Fragen und Antworten » ve cap room, they can use it on raises for guys w

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- One night last week, after even more rain fell here and forced LSUs football team into its indoor practice facility, Tigers coach Les Miles sat in his office, nibbling on a burrito bowl while pondering a reporters question.Has a college football coach ever survived an attempted coup and come back even stronger?As hard as Miles tried, he couldnt immediately remember an example. There were a few times in recent college football history when a group of boosters or an athletics director tried to overthrow a popular coach, but theyve been few and far between. And two of the more-high profile instances in recent history had mixed results.In November 2003, two days before Auburn played Alabama in the Iron Bowl, then-Auburn athletics director David Housel, university president William Walker and two trustees secretly interviewed Louisville coach Bobby Petrino about replacing Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville. Tuberville survived to guide his team to a perfect 13-0 record the next season and spent five more seasons coaching the Tigers.Recently, after Texas was up and down under former coach Mack Brown from 2010 to 2012, two influential UT boosters contacted Nick Sabans agent, Jimmy Sexton, to inquire about the possibility of Saban coaching the Longhorns. Brown made it clear he didnt want to retire and returned, but lasted only one more season. He was forced out after the Longhorns finished 8-5.Now, as Miles begins his 12th season at LSU with Saturdays opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field (3:30 ET, ABC), he finds himself in similar uncertainty.It has been more than nine months since Miles survived a not-so-secret coup attempt that nearly cost him his job. With the Tigers mired in a three-game losing streak heading into their 2015 regular-season finale against Texas A&M, there were widespread media reports that a group of disgruntled and influential boosters were prepared to pay $15 million to fire him.Only after the Tigers defeated the Aggies 19-7 at Tiger Stadium on Nov. 28 did someone in power at LSU finally end the speculation and say Miles was going to remain their coach. LSU president F. King Alexander informed Miles of the decision in the locker room immediately after the game, and then athletics director Joe Alleva broke the news during a postgame news conference.I think there are a lot of reasons for our play through that three-game stretch, Miles said. I felt like I was in good shape.The reports of his demise were so fast and furious during a two-week stretch before the Texas A&M game that he and his players werent sure what was true. Miles, who has guided the Tigers to a 112-32 record, two SEC titles and the 2007 national championship, insists he didnt spend much time figuring out who was conspiring to oust him.Absolutely not, Miles said. I didnt try to spend any time trying to figure it out. It wouldnt have done me any good anyhow. I want to enjoy the people I work with, and thats really the key piece. Did I hear rumors and innuendo? Sure, you betcha. But it doesnt do you any good.Miles couldnt have known at the time that it was only the beginning of what would become an offseason of survival in Baton Rouge. When No. 5 LSU kicks off against the Badgers on Saturday, the Tigers and their fans will finally have reason to cheer. Perhaps no place in the country needs a joyful distraction more.And the past couple of months showed LSU never needed its popular coach more.I signed every kid thats back there, Miles said. I hired every coach. Im at a place where the stadium fills up, and they believe the Tigers are fixing to kick somebodys behind, and Im right there with them. The community and the state have provided great opportunities for my family and this is home. I have never -- not for a second -- thought any differently.For the past two months, Baton Rouge has been at the center of the countrys racial tension. On July 5, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed while being held on the ground by two white police officers. Sterlings death sparked massive protests in Baton Rouge and other cities around the country.On July 17, Gavin Long, a 29-year-old black man from Kansas City, ambushed police officers responding to a 911 call on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, not far from Miles home. Three officers were shot and killed and three others were seriously injured. Miles knew one of the slain officers, Montrell Jackson, a six-year veteran of the Baton Rouge Police Department.We could hear the sirens from our home, Miles said.In the wake of the tragedies, Miles spoke out against violence. He talked to his players about the incidents and encouraged high school coaches across the state to do the same. Miles visited the families of slain and injured police officers, and urged his players to take a more active role in the community to help heal festering wounds.During Baton Rouges greatest time of need, the coach that at least a few LSU boosters no longer wanted took the lead in trying to unite his city.I didnt learn anything new about him because hes good at that stuff, Alleva said. Hes really good in the community and hes really good at stepping up when there are problems and distress. He did it before with Hurricane Katrina. I think hes been very helpful in helping soothe things over and