Yahoo: Raps sign Linas Kleiza to 4 year 18.8M offer sheet

[SDM]

Well maybe we have a trade for Hedo if we get Kleiza. Who knows? We may be bad, but do you really want to be Nets esque bad? That doesn't even guarentee #1 pick. We need some respectable talent to win like 25-30 games. Kleiza is a good piece to add and his hustle will rub off on others as well.

Seeing as the Nets now have a legit C, volume scoring guard, loads of cap room to facilitate other deals, a #3 pick PF, and another likely high lotto pick this year, not to mention an owner that's a rockstar, I'd say they're rebuilding effectively. 2009-2010 was an embarrassment for them, yes, but this off-season could become the worst off-season in our franchise history, so I don't really see the need to sign players to get you two or three more wins over the course of a season when you deserve to be/should be in the basement anyway.

[KingstonRaptors]

Someone's probably posted this, but could the potential signing of Kleiza be the main reason BC didn't want to take on Beas' contract? Yes yes, I'm aware that by taking Beas, Miami has the chance to sign LBJ. But, did BC have Kleiza in mind all this time? Before even the possibility of knowing where Bosh, and LBJ were going. Could BC have made a verbal commitment to Linas before all this drama came about? Is that even legal?

[raps4life~]

the 5 nuggets fans want to match: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1030694

[wajr]

The Denver Board albeit a small sample of fans really want the Nuggets FO to match this offer. Everybody on hear needs to stop whining like little babies and let the dust settle. Kleiza can play the game and does so with a chip on his shoulder.

I can't wait to add some toughness to this team. We've been one of the softest team in the NBA for years and it's about time we take a different route.

[Grizzled]

Good signing. We lost a lot of scoring with Bosh, but this will bring a good chunk of that back at a very reasonable price. We don’t have to get as much scoring back with the TPE or a possible Hedo trade now, and we could target a good defensive center instead, for example.

[carlosey]

People have clearly never seen this guy play. He can play the 2, 3 and 4. Is tough as nails and has a temper on court. He has an Oakley type persona on court I guess.

Present both sides of the story. He is also inconsistent and disappears during stretches. A key reason why the Nuggets were reluctant to resign him.

He got inconsistent time in Denver (who did not sign him because of tax reasons) and has been the second best player for Olympiakos. Theres also a chance that like Childress he has improved his game there.

For less than MLE this is a steal. Not to mention that this guy will get the fanbase behind him easily. I predict at least one fight involving him defending a teamate next season.

Of course people here think that accumulating assets is a horrible thing and that were going to get every superstar in the league for the vets min.

This could mean Hedo is on his way out. I guess well see.

[whysoserious]

The right direction is to tank for more lottery balls, so it makes perfect sense. If you haven't noticed, there's a huge difference between a top 3 pick and the 14th overall pick. You collect enough young cheap players with potential and some of them might actually develop into a star player. Klieza is the type of player you sign to add depth to a contender... not when you are lottery bound.

Kwame Brown and Darko were selected in the top 3 of the draft, top 3 picks don't guarantee anything either. Kleiza doesn't change this team much. The Nets tanked and still didn't get their top pick and target and still haven't signed anyone.

Getting as many lottery balls doesn't guarantee a top pick. You can pick anywhere in the draft and get good young players, it's about scouting. You may be looking for a franchise but by tanking you could lose guys on your current team sick of losing too and it's not like people are lining up to sign in Toronto.

Your theory of tanking has no more guaranteed level of success. At the end of the day, we are still in rebuild mode and Kleiza signing makes no difference to that. In fact it could help because he's an expiring around the same time we are hoping these young guys are ready to make a move and thus can be traded with some other expirings we have that come up around the same time. And you haven't even seen if we're moving Turk and Jose yet.

[KingstonRaptors]

the 5 nuggets fans want to match: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1030694

Raptor fans rule realGM.

[Shevy]

Just because this guy was on one of the toughest teams in the NBA doesn't make him a tough guy. Anyone that goes to the Raptors age 25 and up won't give a fck cause we ain't making the playoffs. Hell we were suppose to make it last season and nobody gave a fck either. This will be another Turkoglu trust me. He will average 2-3 less points and his FG% will go down. Just watch.

