Wednesday Insider

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All Rashard Lewis wants right now is a little love, a little loyalty and a whole lot of money.

The Sonics have been holding out on all three. And it could cost them.

A Sonics source confirmed to ESPN Insider Tuesday that there is a growing chance that Lewis may leave the team. Lewis, according to the source, has told teammates that negotiations with the Sonics are "no longer about money," and he will seek to find a better situation for himself elsewhere.

"At this point it's about loyalty for Rashard," the source told Insider. "He feels he was very loyal to the Sonics two years ago when he decided to give up all that money and re-sign with the team that gave him his first chance. Now, he feels betrayed. He absolutely would sign somewhere else for less money if the thought it was a better situation for him. Absolutely."

While the Sonics can still, by far, offer Lewis the most money, they haven't. Lewis has yet to receive an "official" offer. However, the team has floated numbers on a seven-year deal that's reportedly worth between $49 and $52 million. That's well below the $90 million Lewis' camp thinks he deserves. But money isn't the only factor.

Lewis is also angry over the lack of attention and respect the Sonics have paid him. The team convinced him in the summer of 2000 to turn down a six-year, $56 million offer from the Raptors with the understanding that he could make bigger money and have a brighter future in Seattle.

Back then, Lewis was averaging just 8.2 ppg. Last season, his best as a pro, he averaged 16.8 ppg and 7 rpg. While the Sonics have attempted to explain to him the new financial realities around the league, Lewis isn't buying it.

That's why he'll fly to Dallas (the Tacoma News Tribune reported it Monday and the Dallas Morning News confirmed it in today's editions) to meet with Mark Cuban. The Mavs don't particularly need Lewis, but he's a hell of a luxury and they would be more than willing to throw their full mid-level exception his way.

While the Sonics have played coy, Cuban is the master of woo. The Mavs have contacted local radio stations hyping his arrival, cheering fans will greet Lewis when he arrives at the airport, and Cuban plans to give Lewis a whirlwind tour through the Mavs' private plane, state-of-the-art training facilities and high-tech locker room. In other words, the Mavs plan to wine and dine Lewis. The Sonics, on the other hand, have done nothing.

"Rashard can be a great addition to the team," Cuban told the Tacoma News Tribune. "He knows we put winning over everything. And given that Rashard is so young, although we might not be able to get as large a contract here for the first several years, he is young enough to earn another full-length contract at a time when the cap will be much higher. And hopefully he will have a ring to go with it. We are excited for his visit and can't wait for him to see the facilities, and most importantly meet the great people we have working here."

The Mavs are planning on making his trip dramatic because it will take some overwhelming emotion to counter what the Sonics are offering financially. The most the Mavs, or any other team besides the Clippers for that matter, could give him is a six-year, $35 million contract. More likely, Lewis would take a three-year, $15 million deal so he could get his Bird rights. The Sonics are reportedly upping their offer to seven years, $60 million. Lewis would take a major hit by bolting.

If Lewis is serious, the Mavs won't be the only team that tries to get in on the action. Insider has learned that the Bulls, 76ers, Raptors, Jazz, T-Wolves, and yes, the Knicks, have all inquired about Lewis the last few days. And the Rockets hold the ultimate trump card; they're the team Lewis wants to play for. They too are now showing major interest in Lewis. The Sonics could be in real trouble.

Insider made a few calls around the league Tuesday night and gives you a breakdown of each team's chances.

Mavs: They're flashy and would give Lewis a great shot at an NBA title. But he'd be playing fourth or fifth fiddle on a stacked Mavs team. With Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, Steve Nash and Raef LaFrentz all looking for their shot, Lewis would have to settle for the scraps. Would his value really be any higher in three years? It's questionable. Remember, Texas doesn't have an income tax, which doesn't hurt things.

Bulls: Jerry Krause has been trying to work out a trade for a sweet-shooting small forward. He's been rebuffed by Orlando in his quest to get Mike Miller and in Philadelphia in his quest to add Matt Harpring. Lewis would come at the same price and has a much bigger upside. His size, shooting touch and experience could be the missing piece to the Bulls puzzle. A starting five of Jay Williams, Jalen Rose, Lewis, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry would be one of the scariest in the league in two more years.

