The Miles decision
Before free agency started, the over/under on the amount of money the Jazz would match as an offer for C.J. Miles was about $3 million a season. At least that was the feeling among people I talked to from outside the organization.
Now Miles has signed a four-year, $15 million deal with Oklahoma City and the Jazz have seven days to decide about matching. That's $3.75 million a season, which Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor will have to think long and hard about.
(As one person put it Friday, Miles might have gotten the biggest contract ever for a player based almost solely on potential.)
By all accounts, Miles wants to play for the Rustlers or the Thunder or the Outlaws or whatever the Oklahoma City team will be called. There's a chance for him to start and join Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook as young building blocks.
Miles' camp is hopeful that the 21-year-old will finally get the chance to play after three years in the league. There's also the feeling that Miles has been unfairly maligned for his decision to skip the Rocky Mountain Revue two straight summers.
Given that the Jazz are knocking on the luxury-tax door for the 2009-10 season and also that they have Ronnie Brewer and Morris Almond on the roster, I think the odds are that they won't match Miles' offer from OKC.
There's definitely the chance, though, that it could come back to haunt them in a couple of seasons.
Watching Miles score 20 points against Miami in December, when he was burying jumpers and the Heat had to double team him in the fourth quarter, I thought he looked like a future starting two-guard. Those are a bargain at $4 million in the NBA.
We've covered it previously in this blog, but Miles' numbers are pretty comparable to those of Brewer and Kyle Korver in similar minutes. Right now, though, Miles is probably the fifth of six wings on the Jazz's roster, which isn't likely to change.
In my opinion, the Jazz's decision about keeping Miles will come down to how they answer the question about whether he's a championship piece.
--Ross Siler
Now Miles has signed a four-year, $15 million deal with Oklahoma City and the Jazz have seven days to decide about matching. That's $3.75 million a season, which Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor will have to think long and hard about.
(As one person put it Friday, Miles might have gotten the biggest contract ever for a player based almost solely on potential.)
By all accounts, Miles wants to play for the Rustlers or the Thunder or the Outlaws or whatever the Oklahoma City team will be called. There's a chance for him to start and join Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook as young building blocks.
Miles' camp is hopeful that the 21-year-old will finally get the chance to play after three years in the league. There's also the feeling that Miles has been unfairly maligned for his decision to skip the Rocky Mountain Revue two straight summers.
Given that the Jazz are knocking on the luxury-tax door for the 2009-10 season and also that they have Ronnie Brewer and Morris Almond on the roster, I think the odds are that they won't match Miles' offer from OKC.
There's definitely the chance, though, that it could come back to haunt them in a couple of seasons.
Watching Miles score 20 points against Miami in December, when he was burying jumpers and the Heat had to double team him in the fourth quarter, I thought he looked like a future starting two-guard. Those are a bargain at $4 million in the NBA.
We've covered it previously in this blog, but Miles' numbers are pretty comparable to those of Brewer and Kyle Korver in similar minutes. Right now, though, Miles is probably the fifth of six wings on the Jazz's roster, which isn't likely to change.
In my opinion, the Jazz's decision about keeping Miles will come down to how they answer the question about whether he's a championship piece.
--Ross Siler
9:39 PM
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