THE OFFICIAL: "Get TAG to Dallas" campaign - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Blonde Bomber · 01-27-2004, 03:12 PM

SIGN THE TAG!!!!!!!

The guy was born in Dallas. Grew up and played for Duncanville. He's a home town boy and would be a terrific fit here with Dallas. Did anybody catch his line last night...18 pts. - 14 rbs. - 5 Blocks. His family still lives here along with his sister and he has made remarks at wanting to come back home when he becomes a free-agent this coming offseason. This guy is having a tremendous year in Utah and would be very welcome to our frontcourt. I wouldn't mind going into battle with Tag and Bradley as our centers anyday...

BRING ON THE TAG!!!

Who's with me?

Nicky31 · 01-27-2004, 03:20 PM

I'm with you bomber..as long as it doesn't effect the Mav's from losing Nash to FA, but if he is willing to play for MLE than I'm all for it.

What's his current salary with the Jazz?

Jamisonite · 01-27-2004, 03:24 PM

like twice the size of bradleys i believe

LRB · 01-27-2004, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Jamisonite
like twice the size of bradleys i believe

Actually that wouldn't be that much. Still it may very well take Tag accepting less money to come here. I just think that we should offer him the whole MLE. It would be a shame to lose him just because we weren't willing to offer the entire MLE to him.

sike · 01-27-2004, 03:34 PM

I think he and Bradley would be a whole lot of white man.....

but I love the change up...one is a legitimate banger who does not need the ball to be effective the other more of a "i'll cut you with my elbows" type who also does not need the ball.....what is the possibilityof the Mavs signing him without losing one of the big five???

Dirkenstien · 01-27-2004, 03:40 PM

I love the idea of bringing in TAG. If we do that and keep the team we have now then we're winning the title next year.

ddh33 · 01-27-2004, 03:42 PM

Tag would be a great fit here. I hope we can get him. My biggest fear is that Utah will offer him quite a bit more money to stay with them. They're sure going to have money to spend.

LRB · 01-27-2004, 03:47 PM

What Utah, or any other team for that matter, can't offer is the chance for Tag to come back home and live and play near his family. Remember this is a guy who gave up a kidney to his sister.

Dirkenstien · 01-27-2004, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: ddh33
Tag would be a great fit here. I hope we can get him. My biggest fear is that Utah will offer him quite a bit more money to stay with them. They're sure going to have money to spend.

Well it comes down to whether he wants to play for a winning team and be close to his family so they can watch him and his team win the title...or play in Utah, maybe make the playoffs with a first round exit, but make more money.

Poindexter Einstein · 01-27-2004, 03:52 PM

TAG will be a FA at season's end. (Current salary: $8,570,370. Bradley: $3.5M this year, $4M next year)

The MLE will be about 5.5M. The Mavs are likely to use that MLE to get their C this summer.

TAG is one possibility - he does have potential health issues. Or Chris Andersen in Denver who has less experience but a world of athletic ability. It is doubtful that Denver will offer a big contract to Andersen cause of the other choices they have on their roster. Or maybe Rebraca in Det. There could be an outside shot that the Kings let Divacs get away, and he would be an intriguing choice as a part-time C for the MLE.

superheadcat · 01-27-2004, 03:57 PM

money-wise, obviously jazz has advantages, however, it is reported that jazz is among the teams participating in the kobe sweepstake. if that is serious enough, mavs have a good chance getting tag.

winning-wise, hands down, mavs. especially if mavs make another strong playoff run this season, but expose (again) its weakness of inside presence, tag should be nuts turning down becoming the missing piece of a potential dynasty (ok, that is a bit too much). on the other hand, if that actually happens, his agent may want to push for more money.

now, some cautions:
1. if i am not mistaken, he's got only one kidney left. how risky is that?
2. i am not implying he's bradley-esque, but i'd like to point out this is his contract year. and his stat so far this season is significantly higher that his previous season average.

Blonde Bomber · 01-27-2004, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: superheadcat
money-wise, obviously jazz has advantages, however, it is reported that jazz is among the teams participating in the kobe sweepstake. if that is serious enough, mavs have a good chance getting tag.

winning-wise, hands down, mavs. especially if mavs make another strong playoff run this season, but expose (again) its weakness of inside presence, tag should be nuts turning down becoming the missing piece of a potential dynasty (ok, that is a bit too much). on the other hand, if that actually happens, his agent may want to push for more money.

now, some cautions:
1. if i am not mistaken, he's got only one kidney left. how risky is that?

not a risk, unless it becomes unhealthy. Which is the same risk he would have if he had two. So him only having one kidney shouldn't be an issue

2. i am not implying he's bradley-esque, but i'd like to point out this is his contract year. and his stat so far this season is significantly higher that his previous season average.

