Nets and Rahim

[NJNetz]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Shareef Abdur-Rahim and his wife, Dee, land in New Jersey today for two fun-filled days of gym-touring, house-hunting and chin-wagging with Bruce Ratner.



But the fact that the free-agent forward is spending more than a day here should not give the Nets the impression they are in the lead for his services, his agent warned last night.



"Please don't assume that," Aaron Goodwin said. "Is there a high level of interest in the Nets? Absolutely. And Shareef is going to spend time with upper management and Jason Kidd to get an idea of what they're about.



"But it's a big decision. And if he goes to the Nets, he's taking a huge pay cut. He's definitely going to look at it, and (coach) Lawrence (Frank) is a good friend. But he's going to make at least two other trips, too, though we haven't decided who the others are yet."



Abdur-Rahim and Frank became close during their days with the Vancouver Grizzlies, with whom Frank was an assistant from 1997 to 2000. Still, the fact that the 28-year-old is spending all this time in New Jersey ? mindful that the Nets cannot pay him as much as others might ? would seem to indicate something, would it not?



"That's my whole point," Goodwin said. "He has to take a good, long look. Because if he makes that decision (to play for the Nets), he makes it based on the fact that he wants to play for the organization, not for any monetary reason."



Abdur-Rahim's last contract was for $70.9 million, which topped out at $14.6 million. The most the Nets can realistically offer ? assuming Portland is amenable to a sign-and-trade using the Nets' $4.9 million trade exception ? is $36.75 million over six seasons.



Does that mean Goodwin will influence his client to go for the money somewhere else?



"Not at all," the agent said. "I know it's said all the time, but he's family, and I want what's best for Shareef. He knows whether it's $100 million or $5 million, if he's happy with it, I'm happy with it. Of course, it would put me out of business, but I'd be happy with it."



Goodwin laughed, then turned serious, as he conceded there is another thing in the Nets' favor: While money is always a factor, Abdur-Rahim is a grounded individual ? he has one of the longest community-relations r?sum?s in sports ? and he doesn't regard the dollar amount as the top criterion.



"That's why he's making the trip," Goodwin said. "Otherwise he would say, 'Nah, not interested.' He'll have other teams offering more. But he wants to make sure he can fit in, and he has (two young children) now, so he is taking his wife to make sure they'd be all be happy in the situation."</div>

i just realized he would be takin a paycut. this makes things lil harder

 

[Shapecity]

It's ok, Rahim has already cashed in and is looking to win at this point in his career. He's never been on a team with a .500+ record and with the MLE being closer to $5.5Million instead of $4.9Million there's a good chance for the Nets to land him. He would also get to start in NJ, but if he goes to other teams after him, Spurs & Heat, there's no guarantee he can start for either.
The Nets could also work a sign and trade with the Blazers if they didn't feel the MLE would be enough.

I would actually have to cheer for the Nets since they have two of my favorite Cal players on the same team. Jason Kidd and SAR are the best players to come out of Berkley in over a decade.

 

[NJNetz]

well hearin that from you makes me happy. if they sign and everythin goes well, i think they will be a very good team, hopefully one of the top teams.

 

[playmaker15]

This would be great for the Nets. I really hope we land him. He is an athletic frontcourt player who can nail a jumpshot in your face, our muscle it out down low.

 

[Ma3oxuct]

SAR certainly will have an easier time adjusting in NJ. The Spurs already have a power forward. The Heat have a good player in Haslem. If the Spurs or heat get SAR, he'll pretty much be eiter a back-up player or a starter with shortened minutes. With the Nets, he'll continue to be a go-to guy, as I am sure that the Nets would like to run a inside-out game. Perhaps he'll even turn out be a great passer.

My opinion is biased ofcouse

 

[playmaker15]

This move makes the Nets offense even more amazing. these guys could get you seventy to eighty points on any given night. Along with Krystic, Oh My God!!! This could give them the Atlantic division next year.

 

[Iguodala]

This would be great for the Nets.
They don"t have a solid PF and he is an awsome player i hope they get him

 

[Mr.Wade]

This move makes the Nets a lot better than their championship contending team of old, even if Kidd is older...

They need a PF and they're set at every position, and SAR is the key man. He can take them to the top.

Adding Keyon Dooling to the mix also helps.

 

[jkidd]

i cant imagine how strong they can get if they landed SAR in NJ! he is the perfect fit for the Nets system. he can do damage in the low post and still give u some outside shots, he can run the floor and keep up with our fast break game!

if ever we land SAR what do you guys think will happen with J Collins? will he be move back to the starting center or go back as a reserve?? i personally like him to go back to the bench coz for me Krstic is the better center for the team

i hope to i see this line up next season

C. Kristic
PF. Abdul rahim
SF. Jefferson
SG. Carter
PG. J. Kidd

can this get any better!!!!! a formula for success!

