$20M for Andrew Bynum?

[NO-KG-AI]

Exactly dcash they apparently don't understand that the increases are at 12% if he's a Laker, and his increases would be only 8% should he take another offer. Nice point Phil again apparently Blazer fans don't understand that Mr.Allen has to say cap space to pay Oden,Roy,Aldridge,Webster, and Bayless down the line. Where does that money come from ?

It's a reason why the CBA is so iron clad, it's totally impossible for teams to lose their own guy unless another team has the cap space to give him more then what you can pay. And that was changed after the Lakers got Shaq in 96.

My general analysis is that people are hoping the Lakers don't have cash to pay Bynum and would rather see him somewhere else if that is what will supposedly weaken us.

Even if he were to sign Bynum to a max deal, he could still sign Oden, Roy, Aldridge, Webster and Bayless to max deals if he so desired.

[farzi]

NO HE COULDN'T MAN WTF

[Basketball1]

before he gets this payday he needs to play more than 39 games of solid basketball.

Exactly!

[DEEP3CL]

NO HE COULDN'T MAN WTF

Couldn't have said it better, it's amazing people don't know or fully understand the cap.

[Sedale Threatt]

I don't think there's any real chance that the Blazers or any other team can grab Bynum away from the Lakers. They can, however, force the Lakers to overpay for him relative to what they otherwise might have to and thus limit the Lakers flexibility in the future.

Go look at our salary structure. We already have pretty much zero flexibility as it is, especially if Kobe opts out for a bigger deal next summer. A couple of extra mill a year for Bynum isn't going to make or break this team. Plus, why would the Blazers want to tie up their cap space for a week or two trying to screw the Lakers out of a few bucks while everybody else is bidding on free agents that could fill a much greater need? I know it was made in jest, but it's a foolish scenario.

As for whether or not Bynum is worth the huge deal he very well might get -- how many NBA players truly do deserve their money? You can probably count on two hands. Look at the deal Bogut just signed. I think he's a really nice young player, but I don't exactly think 12/13/14 million when I think of him. But he's proven to be a capable player at a position that's extremely hard to fill, so you've got to pay the premium.

Same with quarterbacks in the NFL. How many games did Tony Romo start for the Cowboys before he got his mega deal last year? It wasn't much more than a full season, if that. But it goes back to the same principal as NBA centers: crucial position + few candidates = huge payday.

If I were a member of the Lakers braintrust, I'd be very leery about handing out a huge deal to such a young player -- especially one who already has a history of knee problems. I wouldn't do so lightly, and nor will they considering the wait-and-see approach they seem to be taking. Even if you have the best case scenario next year, and Andrew bounces back with an All-Star type season, there are still so many variables involved -- health, motivation, etc.

At the same time, there's absolutely no way you can let such a talented young center walk simply out of thrift. So two things seem pretty certain to me: 1. Whatever the market will bear, Andrew's going to get; 2. He's going to get it from the Lakers.

[mrfatwrecker]

If you have the rights to the players then you can offer them as much as you want, regardless of cap space. The cap space only comes into play if you're trying to offer Bynum. So you offer Bynum a max contract and say that puts you over the cap. You can still resign your own players to whatever contract you wish as long as you own their rights. As long as they are not unrestricted free agents you can do whatever you want. The only holdup is how much money Paul Allen is willing to spend. This is not an issue though because Bynum is going nowhere.

[semi-sentient]

Well if we decide to extend him before the deadline at least we can see how he's doing in pre-season before throwing mad stupid chedda at him.

[mrfatwrecker]

I believe we will wait until summer to resign him. There is no rush.

[SabasRevenge!]

If the Lakers want to keep Bynum (I'm assuming they will), they'll keep him. He'll still get to play a few more years with Kobe and have chances to win titles. They can pay him more than anyone else. They can match any offers when he's a RFA. Bynum is not going anywhere.

Nice point Phil again apparently Blazer fans don't understand that Mr.Allen has to say cap space to pay Oden,Roy,Aldridge,Webster, and Bayless down the line. Where does that money come from ?

Here we have someone apparently trying to insult "Blazer fans" by lumping them all into one poor, sad group that doesn't understand that "Mr.Allen has to say(sp) cap space to pay" his own players coming off of rookie contracts. Wait, what?

This is completely false. Apparently these guys don't know that you can go over the cap to sign your own players. Paul Allen doesn't need to save cap space to sign his own guys because they'll be RFA's.

I know all other fans pale in comparison to the all-knowing, superior Laker fans, but come on guys... at least get one of the simplest parts of the CBA right. It's not that hard.

If I'm wrong, please show me where in the CBA it says that you're required to have space under the cap to sign your own RFA's.

[LLcoleJ]

Here we have someone apparently trying to insult "Blazer fans" by lumping them all into one poor, sad group

I know all other fans pale in comparison to the all-knowing, superior Laker fans

[BballFanAddict]

You guys have this ALL wrong. Why would Portland offer Bynum max money next summer when they can offer KOBE BRYANT, who will be an UFA, max money?

Did you all see Kobe hug McMillan? He clearly mouthed the words "I love you." Also, in an interview with our local media Kobe said, "McMillan is one of the best coaches I have ever seen; he is a no nonsense, defense oriented coach that demands the best from his players each day." "He has a great team; they will be very dangerous next year."

Then he said, "I love Rudy Fernandez's game; I would enjoy playing with this kid."

And, finally, he said, "I will be opting out next summer and will likely sign with the Blazers."

Okay, LOL, I could not even type that last sentence with a straight face.

Kobe WILL opt out but only to get more money from Buss. UNLESS the Lakers really regress this next year, which is unlikely, Kobe will be a Laker for life.

But, the Blazers could definitely pitch an attractive offer to him.

[Sedale Threatt]

Now that actually makes sense. The Lakers can obviously offer more money; that, along with the fact we will almost certainly still have a contending team, makes it pretty much a mortal lock he'll re-sign. But one thing I've learned with Kobe Bryant over the years -- you just never know what's going to happen.