Quick: Patty Mills Wins 15th Roster Spot; Collins, Udoka Cut
by Ben Golliver on Oct 21, 2009 3:11 PM PDT
in News
Email
Print-----------------------------------------------
Update: Here's a link to Jason Quick's OregonLive.com story.
Update 2: Sean Meagher passes along a link to the audio from Jason Quick's spot on Wheels At Work.
-----------------------------------------------
The Blazers' upside down preseason does another somersault.
Jason Quick comes through with the full story after this morning's interesting affair described earlier by Brian T. Smith.
Jason Quick told Kenny Vance on 95.5FM that guard Patrick Mills has earned the team's 15th and final roster spot and that wing Ime Udoka and center Jarron Collins have been notified that they will be waived tomorrow.
Mills, an Australian-born Point Guard who went to college at St. Mary's in Northern California, fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during the first Las Vegas Summer League practice and has been rehabbing ever since. Mills is expected to continue his rehabilitation work and miss an extended portion of this season.
Mills was signed to a non-guaranteed contract on October 16 and becomes the Blazers' 4th point guard.
Quick described the move as a big surprise to many within the organization. If you remember, on draft night Kevin Pritchard quite clearly stated that Mills "has a passport," implying that the team, without a true need at point guard, hoped Mills would play overseas this year. Throughout this summer, Mills made it clear he was interested only in playing in the NBA.
During his radio spot, Quick stated that Coach Nate McMillan was "not happy" with the decision to add a young point guard over a veteran presence. Quick went on to imply that the decision might have been made above Kevin Pritchard's head as well.
Assuming Mills is being paid the minimum rookie scale salary for 2nd round picks, the same amount paid to Jeff Pendergraph and Dante Cunningham, he will make $457,588 for the 2009-2010 season. Signing either Udoka or Collins at the veteran's minimum would have cost the team $825,497 for the 2009-2010 season. By opting for Mills, the Blazers retain his rights and save themselves $367,609 for their warm body 15th man. Had the team signed either Udoka or Collins, they would have had to waive Patty Mills, sacrificing his rights entirely.
As you'll recall from Dave's explanation earlier this fall, once opening day hits the cap holds that apply to Blazers players under foreign contract will be lifted from the Blazers books, putting the Blazers under the cap. Prior to the Mills signing, the Blazers were estimated to be roughly $1.9 million dollars under the cap. Now that they have signed Mills, the team will be roughly $1.4 million under the cap. Comparatively, signing Udoka or Collins would have left the team with roughly $1.1 million under the cap.
The Blazers can potentially use this $1.4 million of open cap space to facilitate a lopsided trade. Although roughly $300,000 doesn't sound like a ton of money when it comes to professional salaries, every dollar counts when it comes to maximizing your trading flexibility.
Needless to say, this is a surprising development. As recently as yesterday -- even after Mills was signed -- everyone I had spoken with on or off the record saw this as a two person race, with Udoka the leading candidate thanks to his relationship with Coach Nate McMillan. Mills had also been noticeably absent from the team's Practice Facility recently.
The only tip that I can remember foreshadowing this move -- and it is probably entirely unrelated -- was a brief chat I had with Kevin Pritchard on Media Day. As I wrote at the time...
Filling the 15th roster spot, Pritchard told the crowd that he would look for someone who is "high energy" but also someone "that can play." Later he pointed towards defense as an area that needed improvement and I asked him whether filling the last spot with a big man could help reach that goal. "They say you can never have too many big men in this league," Pritchard told me, "But I'm also a former point guard. And you can never have too many point guards." Wrap your head around that quote.
In any case, a big welcome to Patty Mills. You can follow him on Twitter here.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
177 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
GO STAMPEDE!
cash rules everything around me CREAM get tha money dolla dolla bill yaaaaallll
by staceyaugmon4HOF on Oct 21, 2009 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Aren't they similar to
blonde-eyed Mormon girls, from south of the border?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The Vulcans.
Squeezing blood out of a nickel.
Or…and I’ll post this below, maybe this sets up some other move (what, I don’t know).
Maybe movin' Bayless?
His stock drops after this season dramatically, we could package him with Outlaw, maybe add Blake, only if we’re getting a solid, proven, young backup point. But better get something rather than nothing, and everybody I talk to says that Travis is on the way out, lookin’ for money this summer that we won’t be able to give him.
Plus, Bayless doesn’t really work in our system. Let’s face it, he could be a really fantastic player, could be up with the Jameer Nelsons and Derrick Roses of this league, but he doesn’t fit too well with Brandon Roy, at least, not as well as the point guard of the future should.
by sparks89 on Oct 21, 2009 6:36 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
why is this such a big surprise?
I get that many might be surprised that we would cut two vets with some NBA experience, but is it really that shocking?
Look, Collins is big, but he has done SQUAT in his time in the NBA, and against his former team last night (so players he has practiced with and knows their game well) got pretty much owned. He’s a big body, but we have a few of those woth GO, Pryz, and Juwan Howard in there too.
