ESPN has Blair going at 19. Currently the Blazers would pick 24 and there is a chance we might even be a little higher maybe 21-24. So, if Blair went somewhere around 19 we wouldn't have any problem trading up to get him IMO. From the small write up about Blair he sounds just what we need. They compare him to Millsap and if he is anything like Millsap I say we draft him. I'm going to watch him play to see what I think of Blair's game. Here is link: http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm
IIRC, they played together in the playoffs in 06-07, and briefly in 07-08. They weren't that great. Also won't happen if they trade Caron. If you're going to contend, you have to go all out. If not, DON'T TRY TO CONTEND. Again, if a team wants to contend, they have to go all out. ESPN is just speculating. Rarely have they ever been right. Milwaukee can match any offer for Sessions, so Milwaukee will be able to keep him no matter what. It's true that you could offer a HUGE contract, but would KP take the risk? If Milwaukee doesn't call our bluff, we'd end up paying a ridiculous amount for Sessions. Also, is it legal to do this? IDK, anyways, if they want to cut costs, they'll package the pick/Alexander to entice a team to take Redd/Jefferson. They don't have to go through our ridiculous bullshit.
As has been pointed out recently, they can't match any offer. While another team can only offer the MLE for the first two seasons, that team can offer a steep raise in year 3. That would push the average value of the contract above the MLE. Milwaukee has to match the average value, not the first year's salary, in order to retain him. Being over the cap and only holding his Early Bird rights, they can match only up to the MLE. Ergo, they couldn't match.
are you sure that is true? from the explanation i read about it, i came away feeling like they were able to match every offer(as the rule makes all offer matchable) just that it counts against their cap differently than the contract would count against the team offering it.
Personally, I hope we just tank the season and shoot for the best lottery pick we can get at this point! Draft talk when we are one game out of the #3 seed in the Western Conference FTW!!! Now that I've gotten the sarcasm out of the way, I've gotta say I dream about the days when Blazer fans don't so readily accept failure that they prefer to talk draft over playoffs. I'm so over the "adding unproven talent." You show me the last 20 NBA champs and I'll show you a group of fans who didn't blow their load over the latest mock draft back in February. Lame. -Pop
You clearly must not read my posts then. I don't suggest that the Blazers are a failure. Quite the contrary, I think that depending on the matchup and health issues, the Blazers could go deep in the playoffs, even win it all if the cards all fall right. But at the same time, I like the draft a lot. It's fun and exciting adding new talent, especially since KP tends to make about half a dozen trades. It's sort of like recruiting or auditioning a new person to be part of your group. Also, given the fallout that many people were disappointed after the trade deadline, I thought it would be okay to look ahead to the next time a personnel movement can happen.
Were did you see that? I must have missed that as well. That makes Atlanta and PDX players in the Sessions sweepstakes then. Personally I wouldn't be surprised to see him go to Atlanta with Johnson, Smith and co. But I hope not. FWIW Sessions in Feb so far: 21.5 pts, 7.9 assts, 4.6 rebs, 1.9 stls, 49% FG%, over 10 FT attempts a game. Those are pretty darn good numbers...all-star level honestly, although he is playing on a bad team.
I have a question - isn't he a UFA and not a RFA? This means he can take whatever offer he wants, no?
From Larry Coon's FAQ: For the team making this offer, this contract would count for $11.0 million (i.e., the average salary in the contract) of team salary in each of the five seasons if they sign the player. If the player's prior team matches the offer and keeps the player, then the actual salary in each season counts as team salary. The player's original team is allowed to use any available exception (e.g., the Mid-Level or the Early-Bird) to match the offer. It's actually a bit uncertain, I guess. I read it to mean that the offer is counted as the average salary, which the player's prior team would need to match. IF that prior team matches, then the cap number each year is that year's actual salary.
I'm surprised you guys haven't seen KPs master plan. Every year he trades a 2nd rounder for 2 second rounders. The basic plan is to own the entire 2nd round in 2015 - he's well on his way!!
No, Portland has built just about as much as is needed via the draft. That plus the over-all lack of talent in the draft pool makes trading all of the picks for a proven player a great idea. For the record, I kind of wanted Portland to do this last draft. I just figure Portland is young enough already.
I think he would be a great pick in the late first, early 2nd round if we don't trade those picks away.
That's who I wanted a while back as well, but didn't think it was realistic given his level of play. I think his stock has dropped a bit, and he seems a lot more likely to be around when we pick, or at least closer to it.
Here's how I think it works. Let's say we end up $8 million under the cap. We can offer a 4-year $32 million deal (because the average is $8) even though it will get paid out at something like: 1st year=MLE, 2nd year = MLE + small increase, 3rd + 4th year= whatever is left on the contract. So for us, it would use up all $8 million in cap space that is available. However, for the Bucks, so that they aren't powerless to match, can sign him and his actually yearly salary (not the average salary) will count against the cap. So if they are above the cap, they can still use their MLE to sign him and retain him for the first year. I've read something about using the Early Bird Exception, but I don't know if that is an allowance they can spend or rather just the rights they hold on Sessions. So in essence, he is an RFA. There is no way to get him (or CV3, who has full bird-rights) out of Milwaukee unless the Bucks simply decide not to match. We're restricted in what we can offer him, and his team can match it regardless...with the very least using their MLE space. So yeah, I think the Sessions idea was a nice dream. I doubt it'll happen now...the kid is blowing up yet again. I hold out hope, but I think it's very unlikely, as he is essentially a RFA. Damn you Gilbert Arenas for coming along and causing the loophole to be closed! So to summarize. Let's say we offer him that $8-million 4-year contract. Assume an MLE of $5. His contract salary would be structured: Year 1: $5 Million --------> Value Bucks have to match (with MLE if they are over the cap) to re-sign Year 2: $5.4 Million (8% Raise) Year 3: $10.4 Million (Jump) Year 4: $11.15 Million (6.9% Raise) Total = $32 Million / 4 Years = $8 Million Average Salary --------> Amount it counts against Blazers (or ATL) cap to sign.
