Michael Olowokandi WILL get a max offer from at LEAST one team next summer (San Antonio?) if the Clips don't go ahead and sign him to a longterm extension now. And he'll be an UNrestricted free agent next summer--which means that the Spurs can sign him OUTRIGHT, the Clips CANNOT just match any offer and keep him for themselves!
In FACT, the Clips have FOUR guys--Andre Miller, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, and Olowokandi--who will ALL get max offers next summer!
A team cannot get away with signing more than TWO guys to max contracts. Take a look at the mess that Boston is in right now (Pierce, Walker, and Baker all have max-out contracts) if you don't believe me!
The Clips WOULD NOT have traded for Andre Miller if they weren't planning on maxing the dude out. And Elton Brand's great attitude and work ethic--not to mention his PRODUCTION--makes him the other obvious dude to max out. Corey Maggette, another free agent next summer, can probably be re-signed to a pretty reasonable extension (starting at around $4-$5 mil/year).
What does this mean? It means that Michael Olowokandi and Lamar Odom are both going to be let go--and the Clips are faced with getting NOTHING IN RETURN for them! Sure, the Clips COULD match any offer made for Odom, but that would mean that they'd be taking on about $11-$12 mil in salaries in a sign-and-trade--if the Clips wanted to take on an additional $11-$12 mil in salaries, they'd just max out Odom and keep him for themselves!
The Clips do NOT need to let these guys go for NOTHING! The time to get something for these dudes is THIS SUMMER! Next summer will be TOO LATE!
There are LOTS of ways that the Clips can trade these two guys, because there are LOTS of teams that want both of them. You guys can offer up suggestions, but here's my suggestions, and both trades totally work under the cap, by the way:
TRADE #1: Olowokandi (re-signed to a max-out extension PRIOR to the trade) to the Blazers; Bonzi Wells (re-signed to a REASONABLE extension PRIOR to the trade), Zach Randolph, and Qyntel Woods to the Clips
TRADE #2: Lamar Odom to the Warriors; Jason Richardson and Steve Logan to the Clips
And, since the trades would leave the Clips with a SURPLUS of nice cheap commodities on the bench but SEAN ROOKS as the starting center, here's a third trade that would work:
TRADE #3: Quentin Richardson, Keyon Dooling, Sean Rooks, and Bryant Stith to the Hornets; Elden Campbell (a free agent at the end of the 2002-03 season who wasn't going to be re-signed by the Hornets ANYWAY) to the Clips
Here is what the Clippers look like after the deal goes down:
Starting lineup
PG Andre Miller (36 minutes/game)
SG Bonzi Wells (32 minutes/game)
SF Corey Maggette (28 minutes/game)
PF Elton Brand (36 minutes/game)
C Elden Campbell (24 minutes/game)
Key bench players: Jason Richardson (28 minutes/game), Marco Jaric (20 minutes/game), Chris Wilcox (12 minutes/game), Melvin Ely (12 minutes/game), Zach Randolph (12 minutes/game)
End of the bench (no PT): Qyntel Woods, Steve Logan
The Clips have a payroll around $40 mil in 2002-03 and a payroll under $50 mil in 2003-04. Now THAT'S how you keep Donald Sterling happy, people! And wow, take a look at that bench, it's FULL of incredibly cheap, young, and talented dudes--SEVEN OF THEM! Bonzi and Elton should provide the bulk of the scoring, both guys should be much better players with a legit star point guard like Andre feeding them the ball.
And how would the Blazers look? For now, like this:
Starting lineup
PG Jeff McInnis (24 minutes/game)
SG Derek Anderson (32 minutes/game)
SF Scottie Pippen (28 minutes/game)
PF Rasheed Wallace (40 minutes/game)
C Michael Olowokandi (32 minutes/game)
Key reserves: Ruben Patterson (28 minutes/game), Dale Davis (24 minutes/game), Damon Stoudamire (20 minutes/game), Antonio Daniels (12 minutes/game)
End of the bench (no PT): Shawn Kemp, Jason Jennings
ALSO! The Blazers could LATER (before the season starts) package Pippen with Daniels, they could get a LOT for these two guys. Why? Because they make a combined $16.7 mil next season--and then their contracts expire! There are a TON of teams out there who desperately want to clear payroll. Portland could trade these two guys for SEVERAL nice (but OVERPAID) players, they could put together a NICE bench, and I mean a NICE bench. They'd have a HUGE payroll, but hell, they already DO have a HUGE payroll, you know? I could sit here and type out all the combinations of players that Portland could get for Pippen-Daniels, but it would take a WHILE! Suffice it to say that there are a TON of POSSIBILITIES! [NOTE: One such possibility--a trade with the Warriors--is listed below.]
