Saturday, July 18, 2009

   As both an agent and an uncle, DeAngelo Simmons was able to doubly enjoy the four-year, $32 million offer sheet Paul Millsap signed with Portland, then had matched a week later by the Jazz.

    He joined his nephew Saturday at the Jazz's practice facility as Millsap spoke to a group of reporters about staying in Utah. For Simmons, meanwhile, Millsap's deal was the first big contract he'd negotiated for a player.

    "It was exciting," Simmons said. "It had its high points and its low points."

    How concerned was Simmons before the Trail Blazers made their offer?

    "A little bit, based on the teams that had money, which was none," Simmons said. "At that particular time, Memphis had made a move, Oklahoma [City] was kind of at a standstill. We kept Portland as quiet as possible.

    "I was a little concerned. Once they missed on Hedo [Turkoglu], I knew it was a possibility we could get something from them."

    Simmons said Portland was not one of the teams that called to express interest in Millsap as the free-agent market opened at midnight July 1. That's not surprising, given that the Blazers were making an all-out push to sign Turkoglu.

    From what we learned Saturday, though, Millsap never visited Portland, never spoke on the phone with GM Kevin Pritchard or coach Nate McMillan and didn't get a July 1 call, raising the question of just how interested Portland was in actually having him.

    Simmons made some pointed comments about the Jazz and how they should have made Millsap an offer, rather than waiting to have one brought to them. He'd softened that stance by Saturday, when I asked if Millsap's situation was right in the end.

    "This is where he's happy at and comfortable," Simmons said, "so wherever he decided or felt good about, that's where we stood."

    Simmons also was asked what he was thinking as an uncle after watching Millsap and his brothers play basketball since childhood.

    "I'm really, really proud, because I've seen where they came from and what they had to work with," Simmons said. I've seen the progress. I saw the development and to see him reach this point is an all-time high on my list."

    Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor talked about how much the team has appreciated Millsap's work and development the last three years, while adding that Millsap was appreciative of the opportunity he'd gotten in Utah.

    O'Connor also noted that Millsap was the second restricted free agent after Orlando center Marcin Gortat to sign an offer sheet.

    "It's a good thing that we were able to wrap it up as soon as we could based on that," Simmons said, "because there's a lot of free agents out there and a whole lot of teams that don't have a whole lot of money. We were fortunate and blessed."

    Have to say that Millsap hasn't done bad considering he was taken one spot ahead of Vladimir Veremeenko in the second round of the 2006 draft.

    * * *

    Millsap was asked about the Jazz bringing so many players back while teams like the Lakers (Ron Artest) and Spurs (Richard Jefferson) appeared to upgrade this summer.

    "With the nucleus of this team, with the guys that are coming back right now, I think that's enough," Millsap said. "It's a tough team. Coach Sloan's is the coach. He's going to want us to get out there and play hard every minute. And when you play hard, anything can happen."

    The Jazz's $82 million payroll is more like $94 million given the luxury-tax penalties they can expect to pay. "We are willing to go to the next step with this team as it's structured," O'Connor said, "because if you look at it, a lot of our contracts are one-year contracts or two-year contracts. We're not committed to long-term contracts."

    * * *

    If you're handicapping a Boozer trade, O'Connor did little to dismiss the notion that the Jazz aren't working to try to trade their two-time All-Star forward. The question is whether they will be able to do so before training camp. Most teams look to set their rosters by Aug. 1, which gives O'Connor only weeks to pull off the blockbuster.

    O'Connor said teams might still look to "add pieces and everything," but didn't dispute that now is trading season in the NBA. Talking about trade talks to improve the team, O'Connor said: "We'll continue on that path."

    The Jazz have identified shot-blocking and shooting as their two biggest needs, which would suggest that Chicago's Tyrus Thomas might be a solid addition should the Jazz trade Boozer to the Bulls.

    * * *

    I asked Millsap about the notion of a ''toxic" contract, as one source dubbed the Millsap offer in talking to The Oregonian. ''I don't think there is a such thing as a toxic contract," Millsap said, before he was reminded that his viewpoint might not be totally objective.

    * * *

    As much as Portland stuck it to the Jazz with such a front-loaded offer to Millsap, O'Connor has talked up LaMarcus Aldridge as much as possible as a max (or near-max) contract player, given the amount of money the Blazers offered Millsap to be Aldridge's backup.

    ''Obviously, the market was set by somebody who valued [Millsap] very much, even though they've got a guy [Aldridge] that they're going to pay a lot of money to," O'Connor said.

    --Ross Siler