[Peaceman]

During the NY game last night, Mike Rice stated that Portland can not extend Joel Pryzbilla until July of next year. Doesn't that make him a free agent without Bird right in July 2006? If so, we will only have him for next season unless we get under the cap. Is there any options that you cap experts know about?

 

[tradetheo]

if portland hadn't signed theo, we would be under the cap next season. but after that signing, and with damon,nick and sar leaving, we are at about 48 million i think. so 4 mil over. but very good compared to 100 million.

 

[tradetheo]

i just checked, and we will be under the cap if we let nick go by not picking up the option on the last year of his contract. we should be at about 36 million, with 9 players under contract. i wonder what nash can do with the mle, and see if he can do anything with theo and da.

 

[Dan]

i just checked, and we will be under the cap if we let nick go by not picking up the option on the last year of his contract. we should be at about 36 million, with 9 players under contract. i wonder what nash can do with the mle, and see if he can do anything with theo and da.

This might turn into one of those scenarios were you let a good player go (Miles, Outlaw, Viktor, Zach) with a player we don't want anymore (Ruben, DA, Damon, NVE, Shareef) so that we'll gain some cap room somehow, and be able to re-sign Joel.

Of course, if we trade Zach, we'll have to make sure to keep Shareef.

 

[Blazer Freak]

This might turn into one of those scenarios were you let a good player go (Miles, Outlaw, Viktor, Zach) with a player we don't want anymore (Ruben, DA, Damon, NVE, Shareef) so that we'll gain some cap room somehow, and be able to re-sign Joel.

Of course, if we trade Zach, we'll have to make sure to keep Shareef.

Maybe Zach and Ruben for capspace, and resign joel to a 2-4mill. deal and at the end of free agency use SAR's birdrights and sign him to a 7-8 mill. dollar 4-5 deal.

It all depends on how this new CBA works out.

 

[e_blazer1]

The Blazers are in kind of a tight spot with respect to re-signing Joel after next year. Using StoryTeller's numbers, the Blazers are currently committed to the following contracts for the 2006-07 season:

Theo Ratliff: $10,894,737
Derek Anderson: $9,742,500
Darius Miles: $7,619,048
Ruben Patterson: $6,807,000
Zach Randolph: $12,000,000
Sebastian Telfair: $1,793,160
Victor Khyrapa: $1,172,400
Travis Outlaw $1,836,426
Total: $51,865,271

That doesn't include another $1,000,000 or so for Segei Monya, 2-3 mil for our first round pick from this season, any contract extensions they may give Ha Sueng-jin and Richie Frahm, plus whatever they may do in the way of free agent signings this summer. While we don't know exactly what the salary cap will be under the new CBA, as things stand, it looks like the Blazers will not be in a position to offer Przybilla anything more than a mid-level exception deal. If Joel wants to cooperate, the Blazers could give him a MLE deal with a one-year player option. At that point, after his 3rd season as a Blazer, they could give him a max deal using the Larry Bird exception. If there are teams out there in the summer of 2006 that need a center and have cap space, it's entirely possible that the Blazers could lose Joel the same way Indiana lost Brad Miller.

One possibility that I would think that the Blazers would be considering would be to try to work a trade of one or more of our committed contracts for a player with an ending deal. Something like DA plus Miles or Patterson for Antonio Davis and change would fill the bill. Even at that, though, they wouldn't have much in the way of cap space. Those contracts to Theo and Zach are looking really bad at the moment. Failing to give Joel a 3-year contract rather than a 2-year deal is also looking, in hindsight, to be a really poor move.

Maybe Joel will cooperate with the Blazers on the MLE idea or perhaps the Blazers will be able to find two ending contract deals to make to clear more cap space.

 

[Peaceman]

With the cost of decent center in this league at a all time high, it may cost us 10 million or more per year to keep him. I know that sounds high, but look at Donald Foyle, Brad Miller, LaFentz, Ratliff, etc. They get big money for medium talent.

 

[Ed O]

If Joel keeps playing as he is, and if the CBA stays with similar rules, the Blazers won't be able to afford him at the end of next year.

I think that, pending the CBA outcome, we should look at trading Joel this summer or at the deadline. Get something for him while we can; we have Theo in the short term for the 5 spot.

Ed O.

 

[Fork]

I think that, pending the CBA outcome, we should look at trading Joel this summer or at the deadline. Get something for him while we can; we have Theo in the short term for the 5 spot.

Ed O.

Sounds like a last chance option to me, unless we somehow get Bogut.

I'd rather try to get rid of Theo's contract, even if it takes tossing in a pick to get it done.

Although if we could bundle Anderson and Przybilla for a SG upgrade, I'd be fine with that too.

 

[ebott]

I'm with Ed on this one. We've got Joel for 1 more year and there's just no way we would be able to offer him more than the MLE. There's going to be multiple teams willing to offer him more than that.

I don't know how much we'd be able to get for him in trade though. To me this looks like the classic mediocre player putting up big numbers on a BAD team scenario. Guys like that just don't have a whole lot of trade value.

Who ever we traded him to would be in the same situation we are and would likely just be renting him for a year. The only way I could see this working out is if we traded Joel and NVE to a team that's right at the cap. Then they could cut NVE, or keep him on for the rest of the season and let his contract expire, and use that cap space to re-sign Joel.

 

[Fork]

I'm with Ed on this one. We've got Joel for 1 more year and there's just no way we would be able to offer him more than the MLE.

