It appears the Trail Blazers will sign only one of the two Russians they acquired Thursday, in large part because general manager John Nash wants to position himself for an active summer in the free agent market.
Viktor Khryapa, a 6-foot-9 small forward drafted with the 22nd pick by New Jersey and then traded to Portland, probably will sign with the Blazers this summer, but not in time to take part in the team's summer league action, which begins July 16 in Salt Lake City.
Meanwhile, Sergei Monia -- a 6-foot-8 wing player drafted with the 23rd pick -- probably will stay in Russia and complete his contract with CSKA Moscow, then come to the Blazers for the 2005-06 season.
Nash said, however, the Blazers might not sign either this season, depending on how successful he is in acquiring free agents and executing a promised trade of one of the Blazers' forwards. After obtaining four players last week, the Blazers' roster is at 16; teams may carry a maximum of 15 (12 on the active roster, plus three on the injured list) during the season.
"We really want to be players in free agency," Nash said Sunday before putting Khryapa and Monia through a workout. "And we've identified a couple of free agents that we want to go after. Neither of them are of All-Star quality, but they are solid role players. But our plan throughout has been to get help for the immediate future through free agency and long term help via the draft.
"So if there is a delay in getting Monia here to Portland, it's not that disheartening."
To sign Khryapa (pronounced Ha-RAP-pa), the Blazers must pay a $350,000 buyout to CSKA Moscow. Monia, who has one year left on his CSKA contract, has a $1 million buyout this season; it falls to $500,000 the following season. Agent Marc Fleisher, who represents both players, said he expects no problems in negotiating the buyout and new contract for Khryapa, and said he is confident he could get Monia to Portland this season if the Blazers so desired.
Fleisher is one of the most experienced agents in dealing with foreign players, having represented Vlade Divac, Tony Parker, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmut Okur.
"Viktor is 100 percent, there is no issues at all, and his club expects him to come, no question," Fleisher said. "With Monia, if the Blazers want to get him out there this season, we will have to negotiate, but everything in this day and age is negotiable. But I think they would have to free up some space."
Nash said he plans to follow through with his promise of trading a frontcourt player this summer to alleviate the logjam at small forward, which includes Darius Miles, Ruben Patterson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Qyntel Woods and Travis Outlaw. Many expect the player traded to be Abdur-Rahim, but more and more, Nash and coach Maurice Cheeks are talking about Abdur-Rahim as if they are counting him in their future plans.
"From a roster standpoint, things are getting real crowded," Nash said. "We have to talk internally and talk trades, because we haven't backed off trading a small forward to get a guard. I have tried lately, but I haven't been real successful. So we'll have to get together again as a staff and talk it over."
One discussion the Blazers staff doesn't need to have is whether it likes the two Russians. Across the board, the Blazers are tickled both players lasted to the 22nd and 23rd picks. Many had projected Monia to be a top-10 pick, and the Blazers had Khryapa rated 13th.
"That will go down as a lucky day in Portland," Fleisher said.
If Khryapa signs as expected this summer, he figures to become a part of the rotation immediately.
"This is a guy Portland fans are going to embrace," said Chico Averbuck, who scouted both players for the Blazers. "You throw him on the court and he will impact the game with his energy. I don't want to say he is like Ruben Patterson, because Ruben has his own niche, but you throw both Viktor and Ruben out there and you will have two Energizer Bunnies."
Khryapa is expected to be a small forward, but Averbuck said he can defend guards and can play point forward, much as Scottie Pippen did with the Blazers. But his forte is doing the little things, such as deflecting passes, getting offensive rebounds and guarding multiple players.
"He is the type of player coaches embrace," said Mark Warkentien, the Blazers' director of player personnel. "Nobody runs, defends and rebounds harder than he does, and he takes care of the ball. So he often gets in game before, say, a more talented guy."
Monia is considered more of an offensive player, and Averbuck likened him to Utah's Matt Harpring.
"Matt is a better athlete, but in terms of skill you can get the picture," Averbuck said. "Sergei is a very fundamentally sound player and he can stroke (shoot) the ball. And physically, he's ready to play."
The two have been playing on Russian national teams since they were 14 and have spent the last two seasons with CSKA Moscow, one of the top Euroleague teams. There was a report the two would not fit well on the same NBA team because they had developed a rift while being platooned on CSKA.
"That couldn't be further from the truth," Fleisher said. "I haven't seen one of them without the other right next to him. They are very close friends."
They also come from a hardened basketball background that includes playing for famed Russian coach Dusan Ivkovic, who uses a my-way-or-the-highway approach.
"I think they are going to be very attractive to Maurice, because the things that Maurice has been harping about for years, these two have been doing for the past eight years. . . . If they didn't, they wouldn't play at all," Averbuck said.
Khryapa, who turns 22 in August, appears to be the one fans will see first. And Averbuck has a hunch Khryapa is ready to flourish outside of Ivkovic's regimented system.
"This kid has that inkling of athleticism. I don't want to put him in the category of Peja Stojakovic, but he has a little bit of street game in him," Averbuck said. "That's why I think his game will transfer better to the NBA than the structured system of CSKA. There he had a very single-minded approach, and if he stepped out of it, he was on the bench. In the NBA, with the freedom we have, I think the kid will blossom."
