Did you not get the memo?? They told him before free agency the deal. If he really wanted to remain a Blazer he would have lobbied LMA to stay.
I'm pretty sure that on June 22, when Wes said that he was looking for $15M/yr, he priced himself out of getting an offer from the Blazers. He was willing to give up 18M over four years to beg DeAndre, so maybe he would've taken less than 15M/yr to keep playing with Dame and the Boys, but he had to know that once he/his agent said "15M/yr" he wasn't coming back unless Tool#12 did and PA opened up the checkbook. And even then I have a hard time thinking PA would guarantee 60M to a guy recovering from a snapped Achilles. I wish Wes the best and I'll cheer for him, but this is not making me a happy Blazer fan b/c a) it's totally revisionist, b) it's self-inflicted and c) as stated, he lobbied hard for Jordan in DAL but not to keep the team together here in POR.
That's the one thing I've never doubted for him. I think he'll be one of the few who come back 100% from an achilles.
Don't know if you're kidding but I didn't get any memos. I think they should have had that conversation with him. If they did I don't get why he would be so butt hurt.
I agree with Brian. The general consensus here was that when Wes said "$15 million per" he priced himself right out of a Blazers uniform.
How do you expect an offer for 15 mil a year when we already put bets in the past on Roy and Oden. Wasted money. Sure, Wes could come back super strong and we could regret it but it's learning from mistakes. And at 15 mil? when we already had to deal with the fact aldridge might leave? everybody who loves the blazers, puts Wesley high up there on the list of all time fan favorites, including me. I just don't get how he doesn't understand that. I also remember seeing reports days before Aldridges decision that he was having dinner with Parsons and DJ. After that the whole thing with Sacramento and finally signing with Dallas. I mean I don't know, seemed like his mind was made up and even if the Blazers did reach out, who knows. I wish we had got him back. I would of gambled on him honestly. Oh well though
There was no point in gambling on him once LA left, we're building around a younger PG and Wes is now 29 and even if he gets back to 100%, what's left of his prime years will be while we are rebuilding - and him being here wouldn't have kept us from rebuilding.
When he returns I'll probably be indifferent know. He should understand the position LMA put us in, and not be insulted. It's weird, I wanted to trade Batum, and now I'd boo LMA, be indifferent towards Wes and Rolo, and applaud Nic. Ironic
Yep. Wes wanted, most of all, to be paid. He got what he wanted, and hopefully he enjoys Dallas. barfo
I think in his mind he will be one of the best SG's in the NBA so he doesn't understand how a team could let him go at any price. If we hadn't had Roy and Oden's injuries maybe we take that gamble with Wes. He is the player I will miss the most out of our 4 starters gone. I don't blame him for being a bit ticked off. Neil said Wes and Rolo's agents were informed their return was contingent on LaMarcus but we don't know the details of exactly how that was communicated. I also don't think its his place to convince Aldridge to stay. If you and one of your close friends were co-workers but your friend was negotiating a raise or a new opportunity with a different company would you try to steer that friend one direction? I would keep in contact with what is happening but I'd let that friend make his own decision. Those are personal decisions with all sorts of family input. I think Wes and LMA know what their feelings are to one another, they know they played well together and enjoyed being teammates. There isn't really anything they need to say to each other. It was fine for Wesley to have dinner with Parsons and DeAndre; he had to see if he would enjoy being around them. Wes didn't need to have a dinner with any Blazer he knew he cherished being around these guys for years. If you were thinking of changing companies would you call up your boss or co-workers for an interview? In these situations each player needs to do what is best for their own personal situation. Blake Griffin had a similar interaction to his good friend DeAndre; and kept his space when his friend gave a verbal commitment to leave, but of course was happy to have him back. Dwayne Wade saw his buddy LeBron leave his team and city but they were and are great friends.
Same can be said of basically all NBA players; as well as the vast majority of people at any job. Do you think Aminu and Davis came to Portland because we were offering them less than other teams?
I agree with you, but of course there are exceptions. West going to SA for vet minimum rather than taking a higher paying offer. In any case, I wasn't criticizing Wes. He did what he wanted to do, and he did it well. I'm wishing him well. barfo
Yeah your comment didn't jive with what I expected your impression of Wes to be. Maybe David West had higher offers, the vet minimum sure seems very low for him. But I don't believe that was his plan when he opted out of his contract. I think he thought there would be a more lucrative market for his services and he could get close to the $10 million per year he opted out of, possibly for more years. It was a gamble; and he lost. Then no team wanted to pay him that much and he decided to sign for the minimum. But he didn't expect to be stuck having to take that minimum deal when he opted out. Who knows just my guess but regardless his pay cut is an extremely rare situation for an NBA player; or really any professional in any profession.
