InNETSweTrust
JBB Philippines' Finest
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<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">A year after a free-agency saga that paralyzed the Nets' franchise and gave team CEO Rod Thorn about 10 days' worth of nonstop indigestion, the Nets are going through free agency for another one of their All-Stars.
This time, it's going to be a little gentler on the stomach.</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">And when you ask Thorn, who will be doing the negotiating for the Nets, whether he thinks Martin will be back in a Nets uniform, Thorn doesn't hesitate.
"I certainly hope so," Thorn said. "He's a great player."</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The teams with the salary-cap space to make a serious run at Martin include the Jazz, Nuggets, Hawks, Suns, Spurs, Pistons, and Clippers.
The Pistons, Spurs and Clippers can be pretty much ruled out as suitors right away: The Pistons because they're more worried about signing another power forward, Rasheed Wallace; the Spurs because their attention will be on Manu Ginobili and because they've already got a pretty decent power forward, Tim Duncan; the Clippers because owner Donald Sterling squeezes a penny hard enough to make Abe Lincoln wince from the grave.
The leaves the Jazz, Nuggets, Suns and Hawks.
The Suns would seem like a long shot -- they've got their hearts set on Kobe Bryant and they have two terrific forwards already in Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire.
The Jazz is a possibility, although its senior vice president of basketball operations, Kevin O'Connor, has been quoted as saying center will be first priority. That means Utah likely will be going after Erick Dampier and Mehmet Okur.
The Hawks would be happy to have someone like Martin take some of their ample salary cap room, although Martin has said he wanted to sign with a winner -- something the Hawks aren't likely to be.
"I'm not going to go anywhere where I'd be miserable -- have a bunch of money but be miserable," Martin said back in May. "It's not worth my sanity. I'm a sore loser. I don't know if you've noticed."
That leaves the Nuggets, who are the strongest possibility. People in their front office have been leaking stories for months that they'd love to sign Martin with some of their roughly $22 million in salary cap room. GM Kiki Vandeweghe, who did not return a phone call for this story, has worked with Martin in the past, and the two are close enough that they exchanged a postgame hug when the Nets were in Denver this year.
The Nuggets have said their first priority is resigning center Marcus Camby, which they can probably do for about $8 million a season. They are also believed to be interested in Ginobili, since they have a bigger need at shooting guard than they do at power forward, where they already have Nene.
But since the Spurs aren't likely to let Ginobili walk away, that leaves Martin, a players whose defensive toughness they've covet and whose ability in the fast break fits nicely with the Nuggets, who run more than anyone in the league besides the Nets.</div>
Link
I'm feeling a little better now...
This time, it's going to be a little gentler on the stomach.</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">And when you ask Thorn, who will be doing the negotiating for the Nets, whether he thinks Martin will be back in a Nets uniform, Thorn doesn't hesitate.
"I certainly hope so," Thorn said. "He's a great player."</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The teams with the salary-cap space to make a serious run at Martin include the Jazz, Nuggets, Hawks, Suns, Spurs, Pistons, and Clippers.
The Pistons, Spurs and Clippers can be pretty much ruled out as suitors right away: The Pistons because they're more worried about signing another power forward, Rasheed Wallace; the Spurs because their attention will be on Manu Ginobili and because they've already got a pretty decent power forward, Tim Duncan; the Clippers because owner Donald Sterling squeezes a penny hard enough to make Abe Lincoln wince from the grave.
The leaves the Jazz, Nuggets, Suns and Hawks.
The Suns would seem like a long shot -- they've got their hearts set on Kobe Bryant and they have two terrific forwards already in Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire.
The Jazz is a possibility, although its senior vice president of basketball operations, Kevin O'Connor, has been quoted as saying center will be first priority. That means Utah likely will be going after Erick Dampier and Mehmet Okur.
The Hawks would be happy to have someone like Martin take some of their ample salary cap room, although Martin has said he wanted to sign with a winner -- something the Hawks aren't likely to be.
"I'm not going to go anywhere where I'd be miserable -- have a bunch of money but be miserable," Martin said back in May. "It's not worth my sanity. I'm a sore loser. I don't know if you've noticed."
That leaves the Nuggets, who are the strongest possibility. People in their front office have been leaking stories for months that they'd love to sign Martin with some of their roughly $22 million in salary cap room. GM Kiki Vandeweghe, who did not return a phone call for this story, has worked with Martin in the past, and the two are close enough that they exchanged a postgame hug when the Nets were in Denver this year.
The Nuggets have said their first priority is resigning center Marcus Camby, which they can probably do for about $8 million a season. They are also believed to be interested in Ginobili, since they have a bigger need at shooting guard than they do at power forward, where they already have Nene.
But since the Spurs aren't likely to let Ginobili walk away, that leaves Martin, a players whose defensive toughness they've covet and whose ability in the fast break fits nicely with the Nuggets, who run more than anyone in the league besides the Nets.</div>
Link
I'm feeling a little better now...