Udoka is good and gets extra points for coming out of PSU, but he plays a position that we already have 3 younger, more talented players at. Webster is a better shooter, Batum is a better defender, and all 3 (including Outlaw) are better athletes than he is at this point.
Mills plays at a position that we have 2 good players (Blake, Miller) at, but they are aging and probably have 2-3 good years left in them, and Bayless, as talented as he is, hasn’t shown the ability to run the PG position effectively.
We got him as a “steal” pick in the draft with him going 57th or whatever, he was a good and productive player in college and burned Team USA repeatedly in the Olympics, so you know he can hang at that level. I think in this case its smarter to give a chance to the younger guy with more upside, that will be at a position of need sooner or later.
Not that surprising in my opinion. (Plus if he does do well and we don’t need him, he will likely have some trade value)
by rip_city_swagger on Oct 21, 2009 3:20 PM PDT reply actions 12 recs
I like this perspective
although having another big man for Oden to abuse in practice wouldn’t have been terrible
For a 15th roster spot
I saw that as one of the most beneficial things to Collins as well.
No matter what, if we’re playing our 15th man, the dude who wouldn’t suit up even in blow outs, a lot has to go wrong. It isn’t a big deal. But at least Collins would give Joel a break from banging with Oden.
—M
I came into the comments section
Planning on writing my take on this whole thing. Then I realized that rip_city_swagger had done it for me. He was a steal in the draft and I feel like he can play at this level. This is yet another example of the Blazers stockpiling talent because someone has to pan out. The more chances you give yourself with young talented players, the more likely you are to get some surprise stars. We don’t need a 15th man this season (at least I hope not, knock on wood), so we might as well let the young man heal and see what he can do.
Things happen for a reason they say, but I say there's a reason things happen.
"Dynasty" teams don't get lottery picks.
That means if you’re going to set yourself up with a steady supply of future talent, you’re going to have to be a savvy investor and pick up “small cap value” stocks that are going to appreciate in the future.
Last year, that’s what Nicolas Batum was to this team, only his value shot up tanks to the fact that Webster broke his foot and Batum is simply a damn good player who we outright stole from the Spurs out from under them.
This year, it’s Claver and Mills. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ime and we know that Coach and just about everyone from the 06-07 season does too. Great chemistry fit. Great fan appeal… but very close to his “sell by” date.
Mills is the smart pick for the long term. And really, how much were Collins or Udoka going to provide for us except as insurance in some kind of doomsday injury scenario? And if that scenario does come to pass, just what kind of gaurantee would they provide?
With all due respect, if we lose somebody at the 3,4,5, then I think the smart move is more minutes for Outlaw and Howard. I know folks saw Juwan Howard as a Michael Ruffin kind of move when we picked him up, but I think preseason has proven that he’s worth substantially more than that.
Whatever internal turmoil there is in the Blazers organization from this move, I think it is more about love for Ime than it is about this team’s prospects going forward… and I got that love for Ime too. Quick says KP is going to help him find a home and I’m very happy to hear it.
by conspirator5 on Oct 21, 2009 8:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Mills hasn't shown the ability to run the PG position effectively.
Way less than Bayless.
NBA teams we spoke to still expressed some doubt regarding his point guard skills, which is something he could still stand to work on. He posted 3 assists compared with 4 turnovers in the evening game, seeming to be hunting shots quite a bit, and didn’t look all that comfortable getting others involved.-DraftExpress
At least Bayless can finish around the rim…
Patrick Mills had the lowest logged shooting percentage at 36%… For as fast as Mills is, he got to the rim at an average rate and really struggled to convert once there. He also ranked last for the percentage of possessions he was fouled on—just 5%.-DraftExpress
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 21, 2009 5:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Most interesting choice from my point of view
and what I was hoping for.
Probably the big surprise is how often I read he was “gone”.
Looking forward to “sighting” Patty on the court in a game. Fun time.
Absolutely Correct! Nice capsulization.
I would only add that Mills has an upside; what that is, we will see. The other guys, and I’m a big Udoka fan, do not have any upside when it really comes down to it.
"I won't back down." -- Tom Petty
I hope Ime lands on his feet!
Thought he clearly earned the spot, not quite sure I understand this one…
If Ime isn't signed by a team by the 27th you can have my tickets
ALLLL Rudy Then!!!!!
by Miker Blazer on Oct 21, 2009 3:32 PM PDT up reply actions
I'll email you my address
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. -- Thomas Paine, US patriot & political philosopher (1737 - 1809)
Denver is said to be interested but may not now make room
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
yeah i really don’t see this as a loss at all either. Collins is big and….? Ume is a veteran and….? Mills getting hurt sucks but I’m ok with this. Bayless is really just a stronger James Robinson (remember him?) but with a much stronger work ethic and not a long-term answer at PG.
Hollywood Robinson?
You bet I remember him
Not a big deal
I would rather see the 15th spot go to a player that can develop, Then just another body sitting around. Portlands worst nightmare is a 15 player rotation.
Right now, we have six guards.
I suspect that this move may signal a small forward being moved for a big.
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
Bingo
Trout will be migrating to a different pond soon.
