About a week ago, I wrote a memo to Larry Harris telling him to go ahead and sign you already. Now you’ve gone and signed an offer sheet (worth $18 million over five years) with the Miami Heat, which the Bucks have seven days to match. Moreover, your agent, Mark Bartelstein, is saying that “the waters have becomed [sic] poisoned” and that you don’t want to be in Milwaukee anymore. Once you signed the offer sheet, you stated, “If it was my choice, I would be in Miami. I don’t know if I can give it my all to play in Milwaukee.”
I’ve been an advocate for you, Charlie. I like your game and I like what you bring to the Bucks. I believe that with you, Maurice Williams and Michael Redd, the team has the makings of a championship-caliber backcourt. But you need to realize that the NBA is a business. It’s Larry Harris’ job to get the guys he wants and the best price possible. It’s your agent’s job to get you the biggest offer he can. Sure, Bartelstein is going to claim that your camp made a fair offer to the Bucks. Every agent thinks any offer they make is fair. That’s what agents do. But Larry Harris knows that there is a limited market for restricted free agents and that he can match any offer you can get. Negotiating with restricted free agents is a dicey proposition. Just look around the league – Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao are all restricted free agents and are still looking for new deals.
For his part, Harris has said all along that he wants to bring you back with a multi-year deal. After hearing your comments, he had this to say:
“Hearing this is very disappointing from an organizational standpoint,” Harris said. “We understand what Charlie meant to the team last year.
“It’s an emotional time, for him as well as for us. We still want him to be part of this team this season.”
So, Charlie, if he decides to match the Heat’s offer (and I think he should), then cut him some slack. He’s just doing his job. And you’ll get to do yours, and make some nice scratch in the process.