76ers: Larry Brown is constantly trying to upgrade the small forward position and Lewis would be a great fit -- an unselfish second scorer to complement Allen Iverson. The only problem the Sixers will encounter is clearing away enough money to sign Lewis. They've already reached a handshake agreement with Greg Buckner that will give him much of their mid-level exception. They are trying to work out a sign-and-trade with Dallas to so they can keep their exception, but now, with the Mavs in the hunt for Lewis as well, do you really think they'll cooperate?

Raptors: They just told Keon Clark they were out of money, but the team is seriously considering making an exception for Lewis. They were heartbroken that he turned down their offer two summers ago and still believe he would be the perfect fit in Toronto. His ability to score would take much of the pressure of Vince Carter to do everything offensively. Lewis would force the Raptors into luxury-tax land, but he also could push them into the NBA Finals.

Jazz: They're trying to get younger and already have one of the better young nucleuses in the league. Andrei Kirilenko, DeShawn Stevenson and Raul Lopez all have the potential to be stars. Lewis' versatility would allow him to fit wherever the Jazz need him. Once Stockton and Malone hang them up, this team would be his and Kirilenko's.

T-Wolves: They made a big run at Devean George, and Lewis is even a better prize. The addition of Lewis would force the Wolves to move Kevin Garnett back to power forward, but he ended up playing a lot there last year anyway with so many injuries to Joe Smith. Adding Lewis would free the Wolves up to shop Wally Szczerbiak for a top-flight point guard.

Knicks: Just what they need, another small forward. However, Lewis is the type of young, versatile player the team desperately needs. Until they find a taker for Latrell Sprewell, however, they may have a tough time selling him on playing a backup role.

Rockets: Lewis has publicly stated several times that he'd love to return home. The Rockets are far enough under the luxury-tax threshold that they can afford to do it. They would have a logjam at small forward with Glen Rice and Bostjan Nachbar, but neither has the upside of Lewis. If the Rockets could swing it, they'd be one of the most lethal young teams in the West.

Sonics: Don't count them out yet. They can always say "my bad" and drop another $10 million or so on Rashard. Free agents always claim that it isn't about the money, but it's amazing how a few extra bones can quickly change their mind. And it isn't like Seattle is a bad place for Lewis to hang. He would be the star on this team next year once Gary Payton leaves, and the Sonics are also building a nice young nucleus with Desmond Mason and Vladimir Radmanovic.

Celtics celebrate snaring Sonics; will Dallas be next?

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

Free agent Lewis to meet with Mavs

Marc Stein / Dallas Morning News

Extra cap room doesn't mean Sonics' woes kaput

Steve Kelley / Seattle Times

Keon Clark still in the dark

While the volume of phone calls has increased since the Raptors decided to cut loose Keon Clark, teams still aren't stampeding to get Clark signed.

Clark's agent, Jim Mourer, told Insider Tuesday that neither the Knicks nor the Heat are showing much interest in Clark. Only three teams, the Magic, Sixers and Kings, have shown "serious" interest, according to Mourer.

However, each team has a major obstacle to overcome before it can land Clark.

The Magic are trying to figure out a way to land Clark without destroying cap room for next season. They've talked extensively with the Raptors about a sign-and-trade. However, Toronto let Clark go because it couldn't afford to keep his salary on the books. A sign-and-trade would still put the Raptors over the luxury-tax threshold this season. Once again, GM John Gabriel must decide how likely it is that the team will be able to land Tim Duncan. Adding Clark would be a huge upgrade to the Magic's frontcourt. With a healthy Grant Hill, the Magic would finally be contenders. Without him, the frontline is just too thin to expect miracles in Orlando.

The Sixers are still trying to figure out a sign-and-trade that allows them to honor the six-year, $18 million contract they've promised Greg Buckner without having to use their mid-level exception money. The Sixers have dangled Aaron McKie and even Derrick Coleman, but the Mavs are still mulling over their options. If the Sixers can't get something worked out with Dallas, they won't have enough money left to pay Clark what he's looking for.

The Kings still have their full mid-level exception. However, once they get the contract worked out with Mike Bibby, they'll already be about $10 million over the luxury-tax threshold. Are the Maloof Brothers really willing to add Clark? When all is said and done, it would cost them another $10 million a year in salary and tax. Still, if the Kings could figure out how to work it financially, they would seriously upgrade their frontcourt.