Don't forget also that Utah needed more production from Ostertag this year, that's what happens when you lose 2 Hall of Famers.

Blonde Bomber · 01-27-2004, 04:19 PM

Ostertag made comments at the beggining of the year that he would love to look into coming back home next year. I think we can all assume that he and his agent can only expect to get the full MLE. So there shouldn't be no suprises there. He should know what Cuban can offer. Plus Cuban can sign him to a multiyear deal which when you add up the total dollars over the years then he should be looking at getting around 8 million which is what he's making now.

I just hope we don't get stingy with offering only half the MLE. I bet if Cuban offered him a 4 or 5 year deal starting with the full MLE, TAG would sign on the dotted line. It's been his dream to play in front of his family and friends. Plus he knows that he would receive plenty of playing time for a CONTENDER.

Poindexter Einstein · 01-27-2004, 04:20 PM

If TAG wants more money than the MLE, he wont end up in Dallas. With as many decent choices as there are, and with the Mavs lack of ammo for a sign-and-trade, the Mavs will be forced to find someone who will accept the MLE or less. That amount (approx 5.5M) will be the upper limit of the Mavs ability to negotiate.

Utah has a boatload of cap room. If TAG wants more money, he should be able to stay in Utah and get it. They are about $35M under the cap for next year. (Yes, THIRTY FIVE MILLION)

Poindexter Einstein · 01-27-2004, 04:33 PM

The MLE deal will have limits, even in future years. Raises are limited each year. No way it will equal out to an $8M deal.

There also will be limits on its length. TAG is about to turn 31. Because of the Over-36 rules, a deal with TAG for the full MLE could not exceed 4 years.

Mavs offer, if maxed out: 4 yrs @ approx $25M total

Nicky31 · 01-27-2004, 05:46 PM

I have a feeling if Dallas can at least get to the W.C.F. this season, and can offer the deal of 4 years @ 25M he will not be able to refuse that because the Jazz will not be making out of the first round without replacing veteran leadership that they lost this offseason. They have some good pieces, and a great head coach in Sloan, but they will need to sign a superstar this offseason or they will be in limbo for years to come.

How many seasons has he already got paid from the Jazz?

I doubt the money will be that big of factor. If Dallas can prove that he is the missing piece to winning a championship...

Blonde Bomber · 01-27-2004, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Nicky31
I have a feeling if Dallas can at least get to the W.C.F. this season, and can offer the deal of 4 years @ 25M he will not be able to refuse that because the Jazz will not be making out of the first round without replacing veteran leadership that they lost this offseason. They have some good pieces, and a great head coach in Sloan, but they will need to sign a superstar this offseason or they will be in limbo for years to come.

How many seasons has he already got paid from the Jazz?

I doubt the money will be that big of factor. If Dallas can prove that he is the missing piece to winning a championship...

exactly..he would most likely give a hometown discount. For a chance to be at home and play for title.

Drbio · 01-27-2004, 05:59 PM

I'd love to have Anderson, but Denver is not going to allow him to leave from all accounts I have heard. I would target Tags but not at the full MLE. I'd make him a multiyear offer that leaves a little change for wiggle room.

Poindexter Einstein · 01-27-2004, 06:14 PM

"I'd love to have Anderson, but Denver is not going to allow him to leave from all accounts I have heard"

Where do you hear that? And is it logical?

Anderson plays about 15 mins a game, thats all. He was picked up this year off the scrap heap by Denver, for a low price. He is making 630,000 on a 1-year contract. Denver has lots of other big men they like better, and doesnt pay a lot of money to their players.

If Dallas runs at him with the full MLE for several years, would Denver pay as much? He would then be the 2nd or 3rd highest player on the team. Would Denver be willing to pay that much to a backup? They have other big men they seem to like a lot better.

I think there is a real shot at him, and that the full MLE would be likely to land him, if a team is willing. The bigger question to me would be, will the Mavs have a preference for one of the other choices, like Ostertag or Divacs? I like the idea of a vet, too. But I think Andersen is the young-kid-with-athletic-potential in the middle, similar to Howard but bigger, and think he would be well worth landing if you could.

kingrex · 01-27-2004, 06:20 PM

Ostertag is a decent backup, and if we can get him for a bargain we should.

