The One And Only Offseason Thread 5: Dinnertime!

[JTrain]

Other insiders like Simmons and that fat guy have been very clear that Lebron does have a ton of influence.

Simmons is not an insider and neither is coat tail riding Windhorst. Amin worked hand in hand with Cleveland's GM. Who do you believe?

Obviously LeBron wasn't on the phone with Flip working out all the details, but I definitely think he influenced getting Love to Cleveland.

[carey]

Other insiders like Simmons and that fat guy have been very clear that Lebron does have a ton of influence.

Simmons is not an insider and neither is coat tail riding Windhorst. Amin worked hand in hand with Cleveland's GM. Who do you believe?

I believe that what LeBron wants, LeBron gets. And if you don't believe that I don't know what to tell you, mate.

[JTrain]

Found the post:

Bledsoe shot himself in the foot early. He had a team curious about a near max deal ready for him to sign and he demanded max. That team then went on without him. And his market collapsed.

I would honestly tell him: 4/32 or take the QO. If you get an offer higher than that we'll match but let the market determine your worth. Front load the contract to make our cap situation better down the line.

But that's why I'm not the owner.

Dare him to take the QO. Then when he signs for less just trade him for something valuable if IT works out.

[NotTraxxe]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWbXQQG9B6c[/youtube]

Also, the stuff from Stein. Hibbert and Copeland is the deal that was offered we didn't pull the trigger on. That's why they tried to include Rondo in a three team deal.

We're not trading Dragic.

[JDLAW]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWbXQQG9B6c[/youtube]

Also, the stuff from Stein. Hibbert and Copeland is the deal that was offered we didn't pull the trigger on. That's why they tried to include Rondo in a three team deal.

We're not trading Dragic.

Wasn't that report regarding Rondo before PG's injury?

[LukasBMW]

HEY!

How about we RESPECT what info the insiders can give us?

Rather then annoying the insiders with requests for specific information and complaining when they are vague, perhaps we could be thankful for any clues they so generously provide us?

Remember that some people here risk their jobs and friendships when they tell us info and therefore some of this info needs to be vague.

GOT IT? Good.

[LukasBMW]

Bledsoe won't sit out.

Bledsoe probably won't find a higher offer from another team. If he does, we match it.

Bledsoe can either take the qualifying offer

OR

Bledsoe can take our 4/48 offer.

If he takes the QO, then he has one more year to prove he is worth the max. I'm OK with that. Then we can offer him a max knowing he is REALLY worth it. But if he has an injury or doesn't show improvement, then we just saved ourselves a ton of money.

Worst case scenario, we get SICK production out of him for a year at a cheap price and he walks at the end of the year for nothing. Who cares? We got him for (almost) nothing, and I don't want him here anyway if he doesn't want to be here.

[Qwigglez]

I would trade Bledsoe for Hibbert. Though he has some mental roadblocks I think that can be solved with a solid team and great veteran leadership.

[King4Day]

Charlotte knew Utah would match hayward and still signed him to an offer sheet. This mystery team could have done the same. He should be mad at them, not us. Not our problem that this mystery team is all talk

Sent from my SM-G900V using RealGM Forums mobile app

[JDLAW]

HEY!

How about we RESPECT what info the insiders can give us?

Rather then annoying the insiders with requests for specific information and complaining when they are vague, perhaps we could be thankful for any clues they so generously provide us?

Remember that some people here risk their jobs and friendships when they tell us info and therefore some of this info needs to be vague.

GOT IT? Good.

No one is disrespecting Traxxe or Not Traxxe here. No one said he was anything other than what he claims to be. People are just pointing out his information is incomplete and commenting on it. We all respect that he has limits as to what he can say, and limits as to what information he might have. No one is being critical of that either.

[jcsunsfan]

Found the post:

Bledsoe shot himself in the foot early. He had a team curious about a near max deal ready for him to sign and he demanded max. That team then went on without him. And his market collapsed.

I would honestly tell him: 4/32 or take the QO. If you get an offer higher than that we'll match but let the market determine your worth. Front load the contract to make our cap situation better down the line.

But that's why I'm not the owner.

Dare him to take the QO. Then when he signs for less just trade him for something valuable if IT works out.

Then this is all on his agent. He pushed too far with his opportunity. Too bad. I almost wish he had signed it so it could be matched and this would be all over.