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. -- Thomas Paine, US patriot & political philosopher (1737 - 1809)
If we were going to trade 1 or two small forwards
We should have kept Udoka
that was my thinking, as well
Only having Howard available to backup PF and C is just not enough, as we saw last night
Outlaw + 1.4 mil +125% + 100k for a backup PF/C making around 5-6 mil
as soon as Batum is healthy
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Can't do the +125% thing, I think
That’s for matching player salaries, but not when you are adding in cap space, if I understand it correctly.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
Bigs?
So let’s say Joel or Greg goes down (wouldn’t be a shocker given their history). Suddenly we’re patching the hole at the 5 with Howard. Another injured big and things are looking real bad.
no he cant
cash rules everything around me CREAM get tha money dolla dolla bill yaaaaallll
by staceyaugmon4HOF on Oct 21, 2009 3:49 PM PDT up reply actions
When we're talking about losing two rotation members at one position
you’re scraping the barrel anyways. Is LMA a good center? Not really, but are we better with him and Howard/DC/Travis in the front court than him and Collins? Almost definitely.
then who plays PF?
Howard? More Outlaw vs Boozer?
Going “small” sounds exciting until you’re getting outrebounded and dunked on
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Exactly larue,
small is a nice weapon at times, when you can expose a weakness. And I like Howard, but……. I want rings !!!! That could require one more bigman, it’s a long season. Fouls/injuries happen.
Maybe Penergraph will heal quickly ?
"That's just how I get down"........ Andre Miller
we would have done that anyway
no way Collins would get the backup minutes if either Joel or Greg went down. It would take BOTH of them being out at the same time before Collins would have sniffed the court.
How did you guys win that?
"We scored enough points. We scored 107, they scored 105.
-Nate McMillan Postgame, 3/4/2009
LA can step in,
but I’d rather keep him at the 4 where he does his damage, and trade for another back up center.
"That's just how I get down"........ Andre Miller
Nate "not happy".
Wonder who Nate Dog wanted?
"We're going to play the right way. It ain't about you. It's about us. We can be successful if we play together. And that's what it's about. In this league, playing hard, playing together. Your numbers shouldn't matter. If we're not winning then you can say some things. But if we do it the right way, we should win, and you still shouldn't say anything." - Nate McMillan
Ime
How did you guys win that?
"We scored enough points. We scored 107, they scored 105.
-Nate McMillan Postgame, 3/4/2009
I liked the Udoka/Outlaw front court
Those two with Oden, Przybilla, or Aldridge make a great front line.
That being said, I welcome Mills and I hope he gets a real shot at being a Blazer.
I think we are really loaded and I think we’ll do some kind of a two-for-one or three-for-two deal at the trading deadline. – Elgin
Without you out there, we're nowhere here
This makes the most sense!
The other guys would have just been on IR anyways. I am happy with this move!
ALLLL Rudy Then!!!!!
I feel for Rex again today...
I had a feeling he was being shopped with all the playing time and praise from Nate he’s getting this preseason.
So again I ask,
What back up center is available in a trade for Travis and Rex ???
Welcome to Portland Patty Mills .
"That's just how I get down"........ Andre Miller
We can get someone better than a 3rd string center for Outlaw and Rex.
Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
by FiveOhThree-RipCity!! on Oct 21, 2009 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions
like a backup PF/C, please
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
They're not trading Bayless.
"We're going to play the right way. It ain't about you. It's about us. We can be successful if we play together. And that's what it's about. In this league, playing hard, playing together. Your numbers shouldn't matter." - Coach McMillan
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Oct 21, 2009 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions
No one will trade for an injured player,
I’m not so sure Nate wont be happy about this once the foot is healed. I seem to remember him talking about Mills taking it to Deron and Paul in the Olympics. He just won’t make an instant impact, Blazer fans should be used to that by now. :)
"That's just how I get down"........ Andre Miller
He can't be traded until December 15 we are told so he has some time to heal
But I don’t think this is about trading him. At best you get a 2nd round pick.
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
I can see the headlines now
Portland starts a PG puppy MIlls with latest addition
You are such a racist.
Thinking of native Australians like they’re nothing but currency. You can’t buy and sell people Tom.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 21, 2009 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Irrelevant
Tom is talking about trade fanposts. Every player has immense trade value in trade fanposts.
By January, Mills will be tearing it up in Idaho and someone will propose including him as the clincher in the package to get Chris Paul. That fanpost couldn’t have happened without this move.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
Yep
Throw Ime or Collins into a trade proposal and you’d get laughed at. Throw in some young guy who has upside and played in the Olympics, and you got a guy who could potentially be in three or four trade proposals a day.
You are forgetting
that they had more salary matching potential than Mills does. Tom, Tom, you are still weak in this trade proposal stuff. Time to raise your game.
Fortunately, we have Juwan, but that’s only one….
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
Mills is from the Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are part of Australia in a political sense. But the indigenous people of Torres Strait are ethnically and linguistically distinct from the indigenous people of Australia.