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The itinerary yesterday was typical for recruitment visits: He toured the practice facility in East Rutherford, met the owner, went to lunch with Lawrence Frank up in Ridgewood, and then checked out some neighboring Bergen County towns and schools with his wife.

So now the Nets are in a holding pattern, waiting for Shareef Abdur-Rahim to take at least two other trips just like this one and hoping that he found the environment appealing enough to make New Jersey his home for the next six years -- or as long as it takes the franchise to pack up and move to Brooklyn.

"The one thing everyone is missing is there's no negotiation going on here," one Nets official said yesterday, alluding to the finite amount the team can pay the free- agent forward. "Either he likes it and comes, or doesn't like it. That's all there is right now."

A limousine carrying Abdur- Rahim and his wife, Dee, pulled into the team's practice site shortly before noon, and they toured the facility for roughly two hours. He didn't stop to address the media assembled outside, nor did owner Bruce Ratner, who left earlier.

Nets president Rod Thorn, however, looked confident that the team had put its best foot forward.

"We had a nice meeting, and now he will have to look at what all his options are and decide what he wants to do," said Thorn, who took the visiting couple to dinner Wednesday night at a steakhouse in Manhattan. "Obviously, a player's timeline is a player's timeline, but from our perspective we'd like to see what can be done as quickly as possible. In case it doesn't work out, (the team must ensure that) other options aren't gone." </div>

Rahim Wine & Dine Update

 

[giftedvisionz]

Yeah, the situation looks pretty good. I have a pretty good feeling we're going to reach an agreement anytime soon. It'll probably be a sign-and-trade though, with SAR's agent of course looking for the best possible financial situation if he decides to play here.

Our team would look great on paper, but we need a few things to make the team work. Vince Carter has to be ready to run the break every time Kidd initiates it (something Kerry Kittles did well when he was here). We didn't see much of the fastbreak offense with the Nets last season, and we're probably never going to get the amount of fastbreaks that we did before with this squad, but I hope we can do it a bit more this season.

 

[jbbNJNetz]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting giftedvisionz:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, the situation looks pretty good. I have a pretty good feeling we're going to reach an agreement anytime soon. It'll probably be a sign-and-trade though, with SAR's agent of course looking for the best possible financial situation if he decides to play here.

Our team would look great on paper, but we need a few things to make the team work. Vince Carter has to be ready to run the break every time Kidd initiates it (something Kerry Kittles did well when he was here). We didn't see much of the fastbreak offense with the Nets last season, and we're probably never going to get the amount of fastbreaks that we did before with this squad, but I hope we can do it a bit more this season.</div>


Yeah I too also hoop that we can get those fastbreak points of old. So that we can get the lead and possibly keep it. Since we will have players that can score in the half game and hold that lead. As you can remember since it wasn't to far away we would have an awesome first quarter with like 15 fast break points. but we would have problems keeping the lead due to not being able to play the half court game or when the tempo got slow. Because from what i have seen with this team was less fastbreaks and bad defense, but a decent half court game. This team will be great offensively if they get their offense together. But i think defensively they are weaker then the older teams. hopefully they can step it up on the defensive end. But i dont see them running the fast breaks that often because Carter doesnt run as much, SAR and Kristic is not really that fast, so that leaves kidd and RJ.

Good luck to this team hopefully we can be back in the finals again

 

[Henacy]

I feel confident on a deal getting done soon between Rahim and the Nets as well the only team that really scares me of stealing him away is Miami. Hopefully, we can get a sign & trade with Portland done soon, leaving the mid-level available for us to start targeting some other key free angent needs like a cheap shooter, a backup for Kidd likely Keyon Dooling. But the only problem I have right now with Dooling is it seems like if we do the sign and trade with Portland for Reef, then the mid-level is going to Dooling. As much as I like him I dont think he is worth the entire mid-level, when even with the acquistion of Shareef we still have alot of holes to fill. We would still need another quality bigman to add to the rotation, cause Reef, Krstic &Collins is a decent rotation, but Krstic & Collins are extremely foul prone,so we need as much frontcourt depth as possible.

 

[lessthanjake]

SAR really got screwed in portland. the man is a great player. better than randolph in my opinion, but instead he's forced to play SF... if you remember, when he was with the hawks he averaged 21 PPG 10 RPG and was a top ten efficency guy. i think he can still do that. nets LOB next year!

