The Perpetual NBA Thread

**theveed** · September 21st, 2007 11:48 PM

At least he's honest about it and didn't put money first... It's true that he has now become a liability with the Jazz, he knows he can't be traded with his current salary and he knows he'll have more success elsewhere, especially with International style of game...

If he's willing to opt out of his contract with zero buyout for the Jazz, I don't see what's wrong with that... It's obvious he wants to compete and be utilized but he's not demanding money or PT, just contribution...

Hope he plays for Russia, though.

Or the Rockets/Celts :D :D :D

**theveed** · September 22nd, 2007 09:50 AM

As much respect that I have for The King, I still consider the Cavs as merely lucky flukes... Now they're even more screwed...

Europe emerging as NBA free-agent option
By Sean Deveney - SportingNews

First guard Charlie Bell threatens to sign with a Greek team in order to escape the Bucks, who own his rights as a restricted free agent. Then Andrei Kirilenko is quoted in a foreign newspaper as saying he would consider giving up the remaining $63 million on his contract with the Jazz to remain in Europe and leave the NBA.

And now, the agent for small forward Sasha Pavlovic says his client also would consider heading to Europe if a deal can't be reached with his current team, the Cavaliers. "We certainly are exploring that option," agent Marc Cornstein says. "We have to, absolutely. I am not saying we're in negotiations with European teams right now by any means. But it's an option. I wouldn't be doing my job if it wasn't."

Bell signed an offer sheet this week with Miami, which was matched by Milwaukee. But just nine days before the opening of training camp, three prominent restricted free agents -- Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao and Mickael Pietrus -- remain unsigned. Their difficult situations have raised the issue of NBA players -- especially restricted free agents -- leaving the league for European teams.

Pavlovic and the Cavaliers remain, according to Cornstein, "very far apart," on a new contract. The Cavaliers are also struggling through negotiations with Varejao, a power forward. The two sets of negotiations remain at a stalemate. Because of the restricted tag, the Cavaliers own the NBA rights for both players. If no long-term deal is worked out, the players would be forced to sign one-year qualifying offers. After fulfilling the year, they would be unrestricted free agents next summer, free to re-sign with the Cavaliers, or any of the league's other 29 teams.

Varejao's agent, Dan Fegan, has already indicated that if his client is forced to accept the qualifying offer, he is unlikely to return to Cleveland. As for Pavlovic, Cornstein says, "That would be something Sasha would have to say directly. But I think it is a safe bet he would not want to come back."

Similarly, Pietrus is looking like he won't be around for the long haul with the Warriors -- but there will be no threats of a European escape for Pietrus. His agent, Bill McCandless, says that Pietrus did, in fact, get a one-year offer from a Euroleague team worth more than 2 million Euros, or nearly $3 million. "But the problem is, the restricted tag does not come off when he comes back to the NBA," McCandless says. "We seriously thought about it. He probably would have gone, but in a year, he would come back to the NBA and still be a restricted free agent for the Warriors. We would have been right back where we started."

Instead, McCandless says, Pietrus would choose to simply hold out. Both sides, it seems, have exhausted sign-and-trade possibilities, especially after the Warriors nixed a two-for-one deal (plus a draft pick) the Heat put on the table last week. "There are basically two categories," McCandless says. "Some teams have come to us and worked something out, then presented it to the Warriors. There were two cases like that, where we had an agreement on money, but the Warriors turned it down. Then there are teams that contact the Warriors directly and negotiate that way. But the Warriors don't tell us what is going on with those talks."

Pietrus' best remaining option is to find a multiyear offer sheet, knowing he can give teams some assurance that the Warriors won't match any contract that goes beyond this year. If you're the Warriors, the downside of bringing Pietrus back is the negativity the situation has created. "We had a meeting with the team a couple of weeks ago, and Mickael came out thinking they love him and they're going to make him an offer," McCandless says. "But now, he's not happy. He feels stuck and he feels coerced."

That's the same feeling that is going around in Cleveland. Varejao and Pavlovic were key players in the bunch that LeBron James carried into the NBA Finals. Pavlovic blossomed after he was awarded the starting small forward spot in the second half of the season, averaging 12.7 points in 28 games as a starter. He tired late in the season, though, and slipped to 9.2 points in the playoffs.
Varejao is the team's top reserve, an excellent defender who averaged 6.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23.9 minutes last year.

The problem for the Cavaliers is that, with a payroll of nearly $65 million, paying sizable contracts to Varejao and Pavlovic will send them way over the luxury tax threshold, set at $65.4 million. That means the Cavs will pay a dollar tax for every dollar they agree to pay the two.

But just as significant a problem, just like in Pietrus' case, is bad blood these negotiations have created. The Cavaliers have made no significant additions this summer. The East has improved. It will be much more difficult for this team to return to the Finals next season. Even the Eastern Conference finals will be tough to reach. If the franchise is seen as moving backward, that will upset fans -- as well as James, who can be a free agent in 2010. If a backward move is coupled with losing Varejao
and Pavlovic, you'll probably see a very angry James.

Cornstein says he doesn't even have plans to meet with Cavs GM Danny Ferry. "Right now, there's no reason," Cornstein says. "We're so far apart, it wouldn't make sense. If something changes, though, it's only an hour flight to Cleveland from New York. I am not stubborn."