Some reporters have stated that Patty Mills is an “Australian aborigine.” This is not true. Patty Mills is a native Torres Strait Islander. This is quite evident from his physical features. He doesn’t look anything like an Australian aborigine.
Here are some passages from Wikipedia about the Torres Strait Islands:
“The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia’s Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They are mostly part of Queensland, a constituent State of the Commonwealth of Australia, with a special status fitting the native (Melanesian) land rights, administered by the Torres Strait Regional Authority. A few islands very close to the coast of mainland New Guinea belong to the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, most importantly Daru Island with the provincial capital, Daru.
“In 1982, Eddie Mabo and four other Torres Strait Islanders from Mer (Murray Island) started legal proceedings to establish their traditional land ownership. Because Mabo was the first-named plaintiff, it became known as the Mabo Case. In 1992, after ten years of hearings before the Queensland Supreme Court and the High Court of Australia, the latter court found that Mer people had owned their land prior to annexation by Queensland.
“This ruling overturned the century-old legal doctrine of terra nullius (”no-one’s land"), which held that native title over Crown land in Australia had been extinguished at the time of annexation. The ruling was thus of far-reaching significance for the land claims of both Torres Strait Islanders and Australian Aborigines.
“On 1 July 1994 the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) was created.”
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. -- Thomas Paine, US patriot & political philosopher (1737 - 1809)
by Love on Oct 21, 2009 3:46 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
interesting
I’m glad to see Mills make the roster. He is a talented PG and I’d hate to see him slip thru the team’s fingers.
Funny how Nate is unhappy about it. Ain’t that just too bad? I think if Nate has a problem with it he should say something about it… like Jarrett Jack and Sergio did.
I did not say this. I am not here.
correction:
Patty’s mom is an Australian aborigine and his dad is a Torres Strait Islander. So he is half Australian aborigine.
I am chastened to admit that I didn’t check this before blabbing. I’m kind of an idiot sometimes.
But I am glad that the Blazers kept him on the roster. We obviously didn’t need another SF, and Collins is frankly worse than Frye. As someone else has already opined, keeping Patty foreshadows an upcoming trade: one of our SFs (I’m guessing Outlaw) for a quality back up big. Maybe that is asking for too much.
To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. -- Thomas Paine, US patriot & political philosopher (1737 - 1809)
D'oh!!!!111
I knew it! So in this case his Aboriginal tendency to continue growing will probably balance out his Torres Strait Islander genes that would cause him to shrink and put on weight. We can expect him to remain approximately at his present height for the next several years.
by CatMan2 on Oct 21, 2009 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Idiotic blabbing FTW
It’s so hard to keep track of the ethnicity of these Australian natives. It’s not helped by the fact that most people seem to focus on irrelevant things like whether he can play ball.
This doesn’t foreshadow a trade, it simply means they decided to use the 15th spot for a guy that they perceive has some future upside, rather than older guys who were never going to crack the rotation unless our season was destroyed by injuries anyway.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
WRONG
His father is a Torres Straighter and his mother is Aboriginal. He is proud of both heritages and being an Australian.
You can't be proud of both
You have to pick one to be proud of and to identify yourself as, and to make everything you do revolve around that choice.
Morty
Yes.
You can measure skill and talent with your eyes, but productivity is shown through statistics.
The correct term for Obama is "poi dog."
50% Haole,
50% Popolo
100% Punahou grad.
Chicago can stay dakine whatevas but garanz balbaranz da Prez stay one local kind poi dog, Oahu style.
(Tom moved TO Hawaii, I moved here FROM Hawaii. Kind of a “land of the lost” thing.)
by conspirator5 on Oct 21, 2009 8:53 PM PDT up reply actions
The most important question on this thread
Human or Vulcan?
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
if he's only half australian that means he might not have poisonous retractable dewclaws
it’s a recessive gene.
dinasour type of guys choir boys
So now we have a final figure on our cap space ($1.4M) when the season starts.
The cap space saving for Mills vs Ukoka/Collins is $368K.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 21, 2009 3:52 PM PDT reply actions
can KP "reach" Foster or Collison with that extra cash + Outlaw?
It will be pretty close with Foster, but I think to acquire Collison another player will have to be included
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
No. Foster is making $6.1M, Collison $6.25M. Outlaw $3.6M, so we are about $1M short with cap space.
We would have to trade Outlaw plus another non-min player like Bayless ($2.1M), or Outlaw+Howard+Bayless, using the 125% exception.
i.e. Outlaw+Howard+Bayless => 125% (3.6+0.83+0.46) + 0.1 = $6.2M
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 21, 2009 6:21 PM PDT up reply actions
^^ Whoops, I meant Outlaw+Howard+Mills
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 21, 2009 6:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Trade Dates -
Just for information:
Miller can’t be traded until Dec 15.
Howard can’t be trade until Dec 17.
Mills can’t be traded until Nov 15.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 22, 2009 2:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Thank you for that information,
This is a foreign language to me, so what would Bayless/Outlaw and the trade exception =?