 

[Henacy]

He wont be getting 21 a game hear, we have too many options offensively, I can live with 16ppg from Rahim...as a third scorer behind Carter and Jefferson. Carter giving you about 21 a game, RJ giving 18ppg, and Rahim giving you about 16 pg not to mention Kidd & Nenad who can give you about 13 a pieace, with a quality scorer like Wright off the bench...needless to say we wont be bringing up the rear in Point Per Game like last season, when we were at the buttom in team ranks. But let me not get ahead of my self...*fingers crossed in hopes of land Reef*

 

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Nets wanted to impress Shareef Abdur-Rahim on his two-day tour of New Jersey. It certainly sounds like they succeeded.
"It went real well, I thought," Abdur-Rahim said yesterday after returning home to Atlanta, where he claimed he hopes to have a decision by the end of the week.

"Everyone was so nice, and the area was great. We saw homes and schools. I had no idea New Jersey was so nice.

"Not to prolong it, but I have to talk to my agent [Aaron Goodwin] and just see what my options are," added Abdur-Rahim, who stressed the best part about New Jersey may be "Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, [Nenad] Krstic and Twin [Jason Collins]. It is a great opportunity for me."

Abdur-Rahim, the 6-9 free-agent power forward who is the hub of the Nets' offseason plans, acknowledged he has not visited anywhere else ? trips to Sacramento and Miami are planned and the Heat are "very appealing."

The Nets prefer to use their $4.9 million trade exception in a sign and trade with Portland to obtain Abdur-Rahim, a 19.8 career scorer. </div>

JERSEY SCORES ON SHAREEF TOUR

 

[Da_Future_2k5]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">It's ok, Rahim has already cashed in and is looking to win at this point in his career. He's never been on a team with a .500+ record and with the MLE being closer to $5.5Million instead of $4.9Million there's a good chance for the Nets to land him. He would also get to start in NJ, but if he goes to other teams after him, Spurs & Heat, there's no guarantee he can start for either.
The Nets could also work a sign and trade with the Blazers if they didn't feel the MLE would be enough. </div>

if he went to the Heat he wouldnt start? are u joking?

 

[Bobcats]

It depends on the situation in Miami.. If Haslem comes back, I think he will be the starter.

 

[Da_Future_2k5]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">It depends on the situation in Miami.. If Haslem comes back, I think he will be the starter.</div>

yeah right. Haslem on his best day isnt as good as Reef on his worst. learn your basketball son

 

[Bobcats]

Learn to read. I didn't say anything about Haslem being better, but if he was resigned for the contract he's rumored to sign, he's going to make over 6 million. You don't sign someone for that much to come off of the bench.

 

[mike18946]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Da_Future_2k5:</div><div class="quote_post">yeah right. Haslem on his best day isnt as good as Reef on his worst. learn your basketball son</div>

Coming from a guy who said at the start of the playoffs "the east playoffs are over" when the Heat were beating up on the lower tier teams. You have no room to tell anyone else to learn their basketball.

I would expect Shareef to be at close to his 20 and 9 career averages with Jason Kidd. Depends If RJ and Vince are willing to not score as much. With SAR the ball will go into the paint alot more. This would be a good fit for both sides.

 

[og15]

I don't know if the ball will go in the paint a lot more. SAR isn't really a low post guy, while he can play there, he's more comfortable facing up and using his mid-range game as opposed to getting down and dirty inside.

He will give them much needed scoring from the big man positions though [Kristic was doing pretty good himself], and would be a HUGE upgrade over Jason Collins.

 

[mike18946]

Just because he isn't a big time post player doesn't mean he won't demand the ball in the paint. He likes to face up and hit those running hooks in the lane. He does spend most of his time from around 15 feet but has habit of being on the block to face up. Thats one way he likes to play and having Jason Kidd to pass you the ball, he will be in the same kind of position Kenyon Martin was. Who also isn't a known post player.

 

[Henacy]

I think we will run some plays thru him in the post........but they wont always be plays for him to score...I think we can use him as a post passer as well similar to the way we used K-Mart a couple of years ago...put the bal in reefs hands 10-12 feet away from the basket and keep our wings continously slashing...before it was Jefferson and Kittles with K-mart...now it will be Jefferson and Vince with Reef....it will bring back our motion offense in the half-court which was lost last year with out even a threat of having someone who can go into the low post.

All-net, to be honest 20ppg still sounds high for him to me...our game will still be centered around the running still which means Carter & Jefferson will have the ball in their hands& see alot more touches then Shareef. 20ppg is alot from a third scorer, only way I see Reef averaging 20ppg is if Richard Jefferson scarafices some of his offense(cause I doubt Vince will to much).

