Teams often feel pressure to overspend
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Wednesday, July 30
Updated: July 30
10:03 AM ET
It is Wednesday, July 30, 2003.
Do you know where your favorite restricted free agent is?
Ten days after matching the Miami Heat's offer sheet for Elton Brand, the Los Angeles Clippers also matched an offer sheet from the Utah Jazz for Corey Maggette and have one day left to match an offer sheet for Andre Miller or lose him to the Denver Nuggets.
"That says both good and bad for Andre," Nugget general manager Kiki Vandeweghe told the Denver Post. "We'll just have to wait and see. The good is [the Clippers] used up some of their (salary) cap space, and the bad is they used some of their cap space."
Corey Maggette
Guard-Forward
Los Angeles Clippers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
64 16.8 5.0 1.9 .444 .802
But if Brand really is worth his reported $83 million deal and Maggette worth his $43 million deal and the Clippers really do intend to re-sign Lamar Odom at an expected $60 million as the Nuggets offer Miller $55 million, then how come this group of players won only 27 games last year to finish second to last in the entire Western Conference?
Sure, they had injuries. Yeah, one of them ran afoul of the league's drug policy. Some of them didn't get along with the owner or the coach or all of the above. Starting center Michael Olowokandi, for one, was injured, didn't get along with the front office and has already signed with another team.
But can they all really be this good?
"Through consistent hard work and effort, Corey has improved his game each year he has been in the league," Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor said in the L.A. Times, "and there is no reason to believe he won't continue to get even better. We're really glad that he will be back for the long term."
But he got better because Odom didn't. Maggette's numbers went from 11.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game to 16.8 points and five rebounds per game last season because he played 400 more minutes than he did the previous year. And he played that many more minutes because Odom participated in only 49 of 82 games last season.
By matching Maggette's offer sheet, the Clippers are saying that he's worth about $7 million a season. Odom's asking price has been put at about $10 million per season. That's $17 million of actual money and cap space dedicated to one position.
Shouldn't it have been Maggette or Odom rather than Maggette and Odom for a franchise that was so used to getting neither Maggette nor Odom?
Or didn't it also look a bit funny when the Heat, already paying a 6- foot-9 power forward named Brian Grant more than $12 million per season, offered Brand, an even shorter 6-foot-8 power forward, about that same amount of money.
If the Clippers hadn't matched Brand's offer sheet and made him the highest-paid Clipper in franchise history, then the Heat would have had more than $24 milion in undersized, albeit talented, power forwards.
Sure, one of them would have had to play center, just like either Maggette or Odom can move to shooting guard or point guard or . . .
But then where does that leave Quentin Richardson or, dare we say it, Andre Miller?
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
And while we're at it, we should point out that the Jazz are expected to but as of today have not yet offered Atlanta Hawk point guard Jason Terry, also a restricted free agent, an offer sheet. The Jazz, we should also mention, have $21 million in cap space. The Hawks, holding Terry's Bird Rights, can match any number the Jazz put up there.
We mention this because, looking at a scoresheet, it's hard to tell the difference between him and restricted free agent Gilbert Arenas, who has already signed an offer sheet with the Washington Wizards for $65 million.
Jason Terry: 17.2 ppg, 7.4 apg, 42 FG%
Gilbert Arenas: 18.3 ppg, 6.3 apg, 43 FG%
Andre Miller: 13.6 ppg, 6.7 apg, 40 FG%
But with Arenas all but tied up with the Wizards, Miller moves to the forefront after being wooed by the Jazz, signed by the Nuggets and, as we speak, contemplated by the Clippers. Next up will be Terry, who is talking to those same Jazz as the Hawks vow to match any forthcoming offer.
The point is that not all of these players are going to turn into all-stars and not all of them are going to be worth this type of money. It's a numbers thing involving a finite number of slots available and a limitless supply of people who want to fill them. The reality is that one or more or, possibly, even most of them will end up being overpaid.
The real danger, though, is that sometimes it takes only one player, and not even a key player, to set an entire franchise back for decades.
In 1989, before the current Collective Bargaining Agreement with its salary cap and luxury taxes and so on, the Detroit Pistons signed free-agent big man Jon Koncak to an incredible offer sheet or whatever they called it back then. It's wasn't that the Pistons had to have Koncak. They already had Bill Lambier, James Edwards, John Salley and Dennis Rodman. But they knew that the Hawks, their main rival in the East at the time, thought that they had to have him.
In reality, though, the Hawks were the only team that thought that they had to have him when they were already loaded with Dominique Wilkins, Moses Malone, Reggie Theus, Kevin Willis and Doc Rivers.
But they panicked.
What if they lost a young, 7-foot center? What if they lost a young, 7- foot center to their rivals? What if they lost a young, 7-foot center to their rivals who had just won one NBA title and would go on to win another the very next season?
