Also an interesting little piece about a sign and trade: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/972642 Pursuit of Hakeem heats up Rockets respond with two-year offer By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle With the competition for Hakeem Olajuwon intensifying, the Rockets upped the ante Thursday. The Rockets offered to add a second season to their original offer, according to a source with knowledge of the team's negotiations with its icon center of 17 years. The Rockets had begun negotiations with a one-year, $4.1 million contract offer, according to several sources. The Rockets have been limited in what they could financially offer Olajuwon while still saving salary cap room for free agent forwards Maurice Taylor and Shandon Anderson. The Rockets have made keeping last season's nucleus together their offseason priority, and Olajuwon has said that would be their best option. But according to several sources close to Olajuwon, he had considered the one-year offer at roughly a quarter of last season's salary a sign that he was not really wanted, despite public and private declarations to the contrary. The two-year offer was endorsed by Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and was designed to indicate the value the team places on retaining Olajuwon while competing more directly with other offers Olajuwon has received. Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson cited the team's policy against discussing ongoing negotiations and would not talk about the team's offer. The offer came days after Olajuwon had received a multiyear, $22 million offer from the Toronto Raptors and serious overtures from Utah, New York and Indiana, according to several sources close to the talks. Olajuwon's agent, Dan Fegan, did not return phone messages on Thursday. The Jazz, Knicks and Pacers all would need to reach an agreement with the Rockets on a sign-and-trade deal in order to sign Olajuwon. But a source with knowledge of the talks said that Fegan has received an offer for Olajuwon in a sign-and-trade agreement that would be attractive to Olajuwon and that Olajuwon believes would be a fair exchange for the Rockets. The Rockets, however, are trying to fit Anderson and Taylor into their available cap space and likely could not do that if they used too much salary space on players acquired for Olajuwon. Because Olajuwon occupies $24.5 million of cap space until he signs a smaller contract or the team renounces its rights to him, the Rockets must sign Olajuwon first before they can fit anyone else under the salary cap. Anderson, Matt Bullard and Moochie Norris all have at least limited "Bird" rights, allowing the Rockets to sign them to contracts that exceed the salary cap. Other than the cap space occupied under league rules by the Rockets' unsigned free agents, the Rockets signed players occupy slightly more than $24 million of the $42.5 million salary cap. The Raptors are much better equipped to work a sign-and-trade deal with the Rockets because they hold a $5 million trade exception after trading Charles Oakley to the Bulls. That allows them to pay Olajuwon roughly $5 million more than any player they would deal to the Rockets. But the presentation given Olajuwon by Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens and general manager Glen Grunwald in Houston on Tuesday included the possibility of arranging a sign-and-trade deal or signing Olajuwon outright by using their middle class salary cap exception of $4.5 million and annual raises. But Wilkens and Grunwald also emphasized their long-standing interest in signing Olajuwon and belief that he could duplicate his strong play when healthy in the second half of the season. The Rockets and Raptors had been involved in trade talks involving Olajuwon in June of 1999 before the Rockets chose to end the negotiations. The Raptors' pitch did not end there. Grunwald and Wilkens also left a specially-prepared booklet about life in Toronto that offered tips on Canadian tax laws, highlights of the city and the team's new role as Canada's only NBA team. The publication also included details about the Raptors' legendary center -- Hakeem Olajuwon. ------------------ Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! The Mo Taylor Fan Site [This message has been edited by The Cat (edited July 19, 2001).]
I will be pissed if Dream goes to Toronto and they make it to the finals. Dream should stay in Houston!!! I don't care what we pay him as long as we can keep MoTay and Moochie, because it's not my money. ------------------
Smokey, Lots of teams do that these days. When recruiting free agents, they have them in magazines, pictures, etc. in that team's uniform. I guess the intent is to try and make him feel what life as a member of that team would be like. ------------------ Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! The Mo Taylor Fan Site
Thats not uncommon in recruiting. The recruiting team will put a players name on a jersey, scoreboard and many other places so that they can have a feel about how the orginization feels about them. Tactics like that are common in college recruiting. The Raptors are just trying to make Dream feel loved by showing him a pub with a bogus write up about The Legend Dream as a Raptor. ------------------
What do Utah, NYK, or Indy have to offer that is attractive in a S&T for Dream? I cannot think of anything we'd want from Utah. New York has Kurt Thomas and Othella, but we don't really need PF in return. Indy has Croshere, but the Rockets really don't need a SF/PF either. The only thing attractive would be a C, something that none of these teams have or would be willing to trade. ------------------ Who needs teachers? I can learn my own self.
