why do you give a crap if the Jazz pay the tax?

[DelaneyRudd]

I'm all for Vegas getting a team (Not mine of course). It is just a bad time, and frankly the sports watching culture there is different. It's about the line, not rooting for team no matter what. Add to that it doesn't have a large corporate base either. KC right now seems to be the place where a team would make the most sense. They have the modern facility already built.

[outerspacefella]

The more I think on it, the more I believe Bat and Sheik got it right.
Next season souldn't be the one Jazz lose 12-15M in penalties just to mantain a roster that's been on the decline for some time now.

[DelaneyRudd]

Everybody is in a sour mood because of the injuries and the fizzled end to the season. Things will be fine next year. This is a WCF team. Nothing can be done to put them over the hump right now, so lets just hope for a little luck for a change.

[Paper Face]

Siler's article loses ground when you consider that one or two years of luxury tax spending is not that big of a deal for a small market team attempting to keep its superstar (Williams) surrounded with championship-level talent. The most salient point seemed to be this one:

Why would the owner of a big-market team make concessions in terms of revenue sharing and luxury tax when his team is being outspent by the Jazz in the first place?

If the Jazz were doing this on a consistent basis, he would have a point. But we're not talking about the past spending antics of a small market team like, say, Portland. With Kirilenko's contract expiring the year after next, we're looking at two years at the most. One or two years every twenty or thirty years is not as egregious as he is inferring. It makes good copy for the Tribune, but ultimately the article seems more caught up in the moment than concerned with the big picture.

After losing AK's albatross, the Jazz will be financially set up to support D-Will personnel-wise as he considers his next contract, and they will have kept intact their core of talent. Finding a player like Millsap, who fits in perfectly with Sloan, is a rare thing in a league of players who all grew up emulating MJ. You want players who embody the team's philosophy, and SAP is basically seven years of grain in that regard.

[outerspacefella]

Jazz roster right now: 11 guys at about 74M, already luxury tax territory.
They need 2 more players; lets suppose Ronnie Price and Goran Suton for 3M; now we got the minumum 13 guys worth about 77M. That's probably the best case scenario, without Millsap.

With Millsap the payroll would climb to at least 82M (in this case Sutton's probably out); 82M implies about 13-15M penalties.

82M minus 33M expirings equals 49M; add up Brewer's raise (just assume we extend him) and we would stand at the 52-53M mark.

Jazz won't be under the cap enough to sign 2010 free agents... matter of fact at this point they would have 7 guys (assuming Fesenko takes the cheap QO): Williams, Price, Maynor, Brewer, Koufos, Fesenko, Kirilenko... and 6 more players would be needed...

So... the picture as it stands just don't work. If Jazz brass has no certainty about trading Kirilenko or Boozer (better both) for expirings, picks, cash and other considerations, or sign and trade them for players that can really improve our roster.... they just shouldn't resign Millsap...

[Paper Face]

If Jazz brass has no certainty about trading Kirilenko or Boozer...

With the type of market that will exist between now and the trade deadline, all it will take is a pair of stones.

[freakazoid]

Better for the Jazz if they can come to terms with him first rather than him signing an offer sheet.

I agree.
The best move they could make would be to offer Sap a decent deal before hand and take other teams out of it.

Sounds good in theory. Only problem is that Sap isn't going to sign an offer with Utah unless he's absolutely sure it's the best deal he can get.

I'm curious what you guys consider a decent deal. It almost sounds like you're saying we should overpay a little rather than taking a chance of looking at an unmatchable offer. Correct me if I'm wrong.

If they try to be cheap now, it will cost them more.

Agree 100%. If they let Sap accept the QO and play on a one year deal, they'll lose him next year IMO.

Utah can get Milsap for the MLE or slightly more. Milsap is not worth 8 mil

Not worth 8 mill? Depends on how much Utah wants to keep him, and whether or not you expect him to improve. I think he is worth 8 mill per if you can lock him down for 4 years. I'd like to know what you consider slightly more than MLE.