Cross him off the list, then. Pistons snag Charlie Villanueva
by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Jul 1, 2009 9:08 PM CDT
in Fear The Rumor Mill
18 comments
The Detroit Pistons struck first in Free Agency, reportedly coming to terms with Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva this afternoon, the first day teams could talk to available players.
While Gordon had been expected for awhile, the Pistons quick strike on Villanueva was a bit of a surprise, coming about most likely when Carlos Boozer decided to stay in Utah.
While the team cannot make the signings official until next week, the deals for Gordon and Villanueva look to be quite lucrative.
Former Bulls guard Gordon will receive a five-year, $55 million deal, while former Bucks forward Villanueva gets a five-year deal for $40 million, sources told ESPN.com's Chris Broussard.
The Cavs, who were thought to be interested in Villanueva, have reportedly reached out to Ron Artest, with LeBron James making a pitch to the Rockets Forward while both players were in Los Angeles. While it remains to be seen if Artest could be had with a mid-level deal, it can't be overlooked that a Shaq/LeBron/Artest locker room would be quite fun to follow on a daily basis.
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So let’s say hypothetically we can’t make a good enough offer to get Artest.
Who’s next on the list?
David Lee?
Milsap?
Ariza?
Odom?
Marvin Williams?
Shawn Marion?
’Sheed?
McDyess?
Childress?
Warrick?
Rodney Carey?
Channing Frye?
Ike Digou?
the only guys on that list i like are lee, millsap and odom, theyd all be great plan c’s if plan b (artest) doesnt work out,
by CavsLebronFan on Jul 2, 2009 1:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Ariza had been my #1 target in FA since the Cavs were eliminated. Despite the recent news of him wanting out of LA, I can’t see why he would leave the Lakers for the same money to join the Cavs, nor why he wouldn’t take more than the MLE in Portland or Toronto, just as Powder did despite his encryptic messages declaring a desire to play here.
I have an odd feeling the offseason will include resigning Andy and Joe Smith, with maybe a Flip Murray thrown into the mix. The Big Excitement may have ended with Big Trade.
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
That’s what I was thinking, too, but reports are today that Ariza isn’t happy with the Laker and is looking at offers elsewhere. He’s from LA and reports are that he wanted to stay there, but evidently he’s not happy with how much money they’re offering. The article says that he was talking to the Cavs’ coaching staff on Wednesday. I would love to see us sign Ariza; he’s exactly the kind of perimeter player we need.
Yeah, I saw that. My concern is have you ever seen a guy leave a championship team to take the same money elsewhere? They usually leave a good situation because they’re getting paid. If the Lakers are willing to pay the same amount the Cavs can offer, I don’t see what his incentive is for leaving. He may not be happy with the Lakers, but winning usually cures those kind of ill feelings.
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
I agree, but if he feels disrespected, maybe he wants to go somewhere else and show the Lakers what they’re missing. And what better way to do that then to go to Cleveland, play with LeBron and Shaq, and maybe meet the Lakers in the Finals next year? It’s not like he won’t have a great chance to win with the Cavs.
We both would like to believe that, but I’m struggling to find an example of a player who stayed put in favor of leaving for a.) more money, or b.) a better chance at a title. No matter how good the prospects of a Cavs title are, it’d be difficult to argue that the Lakers’ chances are worse. It’s pretty much set that the Cavs can offer Ariza $5.6M, which is more than he made but likely less than what he can get on the open market.
The level of disrespect that Ariza’s felt is probably being overstated as a bargaining chip by his agents. It’s not as if there’s a long-standing feud that’s been well-reported; days ago it appeared that the Lakers would be resigning Ariza, no questions asked.
I hope that I wind up being completely wrong about all this and he takes the MLE to play here, but many people were pretty confident that Villaneuva would be wearing the wine and gold next year.
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
Really the only thing we have working for us is that we probably have a better shot at success than the teams with the real big money and we aren’t pissing him off (which the Lakers appear to be doing).
If that combination of ingredients isn’t what he wants, I agree with you in thinking he won’t want to play for us.
Are there reports on what LA is offering him? He only made like 3.1 million last year, right? So the MLE would be a significant upgrade?
Are there reports on what LA is offering him?
Same as the Cavs, the $5.6 MLE. So it’s a push salary-wise, and would simply be what roles he plays on either team. As Brad mentioned/hinted at, he’s going to compete for a championship on either team, but with a ring already in hand, I’d think a player would want to get paid, and the Blazers and Raptors can do that for him.
You know Selig? Ombudsman.
L.A. signing Ron Artest really helps the Cavs chances at Trevor Ariza, obviously.
So now it comes down to what’s more important to him, money or contending?
2009 Prediction: Att - Yds - TD
Jerome Harrison 95 - 532 - 8
I think it's time to temper expectations
I don’t see us landing any of the big name free agents that have been thrown out there. We just don’t have the money to land a huge name. Maye a sign and trade, but signing outright a free agent I don’t see happening.
by Delonte's Inferno on Jul 2, 2009 11:57 AM CDT reply actions
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