Link to ESPN article The Portland Trail Blazers have offered Utah Jazz free agent Paul Millsap a four-year contract worth between $32 million and $36 million, according to league sources. The offer includes a hefty signing bonus that will make it difficult for Utah to match. The Jazz will be presented with the offer Saturday and have seven days to match because Millsap is a restricted free agent. Chris Broussard covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This will loosen up the wheels on several players..... DD
8-9 million dollars for Milsap. I say that's about right. Milsap has developed into quite a player; I was hoping Landry could turn into him.... The signing bonus does not include in the 32-36 million dollars correct?
I don;t think that is necessarily a lot of money for him, but I think it is a lot for a guy that is going to be playing behind Lamarcus Aldridge.
Completely agreed. From reading the other threads on this, I am rather surprised that more people here don't find this to be that significant. I honestly think that team can win the championship next year if they get Milsap. If I'm a Blazer fan, and the Jazz don't match, I'm thanking Toronto for taking Hedo out of the picture. A nucleus of Aldridge, Milsap, Roy, Oden, Fernandez, Bayless, and Webster, all under 25, is absolutely ridiculous. We caught that team at the right time last year.
iiiiiiiiiiinteresting... but to those here who've been waiting for this move in the hopes of prying pryzbilla/fernandez from the blazers as an offshoot (myself included haha), i say be careful what you ask for... portland's stacked enough as is w/o their adding another quality big body to bang with, especially considering our own troubles in the paint against the lakers after deke and yao went down. i.e., portland adding millsap, battier >>> losing pryzbilla, fernandez, frye... then again, wade in 2010 + fernandez, yao, and our own young guns = unstoppable, so... BRING IT ON!
Portland may shock a lot of people next year, they are uber talented, have good chemistry, and their leaders are all very smart heady basketball players with skill. Dang.....can we swap teams with them? DD
I don't think they would trade their entire roster for ours......and as you know, I am loyal to the Rocket's organization....for 37+ years. DD
That's what I think. And I have no issue with Portland becoming a serious player, especially when it comes hand in hand with weakening Utah. How this effects the seemingly imminent Boozer move is a good question. It seems like Utah and Boozer openly understand that he has no intention of staying long term.
i don't see the relevance of the houston rockets in relation to any NBA 'balance of power' discussions, atleast until 2011. i won't exactly be losing any sleep over any of these signings.
Who plays center when Oden gets into foul trouble? Is Aldridge physical enough to play extended minutes at C? I imagine they will try to keep Pryzbilla in the mix.
Maybe we offer Odom the MLE for one season? : ) Seriously though, Odom's leverage with the Lakers is to walk away from them to a contender if he doesn't get the money he wants if indeed Millsap winds up in Portland. Unless he really wants to play for a noncontender and they offer him a deal. Don't see that happening. So, what teams are left that still hold their MLE that would be considered contenders?
I can't see Aldridge playing C. He has trouble with physical 4s. If they try this, I can see both Oden and Aldridge getting into foul trouble early in a lot of games. Millsap is a stud but he can't guard centers, either. My guess is their plan is not to use Aldridge as Oden's backup.
What center can either of them not guard? Yao is gone. Dwight is a joke. I suppose Bynum could be an issue at times but he's usually a complete non-factor. Who else would pose a threat? Pairing two athletic 4's together is absolutely the way to go in the modern NBA. I think they start Aldridge and Milsap together with Oden coming off the bench.
