Shareef Demands a Trade

[jaywalker72]

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian...29624125660.xml

I agree that this is not like Shareef at all, but it's obvious he is very frustrated in what the last 6 months hath brought his career.

[Weez]

all of us on this board know of SAR's strength's and weaknesses as a player.

That being said, he is "in his prime" in terms of how the league and media view age and on court prowess...therefore, yes, he IS in his prime...

and no, he's not a sf...most of us here know that. He may be more of one that Randolph, but it's still not his game.

I can understand the request, and indeed, appluad SAR for doing so. He deserves to start...or at least, well, no, he deserves to start. His talents warrant that.

[Blunt91]

I wonder how Billy Knight feels about Rahim's situation since he is the one that sent him out to portland.

[Plainview1981]

Shareef isn't good enough or really important enough

of a player to be demanding a trade. I wouldn't want

him back here or in Charlotte.

[cyman3]

i honestly believe that REEF is too talented to be sitting on the bench. Whether or not u like the dude, hes almost at the ALLSTAR LEVEL (some may argue he deserved to take KENYONS place last year- if u compare numbers b4 the allstar break).

He stayed quiet for half a season and didnt complain. I think he + his agent (goodwin?) asked PAUL ALLEN to trade him in the offseason. Portland was close to the NETS trade but wanted PICKS in addition to KITTLES. Nets didnt want to give the future picks. But Portland has the right mind to ask for picks, but they dont need KITTLES as much as the NETS need REEF.

after askin the management to trade him, PORTLAND is staying quiet. So- Reef gotta do wat hes gotta do.

i would LOVE to see him in MIAMI... but theres no way that'll happen.

[Plainview1981]

Kenyon is the better defender, more athletic, can run

the floor better, plays tougher, equal rebounder, slightly

less scorer. Kenyon is the better player. Shareef scores

20PPG when you feed him the ball and don't play team

ball.

[Traceman]

When he becomes unrestricted next year, I'd certainly consider bringing him back for a salary starting at $9M or so. Reef is a very good player and one of the better PFs in the league. I actually think that he and Harrington would be a nice duo as long as we had a big Center like Damp. I'd love a lineup of:

Damp/Collier

Reef/vet min PF/C

AH/Smooth/D. Smith

Chill/Diaw/Hansen

JT/Sura/Ivey

Too bad Portland won't take Hendu/CC/Philly #1 for Reef. We could actually fit that team under the salary cap this year.

[BOShforRoy]

The stupidest thing billy knight could do now is get reef. reef won't carry the team to the playoffs and his massive salary would kill the team's chances to get a good free agent next year. knight should just pass on dampier and start preparing for next year's free agency. By the way, who will be the best free agent next year?

[Diesel]

If we traded for Reef. Say CC for Reef. Yes, we take on Reef's salary. However, it's only for the year. Yes, Reef goes back to PF... But it's only for the year.... But we have a chance at History here people....

BK has the chance to be the only GM in the History of Sports to trade a guy three times!!!

Seriously. I say if Damp doesn't fall through, we trade for Reef? Maybe CC/D. Smith for Reef. Something Cheap to us. I actually think CC would be a fine pickup for them for the year because his game could match Zach's.

Once again, we put the team on reef's Shoulders. Then by feb, we trade Reef to a team in the playoff hunt for Picks. By that time, teams like the Lakers, Spurs, and Heat will be looking for help at the Pf position. My question is what can we get.

We are only interested in good players, picks, and short contracts....

I could easily see Reef/Hansen going to GS for Dale Davis/Pietrus/Uncle Cliffy.

[beav]

well I also understand how he feels and he does make good points (miles deserves to start and portland did tell him that they are trading him), but frankly he is still under contract.

But he is not the coach and he is not the GM. They want him to go out there and play and he will be much easier to trade before the trading deadline. Also given that the Miles contract negotiations are not going anywhere they are keeping their bases covered.

And finally if Shareef is so serious about being part of a winning franchise for the *first* time in his career he could do it with a franchise that until last year was in the playoffs for about 20 straight years.

IMO he just needs to shut the he!! up and go to work. It must be horrible to have to collect that money on that huge contract.

[beav]

"Maybe CC/D. Smith for Reef. Something Cheap to us. I actually think CC would be a fine pickup for them for the year because his game could match Zach's."

Oh yeah that is a sweet trade! LOL! Maybe that trade and the Hawks first round lottery pick.

The Blazers turned down Kittles (in the last year of his contract), Lucious Harris and a NJ's first round pick what makes you think that they'd take CC?

Fine they could do it just to dump salary but Shareef's value will go way way up by the trading deadline and they already have tons of money coming off the books next summer.

