Matt Jackson is about to make an announcement about Rashard

Getting rid of Baker would make sense if they did it to make room for 'Shard next year. It would be nice to see him in H town, but like someone else in this thread said, its too good to be true.

 

Rashard has to go in, either a sign n trade, or he'll re-sign with them.

They dealed Vin Baker for Kenny Anderson (basically). They cleared 10M in cap space for next season. Why would they get such an expensive backup (Anderson) for Baker, who's a better expensive backup?

Lewis is re-signing with Seattle.

If NOT, look for MAJOR rebuilding in Seattle.

Since they don't have a good PF, we may be able to slip them MoT, KT and a future pick for Lewis?


We'd still have too many SF's.

They'd have to take Rice, and we'd have to take a C with a bad contract off their hands.

 

Don't worry, he won't go to the Spurs, oh wait, I guess he could.

 

If this isnt a joke, and ron is truly an insider, Rashard is a Rocket!!!!!!!The sun will run south (houston) for all the world to see.(Houston just drafted Ming so all the world will be watching....)

 

I doubt if Ron is an insider. "Wally was on with Locke tonight and said the club may be willing to go OVER the lux tax limit this year to get Rashard signed because they'll go back under next year after Anderson's deal comes off the books." Anderson's deal was never on the books - he was a sign and trade for Rice. Rice's deal comes off the books not next year, but in the summer of 2004.

Rashard needs to use some team for leverage to get a better deal from Seattle. My bet is that he is leading Cuban on instead of the Rockets so that he does not burn his bridges here if he later wants to demand a trade to Houston.

 

Why does Dallas want Rashard Lewis anyways? They already have plenty of scorers. Why add another jump shooter? This is not going to help them beat Sacramento or LA. Rashard, LaFrentz, Finley, and Nowitzki are all jump shooters.

 

The Rox could improve its quality and financial position by moving......
a) Collier or Cato
b) Rice
c) Norris
d) Morris
e) Taylor
f) Thomas
And only in this order.
Improve with LEWIS by trading a) through d)

 

Like I cared to hear Lewis going to MAVS! Let's get Donyell Marshalls!!!

 

If Matt Jackson really thinks that the balance of power in the West will shift by Rashard Lewis signing with Dallas, he(Matt) should be drug tested. The only way that move shifts any balance of power is if Lewis goes East making the West just a tad bit weaker.

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/134498442_lewis23.html

Sonics turn focus to signing Lewis

By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Now, only Rashard Lewis remains for the Sonics.

Forward Ansu Sesay, a restricted free agent, still remains on the market and Gary Payton told folks in management that he would like to extend his contract, but those items will have to wait.

Now that Jerome James has re-signed and Vin Baker and Shammond Williams have been traded, the Sonics will give their undivided attention to soothing any hurt feelings that Lewis might have.

Sonics President Wally Walker took steps yesterday to dislodge the stalled negotiations when he said the team is considering exceeding the luxury-cap threshold of $56 million to re-sign its players.

"There's a chance this year that we may be luxury-tax eligible and we recognize that," Walker said. "We'd rather not be, but there's a chance we will be. But it helps both our competitiveness and financial flexibility."

The statement is a 180-degree reversal from comments made after the season when Sonics management said it would not pay a luxury tax next season.

It also opens the vault for Lewis and his agent, Carl Poston. Had the Sonics remained committed to their previous stance on the luxury cap, then the team could offer Lewis only a seven-year, $48 million contract, which is far below the deal he sought.

Lewis' original demands would have the Sonics paying him a maximum contract of $102 million over seven years. Lewis, however, has reportedly lowered his request to $90 million.

It appears unlikely that the Sonics will increase their offer by nearly $40 million, but they apparently are willing to negotiate.

The Sonics have to hope irreparable damage has not occurred with Lewis, who reportedly is seeking offers from other teams for less money. Only Chicago and the Los Angeles Clippers are under the salary cap and can offer deals close to Seattle's offer.

Most teams can offer only the mid-level exception of $4.5 million, an option that would make Lewis a free agent following the 2002-03 season.

Sonics Coach Nate McMillan called and spoke to Lewis last week to inquire about an injury the 6-foot-10 forward suffered to the pinkie on his shooting hand.

"It was a good conversation," McMillan said. "We didn't get too much into the contract stuff. ... But I told him, whatever contract you sign, you have to be happy with that. You can't bring any hurt feelings back here and you've got to be excited about being here."