However, let's not have tunnel vision on this guy, the Mavs need to continue their movement towards athletic guys. If they can find a more athletic option at the center spot, I would prefer that.

LRB · 01-27-2004, 06:59 PM

We need to focus on someone who will sign with us and isn't just playing us as has happened over the last few years. Of course thank goodness Alonzo Mourning DIDN'T sign with us.

Blonde Bomber · 01-28-2004, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: kingrex
Ostertag is a decent backup, and if we can get him for a bargain we should.

However, let's not have tunnel vision on this guy, the Mavs need to continue their movement towards athletic guys. If they can find a more athletic option at the center spot, I would prefer that.

Ostertag would be our starter..Bradley would then be the backup. As long as Nelson is here, Bradley will never have any long stretches were he starts for this team, not gonna happen.

Drbio · 01-28-2004, 09:58 AM

poindexter- I used to write an online column for the Nuggets. I talk virtually daily with a couple of Nuggets writers (not to mention that the Nugs are my second favorite team and I follow them religiously). Anderson is a guy that Bzdelik loves and it would be a huge shock if they let Anderson go. There was talk earlier this season of an extension. I don't know how that is progressing (or IF it still is) but he a guy they have their eye on. Camby could be out after this season as well. I do know that Bzdelik loves Andersons game though.

Poindexter Einstein · 01-28-2004, 11:52 AM

DrBio .... I dont doubt what you say. However, when i look at the numbers and the history, i have to think Andersen could be available for the right money offer.

First of all, there won't be an extension. If your writer friends believe that, they have their heads up their butts or are dumb on the NBA rules - and you can quote me on that. (Lazy uninformed sportwriters, grrrrrr). An "extension" would have severe raise limits, and Andersen is only getting the minmum this year. If he wants to get REAL money, he has to become a FA, and he will. Once he is a FA, he gets to shop around for a team/deal for 2 weeks anywhere he wants to, before the Nuggets can make him an offer.

Second, Denver may WANT to keep him. But the only way they limit the suitors is to give him a "bigger than MLE" offer. Will they offer him a multi-year deal starting at $6M a year or more, to effectively shut off the competition and keep him? As much as they may like him, I have to wonder. That would make him the 2nd highest paid Nugget (or the highest, if Camby is lost). And from looking at their roster, it is hard to project him as anything more than a backup.

Third, as good as he looks, Andersen still has a real logjam in front of him for PT in Denver. As a player off the scrap heap, the chance to play in a place like Dallas, where there is a world of opportunity at C, might appeal to him more if the money is similar. Nene, Camby, dont they like Elson too? What about Tskitishvilli? They certainly cant bank on Camby, but they claim they want him back from all I have heard.

Blonde Bomber · 01-28-2004, 12:00 PM

Poindexter-

Anderson as a Center? what, am I missing something here. Can he possibly play center in the west?
He seems more of a tweener SF/PF, depending on matchups. I love the guy's game, but if you think he will be cut out of minutes in Denver, what makes you think he will get those here in Dallas?

Poindexter Einstein · 01-28-2004, 12:11 PM

BB - he is 6-10 and a rebounder/shot blocker type. He plays 4/5 in Denver from what I have seen, never the 3.

As to how he gets minutes here but not Denver, in Dallas there is a need for big men, a dearth indeed. Other than Bradley, there is no rebounder/shot blocker type player for the 5, so there is a huge opportunity. And Bradley isnt getting any younger. In Denver, there are perhaps 4 other players at the 4/5 that they also like, from what I understand, which means there is much less opportunity. He is a Texas kid, too, which might mean the Mavs have some appeal to him.

As much as they say they like him, he is only getting 15 mins a game there. And 4.3 RBG and 1.8 BPG are pretty strong numbers for so few minutes. I think he would make an athletic complement to Bradley as a shot blocker. He is only 25, so he could get much better too.

LRB · 01-28-2004, 01:17 PM

One knock on Anderson is that he doesn't have much meat on him. He may be 6-10 with a 40 inch vertical, but he's real skinny. I'd worry how he would match up aganist some of the bulker lowpost players. He's only 220 compared to Tag's 280. I'd love to have Anderson on my team, but I think we could use the more phyical presense of Tag.

