Haynes full of shit (no Nic 4 years, 46.5 Million) (confirmed)

Assuming he is content playing in Portland, it's a great thing

 

We hire D'Antoni, this contract will look like a bargain!

 

Huh?

 

Anyone but Nate or one of his disciples (yes, I am looking at you Kaleb) would be great

 

I'm not on meds (maybe I should be?), but FUCK THESE IDIOTS! Damn that felt good! You laid it out well amigo, some just cannot fathom it out. At worst we overpay my a few mil per yr, so what? all our other contracts are very good value, and we keep a talent we cannot replace or really afford to give up. We can easily have 10 mil or more in capspace next yr, and if Ewill or Barton surpass Wes he's easily tradeable for an expiring.

 

But it just isn't at all according to my math (always dangerous when I start using math)

We will really have no huge salary hits against us during his contract, so it shouldn't really affect (effect, I never know which one?) on the Blazers

 

Right?

 

I get the market for small forwards, but I look at the list and see those guys as wildly overpaid. Just because there is a market, doesn't mean you have to participate in it. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take a step back and save money.

It's also situational. If Roy and Oden we're healthy and we were competing for a Championship, I'd be fine with spending money on Nico. However, we're going to be on the low end of mediocre at best this year. It's better to flat-out suck and hope we get lucky in the draft. We can't attract free agents, so we need to acquire players through trades. Teams are spending like drunken sailors right now; money will be tighter across the league next year.

I maintain, given what he'll give us, we're better off letting him go.

 

You are correct and IF we really see a readjustment in salaries the next few years that means when we have to pay guys like Lillard or Leonard assuming they pan out well, what we have to pay them will be very reasonable in context of what has been paid this yr and in the past - so IMO we are in good shape and will have flexibility to react if necessary as LMA expires in 3 yrs and Nic the yr after. The same will apply to LMA and Nic when there next contract is due. I like our position

 

Well, here's what I wonder no on can get:
He's not good enough to be part of a big 3. No one is afraid of Batum-Aldridge-Lillard. However, Lillard-Aldridge-Hibbert and we'd be talking. So, we need enough $ to get that 3rd piece, and Batum's contract makes that harder, i.e. it's not that the contract is bad per se, it just comes along at a bad time - before we have a big 3. To get that 3rd player we have a couple of options:
1)hope Batum grows
2)use "assets" (cap space + players, possibly Batum) to get that 3rd player
3)suck badly enough to get a top pick and hope he turns out and is in a position of need.
4)steal from from an overcapped team (eg Bulls)

I agree signing Batum is the right thing to do, but unless he grows up quickly, he just became an "asset" and his higher salary and trade kicker lowers the value of that asset - a lot, especially with the new CBA.

 

Of course we don't, but realistically, if the draft picks pan out to even close to what is expected, one could figure

Lillard
Aldridge
Batum
Leonard
2013 lottery pick
would be the core, with all other pieces movable here and there. That's what most good teams do anyway?

 

You make a good point. I think just having Batum and Aldridge will make us mediocre. If Lillard pans out to something special, then it could be a playoff team. If E Will turns out to really blossom, then we could even propell into lower contention.

Without Batum we would most likely fall to lotto status. We would have a better shot at a better pick and grab a budding star.

Personally I hate losing, even if we live in Mediocracy. But your point is valid because with the payscale of Batum, we have no shot at grabbing a 1st or second tier player via free-agency or lopsided trades.

 

Chris Haynes is full of shit.

 

THIS and Repped!

 

It's one of those issues that isn't clear cut to me, so it should make for some great debate for a few years.

 

Totally. I feel like, even if he's not 100% committed to the Blazers, he'll be professional, will experience his growth years here, and can't help but improve between 23 and 27.

He's worth his money now, and since the NBA is a mostly closed market, you can't just choose to buy somewhere else. I mean, I suppose you could pick up a cheaper SG and run him at SF instead, but that's just asking for trouble.

 

CONFIRMED.