Are both teams better off? YES! The Clips keep the payroll in check (Donald Sterling AIN'T gonna agree to a $60+ mil payroll, he AIN'T gonna max out more than a couple of dudes, people!), and the Blazers can put together a JUGGERNAUT (with a HUGE payroll, of course, but Paul Allen isn't worried about the luxury tax, he's loaded).
By the way, the Warriors could move Mike Dunleavy over to the starting SG spot, Odom could start at SF. I think the Warriors would be really helping themselves by dumping some of those terrible longterm contracts--including Antawn Jamison, who is a good scorer but is incredibly overpaid. If the Warriors EVER turn it around, it won't be BECAUSE of Antawn Jamison, it will be DESPITE Antawn Jamison, you know what I'm saying? The Warriors could dump Adonal Foyle, Danny Fortson, and Bobby Sura on the 76ers for Derrick Coleman (whose contract expires after next year), Eric Snow (signed to a longterm deal, but a cheaper deal than Fortson, plus this team needs a veteran point guard), and Mark Bryant (who is included to even out the salaries, his contract expires after next season, too). The Warriors could THEN turn around and dump Jamison and Erick Dampier on the Blazers for Pippen (whose contract is up after next year), Daniels (whose contract is ALSO up after next year), Jason Jennings (since SOMEBODY has to give the Warriors some minutes at C next season!), and a future #1 pick (since Jamison IS worth SOMETHING, especially to a team like Portland that isn't concerned with the size of its payroll!). Here's what the Warriors would look like next season (I have put an "*" next to contracts that will expire after 2002-03):
Starting lineup
PG Eric Snow (24 minutes/game)
SG Mike Dunleavy (36 minutes/game)
SF Lamar Odom (36 minutes/game)
PF Derrick Coleman* (24 minutes/game)
C Troy Murphy (will HAVE to play CENTER for this team, 24 minutes/game)
Key backups: Scottie Pippen* (24 minutes/game), Gilbert Arenas (20 minutes/game), Jiri Welsch (20 minutes/game), Jason Jennings (will HAVE to give this team 20 minutes/game as its backup C, whether he's ready or not!), Antonio Daniels* (12 minutes/game),
End of the bench (no PT): Chris Mills*, Mark Bryant*
This team will SUCK SUCK SUCK! But Odom and Dunleavy give the team a nice foundation (Odom is a STAR, people, a BIG star--unlike Jamison, Odom DESERVES the max!), and don't forget that this team will be one of the 3-4 worst teams in the league next year, so they'll be getting a HIGH lottery pick (it's about time for this team to luck out, if anybody deserves Lebron James, it's the damn Warriors!) plus the Blazers' #1 pick (not to mention a high second-round pick, this team has done well with high second-round picks lately!) And, after letting all those free agents go next summer, the Warriors would have around $17-$18 mil in cap room--in other words, they could be MAJOR PLAYERS in next summer's free agent bonanza!
And hey, REAL QUICK, here's what the Blazers would look like after this Jamison trade:
Starting lineup
PG Jeff McInnis (20 minutes/game)
SG Derek Anderson (28 minutes/game)
SF Antawn Jamison (32 minutes/game)
PF Rasheed Wallace (40 minutes/game)
C Michael Olowokandi (32 minutes/game)
Key reserves: Ruben Patterson (28 minutes/game), Dale Davis (24 minutes/game), Damon Stoudamire (20 minutes/game), Erick Dampier (16 minutes/game)
End of the bench (no PT): Shawn Kemp
That's an EXPENSIVE team! But a HUGE team! And an ATHLETIC team!