Mourer is still fielding phone calls and is also talking to several teams about using their trade exceptions to facilitate a trade. But with Rashard Lewis now on the market as well, expect most teams to sit tight with Keon until Lewis decides where he wants to play.

Knicks Eye Doleac, Clark

Marc Berman / New York Post

With Keon gone pressure's on Raps to get help

Doug Smith / Toronto Star

Are the Nuggets after Ricky Davis?

Here's a surprise. Another Dan Fegan negotiation is turning nasty. The latest has the Cavs and Ricky Davis two years and $20 million apart in contract talks.

The Cavs want to sign Davis to a three-year, $15 million contract. Davis wants at least five years and $35 million, Alonge Davis, Ricky's brother, told the Akron Beacon Journal.

"Dan wants a minimum of $7 million a year for five or six years," Davis said. "He figures that's the kind of money that Wesley Person was making before they cleared it for Ricky. The Cavaliers are offering an average of $5 million over three years."

Fegan has a notorious rep around the league of driving a hard bargain. Last year he forced sign-and-trades for several of his clients, including Hakeem Olajuwon and Shandon Anderson.

Of course, for Fegan to have any real leverage, he has to be able to find a team willing to spend that type of money on Davis. Davis' brother, Alonge, said the Nuggets are the top suitor for Davis, with Minnesota second.

"Denver wants him pretty bad," he said. "They want him to come in and start."

That may not be completely unworkable. Cavs coach John Lucas has been in love with Nuggets swingman James Posey since his days coaching the Nuggets. Posey was available around draft time and it's always possible that the two teams could agree to a sign-and-trade.

Davis, Cavs $20M apart in talks

Chris Tomasson / Akron Beacon Journal

Jazz choose Cheaney over Russell

Calbert Cheaney.

d*ck

Cheney. Can you tell the difference? Both spend an inordinate amount of time in hiding. Both have chronic health issues and neither can play a lick of NBA basketball.

So exactly why have the Jazz decided to cut Bryon Russell, a key veteran, loose so that they can sign Cheaney? While GM Kevin O'Connor said the signing of Cheaney isn't imminent, it looks like the two sides are close to an agreement that will probably give Cheaney the $1.4 million veteran's exception.

"He's a proven scorer, he can play in a system very well, he can play a secondary role, and he's a professional," O'Connor told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Ironically, earlier in the day the Jazz cited a need to get younger as the reason they were cutting Russell loose. Cheaney, however, is also a nine year vet.

"We've got to try to get younger as much as we can," coach Jerry Sloan told the Deseret News. "I think Bryon's struggled with his game the last couple of years. And if you try to get a younger player, give him the experience and go on from there, that's what we have to look at, I think, with our team, the way it's structured now."

More important, Russell is looking for a lot more cash than Cheaney is looking for. Russell has been negotiating with the Mavs for the last few weeks, and was close to a deal with the Mavs. However, with Rashard Lewis now in the picture, Russell's money could quickly evaporate. The Heat have also been considering Russell, but seem to be leaning toward bringing back Jimmy Jackson if he'll take a one-year, $1 million contract.

The Jazz still have plenty of other things to do this summer. They have also hit a snag in negotiations with free agent Donyell Marshall and are still trying to work out a sign-and-trade with the Raptors. The team, however, is close to re-signing second-year big man Jarron Collins.

Jazz Closing In on Cheaney

Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune

Russell may be available for Heat

Israel Gutierrez / Palm Beach Post

Summer League update

Insider's Terry Brown is in Salt Lake right now. He'll file daily news and notes from the Rocky Mountain Revue. Here's his take:

NUGGET UPRISING

My 19 year old can dunk on your 19 year old.

And vice versa.

The Nuggets and Bulls went at it Tuesday at the Rocky Mountain Revue, featuring last year's 19-year-old sensations Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler matched up against this year's 19-year-old sensations Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Nene Hilario, in his American debut.

That's 28 feet between them and a whole lotta blacktop pride.

For the record, Eddy started it.

Curry dunked on Hilario in the first quarter. Hilario dunked on Curry in the second. To be exact, Nugget power forward Chris Andersen dunked to open the game but he doesn't count seeing as he's dunking on everyone at will these days.

Eventually, 6-foot-8 Donnell Harvey of Denver dunked on 7-foot-1, 290-pound Dalibor Bagaric before 6-foot-5 Trenton Hassell of Chicago flushed on 6-foot-11, 255-pound Peter Cornell.