making things better in Baton Rouge.Tragically, even more heartache was yet to come. Earlier this month, the skies opened and more than 20 inches of rain fell on Baton Rouge and other parts of the state. According to meteorologists, the no-named storm dumped three times as much rain on Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Thirteen people were killed and more than 145,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the historic flooding.East Baton Rouge Parish suffered devastating damage. The parents of a handful of LSU players were affected by flooding, and tight ends coach Steve Ensminger and his family lost their home. Longtime LSU radio announcer Jim Hawthorne and his wife had to be rescued from their house, and LSU athletics department personnel participated in other rescues. The Tigers also opened the Carl Maddox Field House, a track and field venue, as a shelter for displaced residents.Miles wont allow himself to think about what might have happened if he had been coaching somewhere else. After 11 seasons at LSU, he knows the area as well as anyone and is part of its fabric. His four children attended high school in Baton Rouge. His oldest daughter, Kathryn, whom he still calls Smacker, is a swimmer at the University of Texas. His oldest son, Manny, is a backup quarterback at North Carolina, and his youngest son, Ben, a senior fullback at Catholic High, has committed to play at Nebraska next season. His youngest daughter, Macy, is a star softball player.This place is home, Miles said. My children were raised here. When they say they want to come home and see their friends, theyll come to Baton Rouge.If a few LSU boosters had their way, though, Miles wouldnt be coaching the Tigers this season. A common worry among LSU fans: The Tigers are going to waste star tailback Leonard Fournette, much like the mens basketball team wasted forward Ben Simmons last season. Simmons was only the fourth No. 1 pick in the NBA draft who didnt play in the NCAA tournament. LSU fans cant imagine having Fournette for three seasons -- hes expected to enter the NFL draft as a junior after this season -- without winning an SEC championship.One player does not make a team, Alleva said. There have been a lot of examples where theres a great player that has never won a championship. How many championships did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar win in the NBA until he hooked up with Magic Johnson?Last season proved that Fournette cant do it alone. The New Orleans native ran for nearly 2,000 yards in 12 games in 2015 and was considered a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. But as LSUs passing game floundered, defenses eventually found a way to slow him down. After leading the Tigers to a 7-0 record and No. 2 ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings, he averaged only 1.6 yards on 19 carries in a 30-16 loss at Alabama on Nov. 7. Then the Tigers lost their next two games, 31-14 to Arkansas and 38-17 to Ole Miss. It was the first time since 1966 that LSU lost three straight games by 10 points or more.Alleva, who was lured to LSU from Duke in 2008, insists that he never came close to firing Miles, despite the Tigers late-season collapse.My philosophy has always been to evaluate a program at the end of the season, Alleva said. I said I would do that and nobody wanted to listen to me. I guess I could have said after we lost three games, Hes our coach and hes staying. But my deal has always been Ill tell you whats going to happen after the last game. I waited until the last game and said, Hes our coach and hes staying.But others close to the LSU program arent so sure Miles wasnt on the chopping block. Alexander told reporters in December that he made the decision to keep Miles during a meeting with Alleva and members of the LSU Board of Supervisors at halftime of the Texas A&M game. Alexander said he didnt believe paying Miles a $15 million buyout -- as well as another $5 million to pay off his assistant coaches -- was a prudent move at a time when the universitys overall operating budget was being drastically reduced by the state legislature.Alleva admitted to reporters that he made inquiries about coaching candidates in case Miles was fired, but never directly contacted a potential successor. LSUs decision to keep Miles was made on the same day Jimbo Fisher announced he was staying at Florida State. Fisher, a former LSU assistant, was considered the No. 1 candidate to replace Miles if a change was made.At least one former LSU assistant believed the university was working to oust Miles more than two years ago. Former Tigers defensive coordinator John Chavis, now at Texas A&M, told Miles that LSU officials were treating him like former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, who was fired after the 2008 season. Under a new provision added to LSU assistants contracts, their deals wont be fully honored if Miles is fired or resigns.This kind of reminds me of Phillip Fulmer, Chavis told Miles in 2014, according to a deposition filed in LSUs ongoing civil lawsuit against Chavis. LSU is trying to make Chavis pay a $400,000 buyout for leaving for Texas A&M.LSUs players arent sure what would have happened if they hadnt beaten the Aggies to finish the regular season.Everybody in that locker room knew what we were playing for against Texas A&M and we wanted to go out there and do it for him, guard William Clapp said. We really didnt know what the