Where is Rashard going? The contestants: Houston, Seattle, New York, Portland, Miami, Orlando The lowdown: 1. Houston (only sign-and-trade works) Pros: Hometown, strong interest, team becomes a title contender Cons: 1998. What is in for Seattle? Battier? They have five SFs (KD, Green, Wilkens,Gelabale,Wally). They do need some help at the 2 as all their swingmen are better suited to play the 3, so a package around Snyder and Head maybe mildly intruiging. Also, you can argue that a prototypical point guard like Alston - who has played with T-Mac - can help with KD's development. However adding three medioocre players (Alston, Head, Snyder) to a roster that is already 13-men strong is a not a very smart move. 2. Seattle: Pros: they can pay the most money and and they are the key to any S&T. If Seattle wants him and if Rashard cared only about the cash, he will stay put. Cons: Will Rashard want to get stuck in a rebuilding program, just to maximize his earnings? Why would Seattle want him? Granted, a lineup of PG-KD-Green-Lewis-Wilcox can work in today's NBA and be in fact very entertaining, however, there is only one coach that would dare to put such lineup on the floor and he is currently at Golden State. Similarly, the only PG who can make this lineup work is currently in Phoenix. A more conventional coach (meaning P.J. Carlesimo) would like a Center and a shooting guard instead of three small frowards. 3. New York (S&T) Pros: Big market is good for Rashard. S&T around Jamal Crawford will be very attractive to Seattle. If you have lived in the Seattle area you know what a legend Jamal Crawford is there. Plus the Sonics need a guard with all these SFs on the roster. Nate Robinson can also be a part of a deal, being very popular at UW. The Knicks just got Isah's boy Fred Jones, so it won't be too hard for them to part with Crawford or Robinson Cons: If Isiah feels that he doesn't have to part with Crawford and Seattle feels that they don't have to do a S&T unless Crawford is involved, this could evolve into a standoff where either Rashard takes Orlando's money or the Sonics take the Rockets package, just to get it resolved. 4. Orlando Pros: No S&T needed. Nice weather, good change from the gloom and rain in Seattle, up-and-coming team with a superstar-in-making big man and a capable coach. Cons: less money. Not an outright contender. 5. Portland (S&T) Pros: With Oden-Roy-Aldridge they are young but supertalented. An All-Star SF could turn them into contenders overnight. Nate and Rashard got along very well in Seattle. Cons: What's in it for Seattle? They'd love to get Roy back, but he is off-limits. D.Miles is toxic. Will M.Webster/Frye/Przbilla/rights to Rudy Fernandez do it? 6. Miami (S&T) Pros: team is contender; nice weather, nice city; great coach (if he stays), winning program Cons: What's in it for Seattle? My pick: New York. A lineup of Marbury-F.Jones-Rashard-Zach-Curry would be either lethal or very dysfunctional, but at least talent-wise the Knicks would become East favourites outright.
My pick: New York. A lineup of Marbury-F.Jones-Rashard-Zach-Curry would be either lethal or very dysfunctional, but at least talent-wise the Knicks would become East favourites outright.[/QUOTE] nice write up.... ony thing I iwould disagree with... is the fact that people in New York have said that with every big name free agent they have signed up in the past...
What would suck is if Seattle traded him to NYC for all of these Washington natives only to move to OKC after Seattle decides not to cave in and build a new arena.
It's not so unfortunate if we get Darko out of it..look i love rashard...but there is alot of downside to his game..defense,injury prone, and he hasnt really proved much in the nba...but i am a fan of his and would love him in the nba..but i just doubt it would happen..if rockets cant grab him i hope orlando does and then trdes darko to us = )
free agents want: 1. money 2. large role (for more money later) 3. wins houston - probably less money than most teams, even with a S&T. can give him a fairly large role (3rd option). probably will win more games with him than any other team on the list. (2/3) seattle - max contract. large role (first or second option). will still be a lotto team. (2/3) new york - most money (S&T for max, then big market endorsements). would be second option at best (zeke wants the ball to go inside then out). will probably be a low playoff seed with him. (1/3) orlando - slightly less max contract than seattle. would be the first option (howard isn't a real scoring threat yet). would still be a low playoff seed thanks to weak roster. (2/3) portland - would S&T for max. would be the first option. would still be a lotto team, in stacked west. (2/3) miami - probably wouldn't S&T for max with shaq and wade on the books. would be the 3rd option. team would have a chance at a finals run. (1/3) the tie breaker between portland, orlando, seattle, and houston is money. all but the rockets can and will offer the max. the second tie breaker is wins. shard is tired of losing. seattle and portland won't make the playoffs for a couple of years while orlando will give him a taste of the postseason. the winner will be orlando!
houston - 3rd option, less money, questionable contender team. seattle - max contract, 2nd option, rebuilding team. new york - most money , 1st or 2nd option, big apple! orlando - 1st option, max contract, playoff team. portland - 2nd option, familar coach, most money, upcoming contender team. miami - No money, 3rd option, contender team
I'll go with Orlando. Especially since it came out that Orlando isn't contacting Milicic about a contract extension. Looks like they've got their crosshairs on Lewis, and they have the money to d it.