[Diesel]

Let's see... If the Luxury tax starts at 55 million. And you guys are at 80 million. You contribute 50 million to cause. I would add on a 1st rounder from Philly.

I don't pretend to know why you guys didn't take Kittles. I read somewhere where Nash is a Reef fan. So maybe Reef won't be traded.

Still. When the time comes to star to look for Luxury tax relief. Atlanta and LAC are the only choices and they are not going to take reef. I doubt we will either.

[Traceman]

good FA next year? He's in the last year of his deal and at the end of the season, $14.6M comes off the books. We could either resign him for MUCH less or use that money to go get another quality FA. What's the difference between Reef's expiring contract and Hendu's/CC's expiring contracts? At least Reef would be productive until his deal expires.

[beav]

I don't know why they didn't take Kittles either. They signed Trenton Hassell (who is also a restricted FA) instead. Fine Hassell gives you great defense, but Kittles gives you above average defense and can shoot. The only reasoning I think is that Nash is sure that he can get more for him later (either forcing NJ to up the ante or waiting until the middle of the season).

Allen has been cutting corners in weird spots(he wouldn't up the ante by about a mil or so to sign payton last year, and he personally nixed the nets deal), he lost about a half billion in the stock market the last few years and now he is probably down to only about 3-4 billion. Poor guy.

[beav]

What's next for Abdur-Rahim?

For all of those hoping for a deal with the Sonics, Seattle's acquisition of Danny Fortson all but nixed the chances of sending Shareef to the Sonics, according to the Seattle Times:

Acquiring (Fortson) ends all speculation that the Sonics might trade for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is being shopped in Portland, or attempt to lure restricted free agent Stromille Swift from Memphis.

According to league sources, the Shareef's pricetag was too high for Seattle:

Seattle refused to part with its core players, which nixed talks with Portland...

So which teams out there need a power forward and have big salaries to make the numbers work? Cleveland could use a '4' (unless you think Drew Gooden is the power player they're looking for. I see him more as a 'tweener, personally).

Cavs' center Zydrunas Ilgauskas makes $14.625, an identical match to Shareef's salary. And his contract also comes off the books at the end of the season.

Chicago is looking for a talented frontcourt player, and they'd really like to dump either Antonio Davis (2 years, $25 million remaining) or Eddie Robinson (2 years, approx. $14 million) in any trade. Portland would probably be looking to take a big, young player off Chicago's hands, so perhaps a Robinson-Tyson Chandler-Scottie Pippen (to make the salaries work) offer would get it done. But is Paul Allen willing to take on contracts like those?

There have been rumors that Portland and Toronto have been talking, but it's hard to imagine the Raps trading Vince Carter away without getting a superstar in return, but with the Raptors trying Chris Bosh out at the '3' this summer, maybe this deal could have legs after all.

Meanwhile, ESPN's Chad Ford says Darius Miles is in a tight spot:

Of the players left on the board, only Dampier, Swift, Jamal Crawford and Darius Miles are worth more than the mid-level. However, given the market, all of them might be forced to accept it or take their team's one-year tender offer.

It's being reported that Denver, a place Miles visited earlier this month, would have to clear some cap space in order to make a run at Miles. Yesterday's Denver Post says the says the Nuggets are looking to deal Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

[BOShforRoy]

sorry, i didn't know that reef was in least year of his contract, my bad.

[Traceman]

has fallen. POR can't get a good deal for a 27 yr old PF who has career averages of over 20 ppg and 8 rbg who is in the final year of his contract. When Kittles/Williams/#1 is the best offer you can attract, that says it all.

I still like Reef and I think he is a solid player, just not a player worthy of the huge money he is currently receiving. Next year as a UFA, I think he will get a lot of solid offers at a more reasonable salary and that will make his stock go up again.

[danny23]

My take on this is that Portland will hang on to Reef till they have a contract extension in place with Randolph. His contract will also expire at the end of the year. I'm sure he will ask for a max salary because of his numbers though Portland may not think he's worth it. Having Reef around helps strengthen their bargaining position.

Also, if Randolph doesn't improve his D and passing this year, Portland may just decide to keep Reef (for about $3 mil per year less than Randolph would cost them) and move Zach in a sign-and-trade for a younger player (Carter?), completing their makeover.

[JB20]

No way anyone takes Chris freakin Crawford for a guy that can still give 18 and 8 per game. No way. Doesn't matter if the salaries work. Doesn't matter if the games compliment each other. You don't trade a guy that's got game for a crappy player that only got time and shots because his front office traded his entire team away.

Diesel, be realistic, one time.

[vonrauss]