RE: EWill to be moved for cash savings?

["John Lyell" <jlyell@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

McGinnis would have been a better solution than James. I think he averaged
13-14 a game for Clip's with a lousy team. The clips signed Officer Olden
Polynice. He would have given us more than Blount can. I would give the
Warriors Blount, Williams or even battie for Foyle. At least he adds
something inside we don't have.






-----Original Message-----
From: owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-celtics@xxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
Celtic4Hire@xxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, August 04, 2003 5:48 PM
To: celtics@xxxxxxxx; celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: EWill to be moved for cash savings?


Back to Celtics. Cs may have to consider moving EWill to save money? It
would
certainly open up things for Jones and Kedrick...

DJessen33

<Bet on Garnett testing free agency in '04

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com


Editor's note: As he does every week during the regular season as part of
"<A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/archive?columnist=stein_marc&root=nba";>
The Stein Line</A>," ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein gives his take on
things
in "Slams and Dunks."
Fearless Prediction Time ...
    >
Kevin Garnett will want to explore free agency, just like Jason Kidd and Tim
Duncan.
No matter how much the <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=min";>Minnesota
Timberwolves</A>' moves have pleased <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3007";>Kevin
Garnett</A>, and word is he definitely does like them even though he hasn't
publicly
addressed the moves yet, I fearlessly predict that there will be no KG
contract
extension between now and next July.
Apologies to all my friends in Minny, but I'm fearlessly predicting that
Garnett will opt for free agency in July, even if you could guarantee right
now
that the Wolves finally reach the hallowed hardwood of Round 2 in the
playoffs.
That doesn't necessarily mean he's going to leave Minny. That doesn't change
the fact that Garnett has been as proud of playing for "Sota," as he calls
the
place, as anyone could reasonably expect, given the Wolves' 0-for-7 history
in the first round and the thin teams he has been repeatedly asked to carry.
It simply figures that Garnett, as we just saw with <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2625";>Jason
Kidd</A>, will want to
exercise his right to look around and be wooed and explore how another team
or
two operates. Kidd talked seriously with San Antonio and Dallas, and <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3173";>Tim
Duncan</A> had the same inclination in the summer of 2000, flirting with a
move to
Orlando the first time he was a free agent.
It's just a warning, Wolves fans ... albeit a warning team insiders indicate
is in line with Garnett's thinking. Even with the most talented roster in
franchise history, and even though the incumbent team always has a huge
advantage
when it comes to keeping a free agent, it's going to be a long 12 months in
Sota waiting to see if Garnett re-signs. Just as it was for skittish Nets
fans,
and just as it was for fearful Spurs fans before them.

Virtually all of the main free agents are off the board, but there is at
least one more scramble to monitor between now and training camp. The trade
market.
The new game finds teams like Phoenix, which is well into luxury-tax
territory, peddling a last-year contract like <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=829";>Tom
Gugliotta</A>'s to teams with
significant salary-cap space, such as Utah and Miami. By most estimates, the
Suns could
save $28-33 million in salary and luxury-tax penalties (and rebates) if they
can convince, say, the Jazz to take on Googs.
    >
Keon Clark is one of the Kings' big men who may be headed to Utah or Miami.
The appeal in such a scenario for the Jazz would be the number and quality
of
future draft picks it could extract from the Suns to absorb the final year
of
Gugliotta's contract ($11.7 million). The widespread availability of
high-salaried veterans with a year left on their deals is a big reason why
Jazz vice
president Kevin O'Connor has scoffed at the notion that he will have trouble
spending the league-required minimum of $32.9 million in payroll next
season, in
spite of Utah's struggles to land free agents.
If Utah or Miami elects to participate in such a trade, the idea is to fill
out the roster for this season while stockpiling a pick or two for the
future
and, most importantly, preserving flexibility for another run at free agents
(or more of a blockbuster trade) next summer. The hangup in any deal will
inevitably deal with the draft picks Utah or Miami is offered.
"You don't think the luxury tax is effective?" one West executive said.
"Teams are throwing picks at those teams so they can (facilitate trades to)
avoid
the luxury tax. And you know how much we all covet picks."
Golden State is another potential trade partner with last-year players to
peddle: <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=1293";>Chris
Mills</A> ($6.6 million), <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3019";>Bob
Sura</A> ($6.3 million) and <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3178";>Adonal
Foyle</A>
($4.4 million). Of course, the Warriors have been trying to move those
players for
months, in an attempt to create the salary-cap space that would have enabled
them to hang onto <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3540";>Gilbert
Arenas</A>.
With Arenas just days away from formally joining Washington, it could be
Sacramento that tries to hook up with Utah or Miami to move out a player or
two. <A HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3256";>
Keon Clark</A> ($5 million) and perhaps <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2674";>Lawrence
Funderburke</A> ($3.6 million) are
available, after the Kings' recent three-team trade with Indiana and San
Antonio
netted them <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3305";>Brad
Miller</A>'s new $68 million contract.
Houston could likewise ease its tax burdens by moving <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=281";>Glen
Rice</A> ($9.6
million) to a team with cap space, and Memphis has two last-year contracts
(<A HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2646";>Wesley
Person</A> at $7.7 million and <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3186";>Brevin
Knight</A> at $5 million) to pitch in hopes of
either reducing next season's payroll or landing a bulky center.