Max Power · 01-28-2004, 04:32 PM

I would have a representative offer Tag the full MLE the day free agency opens. I would think that he would want to try and win a championship and that ain't going to happen on a team who will have significant cap room. Contenders will only have the MLE and the Mavs have the best shot if the money is the same.

Drbio · 01-28-2004, 05:01 PM

Anderson is NOT a center. The kid can flat out fly above the rim but he is in no way a true center. Although he may play the 5 occassionally, he most often splits at forward. You are overvaluing Anderson if you think for a moment that he will garner 6 mil a year in free agency. It won't happen. Especially in the recent FA climate. It just won't happen.

Let's see.....Your speculation (not knocking it mind you becasue it is fun for me to talk about this) versus two guys who have full access to the team....hhmmmmm....tough calll.....I dunno......maybe I need a coin......I'll have to go out on a limb and take their word this time.

An extension at a graduated rate from his current salary BTW would be Nugget payroll friendly and cap friendly to boot. You may want to look back into that. I'm not sure out of what orafice that statement came from. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Personally, I'd like to see Camby stay, but that really is in his hands and he has made statements that he would like to get back east closer to home. Nene will move over to C if Camby departs, but otherwise he primarily gets his minutes at PF. Skita is a SF/swingman and does not compete for realistic minutes with Anderson, Nene, or Camby. Plus, Skita is still a raw project and will be for another year or two (although he made nice strides this year but that is another topic).

Anderson knows his role on that team....there have been discussions to resign him. I have NO idea the status of those talks or if they even continue to occur. COULD he leave Denver? Of course. Will he? Based on what I have heard out of Denver...I doubt it. He's a guy I'd like to see in Mav blue though.

Drbio · 01-28-2004, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Max Power
I would have a representative offer Tag the full MLE the day free agency opens. I would think that he would want to try and win a championship and that ain't going to happen on a team who will have significant cap room. Contenders will only have the MLE and the Mavs have the best shot if the money is the same.

Someone correct me here if I am not remembering this correctly, but didn't someone post an article in the past where Tags said something to the effect that money isn't as important as family and that he would like to play at home? I know I read something to that effect recently. Maybe in the kidney transplant threads? I can't seem to find anything.....

LRB · 01-28-2004, 05:04 PM

MP I would have a representative camping out on his door step at least a week before FA opens so we could be 1st in line. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

But seriously, I think that you are correct that we should immediately go after him and not waste our time chasing other players who we we won't likely get anyways. I'd had to see the MLE go unused yet again because we went on a wild goose chase. And Tag isn't a sure thing to come here, but if we offer him the full MLE on day 1 and give him a time limit to consider we will be in much better shape.

Poindexter Einstein · 01-28-2004, 05:20 PM

DrBio .... ummmmm if I go to the trouble of quoting you the cap rules in the NBA that say an extension is absurd, would you admit I am right and they dont know what they are talking about (in this instance)? or would you continue to throw insults at me just because your writers are so-called experts? You call mine speculation - but my take is based on the absurdity of such a move for Andersen.

I challenge you to be objective, rather than calling me "speculative" and calling them "guys with full access."

madape · 01-28-2004, 05:37 PM

It seems as though there is an opinion among some in this threat that this team would be better off if they pursued Chris Anderson over Greg Ostertag this summer. I just have to say that opinion is completley insane.

I love the Birdman, but to me he is not even close to being a legitimate every-day NBA player. He can come in and give you 15 minutes of crazy, high-flying, shot-swatting, whitey freak-show action. But he's not going to clamp down and be the kind of rock that Osterag is.

Defense. Rebounding. Size. Strength. Dependability. Experience.

That's what the Mavs need. That's what 'Tag is.

Blonde Bomber · 01-28-2004, 05:46 PM

TAG in 04'

Agree with all.....Cuban and both Nelson's. Yeah, that means you Don..no more basking under the sun in Hawaii or getting drunk with Willie Nelson at your local pub. Show TAG respect by showing interests upfront and TAG may show us to the promise land.

Poindexter Einstein · 01-28-2004, 05:52 PM

MADAPE .... I think Andersen could help. I also think Tag could help. There are a few other names I think could help. Each of them provides something different, and the "best" player will be determined by what the Mavs think fits the team needs. They may want a running flying center, rather than an immoblie type like Tag. They may want the rock type like Tag. They may want young. They may want old. I dunno.