During his first full season as coach, McMillan was able to get nearly everyone on the roster to buy into his team-oriented philosophy. That harmonious balance could be undone by contentious contract negotiations with Lewis and Payton.

"It's July, so I'm not that concerned just yet," McMillan said, laughing. "Now if we're having this discussion in October, then I'm worried."

 

If the Rockets don't sign Lewis I hope Dallas signs him. It erases a playoff contender (Seattle), and weakens another (Dallas). Dallas is soft up front and needs a banger, that was painfully obvious the last two years when San Antonio and Sacramento absolutely abused them. In fact, last year in the playoffs Webber destroyed Dirk, who should be a SF. Signing Lewis makes Dirk a full-time PF, they need a banger. So go ahead and sign him Cuban, I don't mind Dallas having a soft frontcourt.

 

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_589.shtml

Since last Saturday, when Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News-Tribune first broached the subject, it had became clear to me the Sonics had no money left to give Lewis and stay under the luxury tax. Here's the way salaries more or less set up for next year (all salaries highly unofficial):

Payton 13,079,573
Barry 5,040,000
Booth 4,992,900
James 4,545,000
Radmanovic 1,560,840
Mason 1,235,880
Drobnjak 526,413
Anderson 9,185,000
Potapenko 5,238,750
Forte 1,009,920
Sesay 540,850
Cooke 332,817
Total 47,287,943


Projecting a $52 million salary cap, the general consensus from experts, that would give the Sonics only $4.7 million to offer Lewis for next season and stay under the tax. Although slightly better than what Lewis could get elsewhere, the possibility of having that be the Sonics' final offer was apparently so insulting to Lewis that he began exploring alternative teams where he could take their median exception for three years and then cash in, trading off the certainty of a long-term deal with the Sonics for the potential for far more money down the road (oddly, Lewis made almost exactly that same choice when he re-signed with the Sonics two years ago, passing up a six-year deal for more money from Toronto. Now, the money that he expected might not be there).

With Lewis gone for nothing, the Sonics are not a playoff team in my book. And my fear was that if ownership felt the same way, they'd feel it better to finish in 14th place in the West than ninth and blow up the team, dealing Payton and perhaps Barry for ending contracts. That would give the Sonics a ton of cap room next season, but potentially nobody to sign with it if players would be as appalled as I would be at the Sonics' lack of loyalty for their top players.

But late today brought encouraging news on the Lewis front, with Walker admitting for the first time that the Sonics would pay the luxury tax if necessary to bring back Lewis. (And thank goodness the team has finally realized the need to be flexible with regards to the luxury tax; fiscal conservatism is okay to a point, but sacrificing the team's second-best player over a few million is just plain incompetent.) The path seems to be clearing for Lewis to return on a deal paying him $7 or $8 million next season, giving a total over the assumed seven years somewhere between $70 million and $80 million. With that possibility seemingly strong, I'm ready to celebrate the opportunity to see the Sonics try to match their success from last season when Baker was injured over a full season.

 

I am pretty sure the quote is refering to when Kenny Anderson comes off of Seattle's books. It has nothing to do with Shandon Anderson or the Rockets.

 

ron413,

Personally I don't care, but this is the 2nd thread in which you've posted entire articles from that website; such BBS threads often get locked because the admins have this pathological need to stamp out what they think is advertising for another web site.

So please paraphrase, lame as it may seem: "I read somewhere that..."

 

Calm down people, this guy is not as good as advertised I have seen him play quite a bit. Shard is nice, but not for the dossars that he seeks, besides we need a fast athletic wing man Shard is not this. Let's go with Boki and see how it turns out Shard is not worth this. Why are you so anxious for him to ruin our teams development. Patient let Dallas or Seattle have him it doesn't matter we don't need him in Houston.

 

Correct a mundo...

 

I agree with you jev. Lewis is a good, young talent, but I'm not convinced he is worth the money he is seeking. Not yet anyway. I'd like to see him be more aggressive on the defensive end and slash to the basket more.

 

Rashard is worth the money. He is going to be a star. We passed up on him once, and we shouldn't do it again if we have the chance. He is a future star and not taking him would be stupid.

 

GO HOME SHARD! GO HOME...


ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME??!!! ANSWER ME! ANSWER ME!

 

We cannot trade straight up for Rashard Lewis.

Its impossible, due to BYC complications - so if we get Rashard its for the MCE or we probably don't get him at all.

So please, remember that we can't trade straight up for Lewis, if there is a deal, it'd have to be a three team deal with one team under the cap, I believe.