And for the person who said that Reef would automatically start over Haslem in Miami that is definately false. It wont be a situation of who is better, it would be a situation of who is a better fit playing along Shaq. And last season Haslem proved that he was willing to make up for some of Shaq's shortcomings, like his sometimes lack of wanting to be a help defender....in the playoffs Haslem made up for that by covering alot of ground in the playoffs as a help defender....also a guy like Rahim would fit better in Miami's 2nd unit where he can be an offensive focus point, which he wouldnt be playing alongside Shaq...but playing alongside Zo in the 2nd unit Reef can get his touches...so Miami would go based on fit...and to me that would give Haslem a good chance of staying in the starting lineup over Shareef, at least to start the year coming out of training camp.

 

[playmaker15]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Henacy:</div><div class="quote_post">
And for the person who said that Reef would automatically start over Haslem in Miami that is definately false. It wont be a situation of who is better, it would be a situation of who is a better fit playing along Shaq. And last season Haslem proved that he was willing to make up for some of Shaq's shortcomings, like his sometimes lack of wanting to be a help defender....in the playoffs Haslem made up for that by covering alot of ground in the playoffs as a help defender....also a guy like Rahim would fit better in Miami's 2nd unit where he can be an offensive focus point, which he wouldnt be playing alongside Shaq...but playing alongside Zo in the 2nd unit Reef can get his touches...so Miami would go based on fit...and to me that would give Haslem a good chance of staying in the starting lineup over Shareef, at least to start the year coming out of training camp.</div>


That's probably why he won't go to Miami, because he will want to start. I thin that the only way that he will come to Miami is either if he will get a starting role or Haslem cashes in somwhere else.

 

[Henacy]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Nets got good news when Shareef Abdur-Rahim turned down a $47 million pact to join the Milwaukee Bucks, according to his agent</div>




<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Nets can not afford to wait too long for Abdur-Rahim, who currently visiting the Sacramento Kings, to makeup his mind. Their trade exception expires on July 29 and free agent power forwards Donyell Marshall and Stromile Swift-the Nets' second options-might be off the market.</div>


nydailynews.com

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Not really a shocker that he isnt chosing to go to Mil-town, they are trying to build up a young nucleous of players. And it will take them a while to mesh inorder to be legitimate contenders....and the coaching situation that went on makes them alot less attractive to veteran free angents.

Anyway, I think the last part of the article is key...the worst thing that can happen to the Nets is they wait for answer to long from Shareef and lose out on Marshall(who the Knicks want) or Swift(who the Knicks, Rockets and a few other teams are interested in)....New Jersey needs an answer by next week or should start to move on to either Marshall or Swift before they slip away. And the Nets end up with nothing.

 

[jkidd]

The Nets may need to do better than the midlevel exception to get Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Aaron Goodwin, Abdur-Rahim's agent, said the Nets must convince Portland to take their $4.9 million trade exception in a sign-and-trade if they want to land the free agent forward.


"It has to be a sign-and-trade," Goodwin said. "There are quite a few teams offering the midlevel. For Shareef to come, he definitely would have to get that trade exception, and get the full extent of that trade exception."

The full extent would be a six-year, $38 million deal, as opposed to a five-year, $28 million pact via the midlevel. Abdur-Rahim already turned down a five-year, $47 million offer from the Bucks, who then gave it to Bobby Simmons.

Abdur-Rahim, who visited the Nets last week, was in Sacramento on Sunday. He could go to another city later this week. Miami, San Antonio and Houston are among the teams expressing interest.

The Nets don't want to lose out on other free agent big men such as Donyell Marshall and Stromile Swift while they wait. They also would like to get penetrating guard Keyon Dooling and perhaps Darius Songaila in free agency.

Nets president Rod Thorn said it's "certainly possible" that the Nets could give Abdur-Rahim a deadline to decide, or they could step up the pursuit of the other free agents.

"We're talking, and that's the extent of it," Goodwin said. "I don't look at it as a situation where they can really deliver too much of an ultimatum. Shareef is looking at it as a great opportunity. But if he walked away from $47 million, I'm sure he'd walk away from [$38 million] for a longer period of time."




THE GOOD NEWS: Rahim turn down the bucks offer so were still in the game!

VERY BAD NEWS: Rahim turned down a 47 Million in 5 yr. contact. so it bothers me that he might not accept the 38 Million 6 yr. contract that the NETS is offering him!

does this mean we should move to option # 2!???

 

[NJNetz]

well this seems kinda bad but u never know what he is gona decide. he might sign with us

 

[Ma3oxuct]

Well, I see Portland getting $3 million cash as well as the Nets' first round pick next year.

 

[giftedvisionz]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting jkidd:</div><div class="quote_post">VERY BAD NEWS: Rahim turned down a 47 Million in 5 yr. contact. so it bothers me that he might not accept the 38 Million 6 yr. contract that the NETS is offering him!</div>

Honestly I would consider that as good news. Probably no other team would offer him that kind of money anymore at this point, and it seems SAR is more focused on winning.