WOULD Nets owner Bruce Ratner love to reduce payroll? Other than a select few, what NBA owner doesn’t?
League revenues are guaranteed to go down roughly 10 percent next season, meaning a consequent drop in the luxury tax number. At the same time, in-place salaries will continue to escalate incrementally 8-10 ½ percent. Should the luxury tax decline, say, $4-to-5 million, a bunch of teams, whose longterm financial strategy when assembling their rosters was to remain just below the originally projected number, will be on the hook to pay double for every dollar that exceeds it.
With that in mind, contrary to a Yahoo! report, the Nets have had no conversation with the Cavaliers since mid-February regarding Vince Carter for anybody, much less Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace, who talked about retiring but is not about to forfeit $14M.
Zero!
Would Ratner love to be save $33M, which is what Carter is owed over the next two seasons? No doubt. But only if the Nets got to keep his 20-point average, sprinkled with plenty of 30s and a few 40s. Or could get a cheaper clone who, don’t forget, also must donate five assists and five rebounds per outing.
Aren’t many of those featured creatures roaming around the NBA tundra . . . at least who can be had. Carter probably can be had — that’s why the Cavs, Spurs and Blazers all thought seriously or talked deliriously about getting him just prior to last February’s trade deadline — but not for rotten bananas.
Want Carter? Gotta give to get! And at this moment, the Nets are engaged in no substantive trade talks.
Zero!
The Blazers’ mental pursuit of Carter, Gerald Wallace and another small forward in their breed, whose name escapes me, was about taking pressure off Brandon Roy to carry the team offensively in the playoffs. They decided against tampering with chemistry. However, in light of how Roy was converged upon like bouncers in a bar fight, the new plan is recruit a free agent veteran (Hedo Turkoglu, specifically) or acquire one.
“No disrespect to Hedo, but he’s not consistent enough for the kind of money I expect he’ll demand ($11M per; four years),” an east coast executive declared. “He wants the ball with the game on the line and responds real well under pressure, but then he’ll disappear for a game or two. That’s all that’s stopping him from becoming a perennial All-Star.”
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Evidently, Kevin McHale received an “offer” to return as Timberwolves coach after all . . . if you can call it that. One GM disclosed — and another confirmed — newly installed team president David Kahn insisted McHale accept Mike Fratello as his lead assistant on a one-year make-good.
Wonder if the same sideline condition will apply for every other candidate? Mark Jackson knows he needs to encircle himself with experienced help. Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff had committed to him, but transferred allegiance to Bulls tenderfoot Vinny Del Negro when he didn’t get the Knicks job. Still, the last thing anyone needs is an overly ambitious guy like Fratello coveting your job before commencement exercises get underway.
In that same vein, sources say Jim Eyen — Mike Dunleavy’s right-hand man with the Bucks, Lakers and Clippers — will become Paul Westphal’s top aide with the Kings.
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Why can’t I shake the sneakin’ suspicion Joe Dumars plans to overhaul the loaded-with-cap-room Pistons in one summer swoop by trading Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince?
I see no reason why the champion, money-manufacturing Lakers can’t re-sign Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza at fair market value and use their mid-level exception to sign Jason Kidd for three years to share ball handling responsibilities with Kobe Bryant.
I’m still trying to decide whether to start promoting Andrew Bynum as this era’s Joe Barely Cares.
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Mike Bibby can’t guard a pulled hamstring and got post-toasted by both Mo Williams and Delonte West, but his shooting helped the Hawks get to the second round. As long as David Falk is realistic, I predict Bibby will get a million or so above mid-level for two-three years. If Agent Orange pushes the envelope, look for GM Rick Sund to renounce him and gain $14.9M in cap space.
As my rep, Falk told me following a futile NBC negotiation, “Hey, I’m only as good as my client’s talent.”
While the Raptors’ intention is to keep Chris Bosh, who is not remotely being shopped, but he can be had for a knock-’em-dead offer — a prime time player, another starter, a No. 1 pick and cash. Sources say there has yet to be a single concrete proposal that comes close to blowing anybody that matters (Bryan Colangelo) away.
What makes Don Nelson or Monta Ellis think he can play point guard?
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Oklahoma City has one chance of getting the Clippers attention regarding a possible trade for the pick-of-the-litter-draft rights to Blake Griffin: Begin the dialogue with: “We’re offering Kevin Durant.” Past that, it ain’t happenin’.
I see Hillary Clinton fell and broke her right elbow. While she is not scheduled to undergo surgery until next week, Bill Clinton — thinking only about his wife’s well-being — already has begun interviewing nurses.
Tim Donaghy, released from the pokey Monday, is set to serve the rest of his 15-month sentence at a Tampa halfway house. Based on this postseason’s referee performance, column castigator Frank Drucker underlines, “Donaghy is 8-5 to work next postseason.”