Article on Milos and possible relation to getting Kobe

[thegrahamcrackr]

Suns have ‘great’ shot at European star
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
A representative of Milos Vujanic says the point guard, one of Europe’s best, has a "great chance" of signing with the Suns in the upcoming offseason.

"The time is ripe for him to come; the Suns don’t have any elite point guards," said David Bauman, the manager of the European division of the sports agency SFX’s basketball group.

Also, at age 24, "The clock is ticking on Milos," Bauman said. "We don’t want him to wait any longer."

For Vujanic (pronounced Voo-ON-ich) to sign, "The key is getting a multiyear package," Bauman said.

To get to the NBA, the Suns and the player will have to buy out his contract with his Italian team, Skipper Bologna, Bauman said. NBA rules limit the Suns’ payment to $350,000 so the player will have to pay whatever else is required, the agent said.

Because Vujanic was a second-round draft pick (by the New York Knicks), he is not limited to the rookiesalary scale of a first-rounder.

There are precedents for a non-first-rounder from Europe signing a multiyear, multimillion-dollar deals, he said, pointing to Marko Jaric of the Los Angeles Clippers, who has a three-year, $6 million deal.

Vujanic makes about $1 million in Europe, but players’ earnings there are tax free, he said. So, "If you make $1 million tax free in Europe, it’s equivalent to about $2 million in the NBA."

"The chances are great" that Vujanic will come, Bauman said. "Most of it depends on Bryan Colangelo and the Suns.

"Bryan is creating cap room that hopefully will be used for some of our clients."

In addition to Vujanic, this is an apparent reference to such superstars as Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, who also are represented by SFX. Bryant is expected to become a free agent this summer, McGrady a year later.

What about it? Is the Lakers star considering bolting to the Suns?

"Who wouldn’t want to play for the Suns?" answered Bauman, who said the franchise has a "phenomenal organization."

He pointed out that reserve center Jahidi White is an SFX client. And though White doesn’t play all that much, "Jahidi loves Phoenix," Bauman said.

Bryant himself recently said he would consider the Suns, but he spoke in the context that he would consider virtually every NBA team.

The Suns’ signing Bryant or another free agent "will affect how much money Milos can get," Bauman acknowledged.

As things stand, the Suns may be slightly more than $8 million under the salary cap in the offseason. They are believed to be trying to trade White, so they can get about $14 million under the cap. Any such deal probably would involve sending away draft picks.

Colangelo said he didn’t want to put any odds on signing Vujanic. Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo has said he believes there’s a good chance the player will be in the fold for next season.

Bauman said his client "has developed the skills of an elite point guard." He said he recognizes the Suns already have a promising young point guard in Leandro Barbosa, but that, "Milos is at a much different playing level than Barbosa."

Vujanic is known as a scoring point guard. He’s averaged 17.8 points, 1.8 steals and — in a stat that might make Suns’ fans pause — only 2.7 assists. Bauman suggested statisticians in Europe don’t give out assists as freely as in the NBA.

BONUS SHOTS: The Suns hope Shawn Marion, who has been battling bronchitis, is able to play. Also, the status of Jake Voskuhl, who continues to struggle with a sore left foot, and White, who has a bruised right knee, is undetermined.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=19725

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

A couple of things I found interesting from this article:

-Milos' Euro salary. His agent says it is 1 million, tax free. Which equates to roughly 2 million. I think this reenforces the idea it will take 2 million a year to get him here. I would assume he wants an indentical deal to the one listed for Jaric.

-I never realized that he was an SFX client. Nor did I know that White was either for that matter. I think it is safe to assume that the suns will have a great idea (as much as anyone else at least) of what Kobe will do this summer. This could help a lot with draft prepartations, and possible trades.

-Yet another source talking abotu how great Phx is, as a city and an organization. This time from someone close to Bryant, but not necessarily in his inner circle.

"Bryan is creating cap room that hopefully will be used for some of our clients."

Man I love that part.