Who else will be active before the season starts? Portland has been offering
up <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3009";>Damon
Stoudamire</A>, <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3274";>Ruben
Patterson</A> and <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3131";>Jeff
McInnis</A> with little success, but
the Blazers' new front-office regime (Steve Patterson and John Nash) is
expected to strike sooner rather than later, albeit with the intent to keep
<A HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3006";>Rasheed
Wallace</A>, <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3254";>Bonzi
Wells</A> and <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3531";>Zach
Randolph</A> as a core. Boston might have to
consider moving <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3016";>Eric
Williams</A>, another last-year contract guy whose departure to a
cap-space team could result in $10-20 million in savings for the Celtics.
New
York, meanwhile, still seeks a center, and Scott Layden is said to have some
interest in yet another Utahn for his collection. That would be Jazz center
<A HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3030";>Greg
Ostertag</A>, who's also in the final year of his contract.


The reason you credit Donald Sterling for his summer spending is that, even
after letting <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3331";>Andre
Miller</A>, <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3244";>Michael
Olowokandi</A> and <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2638";>Eric
Piatkowski</A> go for
nothing, the Clippers' owner did spend more than he had to.
    >
Clippers owner Donald Sterling should've gotten something for Michael
Olowokandi.
While true that the Clippers still figure to have one of the league's lowest
payrolls even after the expected re-signing of <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3327";>Lamar
Odom</A> -- if not the lowest
payroll -- Sterling could have been stingier. He could have made it to the
league's minimum salary-cap requirements simply by matching Miami's offer
sheet
to <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3324";>Elton
Brand</A>, re-signing Odom to a one-year tender and then making a couple
minor free-agent pickups on one-year deals. Or by trading a future pick for
a
Keon Clark-type, someone in the final year of their contract. He didn't have
to hang onto <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3336";>Corey
Maggette</A> or Andre Miller to reach the minimum.
Don't fret, though. There is still plenty of room to question The Donald,
even as he spends like never before. For example: How soon before the Clips
regret letting Kandi walk?
If rookie <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3709";>Chris
Kaman</A> develops into a serviceable NBA center, the Clippers
will survive without Olowokandi, who probably needs to start fresh elsewhere
at
this juncture to jump-start his career. More questionable, on the Sterling
side, is why the Clippers refused a very good sign-and-trade offer from
Memphis
that likely would have netted Person and a future first-round pick. The
Clips
are said to have declined largely because they didn't want to help
Olowokandi
get a bigger salary from Memphis than he did from Minnesota. Me? I'd rather
have the future first and a shooter to replace Piatkowski than lose Kandi
for
nothing.


No team is acing summer math like San Antonio.
Last summer, the seemingly innocuous dumping of <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3427";>Erick
Barkley</A> to Chicago
saved the Spurs well over $2 million net in luxury-tax payments they didn't
have
to make and luxury tax/escrow distributions they didn't lose. The champs
wound
up owing just under $200,000 in luxury taxes after winning their second
title
in five years.
Then this summer, the acquisition of four new players (<A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3260";>Rasho
Nesterovic</A>, <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=830";>
Robert Horry</A>, <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3177";>Ron
Mercer</A> and <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3415";>Hedo
Turkoglu</A>) neatly consumed all but $15,000 of the
Spurs' available cap space.
Then there are the omens that keep adding up. Assuming it can convince <A
HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=177";>Steve
Kerr</A> to put off retirement and play one more season, San Antonio will
also be
able to make the claim that it has the two players -- Kerr and Horry -- who
have combined to participate in the NBA's past 10 championships. Horry won
rings
with Houston in 1994 and 1995 and three with the Lakers from 2000-02. Kerr
won three straight championships with Chicago from 1996-98, then two in the
past
five years with the Spurs (1999 and 2003). >