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Portland Trailblazers
Oden (20) Pryzbilla (28 )
Aldridge (22) Outlaw (23)
Webster (21) Jones (27)
Roy (23) Fernandez (22)
Blake (27) Jack (24)

Frye (24) Rodriguez (21)

Starters Average Age = 22.6
Team Average Age = 24.08

2007-2008 Salary = 73.8 Million
2008-2009 Salary = 75.1 Million, not including James Jones' PO, Rudy Fernandez rookie scale contract

Summer 2009 - Steve Francis' $17.2 million and Raef Lafrentz $12.7 million contracts expire. Portland's committed salary will be about $33 million for 7 players, not including Blake's TO, Webster, Frye, and Jack QO's, Rudy Fernandez rookie contract, and any draft picks.

Including picks and Fernandez, Portland will have at least 20 players after the draft. I'm not going to speculate on what exactly will happen, but something will happen between now and next season. Perhaps Webster, Frye, and Jack will all still be here and sign for a combined $15-20 million in '09. Portland's cap number is then up to $48-53 million for 10 players, not including draft picks. If the cap rises to $62-64 million in '09, Portland will be at least $9 million and at most $16 million under the cap. In '10 Aldridge and Roy's extensions will kick in and the Blazers will probably be over the cap for the next decade+.


LA Lakers
Bynum (20) Mihm (28 )
Gasol (27) Turiaf (25)
Odom (28 ) Walton (27)
Bryant (29) Vijacic (23)
Fisher (33) Farmar (21)

Radman (27) Ariza (22)

Starters Average Age = 27.4
Team Average Age = 25.83

2007-2008 Salary = 71.8 Million
2008-2009 Salary = 75.3 Million not including Vujacic's QO, Mihm's PO,

Summer 2009 - Decision time for the Lakers!

Odom, Ariza, and Mihm's contracts expire. LA's committed salary is $58 million for 6 players, including Farmar's rookie scale option, not including Andrew Bynum's QO and a 2009 draft pick.

Andrew Bynum will be up for a contract extension this summer. I'll assume that the Lakers will either try to extend him for slightly under the max this summer or for the full max next summer. Mihm exercises his PO for one year and Vujacic is signs a QO or small contract. In 2009 Bynum's extension (starting at between $10 and $13.5(max) kicks in. The salary number is then around $74 million for 8 players. Odom, Mihm, and Ariza could be resigned, possibly for $10-12(pay cut), $4-7, and $2-3, upping the roster to 11 players and the salary number to $90-96 million, not including any draft picks, MLE signings, etc. Of course, this is all assuming there are no more trades.

Is Buss willing to go over $100 million, costing him a probable $30 million luxury tax hit to keep this team assembled as it is? Obviously we'll know more when we see how they play together.

IMO the most important question for the Lakers: Kobe Bryant is 9+ years older than Andrew Bynum. After 12 years in the League, how much longer will Kobe be able to perform at such a high level?

The Blazers have a brighter future but the Lakers definitely have the better team RIGHT NOW. Add Oden and Rudy to the mix and it will complicate the debate for who's better now, but if the lakers maintain the same team, the Blazers should surpass them.

Way to many unknowns for anyone to really maker anymore then a "wild ass guess". The biggest question for me is now that they aquired Gasol does that mean Odom leaves in the offseason?

I wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers won the championship for the next 4 years. But soon after that Kobe will start to decline and after that they're pretty much screwed.

They won't have quite the implosion of the post-Jordan bulls, but they're gonna suck for a while after that.

ebott wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers won the championship for the next 4 years. But soon after that Kobe will start to decline and after that they're pretty much screwed.

They won't have quite the implosion of the post-Jordan bulls, but they're gonna suck for a while after that.

But.... Once Kobe starts to decline Bynum (also Farmar and Turiaf) will just be entering his prime, and its uncertain what Bynum's ceiling will be... That said the Lakers could be contending for a very long time

That Nicka wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



But.... Once Kobe starts to decline Bynum (also Farmar and Turiaf) will just be entering his prime, and its uncertain what Bynum's ceiling will be... That said the Lakers could be contending for a very long time

the next Stockton and Malone im sure.

That Nicka wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



But.... Once Kobe starts to decline Bynum (also Farmar and Turiaf) will just be entering his prime, and its uncertain what Bynum's ceiling will be... That said the Lakers could be contending for a very long time

Farmar and Turiaf? Like you said, Bynum may turn out to be a very good player, but Turiaf is a 25yo who probably won't be able to do much more than we are already seeing. IMO Farmar (granted, he's only 21) and his whopping 6.6 a/48 and 2/1 a/to probably won't be more than a fringe starter.

Milkdud wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



the next Stockton and Malone im sure.

Im not sure how you figured I implied that

SabasRevenge! wrote:-= original quote snipped =-




Farmar and Turiaf? Like you said, Bynum may turn out to be a very good player, but Turiaf is a 25yo who probably won't be able to do much more than we are already seeing. IMO Farmar (granted, he's only 21) and his whopping 6.6 a/48 and 2/1 a/to probably won't be more than a fringe starter.

LOL I like how you guys breeze over my main point which is Bynum and dissect my obviously minor point which is Farmar and Turiaf

'Til Bynum has shown over atleast one season
that hes going to be a threat then hes all about
"what could be". Its somewhat like talking about
Oden. Altho Bynum has a step up on the "what
could be" over Oden and has already started
to proove himself. I just dont like making leaps.