 

[slinslin]

The Suns are 13-14M$ under the cap without the top pick.

Is this guy ever going to get it?

And unless he is talking about the italian national league, Vujanic averages only 1.8apg.
http://www.euroleague.net/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=AUP

 

[Chaplin]

Man, late June can't get here fast enough!

 

[Joe Mama]

The Suns are 13-14M$ under the cap without the top pick.

Is this guy ever going to get it?

And unless he is talking about the italian national league, Vujanic averages only 1.8apg.
http://www.euroleague.net/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=AUP

I'll show you where they come up with $8 million. Lets assume that the salary cap next year is $45 million. If the Suns do not re-sign any of their free agents they will have a team salary of $33.9 million next season according to HoopsHype. The salary hold for the #6 draft pick is $2.1 million. If they moved up to the top of the draft the salary hold would be about $1 million more. So, it's actually $8-9 million if they use their pick.

Joe Mama

 

[slinslin]

The cap won't be at 45M$ though.

 

[Chaplin]

The cap won't be at 45M$ though.

Where will it be? Check your dvds.

 

[slinslin]

It was reported before that the cap will be at 47-48M$ this offseason.

 

[Skkorpion]

Okay, I don't get it. Tell me again why Kobe would come here and play for a team with a coach on shaky ground, a team with no center, and a receeding fan base.

The owners have a good reputation but they are on shaky financial ground and Kobe KNOWS the Colangelos are getting out of basketball. So the existence of built-up "good will" may be illusory.

 

[elindholm]

I doubt that players really care that much about the owner's "good will" anyway. They'll say that it's important as a negotiating ploy or for PR, but how much does the typical player interact with the typical owner?

Players just want to know if they're going to be paid. The Mavericks like Cuban because they know that he won't nickel-and-dime them when it comes time for contract extensions. But do they like him personally? Maybe and maybe not -- but most likely they simply don't care.

If Bryant comes to the Suns, it will be for a contract offered by Colangelo. Once he has that in hand, Bryant has no reason to care who ends up owning the team a year or two down the road.

 

[sly fly]

Okay, I don't get it. Tell me again why Kobe would come here and play for a team with a coach on shaky ground, a team with no center, and a receeding fan base.

The owners have a good reputation but they are on shaky financial ground and Kobe KNOWS the Colangelos are getting out of basketball. So the existence of built-up "good will" may be illusory.

- That receding fan base will be a thing of the past if Kobe signs here.

- Put Kobe on this team, surround him with athletic/big 4's... you won't need a center. You can build around Kobe, Amare, and Emeka (The best 1st name team in the league).

- Coach on shaky ground? He has a contract and JC said he's THE coach. No mention of interim. Give the guy a chance to implement his system.

- JC will have a hand in this team until the day he dies. Mark my words on that.

The new ownership group will have the same traits as JC and family. Charitable giving, treating players with respect, incorporating former players into future team plans, and DEEP POCKETS.

Expect new ownership to have ties to the Valley. Enter Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Tiger Woods. With a dash of Paul Jensen.

The franchise value will pop if those guys get involved. The future looks good for this franchise.

*** And that is why Kobe will want to play for PHX. ***

 

[Chaplin]

Okay, I don't get it. Tell me again why Kobe would come here and play for a team with a coach on shaky ground, a team with no center, and a receeding fan base.

The owners have a good reputation but they are on shaky financial ground and Kobe KNOWS the Colangelos are getting out of basketball. So the existence of built-up "good will" may be illusory.

Most everything you point out will be nearly fixed if Kobe plays here. That's a fact.

 

[George O'Brien]

I'm sure the fans of every team could give a long list of why Kobe should come to their town and also a long list of why he won't. Except for Utah, he hasn't discounted anybody else YET.

Back to Vujanc, this point about him being 24 is important. If he hopes to make big money in the NBA, he has to get here soon. If the Suns sign Kobe, Vujanic may be forced to take a smaller contract in the hope of getting a big contract later.