There is a frighteningly long list of average-salaried players who have become payroll albatrosses in recent years, including [...] Mickael Pietrus and Tony Battie (Orlando) [...]
Howard Beck of the New York Times, in an article about NBA free agents.
almost 3 years ago
Evan Dunlap
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Not surprised at all .. never hurts to have more people confirm the truth, though.
.. the Value Rating % analysis I ran a while back empirically proved Battie and Pietrus are overpaid.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Pietrus and Battie
Neither start which equals major diminished returns on that investment. Does Otis attempt to save face by letting Hedo walk and putting MP as the full time 3?
Battie hasn’t been a good investment in years.
Not to mention we have the potential of having a back up center in Gortat making anywhere from 4 to 10 mil if we match offers. Unless Stan is going to work him into the starting lineup or start giving him minutes at both the 4 & 5 there is no way that anything more than 4 is a good investment.
Alston at the MLE backing up Nelson is also a bad situation.
I think that out of all those guys only Battie wouldn’t cut it as a starter in this league; it is not so much in how good they are as it is in how we can use them on this team.
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
Otis will do everything in his power to keep Hedo.
.. no way does Smith simply let him walk.
As for Gortat, I hope you mean $4 million – $10 million total. Even so, Orlando doesn’t have the money to match so he’s gone.
Alston backing up Nelson isn’t entirely a bad situation because the Magic could “cheat” .. only $2.5 million is guaranteed next year. For Rafer to earn the other $2.5 million, he has to play in 70 games. I highly doubt Orlando prevents Skip from netting the extra coin, but nothing is impossible in the NBA.
I really think Otis Smith should consider trading Rafer Alston in the off-season while his stock is high. Rafer can be a valuable trade piece because a.) he’ll have an expiring contract and b.) his play with the Magic has been good and the farther Orlando goes in the playoffs, the better it makes Alston look. I think, if Otis was smart, he’d take advantage of that fact and “sell high”, in economic terms. I like Skip but the Magic need to really be efficient with its funds, now more than ever. Cost-benefit, ftw.
If Smith did that (an unlikely but perfect case scenario, he’d package Rafer Alston with Tony Battie), then the team could have the necessary funds to re-sign Marcin Gortat alongside Hedo Turkoglu.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Gortat
He is young and a complete stud. Look at what bigs get in this league, I don’t see how he doesn’t make bank this off season. 4 mil per year is the bare minimum that I think he will be offered.
He is better than so many high priced bigs; for instance Dalembert, Darko, Kwame, Diop, Dampier, Battie, and the list goes on and on.
'Coach, Dwight is a nice guy. Dwight don't hit anybody. But Superman will knock the crap out of you.' - D12
by Eyriq the Red on May 6, 2009 8:33 AM EDT up reply actions
You are overestimating the market.
Maybe a few years back, Gortat could see that type of money but not now. Plus, there’s going to be a ton of high-profile bigs in free agency this offseason so that’s going to hurt Marcin too.
I believe, at the most, the Polish Hammer will net half of the MLE. Maybe the full MLE, but that’s it.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
If Gortat cares about his career, he should sign with another team no matter what
He’s going to get a decent contract from another team, but even if the Magic actually offered him more money than anybody else (highly unlikely), he is still never going to play that much behind Dwight. Gortat owes it to himself to find playing time to see what kind of player he truly is.
I just pray he doesn’t sign with Oklahoma. I’m Polish and would love to follow his career, but as a Seattle resident, I am obligated to be anti-Oklahoma with no exception.
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
Yeah, I'm rooting for Gortat to net some money in free agency. He deserves it.
.. and I agree, it’d be best for his career to get behind Dwight Howard’s shadow.
If Marcin signs with OKC, talk about a conflict of interest for you! Hah, that would suck.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
You know what the worst part about my anti-Oklahoma sentiment?
Oklahoma! used to be my favorite musical. Now, as far as I am concerned, that musical can “Oh what a beautiful morning” to hell. Thanks Clay Bennett! You even tainted my love of the performance arts because of your douchiness.
Even though the Hippopotamus lacks a stinger for a tail, a truly wise man would rather be sat on by a bee. ~ Banacek
That sucks.
The curse of Clay Bennett strikes again.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
I wasn't.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
.. glad that move didn't pan out.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Certainly possible.
I’m just saying it’s better that Duhon wasn’t signed because of the Jameer Nelson factor.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Unfortunately, nothing Otis does surprises me any more.
The man makes some brilliant moves (drafting Lee, getting Rafer for a benchwarmer and a pick), and some serious Whisky Tango Foxtrot moves (offering Lewis a max contract, MLE to Pietrus)
"And this he knows if nothing more
That waiting in the dark like destiny
Are those who kissed the dogs of war
And there is no tomorrow."
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