Memphis has the most cap space in the league right now. We'll be ready to give possibly two max offers in '09 and/or '10.
Didn't the Grizz current owner pull a Clay Bennett when he bought the team and moved them from BC to Memphis. It's called karma. OKC fans be weary.
Who are you going to offer max money to in 09? And in 10, you think big name players are going to choose Memphis over Chicago, Miami, or NY? Even Toronto, Houston, Dallas, and a few other better cities. What will happen is you'll pay max money for a secondary star, or your owner will just be happy with a feeble attempt at making a profit drawing 12,000 fans a night. And in 5 years, they'll be in Seattle, Vancouver, Vegas, or somewhere else.
If you're talking about when they signed Wallace, your argument is justas bad, as they had Deng, Gordon, and Hinrich, as well as Chandler on the team. Wanna try again? Maybe you were thinking of 1982 or some shit?
We can offer Josh Smith a fat contract, but not a max in '09. I like how people act like Memphis fans will NEVER go to games. Memphis fans, like most fans, like to see their team win. The Memphis Tigers are ranked 8th in attendence out of the whole country so it's not like there aren't who are willing to pay for a winning team. Look at the Celtics difference in attendence from '07 to '08.
never compare college to pro. the college fans are generally students and alumni. and yes, you can offer josh smith a fat contract. like i said, the only kind of players you will be able to get with your cap space are players that their current team would be unwilling to give a max contract to. if you are happy with throwing max contracts at guys who don't deserve them aren't even allstar level players, you'll likely be very disappointed with the result which ultimately will be them blowing up the team again because they'll be paying guys money they aren't worth and not winning anything.
You already offered Josh Smith a contract this past offseason, which allowed Atlanta to match, seeing as he was a restricted free agent. Pretty sure once a guy signs a contract with a team, you aren't able to offer him a contract the next season while he is still under contract. Feel free to tell me if the rules changed on that though. So who else you going after?
I'd say the Clippers are worse. Though, the Grizzlies could eventually end up in that realm, considering Michael Heisley seems like just as bad an owner as Donald Sterling. No team matches the Lions over the past...50 years or so? They have like a handful of playoff wins and were really only relevant during Barry Sanders' career because Sanders was so amazing to watch.
Yeah the Clips have been bad for longer, but recently Sterling has actually PAID for FAs. Brand, Magette, & Davis all within the last few years. If it wasn't for their terrible drafts, they'd probably be decent. When you've got a team like the Grizzlies offloading their players so the owner saves money, that is demoralizing for the fanbase. It just screams "I don't care if we win or lose, as long as I'm making money."
Forgot to add something about the Lions. Try only 1 playoff game in 50 years. We beat the Cowboys back in 91. Absolutely fucking pathetic. If it weren't for Barry, I'd never have been a Lions fan. I was young and impressionable and they actually had some really good teams in the 90's. William Clay Ford is just the biggest douche bag owner ever and has never had a knowledgable football guy in charge. He tried with Millen, but it was painfully obvious he was a fish out of water in a suit, yet Ford kept him around because he made him feel comfortable. WCF likes to surround himself with "yes" men. Lions fans deserve better.
The Grizzlies are following our model of acquiring young talents and committing huge PR blunders, all the while treading that fine business line between improper and illegal. They will be our main competition in 5 years.
Damn. I knew the Lions have sucked for a while, but in the back of my mind I always thought, "They had Barry Sanders, so they couldn't be that bad historically." Jesus. Even the Clippers make the playoffs every once in a while.
only 1 playoff game? Or did you mean 1 playoff win? I'm a Packers fan so I remember the Lions getting to the playoffs a few times during the early nineties.
Worst franchise in professional sports seems a bit harsh. Worst in the NBA? Probably, it's arguable. Their team isn't winning, they rank near last in the league in attendance, and they have Chris Wallace. Enough said. And they think Darius Miles is worth taking a risk on for a rebuilding team. Avery Johnson just turned down a five-year contract to be their head coach, so what makes them think they'll attract big-time FAs with cap space?
