Thanks for the kind words.

let’s say a team has a $16M expiring contract and Blazers have $7M expiring contracts + $9M cap space. On paper they can both trade for a roughly $16M player. But for teams that want to avoid luxury tax, only our package can help them achieve what they want. Because we can help them lower the team salary by $9M and save (or totally avoid) tax.

In the other hand, for teams that just want to clear space for 2010 FA market, these 2 cases are virtually the same.

It’s true that the Blazers will not be the only team capable of offering financial relief to cash-strapped owners. Of the teams with space, however, they will likely be the only ones willing to take on a significant financial burden to win.

Minny has been notoriously cheap. Sacto appears to be rudderless, and has been suffering financially. It seems unlikely that OKC is willing to pay for a high-priced roster this early in their development either.

The Blazers are probably the one teams with the magical combination of cap space, an owner with money (hopefully), and roster worth paying the luxury tax to win now with. Also, using our cap space is essentially costless to us, since it will evaporate next summer anyhow. The same is not true of the other teams with cap space. Using their cap space at the dealine will cost them the flexibility to use it in the future, making them less likely to deal it away.

KP screwed up and missed his opportunities, now we have no choice.

I could ammend that to … “KP screwed up and missed his opportunities, now he has no choice.”

KP hasn’t “liked” to make mid-season deals in the past for fear of “messing up the chemistry” but unless “the right fit” comes along during (or shortly after) training camp (like Billups, last year?) KP will have to step out of his comfort zone and into the great unknown

Devin Harris would be a great acquisition, no matter if he’s coming in October or February. But if KP waits around for a “select” group of players and none of them actually “shake free” we could all get stuck with a lump of coal in our collective stocking

I would imagine that if Washington has another under-performing season, they might begin to consider blowing the team up and starting anew, especially given Jamison’s advancing age. Perhaps Butler might be available this time around, especially if his numbers dip a bit.

I think there are probably four two categories of teams that could be sellers at the deadline, some of which may apply to multiple teams:
1. Teams with aging stars that no longer cut it, or suffer from injuries. (Maybe Phoenix, San Antonio, Boston, Houston, Detroit, etc.)
2. Teams that expected to make the playoffs but appear to be falling short, and are unable to attract fans. (Phoenix, Houston, Washington, Philly, Chicago, and Atlanta may all fall here)
3. Teams with super-cheap owners. (The usual suspects: Memphis, the Clippers, and perhaps Minny)
4. Teams gunning for the FA bonanza of 2010. (NY, NJ, Miami, Chicago, and countless other delusional teams)

I have a feeling that fourth category won’t be nearly as significant as once expected. Given the rapidly shrinking cap and rough financial waters, I wouldn’t be surprised if many teams get cold feet and decide not to scrap their rosters on a pipe dream.

is that the desperate teams will not be clearing cap space for the summer of 2010, but trying to get out of luxury tax for the 2009-2010 season. A team that wants space in 2010 will want to do a deal with us, too, but the ones desperate to deal with us will be the ones trying to get out of luxury tax for 2009-2010.

I feel somewhat more relieved

Both in terms of value and flexibility.

I don’t want to stereotype anyone, but these comments have been made elsewhere and I’m just repeating what I’ve heard, and observed

First of all, Portland is not considered a “destination” city for the majority of NBA players, whether they grew up in Brooklyn or Chicago or Turkey—they aren’t thinking about the Blazers when FA time comes around. Sure, Portland has a young/talented team and most national writers and NBA people see them as being “on the verge” of a great run of success. But they’re not there yet—they lost in the first round—and there’s no guarantee that they will advance past that point in the next few years, at least that’s how it could seem to an outside observer. Now, when Portland does win a couple of playoff series and is one of the 4 remaining teams playing deep into May this could change the minds of the veteran free agents…but by then the Blazers will be out of cap-space and will only have the MLE (etc) to offer.

I don’t think too many fans appreciate what Blake and Przybilla did, wn hey agreed to “sign on” for a chance to rebuild the Blazers from the ground up. (And I suppose this is what bugs me when they’re mentioned casually in trade rumors, like their past loyalty is of little value.) I’m sure Nate and KP don’t feel that way about them, and it’s why I’m quick to mention things like “KP and Nate are really high on Steve and Joel, and they’ll have to get their socks knocked off by a deal to part with them”

Sure, the NBA’s a business, and sometimes KP will have to deal away some of his “favorite” players to improve the roster. But he’s not going to be in a hurry to jetison a couple of guys who chose to stick around during the lean times (just so he can chase a new “bauble”) just as the team is finally getting close to the goal that those veterans have been looking forward to being a part of (and busting their humps to achieve) for 3 years. That would send a sour message, not only the teammates who wld remain, but also to any “potential” free agents out there who KP might want to offer the MLE to in offseasons yet to come.

Not all NBA players are “about” chasing after a warm weather city that’s chock-full of corporate endorsements, it only seems that way, sometimes