parameters were, but we knew we wanted to win to save his job or win to send him out right. We were going to win for him.After beating the Aggies, the Tigers defeated Texas Tech 56-27 in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl to finish 9-3 (their Sept. 5 opener against FCS foe McNeese State was canceled because of lightning, which probably cost Miles an eighth 10-win season).Nine months later, its still unclear what the Tigers have to do this season for Miles to keep his job. His teams have averaged 10 wins per season and theyve won nearly twice as many games against ranked opponents as theyve lost (42-23 since 2005).He wins 10 or 11 games every year, center Ethan Pocic said. I know its a cutthroat business, but hes won a lot of ballgames.Alleva, who says his relationship with Miles is better than ever before, is taking the same approach as last year: Hell evaluate his coach after the regular season. With 18 starters coming back, the Tigers are expected to challenge Alabama in the SEC West and compete for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.Lets evaluate things: The guy wins about 80 percent of his games, hes a great recruiter, hes really good in the community, and the players really like playing for him, Alleva said. The only knock on him from some places is the kind of offense he runs.After last seasons late collapse, Miles made several changes to his coaching staff. He hired former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to replace Kevin Steele, who left for Auburn. He also hired former Auburn co-offensive coordinator Dameyune Craig to coach receivers and former Louisiana Tech assistant Jabbar Juluke to coach running backs.Miles retained offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who was heavily criticized after LSU ranked 12th in the SEC in passing (180.4 yards per game) in 2015. The Tigers are banking on junior Brandon Harris being much better in his second season as a starter; he completed 53.7 percent of his passes for 2,165 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions last season.Its not just about the quarterback, Alleva said. Its about play selection and having confidence in your quarterback. Two years ago, when we had Zach Mettenberger, we threw the ball all over the place. Its not the fact that Les wont throw the ball, but you have to try to put your kids in positions where they can succeed and not ask too much of them.The other knock on Miles: He cant beat Alabama. The Tigers have dropped five consecutive games to the Crimson Tide, who are coached by Saban, who spent five seasons at LSU and guided the Tigers to the 2003 national title. The Tigers are 5-7 against Alabama under Miles, and havent won a game in the series since a 9-6 overtime victory in 2011. Alabama won the rematch that season, 21-0 in the BCS National Championship.Miles predicament is similar to the one former LSU coach Charlie McClendon faced in the 1960s and 1970s. McClendon had a 137-59-7 record as LSUs coach from 1962 to 1979, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. But his teams had a 2-14 record against Alabama, which was coached by Paul Bear Bryant.Charlie Mac got run out of town here because he couldnt beat Bear Bryant, Alleva said. Well, nobody beat Bear Bryant. Im not saying no one beats Nick Saban, but right now he really has things going well.Miles wont have to worry about Alabama until Nov. 5, when the Crimson Tide come to Tiger Stadium. The first two months of the season will dictate how big that game will be.I think Les has changed, Alleva said. I think we all have, to be honest. I think last November was a good wake-up call for everybody, not just him and me. I think it made everybody better. I think our players have a little chip on their shoulders, and I think everyone is really looking forward to this season. Welcome to one of the great accidents in sports history -- a one-time mega-leap in the salary cap that will unleash an orgy of confused spending. This is Year 2 of a three-year earthquake during which the NBAs salary cap will nearly double from $63 million to around $110 million, with almost half of that bump coming in this single outlier free-agency period.Teams still arent quite sure what will happen or how they might exploit the chaos. A year ago, with most of the jump still looming, they could at least be sure almost every long-term contract would soon look like a bargain. That might no longer be the case; the league projects a smaller increase next summer (from $94 million to $107 million, though most expect it to go higher) before the cap flattens in 2018 and beyond -- pending a potential lockout in 2017, that could upend parts of the collective bargaining agreement..A bad long-term deal signed this summer could still look bad two years from now. Teams have to be more choosy even as conditions require they spend boatloads to reach the minimum payroll of $85 million.The boom will have some predictable consequences, but the tremors will shake the NBA landscape in ways we cant anticipate. Here are five things to watch as we enter the free-agency Thunderdome.1. Timing, and the Marvin Williams/Dwight Howard conundrumIn the past three years, the Pistons and Blazers have beaten the market with aggressive deals for Jodie Meeks and Al-Farouq Aminu right after the midnight opening bells. Given the glut of cap space, team executives expect more insta-deals for second- and third-tier free agents.Every capable