according to espn insider looks like he is going after the money to orlando Rashard in Orlando, and moreposted: Sunday, July 1, 2007 | Print Entry Rashard Lewis was on a plane to Orlando early Sunday evening to meet with the Magic after hearing a pitch from the Seattle SuperSonics. Waiting anxiously to see how it would all play out was Darko Milicic, who had not -- repeat, had not -- received a phone call from the Magic (as of 5:30 p.m. ET) on his first day as a restricted free agent. "Is he restricted or unrestricted?" Magic general manager Otis Smith told ESPN.com. "Look, Darko knows that we love him and want him here. What else is there to do?" The situation was fluid, with the Magic having the option to move more than $15 million below the salary cap if they decided to renounce their rights to Milicic by withdrawing their $6.8 million qualifying offer. And although such a move seemed unlikely -- the Magic would lose all rights to the 22-year-old big man -- it was not out of the realm of possibility on a somewhat frantic first day of free agency. There was no immediate word on how the meeting went between Lewis and the Sonics, whose team executives flew to Houston to meet with Lewis and his agent, Tony Dutt. But the very fact that Lewis later boarded a plane to Orlando was a sign that the Sonics had not made the unrestricted free agent an offer he couldn't refuse. "Right now, I think we have the same chance as 13 other teams," Smith said. "But if you have the ability to try to add a player like Rashard Lewis, you do it." Milicic's agent, Marc Cornstein, said he had heard from roughly half the teams in the league since the start of free agency at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday. "What I make of it [the lack of a phone call from Orlando] is nothing other than they're interested in Rashard, which was never a secret," Cornstein said. "But whatever the case, we're going to be talking to them at some point to move forward." Two deals were made quickly Sunday, Jason Kapono agreeing to go from Miami to Toronto for four years and $24 million, and Luke Walton agreeing to stay with the Lakers for $30 million over six years. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak placed a call to Walton's agent one minute after midnight to express the team's interest in retaining its best unrestricted free agent. "They called at the earliest possible moment, and we worked on it all day," agent Lon Babby said. "They wanted him back, and Luke wanted to be there. We wanted to make every effort to get an agreement before we went out and looked at any other teams." Another of Babby's clients, Grant Hill, had one of his more lucrative options taken away when the Toronto Raptors decided to spend their midlevel exception on Kapono. Babby said Hill's list of possible teams now includes, in no particular order, Detroit, Miami, Phoenix, San Antonio and Orlando. "The financial considerations are fairly low on his list of priorities," Babby said. "He wants the opportunity to play on a championship team, and if he has to make a financial sacrifice, he would do that." I also spoke today with agent Mark Bartelstein, who said the Milwaukee Bucks were among several teams who called during the first three hours of free agency regarding his client, Mo Williams. "There's a whole lot of interest, 12 or 13 teams," Bartelstein said. "Lots of teams are looking for a point guard. People are getting feel for what it will take. The market is a very strange thing, and when the time is right you pull the trigger."
I really dont see Rashard going back to seattle, I really belive rashard is gonna end up in Orlando and Darko in houston.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-bk-magicdarko070107,0,4485418.story Free-agency shocker: Magic mum to Milicic TY RUSSELL, ASSOCIATED PRESS, January 16, 2007 In a surprising development, the Orlando Magic did not contact Darko Milicic's camp when NBA free agency officially began at 12:01 a.m. today. The Magic had said they wanted to re-sign Milicic, but by late this afternoon they had yet to call Marc Cornstein, Milicic's agent. Cornstein conceded he was surprised, because a team's call to a free agents after the courting period begins is seen as at least a good-will gesture, if not an actual precursor to negotiating. Cornstein told the Sentinel he received calls from more than 10 other teams today about Milicic, including "a few" who made offers, but added, "Curious by their absence was the Orlando Magic." Cornstein said he called Milicic, who is in his native Serbia, to inform him that the Magic had not called. "I talked to Darko. I'm not going to lie to him. I told him," Cornstein said. Milicic, a 7-foot power forward who played the past 1 1/2 seasons with the Magic, is a restricted free agent. Cornstein was still hopeful that Milicic was in the Magic's plans. The Magic had said that they wanted Milicic to return, and add a free agent such as small forward Rashard Lewis, who has played in Seattle the past nine seasons. The Magic might have quickly turned all their attention to Lewis or another free agent. Lewis' agent, Tony Dutt, reportedly was meeting with Sonics General Manager Sam Presti on Sunday in Houston. The development could mean that the Magic are trying to work a sign-and-trade involving Milicic and Lewis
The most likely scenerio is a resigned Darko and a resigned Lewis in a S&T. Darko would fit in nicely with Seatles young group dont you think? Yeh his would suck but watch it happen.
you're right on the NY, Orlando, and Miami ones, but Portland doesn't have a coach yet, and they aren't a contender until they beat a contender.
Did I miss something the article you posted gave absolutley no indication Shard was even leaning in that direction. Just because he is going to check out the facility has no bearing on the situation. Every Free Agent does that with nearly every team intrested.
Well if you are so completly sure he is not coming here then why don't you bet your membership on it. I mean if it is not even a question to you I can't imagine why you would worry about that.
