Don't count the Suns out. They'll be dangerous. Marbury-J.Johnson-Matrix is as good a 1-2-3 as there is in the league. Amare and Alton Ford are young but will contribute at 4. Plus Googs or Penny may luck out with injuries once for a change. Also, this may be the year that Jazz blows up, and by that I mean blows up ugly, like 25-57 type of ugly...
i think reshard is becoming one of the biggest bs'ers ever cause he doesn't deserve the max, and he doesn't deserve what seattle is offering. so if i were seattle, i'd just let him go he's to much trouble, and all he does is talk trash. asking seattle for more money, saying the mav's have a better organization than we do, that's just a big crock of sh*t!
Anybody else thinking that this might be a good sign for us. If RL can convince Seattle that he's gonna walk, maybe they'll finally give in and do a sign & trade with the Rockets (so they get something to show for their ex-franchise player), which is the avenue we've been pursuing all along. Be patient Rox fans. Don't hate on Rashard yet!
This is how I think Rashard thinks, or maybe I hope it. He really wants to play in his hometown, and his favorite team as a kid. If I was already making good money doing what I love, I would also try and play for the team I rooted for. It would be like a dream come true. But maybe he still resents them a little for not taking him. Therefor he leaves it to fate. If Seattle pays him the max, he gets respect and gets a LOT richer. If they don't, Shard goes to Houston, his favorite team. Besides, pro athletes get paid a lot of money, even for the exception. He sees Houston is not very interested as well as Seattle and decides to try and persuade them by threatening to sign with Dallas. I need to stop hoping though. Chances are he just wants as much money as possible, and would not play for Houston unless he got the big bucks. I believe this is probably more likely.
I, for one, don't want Rashard for a cent more than Mo Taylor money. He's not worth it. There won't be a game where Rashard will carry us. He may score a ton of points and lead us to victory, but someone has to feed him in the right place at the right time.
As AstroRocket accutely said, very true that when Dallas overpays for shard, it may help them a bit,....but what is even better is that is makes the Sonics substantially worse...This fact bodes well to bump the Rockets up in the playoff bracket.
leehoang:- Are you of Asian Origin are you an Oriental? The reason is the language of your posts does not fit the character of an Oriental person! This does not require a reply, I was just expressing my feelings.
no such thing as an Oriental person... or an Occidental one for that matter... we've been over this before... just ask Jeff.
Dallas' chances are slim-to-none to sign Lewis and Houston's are even slimmer than that. When the dust settles, Lewis will go back to Seattle for the money so it's all for not anyhow.
the bluff is called. I think he'll leave Seattle, or push for a sign and trade. CD's been scheming and tight-lipped.
i'd be happy if steve took 85mil. Hey at least its not 95-100mil. Man i'm still trippin over allan houston 100,000,000. If he got that kind of contract with the #'s he puts up. Then Cuttino should be getting paid that much also. Na. sorry for getting off topic.
If Lewis walks, the Sonics will shop Payton. I say forget about Lewis and concentrate on making a deal that lands Payton.
Latest on the situation according to Percy Allen of the Seattle Times: The Dallas mavericks are closely monitoring the negotiations between the Seattle Supersonics and free agent Rashard Lewis, ready to pounce. If they can’t reach a deal, Cuban and the Mavericks will be there to accept Lewis with open arms. Lewis was unhappy last month with the Sonics’ offer of a 7-year, $60 million contract, which could reach $75 million if certain incentives are met. In comments made over the weekend, Lewis again voiced displeasure with the Sonics and insisted that they increase their offer. Meanwhile in Dallas, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is keeping track of the negotiations. He applauded Lewis' business acumen while noting that the difference between the Sonics' offer and what the Mavs can give ($15 million over three years) isn't as great as it may seem. "Rashard has a great grasp of the business and accounting aspect of the differences in the offerings of the Mavs and Sonics," Cuban said via e-mail yesterday. "Not only does he understand that there is less than $2 (million) in difference between the offers pre-tax, he has a complete grasp of the accounting elements of the deal. "(He) realizes that after federal income tax and NBA escrow tax, there is a difference of less than $1 (million) in the first year and not more than that in the next two years." Cuban is banking not only on Lewis' business sense but also on his own reputation as a free-spending billionaire owner with a track record of taking care of his star players. If Lewis signs a three-year deal with Dallas, he would be eligible for a maximum contract in the summer of 2005. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/134506966_soni05.html
