...and then just amnesty his ass if he doesn't pan out...Just a curious thought I had, but talk about an awesome strategy! I realize the lockout hadn't happened yet prior to July 1, but it was obvious it was coming. It's gonna hurt using the amnesty on Roy, but it kind of reminds me of that survivor man-ish story where the guy cuts off his arm to save his own life. That's us in 2012.
Well no one is for sure with Roy yet...and like many have said, it would be a PR disaster. I think he can still AT LEAST be a serviceable cog for playoff runs. Obviously nowhere near worth the money, but meh... It would have been a very aggressive strategy...all in.
If you were to take a poll from fans- keep Roy, never see the playoffs until his contract is over; or; jettison Roy nicely, get good FA with cap space, make playoffs- what do you think people will say? There are all kinds of ways to do this nicely. It doesn't have to be a PR disaster.
It's obvious why: Sept. 14, 2007: Undergoes microfracture surgery on his right knee, forcing him to miss the entirety of what was to be his rookie season. Oct. 28, 2008: Sprains his right foot in NBA debut versus Lakers in Los Angeles, going scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting with five rebounds. Blazers lose 96-76 and Oden misses two weeks as a result of the injury. Feb. 12, 2009: Chips his left patella after bumping knees with Warriors' Corey Maggette during game against Golden State. Finishes with eight points and 11 rebounds after spending much of the night in foul trouble. Blazers lose 105-98. Dec. 5, 2009: Fractures his left patella against Houston, crumpling to the Rose Garden floor in pain in the first quarter. The Blazers win 90-89, but lose their center for a season for a second time. Nov. 3, 2010: Oden has an examination with team doctor Donald Roberts. Although things seem normal, Oden reports discomfort in his left knee. Nov. 7, 2010: Oden works out in Los Angeles before the Blazers play the Lakers. Head trainer Jay Jensen says Oden looked "strong" and the workout was "strenuous." Nov. 8, 2010: Oden tells Jensen at the memorial service for Maurice Lucas that he has swelling in the knee. Nov. 9, 2010: Oden sees Roberts and has a "moderate amount of fluid" drained from the knee. Nov. 10, 2010: Oden flies to Los Angeles and sees noted orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache, who sees little swelling in the knee, possibly because it was drained the previous day. Nov. 11, 2010: In the lobby of their Los Angeles hotel, Oden shows Jensen his knee, which had swollen significantly from the day before. Nov. 13, 2010: Oden gets an MRI back in Portland that shows a hole in his articular cartilage. As Jensen, Oden and Roberts study the results, "It was like we got kicked the stomach," Jensen says. Nov. 17, 2010: Team announces Oden will have a second microfracture surgery, this time on his right knee, ending a season prematurely -- or before he played a game -- for the third time in four seasons.
Well thank christ they didn't give him a max contract ... Paul Allen, Bert Kolde and Larry Miller all probably couldn't find their asses with both hands and a flashlight, but they at least got this correct.
I just hope we can avoid him being an UFA. If he's healthy (yeah, I know..) it'll be hard to retain him.
My thinking is that he won't be back until 2012. He'll be gimpy, have a lot of rust and play spotty minutes with so-so results. Given his age and the surgeries he's had I really doubt a team will take much of a flyer on him. I think we should offer him 4 years at $8,000,000.00 per year and see if he takes it. I'd be surprised to see him get a better deal.
Max contract? Allen may be rich, but he doesn't like flushing money down the toilet. And besides, you can only use the amnesty once (Roy will be the lucky winner). On Oden, very small chance this guy comes back to have a career. It might be worth it to gamble a long contract at a small price, might get a bargain.
Unless I'm mistaken, the last MF surgery was on the left knee....the same leg he broke his kneecap. Go Blazers
Where did you come up with that number? Think about how much of an investment that is (in the new CBA) and just how likely it is that he'd ever live up to that kind of contract?
[video=youtube;l6T9LF_AzmI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6T9LF_AzmI&feature=player_embedded[/video] His walk worries me. o0
I would like to see us offer Oden a pretty huge max length contract, like 5 years $60 million, but have the last 3 years only be 25% guaranteed. Would he be interested? I dunno, but if we could cut him after a few seasons with under $10 million remaining it greatly protects the franchise downside. Yet we wouldn't have to worry about him leaving as a free agent if he finally lives up to some expectations.
The old one did. Thats why Vince Carter is only guaranteed $4 million of his $16 million salary this season and getting cut. Al Harrington is only owed half his contract for the last two years of his recent Nuggets deal. The owners initially were trying to fight to never allow contracts to be more than 50% guaranteed at all. I believe they retained the previous system where it is up to the negotiation between player and team; how much of the salary is unguaranteed, team options, player options, or incentive based. The entire contract can be negotiated as fully guaranteed but it doesn't have to be.
