What Hedo TRULY desires

by SimpleTruth on Jul 3, 2009 9:35 PM PDT

When Robert Horry shot a killer three against Sacramento… Hedo basically did nothing.

When Derek Fisher hit 0.4 against San Antonio… Hedo was much more vocal and much more active in his role as a player.
When Derek Fisher his those huge threes against Orlando… Hedo was the Most Improved player or Orlando’s fourth quarter stud.
(If you youtube those videos) he was there ON the court every single time)
However, every single time.. his role and importance to the team has increased.

Staying at Orlando behind Dwight, Jameer and Vince? With Rashard being clutch as well? He’s just one of five.
Going to Portland… he’ll be behind Brandon Roy, Lamarcus and possibly Greg Oden.
However… at Toronto? He will be number two behind Chris Bosh… and during the fourth quarter… probably the man.

Considering the fact that this is not the first time he has backed out of a deal… it is obvious that Hedo knows how to be in the best position to better his stats and better his skills by putting himself in situations where his skills can develop and where he can get the attention he has desired.

Okay, the argument can be also said that behind every great man is a great woman. So… Hedo’s wife (who followed him around the world and around the league probably used the argument of I deserve to go where I want… because I have given all what you want. Plus Toronto is much more beautiful than Portland and much more appealing to a European like Banu than the rainy city of Portland.

Portland, I am very sorry that you did not gain the "mismatch" you so desired.

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Comments

Hedo?

by raoulduke on Jul 3, 2009 9:40 PM PDT reply actions

I'm not going to think about him anymore.

ignacio

by ignacio on Jul 3, 2009 9:42 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Thank You Hedo

Blazers may not know it right now, but they just dodged a bullit

by Rick_D on Jul 3, 2009 9:50 PM PDT reply actions

Dodged a bullet indeed

The way the team is built… they did dodge a bullet. This allows the young players like Rudy, Travis, Nicolas and even Greg to develop because they need minutes and time to hold the ball. Acquiring Hedo shall stunt their growth even if he may help enrich their experience by taking them deeper into the playoffs.

Ben Dizon

by SimpleTruth on Jul 3, 2009 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Mercenaries. Machiavelli was right.

The arms with which a prince defends his state are either his own, or they are mercenaries, auxiliaries, or mixed. Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious and without discipline, unfaithful, valiant before friends, cowardly before enemies; they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men, and destruction is deferred only so long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the enemy.

-The Prince
by Nicolo Machiavelli

by Steve The Hedge on Jul 3, 2009 10:07 PM PDT reply actions

Uhhhhh....

don’t be fooled this was ALL about $$$$$

Toronto offered more we said no thanks. Good for you KP!

Go M's

by OBF on Jul 3, 2009 10:08 PM PDT reply actions

Yes ,lowball all FA's

by southern oregon on Jul 3, 2009 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions

KP didn't lowball Turkey-glue if the reported offer is true

$50 million or so was the max the Blazers could do—they were willing to blow their entire FA wad on him.

Toronto was able to beat it by renouncing its free agents (meaning they no longer have Bird rights to them), causing the cap holds to come off.

Portland could, conceivably, renounce its rights to Viktor Claver, or find someone to take another player off of our hands with nothing in return, to offer Turkeyglue a bigger contract.

But I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Nor should it. If there was in fact an agreement in principle, then the reneging of that agreement is unusual, if not unethical (though not illegal). If there wasn’t—Hedo isn’t worth this sort of a bidding war.

I am Spartacus and I approved this message

by EngineerScotty on Jul 3, 2009 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Hedo played us

I posted this in another thread, but he so obviously played us. It seems apparent that he and his agent had been negotiating with Toronto the whole time. He used KP to squeeze an extra 10M out of them. He breaks us off, then immediately agrees to terms with them?

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Jul 3, 2009 11:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Sounds to me like he played Toronto

not Portland.

