WIth Martell, Frye, and Diogu when we’re faced with a similiar dilemma … of course none of those guys is nearly the talent that Deng is, but it makes me hope KP locks them up with some reasonable extensions sooner rather than later.

A series of restricted free agents are unsigned, precisely because no other teams are willing to make offers, knowing that they can be matched. The players are frustrated because they have no leverage to negotiate with the teams they currently play for unless other teams make offers – and they’re not. As a result, a number of players, to include Josh Howard, Deng and Gordon are talking about taking the 1 year qualifying, and then becoming unrestricted free agents next year. KP has no reason to do anything right now, other than to wait and watch. If these players can’t get competitive offers from other teams and decide to take the 1 year qualifying and become unrestricted free agents next year, they’ll fall right into our lap – or at least be available when our cap space comes clear. At the same time, the cap space we have is tied up in contracts with LaFrenz and Miles. To effectively use LaFrenz’s coming cap space, we’d have to some type of sign and trade with the team who has the existing restricted contract. This, however, isn’t likely to be attractive to other teams, unless it also includes a player. Now, granted, we could use the cap space from Miles to make an offer – but this will only drive the price of these players up. Which is why no other GM’s are making offers. What’s the point, after all, of making an offer that the other team can match?

At the same time, that cap space has to be dealt with carefully. If players like Bayless and/or Fernandez become solid players in the NBA, then we will have 4 positions with key players that we need to keep, plus others such as Outlaw, Pryz. one of the guards, and Frye that we also have to sign. No team can afford 5 stars on their front line these days, and if we have 4, then we may not be able to sign and keep a 5th.

Right now, KP’s primary concern, I’d be willing to be, is to wait and see how this team works together before he makes any decisions – regardless of who is currently available. Until we see how the team performs, and the pieces play together, we can’t really decide what we need. We may not need Deng if Bayless and/or Fernandez – or both – perform well, anymore that we may need him if the SF’s we have perform well under the system we will have with Oden next year, as opposed to the one we had last year. Outlaw, after all, averaged 14.3 ppg for 26 mpg over the last 66 games, which, at 35 minutes, would generate 20 ppg at the SF spot.

In any case, it is interesting.

So, a player says to me (me being a GM, say of the Bulls) the Blazers will have lots of cap room next year and will need me. My response? Sign Miles to an unguaranteed contract and say “Are you sure they will have that much money? After you ponder that, what do you think of this contract offer?”

KP knows how to apply the Billy Bean method, there’s no way he’s going to take on a huge contract for a marginal statistical gain. That would include players like Deng and Howard. They would have to contribute in terms of their ability to play a role, not because they’re the best players on the market – which they are not. Anyway, after his cheap slap we owe Josh Howard a little pay back, assuming he’s not stoned on the end of the bench. Eben Calder seems to have it right; let KP see if this team is any good before making a big deal. If they get to the 2nd round this season we’ll have the answer.