"That's just how I get down"........ Andre Miller
For Outlaw ($3.6M), Bayless ($2.1M), cap space $1.4M
You are allowed to use the cap space or to use the 125% exception, whichever benefits you most.
1) Outlaw + Bayless + Cap Space + 100K = 3.6 + 2.1 + 1.4 + 0.1 = $7.2M
2) 125% (Outlaw + Bayless) + 100K = 125% (3.6 + 2.1) + 0.1 = $7.2M
In this case, it’s about the same either way (slightly different if you use more precise numbers), $7.2M, because 25% of 3.6 + 2.1 = $1.4M, which by coincidence is also our cap space.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 22, 2009 2:26 AM PDT up reply actions
Thanks 1970,
Any other pf/c out there in that price range other than Collison and Foster??
"That's just how I get down"........ Andre Miller
When a ballclub is under the salary cap, I believe that the 125% is taken out of the equation.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
That would be surprising
You can’t apply the 125% to your cap space, but if you are trading salaries that would be legal if you are over the cap, it would be perverse to penalize a team for being under the cap and not let them make the deal.
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
Yeah, here's the rule according to Larry Coon.
“Teams under the salary cap may make trades as they please, as long as they don’t end up more than $100,000 above the salary cap following a trade.”
http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#Q67
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
Not correct. You didn't finish the quote.
Teams under the salary cap may make trades as they please, as long as they don’t end up more than $100,000 above the salary cap following a trade. But if a team is over the cap, or they are under the cap and a trade would take them more than $100,000 over the cap, then an exception is required.
i.e. you can go over the cap by using an exception. The exception in this case is the 125% exception.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 22, 2009 1:42 AM PDT up reply actions
That's kind of ambiguous wording, though.
Still, it seems you’re probably right on the money.
I ought to seek out a past trade as an example of that happening for verification, but I’m too lazy to do that at this moment.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
Here's the exact rule from the CBA for using the 125% Traded Player Exception when you are under the cap.
Section 6(h) Traded Player Exception.
(3) In lieu of conducting the trade in accordance with Section 6(h)(2) above, and notwithstanding Section 6(k) below, a Team with a Team Salary below the Salary Cap may (i) replace a Traded Player with one (1) or more Replacement Players whose Player Contracts are acquired simultaneously and whose post-trade Salaries for the then-current Season, in the aggregate, are no more than an amount equal to 125% of the pre-trade Salary of the Traded Player, plus $100,000
It is perfectly logical, otherwise a team would be penalized for being under the cap. If this wasn’t allowed a team over the cap could make trades that a team $1 dollar below the cap couldn’t make.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 22, 2009 2:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Maximizing the blazer cap-space
MIlls gives the most wiggle room for a lop-sided trade short of not carrying a full roster. I doubt that really pushed the decision one way or another, but it is a fact.
I like Mills as a prospect but he was in a hard spot with the injury and unable to sign anywhere else for the upcoming year. The Blazers did the right thing (from an HR point of view) by retaining MIlls over Ime or Jared.
Earned?
Patrick Mills has earned…
Earned? I am a WCC honk (Go Broncos!), but I don’t think anyone can say Mills “earned” this…..it is a gift
His play in college and at the Olympics 'earned' this
Just as Pendergraph has earned his spot.
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
Maybe Mills simply has more trade value
Maybe this a first step in some sequence of moves. Or maybe it’s strictly a business move.
Not to start a rumor, but maybe the possibility that Andre isn’t going to work out….is starting to enter people’s minds.
We are all missing the big picture here
This move was all about cashing in on the lucrative merchandise sales that can be had by marketing Blazer gear to Australians
;-)
How did you guys win that?
"We scored enough points. We scored 107, they scored 105.
-Nate McMillan Postgame, 3/4/2009
Oh yeah...
…we’ve got MASSIVE NBA merchandise sales in Australia. (denote sarcasm) ;)
Back in the mid-90s that might have been the case — now you’re lucky to see someone wearing a jersey that isn’t an ironically-worn retro Kemp/Jordan/Rodman…
Millsy might change that though!
"You've been warned...!"
A Stern Warning : http://www.asternwarning.com
marketing...for sure
15th spot to place a bet on another possible international player breaking through
france, spain, finland, australia…this team goes finals and the world will be rooting…
Great Pick Rip City
They won’t regret this decision…
Re: Costs. The league would have paid a portion of the minimum veteran salary for either Collins or Udoka.
Any amount above the minimum salary level for a two-year veteran. Ime has 5 years, so his minimum salary in 2009-10 would have been $959,111. Collins has 8 years, for him it would have been $1,181,803. The minimum salary for a two-year vet is $825,497, and the league would have reimbursed the difference. Also only the two-year minimum salary would have been included for salary cap purposes (the number Ben gives above).
"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard
I posted above.
So now we have a final figure on our cap space ($1.4M) when the season starts.
The cap space saving for Mills vs Ukoka/Collins is $368K.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Oct 21, 2009 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Uhhhhhhhhhhh Bigger news here
http://twitter.com/YahooSportsNBA
Lamarcus Aldridge has agreed to a five year extension worth approximately $70 million with Portland, a league source tells Y! Sports.
by Starvin' Marvin on Oct 21, 2009 4:13 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
nice, that's about what I thought he'd get
More than he’s earned, IMO but with the Bargnani contract and all, LMA had a definite case to get that much. Nice to have him signed.