Consider the situation. A and B are negotiating for the services of C—and C prefers B, but wants a better price than they were offering, so C negotiates (in bad faith) with A to bid up the offer. A makes an offer, B counters, and C does business with B.

Depending on the situation, C’s conduct may be acceptable “hardball” negotiations, unethical, or even illegal—in the context of NBA free agency, it appears to be business as usual. B, obviously, is the loser—they pay a higher price then they might have otherwise.

Yet many are criticising A—Portland in this case—for “getting played”—implying that Portland should have recognized a bad-faith negotiation sooner, and that by failing to do so, the team has been publicly disgraced in some fashion. A strange notion of morality and honor, if you ask me. (Not that KP cares about such criticism…)

Of course, it might not have been that the Blazers “got played” in this sense. It may have been the case that Hedo was prepared to sign with the team, but the Blazers got outbid. It may have been Mrs. Turkey Glue not wanting to be seen in a podunk burg like ours, vetoing the deal. We don’t know at this point.

Oh well. We’re no worse off than we were last Friday. (OK, Ariza and Ron-Ron were off the table, but Ariza isn’t a significant upgrade over what we have now, and Artest wouldn’t work well with McMillan).

I am Spartacus and I approved this message

by EngineerScotty on Jul 4, 2009 12:17 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

If Toronto didn't agree to massively overpaying him

We woulda’ got Hedo. I don’t think he went to us with no intention on signing.

Toronto got MAJORLY played. We could afford to sign him to what he wants and utilize him how he should be. Toronto can’t afford to pay him major money when he’s 35, and he does nothing to keep Bosh around.

Dumb, dumb move by Toronto. At least right now.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jul 4, 2009 5:41 AM PDT up reply actions

Interesting thought

Interesting thought iDea… perhaps he “schemed” it out.

If you were Hedo… not a Portland Trail Blazer fan… let us assume… someone offered you $50 million dollars while the lowly Toronto offered MORE money… with your wife nagging your ear… what would you do?

I highly doubt he schemed it. If Toronto did not offer.. I am sure he would have joined Portland.

by SimpleTruth on Jul 4, 2009 12:17 AM PDT reply actions

on top of that

if Portland offered considerable extra amount of money… I am sure he may trade alliances once again…

that is IF a small market Oregon team… is willing to part that much money ie.. strapping themselves to death without even doling out large contracts to Brandon Roy and Greg Oden… signing Turkoglu would kill them PERIOD

by SimpleTruth on Jul 4, 2009 12:19 AM PDT up reply actions

one last thing

according to Phil Jackson… of the 30 teams in the league… only 28 made money… let us assume the small chance that Portland made money… signing Hedo… will make Portland lose money

by SimpleTruth on Jul 4, 2009 12:24 AM PDT reply actions

Portland doesn't care about making money

We have the richest owner in all of sports. Paul Allen is the reason the NBA invented the luxury tax.

We can afford Hedo and still give max salaries to the entire roster.

Toronto is a very nice city, and it’s a big town, and he’s getting a lot of cash so I don’t blame him. Portland is one of the best cities in the world for a young person, and very beautiful as well, so I don’t take his picking Toronto as a knock on Portland.

We’re a smaller market city, but one of the richest teams.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jul 4, 2009 5:37 AM PDT up reply actions

yes

just because paul allen CAN afford does not mean he likes to lose money

by SimpleTruth on Jul 4, 2009 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions

No one LIKES to lose money

But signing Hedo for 5/50 doesn’t affect what we can pay anyone else already on the roster, since PA will pay out the nose and be happy to do so.

I was exagerrating to make a point— normal small market problems don’t apply in Portland. We got more cash to spend than any other team in the NBA. Huge market LA has to pinch pennies and lose good players like Ariza and maybe Odom for nuthin’, whereas we could afford to keep them (if we had wanted to) because of our owner.

I doubt the Blazers will ever be “profitable”. That’s why the team has to be good, to keep PA interested and invested! ;-)

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jul 4, 2009 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions