaining him. "I told him it's all my fault," Dunleavy joked. "I said, 'I signed on to coach you, that's the way it's going to be.' After opting not to lock up Brand last summer, the Clippers made an initial offer of $65 million over five years on July 1. They later increased the offer to $78 million over six years, the max they could offer with the salary cap assumed to be $42 million. When the official salary cap figure of $43.8 million was released by the NBA on Wednesday, the Heat were able to include an additional $4 million in their offer, which the Clippers now must match. "I honestly think that if they do match, and other players are here, it can turn around," Brand said to the Times. "The problem was, players weren't getting paid, so they were leaving or trying to do their things to get paid by other teams ... If we're there, then it's on us. It's in L.A., it's a great city, we've got great fans. We've just got to get over those old problems. We should be able to do that."
and the west gets tougher.... Donald Sterling has always been the clips biggest opposition. Now that he is going along for the ride, this could be scary. Don't forget that Kobe will sign on next year . and you got yourself some serious competition. If only they didn't have a seven foot white guy playing center......
The clips have to sign SOMEONE. While there is a max salary cap, there is a also a minimum salary cap in place so cheap a$$es like Sterling can't focus on the dollar even moreso over team success. This doesn't mean that the Clips will sign all of the other FA's, but they'll probably look to re-up with at least one of them.
where are all the joke NBA franchises going? wins against the cavs, clippers, nuggets, warriors used to be a certainty. now theyre tryin to be all...good.
theyv'e announced that they will match on maggette, sign Odom and now the have made an offer to Gilbert Arenas. The rockets can not stand pat. Yao alone can not carry us
The sky is definitely falling. I tried using my umbrella, but it's not holding up very well. Seriously, I'm well and truly stunned. Sterling being a cheap SOB is one of the great truths of the NBA... like Jordan getting all the calls or Hakeem making the Admiral look like a dizzy pansy. That wasn't an earthquake you felt, it was the shudder coming from the foundations of the League as we know it. What's next?? (boink!) You have a link for that, studogg? Damn! Les and CD better wake up and smell the coffee. (mmmm... coffee. I need some)
I'm not totally shocked by the Brand thing, but 10 mil a year to Arenas (coming from Sterling) blows my mind.
Isnt this like the first time Sterling has ever had players to give large contracts to? Who else would he have given them to in the past... Maurice Taylor? Lamond Murray? Derek Anderson?... well maybe , but not too big. Loy Vaught? I cant think of one really great player that Sterling has passed on. I'm not saying he is a great owner, but I think people need to give the guy a break.
What was the situation with McDyess? He traded Mcdyess after he drafted him because he wanted too much money? I think thats a little different then having a great player on your team(having played great in the NBA) and not keeping him because he wants a lot of cash.
I think the owner of the clippers are over critised by been cheap, but on past, there is not a super star player that wroth clippers to sign and keep and they all asking for the MAX! I think Elton Brand is the first one that deserve a MAX or close MAX player.
They saved money by simply matching Brand's offer. They could have offered more but didn't. I am weary of Donald Sterling, and if he opens his wallet, the Rocks have one more team to compete with...ugh. DD
Geez, we had to endure a season of "let's raid the Clippers' talent pool with garbage trades because Sterling is a cheap SOB" threads for a whole year, and now this.
at least i won't have to listen to Elton Brand for Mobley/Griffin rumors anymore. Realistically you would have to had to been on crack to think that trade would have happened.
Realistically, you would have had to have "been on crack" to think that Sterling would pony up in any way approaching this scale. It's astonishing.