He's earned 14 mill a year as much as Bargs has earned 10 mill a year
That’s the problem, but oh well— it isn’t an untradeable contract, lots of teams would love to have a young big like LMA even if he doesn’t improve any more.
M—
Not so sure
That just meant that two more teams wouldn’t have been able to pay that much for LMA. Actually not many teams would have had the money to pay LMA what he expected. So I am not so sure that it was a wise move.
If LMA would have gone elsewhere
we could have tempted Dirk in coming to Portland.
That's a long shot
It’s not like we’d have cap space if LMA didn’t sign. We got Oden next year to deal with as well.
I do not believe a guy like LMA, with his past trust issues, would do well if his contract situation was not taken care of before the season started, or if he felt like he was getting jerked around. He would take it as a violation of trust, in my opinion.
Some guys do better playing for a contract, some do better when they are taken care of and happy. I think LMA plays better when he is comfortable.
Mortimer
And in terms of flexibility...
…since we intend on keeping him, we don’t need HIS contract to necessarily stay flexible for us, but it is a moveable contract unless he gets hurt.
So, it’s not a bad deal, considering the market value established by lesser ‘bigs’ getting signed for bookoo moolah.
—M
It is indeed about $11.5M in its first year
The scarcity of big men is part of the equation. Another part is to keep it below Brandon.
I am wondering if the Vulcan folks signed off on this by demanding a rookie minimum (Mills) with the 15th spot? Could there be a connection?
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
Another perspective is Roy is getting about 18-20% more than LMA
But in terms of this year’s salary
Roy got an apporx 360% new salary
LMA got approx 200% new salary.
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
Good news. Now we can move on with this roster settled
(at last for the moment).
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
That's pretty good
averages out to 14 mil per.
Awesome!
LaMarcus is here to stay folks! Bout time. Now let’s go win some games!
I like drafting Patty Mills and I like keeping him
The only surprise to me is the possibility that KP had the decision made above him. There may be a personal connection with Mills but more likely the group decision overruled Nate and KP (remember he said all decisions are made by the group).
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
pattywacked
dinasour type of guys choir boys
by mittsabishy on Oct 21, 2009 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Millslapped
Though that sounds like Millsap.
"I think he can still play" - Kevin Pritchard on Juwan Howard
Maybe it's a questionable move
But I don’t get why people inside the Blazers walls are so upset (as reported by Quick). Some teams don’t even carry 15 players. If Portland decided to carry only 14 players back in September, no one would be fretting. Collins was going to get as much minutes as Michael Ruffin did last year, i.e., 30 seconds in blowouts and nothing else. Nobody was fretting over the decision to trade Diogu for Ruffin. It had almost zero effect on the season.
Remember it is Quick here
He hears from Nate: “We are happy to have such an outstanding player to contribute in future years”
and translates it: “I am really pissed we don’t have protection for this year”
"Either way we have two phenomenal units. I'm excited to play with either one." - Martell Webster
Quick is probably pissed..
Because he predicted one of the two obvious guys to keep, so now he’s – WRONG!
And he’s probably pissed because none of his awesome sources gave him the info. So he took a few liberties and pot shots across the bow… Making a mountain out of a 15th pick molehill…
Bayless v. Mills
Rex v. Velociraptor.
That was the quickest creature I could come up with, but now we need to come up with a nickname for him. Flash is taken by D. Wade. Thunder from Down Under, maybe? Although, Rex v. Thunder sounds like Bayless is actually getting playing time.
I suspect that this signing was made to pit Rex against Bayless, with the loser going up on the trading block. A lot of teams probably wouldn’t mind having a young PG with their potential, so if packaged with Trout they could possibly net a solid player. At the very least, Mills will give us a solid practice PG, who can emulate the quicker guards in the league and help us out in that respect.
But… the big question is… WHAT ARE WE GONNA NICKNAME MILLS???
"Don't put anything crazy in the papers. I'll find out who you are." -- Andre Miller
The Aussie Possie
The Australian mailman, which is what a PG is.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!
Oy! Oy! Oy!
Does anyone (other than me) remember Andrew Gaze?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Oy! Oy! Oy!
reminds me of ziggy-zoggy, ziggy-zoggy…
of course!
absolute legend. the greatest australian basketballer ever.
what I remember
is seeing him play in summer league, must’ve been early ’90s?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
what about Shane Heal?
Under winter skies
We stand glorious
And with Oden on our side
We are victorious
by WhiteRabbit on Oct 22, 2009 12:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Patty "Frills"
If you need a repilian analogy for Patty, look no further than the Australian Frilled Lizard, that runs on its hind legs and puffs its neck out to intimidate and scare off larger predators:
by conspirator5 on Oct 21, 2009 9:01 PM PDT up reply actions
why do players---especially bench warming players---need nicknames?
