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Lewis gives ultimatum

to the Sonics

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Mailbag: Is it time for the Sonics to start talking sign-and-trade for Lewis? | Are the Bucks done dealing? | "Jersey-gate" rocks the Cavs | Peep Show

Updated NBA Free Agent Watch

Updated NBA Depth Charts

Give this to Rashard Lewis. He may be only 22 and may have skipped college, but the kid isn't stupid.

Lewis drew a line in the sand this weekend when he told the Tacoma News Tribune that if the Sonics don't substantially up their seven-year, $60 million offer, "Then I will be a Dallas Maverick."

Exactly how much more is Lewis looking for? "I can't say. I can't discuss money right now. But it would have to be a lot more than $60 million."

While much has been made about the pay cut Lewis would have to take to play in Dallas (the Mavs can only offer him a three-year, $15 million deal), Mavs owner Mark Cuban says the cut isn't as big as you'd think.

"Rashard has a great grasp of the business and accounting aspect of the differences in the offerings of the Mavs and Sonics," Cuban told the Seattle Times. "Not only does he understand that there is less than $2 [million] in difference between the offers pre-tax, he has a complete grasp of the accounting elements of the deal. [He] realizes that after federal income tax and NBA escrow tax, there is a difference of less than $1 [million] in the first year and not more than that in the next two years."

Lewis, apparently, agrees. "If I signed a contract for $60 million, the starting salary would be, what, $6 million?" Lewis told the News Tribune. "Actually, it would be $6.25 million. "The mid-level exception is $4.5 million. To me, $2 million is not that big a difference. Don't get me wrong. It is a lot of money. But it is not that big a difference."

While the revelation clearly isn't good news for the Sonics, the team isn't cooked yet. Lewis said he would put off his decision until after Desmond Mason's wedding. He said he wants to get a deal done in the next "two or three weeks. I wanted it to be over a long time ago, but now I'm planning on signing before the end of the month." In other words, he's giving the team plenty of time to come to the table with a better offer. If the Sonics don't want to spend the money, a sign-and-trade isn't impossible.

Lewis said he has spoken with Dallas, Houston, Miami, Chicago and Cleveland.

Lewis says he wants better offer

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

Mavs set for shot at Lewis

Percy Allen / Seattle Times

Mailbag: Is it time for the Sonics to start talking sign-and-trade for Lewis?

I've gotten lots of e-mail over the past few weeks wondering what happened to the mailbags. It's an incredibly slow morning, and despite a Friday evening trade, things are still moving along at a snail's pace. Expect this year's free-agent drizzle to fall well into September when players start getting desperate and begin signing minimum deals.

Q: Seattle is not in dire straits as you say. The fact is the Sonics are barely a playoff team with Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis. If I am rebuilding, why do I get myself in the same contact hassle as I had with Baker? I am going to clear cap space and use it on impact players, not guys who have major holes in their game like Lewis. He is soft and does not play any defense. Sound familiar? Payton is at the end of a good career. I would not invest a ton of money into him. Trade him if he wants it and pick up some young talent. Whatever happens, they are not going to win the championship next year. So why blow a bunch a money? -- Larry Ulsh, Seattle

FORD: I think the Sonics are wrestling with the same question. Though publicly they still maintain that they want to build around Lewis, internally they're not so sure they can. They learned a painful lesson with Vin Baker and don't want to repeat their mistake. If they overpay for Lewis and he doesn't progress, this team will be in rebuilding limbo forever. Lewis is demanding that the Sonics up their offer, but I'm not so sure they will. They may be better off saving that money for next summer. As it stands, if they sign Lewis to the $60 million deal that's on the table, they won't have the money to both re-sign Payton and sign Jason Kidd as a free agent. The idea of that dream backcourt just isn't going to happen. And why would Kidd leave the Nets for a team in Seattle that doesn't have a real shot of winning the West? While it's painful to say that the team should just let Lewis slip away, the alternative, overpaying for him, could have a more damaging effect in the long term. Instead, what the Sonics must decide is whether it's time to call up teams like the Bulls and Rockets and see what kind of sign-and-trade options are out there. They don't want to lose Lewis and get nothing in return.

I've maintained all summer that if the negotiations with Lewis get out of hand, the Sonics should work something out with the Bulls that lands them Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer in return. While neither Crawford nor Fizer is proven, they both have talent and fit team needs. Fizer could step in immediately and become the team's starting power forward. Crawford could be groomed for a year behind Payton before eventually taking over. The Bulls are looking for a sweet-shooting small forward, and if they renounce Charles Oakley and Travis Best, they'll have the cap room to work around the base-year compensation problems that always plague sign-and-trades. While Lewis seems to be leaning toward Dallas, he'd jump at the chance to get his money and play for the Bulls.

