JuanValdez, You say tomAHto, and others say tomAto. Some say owners are cheap bastards and others say players are greedy bastards. You can't say one is disloyal and the other isn't. The difference between a max'd out 7 and 6yr contract does not define "loyalty," any more than a player demanding too much money defines disloyalty. All players know it is a business. Brand did not get a 7yr max offer (or extension) from his owner, but Sterling did match the 6yr max *immediately.* You are really stretching the issue to call that being a cheap b*stard and disloyalty. Cheap bastards don't sign coaches for $10m, and take on ?$130m? in two salaries. Sterling might remain under the cap this year, but the Maggette and Brand salaries will increase faster than the cap...that's almost guaranteed.
no! cheap bastards are people who take cheap adolescent shots at adult bar experiences and try to cover it up with school-house rock Smilies.
Maybe its time to call the Clips about a sign and trade: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/basketball/6476018.htm Posted on Thu, Aug. 07, 2003 Odom: I want out of L.A. Forward expects to be with Heat BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ igutierrez@herald.com COMING TO MIAMI? Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent forward Lamar Odom says he wants out of L.A. and doesn't want to play for any other coach than Pat Riley next season. His free agent status might be restricted, but it doesn't mean Lamar Odom has to restrict his emotions. The 6-10 forward, who played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, has been negotiating a contract offer from the Heat that is believed to be worth between $65 million and $70 million over six years. Odom's concern, though, is the Clippers will match the offer sheet, and he wants to make it clear he wants out of Los Angeles and would be disappointed if the Clippers brought him back. ''I feel like my relationship with the Clippers is over,'' Odom said by telephone Wednesday. ``I don't really feel like they committed to me. If they were, this wouldn't be going on like this. I just feel like this is my time and my place and my chance to get out of there.'' The Clippers reportedly have offered Odom a three-year, $24 million contract, but Odom's dissatisfaction runs much deeper than any dollar figures. Since he was drafted fourth overall in 1999, the Clippers have been through four coaches and just hired their fifth, Mike Dunleavy. And even the smaller details, like the Clippers are without their own practice facility, have gotten to Odom. ''At the end of this year, I pretty much wanted out,'' Odom said. ``I'm tired of not having a place to practice, a place to get better. I think it's just my time to get out of there. . . . I've been trying to express myself as humble as possible, but I just want to get . . . out of there.'' The Clippers have shown signs of turning around what often is referred to as the worst franchise in professional sports. They matched the Heat's six-year, $82 million offer to Elton Brand and Utah's six-year, $42 million offer to Corey Maggette, plus hired the respected Dunleavy. ''I know they did the thing with Elton Brand, but that was the obvious. They had to do that, . . .'' Odom said. ``I don't want to go through this again with the perception of Lamar Odom and having to win [Dunleavy] over and try to show him that I'm a good dude. ``I don't see how far we could go. From my understanding, no one wants to hire a disgruntled employee or bring a disgruntled employee back. I would not be happy coming back. I think my career is going to take off with the Heat. I'm running in muddy waters with the Clippers.'' Odom said he would be happier playing for the Heat and coach Pat Riley. ''This is about me coming to play for a coach that I should have been playing with a long time ago, since my rookie season,'' Odom said. ``He tried to make the moves to come get me then [in a trade], and now it's time for him to come get me out of the basketball hell. ``I don't see myself playing for any other coach than Riley next year.'' Odom's options also include signing a one-year tender offer with the Clippers that would make him an unrestricted free agent next season. A Clippers spokeswoman said the team had no comment about Odom's remarks. Instead, Odom would prefer to sign a deal with the Heat, which is likely to occur sometime in the next two days. Riley is in Los Angeles, as is Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz. Asked if he was worried the Clippers would match the Heat's offer simply out of spite, Odom said, ``To sign somebody back out of spite is gutless and is sorry. I just want to get as far away from the Clippers as possible.''
So, as a rookie, Odom never wanted to be a Clipper. <b>Disloyal from the start?</b> <blockquote><i> Los Angeles Southwest College has an outstanding gymnasium that is used by the Clippers as their practice facility. It has three regulation basketball courts, a state-of-the-art weight room and full locker room facilities.</i></blockquote> How is this worse that the Lakers practicing at a public ice-skating rink in El Segundo sharing with the LA Kings, Sparks, and 6yr girls figure skating?? Or how is that worse than practicing at a Tennis Facility with only one court shared by the Comets and club member leagues? <b>whining bastid</b> <b>3rd Person reference</b> to himself saying he won't try for Dunleavy.
