Saving the Golden State Warriors
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Updated: July 29
10:21 AM ET
Gilbert Arenas has a message for Warriors fans looking for hope amidst the fiery embers -- forget it.
After showing lots of promise last season under new head coach Eric Musselman, the Warriors suffered a death blow last week when Arenas, the team's best player and catalyst for its improbable run, signed an offer sheet with the Wizards.
Because of salary-cap constraints, the Warriors would have to clear around $20 million in cap room to be able to match the offer.
The clock is ticking and the Warriors look like they're going to be screwed once again.
Gilbert Arenas
Point Guard
Golden State Warriors
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 18.3 4.7 6.3 .431 .791
Blame it on the quirky nature of the salary cap that allows teams to go over the cap to sign three-year players but not two-year ones.
Blame it on Arenas (or his agent Dan Fegan) who appeared, from the outside, to be hell bent on getting top dollar regardless of who was offering it to him.
Blame it on GM Garry St. Jean, who failed to recognize last season that Arenas would command more than the Warriors would be able to pay. St. Jean had several opportunities to trade away good players for expiring contracts at the trade deadline and balked.
Or, you can blame owner Chris Cohan.
In a radio interview Monday with KNBR, Arenas said he would have rejected the Wizards' $65 offer and signed a one-year deal with the Warriors if Cohan would have simply promised him that the Warriors would take care of him down the road.
Arenas claims he wasn't looking for an under-the-table deal or a specific figure. He just wanted assurances that, should he get injured or have a bad season, the Warriors would step up and still give him a long-term deal. According to Arenas, team president Robert Rowell made the promise, but Cohan wouldn't do the same.
"The guy didn't even shake my hand, he didn't say nothing to me, didn't look me in the eye and say he was going to sign me back or nothing. I mean, what should I do?" Arenas told KNBR.
"If you are turning down $60 million to come to a place you want to be, you have to have some trust," Arenas said. "If a guy I do not know (well) can tell me in my face that the deal will get done no matter how you play, then OK, that's all I wanted to hear."
Arenas didn't hear it, and promptly signed the offer sheet with the Wizards. Now the team appears to be screwed.
One Warriors source told Insider that the loss of Arenas was a "devastating loss. He was the most important player on the team. There's no way we do what we did last year without him."
St. Jean reacted quickly to the news that Arenas was ready to bolt by signing free agent Speedy Claxton. Claxton is a solid backup point guard. But Arenas had the makings of an all-star.
Arenas' departure has some within the team scratching their heads. With so many superpowers in the West, the chances that the Warriors will make the playoffs, let alone improve without Arenas, appear to be slim.
The Warriors have looked at adding another point guard via trade -- Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford and Jamaal Tinsley have been at the top of their list -- but so far they've struck out. Terry is expected to sign an offer sheet with the Jazz today (see below). The Bulls are much more reluctant to move Crawford because of Jay Williams' injury, and the Pacers are looking for a veteran point guard back in return for Tinsley -- something the Warriors just don't have.
Their failure to land another starting-caliber point guard leaves them at a crossroads of sorts.
St. Jean could call it quits, trade a couple of high-priced players for guys with expiring contracts and get under the cap for next year. The Mavs, Knicks and Grizzlies are interested in center Erick Dampier. A trade of Dampier and Danny Fortson to Memphis for Wesley Person and Brevin Knight, for example, would give the Warriors $15 million in cap room (assuming the cap stays the same) to play with next summer.
Of course, such a trade would seriously tank the Warriors' chances of returning to form this season. But it would give them hope in a nice free-agent market next summer.
The other alternative, just as radical, is for the Warriors to think fast and clear that $20 million in cap room now. While extremely hard to pull off, it isn't impossible.
Here's an example of how the Warriors, by the end of the week, could get far enough under the cap to match the Wizards' offer for Arenas.
Step One: Trade Adonal Foyle and Bobby Sura to the Heat.
The Heat are roughly $11.3 million under the cap and can absorb the $10.7 million hit without sending anyone back. Both Foyle and Sura are in the last year of their contracts, meaning that the Heat will still have all of their cap room next summer. Foyle had a promising season for the Warriors last year and, in the East, could give the Heat an inside presence that they desperately lack. Sura has the ability to swing to the one and can provide back-up to rookie Dwyane Wade at the point.
Another option is to ship Dampier and rookie Mike Dunleavy to Miami. That would clear $10.8 million but would leave the Heat without cap room next year. The Jazz may also be willing to play along with either of these scenarios assuming that the Clips match their offer to Corey Maggette.