I don't know why people assume that we CAN'T get rid of a contract like Patterson or Ratliff in order to get under the cap.

It IS possible.

 

[Ed O]

I don't know why people assume that we CAN'T get rid of a contract like Patterson or Ratliff in order to get under the cap.

It IS possible.

We'd need to move a BIG chunk of salary. The team's already going to be about $5m over the cap as things stand now. Another $4m or so for Monya and our first this season and next.

That's $9m. If he gets an offer than's more than the MLE, that'll be starting about $5m (conservatively).

So Portland would have to reduce our current cap situation by about $14m to make a similar offer, and that assumes:

-- no MLE signing this summer
-- we let Damon, SAR, and NVE go without taking on any salary beyond this upcoming season.

Those are big assumptions that I hope don't come to pass... even if they do, I don't see us being able to move 2 of Theo/Zach/Ruben/DA/Miles without taking salary back, which would be needed to get far enough under the cap to make the more-than-MLE amount of $5m.

In other words: it's not going to happen. And if it COULD happen, would it be worth it to keep Joel?

Joel's been great, and I hope that he's here long-term. But if we can get value for him this summer or at the deadline without changing the face of our team in order to keep him: why wouldn't we?

Ed O.

 

[BlazerFanFoLife]

With the cost of decent center in this league at a all time high, it may cost us 10 million or more per year to keep him. I know that sounds high, but look at Donald Foyle, Brad Miller, LaFentz, Ratliff, etc. They get big money for medium talent.

How is Joel not Medium Tallent. Id rather have Brad or LaFrentz.

 

[Public Defender]

I think a lot of Joel's future will depend on certain intangibles.

For one, I think Paul Allen has demonstrated repeatedly that he's willing to pay when players show themselves to be worth paying. Joel, and his agent, likely recognize that.

Secondly, Przybilla seems to genuinely like Portland and has spoken very highly of his teammates (and contrasts the situation with the Blazers quite clearly with the negative situation in Milwaukee).

Third, the Blazers are in the midst of major changes this off-season. New coach, lottery pick, lots of expiring contracts, restructuring of the CBA (OK, that one will affect everyone).

Depending on how the chips fall, Przybilla may just be willing to accept a slightly smaller contract to be the center on an exciting, improving team, with the promise of better money from the league's richest owner in years to come. But I think he'd only seriously consider it if the Blazers hire a coach he likes, and the players he likes remain, while the new additions improve the team without taking away his playing time.

Basically: hire a very good coach, trade Theo and one of our expiring contracts for a top-tier shooting guard, and give Joel reassurances that he'll get his paycheck as soon as the new CBA allows. Figure out who Joel hangs out with, and keep them around. Don't draft a center.

After all that, Joel would stay. But is all that worth it?

 

[BBert]

I think a lot of Joel's future will depend on certain intangibles.

...Figure out who Joel hangs out with, and keep them around. Don't draft a center.

I heard Joel was card playing buds with Nick, arguably our best "chip," and they looked pretty chummy on the bench in the NY game.. And they work the pick and roll together better than any two players on the team.

 

[CelticPagan]

We should trade Joel while his value is very high. We should package Joel with Miles/Patterson and try to get a good SG like Joe Johnson or Quentin Richardson. Most likely Richardson. We could also take back a contract the Suns don't want, like Howard Eisley. We'd need a backup PG anyway.

Telfair/Eisley
Richardson/Monia
Ratliff/HA
Outlaw/Patterson
Randolph/Khyrapa

 

[PorterIn2004]

We should trade Joel while his value is very high. We should package Joel with Miles/Patterson and try to get a good SG like Joe Johnson or Quentin Richardson. Most likely Richardson. We could also take back a contract the Suns don't want, like Howard Eisley. We'd need a backup PG anyway.

Telfair/Eisley
Richardson/Monia
Ratliff/HA
Outlaw/Patterson
Randolph/Khyrapa

Not a bad idea, though I think, at least in dealing with the Suns, that I'd hold out for Johnson.

 

[Sambonius]

I don't like Q-Rich, Johnson is the superior player by far.

 

[Public Defender]

I guess I'm failing to understand why the Blazers should trade away our very good starting center (Przybilla) and keep our oft-injured backup (Theo Ratliff).

I realize that the interest among other teams will be higher for Joel, but so what?

The Blazers have future draft picks to offer (considering Portland is unlikely to make the playoffs next year, either, I'd say that first rounder is quite valuable).

The Blazers have expiring contracts to offer (between Nick Van Exel, Damon Stoudamire, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, there's a lot of cap room somebody could get for the right deal...).

And the Blazers have at least one reasonable contract to offer along with a guy like Ratliff (Patterson is worth every dime of his contract).

Center is a very important position in the NBA, and these days, there aren't that many really good ones. The Blazers have two... but the one they should trade is Theo, not Przybilla.

 

[Spoolie Gee]

We should trade Joel while his value is very high. We should package Joel with Miles/Patterson and try to get a good SG like Joe Johnson or Quentin Richardson. Most likely Richardson. We could also take back a contract the Suns don't want, like Howard Eisley. We'd need a backup PG anyway.

Telfair/Eisley
Richardson/Monia
Ratliff/HA
Outlaw/Patterson
Randolph/Khyrapa

So that means we have Ha as our starting center most of the season? YUCK!