And let's remind everyone before we go any further. Denver won a total of 27 games last season. Chicago won 21. There were seven teams in the NBA who more games than both of those trainwrecks combined. Something had to give.

Jay Williams was on the floor. So was Jamaal Crawford, Curry and Chandler for Chicago. On the other end, Tskitishvili and Hilario had already replaced Raef LaFrentz and Antonio McDyess. Kenny Satterfield was spelling Nick Van Exel. Add in two Fab Fivers (Jalen Rose for the Bulls and Juwan Howard for the Nugs) and we could have counted this game in next year's standings.

By the time Crawford fed Lonny Baxter for yet another dunk right before the half, you would have thought they already had . . . Denver 42, Chicago 40.

The fans were taunting the players, the players the refs, the refs the coaches and back. Sixty-nine total fouls by the end. Twenty-four of them by our 19-year-old quartet. A 40-minute game stretching into 1 hour and 50 minutes with the bleachers screaming for more. Summer, summer, summertime.

Then guess who started the second half with another dunk . . . Andersen.

Chandler then went monkey bar on a Curry shot that hit the heel of the rim and shot straight up. That may have been the only bucket he hit all day but it was the only one you're probably going to remember. Until . . .

A couple of Nuggets and Bulls scrapped over a loose ball at half court. Junior Harrington tipped it downcourt to Harvey for another slam. A Francisco Elson dunk made it 59-58 before Carlos Arroyo tossed up an alley oop from 20-feet out.

Andersen jumped from the front of the rim.

Hilario jumped from the side.

Four hands, one ball, 10 feet up in the air. You do the math. A 100 frenzied fans ready to spill onto the court and start dancing Brazilian style. Andersen has gone cult. Get his bobblehead ready. Nene grinned and waved those long of arms, looking as though he could tie his shoes without ever bending over. He's bigger than advertised. Stronger. And a whole lot cockier. Seemed more than willing to strap his interpreter on his back if it meant he'd get more offensive sets called for him. He would finish with six points on 3 of 6 shooting to go along with two boards and six personals in 16 minutes of NBA debut.

The smoke cleared in time for Satterfield to loft one more up to Harvey, who went reverse alley for the final dunk of the game, 87-69, and bragging rights throughout sixth period.

In the end, hustle beat hype and the much more heralded Bulls were humbled by the Nuggets, who polished their Revue record to 3-0. They meet the Suns and 19-year-old Amare Stoudemire Thursday at noon (MST) on ESPN in a battle of the only two undefeated teams in the league.

"Summer league is summer league," said Denver assistant coach Jarinn Akana. "We understand that we're a very young team and it's going to be tough at times. We're going to make a lot of mistakes. The good thing is that these guys are full of enthusiasm, they work hard and listen. But make no mistake about it. We're going to take our lumps this year."

But not before handing one out today.

"We'll see them again," said Akana.

GOODEN AS GOLD

If at first you don't succeed, keep passing it to Grizzly Drew Gooden.

The No. 4 pick of the draft made his Rocky Mountain Revue Tuesday by lighting up the Cavs for 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the first half alone. No other Grizzly had more than seven points at the time. No other Grizzly would finish with more than 12.

So it seemed only natural that, with the game on the line and the clock winding down, the Grizzlies kept passing the ball down low to Gooden.

He missed his first one.

He missed his second.

He turned over the ball on the next possession.

The Cavs scored five consecutive points to move ahead 72-70 with 2:56 left in the game. Even without leading scorer Dajuan Wagner, the Cavs seemed poised to earn their first victory of the Revue.

DeSagana Diop blocked Gooden's next attempt.

Drew posted up down low on the left block, turned and missed yet another one.

He went rightside next time down the court, spun opposite and put up a left-handed hook that missed with 1:54 to go.

Thirty-one seconds later, Gooden took an inlet pass down in the post, faked up, went under, double-pumped the next defender and finally scored.

Gooden finished with 18 points on 7 of 18 shooting to go along with a game-high 11 boards as Memphis never looked back, winning the game, 75-72, and leaving the Cavs winless in the tournament.

Make sure you check out our Rocky Mountain Revue, Pro Summer League , Shaw's Pro Summer League, and Orlando Summer Pro League pages for rosters, leaders and box scores.