Step Two: Trade Jason Richardson and Chris Mills to the Nuggets for a future No. 1 pick
Assuming the Clippers don't match Andre Miller's deal, the Nuggets are still around $10 million under the cap. Mills' and Richardson's salaries combine for $9.4 million. Mills is in the last year of his contract, so the Nuggets will get $6.6 million of that cap room back next season. The Nuggets have been out searching for a two guard to complement Miller in the backcourt. Richardson is the type of up-tempo athletic guard the Nuggets have been looking for. He's easily worth a future No. 1 down the road.
In those two simple steps, the Warriors clear $20.1 million in cap space, immediately giving them enough room to re-sign Arenas. If that isn't enough (we don't know exactly what Arenas' starting salary is on the offer sheet) the team could ship Jiri Welsch to a team like the Jazz and get another $1.3 under.
While the loss to the Warriors would be significant -- Foyle is a key component to their front line and Richardson was their starting two guard -- it isn't nearly as devastating as losing Arenas.
The Warriors drafted a two guard, Mickael Pietrus, this summer. Pietrus may be a little raw offensively, but he's already a better defender and passer than Richardson. The team still retains its core of Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Troy Murphy, Dampier and Mike Dunleavy. That team has a much better chance of making the playoffs than one without Arenas.
Of course, knowing the Warriors, they'll likely end up doing nothing. St. Jean and Cohan aren't known for being bold. But desperate times call for desperate measures. If the Warriors truly want to keep Arenas in the fold and continue rebuilding for the future, the time to act is now.
The clock is ticking Garry St. Jean. Are you listening?
Around the League
It looks like the Jazz are ready to implement Free Agent Plan C. The Jazz were on the verge Monday night of handing free agent Jason Terry an offer sheet, according to Terry's agent, Raymond Brothers.
Jason Terry
Guard
Atlanta Hawks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
81 17.2 3.4 7.4 .428 .887
"He might sign as early as [today]," Brothers told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
It's unclear exactly what the Jazz are offering Terry, but the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that the deal would likely mirror the six-year, $50 million offer the Jazz made Andre Miller. According to Brothers, the Hawks never made Terry a serious offer.
"It's disappointing that after four years of service to the organization and within the community, the Hawks have yet to make any attempt to re-sign Jason," Brothers said. "I've talked with other teams and they were shocked."
The Hawks have maintained all summer that they'll match any offer for Terry and the recent trade of Glenn Robinson for Terrell Brandon's expiring contract should make it financially feasible. However, the offer still has an element of bad timing. The sale of the Hawks to new owner David McDavid still isn't complete, complicating things from the Hawks end.
The Jazz are also still awaiting word on the outcome of their offer sheet for Corey Maggette. The Clippers have until Thursday to notify the Jazz whether they will match the offer. Right now, the word out of L.A. is that the team will match the offer. If the Clippers and Hawks both match, the Jazz will still be looking at roughly $20 million in cap room for next season.
If Terry signs the offer sheet with the Jazz as expected, it will put to rest one of the most rampant rumors running through the NBA on Monday -- that the Pacers were actively trying to acquire Terry via sign-and-trade. While Pacers sources acknowledged interest in Terry, pulling off a sign-and-trade would have been extremely difficult and expensive for the Pacers. Terry would've become a base-year player in a sign-and-trade situation, meaning that a much larger trade would've needed to be consummated to make the numbers work. The team is still loathe to give up any of its top talent, including Al Harrington.
Jon Barry
Shooting Guard
Detroit Pistons
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
80 6.9 2.3 2.6 .450 .860
The Pacers admitted that they also have interest in free agent Jon Barry, but won't do anything until they get Reggie Miller back into the fold.
"Right now, our focus is on Reggie," team president Larry Bird told the Indianapolis Star. "We'll try to get Reggie done first."
"I had a great meeting with Isiah (Thomas), Donnie (Walsh) and Larry (Bird)," Barry said. "It would be something I'd love to do. They feel I'm a leader although I'm a bench player."
The Celtics and Cavs were on the verge of a three-player trade Monday night. The deal would send the Jumaine Jones to the Celtics in a sign-and-trade for J.R. Bremer and Bruno Sundov. The trade would give the Celtics another versatile forward who can shoot the 3 and go down in the paint and rebound. The key to the deal for the Cavs is Bremer, who would give the Cavs another high-scoring combo guard, along with Dajuan Wagner, to come off the bench.