I say let him get that boot off and play 15 minutes a game for a year; THEN he can get a nickname.
like Taz
or Saint Patty
"We're going to play the right way. It ain't about you. It's about us. We can be successful if we play together. And that's what it's about. In this league, playing hard, playing together. Your numbers shouldn't matter." - Coach McMillan
by Hipster Olympic Team! on Oct 21, 2009 5:16 PM PDT reply actions
The depression in Quick's voice sounds ridiculous.
I don’t understand why Quick sounds so upset about this move, to the point that it sounds like he is taking it as a personal afront.
He talks of how Mills will have no impact this season. Wow — we know that. This is a team for the future, not just the now. Retaining the rights to a player with Mills’ promise is much more useful to this team than having a guy like Collins/Udoka sitting there all season waiting for an injury.
He says, Udoka would play, he’d play against a guy like Artest. I’d like to know when…. is that when Outlaw, Webster, Batum, Fernandez, Roy and Cunningham all get injured??? (touch wood). It’s a stretch to say that a “consumate professional” like Udoka would get any burn at all… it’s better for him to get a chance elsewhere where he might get to play.
Good luck to Collins and Udoka with their signing in Phoenix and (insert name) respectively. However, keeping Mills is the best move for this team down the track when they need to replace Miller and Blake.
"You've been warned...!"
A Stern Warning : http://www.asternwarning.com
Outlaw could (should) get traded.
Webster’s health is still iffy, and Fernadez/Ry can’t really guard bigger guys like Artest. I think Udoka or Collins would have been much better moves and it sounds like Nate agrees.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 21, 2009 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions
PM next CP3?
I’m often dead wrong, but I had a vision of sorts the other day that unloading Patty could be the equivelent of passing on CP3.
I know it’s a long long shot, but who knows how he develops.
What number will he wear?
"Is it always like this?" Collins said after the scrimmage. "It was like the first game of the NBA playoffs or something."
by Y5k on Oct 21, 2009 6:17 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Oh yeah, let's not start the hyperoble
Mills has CP3’s speed (read: Brooks’ speed) but he hasn’t yet shown he has CP3’s All-World court vision etc. He certainly knows how to score though — and he is not afraid to take shots in big situations.
(Wow that last sentence made me think of Bayless far too much)
"You've been warned...!"
A Stern Warning : http://www.asternwarning.com
He has pretty poor court vision IMHO.
Plus he’s an overrated scorer. Of all the PG’s in last season draft class he had the lowest shooting% and drew the least amount of fouls.
Not good.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 21, 2009 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Mills = poor man's Damon Stoudamire
for all the “wrong” reasons
But Paul Allen likes Patty so he’s golden
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Well, that sounds like an insult, but
Mighty Mouse was Rookie of the Year 1995-96
"I won't back down." -- Tom Petty
very small shooting guard
can’t finish around the basket
A liability on defense, at least DS had some strength, but the other team will take ’em down low and post ’em up with Andre Miller, Baron Davis, etc
not a great passer, assists are random events
below 40% shooting percentage, except when occasionally streaky
did I leave anything out?
These are not the kind of guys who will win championships for you
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
neither are 15th men
Under winter skies
We stand glorious
And with Oden on our side
We are victorious
by WhiteRabbit on Oct 22, 2009 12:28 AM PDT up reply actions
That's pretty harsh man ...
If you mean the Damon that stunk it up his last few years here. It’s not bad if you mean the old Toronto Damon.
By the way, PM’s not loaded like DS, he’s “exotic.” ( see genetic discussion above)
"Is it always like this?" Collins said after the scrimmage. "It was like the first game of the NBA playoffs or something."
by Y5k on Oct 21, 2009 7:43 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Mills is like a LESS refined, smaller, Bayless.
He can’t draw fouls, literally worse than any other PG in his draft class. He also had the worst shooting %.
He runs fast and has a good handle, so if he learns all the other stuff that makes a good basketball player he should be fine.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 21, 2009 7:50 PM PDT up reply actions
but
can he stay in front of the Parkers and CP3s?
by blacknoiseNW on Oct 21, 2009 7:53 PM PDT up reply actions
No.
He’s mostly just good and running quickly in a straight line. A defensive liability anyway you look at it.
by Nick Van Excellent on Oct 21, 2009 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions
If by Chris Paul you mean Chucky Atkins, Jose Barea, or maybe Aaron Brooks, then yes; otherwise, ...
the answer is a resounding no. Patty Mills is a borderline NBA player and should’ve been waived today.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
how do people like you and nick van excellent
not have jobs in the NBA. You clearly know how to spot talent better than a bunch of GMs, Scouts, etc.
Flabbergasted!
AK is just waiting to be discovered
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
I personally couldn't care less if Nate is unhappy with the decision.
He was given a veteran point guard this off-season and has so far failed to get that to work, he needs to address the bigger issues.
#88<#23<#25
VERY interesting moves...
The Blazers have shown a knack for long-term creative thinking. So I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and try to spin a story more believable than Quick’s (not to set the bar too high)….