Re Anderson having a limit of 15 minutes, when coupled with 15 by Bradley, may be all they want, ya never know.

Regardless, when summer comes, they should be able to get SOMEONE who will add help. The perfect guy isnt out there, though. It will be a matter of sifting thru guys with flaws of one sort or another, and with talents of one sort or another, then looking at price tags, and grabbing the best choice, IMO.

Max Power · 01-28-2004, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: madape
It seems as though there is an opinion among some in this threat that this team would be better off if they pursued Chris Anderson over Greg Ostertag this summer. I just have to say that opinion is completley insane.

I love the Birdman, but to me he is not even close to being a legitimate every-day NBA player. He can come in and give you 15 minutes of crazy, high-flying, shot-swatting, whitey freak-show action. But he's not going to clamp down and be the kind of rock that Osterag is.

Defense. Rebounding. Size. Strength. Dependability. Experience.

That's what the Mavs need. That's what 'Tag is.

Well said ape. I think Tag would be a Donaldson type player. He might not make the spectacular play but he'll show up to play every night and he'll give you everything he's got.

Of course Shaq abuses the crap out of him - even worse than most centers. So he might not play too much against the Lakers.

Blonde Bomber · 01-28-2004, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Poindexter Einstein
MADAPE .... I think Andersen could help. I also think Tag could help. There are a few other names I think could help. Each of them provides something different, and the "best" player will be determined by what the Mavs think fits the team needs. They may want a running flying center, rather than an immoblie type like Tag. They may want the rock type like Tag. They may want young. They may want old. I dunno.

Re Anderson having a limit of 15 minutes, when coupled with 15 by Bradley, may be all they want, ya never know.

Regardless, when summer comes, they should be able to get SOMEONE who will add help. The perfect guy isnt out there, though. It will be a matter of sifting thru guys with flaws of one sort or another, and with talents of one sort or another, then looking at price tags, and grabbing the best choice, IMO.

Regardless of price...Anderson would be a "luxury", TAG would be a "need". Simple as that.

Poindexter Einstein · 01-28-2004, 06:04 PM

BB - you may be right.

All I know is, they can improve the team this summer if they add a big man. And there will be some available and likely affordable for the MLE they will have to use. I just hope they grab a good one (assuming they dont decide to do some sort of trade).

superheadcat · 02-06-2004, 07:14 PM

hmm, he thought about playing "for somebody else" for "nine years— a couple of times a year", he "wants to win", and "a chance to win a championship", as to money, "don't get me wrong — money's great. But. . . . You don't want to be put on a team where you're gonna end up 25 games under .500." and he claims "I probably haven't reached the potential I probably could have."

how should mavs respond to his/his agent's signal?