Still, it's the Celtics who come out on top in this deal if Jones lives up to his potential. "I just feel that Jumaine Jones is a player who has not yet achieved what he is capable of achieving," Danny Ainge told the Boston Globe. "I believe he's been a solid NBA player up to this point. He started on the Philadelphia 76ers' Eastern Conference championship team in the playoffs as a rookie. Then, he was traded to Cleveland. I just don't think he's achieved what his potential is and I hope that he can in a Boston uniform, that we can help develop him. He's at that time in his career where he's got some NBA experience and I think he can help us become a better team as well. That's why we're doing it."
"I could see Jumaine Jones as being anywhere from a starter to an eighth man, but a lot of that's going to depend on him and how well he plays," added Ainge. "Knowing the competitive nature of Jumaine, I know that he's not afraid of competing for a job. But we have a lot of forwards, a lot of guys that play in the front line. And yet, I think that Jumaine, can slide down and play the two-guard spot at times, too. So, I like his versatility as well."
The T-Wolves continued to round out their roster on Monday by agreeing to deals with free agents Mark Madsen and Fred Hoiberg.
"[Madsen] has character and he has toughness," Kevin McHale, Wolves vice president of basketball operations, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He'll put a body on you, be aggressive. He's a big, strong guy, which is something we wanted and needed."
Hoiberg gives the Wolves another long-range threat.
"We felt we needed another veteran player who will be able to hit some shots, and Fred fits the bill," said McHale. "He's another guy who works hard in practice."
The new additions continue the major overhaul of the Wolves. Right now, the team has only three players -- Kevin Garnett, Wally Szczerbiak and Troy Hudson -- on the roster from last season.
The moves gives the Wolves 10 players under contract. They also have a qualifying offer out to guard Mike Wilks. The team could still use depth at small forward and may decide to add another player later.
"There are a couple more pieces we'd like to fill," McHale said. "But at some point you'd better start being content with what you've done."
In other free agent news, the Lakers signed veteran Horace Grant to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum. The Bulls will sign veteran big man Corie Blount to a two-year, $3.4 million deal today. The Nets agreed to a reported two-year, $5 million deal with veteran Lucious Harris.
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Updated: July 29
10:21 AM ET
Gilbert Arenas has a message for Warriors fans looking for hope amidst the fiery embers -- forget it.
After showing lots of promise last season under new head coach Eric Musselman, the Warriors suffered a death blow last week when Arenas, the team's best player and catalyst for its improbable run, signed an offer sheet with the Wizards.
Because of salary-cap constraints, the Warriors would have to clear around $20 million in cap room to be able to match the offer.
The clock is ticking and the Warriors look like they're going to be screwed once again.
Gilbert Arenas
Point Guard
Golden State Warriors
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
82 18.3 4.7 6.3 .431 .791
Blame it on the quirky nature of the salary cap that allows teams to go over the cap to sign three-year players but not two-year ones.
Blame it on Arenas (or his agent Dan Fegan) who appeared, from the outside, to be hell bent on getting top dollar regardless of who was offering it to him.
Blame it on GM Garry St. Jean, who failed to recognize last season that Arenas would command more than the Warriors would be able to pay. St. Jean had several opportunities to trade away good players for expiring contracts at the trade deadline and balked.
Or, you can blame owner Chris Cohan.
In a radio interview Monday with KNBR, Arenas said he would have rejected the Wizards' $65 offer and signed a one-year deal with the Warriors if Cohan would have simply promised him that the Warriors would take care of him down the road.
Arenas claims he wasn't looking for an under-the-table deal or a specific figure. He just wanted assurances that, should he get injured or have a bad season, the Warriors would step up and still give him a long-term deal. According to Arenas, team president Robert Rowell made the promise, but Cohan wouldn't do the same.
"The guy didn't even shake my hand, he didn't say nothing to me, didn't look me in the eye and say he was going to sign me back or nothing. I mean, what should I do?" Arenas told KNBR.
"If you are turning down $60 million to come to a place you want to be, you have to have some trust," Arenas said. "If a guy I do not know (well) can tell me in my face that the deal will get done no matter how you play, then OK, that's all I wanted to hear."
Arenas didn't hear it, and promptly signed the offer sheet with the Wizards. Now the team appears to be screwed.
One Warriors source told Insider that the loss of Arenas was a "devastating loss. He was the most important player on the team. There's no way we do what we did last year without him."