Does Brad Miller sound familiar here?
You could almost hear the Pistons giggle as the Hawks went on to, basically, match the offer and pay Koncak more money than Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Clyde Drexler, Mark Price or Alex English were making at the time.
"He thought it was a joke," Steve Kauffman, Koncak's agent, said later. "And he never felt right about it and he never played as well again."
In 1989, Koncak averaged 4.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as the Hawks won 52 games. A year later, he averaged 3.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks as the Hawks won only 41.
It is argued that neither the player nor the franchise ever recovered.
Which brings us back to Jason Terry and Andre Miller and so on at this time of the season when every franchise believes it has to have that next player.
"I'd like to speak with David McDavid -- or whoever is going to be the guy running the Hawks -- one-on-one," Raymond Brothers, Terry's agent, said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "Jason has some stuff on the table, but it depends on the direction the [Hawks] franchise is going."
The problem, though, is that the Hawks are still asking themselves that same question.
-------------------------------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Wednesday, July 30
Updated: July 30
8:38 AM ET
Martin
New Jersey Nets: Rod Thorn has already shelled out $130M worth of contracts to the likes of Jason Kidd, Alonzo Mourning and Lucious Harris. Now comes the hard part and Kenyon Martin's extension which could be worth another $90M. "I'm sure we will have some talks and we will see what happens," he told the NY Daily News. "I don't want to give away any position. I have no comment on what I am willing to do or not do." The Nets have until October 31 to make Martin an acceptable offer or he becomes a restricted free agent the following season. "Kenyon has proven how valuable he is to the team," Brian Dyke, Martin's agent, said. "We'll see what the Nets think of that when the time comes to discuss the extension."
Indiana Pacers: Newly acquired Pacers center Scot Pollard is counting his blessings. "There're a lot of positives that can come out of it for my career," he told the Indianapolis Star on the trade that sent him from Sacramento to Indianapolis. "I don't have to play against Shaq and Duncan every night. Out East there's Ben Wallace and that's about it. Not that it's easy out here, but it's different. It's a different style of play." Larry Bird also thought the Pacers were in pretty good shape. "You get a lot of young guys out there at the same time, if they don't touch the ball for two or three possessions, you just know the next time down they're going to shoot," Bird said. "He's not like that. If there's a loose ball, he's on it. If you need one rebound, he's going to go get it. He sees the game different than most people."
New York Knicks: Believe it or not, Allan Houston is sad to see Latrell Sprewell go. "I know in a lot of ways we helped each other," Houston said in the NY Daily News. "I probably learned more from him than any other player I've played with in New York. I can see how he handles situations on the court we both went through. I learned a lot from him. I think he made me much more aggressive, watching him attack more. (He had) an instinct to not be satisfied with success. That definitely rubs off (and he had) the attitude of relentlessness." But he's still happy that the Knicks got some size in the deal in Keith Van Horn. "With his addition, the whole base of the team changes," Houston said. "Last year you had me and Spree as the focal point of the team and we did pretty much the same things. Now you have different dimensions. The biggest key is if the chemistry remains good. If it does, it will work. His biggest strength is probably offensive rebounding. People talk about his attitude, but how can a guy not have a strong attitude if he's a great offensive rebounder. I don't understand how anybody can question someone's heart if they are a great offensive rebounder. All that is heart."
Boston Celtics: In just four short years, Jumaine Jones, the newest Celtic, feels like he's seen it all. "It's a great organization, and I'll have better guys to play with," said Jones in the Boston Herald after a sign and trade deal with Cavs brought him to Boston. "I definitely feel that this is a good fit, with Paul (Pierce) and 'Toine (Walker) drawing all of the attention to this team. This definitely feels good. From going to the Finals (with Philadelphia), I really have the hunger and the taste for the playoffs. I really missed out on that in Cleveland."
Claxton
Golden State Warriors: At least one person was glad to see Gilbert Arenas leave Golden State for Washington. "I think people are going to be surprised at how much I make my teammates better," said Speedy Claxton, the Warriors newest point guard, to the Contra Costa Times. "I think I'm a great point guard. I get teammates easy shots, get them the ball at the right time, know where they like to score the ball." Coach Eric Musselman agreed that there were benefits to the switch. "I don't think Antawn and J-Rich (Jason Richardson) will complain about getting a few more shot attempts," Musselman said.
New Orleans Hornets: Darrell Armstrong is just glad those complicated contract negotiations are through and he can get back to playing basketball. And so is his new coach. "He's definitely a high-energy guy who also has great winning experience," Tim Floyd said in the Times-Picayune. "He makes shots and is great out of the screen-and-roll and was 14th in the league in steals and third in free-throw percentage. He's really going to be a reliable, steady player."
