Hints about matching?
This is just my interpretation of what was said Saturday, but Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor made three comments that suggested the team was inclined to match the four-year, $32 million offer sheet Paul Millsap signed with Portland.
O'Connor has vowed to match any offer to Millsap that isn't in the realm of the "really outrageous." His comments Saturday seemed to suggest that an $8 million a year offer by the Trail Blazers doesn't fit that definition.
First of all, talking about following through on the pledge to match, O'Connor mentioned "it might be a little different" if Millsap had been offered $11 million or $12 million a season.
He also said the Jazz had evaluated in advance every possible signing bonus scenario for an offer between $6 million and $10 million. The fact that Portland's offer contains $10.3 million in upfront money wasn't something for which the Jazz were totally unprepared.
O'Connor also cited the average value for a five-year contract starting at the midlevel exception of $5.854 million.
With annual raises, the average value of such a deal is $6.8 million, suggesting that Millsap didn't come in much above the midlevel, at least in O'Connor's opinion. The Blazers also could have added a fifth year to their offer as an additional deterrent but didn't.
Who knows what will happen when O'Connor has to sit down with the other top executives with the Larry H. Miller companies this week and explain how matching Millsap's offer could cost the Jazz close to $20 million this season.
It certainly didn't seem, though, as if O'Connor felt the offer fit the definition of being "outrageous." Coupled with their desire to trade Carlos Boozer and I think the Jazz will end up matching Portland's offer in a week's time.
"I think it's going to take some time for us to really analyze this and make sure we're making the right decision," Jazz president Randy Rigby said.
"We've got to look at the financial well-being of the organization. We've got to look at short- and long-term impacts of what this means for us and we'll go from there."
* * *
There's some question about whether the Jazz have until Friday or Saturday to decide about matching as Portland apparently didn't deliver the offer sheet to the Jazz until late Friday night.
* * *
O'Connor took pains not to rule out the possibility that both Boozer and Millsap will be back this season, though it appears increasingly likely that Boozer has played his last game with the Jazz and will be traded.
"Those guys have played together last year and the year before and played fairly well together," O'Connor said. "Don't look at this and say, 'One year and one's gone.' I think when you look at it, a lot of people have a three-man rotation up front."
O'Connor also was asked about trade talk. "There's a frenzy right about now about it," he said, "and I think it'll slow down a little bit - - it'll slow down for you guys. But it won't slow down for me. So it'll be out there."
* * *
Just have to say that "Straight Dave's Man-Slammin' Max Out" made my weekend, for those who get it.
If basketball-reference.com is correct, Bruno Sundov is the only Bruno ever to play in the NBA. A 7-foot-2 center, Sundov played in 102 games in seven seasons with Dallas, Indiana, Boston, Cleveland and New York. He is definitely uber famous.
--Ross Siler
O'Connor has vowed to match any offer to Millsap that isn't in the realm of the "really outrageous." His comments Saturday seemed to suggest that an $8 million a year offer by the Trail Blazers doesn't fit that definition.
First of all, talking about following through on the pledge to match, O'Connor mentioned "it might be a little different" if Millsap had been offered $11 million or $12 million a season.
He also said the Jazz had evaluated in advance every possible signing bonus scenario for an offer between $6 million and $10 million. The fact that Portland's offer contains $10.3 million in upfront money wasn't something for which the Jazz were totally unprepared.
O'Connor also cited the average value for a five-year contract starting at the midlevel exception of $5.854 million.
With annual raises, the average value of such a deal is $6.8 million, suggesting that Millsap didn't come in much above the midlevel, at least in O'Connor's opinion. The Blazers also could have added a fifth year to their offer as an additional deterrent but didn't.
Who knows what will happen when O'Connor has to sit down with the other top executives with the Larry H. Miller companies this week and explain how matching Millsap's offer could cost the Jazz close to $20 million this season.
It certainly didn't seem, though, as if O'Connor felt the offer fit the definition of being "outrageous." Coupled with their desire to trade Carlos Boozer and I think the Jazz will end up matching Portland's offer in a week's time.
"I think it's going to take some time for us to really analyze this and make sure we're making the right decision," Jazz president Randy Rigby said.
"We've got to look at the financial well-being of the organization. We've got to look at short- and long-term impacts of what this means for us and we'll go from there."
* * *
There's some question about whether the Jazz have until Friday or Saturday to decide about matching as Portland apparently didn't deliver the offer sheet to the Jazz until late Friday night.
* * *
O'Connor took pains not to rule out the possibility that both Boozer and Millsap will be back this season, though it appears increasingly likely that Boozer has played his last game with the Jazz and will be traded.
"Those guys have played together last year and the year before and played fairly well together," O'Connor said. "Don't look at this and say, 'One year and one's gone.' I think when you look at it, a lot of people have a three-man rotation up front."
O'Connor also was asked about trade talk. "There's a frenzy right about now about it," he said, "and I think it'll slow down a little bit - - it'll slow down for you guys. But it won't slow down for me. So it'll be out there."
* * *
Just have to say that "Straight Dave's Man-Slammin' Max Out" made my weekend, for those who get it.
If basketball-reference.com is correct, Bruno Sundov is the only Bruno ever to play in the NBA. A 7-foot-2 center, Sundov played in 102 games in seven seasons with Dallas, Indiana, Boston, Cleveland and New York. He is definitely uber famous.
--Ross Siler
5:57 PM
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2 Comments:
Good call on the Strait Dave reference. A pleasant surprise that turned ugly quick!
How come we don't hear talk of a Boozer/Tyson Chandler trade any more?
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