St. Jean reacted quickly to the news that Arenas was ready to bolt by signing free agent Speedy Claxton. Claxton is a solid backup point guard. But Arenas had the makings of an all-star.
Arenas' departure has some within the team scratching their heads. With so many superpowers in the West, the chances that the Warriors will make the playoffs, let alone improve without Arenas, appear to be slim.
The Warriors have looked at adding another point guard via trade -- Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford and Jamaal Tinsley have been at the top of their list -- but so far they've struck out. Terry is expected to sign an offer sheet with the Jazz today (see below). The Bulls are much more reluctant to move Crawford because of Jay Williams' injury, and the Pacers are looking for a veteran point guard back in return for Tinsley -- something the Warriors just don't have.
Their failure to land another starting-caliber point guard leaves them at a crossroads of sorts.
St. Jean could call it quits, trade a couple of high-priced players for guys with expiring contracts and get under the cap for next year. The Mavs, Knicks and Grizzlies are interested in center Erick Dampier. A trade of Dampier and Danny Fortson to Memphis for Wesley Person and Brevin Knight, for example, would give the Warriors $15 million in cap room (assuming the cap stays the same) to play with next summer.
Of course, such a trade would seriously tank the Warriors' chances of returning to form this season. But it would give them hope in a nice free-agent market next summer.
The other alternative, just as radical, is for the Warriors to think fast and clear that $20 million in cap room now. While extremely hard to pull off, it isn't impossible.
Here's an example of how the Warriors, by the end of the week, could get far enough under the cap to match the Wizards' offer for Arenas.
Step One: Trade Adonal Foyle and Bobby Sura to the Heat.
The Heat are roughly $11.3 million under the cap and can absorb the $10.7 million hit without sending anyone back. Both Foyle and Sura are in the last year of their contracts, meaning that the Heat will still have all of their cap room next summer. Foyle had a promising season for the Warriors last year and, in the East, could give the Heat an inside presence that they desperately lack. Sura has the ability to swing to the one and can provide back-up to rookie Dwyane Wade at the point.
Another option is to ship Dampier and rookie Mike Dunleavy to Miami. That would clear $10.8 million but would leave the Heat without cap room next year. The Jazz may also be willing to play along with either of these scenarios assuming that the Clips match their offer to Corey Maggette.
Step Two: Trade Jason Richardson and Chris Mills to the Nuggets for a future No. 1 pick
Assuming the Clippers don't match Andre Miller's deal, the Nuggets are still around $10 million under the cap. Mills' and Richardson's salaries combine for $9.4 million. Mills is in the last year of his contract, so the Nuggets will get $6.6 million of that cap room back next season. The Nuggets have been out searching for a two guard to complement Miller in the backcourt. Richardson is the type of up-tempo athletic guard the Nuggets have been looking for. He's easily worth a future No. 1 down the road.
In those two simple steps, the Warriors clear $20.1 million in cap space, immediately giving them enough room to re-sign Arenas. If that isn't enough (we don't know exactly what Arenas' starting salary is on the offer sheet) the team could ship Jiri Welsch to a team like the Jazz and get another $1.3 under.
While the loss to the Warriors would be significant -- Foyle is a key component to their front line and Richardson was their starting two guard -- it isn't nearly as devastating as losing Arenas.
The Warriors drafted a two guard, Mickael Pietrus, this summer. Pietrus may be a little raw offensively, but he's already a better defender and passer than Richardson. The team still retains its core of Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Troy Murphy, Dampier and Mike Dunleavy. That team has a much better chance of making the playoffs than one without Arenas.
Of course, knowing the Warriors, they'll likely end up doing nothing. St. Jean and Cohan aren't known for being bold. But desperate times call for desperate measures. If the Warriors truly want to keep Arenas in the fold and continue rebuilding for the future, the time to act is now.
The clock is ticking Garry St. Jean. Are you listening?
Around the League
It looks like the Jazz are ready to implement Free Agent Plan C. The Jazz were on the verge Monday night of handing free agent Jason Terry an offer sheet, according to Terry's agent, Raymond Brothers.
Jason Terry
Guard
Atlanta Hawks
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
81 17.2 3.4 7.4 .428 .887
"He might sign as early as [today]," Brothers told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
It's unclear exactly what the Jazz are offering Terry, but the Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that the deal would likely mirror the six-year, $50 million offer the Jazz made Andre Miller. According to Brothers, the Hawks never made Terry a serious offer.