--------------------------------------------
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Wednesday, July 30
Updated: July 30
10:03 AM ET
It is Wednesday, July 30, 2003.
Do you know where your favorite restricted free agent is?
Ten days after matching the Miami Heat's offer sheet for Elton Brand, the Los Angeles Clippers also matched an offer sheet from the Utah Jazz for Corey Maggette and have one day left to match an offer sheet for Andre Miller or lose him to the Denver Nuggets.
"That says both good and bad for Andre," Nugget general manager Kiki Vandeweghe told the Denver Post. "We'll just have to wait and see. The good is [the Clippers] used up some of their (salary) cap space, and the bad is they used some of their cap space."
Corey Maggette
Guard-Forward
Los Angeles Clippers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
64 16.8 5.0 1.9 .444 .802
But if Brand really is worth his reported $83 million deal and Maggette worth his $43 million deal and the Clippers really do intend to re-sign Lamar Odom at an expected $60 million as the Nuggets offer Miller $55 million, then how come this group of players won only 27 games last year to finish second to last in the entire Western Conference?
Sure, they had injuries. Yeah, one of them ran afoul of the league's drug policy. Some of them didn't get along with the owner or the coach or all of the above. Starting center Michael Olowokandi, for one, was injured, didn't get along with the front office and has already signed with another team.
But can they all really be this good?
"Through consistent hard work and effort, Corey has improved his game each year he has been in the league," Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor said in the L.A. Times, "and there is no reason to believe he won't continue to get even better. We're really glad that he will be back for the long term."
But he got better because Odom didn't. Maggette's numbers went from 11.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game to 16.8 points and five rebounds per game last season because he played 400 more minutes than he did the previous year. And he played that many more minutes because Odom participated in only 49 of 82 games last season.
By matching Maggette's offer sheet, the Clippers are saying that he's worth about $7 million a season. Odom's asking price has been put at about $10 million per season. That's $17 million of actual money and cap space dedicated to one position.
Shouldn't it have been Maggette or Odom rather than Maggette and Odom for a franchise that was so used to getting neither Maggette nor Odom?
Or didn't it also look a bit funny when the Heat, already paying a 6- foot-9 power forward named Brian Grant more than $12 million per season, offered Brand, an even shorter 6-foot-8 power forward, about that same amount of money.
If the Clippers hadn't matched Brand's offer sheet and made him the highest-paid Clipper in franchise history, then the Heat would have had more than $24 milion in undersized, albeit talented, power forwards.
Sure, one of them would have had to play center, just like either Maggette or Odom can move to shooting guard or point guard or . . .
But then where does that leave Quentin Richardson or, dare we say it, Andre Miller?
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
And while we're at it, we should point out that the Jazz are expected to but as of today have not yet offered Atlanta Hawk point guard Jason Terry, also a restricted free agent, an offer sheet. The Jazz, we should also mention, have $21 million in cap space. The Hawks, holding Terry's Bird Rights, can match any number the Jazz put up there.
We mention this because, looking at a scoresheet, it's hard to tell the difference between him and restricted free agent Gilbert Arenas, who has already signed an offer sheet with the Washington Wizards for $65 million.
Jason Terry: 17.2 ppg, 7.4 apg, 42 FG%
Gilbert Arenas: 18.3 ppg, 6.3 apg, 43 FG%
Andre Miller: 13.6 ppg, 6.7 apg, 40 FG%
But with Arenas all but tied up with the Wizards, Miller moves to the forefront after being wooed by the Jazz, signed by the Nuggets and, as we speak, contemplated by the Clippers. Next up will be Terry, who is talking to those same Jazz as the Hawks vow to match any forthcoming offer.
The point is that not all of these players are going to turn into all-stars and not all of them are going to be worth this type of money. It's a numbers thing involving a finite number of slots available and a limitless supply of people who want to fill them. The reality is that one or more or, possibly, even most of them will end up being overpaid.
The real danger, though, is that sometimes it takes only one player, and not even a key player, to set an entire franchise back for decades.
In 1989, before the current Collective Bargaining Agreement with its salary cap and luxury taxes and so on, the Detroit Pistons signed free-agent big man Jon Koncak to an incredible offer sheet or whatever they called it back then. It's wasn't that the Pistons had to have Koncak. They already had Bill Lambier, James Edwards, John Salley and Dennis Rodman. But they knew that the Hawks, their main rival in the East at the time, thought that they had to have him.
In reality, though, the Hawks were the only team that thought that they had to have him when they were already loaded with Dominique Wilkins, Moses Malone, Reggie Theus, Kevin Willis and Doc Rivers.
But they panicked.
What if they lost a young, 7-foot center? What if they lost a young, 7- foot center to their rivals? What if they lost a young, 7-foot center to their rivals who had just won one NBA title and would go on to win another the very next season?