Let's hear some feedback, peoples!
In FACT, the Clips have FOUR guys--Andre Miller, Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, and Olowokandi--who will ALL get max offers next summer!
A team cannot get away with signing more than TWO guys to max contracts. Take a look at the mess that Boston is in right now (Pierce, Walker, and Baker all have max-out contracts) if you don't believe me!
The Clips WOULD NOT have traded for Andre Miller if they weren't planning on maxing the dude out. And Elton Brand's great attitude and work ethic--not to mention his PRODUCTION--makes him the other obvious dude to max out. Corey Maggette, another free agent next summer, can probably be re-signed to a pretty reasonable extension (starting at around $4-$5 mil/year).
What does this mean? It means that Michael Olowokandi and Lamar Odom are both going to be let go--and the Clips are faced with getting NOTHING IN RETURN for them! Sure, the Clips COULD match any offer made for Odom, but that would mean that they'd be taking on about $11-$12 mil in salaries in a sign-and-trade--if the Clips wanted to take on an additional $11-$12 mil in salaries, they'd just max out Odom and keep him for themselves!
The Clips do NOT need to let these guys go for NOTHING! The time to get something for these dudes is THIS SUMMER! Next summer will be TOO LATE!
There are LOTS of ways that the Clips can trade these two guys, because there are LOTS of teams that want both of them. You guys can offer up suggestions, but here's my suggestions, and both trades totally work under the cap, by the way:
TRADE #1: Olowokandi (re-signed to a max-out extension PRIOR to the trade) to the Blazers; Bonzi Wells (re-signed to a REASONABLE extension PRIOR to the trade), Zach Randolph, and Qyntel Woods to the Clips
TRADE #2: Lamar Odom to the Warriors; Jason Richardson and Steve Logan to the Clips
And, since the trades would leave the Clips with a SURPLUS of nice cheap commodities on the bench but SEAN ROOKS as the starting center, here's a third trade that would work:
TRADE #3: Quentin Richardson, Keyon Dooling, Sean Rooks, and Bryant Stith to the Hornets; Elden Campbell (a free agent at the end of the 2002-03 season who wasn't going to be re-signed by the Hornets ANYWAY) to the Clips
Here is what the Clippers look like after the deal goes down:
Starting lineup
PG Andre Miller (36 minutes/game)
SG Bonzi Wells (32 minutes/game)
SF Corey Maggette (28 minutes/game)
PF Elton Brand (36 minutes/game)
C Elden Campbell (24 minutes/game)
Key bench players: Jason Richardson (28 minutes/game), Marco Jaric (20 minutes/game), Chris Wilcox (12 minutes/game), Melvin Ely (12 minutes/game), Zach Randolph (12 minutes/game)
End of the bench (no PT): Qyntel Woods, Steve Logan
The Clips have a payroll around $40 mil in 2002-03 and a payroll under $50 mil in 2003-04. Now THAT'S how you keep Donald Sterling happy, people! And wow, take a look at that bench, it's FULL of incredibly cheap, young, and talented dudes--SEVEN OF THEM! Bonzi and Elton should provide the bulk of the scoring, both guys should be much better players with a legit star point guard like Andre feeding them the ball.
And how would the Blazers look? For now, like this:
Starting lineup
PG Jeff McInnis (24 minutes/game)
SG Derek Anderson (32 minutes/game)
SF Scottie Pippen (28 minutes/game)
PF Rasheed Wallace (40 minutes/game)
C Michael Olowokandi (32 minutes/game)
Key reserves: Ruben Patterson (28 minutes/game), Dale Davis (24 minutes/game), Damon Stoudamire (20 minutes/game), Antonio Daniels (12 minutes/game)
End of the bench (no PT): Shawn Kemp, Jason Jennings
ALSO! The Blazers could LATER (before the season starts) package Pippen with Daniels, they could get a LOT for these two guys. Why? Because they make a combined $16.7 mil next season--and then their contracts expire! There are a TON of teams out there who desperately want to clear payroll. Portland could trade these two guys for SEVERAL nice (but OVERPAID) players, they could put together a NICE bench, and I mean a NICE bench. They'd have a HUGE payroll, but hell, they already DO have a HUGE payroll, you know? I could sit here and type out all the combinations of players that Portland could get for Pippen-Daniels, but it would take a WHILE! Suffice it to say that there are a TON of POSSIBILITIES! [NOTE: One such possibility--a trade with the Warriors--is listed below.]