Coincidentally, if Pavlovic did leave Cleveland for Europe, it's something Ferry should know quite a bit about. He once ducked out on the NBA for Europe -- remember, he went to Italy rather than play for the Clippers when he came out of college.
Considering the favorability of the exchange rate -- the U.S. dollar is very low against the Euro at the moment -- and considering all the perks that European teams include in their contracts (a house, a car) it very well could be that a player like Pavlovic would do better in Europe than in the NBA.

"It could happen eventually," McCandless says of restricted free agents signing in Europe. "Maybe not this year. But eventually, someone is going to give up on restricted free agency and play over in Europe."

**tsupermario** · September 22nd, 2007 12:20 PM

role players looking for top dollar

**theveed** · September 22nd, 2007 12:35 PM

They're not looking for top dollar (well, except for Bell), the Cav guys are key to the team's success and yet they still aren't signed a week from training camp.

Heck, AK is even willing to lose 60+M.

**Gumusut_Amige** · September 22nd, 2007 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by tsupermario

kirilenko sez he would rather play in russia than return to the jazz. kirilenko for the wizards' jamison sounds interesting :D

paano nga pala ito kung nasa line-up mo sa fnba tapos sa russia/europe sya maglalaro di bale kulang ka ng 1 player

**ssaloon** · September 22nd, 2007 01:58 PM

^ Waiver wire na yan! :D

**empy** · September 22nd, 2007 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by Gumusut_Amige

paano nga pala ito kung nasa line-up mo sa fnba tapos sa russia/europe sya maglalaro di bale kulang ka ng 1 player

you have to drop him and pick up another player from the waiver wire, unfortunately

unless you want to hold on to him kahit walang production, and hope that he returns to the NBA that year....not even sure if Yahoo will allow you to do that...

**empy** · September 23rd, 2007 02:25 AM

btw, speaking about AK...it appears that he's unhappy because he's in Jerry Sloan's doghouse. why? let's ask Deron Williams:

-----------------------------------------------

Utah point guard Deron Williams wants Andrei Kirilenko back with the Jazz next season, but hopes his unhappy teammate brings an improved work ethic with him.

In a Friday afternoon radio interview on 1280 The Zone, Williams told Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson and co-host Kevin Graham that Kirilenko can be "a special player for us" if he returns with the right attitude.

Referring to teammates Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, Williams said, "You see Booz after practice shooting for 25 or 30 minutes. You see Memo shooting for 20 minutes. You see, you know, all the rookies. The young guys. You saw [Rafael Araujo] in there working. [Then] you see Andrei being the first one out the door."

As the Jazz's quarterback, Williams admitted he has looked for other targets with his passes because of Kirilenko's approach to the game last season.

"If he's coming off a screen on one side and Matt [Harpring] is coming off a screen on one side, who do you think you're going to pass to?" Williams said.

"You think you're going to pass to the guy you see working every day in the gym or are you going to pass to the guy who never works on his shot but yet wants to shoot 'em every time?"

Asked if Kirilenko's work ethic was a problem, Williams said, "I would say so."
Kirilenko averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds last season, when the Jazz won 51 games during the regular season and reached the Western Conference finals.

Those numbers are about half of what Kirilenko produced during his best season in 2003-04, when he averaged 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds.

After leading Russia to the EuroLeague championship last week, Kirilenko was named the tournament MVP and lashed out at the Jazz and veteran coach Jerry Sloan. He demanded a trade and eventually suggested he was so unhappy that he might walk away from the $63 million that remains on his contract, which runs through 2011.

"I haven't been paying much attention to it," Williams said. "[But] I'll bet he's here on the first" of October.

The Jazz open training camp Oct. 2 in Boise.
"I've said before, we need Andrei," Williams said. "He's a great player for us. He can be a special player for us. There are not too many guys in the NBA who can come up and attack you like he can.

"He had a great EuroLeague tournament over there. He played well, got the MVP. I'm sure his confidence is up. But I don't see anyone walking away from $60 million."

What if Kirilenko does not return?
"It will definitely hurt us," Williams said. "But at the same time, guys don't want to sit across the locker room from a guy who doesn't want to be here. . . . I love Andrei - like him as a player, like him as a person. He can definitely be a special player for us. But he's not going to average 20 points a game."

Williams suggested that part of his job next season will be to help Kirilenko regain the confidence he lost last year: "I've got to get him ways to get him more touches, where he's comfortable and not just shooting jumpers because that's really not A.K.'s game. He'll be the first one to tell you that.

"But he can still work. . . . If you work on your shot, it's going to improve. Just because you can't shoot doesn't mean you shouldn't work on it - shouldn't mean you just give up on it. We definitely need to find ways - post him up more, [get him] slashing to the basket more. Find ways to utilize him within the offense."

Williams defended Sloan, who has been a target of harsh criticism from Kirilenko.
"I'm trying to win," Williams said. "I could be mad at Coach Sloan. I could hate Coach Sloan more than anything. But I'm still going to play for him, still going to play hard."

In a story published Friday in Russia's Sport-Express, Kirilenko repeated his desire to leave Utah and sever ties with the Jazz and Sloan.

"For the past two years, I've been going on the court and acting like a robot," Kirilenko told the newspaper. "When I signed my contract, the future looked completely different."

Jazz vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor said earlier this week that Kirilenko is under contract and is expected for the start of training camp. Contacted Friday night, O'Connor declined any further comment.

http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_6970226