LO the drug lord. If I am the clippers, I would match him, and bench him till the day I can trade him for some draft pick. maybe to some ****ty place that no other nba player want to be, Jazz? hehehehehe
With an attitude like Odom's, I think even the Clippers have to think of the best way to get rid of him. If he signs an offer sheet with Miami and gets matched, the Clippers will stuck with his whining for a year. They can expect to get no worthwhile contribution from him. It seems to me the Clippers would want to sign and trade him, to get some value back. But, Miami would have to shed a lot of salary to fit such a trade under the CBA. Does Miami have any assets that wouldn't be a cap albatross to the Clips? HP, you are right. This little speech by Odom is much like Pippen's fat-butt tirade to get himself traded out of Houston. You make keeping you around as odious as possible for your employer. Not very diplomatic. But, it worked for Pippen and may well work for Odom too.
Odom isn't exactly taking the high road here, but I wonder what any of us would do in the same situation. Although I'm surprised that Sterling is paying out a couple of big contracts, he only did so because he was forced into it. The Clippers will be decent this year but not great, and so on ad infinitum. So Odom knows how much Pat Riley wants to sign the next Magic Johnson and has his opportunity. It must be stressful knowing the Clips can step in and match, because if they do, it would just be to trade him in a year or two. Except that I don't think he's worth 10 million a year. Yet. I just want the Odom situation resolved so that Miami will be free to pursue other trades/avenues.
There can be no "high road" when DTS is involved.... I think most good NBA players want 2 things......financial security and a chance...just a chance to compete for a title...... now, DTS has offerred LO 3/24M twice.....and it is very clear that DTS just doesn't want to compete......so far 4 of his top 7 from last year have walked away for nothing......S&Ts were offerred for Kandi... they didn't even try with Miller.....let Pike walk....let Rooks walk and signed OP who has been out of the NBA for 2 years.....DTS wants his under the cap team and something he can market to put 40M a year of profits in his pockets..... Brand gave up any chance of competing for the next 6 years.....for 82M.....LO will most likely get 6/60.....but, he is a competitor and can't stand the thought of not competing.....atleast having the chance with owners and mgmt fixed on that goal.....so call a Spade a Spade.....and DTS a worthless SOB....and the LAC the worst organization in sports......... HEY, that's the TRUTH....and isn't the TRUTH......THE HIGH ROAD?!
Maybe Donald Sterling is signing all these contracts... and he is probably going to sell the team... Thats why probably finally that cheap b*stard is opening his wallet... thats my opinion
I know I wouldn't have done what Odom did. I would have told Sterling to sign & trade me to Miami and, if he wasn't cooperative, accept the qualifying offer to play 1 year. A year later, I'd sign with Miami as an FA. It sucks to have to go that route, but that is the punishment you get for getting drafted by the Clippers.
clip should trade him to jailblazer, he would fit in right away. the freaking drug lord, everytime, when i hear his intereview, he seems high. next magic? yea right, magic only sleep with chicks, not smoking pot
I was actually thinking that the Quitten routine is one last try at "forcing" a SnT, rather than some threat to not match. Do you think that would be Jones for Odom, from Miami's side, with Sterlilng asking Caron for Odom. dead lock. imo, Odom is worthless. I didn't think this until the quotes. bajabill, 3/24 is about the same starting salary as 6/60. What do you mean "not compete?" What has this whiner done to warrant a 6yr investment....drug suspicions and 2 consecutive yrs of less than 50 games. he's a risk in the form of a long term contract. bottomline: Brand *will* compete! Odom can join him if he wants to. DTS is not going to stop a workhorse like Brand from competing, no matter what you think of DTS.
If an owner was trying to sell the team he would try to get rid of high-end contracts he already has. Not add some more. Lower payrolls are attractive to prospective owners. That is what the owner (Senator Kole right?) of Milwaukee was doing when he though about selling his team.
No Pard......Brand will try......Brand will work.....but, neither Brand or the LAC will ever....... compete for a title......if phrases confuse you....or not enough brain cells to hold onto the context....just let me know, I will draw you a picture.
Lol, how can you be condescending when you can only type four words at a stretch? If you do need to draw him a picture it'd only be because your words are too disjointed to understand.
and Miami will without Brand? LOL There are many teams that are in the category of not being able to contend. Many of them are not attractive to FAs. Many of them still have players who play to win, though. Good players think they can win anywhere. Odom is not one of them. You do not wait to play for a perfect situation. You play to get respect and notice. Odom doesn't understand.
Clippers let Odom go. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1602984 The whining tactics seemed to work.