Are both teams better off? YES! The Clips keep the payroll in check (Donald Sterling AIN'T gonna agree to a $60+ mil payroll, he AIN'T gonna max out more than a couple of dudes, people!), and the Blazers can put together a JUGGERNAUT (with a HUGE payroll, of course, but Paul Allen isn't worried about the luxury tax, he's loaded).
By the way, the Warriors could move Mike Dunleavy over to the starting SG spot, Odom could start at SF. I think the Warriors would be really helping themselves by dumping some of those terrible longterm contracts--including Antawn Jamison, who is a good scorer but is incredibly overpaid. If the Warriors EVER turn it around, it won't be BECAUSE of Antawn Jamison, it will be DESPITE Antawn Jamison, you know what I'm saying? The Warriors could dump Adonal Foyle, Danny Fortson, and Bobby Sura on the 76ers for Derrick Coleman (whose contract expires after next year), Eric Snow (signed to a longterm deal, but a cheaper deal than Fortson, plus this team needs a veteran point guard), and Mark Bryant (who is included to even out the salaries, his contract expires after next season, too). The Warriors could THEN turn around and dump Jamison and Erick Dampier on the Blazers for Pippen (whose contract is up after next year), Daniels (whose contract is ALSO up after next year), Jason Jennings (since SOMEBODY has to give the Warriors some minutes at C next season!), and a future #1 pick (since Jamison IS worth SOMETHING, especially to a team like Portland that isn't concerned with the size of its payroll!). Here's what the Warriors would look like next season (I have put an "*" next to contracts that will expire after 2002-03):
Starting lineup
PG Eric Snow (24 minutes/game)
SG Mike Dunleavy (36 minutes/game)
SF Lamar Odom (36 minutes/game)
PF Derrick Coleman* (24 minutes/game)
C Troy Murphy (will HAVE to play CENTER for this team, 24 minutes/game)
Key backups: Scottie Pippen* (24 minutes/game), Gilbert Arenas (20 minutes/game), Jiri Welsch (20 minutes/game), Jason Jennings (will HAVE to give this team 20 minutes/game as its backup C, whether he's ready or not!), Antonio Daniels* (12 minutes/game),
End of the bench (no PT): Chris Mills*, Mark Bryant*
This team will SUCK SUCK SUCK! But Odom and Dunleavy give the team a nice foundation (Odom is a STAR, people, a BIG star--unlike Jamison, Odom DESERVES the max!), and don't forget that this team will be one of the 3-4 worst teams in the league next year, so they'll be getting a HIGH lottery pick (it's about time for this team to luck out, if anybody deserves Lebron James, it's the damn Warriors!) plus the Blazers' #1 pick (not to mention a high second-round pick, this team has done well with high second-round picks lately!) And, after letting all those free agents go next summer, the Warriors would have around $17-$18 mil in cap room--in other words, they could be MAJOR PLAYERS in next summer's free agent bonanza!
And hey, REAL QUICK, here's what the Blazers would look like after this Jamison trade:
Starting lineup
PG Jeff McInnis (20 minutes/game)
SG Derek Anderson (28 minutes/game)
SF Antawn Jamison (32 minutes/game)
PF Rasheed Wallace (40 minutes/game)
C Michael Olowokandi (32 minutes/game)
Key reserves: Ruben Patterson (28 minutes/game), Dale Davis (24 minutes/game), Damon Stoudamire (20 minutes/game), Erick Dampier (16 minutes/game)
End of the bench (no PT): Shawn Kemp
That's an EXPENSIVE team! But a HUGE team! And an ATHLETIC team!
Let's hear some feedback, peoples!