The Thread title should have contained a '?'. It is a rumor. My bad. Mitch Lawrence published this today in the NY Daily News, link provided. He stated it as a done deal. Who knows, he is often wrong.
Welcome aboard, Clev2. Thanks for the info. From what I've heard, Ollie is Cleveland's Moochie. I'll pass. I'd love to get Fisher, especially for Pike.
Ollie is a good...third string point guard. That said, it's rearranging depth on the squad, which makes it a fair enough deal for the Rockets to consider, seeing as how PG is a position of need - and might become an even bigger one.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/8968900.htm Dribbles · Paxson has met with Rob Pelinka, Carlos Boozer’s agent, twice since the end of the season to begin initial talks about signing Boozer to an extension next summer when he’s a restricted free agent. The Cavaliers will be picking up Boozer’s option for next season at the league minimum in the next week or so. Another subject was Morris Peterson, a free agent small forward of the Toronto Raptors. Pelinka also represents him, and the Cavaliers have some interest. · Point guard Jeff McInnis will be on the roster July 1, making his $3.6 million salary for next season guaranteed. McInnis had hoped for a contract extension this summer but complex contract rules prohibited the Cavaliers from offering it. This did not make McInnis happy, as he had been openly campaigning for a new deal at the end of the season. · It doesn’t appear that the Cavaliers will be able to peddle Kevin Ollie to the expansion Bobcats at any price. The new franchise simply doesn’t want any long-term contracts. Ollie has four years left. · Of the players left unprotected to the Bobcats, two whom the Cavaliers would have interest in—in a trade through Charlotte—would be Eric Piatkowski of the Houston Rockets and Chucky Atkins of the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers offered Piatkowski a contract last summer before signing Ira Newble. Atkins is a reliable veteran point guard. The knocks are that Piatkowski is coming off a poor season with the Rockets and that Atkins has a two years left on his deal worth almost $9 million · Cavaliers free agent Lee Nailon has hired a personal trainer and is working on improving his foot speed and extending his shooting range. Nailon is a Silas favorite, and the club will consider bringing him back. Nailon’s agent, Larry Fox, said several teams have shown interest in his client.
Can someone explain why this Piatkowski/Ollie deal would be made through the Bobcats. Ollie is 5 years, $15 million; Pike is 3 years, $9 million. So, they are making close to the same money and could be traded for one another straight-up. So why involve the Bobcats? Why compensate a third team you don't need? Also, I do not want any contracts running past the end of Cato's deal. That's a big capspace year for the Rockets that Ollie should not jeopardize. Unless of course we're trading away major pieces of the team, like Mobley, Francis and Cato and restructuring our whole cap situation. Which brings me to the third point: major deals first, minor deals after.