Q: What were the Bucks smoking when they shipped the Big Dog off to the Hawks? They were a game away from the NBA Finals two years ago . . . why blow the team up just because the team was plagued by injuries last season? Kukoc is over the hill, the first-round pick will be a marginal one, and as much as I too want to see Tim Thomas live up to his huge contract, he's no Big Dog. Am I missing something? -- Pete Meyer, Milwaukee

FORD: No question, the Bucks come up short on this trade if you look solely at the talent. The Big Dog is an All-Star who will give you 21 points per game. But teams look at more than talent when they make trades like this. The Bucks will save roughly $17 million over the next three years by shipping away the Big Dog. This year they free up almost $2 million, which should be enough to let them pursue a free agent this summer. I think, in the end, though, this was a chemistry move. Robinson was stubborn, didn't play "George Karl" basketball and spent too much time skipping practice with various injuries. The team slipped away from Karl toward the end of the season and I suspect he thought that Robinson (and Cassell) were the ring leaders. The move also allows them to get playing time for Tim Thomas and ultimately lottery pick Marcus Haislip. Thomas has yet to show he has what it takes to be a star, but the Bucks were never going to find out for sure until they moved Robinson. Thomas is taller, more versatile and a better defender, but he'll never be the offensive force Robinson was, but that may be a good thing. Bucks sources say the bigger factor was that there was just two much selfishness on the offensive end. There just weren't enough basketballs for Robinson, Ray Allen and Cassell. But you have to wonder, is this team really better than the 2001 version? Sadly, it looks like the Bucks have missed their fleeting window of opportunity.

Q: I'm not sure exactly how much cap room the San Antonio Spurs will have in the summer of 2003, now that they've re-signed Malik Rose and Bruce Bowen. How much room under the cap would the Spurs have if Duncan opts out of his contract in the summer of 2003, and would his new contract count against the salary cap (bird rights)? -- Ian Palomo, San Antonio

FORD: Right now the Spurs still have enough to re-sign Duncan to the max and also give the max to one more player. That's why the team is balking at an offer by the Cavs that would send Antonio Daniels and Steve Smith to Cleveland for Lamond Murray, Chris Mihm and Tyrone Hill. While Hill and Mihm wouldn't really impact their cap situation next year, Murray is owed $22 million over the next four years. That would force the Spurs to work out a sign-and-trade for a max player. Of course, the word around the league is that they'll make a major push for Jason Kidd next summer. Given that they already have two promising young point guards, Tony Parker and Speedy Claxton, a sign-and-trade isn't entirely out of the question. If the Nets were sure that Kidd had no intention of re-signing, grabbing the up-and-coming Parker wouldn't be a bad consolation prize. The Spurs do like Murray and feel that he would be a nice offensive weapon behind Duncan. Mihm is a wild card, but the team needs to start thinking about replacing David Robinson now. Daniels and Smith are both in the last year of their contracts and don't figure into the long-term future of the team. Right now, however, negotiations are stalled. The Cavs don't really want to give up Mihm, and don't really want to take Smith on for one season. The Spurs are balking at a straight up Murray-for-Daniels trade. The Cavs are working the phones, trying to find a third team willing to take Murray and send on a player in the last year of his contract in return, but at present, there aren't any takers.

Q: After looking at your free-agent report, I think the real reason the NBA is anxious to get Charlotte a new expansion team is to give all of the veteran retreads a place to work in the new marketplace. With so many teams on the tax bubble, the only way a lot of guys will get run is if the NBA makes more player slots, which will only come about with expansion. The days of teams stashing young talent on the bench with sore knees is gone (I guess Utah, when it refused to do that a few years back, was pretty prescient, eh?) -- Steve Box, Sacramento, Calif.

FORD: Middle class players are the ones really getting the squeeze this year under the collective bargaining agreement. Top players are still getting max contracts, a few good but not great players are seeing substantial long-term deals, but for the most part, free agents are having to settle for considerably less than the standard mid-level exception. Only three players have signed a long-term contract worth more than $20 million this summer. Even promising free agents like Keon Clark and Matt Harpring are feeling the belt tighten. The problem, of course, is the luxury tax. Teams can barely afford to have two max players on their roster without incurring the tax. If they add a third, they're basically forced to skimp on the remaining nine players on their roster. And, as you pointed out, roster slots are disappearing. More teams are planning on only fielding 12-man rosters this year. Just a few years ago most teams had 14 or 15 players. That means a lot of good players, mostly veterans, will be stuck without jobs and forced to either sign a contract for the veteran's minimum or sit out the year. Expect things to change when the CBA expires. With only four or five players a year getting the max, expect the majority of players to push for something more equitable. Several teams are hoping that what eventually happens is the league actually lowers the scale for max contracts to something more manageable. If players contracts were capped off at $8 or $10 million, there would be a lot more wealth to spread around to the rest of the players in the league.

