Welcome Aldridge and Mills

His concept seems to be that the culture here is more important and they play against much better players in practice,

Shavlik did not do much for us last year

Are you kidding? that chat with letsblaze was one of the highlights of the season!!!111

Yes, if they didn’t make him a contract offer at all before the start of the season he would have become a UFA. To retain unsigned second round picks, it’s common practice to make them a one-year non-guaranteed contract offer, and usually the player just doesn’t sign it in agreement with the team until they really want to have him. You can do that indefinitely to retain the rights, every season, until the player doesn’t play professionally anymore and retires (plus 1 year).

Now if Mills actually signed the contract, and the Blazers didn’t want that hoping he would play professionally overseas (or in the D-League), he has forced their hand. Either they give him that last roster spot that might have been intended for someone else and keep him until he either does play productively or can get traded (not immediately, even if he wasn’t injured), or they simply waive his contract (that is still likely just unguaranteed) to not pay him that money and clear the roster spot. Yet then he becomes a UFA again and all 30 teams have the same chance to sign him. That allegedly is what he wanted: Not play overseas, but lock onto some NBA team. He felt that he was drafted too late, and likely isn’t happy with his spot on such a deep team, but this way he at least either is on a team or becomes a free man again.

http://www.nbpa.com/cba_articles/article-X.php

Section 4. Negotiating Rights to Draft Rookies.
(a) A Team that drafts a player shall, during the period from the date of such NBA Draft (hereinafter, the "Initial Draft") to the date of the next Draft (hereinafter, the "Subsequent Draft"), be the only Team with which such player may negotiate or sign a Player Contract, provided that, on or before the July 15 immediately following the Initial Draft (for a First Round Pick), or in the two (2) weeks before the September 5 immediately following the Initial Draft (for a Second Round Pick), such Team has made a Required Tender to such player. If a Team has made a Required Tender to such a player and the player has not signed a Player Contract within the period between the Initial Draft and the Subsequent Draft, the Team that drafted the player shall lose its exclusive right to negotiate with the player and the player will then be eligible for selection in the Subsequent Draft.

So, as others have said, the only way to retain rights on a 2nd round pick is to make the required tender offer of a one year, non-guaranteed contract before September 5. The Blazers did that with Mills.

Lots of 2nd round picks either decide not to take that tender offer. Others cannot because they have already signed contracts with other leagues before the tender offer is made. Either way, as long as the team made the offer, they retain the rights to the 2nd round pick.

If the Blazers did not offer Mills the required tender, Mills would now be an UFA and free to sign with any other team – in the NBA or elsewhere. Because the tender offer was made, the Blazers retained exclusive rights within the NBA to negotiate with Mills until the next draft, although he could still have signed with another league’s team. So, yes, the Blazers could have made the required tender, Mills could have rejected it and played overseas and the Blazers would still have retained rights on Mills.

Dave had it right the first time. Mills could have been ‘stashed’ overseas with the team still holding his rights, although Mills would have had to agree to do so. That didn’t happen, so the only way to hold his rights – since he signed the required tender before the Oct. 15 deadline – is for the Blazers to not waive him.

would’ve been lost. Keeping Mills weighed upon what somebody thought of his potential, with Paul Allen being the one who made the final call — which I contend was the wrong one — in this case.

His contract would have become fully guaranteed had he been in training camp while sustaining the injury. He never officially was. He got injured while playing under a summer league contract, only that one became guaranteed and likely has a clause that would pay him health insurance for his rehab. Remember that the Blazers only made contract offers to Cunningham and Pendergraph much later than summer league, so it’s hard to believe they made the same offer earlier to Mills. According to prosporttransactions the date of his current contract is October 16th.

Collins reportedly will sign with Phoenix as an insurance for the injured Robin Lopez (with only Channing as an experienced big man next to Amare at the moment, the other options are rookies or still very fresh in the league).

Ime had an offer to training camp from the Nuggets before he came to the Blazers, and likely there is still some team that has a use for a veteran perimeter player. They still could get released again during the season, so not impossible the Blazers could get them or players like them should they need it in January.

because if you’re counting on the 15th player on your roster to save your team from injuries, you have a weak, weak team. Of all teams in the league, Portland is best suited to using the 16th spot for player development. The team is DEEP 1-14….that will be enough. If there are so many injuries you’re counting on the 15th guy to save you, your season is already lost.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11744529/

On 30 Rock last week, Tracy Jordan made a joke about breaking one of those monstrosities.

either Aldridge or Howard slides to the 5. Aldridge played there quite a bit in his first season.

I don’t think Nate worries so much about how his team matches up with others….there is enough Blazer talent that other teams can worry about how they match up with Portland.

the previous ones have been coming out of Denver (as told to Dave)

West was drafted 18th, much later than LaMarcus, and started out slow. He signed a 5 year extension for $45 million in 2006 that declines in value since he also was significantly older than LaMarcus entering the league.

Someone also asked if you would rather have Bargnani at $50 million or LaMarcus at $65/70 million. I take LaMarcus for his higher ceiling, but that’s just me and I agree it’s a bit too much in order to lock him up long-term.