rotation player will choose among rich offers. If you like, say, Solomon Hill or Mirza Teletovic, you might as well unload a dump truck of cash on them right out of the gate while a half-dozen teams are waiting on Kevin Durant.The length of deals might end up being more interesting than the money. The stars are going to get whatever they want -- at least four years for Nicolas Batum, Al Horford?and Mike Conley, plus whichever path Durant chooses between long-term security and the one-year option that would maximize his salary.For the middle class, we might have reached a point at which factors push both teams and some players toward shorter-term deals. Beyond 2017, teams see a flattening cap, glitzy free-agent classes and a potential work stoppage -- though Id still consider it unlikely that a lockout costs any part of the 2017-18 season. They have incentive to keep their powder dry.At the same time, they have tens of millions to burn before even reaching the salary floor. They might approach an intriguing player with some gargantuan one- or two-year deal and hope the money is so eye-popping that the player takes it.Normally teams dont get much upside from one-year deals; the Kings purchased six months of stat-hoggery from Rajon Rondo,?and can now either let him walk or overpay him based on inflated numbers. Its like choosing between cauliflower and lima beans. You dont even get a players Bird rights, meaning that once he hits free agency again, you dont have the right to go over the cap in re-signing him; you have to use precious cap room instead.But teams can make one- and two-year deals work for them. If the salary is hefty enough, the limited version of Bird rights you do get is usually enough to cover whatever raise the player might seek the following season -- meaning the team can fill its cap space on other dudes, and then re-sign its guy.For players, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A lot was made last summer of how most players opted for long-term security over one- and two-year deals. But a bunch of guys chose the short-term route: Greg Monroe, Jeremy Lin, Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, Paul Millsap, Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, Bismack Biyombo, Teletovic, Rondo and a couple of others all bet on themselves to varying degrees.Bostons deal for Johnson still generates lots of chatter: The Celtics paid Johnson an annual salary -- $12 million -- well above what he would have received on average over a longer contract, and in exchange, he signed a one-year deal with a fully non-guaranteed second season. Johnson is now a trade asset with a relatively low cap number, and hell get to test the market again during another cap spike.Teams could offer these sorts of deals both at tipoff, as well as when free agency dies down in mid-July, when GMs with leftover cash are looking for that last-call hookup. The players union is even encouraging guys to sign contracts that decline over time so they get as much cash up front as possible, sources say.But older players are risk-averse, and if they are staring at rival one- or two-year deals, a lot of them will leverage the bidding into an extra year. That third season could become the breaking point.Take Marvin Williams: Hes 30, coming off a career year, and he brings a positional versatility that could help any team. It would not be preposterous for someone to offer him a two-year, $38 million deal. (Seriously, get ready, everyone.) But if Williams hungers for more guaranteed cash, which team will bend and offer something like (gulp) three years and $50 million?The answer should be: a good team that views Williams as the player who takes it into the 55-win range. The third (or fourth) year might hurt, but its the cost you pay to enter the contenders circle. A middling team or a bad one should pass, and sift for gems on shorter contracts.Dwight Howard might be the thorniest test of willpower. Teams are turning up their noses at even a two-year guaranteed deal for Howard anywhere near his max. But progress, real and imagined, can make teams do funny things. The Blazers have a gazillion in cap room, and they want to hold the line in a Western Conference that will be better almost across the board. They could use a defensive anchor at center, and they will absolutely look at Howard, per several league sources.Boston has a Dwight meeting on the books already -- stock up on candy, guys! -- and could use a rim protector.Will these teams have the discipline to fold when the bidding gets heated? Signing Howard introduces a wild card into a teams culture, and for the Blazers, it would change the way they play. Howard isnt as nimble as Mason Plumlee,?and not nearly as comfortable a passer in space; could he punish teams that trap Damian Lillard the way Plumlee does with artful drive-and-kick plays?Someone is going to cave on these guys.2. Who slides back?After years of Tankapalooza, the NBA has reached a point at which almost every team -- and maybe literally every team -- wants to win more basketball games. What a concept!The NBA is a zero-sum game. A team that wants to win will fail, and by failing, net a prize in a loaded draft lottery. The path from the playoffs to the top half of the lottery is clear.Some swing teams to monitor:The Hawks are reluctant to offer Horford the fifth year only they can dangle, and if they hold firm, they are at grave risk of losing him for nothing, per league