"It's disappointing that after four years of service to the organization and within the community, the Hawks have yet to make any attempt to re-sign Jason," Brothers said. "I've talked with other teams and they were shocked."
The Hawks have maintained all summer that they'll match any offer for Terry and the recent trade of Glenn Robinson for Terrell Brandon's expiring contract should make it financially feasible. However, the offer still has an element of bad timing. The sale of the Hawks to new owner David McDavid still isn't complete, complicating things from the Hawks end.
The Jazz are also still awaiting word on the outcome of their offer sheet for Corey Maggette. The Clippers have until Thursday to notify the Jazz whether they will match the offer. Right now, the word out of L.A. is that the team will match the offer. If the Clippers and Hawks both match, the Jazz will still be looking at roughly $20 million in cap room for next season.
If Terry signs the offer sheet with the Jazz as expected, it will put to rest one of the most rampant rumors running through the NBA on Monday -- that the Pacers were actively trying to acquire Terry via sign-and-trade. While Pacers sources acknowledged interest in Terry, pulling off a sign-and-trade would have been extremely difficult and expensive for the Pacers. Terry would've become a base-year player in a sign-and-trade situation, meaning that a much larger trade would've needed to be consummated to make the numbers work. The team is still loathe to give up any of its top talent, including Al Harrington.
Jon Barry
Shooting Guard
Detroit Pistons
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
80 6.9 2.3 2.6 .450 .860
The Pacers admitted that they also have interest in free agent Jon Barry, but won't do anything until they get Reggie Miller back into the fold.
"Right now, our focus is on Reggie," team president Larry Bird told the Indianapolis Star. "We'll try to get Reggie done first."
"I had a great meeting with Isiah (Thomas), Donnie (Walsh) and Larry (Bird)," Barry said. "It would be something I'd love to do. They feel I'm a leader although I'm a bench player."
The Celtics and Cavs were on the verge of a three-player trade Monday night. The deal would send the Jumaine Jones to the Celtics in a sign-and-trade for J.R. Bremer and Bruno Sundov. The trade would give the Celtics another versatile forward who can shoot the 3 and go down in the paint and rebound. The key to the deal for the Cavs is Bremer, who would give the Cavs another high-scoring combo guard, along with Dajuan Wagner, to come off the bench.
Still, it's the Celtics who come out on top in this deal if Jones lives up to his potential. "I just feel that Jumaine Jones is a player who has not yet achieved what he is capable of achieving," Danny Ainge told the Boston Globe. "I believe he's been a solid NBA player up to this point. He started on the Philadelphia 76ers' Eastern Conference championship team in the playoffs as a rookie. Then, he was traded to Cleveland. I just don't think he's achieved what his potential is and I hope that he can in a Boston uniform, that we can help develop him. He's at that time in his career where he's got some NBA experience and I think he can help us become a better team as well. That's why we're doing it."
"I could see Jumaine Jones as being anywhere from a starter to an eighth man, but a lot of that's going to depend on him and how well he plays," added Ainge. "Knowing the competitive nature of Jumaine, I know that he's not afraid of competing for a job. But we have a lot of forwards, a lot of guys that play in the front line. And yet, I think that Jumaine, can slide down and play the two-guard spot at times, too. So, I like his versatility as well."
The T-Wolves continued to round out their roster on Monday by agreeing to deals with free agents Mark Madsen and Fred Hoiberg.
"[Madsen] has character and he has toughness," Kevin McHale, Wolves vice president of basketball operations, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He'll put a body on you, be aggressive. He's a big, strong guy, which is something we wanted and needed."
Hoiberg gives the Wolves another long-range threat.
"We felt we needed another veteran player who will be able to hit some shots, and Fred fits the bill," said McHale. "He's another guy who works hard in practice."
The new additions continue the major overhaul of the Wolves. Right now, the team has only three players -- Kevin Garnett, Wally Szczerbiak and Troy Hudson -- on the roster from last season.
The moves gives the Wolves 10 players under contract. They also have a qualifying offer out to guard Mike Wilks. The team could still use depth at small forward and may decide to add another player later.
"There are a couple more pieces we'd like to fill," McHale said. "But at some point you'd better start being content with what you've done."
In other free agent news, the Lakers signed veteran Horace Grant to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum. The Bulls will sign veteran big man Corie Blount to a two-year, $3.4 million deal today. The Nets agreed to a reported two-year, $5 million deal with veteran Lucious Harris.