If Hakeem ends up in UT, I'm buying season tickets immediately... and growing a mullett. Construction mullet conglomerate unite!
Hmm I like that bold text Cat. Time to figure out who could be involved in a sign and trade with the Knicks, Raptors, Pacers, and *gag* Jazz. ------------------ President of the CC.net Realist Club, everyone needs a dose of reality once in a while...
I might be excited about a Hakeem sign and trade to Toronto if we could dump Cato and pick up Keon Clark (plus the requisite cap fodder) at the same time. ------------------ [This message has been edited by JoeBarelyCares (edited July 19, 2001).]
If the Rockets trade Dream to Utah, I will no longer be a Rockets fan (at least until the current management is gone). ------------------ 13-0
Wow, according to many of the people around here, Satan is going to need a coat or two to keep warm if Dream is shipped to Utah. ------------------ Who needs teachers? I can learn my own self.
If we could wiggle Malone out of the deal, I might puke for a month and end up booing Hakeem the season, but it'd be a good m... UuuHGHGHG!!! F**K Utah. And F* anyone at the front desk who even contemplates a deal with them. I agree with Smokey. Now, light one up... ------------------
I figured the signing of Ameichi took Utah out of the running. I think Ameichi is horrible by the way. ------------------ "banging Shaq is a whole different expirience"-Pete Babcock Behold the power of quotation
ESPN Insider report: If Olajuwon does decide to play north of the border, all may not be lost for Houston. The Raptors have a $5-million trade exception from the Charles Oakley trade and seem willing to do a sign-and-trade that would net the Rockets something in return. ------------------ Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! The Mo Taylor Fan Site
Thought I'd throw in that Keon Clark's set at $1.9 million for next season with a "qualifying offer" (whatever that hell that is) for the next season at $2.7 million... Imagine having a Cato and Clark center combo... C&C Blockin' Factory baby! ------------------ I've got rights to that nickname in case we manage to get Clark...which I doubt as well... [This message has been edited by Pete Rose Mobster (edited July 20, 2001).]
If it's sign and trade with Toronto, I'm hoping Clark and either Montross or Yogi Stewart. Toronto has a nice ~5-6 mill trade exception from the Oak for Skinner deal that would aid things in this regard tremendously. I also wonder if Toronto has interest in Shanderson as well. As far as I know, the only 2/3s on their roster are Carter, Peterson, and the ageless Curry. If Fegan is the main reason we lose Hakeem, we could at least give him some payback by telling Shandon to go find a longterm deal at 4.5 million somewhere. Some quick numbers say Clark, Stewart, and their exception would allow them to take back 13.3 million in a trade, which would easily be enough for Shandon and Dream. Montross+Clark+exception could have them take back 11.7 mill. No way we work any sign and trade with Utah. They have nothing useful for us in New York, they don't have their exception (Weatherspoon), so I'd tell them Camby or bust, and hear them hang up on us. I think the Pacers are one of the biggest possibilities if he's willing to take MCE. A lineup of Hakeem-O'Neal-Bender-Miller-Rose, with Best, Croshere, Harrington off the bench is VERY nice. Croshere is also a Fegan client. As far as a S/T, Bender OR Harrington seems expendable, but we have no real need, doubt we'd take Croshere from them. PRM-Basically it means Clark is a restricted free agent next year, so if we got him and he absolutely breaks out, we can match any offer for him and keep him. ------------------ "I always thought Hakeem was the better offensive player and DRob the better defender." Spurever Shaq would probably agree.