sources. (Watch out for the Pistons on Horford; with Wednesdays trade of Meeks, they are one tiny move away from being able to fit his max. They are working to schedule a meeting with Horford over the first 48 hours of free agency, sources say. Horfords fit alongside Andre Drummond is another question entirely.)Atlanta already traded Jeff Teague for a rookie. Kent Bazemore will have suitors everywhere, including in Milwaukee, Memphis and Brooklyn, sources say. If Bazemore and Horford walk, the Hawks will be at a fork in the road: rush to fill the gaps with high-priced talent or trade Millsap and race to the bottom?Seriously: How many teams are worse than a Hawks team without Horford, Bazemore and Millsap? Three or four, if that? Mike Budenholzers role as as both coach and GM is the wild card; coaches vomit at rebuilds, but his title also provides the job security to survive one.Dallas dreams of luring both Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside on max deals, per ESPN BlackBerry maven Marc Stein, but absent a series of salary-sloughing trades, the Mavericks cant open up the requisite $49 million in room with Chandler Parsons cap hold sitting on the books. Rumors have already burbled that the Mavs dont want to offer Parsons a max after his knee issues, and that Parsons could seek his payday elsewhere.The Mavs have whiffed on every big-name free agent since they let Tyson Chandler walk, and they will have a ton of competition for Whiteside and Conley; the Grizzlies are almost as confident about re-signing Conley as they were with Marc Gasol?last offseason.The Mavericks can keep Parsons Bird rights as they negotiate with bigger fish to hedge against the nightmare scenario of losing out on everyone, though Parsons can torpedo that by signing someplace else right away. Teams are terrified about Parsons knees and crow they will hold firm at a number below his max. But Parsons is eligible only for the lowest-tier max deal, starting at about $22 million, and a GM on thin ice with chambered cash might bite that bullet -- especially if he can persuade Parsons to take a shorter deal.ddddddddddddParsons might want to lock in as much moola as possible now; he knows his knees better than anyone, and the uncertainty of a revised collective bargaining deal looms.Regardless: Dallas again faces serious downside on the treadmill of mediocrity. Dirk Nowitzki doesnt want to leave, but hes also tired of losing in the first round.Houston should have no trouble hanging in the 40-plus-win range as long as it surrounds?James Harden with a few guys who fit, but ownership has championship expectations. Its unclear how the Rockets approach that level again.They are not getting a meeting with Kevin Durant. They offered both Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley before the draft in hopes of snagging one or two first-round picks, though sources insist they also wanted a veteran back in any such deal. Those two are snug fits next to Harden. If youre dealing them and missing on Durant, what exactly is the path back into the Wests upper echelon next season?Knowing Houston, it will involve pitching every big-time free agent who might listen; Stein reported on my podcast the Rockets have some interest in Conley, continuing their quixotic quest to flank Harden with a ball-on-a-string point guard, and Daryl Morey, the teams GM, has always erred on the side of chasing top talent and figuring the rest out later.What happens if Houston misses on Horford, Conley, Batum, Whiteside and others? Remember: Morey let Parsons walk two years ago because he didnt want to tie up max money on a third option. Given the pressure to win, will he pass on someone like Ryan Anderson for the same reason? Power forward is a giant question mark given Houstons free agents there spent last season either pooping the bed (Terrence Jones) or in street clothes (Donatas Motiejunas).Philadelphia and Brooklyn will be bad, but early indications are that both will go hard after young-ish free agents with untapped upside. They have enough cap space to make it rain with offer sheets, and at worst, they will drive up both prices and the pace of business in restricted free agency -- bad news for a team like the Warriors, who might need to wait out Durant before making a choice on Harrison Barnes.(This might not matter; teams cant lavish offer sheets until the moratorium ends July 7, and incumbent teams have three more days to match. Durant will likely have made up his mind by then).?Brooklyn has strong interest in adding some character veterans, including Jared Dudley, sources say.Philly might kick the tires on glossier moves, including Barnes and the East Coast relocation of Waiters Island -- though reports of the Sixers interest in?Dion Waiters?during former GM Sam Hinkies administration were always bogus, per several league sources.Teams are worried Brooklyn will jump the market on unrestricted free agents with ties to new coach Kenny Atkinson (Lin, Bazemore), and some under-the-radar young guys.3. Will we get any big trades?A few months ago, it seemed as though the cap-space flood might grease the wheels for starry trades involving Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler?and a few others. That market has cooled. The Cavs are content, and Chicago has swatted away Butler inquiries since the draft (though Minnesota and especially Boston will still try).Clippers coach Doc Rivers has talked publicly about keeping the