tl;dr article about what to do with Oden

I can't speak for Gilbert or Kohl, but the Maloofs seem to be coming out ahead on their deal even if they stay in Sacto, just as Clay Bennett came out ahead with the Sonics. As for Kohl and Gilbert, thre are always going to be struggling franchises, even in the NFL. The real barometers are attendance and TV ratings, and both have increased sigificantly since the "Superteam" was constructed last summer. I just don't see how the players would accept any deal that restricts player movement/free agency.

 

I agree he'd pass on the 3 year, $12 mil offer, but nobody's going to low ball him like that. He's going to get bigger offers than that as a RFA and the Blazers could match whatever one he signs. Passing up on those offers for the prospect of being a UFA next year, you'd think he'd have to be at least a bit worried about another injury (or an inability to come back from the last one at a star level), not to mention the prospect of a hard cap, that might make passing on a deal this summer look pretty dumb.

 

I don't want to, and am not ready to, give up on Greg. So, I asked myself 'why?' I can't remember a single other player who ever gave me "a basketball woody" the way Greg Oden did when he was on the court. Or a player who made me watch the game, anxiously and excitedly waiting for him to go onto the court. That's one reason.

The second reason: Greg's vaunted size, strength, talent and ability. I'll leave the per and all the offensive and defensive statistics for others to cite, but Greg Oden isn't a man, he's a Manster.

A third reason is my belief/understanding that Greg's specific injuries are not of the career threatening kind. He has had two microfracture surgeries. There is no known reason why he can't come back from those and play up to his potential. He broke a bone (kneecap). Bones heal. This isn't a Brandon Roy situation, where the man is a shell of his former self and cannot be rehabilitated. Logically, Greg should recover from his injuries/surgeries and be almost good as new. Maybe better, and certainly pain free.

Now the down side: Greg "seems" to be "injury prone." He "seems" to have some kind of structural problem that increases his liklihood of these injuries. There is a body of statistical fact to back up that thesis. That's the risk.

Right now, using Paul Allen's money, I'm willing to take that risk. Bill Walton got us a championship on one of his rare good years. Greg Oden can do the same. On the flip side: No Greg Oden = No Championship, maybe in my lifetime. I guess that's a fourth reason.

I vote: Make a deal and sign the man. It's worth the gamble.

 

I remember a lot of talk a few months back about minny trying to land Oden with a HUGE offer. There was talk of Khan being willing to offer 5Y 68M and bonuses to up it to almost 75 mill.

 

Is there anyway to structure the Max 6 year deal to be something like 60 Mill guaranteed but the other 50 Mill come in easy and hard to get incentives, like you play 50-60-70 games a year each one of those nets you 1 more mill, if we get to the playoffs 1 more mill, finals 3 mill, ect?

 

You can equal it out through full revenue sharing.

Tell that to the Royals and A's who have given up their best prospects because they couldn't afford them.

 

Easy. The owners after a long lockout which strain player finances offer them a ridiculously low BRI with current player movement/free agency or they offer a much higher BRI take but a franchise tag. The players care about cash money first and foremost. They'll flush the player movement for more shekels.

 

Why the fuck do you care who laughs at you?!!! Fuck them laugh all you want. Do what is right.

 

Whatever happens I'm just nervous as hell that Rich Cho and Larry Miller are spearheading these talks with Conley, Sr.

 

Who has KC lost? They suck because of pure awful management, nothing else.

 

Giving Greg a max offer would be retarded. Some of you are so paranoid about any chance of Oden leaving the team you're willing to do anything possible to stop that from happening. RELAX.

If you give Oden a 6yr $60mil offer I bet he takes it. Theres no need to spend an extra $30mil+ that could potentially hamstring this franchise down the road.

This team will never be able to compete if we have to give every potential impact player double the contract as other teams. We hastily gave huge contracts to Zach, Damon, Miles, and Theo Ratliff out of the same paranoia. Those type of contracts set a team back years. As long as we offer more money to Oden than other teams he will take it, there is no need to go overboard and potentially end up with one of the worst contracts in the NBA.

 

Here's the thing: you're operating under the assumption that the Blazers will be able to operate in trying to re-sign Oden under the same set of rules as exist in the current CBA. If the reports about what the owners are pushing for the new CBA are at all correct, that may be totally unrealistic. A hard cap at less of a salary cap than what exists now may preclude the Blazers being able to offer Greg a new deal at all. The reports that there may be no sign-and-trade provisions may make it so that there's no way they can even get any value for him if he goes to another team. I doubt that it ends up being that restrictive, but the point is that we have no idea what the new CBA will and won't allow. Sitting back and passing on Oden before June 30th could really bite the Blazers in the butt.

 

Zack Greinke, Mike Sweeney, Mike MacDougal, Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, etc., etc.

 

OMG we don't know exactly what the CBA will look like so give Greg a max deal ASAP or he may leave!!!

 

Which teams are under the cap this summer and could offer Oden a big contract if he chooses to become a RFA?

 

carlos beltran

 

Mike Sweeney? They actually SHOULD have traded Sweeney, when they could have gotten value for him. he left KC when he was 33 years old, and washed up. Nice try. And, he went to Oakland. Funny, since they can't get anyone, as they were mentioned along with KC in your original post.

MacDougal? Again, see, poor management. If he was their top prospect, the issue wasn't being able to hold onto guys, but who their top prospects were. Dye also went to Oakland, which is funny. Since they are another cheap team as you said. And they paid him well. And the White Sox got a good deal on him. They easily could have kept him at the 5 a year Chicago paid. And etc. etc. etc.? Bullshit. That's about the only good players KC has had in the last 20 years. I'll give you Damon, beltran and Greinke.
Of course, it happens to every team. Should the Cubs bemoan the structure of MLB because they lost Greg Maddux as a free agent?