i didnt think we were gonna get him anyway...oh well. go boki! http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/134509894_soni09.html Now that the nuptials are over and newlywed Desmond Mason has whisked his bride away for an exotic honeymoon, Sonics management and Rashard Lewis — who attended the ceremony in Hawaii — will renew the work to repair their rocky marriage. The free-agent forward maintains that if the two sides are to reconcile, then Seattle will need to increase the guaranteed money on its seven-year, $60 million offer with an additional $15 million in incentives and bonuses. Unless his demands are met, Lewis, who turned 23 yesterday, is pushing for a divorce and will cozy up with a Texas suitor, perhaps the Dallas Mavericks or the Houston Rockets. "Our options are still open," Lewis' agent Carl Poston told the Houston Chronicle. "That includes Dallas and Houston. (The Rockets) are still in the hunt. It doesn't look good with Seattle. "I think (the Rockets) are an option. They're not No. 1. What we'd really like to do is sign with Seattle. But if Seattle doesn't give him fair-market value, Houston is one of the options." Although Lewis is upset by what he believes is a low offer from the Sonics, it seems he won't be guided solely by emotions. Sources close to the negotiations say that Poston has asked the Sonics to consider a sign-and-trade deal with either of the Texas teams because the most Dallas or Houston could offer Lewis would be a three-year agreement worth $15 million. Since negotiations began over six weeks ago, the Sonics have adamantly opposed a sign-and-trade deal and would rather let Lewis walk away without receiving any compensation. Even Dallas owner Mark Cuban said he would have difficulty completing such a complicated exchange that would require both teams to swap additional players. "We would be interested (but) it's just nearly impossible because Rashard would be a base-year player," Cuban said via e-mail. "When a player gets more than a 20 percent raise, then the (Sonics) can only take back (half) as much salary, but the team getting the player, in this case Rashard, must take the full amount. "We have been going through lots of iterations trying to figure out how to make things work," Cuban added. "It's up to the Sonics to tell us they are willing to do it, and what players they would be willing to take back before anything can happen. We have calls into them, but have not heard back." Consider the Miami Heat's situation two years ago when they attempted to acquire All-Star guard Eddie Jones from Charlotte in a sign-and-trade deal. After much haggling, the teams ended up exchanging nine players to bring the swap into accordance with NBA rules that say players traded must be within 15 percent of each other's aggregate salaries. The Mavs would have considerable difficulty trading for Lewis because they've identified their high-salaried players (Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and Raef LaFrentz) as their franchise cornerstones. Cuban believes his team is one player away from seriously challenging the three-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and it's unlikely that he'll dismantle the Mavs for a 6-10 forward who averaged 16.8 points and 7.0 rebounds last season. Raiding the Rockets roster is more feasible because forward Maurice Taylor is scheduled to make $7.2 million next season and Kelvin Cato is due $6.7 million. Packaging one of them with another Houston player could make a deal with the Sonics possible. Still, every contingency hinges upon what monetary figure will make Lewis happy. Initially, he wanted a maximum contract of $102 million, but backed away from those claims and was reportedly seeking a $90 million deal. Lately, Lewis has been vague on the subject, only to say he wants substantially more than what the Sonics have offered. Meanwhile, Seattle has not budged from its offer and has given no indication that it will up the ante. Sonics General Manager Rick Sund has represented the team during the initial phase of the negotiations, but owner Howard Schultz and CEO/President Wally Walker have gotten involved over the past week. Walker, who is scheduled to return from Hawaii late tonight, spoke with Poston last weekend and said contract talks would likely resume Monday.
The chance of us adding Rashard was very small anyway. We should start praying that Rice stays healthy and that Boki is for real and contribute right away. Otherwise we're stuck with TMo at the three, and that means big problems for the Rockets.
I do not want Taylor to be traded. The only way I would do this trade is if Kenny Thomas or Glen Rice are involved. I would not even trade Cato because I do not want Collier to back-up or even start if Ming is not ready. I actually think that Cato should be one of the untouchable players (Francis, Mobely, Ming, Griffin).
I actually think that Cato should be one of the untouchable players (Francis, Mobely, Ming, Griffin). I know what you are trying to say but it just sounds funny.