BTW. Does anyone else get creeped out by the toe nail fungus ad that keeps popping up on this page. Yikes, it makes me not want to come back to this site.

[i505]

Earlier on Wednesday from NotTraxxe:

Bledsoe doesn't want to stay in Phoenix. But he will for a 'max' or very near max deal.

If Bledsoe had a max or near max offer from this unidentified team, why didn't he sign it and get his big payday? Why did this team that wanted Bledsoe at full ticket price pull the offer back? Why not test the Suns considering the large difference between the two offers?

I believe it was Traxxe in an earlier thread that said Bledsoe rejected a near-max offer from another team because he wanted more.

So what is near max? The most he can be offered for the next season is $14.7M. We have offered him $12M. That is near max also. When you're getting up in this area, everything is near max. If he rejected a contract from another team who, lets say offered him $13.5M, + 4.5% raises because he wanted more, that's kind of incredible. If a team was willing to go to $13.5M, why would they not go all the way to $14.7M? We are talking small increments here. So if you believe this, another team was willing to go above what the Suns offered but below the max amount it could offer and it was rejected because Bledsoe/Paul wanted more.

It is likely somewhat true, but there is no confirming report of this from any team and no revelation as to what team was willing to do this near-max contract.

Keep in mind that at the start of free agency, the market for Bledsoe was quite small. There were only a handful of teams that had the cap space and needed a point guard. One dropped out (Orl) when they got Payton. The Lakers seemed like a candidate, but they wanted to give 2 year deals because they had their sights set on James and Anthony in the short term and Durant, Westbrook and Love in the slightly longer term. Putting Bledsoe on a high dollar and long term (4yr) contract was likely not in the Lakers' interest. Milwaukee never truly had the cap space (it needed a sign and trade) and Parker's signing along with others wiped out what space they had. Houston had the cap space, but their interested were elsewhere (James, Anthony and Bosh). Miami after James' departure? Possible, but they resigned Bosh and Wade to large contracts and their cap space was marginal at best. Utah had space but no need. Dal spent their cap on Parsons. Sac had no space. Atl never showed an iota of reported interest in Bledsoe.

These are the candidates ladies and gentlemen. Which one made made the max offer than pulled it? I cannot figure this one out.

Houston.

[Zelaznyrules]

I would trade Bledsoe for Hibbert. Though he has some mental roadblocks I think that can be solved with a solid team and great veteran leadership.

IMO it would be a horrendous decision. I think Hibbert was overrated even before his recent meltdown. And I think Bledsoe is underrated by most here. But even still, given how weak we are in the interior, I might actually bite the bullet and do this deal if they were on even contract footings. But they're not. Hibbert's already huge salary comes with a 15% trade kicker and he can opt out after this season. Considering that David Falk is his agent and that Falk was already able to get him one Fantasy Land contract, I'm quite sure he plans to get him another. We'd be stepping down in talent and then stepping into another contract squabble 11 months later. And Falk is no Paul, he'd work the media and the angles far better than Bledsoe's clown.

[bwgood77]

Atlanta is gonne bee seeded 2nd in the East after RS.

Horford
Millsap
Teague
Korver
Carroll
Sefalosha
Antic
Payne
Mack
Muscala

Mike BDH

Yes.

Wouldn't surprise me at all. I think they will be tough. They have a super solid lineup.

[Kerrsed]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gRIcrBUS7g[/youtube]

[bwgood77]

Keep in mind that at the start of free agency, the market for Bledsoe was quite small. There were only a handful of teams that had the cap space and needed a point guard. One dropped out (Orl) when they got Payton. The Lakers seemed like a candidate, but they wanted to give 2 year deals because they had their sights set on James and Anthony in the short term and Durant, Westbrook and Love in the slightly longer term. Putting Bledsoe on a high dollar and long term (4yr) contract was likely not in the Lakers' interest. Milwaukee never truly had the cap space (it needed a sign and trade) and Parker's signing along with others wiped out what space they had. Houston had the cap space, but their interested were elsewhere (James, Anthony and Bosh). Miami after James' departure? Possible, but they resigned Bosh and Wade to large contracts and their cap space was marginal at best. Utah had space but no need. Dal spent their cap on Parsons. Sac had no space. Atl never showed an iota of reported interest in Bledsoe.