Q: Any reason why we are getting a daily Denver Nuggets update? Every day it seems they are either written about or featured in the peep show portion. This is one of the worst teams in the history of the league and I would dare say the least recognizable franchise in pro basketball. Are you from Denver or something? -- Matt Velthouse, Grand Rapids, Mich.

FORD: I'm not from Denver, but the point is well taken. The epic mini-series known as the Nuggets' coaching search has kept the team in the peeps for months. How bad have things gotten in Denver? Three NBA assistant coaches have withdrawn their name from consideration for the open head coaching position. When was the last time any NBA assistant coach passed up a chance to run his own show? It gets worse. On a popularity scale, the Nuggets rank somewhere below curling in Denver. A survey of ESPN.com users in Denver found that only four percent of sports fans in that city rank the Nuggets as their favorite local team. Only 40 percent of basketball fans in Denver rank the Nuggets as their favorite NBA team. That's right folks, a majority of NBA fans in Denver cheer for someone other than the Nuggets. Maybe we should take the hint?

Dealing of Dog was all about change

Michael Hunt / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

On 'rebate,' there is debate

Peter May / Boston Globe

Are the Bucks done dealing?

There's still plenty to sort through in the aftermath of the Bucks-Hawks trade that sent Glenn Robinson to Atlanta for Toni Kukoc.

The Hawks got another prolific scorer in Robinson, but didn't address their backcourt problems. The team cannot afford to play Jason Terry and rookie Dan Dickau together. The Hawks maintain they're not shopping Terry, which means that either they'll start Terry at point guard (where he's struggled) and use DerMarr Johnson and Dion Glover at the two guard slot, or, Dickau and Terry will be playing together. Don't count out some sort of package deal that sends Terry and center Nazr Mohammed somewhere in return for a top-flight point guard.

But there are bigger issues swirling around the Bucks. The Bucks were shopping just about everyone this summer and may not be done. Sam Cassell is also in George Karl's doghouse. League sources told Insider this weekend that the Bucks will continue to shop Cassell and would move him for the right offer. Karl still pines for Gary Payton and given the latest developments with Payton and the Sonics, a trade isn't out of the question. Several other teams, including the Pacers, Heat, Celtics, Cavs, T-Wolves, Nuggets, Knicks and Warriors, are looking for a veteran point guard and Cassell (who makes just $4.5 million this year) comes at the right price. He recently inked an extension, so whoever gets him, can have him locked up for a while.

Furthermore, the Chicago Tribune reported this weekend that the Bulls had been making an all-out push for Kukoc, offering Eddie Robinson in return. The team wanted to add the former Bulls star as a mentor. According to the Tribune, the Bucks-Hawks deal is a blow to the Bulls, who realized after summer-league play that Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler are not ready to be regular contributors. They were hoping to take the pressure off them with veterans such as Kukoc and possibly Matt Harpring.

Kukoc won't be more than a backup in Milwaukee and the ongoing problems with Cassell don't bode well for his future, so don't be surprised to see Milwaukee and Chicago find a third team interested in Cassell and Robinson, who can make things happen.

Robinson trade spoils Bulls' plans

Sam Smith / Chicago Tribune

"Jersey-gate" rocks the Cavs

They're already calling it "Jersey-gate" in Cleveland, and after reading Lamond Murray's bizarre fax to the Cleveland media, you'll understand why.

Murray, the Cavs' leading scorer, obviously feels threatened by the arrival of Darius Miles. So threatened, in fact, that he sent a fax to local media outlets, printed on plain white paper with his signature at the bottom, demanding a trade. While playing time is now clearly as issue for Murray, who plays the same position as Miles, it is an apparel issue that caught everyone's attention.

Miles, according to his agent, sells the seventh-most jerseys of anyone in the NBA. You can't even find a Murray jersey in the Cavs' own team shop. Here's Murray's statement:

"To whom it may concern: I'm glad I had the opportunity to work for Mr. Gund. I tried my best to fulfill my obligations to the team and to the city. I've kept my professionalism up until this point, but every year we keep rebuilding a house on no foundation. Ask yourself, how many promises would you keep believing, if you were leading the team with scoring, and your family and fans can't even purchase your jersey from the team store? The question from the beginning has been, and still is, 'What is my role?' Play me or trade me."

While clearly the Cavs are trying to ship Murray out of town, it's nevertheless embarrassing that the team neglected its leading scorer to the point that you couldn't even get a jersey.

Ed Markey, Cavs vice president of communications, confirmed to the Akron Beacon Journal that Murray, who led the Cavs in scoring last season with a 16.6 average, does not have a jersey for sale in CavsTown, a store in Gund Arena.