Facts:
- Everybody on this blog knows we need another big man, certainly the Blazers know this!
- KP loves him some point guards…
- The Blazers didn’t go for Ime, the local guy (marketing’s choice)
- The Blazers didn’t go for Collins to give Greg knowledge and Joel rest (Nate’s choice)
- The Blazers did keep a ‘steal in the draft’… (KP’s draft)
So I believe this was mostly KP’s decision, as all roster moves are by job definition! Yes, he gets input, but it’s his call. More Facts:
- We have ‘too much depth’, a situation that screams out for a 2:1 deal to a rebuilding club.
- When our Euro cap holds come off the books, we now have 1.4 million in cap space, not 1.1. (I think this is very significant. Don’t think of it as ‘who could we get for 1.4 we couldn’t for 1.1’. It’s 300K more to add to a 2:1 or 3:1 deal.)
- Blake makes almost $5M, Outlaw near $4M (different sources vary, anybody have a bible link?).
- They both have 1 year expiring contracts, very valuable to a receiving team trying to make space for 2010. Nobody else on the team has a higher salary with an expiring contract this year (we’re signing Greg to a max).
So why a 4th point guard? (End of facts, begin of story)
Yes, on the surface it seems as if the Blazers are still building for a distant future with this pick, and ignoring their biggest need. But I believe Bayless has convinced the brass that he’s at least as good of a backup as Steve (or at least will be, in a year or two – and he’s cheaper, and signed). I think Andre will have settled in with 30+ minutes by the trade soon. I believe Travis will continue his inconsistent play.
So I believe that Blake and Outlaw will be dealt. Getting Patty makes it possible for us to still be covered (2-3 ddep) at all positions if we package together two solid players, who have about $9 in expiring contracts, and use $1.4 in cap space to balance the contract of one $10M (hopefully veteran, but definitely) big guy. (In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some interesting names just about 300K out of reach before now…)
So why Mills? Because after trading Steve, you have Miller and Bayless. More insurance is warranted, and who are you going to find a player as cheap and potentially as good as Patty? The Blazers signed him this week, so I suspect this decision was made then, too. And LMA’s contract is done… The pieces are falling into place… Was one more move agreed upon too?
Blake makes almost $5M, Outlaw near $4M (different sources vary, anybody have a bible link?).
This “translation” is good enough
http://www.storytellerscontracts.info/resources/09-10salaries.htm
Steve Blake 4,000,000
Travis Outlaw 3,600,000
I don’t expect Blake to be going anywhere, except from the starting lineup to the bench
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I'm pretty sure that Nate McMillan would've kept Ime Udoka over Jarron Collins.
Patty Mills making the cut also doesn’t look like a Kevin Pritchard decision, but rather a Paul Allen special.
Oh, and by “special,” I mean an example of an owner with little basketball acumen again overstepping his bounds on personnel matters.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
Mills adds an element
That the team lacks, instant offense and the ability to break down defenses from the point. He has a better outside shot than Bayless and adds the Aaron Brooks/Nate Robinson speed factor on the perimeter.
Mills will get some PT at Idaho and will be ready to contribute after the All Star break.
A good gamble and another weapon off the bench.
by Rip City Reign on Oct 21, 2009 10:21 PM PDT reply actions
the ability to break down defenses from the point.
Yes, but once he gets into the paint, what does he do?
Finish at the basket? No (remember “Dayyyy-mon STOUDAMIRE!” missing bunny layups?)
Find an open big man with a sweet dish or lob pass? Uh, no
Find an open wing player for a 3? Not so much
Penetration without the ability to score, get fouled or see the court and deliver the pass is not an NBA skill. It’s just a flashy gimmick that gets your team beat. Mills is neither a PG nor a defender of PGs. He’s a tiny shooting guard.
Jason Quick said it best: “this was not a basketball decision” No one should be happy that Patty is on the 15-man roster, except Paul Allen, Kenny Vance and all those folks who live “down under”
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Just listened to the Quick interview
The guy sounds like he was about to weep. Listening to Quick you’d think the wheels were about to come off over the 15th roster spot. Good lord. This whole town needs to take a pill.
by raoulduke on Oct 21, 2009 11:31 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
Quick had a really nice "Behind the Blazers" article involving Ime already half written.
This throws that out the window. A whole afternoon of work, gone. GONE.
M—
Did you read his article on this?
The whole article reads like an explanation for why this is a bad move.
Poor Jason. Mills must have stepped on a crack and broke Quick’s mother’s back, or something.
Of course, we could ask Bedgers to come up with other theories as to why Jason doesn’t like him. Maybe Quick hates Australians, or maybe there is a darker reason. Who knows what Bedgers can concoct? :D
I can tell you how to make an Excel spreadsheet that proves Portland wins 62 games this year.
I like this move
For no other reason then it doesn’t give Nate the itch to play Ime instead of Martell, Rudy, Batum, etc…. You know Nate would opt for Ime in quite a few situations that will be good for the above to play in and gain the experience and skills they need to be future productive Blazers.
"I saw him in the face" Sergio's quote on the latest alley-oop to Rudy.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