These are the candidates ladies and gentlemen. Which one made made the max offer than pulled it? I cannot figure this one out.

"NotTraxxe ...please pick up the nearest white courtesy telephone."

To me it seemed pretty clear it was probably Milwaukee, and I think before their moves when NotTraxxe reported it, they had approx $13 in cap space and with max (4.5%) raises, a deal starting at 13 ends up at 55.6 million, which is nice. I figured that Bledsoe probably wasn't sure he wanted to play in Milwaukee, but they told Phx of the offer and Phx said "take it and we will decide if it is worth matching (or, we will match)", and then Paul figured he might find a better offer, but would take it if needed, and then Milwaukee moved on.

That is a lot of reading between the lines, but thinking about the landscape of the nba, the teams who had capspace and needed point guards, and when they made subsequent moves fits the Bucks in my head.

[SunsFanSSOL]

Sloppy google translation about what Dragic said:

Beyond the puddles Dragic in the last days mentioned as a possible reinforcement of Indiana. The latter is the severe damage Paula George, which will be released (at least) the greater part of the season, started looking for players who would have been able to make up for the loss of the best player Pacers. Among other things, the Phoenix for Dragic offered Roy Hibbert and Chris Copeland. "And some money," said Dragic, who he's interest in Indiana, a transfer from probably nothing will: "According to my information, in Phoenix say they will not accept the offer."

The part I'm curious about is how it says (in broken English)

said Dragic, who he's interest in Indiana, a transfer from probably nothing will:

Is that supposed to be saying he's interested in going to Indiana?

[suns91fan]

Sloppy google translation about what Dragic said:

Beyond the puddles Dragic in the last days mentioned as a possible reinforcement of Indiana. The latter is the severe damage Paula George, which will be released (at least) the greater part of the season, started looking for players who would have been able to make up for the loss of the best player Pacers. Among other things, the Phoenix for Dragic offered Roy Hibbert and Chris Copeland. "And some money," said Dragic, who he's interest in Indiana, a transfer from probably nothing will: "According to my information, in Phoenix say they will not accept the offer."

The part I'm curious about is how it says (in broken English)

said Dragic, who he's interest in Indiana, a transfer from probably nothing will:

Is that supposed to be saying he's interested in going to Indiana?

No, it actually means he is flattered by Indiana's interest.

[Christine-In-AZ]

HEY!

How about we RESPECT what info the insiders can give us?

Rather then annoying the insiders with requests for specific information and complaining when they are vague, perhaps we could be thankful for any clues they so generously provide us?

Remember that some people here risk their jobs and friendships when they tell us info and therefore some of this info needs to be vague.

GOT IT? Good.

No one is disrespecting Traxxe or Not Traxxe here. No one said he was anything other than what he claims to be. People are just pointing out his information is incomplete and commenting on it. We all respect that he has limits as to what he can say, and limits as to what information he might have. No one is being critical of that either.

LucasBMX- I don't understand the fervor in your reply. Traxxe put out some information, but left out the specific team Bledsoe had a bigtime offer from. I didn't understand why he couldn't name the team and asks for an explanation....and then asking which team that was. Why is interrogative with insiders such a transgression?

If NoTraxxe can go as far as saying "there was a team" it would be enlightening to find out why him saying "it was the _______" would be helpful information as to how this inside thing works. Tell us why you can't be specific NoTraxxe. As of now, it's still a mystery.

What strikes me so odd (for years now) is how the instant any potentially juicy tidbit gets tweeted or written in long form or dropped in a broadcast by any of the dozens and dozens known NBA scribes and mouthpieces, is sliced and dice and heckled to death. But any info dropped by a Suns insider is expected to be treated as dogma beyond questioning by so many of you. That any search for more information...dissection is invariably met with "how dare you!!!"

Anything anybody posts on RealGM should be posted with the understanding that it is going to be examined closely and will likely be met with great scrutiny...questions will follow. If you need insiders to be treated as infallible or above any constructive or deconstructive discourse ...start some strange sports religion.

I will continue to ask questions of any post no matter any blessed consecration by RealGM. And anyone that doesn't out of some sort of reverence ...you need help.

[Kerrsed]

To me it seemed pretty clear it was probably Milwaukee

I think you missed the CALIFORNIA Love video.