"Aramark [a company that also handles Gund Arena concessions] runs the team shop, not the Cavs," said Markey, indicating that jerseys only were available last season of players Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Trajan Langdon and Andre Miller. The latter two are no longer with the team. "They make decisions on what to carry and on what things are new and different and hot when it comes to jerseys."

Zydrunas Ilgauskas new? Trajan Langdon hot? Please.

Still, Beacon Journal writer Chris Tommassen writes that Murray's other point, that the Cavs seem to be stuck in a constant state of rebuilding, should be the thing that alarms Cavs fans.

"Plan 9 from Outer Space, the 1959 science-fiction stinker, is widely regarded as the worst movie in history. There might now be a sequel: Plan 10 from Gund Arena. This is not to suggest the sequel will be as bad as the original, although that's not out of the question. It's more to suggest that the Cavs are on about their 10th plan since Jim Paxson took over as general manager in the summer of 1999. One week, the Cavs are looking for experienced players; the next week, they're seeking youngsters. One week, the Cavs want to sign players to long-term contracts; the next week, they're seeking short-term deals."

Murray puts displeasure in writing

Chris Tomasson / Akron Beacon-Journal

Paxson's plans change from week to week

Chris Tomasson / Akron Beacon-Journal

Cavs' housecleaning won't be complete until Murray is gone

Bud Shaw / Cleveland Plain Dealer

Peep Show

T-Wolves, Mavs: A N.Y. Daily News report over the weekend that claimed that the Mavs were trying to get their hands on Kevin Garnett were dismissed as "pure speculation" by Mavs owner Mark Cuban, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. The Daily News reported in Sunday's editions that the Mavericks would "happily move everyone short of Don Nelson fave Dirk Nowitzki to get the deal done" with Minnesota. Cuban said the team hasn't made an effort to acquire KG, but then added, "But if he were offered to us, we obviously would have to consider it." Just to put the numbers in perspective, the Mavs would have to trade Michael Finley, Steve Nash, Avery Johnson and Shawn Bradley just to make the numbers work. Then again, maybe the Mavs should forget about Lewis and pick up the phone with the T-Wovles. Garnett might be worth it . . .

T-Wolves: Speaking of the Wolves, the team is expected to make an offer to free-agent center Rasho Nesterovic soon. Agent Bill Duffy said he expects the Timberwolves to submit a contract proposal within two weeks. Duffy wouldn't specify how much money the Wolves' starting center wants but said he expects it to be "an interim-to-long-term contract." "This will be a very important decision in his career, and we're eager to see what the Timberwolves are looking at," Duffy told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "We're waiting for them to submit a proposal... . then Rasho will have time to study it and think about it."

Blazers: Agent Bill Strickland said the Blazers' talks with Jeff McInnis are "progressing" and that his "fate may be known to all" as early as next week. Strickland, who also represents Blazers free agent Bonzi Wells, said talks also are moving forward on that front. "Things are progressing and we continue our discussions with both players," Strickland told the Oregonian.

Jazz: Add Utah to the list of teams wooing Matt Harpring. The Jazz had a face-to-face meeting in Atlanta on Thursday with Harpring and his agent, Richard Howell, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Several other teams, including the Heat, Bulls and even the Sixers, have also shown interest in Harpring.

Knicks: It looks like those Michael Doleac-to-the-Knicks stories were a bit premature. According to the N.Y. Daily News, Knicks president Scott Layden has concerns over Doleac's left ankle. Doleac broke the ankle last season and had to miss 30 games. If the Knicks think there's still a problem, look for them to go elsewhere for help in the middle.

Nuggets: Sorry Matt, another Nuggets update. Kentucky coach Tubby Smith became the latest to deny he has interest in the Nuggets' head coaching gig despite the fact that the Denver Post keeps naming him as a dark horse candidate. "I said I wasn't a candidate for any job; I'm still not a candidate," he told the Lexington Herald. "I don't know why they keep writing my name."

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[JTFan31]

Thanks Dolfan for the insider, even though ESPN is never gonna see the picture that JT is a PG just like Kidd, B. Davis. Miller, Francis, Cassell, Nash etc... When are these fools gonna ever admit that JT is a PG, damn they really have some thick heads.

[Admin]

I know it pisses me off. Its said SOOO much in the media that there are times when I question if us true fans are really right. Then Lon completely backed our feelings up last week when he flat out said JT at the 1 and the competition is open at SG. I loved hearing that. I still worry though that we may be shopping JT, if not now then sometime next year. It scares me a bit to think that we would actually trade a young star for an aging vet, but I am gonna give Pete/Knight the benefit of the doubt that they wont do something foolish.

[andycard69]

If there is one thing Babs does well its trade. He isnt going to trade JT away foolishly, if he trades him. His worst trade was the Smith trade and in the end it worked well b/c it got his contract off the books and we gained cap space used to further the team. If we trade JT it will be for an established player who is entering his prime, not a washed up player who is winding down (Payton)