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."

Steve Aschburner of the Star Tribune reports that the Timberwolves have found some help at the point guard position. They have reached a contract agreement with free agent point guard Troy Hudson.

Hudson, 26, averaged 11.7 points and 3.1 assists in 22.9 minutes last season for the Orlando Magic. Contract terms have not been released, but it is believed to be a 3-year contract with the third year as a player option. Hudson's agent, Bill Neff, previously turned down a Wolves offer of the $1.4 million exception. He reportedly was seeking a portion of the mid-level exception, or about $2.5 million of the available $4.5 million as a starting salary.
 
In contrast to Travis Best, another NBA point guard with whom the Wolves had talked, Hudson is younger by four years, is 2 inches taller and is known to play at a faster pace. Best, 30, who helped Indiana reach the 2000 NBA Finals, was believed to be seeking all or most of the midlevel exception.

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?.

Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis star tribune reports: Don't be shocked if the Wolves give former No. 1 draft choice Isaiah Rider a chance to try out for the team. Rider, who has been released by Portland, Atlanta and the Lakers since being traded by the Wolves in 1996, is a free agent.

Kevin McHale, Timberwolves vice president, said he has talked to Rider. McHale said if Rider is interested in trying out, he would have to be tested for substance abuse once a week, would receive a non-guaranteed contract and would have to prove in training camp he can play.

Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Steve Aschburner reports that the Timberwolves have missed out on acquiring shooting guard Ricky Davis after the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to match the Wolves offer.

Davis, a restricted free agent, had signed an offer sheet with the Minnesota Timberwolves.  His restricted free agency status gave the Cavaliers the right of first refusal, meaning that they had the opportunity to match any offer that Davis was formally given and the player would remain with the team.  Cleveland General Manager Jim Paxson had until Sept. 4 to make a decision but opted to match the deal one day after receiving formal notice of the Minnesota offer.

"If you go with that [today], you won't be wrong," Paxson told a Willoughby News-Herald reporter Tuesday evening. A formal announcement is expected today."

Both Davis and his agent Dan Fegan urged the Cavaliers to let him move on without intervention, but to their anger their pleas fell on deaf ears.  Fegan stressed that his client preferred to be in Minnesota and it would be bad business to lock up an unhappy Davis long term.

"You don't want to pay $34 million over six years for a player who wants to be somewhere else," Fegan had said Tuesday afternoon. "That's a crazy way to run a business."

The article reports that the Cavaliers did not want to lose Davis without compensation and had held discussions about potential sign and trade deals with both Denver and Minnesota.  Once Davis signed the offer sheet this option was exhaused, and now Davis cannot be traded until December 15 at the earliest but not to Minnesota for a minimum of 12 months.

Asked if he would be reluctant to commit $34 million to a player who wanted out, Kevin McHale, the Timberwolves Vice President, said: "It would be something I'd have to think about. I'm kind of close to the deal, so it's hard to be objective. Ricky's got some issues in going back there, some things he's got concerns about."

Minnesota now regains their mid-level exception which would have been used should the matching deadline have passed.

Branson Wright of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Ricky Davis is about two weeks away from becoming the next player to leave the Cavaliers this summer - unless management decides otherwise.

Davis signed an offer sheet with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The offer wasn't disclosed, but a source close to the negotiations said it was worth about $35 million over six years. Now, because the Cavaliers have ?the right of first refusal?, they can choose to match the Minnesota offer and retain Davis for the same 6-year, $35 million contract.

Cavs General Manager Jim Paxson said the organization has made it clear it wants to keep Davis. "We qualified Ricky because our intent was to have all three [Darius Miles and Dajuan Wagner] of them [develop together]," Paxson said. "The system was set up this way and we'll take the full amount of time to make our decision [on matching the offer]."

By taking the full amount of time to make their decision, the Timberwolves will be unable to do anything with their mid-level exception until the matter is resolved. The Cavaliers have 15 days to match the offer, which means the Timberwolves may end up having their exception unavailable for the next two weeks and still lose out on Davis.

Steve Aschburner of the Pioneer Press reports that the Timberwolves have taken the plunge with Ricky Davis. The Cleveland free agent signed an offer sheet with the T-wolves on Friday night. As a restricted free agent, the Cavaliers will have the opportunity to match the offer and keep Davis.

Terms of the Wolves' offer were not disclosed, but the deal is believed to be for the NBA's full mid-level salary cap exception, worth $34.7 million over six years. The Cavaliers have 15 days to match the offer. Cleveland management has sent mixed signals in recent weeks about its plans for Davis. The team traded guard Wesley Person on draft night in part to free more playing time for Davis. But earlier this week, General Manager Jim Paxson three times evaded a reporter's question when asked if he would match a full-exception offer to the four-year veteran.

The signing is the Wolves' first significant move of the offseason. If the Wolves land Davis, the move would put them well over the estimated $52 million threshold for the NBA's looming luxury tax.

Marc Berman reports that, according to sources, Rodney Rogers has agreed to terms with the Nets.

Nets GM Rod Thorn has been working out details of a three-year, $9 million deal for Rogers. The former Celtics forward flew into Newark last night to take a physical that would finalize the deal. The Nets plan to announce the signing today.

After acquiring Dikembe Mutombo to solidify the defense, and promoting Richard Jefferson to a starting role Thorn had been hunting for an outside-shooting forward to come off the bench. Rogers, a key ingredient in the Celtics' march to the Eastern Conference Finals after being traded from Phoenix in midseason, fit the bill perfectly.

Rogers former teammates Jason Kidd and Dikembe Mutombo were instrumental in convincing Rogers to sign for less with the Nets. The most Thorn could offer Rogers was a contract starting at $2.9 million, since the league's reigning executive of the year had used the rest of his mid-level exception to sign backup point guard Chris Childs. It's believed that Minnesota offered a four-year contract paying between $3.1 million and $3.3 million.

"He wanted the opportunity to compete for an NBA championship," said Rogers' agent, James Williams. "With the moves they've made, he thinks the Nets can give the Lakers a run for their money. He brings to the table an ability to play the 3-4-5 positions. Jason knows Rodney will go to war with him."

Robbi Pickeral of the Pioneer Press reports that after a meeting with Timberwolves executives last week, the agent for forward Kevin Garnett said he had "a more optimistic feeling about the future of the Wolves than before we met.''

However, agent Andy Miller said the two sides are not close to reaching an extension agreement for the five-time all-star.

"I can't say there's anything imminent. We're not on the cusp of anything,'' he said.

Will a deal be made this offseason?

"Honestly, I don't know,'' Miller said.

Miller called his meeting Thursday with team owner Glen Taylor and team vice president Kevin McHale in the Twin Cities "very candid.'' He declined to discuss specific numbers but implied that Garnett, who could ask for a four-year extension worth roughly $139 million, would be willing to take significantly less under the right scenario.

The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to a multiyear cable rights agreement with Fox Sports Net on Tuesday, spurning the Minnesota Twins in the process.