Uncertain future for Jazz center
By Tim Buckley
Deseret Morning News

He is the last man standing, the sole player left from the Jazz's 1997 and '98 NBA Finals team.
How that ever happened baffles Greg Ostertag.
"I really, honestly, don't know why I'm still around," he says. "I guess they really like me."
Ostertag laughs.
Not heartily, but with a singular chortle, similar to the sound you may have just made.
Rarely one with elevated approval ratings — in part due to consistent inconsistency, in part because of admittedly untapped potential — the Jazz's 7-foot-2 starting center does not know how much longer he will call Utah home.
A free agent at the end of this season, Ostertag isn't even sure he will last past the league's Feb. 19 trade deadline — now, less than two weeks away.
"Until they call me up and say, 'We've traded you,' " he said, "I'm a Jazz-team guy until the end of the season."
Beyond then, Ostertag has no idea what the summer may hold.
"I'll be honest with you: I don't know," he said. "I'm gonna look at things. I'm gonna look at my future, and what's best for me. If the Jazz happen to be a part of that, so be it."
He says they may want him back: "From what I hear, yeah. But, you know, you never know."
All Ostertag knows for certain — contrary to what some speculate — is he fully intends to play next season, and well beyond.
"I'm like everybody else: I have my ups and downs, days I don't like to practice," he said. "But I enjoy playing basketball. There's nothing like it when . . . the crowd goes wild."
The issue of a return to Utah, then, is fraught with uncertainty.
By no means is Ostertag proclaiming he wants out: "This doesn't mean that I want to be traded right away," he said, "or I'm for-sure leaving."
Yet if the Jazz have little or no interest in continuing the relationship — remember Bryon Russell, even Karl Malone? — Ostertag's own desires are diminished.
Moreover, a part of him wonders what it would be like elsewhere.
"I ain't gonna lie to you about that," said Ostertag, a native Texan whom the Jazz drafted out of the University of Kansas in 1995. "I've thought about it. I've thought about it for nine years — a couple of times a year. I've often thought . . . what it would be like to play for somebody else."
Somebody, that is, besides Jerry Sloan — a man who for nearly a decade has ridden Ostertag hard, and perhaps sometimes not nearly hard enough.
"I honestly think — as much as people have come to know Jerry and I to bump heads once or twice a year — that if I had played for a different coach that didn't have that same drive or desire to want to coach his players, for his players to want to win like that, I don't know how I'd respond to that," Ostertag said.
"I probably haven't reached the potential I probably could have," he added, "but I'm a better player — and I give Jerry and his (assistants) a lot of credit for that."
Whatever happens by Feb. 19 — in exchange for assets like a draft pick and/or young prospect, the Jazz could deal Ostertag to a contender preparing for a playoff run, or to a club seeking to clear salary-cap space — it will be his prerogative to seek alternative pastures, should he so choose, when the NBA's free-agency market opens in July.
But the 30-year-old's highest priority, he says, is not location, coaching or cold cash.
"There is nothing I would love more than to have a chance to have another title run in my career, and — I guess maybe it sounds selfish, in a way — that will be one of my weighing options this year," Ostertag said. "It's one of the things I'm looking at: Do I have a chance to win a championship?
"I don't want to just play for a team, and I know there's people who'll call b------- on this, just because they pay me a lot of money," added Ostertag, who is making $8.67 million this season and already has a fortune socked away from a six-year, $39 million contract extension. "I mean, don't get me wrong — money's great. But you want to win. . . . You don't want to be put on a team where you're gonna end up 25 games under .500."
Do the rebuilding Jazz fit the criteria, including the opportunity to again chase a title?
Ostertag rules out nothing.
"I don't know," he said. "It's something that will have to be looked at down the line: How soon?"
While that question's answer plays out, Ostertag savors a season that — despite the three-game losing streak the 24-25 Jazz take into tonight's game against Portland — he so far has found satisfying.
"If you would have asked me, at the beginning of the season, if, at (next week's) All-Star break, we would have had 24 or 25 wins, I'd probably have said, 'No,' " he said. "But it has been a lot of fun to watch us come out and compete, and to win games, and be better than everybody anticipated.
"Nobody expected us to do anything. They expected us to get nine wins, be 9-73 and be a cellar-dweller. Well, as it stands, we're in contention for the seventh or eighth playoff spot in the West — which is far more than anybody would ever have expected. That's what's been a lot of fun."
It's also what has allowed him to focus on something other than the future.
His future.
"That's still months and months away," Ostertag said. "Right now, I'm worried about what's going on with this team — and trying to do what I can to help us win.'

twelli · 02-06-2004, 09:42 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Ostertag the kind of player who drives fans and teammates crazy with his style of play? I would love to ask Malone, Sloan and Jazz fans about that. A tag team consisting of TAG and BRAD would really be a risky undertaking.

"When the season opened many Jazz fans had big expectations for Greg Ostertag. Ostertag was coming off a solid second season in which he played very well defensively against Olajuwon and O'Neal in the playoffs. Going into the season Jazz fans expected that Ostertag had worked hard on his offence, therefore becoming more of a factor in games. Utah management had similar expectations and rewarded Greg with a five year $30 million contract. Ostertag was blasted by Karl Malone and coach Jerry Sloan for showing up to training camp overweight and out of shape. In a season in which Ostertag lost his starting job, saw limited action and was forced to run laps after practice, Jazz fans hope Ostertag now fully understands what it takes to be an NBA player."
(found at http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/1...t/Picks/29.htm)

I know this has been a long time ago, so is Ostertag a changed man now? Or is he still a player that raises high expectations and than shows up out of shape? That sounds so Bradley...

And what about his toughness? He got knocked out by his own teammate once...

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE (March 15, 2003)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Karl Malone didn't even feel the contact. Greg Ostertag still was feeling it hours later.
While both players scrambled for a rebound midway through the third quarter Friday, Malone's right elbow landed flush, and hard, on Ostertag's head, just above his right eye. The Jazz center collapsed to the floor, unconscious from the blow, while Malone continued to battle for the loose ball, finally diving on the floor to force a jump ball.

I guess that was just an accident...