Growing into game

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Stevenson Stays On Target in Utah's Victory

Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune

Satterfield hopeful Jackson points way

Marc J. Spears / Denver Post

Peep Show

Clippers: Darius Miles doesn't want to be traded, but he also thinks it's time the Clippers hand over the starting small forward job. "Q [Richardson and I have talked about how last season we took the roles of coming off the bench," Miles told the OC Register. "And even though we both felt we should have started, we never complained about it because when the game was on the line, we were both in there. But now we feel that we should start." The problem, of course, is that Lamar Odom is in front of Miles. That's why he says that a Clipps trade for Andre Miller might have been a good thing. "It probably could have been best for the team," Miles said, "because if they had traded me, they would have still had Lamar at small forward and if the Clippers had traded either one of us, they'd still be good at small forward."

Spurs: The team re-signed Bruce Bowen to a three-year, $11.2 million contract Tuesday. Bowen kept everything in perspective. "This is new for me," Bowen told the San Antonio Express News. "I'm not a player you can build a team around. I understand my role here, and that is to defend, shoot open shots and just play basketball." Bowen's signing leaves the Spurs with about $1 million remaining from their $4.5 million mid-level exception. Malik Rose is expected to re-sign today, giving the team 13 players under contract and pushing it close to the luxury-tax threshold.

Nets: GM Rod Thorn told the N.Y. Post Monday that free agent Chris Childs is high on the list of priorities to serve as the backup point guard to franchise savior Jason Kidd. "That's accurate," said Thorn, who declined to talk about any contractual matters but noted the Nets would like to come to an agreement with Childs "in a timely fashion." "He's a terrific defender, he's played in a lot of big games and has played well in big games. He has a reputation for hitting big shots, he has good quickness and a spunky attitude."

Magic: The team denied that it was talking about a trade that would send Mike Miller to the Bulls. However, the team appears to be on the verge of re-signing forward Pat Garrity and signing forward Ryan Humphrey, its first-round draft choice. A team official said general manager John Gabriel has been negotiating with the agents for both players and that agreements could be in place by the end of the week, the Daytona News Journal reported.

Celtics: Who will play point guard for the Celtics next season? Good question. "Our chore now is to shore up the point guard situation," director or player personnel Leo Papile told the Boston Globe. "People talk about Vinnie. He's not the issue. Point guard is the issue. People think we gambled and rolled the dice on Vinnie. We didn't. We gambled and rolled the dice on point guard."

Nuggets: Lottery pick Nene Hilario finally worked out a buyout with his Brazillian team and was able to officially sign his contract with the Nuggets. Hilario will pay about $400,000 to Vasco da Gama, and the Nuggets will pay $350,000. GM Kiki Vandeweghe pushed Hilario's agent, Michael Coyne, to cut a deal now. "The arbitration could have gone either way, but we had a strong case," Vandeweghe told the Denver Post. "Now, he gets to compete in summer league, and you can never tell what is going to happen in arbitration. There is cost involved in the lawyers; that's a serious cost. It's not just the four games, it's taking the uncertainty out of it, which is really big. There are a lot of guys who don't get to participate in summer league and practice. When rookies come into training camp with no practice, that sets them back for the year."

Knicks: The N.Y. Post, explaining why the Knicks haven't pursued Keon Clark, claims that GM Scott Layden sees Clark as a backup and "Layden doesn't want to pay reserves like starters." Huh?!? Has he seen the contracts of Shandon Anderson, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Clarence Weatherspoon and Travis Knight? The Knicks have more overpaid reserves than anyone in the league. That's just downright bizarre.

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[Traceman]

I read an article about him yesterday and apparently, he has been around for a little while but he has played in some pretty obscure places. all I know is that he is consistently outplaying a lot of guys with better pedigree. He has probably played his way into a deal with somebody even if the Jazz don't sign him.

[DJ_Money]

I've wanted to do it for a while to get that dopey look off his face, but his comments are way off base.

Miles wants to start, and I understand that. But, he would have cried like a baby if he was traded to Cleveland, and away from his buddy Q. Something tells me those comments won't sit well in L.A., with all those young egos who all think they deserve the max.

[capstone21]

the mid level exception at R. Lewis. He would be worth going over the the Luxary Tax for. He would make us a true contender and completely solidify us at the SF position. I think Lewis is worth considering.

[Traceman]