Tuesday, July 22 Miami may play match game with Odom, too By Marc Stein ESPN.com Lamar Odom is the second Clippers free agent on the Heat's wish list. Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent Lamar Odom is scheduled to fly to Miami on Tuesday to meet with Heat officials. The Heat are considering whether to extend Odom an offer sheet as they did with Elton Brand. Miami's six-year, $82 million offer sheet to Brand was matched by the Clippers on Saturday, just three days after Brand signed it. The Clippers had 15 days to match the Brand offer and indicated that they would use the full window despite announcing immediately that their All-Star power forward would be retained. It's believed that the Clippers changed course because their own negotiations with Odom have stalled. By matching quickly on Brand, L.A. has freed Miami to sign Odom to an offer sheet. The Clippers can then decide whether to match or pass on Odom, depending on the price the Heat establishes. If Odom does not sign an offer sheet with Miami, and if the Clippers refuse to meet his demands on a long-term team, the talented small forward could elect to sign a one-year deal that would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Interesting. This might be construed as what Miami wanted all along. Riley has always coveted Odom, and this might have been pre-meditated; Force the Clipps hand on Brand ( or end up with a hell of a player) so that they are unable or unlikely to match on Odom. Sort of look at them, say they can't afford to max out both, but we can afford to max out one, so force them into a situation where they max both ( or close) or let the Heat take one. At the very least the first move, brand, might have been made with the repercussions it would have on the Odom situation well in mind.
I was thinking the same thing. It wouldn't suprise me if that was Riley's plan all along. Would it be better for Odom to sign for 1 year with the Clips and then go for the max next season? Or with his past drug history should he take the $82 million from Miami and not risk a "bad season" in Clipperland? Decisions decisions
This move confuses me. Are the Heat then going to play Caron Butler at the PG with Eddie Jones at 2 and Odom at 3? Or are they going to pay Eddie Jones $12+m to be Butler's backup? The Heat only have 6 players under contract and have about $16m to sign the remaining 6 slots. If they get Odom for $8m, they'll have $8m for 5 roster spots. (No MLE as they are under the cap). What are they doing? Do they have a deal worked out for Jones for 2 or 3 players which match his salary?
Well you don't want to play your SG and SF 48 minutes a game. They can start Jones and Odom and have Butler backup both positions. That's a solid rotation at the swing. Miami would still be hurting in the rest of their roster, but for a guy of Odom's caliber, you do it anyway. There aren't a ton of guys on the market to spend your cap space on anyway. And, they'll suck this year no matter what.
JV - Excellent point except three things are worth considering... 1) Butler was a #10 pick who was upset that no one picked him sooner and openly made comments about showing those that overlooked him how wrong they were. 2) Butler has already been a starter for the Heat and a major cog in what marginal success they had. 3) Butler was #3 in the ROY and personally felt he was comparable to Yao and Amare. IMHO, Butler does not have the mindset of a 6th man. I think it may backfire. The move also diminishes PT for Rasual Butler who also has a solid upside. IMO, Center and depth are more important Heat priorities.
IMO the Heat can have Odom for 50 million. If I were the Clips I'd match Maggette and let Odom walk. I imagine Sterling is waiting on the Maggette issue because he hopes he knows what he is dealing with Odom--where if Odom's offer is substantially less than Maggettes he keeps Odom instead. Smartest thing the Heat can do--after their very smart move of making the Clips pay every dollar for Brand--is to delay their offer for Odom until the Clips have to decide about Maggette. Then if Maggette is matched--maybe 35 mil could get Odom, but if the Clips don't match on Maggette--Odom's price goes way up. I'd hedge my bets they do match Maggette though because Odom is a shakier long term investment. BTW I think the Heat would be fine with Odom--not a bad move at all. The Heat only have two other young players with much potential at all--Butler and Wade--the the nice thing about all 3 is they are multi position players. Further, in the EC Odom could even play some 4 against the likes of Walker, KT, Tim Thomas, etc. etc. Jones years with the Heat are surely numbered--they would not pass on Odom if they thought he was a LT fixture because of Jones.
& let Jones play the point guard on defense? Might work. Odom could probably get away playing the 4 10 min a game or so in the East.
I don't entirely understand Riley's reasoning. He gives out mega-contracts and then has to fill in the roster with scrubs. Caron Butler has to start. He's not a bench-warmer. If Memphis still has interest in Eddie Jones, maybe Miami should trade EJ for, say, Jason Williams and expiring contract (and still good player) Wesley Person. If Memphis would bite. ESPN also reported that the Clips made an offer to Arenas because talks with Lamar had come to an impasse, so the Clips let Arenas walk (couldn't sign both for max money). It makes me wonder if the Clips will wind up keeping Odom....and where that would leave Miami.
So they picked Dwayne Wade with the 5th pick of the draft lottery to let him ride wood? I think them going after Odom means that they are heavily considering trying to move Wade to the 2 and trading Eddie Jones, playing Odom at the point and Caron at the 3.
As anyone that follows the heat would know, Miami is looking to unload Jones, so probably they would use Odom as point-foreward, Wade at 2, and Butler at 3. Defense Wade guards point, Butler and Odom interchange between 2-3.