Does Brad Miller sound familiar here?
You could almost hear the Pistons giggle as the Hawks went on to, basically, match the offer and pay Koncak more money than Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Clyde Drexler, Mark Price or Alex English were making at the time.
"He thought it was a joke," Steve Kauffman, Koncak's agent, said later. "And he never felt right about it and he never played as well again."
In 1989, Koncak averaged 4.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as the Hawks won 52 games. A year later, he averaged 3.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks as the Hawks won only 41.
It is argued that neither the player nor the franchise ever recovered.
Which brings us back to Jason Terry and Andre Miller and so on at this time of the season when every franchise believes it has to have that next player.
"I'd like to speak with David McDavid -- or whoever is going to be the guy running the Hawks -- one-on-one," Raymond Brothers, Terry's agent, said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "Jason has some stuff on the table, but it depends on the direction the [Hawks] franchise is going."
The problem, though, is that the Hawks are still asking themselves that same question.
-------------------------------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Wednesday, July 30
Updated: July 30
8:38 AM ET
Martin
New Jersey Nets: Rod Thorn has already shelled out $130M worth of contracts to the likes of Jason Kidd, Alonzo Mourning and Lucious Harris. Now comes the hard part and Kenyon Martin's extension which could be worth another $90M. "I'm sure we will have some talks and we will see what happens," he told the NY Daily News. "I don't want to give away any position. I have no comment on what I am willing to do or not do." The Nets have until October 31 to make Martin an acceptable offer or he becomes a restricted free agent the following season. "Kenyon has proven how valuable he is to the team," Brian Dyke, Martin's agent, said. "We'll see what the Nets think of that when the time comes to discuss the extension."
Indiana Pacers: Newly acquired Pacers center Scot Pollard is counting his blessings. "There're a lot of positives that can come out of it for my career," he told the Indianapolis Star on the trade that sent him from Sacramento to Indianapolis. "I don't have to play against Shaq and Duncan every night. Out East there's Ben Wallace and that's about it. Not that it's easy out here, but it's different. It's a different style of play." Larry Bird also thought the Pacers were in pretty good shape. "You get a lot of young guys out there at the same time, if they don't touch the ball for two or three possessions, you just know the next time down they're going to shoot," Bird said. "He's not like that. If there's a loose ball, he's on it. If you need one rebound, he's going to go get it. He sees the game different than most people."
New York Knicks: Believe it or not, Allan Houston is sad to see Latrell Sprewell go. "I know in a lot of ways we helped each other," Houston said in the NY Daily News. "I probably learned more from him than any other player I've played with in New York. I can see how he handles situations on the court we both went through. I learned a lot from him. I think he made me much more aggressive, watching him attack more. (He had) an instinct to not be satisfied with success. That definitely rubs off (and he had) the attitude of relentlessness." But he's still happy that the Knicks got some size in the deal in Keith Van Horn. "With his addition, the whole base of the team changes," Houston said. "Last year you had me and Spree as the focal point of the team and we did pretty much the same things. Now you have different dimensions. The biggest key is if the chemistry remains good. If it does, it will work. His biggest strength is probably offensive rebounding. People talk about his attitude, but how can a guy not have a strong attitude if he's a great offensive rebounder. I don't understand how anybody can question someone's heart if they are a great offensive rebounder. All that is heart."
Boston Celtics: In just four short years, Jumaine Jones, the newest Celtic, feels like he's seen it all. "It's a great organization, and I'll have better guys to play with," said Jones in the Boston Herald after a sign and trade deal with Cavs brought him to Boston. "I definitely feel that this is a good fit, with Paul (Pierce) and 'Toine (Walker) drawing all of the attention to this team. This definitely feels good. From going to the Finals (with Philadelphia), I really have the hunger and the taste for the playoffs. I really missed out on that in Cleveland."
Claxton
Golden State Warriors: At least one person was glad to see Gilbert Arenas leave Golden State for Washington. "I think people are going to be surprised at how much I make my teammates better," said Speedy Claxton, the Warriors newest point guard, to the Contra Costa Times. "I think I'm a great point guard. I get teammates easy shots, get them the ball at the right time, know where they like to score the ball." Coach Eric Musselman agreed that there were benefits to the switch. "I don't think Antawn and J-Rich (Jason Richardson) will complain about getting a few more shot attempts," Musselman said.
New Orleans Hornets: Darrell Armstrong is just glad those complicated contract negotiations are through and he can get back to playing basketball. And so is his new coach. "He's definitely a high-energy guy who also has great winning experience," Tim Floyd said in the Times-Picayune. "He makes shots and is great out of the screen-and-roll and was 14th in the league in steals and third in free-throw percentage. He's really going to be a reliable, steady player."
--------------------------------------------