gang together in Los Angeles, and even the much-discussed Griffin-Durant sign-and-trade is unwieldy; any player acquired in a sign-and-trade must sign for at least three seasons, meaning Durant would forfeit the one-year-deal route in agreeing to that arrangement.The Kings are capable of untold horrors. Monroe is available, but Milwaukee cant wring anything good for a guy who could bolt in a year -- in part because this free-agency class market is packed with centers. The Pelicans have explored a Monroe-Anthony Davis partnership before, but they are hopeful Omer Asik will rebound after a dreadful season; they are in no rush to waive him via the stretch provision, allowing them to spread his remaining guaranteed money, sources say. Still: they will watch the market for centers, including Monroe.The Wolves will likely waive Nikola Pekovic at some point, but they dont appear to be a Monroe destination. Portland, Atlanta and Washington have all shown interest in Monroe before, but none is eager to surrender a real asset -- not even a protected first-round pick.One type of deal that could happen: teams getting off long-term contracts signed over the past two years. Weve already seen that sort of deal with Tobias Harris, Robin Lopez?and Thaddeus Young. In theory, teams shouldnt be eager to trade guys locked into affordable deals signed under the old cap regime, but someone will need to shed money in a roster pinch. Across the table, suitors should be willing to give up real stuff for guys on affordable long-term deals.The Raptors will need to move at least one big deal to have any hope of retaining both DeMar DeRozan and Biyombo, and teams will call about?DeMarre Carroll. Toronto has already approached Philly about a deal sending out a rotation player -- perhaps Terrence Ross, and other goodies -- in exchange for Nerlens Noel, who could then assume Biyombos backup center role, according to league sources. The talks havent gained much traction yet.Phoenix seems ripe for a deal, though Chandlers contract is a bit of an albatross. The Pacers would probably like to dump Monta Ellis. Alec Burks will be expendable at some point soon for Utah. John Henson signed a four-year, $45 million extension last fall and barely played; if youre Boston, would you rather sign Howard to some monster one-year deal or flip a pick and a prospect for Henson?4. How will restricted free agency go?Good restricted free agents almost never change teams. Teams wield matching rights as a deterrent against suitors and can sometimes leverage a lack of interest into a bit of savings.Perhaps not this season. There are a ton of teams with oodles of cap room and very little to lose. Tying up space for three days as the incumbent waits to match might cost you a player, but some teams have so much space that they could extend a max-level offer sheet and still chase targets.Reaching for Barnes, Evan Fournier?or Allen Crabbe isnt a disaster; theyre young, you get them through their primes, and if they just follow an average development curve, theyll be movable down the line. In the worst case, you make their incumbent teams pay the full boat. Sometimes you just have to be mean. By the way: Orlandos acquisition of Meeks should have no bearing on its approach with Fournier. No one knows whether Meeks is healthy; the Magic need Fournier, badly.Hell, even after a wasted season, someone should still throw eight figures at Jones just to see if he can sustain the flashes of canny all-around play he showed in Houston. The market will be chillier on most midtier guys, which increases the likelihood their teams will match; Meyers Leonard stands as perhaps the only realistic candidate to sign the one-year qualifying offer and enter unrestricted free agency next season.Watch out for the so-called Gilbert Arenas restricted free agents with only one or two years spent in the league, especially Langston Galloway, Tyler Johnson?and Jordan Clarkson. Rival teams can offer them only the midlevel exception (about $5.6 million) in the first year and a small raise in Year 2, but they can leap all the way up to the players max salary in Years 3 and 4. (These are the trickster offers Houston used to pry away Lin and Asik four years ago.)The bigger numbers should come into play only for Clarkson, though a team might offer a backloaded three-year deal to Galloway or Johnson.5. Will we see more creative contract extensions?Yes! Heres the deal: If teams have cap room, they can use it on raises for guys who signed their current contracts at least three years ago -- and tack more years onto the end of those deals. Denver did this last season with Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, and both the Jazz and Pacers seem like good candidates to try with George Hill and Teague -- provided they have the requisite space leftover.If they play their cards right, the Pacers and Kings could start this process with Paul George and Cousins, respectively, in September. Derrick Favors becomes eligible a month later. The Wizards could engage with John Wall on the last day of July -- the third anniversary of the day he signed his extension.Some of these talks wont materialize; teams will use most or all of their cap space to sign new players. But teams have spent the past few years lamenting the death of extensions for stars. The cap boom has resurrected them. Any time you get a shot to lock up a cornerstone for more years, you have to at least think about it. ' ' '