I'm kind of glad Philly rejected our offer. DM himself said we could be getting the bad end of the deal, which is a risk I would not want to take if we are drafting a prospect.
Regarding this comment from DM, I'd rather think it's not about his contract being up in 2 years, but that the assets we've accumulated will be transformed into elite talents within these two years that earns us a championship or at the very least positions us as annual contenders. I'm thinking DM's following Boston's path of accumulating talents and trading them for stars (like the Garnett and Allen deals).
I don't think Boston accumulated any talent. They just happened to suck hard enough to get multiple lottery picks, and finall a #5 pick to trade. If Morey did anything, it was probably 1. Establish the idea that trading young talent for established stars is favorable 2. How to find gems with later picks in Rondo and Perkins. 3. Choices of FA to pick up with Cassell, Posey, etc.
Sorry guys its late! haha Great post! I don't know why people are pursuing Budinger so much as well. He's good, but I don't see him as being more appealing to a team than Luis Scola or Jordan Hill...