[Brinbe]

Well maybe we have a trade for Hedo if we get Kleiza. Who knows? We may be bad, but do you really want to be Nets esque bad? That doesn't even guarentee #1 pick. We need some respectable talent to win like 25-30 games. Kleiza is a good piece to add and his hustle will rub off on others as well.

What? Yes? Of course! The Nets may not have gotten that 1st pick, but they couldn't slip past 3rd as well... That's a huge difference. There's nothing wrong with absolutely tanking it, especially when you need an infusion of high-level talent into your roster. Continually getting in that 7-14 range is giving yourself guaranteed treadmill status.

And to be clear, my beef isn't with Kleiza the player, as I know all about him from his time in Denver. He's an okay, rugged player, who can be a good guy off the bench for a contender... but my eyes exploded at that contract. You can get guys on the cheap who can deliver perhaps a little less than what he can off the bench. And he should be coming off the bench, I swear BC shouldn't sell him as the answer @ the 3.

[KingstonRaptors]

People have clearly never seen this guy play. He can play the 2, 3 and 4. Is tough as nails and has a temper on court. He has an Oakley type persona on court I guess.

Present both sides of the story. He is also inconsistent and disappears during stretches. A key reason why the Nuggets were reluctant to resign him.

I thought they were under tax pressure? He was probably their best player off the bench.

[brownbobcat]

But if this is just about obtaining a player for the MLE, then why not just not spend the MLE this year and save some money.

Exactly. What's the whole point of this move? Will anybody be pleased if Toronto wins 35 games instead of 31?

I don't wanna hear any crap about "toughness" or "grit" - you can get that from NBADL guys. You don't spend $20 mil (on top of all the other stupid contracts) on grit when you don't have a star.

Get star players first, bench players second - it's not that effin' hard to understand.

[blizzah]

I wanna know who you were planning on signing for 5 Mil per year


This is the same contract DARKO got. You want Darko instead?

Kleiza is a good piece on a managable contract. He will have value if you want to move him next year, just like how Jarrett Jack has value now

[kedineking]

the 5 nuggets fans want to match: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1030694

[blizzah]

Get star players first, bench players second - it's not that effin' hard to understand.

Where are you planning on getting this star player?

Maybe Lebron will choose Toronto tonight????

[Brinbe]

I wanna know who you were planning on signing for 5 Mil per year


This is the same contract DARKO got. You want Darko instead?

Kleiza is a good piece on a managable contract. He will have value if you want to move him next year, just like how Jarrett Jack has value now

No one? We should be stripping this damn team apart right now and focusing on the youngsters.

[Morris_Shatford]

I'm not paying the bills at MLSE,
And Kleiza isn't going to be the difference between the Lottery and the Playoffs.

If they want to spend money on the Lithuanian LeBron, then cool beans.

[Wasp]

I don't understand the hate for this signing. Did people expect LeBron would say "Toronto for the MLE!" at his 1 hr. special tonight?

He's a gritty player who can shoot, play minutes at 3 positions and is only 25 years old. Believe it or not, you can't sign top-5 draft picks with the MLE so people need to stop whining that this isn't a rebuild. Signing a tough 25 year old who can eat minutes off of the bench does not mean we're going to go out and trade for Michael Redd to give it another go.

We have a pretty good young core in place with DeRozan, Weems, Amir, Davis and Alabi and we're going to add another lottery pick to that next year. I don't know what people were expecting...

[dagger]

And he should be coming off the bench, I swear BC shouldn't sell him as the answer @ the 3.

That's pretty much bench these days, and we do have Turkuglu.

[raptorschick]

Just because this guy was on one of the toughest teams in the NBA doesn't make him a tough guy. Anyone that goes to the Raptors age 25 and up won't give a fck cause we ain't making the playoffs. Hell we were suppose to make it last season and nobody gave a fck either. This will be another Turkoglu trust me. He will average 2-3 less points and his FG% will go down. Just watch.

Bingo