Stoudamire still on the block?

Jason Quick of the Oregonian reports that Damon Stoudamire may be playing himself back into the Blazers good graces.

After another rumor-filled summer where Damon has reportedly been mentioned in trades to the Timberwolves, Knicks and Cavaliers, the point guard waiver between wanting out of Portland and wanting to prove he can beat recently acquired Jeff McInnis for the starting job. I'm tired of listening to all of this stuff," Stoudamire said during the weekend. "It's not a bad thing, but it's something that has really motivated me. I'm really looking forward to having a big year. If it's here in Portland, it's here in Portland. If it's somewhere else, it's somewhere else. But I'm looking forward to having a big year."

In a scrimmage against Team USA on Saturday, Stoudamire was impressive. Considering he was matched up against Andre Miller, he was very impressive. "I tell you what, they might not want to trade me," Stoudamire said, laughing. . "I've got something in store for everybody." Blazers assistant coach Herb Brown said, "Damon looked good, huh?"

Stoudamire has heard the rumors while working out religiously. He looks more muscular than last season and accepts the trade talk. "I have been here for five years, and I always come up in trade rumors," Stoudamire said. "But until I am gone, I am a Blazer. But the one thing I can say is that through my time here, I have always tried to please everybody and do everything for everybody else. This season, I have to -- not play for myself -- but play my game from start to finish."

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Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves

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Sixers Sign Skinner

The Sixers signed Cleveland free agent Brian Skinner to a one-year contract today. He will be penciled in as Derrick Coleman's backup at the power forward position.

With Cleveland last year, he averaged 3.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 65 games (eight starts). The four-year NBA veteran has career averages of 4.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, playing in 158 contests while starting 40 of them.

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Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers

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Paxson continues winning streak in dealing with Davis

Chris Tomasson reports that Cavaliers GM Jim Paxson is on a roll. First fleeced a future Hall of Famer. Then he outnegotiated one of the NBA's savviest agents.

Last October, Paxson got the best of Miami coach Pat Riley when the Cavs received Miami’s Ricky Davis and Toronto’s Brian Skinner in exchange for washed-up journeyman Chris Gatling. Paxson even convinced the Heat to pay Davis’ salary last season.

Last week, Paxson outsmarted Dan Fegan, one fo the best player agents in the game. Feegan had been looking for a 6-year contract averaging around $7 million per year for his client. Paxson and the Cavs only offered 3-years and $15 million. When the Davis camp balked at the Cavs' offer, Paxson sat back and waited for Davis to sign an offer sheet.

Paxson realized that no other teams would have the ability to offer more than the $4.5 million mid-level exception, so he bid accordingly. With Davis being a restricted free agent, the Cavs would ultimately get the chance to match any offer and keep Davis if he were to sign with another team.

The Cavs were prepared to wait until late September. But Minnesota did them a favor when it signed Davis to a six-year, $34 million offer sheet on Aug. 16. Paxson promptly matched the offer and Davis was a Cavalier.

In the days before the offer was matched, an apparently desperate Fegan called several newspapers and told stories about how Davis didn't want to play for the Cavs (Fegan did not call the Beacon Journal nor did he return messages seeking comment). In an interview with the Beacon Journal, Davis denied Fegan's claims. He said he does not have a problem with returning to the Cavs and he expected all along that they would match the offer sheet.

Tomasson speculates that Fegan may have been trying to get more money for his client (and a larger commission for himself) by attempting to get the teams to void the offer sheet and agree to a sign and trade. If he really wanted his client to leave Cleveland, he could have accepted a one-year deal and went into free agency next summer without “restricted” status.

So now the Cavaliers get the player they wanted, Davis is playing where he wants to play, and it will be at least six years before Paxson has to hear Fegan ask for a maximum contract for Davis. That is what they call a “win, win, win situation”.

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Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves

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