JT ESPN insider

[Boondocks]

In reply to:

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The Jazz finally got around to extending Jason Terry that offer sheet. The Jazz and Terry have been talking for months but had been unable to reach a deal. According to a source close to the situation, the Hawks recently gave Terry a "final offer." When the Jazz said they would beat it, Terry decided to sign the offer sheet and hope that the Hawks meant what they said about their offer being final.

No one is talking about how big the offer sheet is, but the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that it's in the six year, $45 million range. The contract is believed to be front loaded in an attempt to scare the Hawks away from matching.

Now Terry is taking a page out of Lamar Odom's book and privately and publicly pleading with the Hawks not to match the offer.

"It's been very tough this summer, just sitting around and waiting for something to get done" Terry told KFAN, a Salt Lake City radio station. "I put the time in, they should have rewarded me. Utah has made it pretty tough for them . . . Hopefully, they won't."

Terry also took a shot at the fans, or lack thereof, in Atlanta.

"I'll be playing in front of more fans than I ever did in Atlanta," he said, laughing.

Because Terry is a restricted free agent, the Hawks have 15 days to match the offer.

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[Boondocks]

Well frontloading is a contract "trick" really, you can get a signing bonus of around 10% each year, which in CBA terms will be taken of your yearly salary and paid in advance. So the salary cap hit per year remains the same for salary cap /luxury tax purposes, but an amount is paid in advance. They used this trick on the Clippers since he's known for being cheap and perhaps that would make him not match a contract (didn't work with Brand or Maggette) having to shelve a truckload of money in advance.

I guess the Jazz is hoping that shelving a whole lot of money with a team that's being sold will be a problem, hence the frontloading of the contract.

[jeddelong]

Thanks for the info, I pulled my post because it was the same as yours. Jay Walker at Real GM wrote this yesterday:

The Hawks have a load of cap space available to them after two seasons, but no so much in the way of space currently, hence the dumping of Big Dog. However, the Hawks could see a front loaded contract as a godsend, matching it would provide Terry’s services for a much lower price as time went on and the team (theoretically) was improving.

I don't know who is right, though you seem to be in the know. Jay has a new article at real gm, quality.

[Gray Mule]

Does "Final" really mean, "This is all" or does it mean,

"We hope this is all we have to pay!"

If "Final" really means "Final, there ain't going to be any

more, then kiss J.T. goodby.

With all the stuff going on with the sale or attempted

sale, J.T. may be a lost cause.

Heck, if we're going to do that, let's just sell or release

all of them and start over.

Not a re-building but a building project. Remodeling an old

house can be more expensive than building a new one

and you still have an old house.

Our Atlanta Hawks may be the same. Cheaper to start

from the ground and build a new team rather than try

to fit the old pieces we have left with new ones.

Just think, 12 young, athletic players, full of Pea and

vinegar, willing to bust a gut to make a name for

themselves and for the Hawks. The more I think of

the idea, the better it sounds.

[Boondocks]

Well perhaps jay means something else, where the amount of contract per year gets less instead of the signing bonus trick used on the clippers, possible, but usually contracts rise in amount per year (max 10% for FA's, max 12.5 % for own FA's or RFA's).

We'll know soon enough how the contract is setup and other specifics.

Oh and the article where Chad got most of his info from.

http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Sep/09122003/sports/91812.asp

[Guest]

Well, the fans dont come out because basketball isn't

half the sport that football is.

[Lascar78]

seriously man, what are you still doing here? I can understand if you think the franchise sucks but you're in the area and a big basketball fan so that's why you're here, trying to bring everyone down into your depression. But if you don't like the city, you don't like the franchise, and you don't like the sport, what the fukc are you doing here? why have you wasted 4500 posts here, not to mention other basketball boards?

[Guest]

Football is ahead of basketball by a large margin. That's

my point.

[Shorti5514]

If football really is ahead of basketball then why arn't you in a football forum instead of hawksquawk? If football was so great you would "Waste" you time with hawks, or this forum.

[Guest]

Good look at NFL's ratings compaired to NBA's ratings.

I'm not the only one that feels that way. In fact, Stern

has tried to move the game overseas since he can't

draw support in the US.

[Lascar78]

the nfl ratings reflect the fact that any given team only has 16 games a year, almost always on sunday afternoons. It's not a fair comparison with a sport that has 82 regular season games

[Guest]

Aww please. Be honest, do you really think the NBA is

as or even close to as popular as the NFL? Do you really

believe that?

[Lascar78]

no I don't, but I don't think that the ratings reflect that. even if they were equally popular, the nfl would still get way better ratings

[cyman3]

wat about NFL vs MLB...?

[Diesel]

Well, Hotlanta dude, there's a cultural issue to this.

Basketball couldn't be as popular as football for one reason. Football has made Sunday it's day. Basketball plays all the time. Football only plays on Sunday and Monday Nights. Fans of football have been trained to watch football on Sundays and Monday Nights. Whereas Basketball comes on so frequently that you can't designate a day. TNT tried a few years ago. They have a campaign: Tues, Weds. Friday or something like that... and having new personalities in the studio are helping. But Basketball has a long way to go to get past the cultural effect that was built by Howard Cossell.

All that said, which game is more exciting? It's relative. If I'm watching the Lakers play the Kings that's excitement. If I'm watching the Rams play the 49ers that's excitement. However, Basketball will have those games between the Knicks and the Heat that seem to drudge on. And there will be games like the Panthers and the Redskins where it's a battle of field goals.

[Guest]

NFL markets TEAMS. NBA markets PLAYERS. In the NFL

no one player is bigger than the game of football like

MJ and Shaq have been to the NBA.

I tell you, if the NFL starts marketing Vick as a player

by himself the league WILL SUFFER in a few years. I

only started watching the NBA at the tail end of the

80's and I was just a youngster then. However, it was

about the Detroit Pistons/Celtics/Lakers and even sorta

the Hawks. Then MJ comes on and the NBA is all about

MJ... Which was fine for a few years, but the league

suffered when he retired the first and second time.

NFL is also much tougher than the NBA. Just watch NBA

players fight.... nuff said.

MLB has declined because Barry Bonds/Sammy Sosa have

become bigger than the game of baseball....And because

of all the lockouts.