Category: Rumors & Gossip (Page 89 of 225)

      Randolph wants Gasol-type money

      April 13, 2010 /

      And we’re not talking Marc Gasol. When FanHouse asked Zach Randoph about an extension, this is what he had to say…

      “Me and Pau Gasol got signed to the same deal when he was in Memphis and I was in Portland,” said Randolph, whose contract actually is slightly less, with Randolph making $16 million this season and $17.33 million next season and the Lakers star earning $16.45 million and $17.82 million in those seasons. “We got the same contract, and it got extended. … I hope (to get the extension done this summer). I’d definitely like to get it done.”

      So is Randolph worth $57 million over three years?

      Not in my book.

      While Randolph’s numbers this season — 21-12, 49% shooting — compare favorably to Gasol’s (18-11, 53%), the former plays on a mediocre team that was eliminated from the playoff race a while ago. The latter plays on the world champion Lakers and takes 3.5 fewer shots per game. Gasol is a seven-footer who can play both power forward and center, while Randolph is too small to play center full time. True centers are a rare breed and teams have to pay a premium. Power forwards are a lot easier to find.

      Want to go deeper? Randolph’s net impact on the Grizzlies eFG% and eFG% allowed is -0.8%, while Gasol’s is -0.3%. Gasol’s PER (22.71) is better than Randolph’s (21.25).

      And then there’s the dependability factor. Randolph is on his fourth team and was traded away three times because he wasn’t wanted. Gasol was traded because the Grizzlies weren’t going anywhere and wanted to cut salary. While it seems like Randolph has matured in his stint with Memphis, his reputation still lingers.

      This kind of extension talk is a perfect example. If Randolph really wanted to get an deal done, he’d do it quietly. Instead, on the heels of yet another playoff whiff, he’s giving interviews telling people how he’s worth as much as Pau Gasol, which forces the Grizzlies’ owner, Michael Heisley, to field questions about it.

      In short, just because a guy is (probably) the best player that a franchise has, it does not make him a “franchise” player.

      Given all the factors, if I were in Heisley’s shoes, I’d pay him $12 million per season, max. And I’d wait until the very last minute to do so. It’s not like his stock is going to get any higher, and besides, players always perform better when they’re hungry.


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      David Lee is uncertain about the summer

      April 12, 2010 /

      The soon-to-be free agent has had a career season for the Knicks, averaging 20-12, while shooting almost 55% from the field en route to his first All-Star nod. He told the New York Times that he doesn’t have any idea what’s going to happen this summer.

      “I don’t know how the Knicks are going to do timetable-wise, or if LeBron is going to have a decision made by July 1 or Sept. 1,” Lee said. “I don’t know how it’s going to work. At this point, I’m just going to look at everything as it comes to me and let my agent do his job.”

      Ideally, the Knicks would sign two superstars, with James and Bosh the top targets. That would require renouncing the rights to all of their free agents, including Lee. But there are countless ways to spend the cap space. They could sign one marquee player and have enough left to sign Lee and another solid free agent. Or they could strike out entirely on the marquee players, in which case they will have plenty of room for Lee — and a long line of depressed season-ticket holders.

      Chris Sheridan writes that it’s likely that another team will make him a sizable offer early in free agency and ask him to make a quick decision.

      There’s a significant chance someone makes David Lee a take-it-or-leave-it offer that he’ll have to make a choice on almost instantly, and that could happen on the second or third day of July if the Knicks are still waiting on James. If Lee bolts, their best sign-and-trade asset will have disappeared, too. Gonna be an interesting July, eh?

      I agree with Sheridan. Some savvy, second-tier team with cap space — I’m talking New Jersey, Washington, Sacramento, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City or Minnesota — will realize that their chances of landing a top-tier free agent like LeBron James or Dwyane Wade is next to nil, and will make a move on the Knicks’ backup plan (Lee) when they’re still wooing one of the big-name free agents. (By the way, when I say “second-tier,” I’m talking about the size of the market, the quality of the team and the franchise, etc. I would say that the Bulls, Knicks and Heat are top-tier free agent landing spots.)

      If a team like the Nets makes Lee an offer averaging $10-$11 million per season and puts a time limit on it, it’s going to be tough for Lee to sit around while the Knicks figure out who they can and cannot sign. And if Lee is no longer an option, then there goes the Knicks’ best sign-and-trade chip, which is why Peter Vescey advocated last week that the franchise should re-sign Lee as soon as possible this summer.


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      LeBron’s camp thinks he’s staying in Cleveland?

      April 11, 2010 /

      According to Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer, LeBron’s camp seems to think that he’s going to re-sign with the Cavs this summer.

      After being mostly neutral and downright noncommittal for some time, those closest to James have been altering their view recently. The vibe being sent out from James’ camp — whether it is private conversations or discussions about new business or plans for the near future — is that James currently is leaning strongly toward re-signing with the Cavs.

      That may sound vague and, as always, it continues to be fragile. Yet there is no denying the gradual shift within James’ circle and, it is assumed, by James himself.

      James has declined to talk publicly about free agency since November. But as one source said, “I have never been so sure that he’s going to stay in Cleveland than I am right now.”

      Windhorst is a good beat writer and I believe him when he says he’s getting a different vibe from LeBron’s camp.

      LeBron is supposedly a loyal guy, and is from nearby Akron, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he decided to re-sign with the Cavs even if the team flames out again in the postseason. He seems to genuinely enjoy the players on the team and the franchise has treated him well, and that goes a long way.

      But if the Cavs lose in the playoffs, would they bother to bring Shaq back for another season? If not, even with his salary off the books, the Cavs would be approximately $17 million over the salary cap. The only way to infuse the team with more (or different) talent would be to swing a trade or use the mid-level exception.

      In other words, if this Cavs team doesn’t break through and win a title, I’m not optimistic about the 2011 Cavs or the 2012 Cavs having more luck.


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      What’s the worst-case scenario for the Knicks?

      April 9, 2010 /

      New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey isn’t optimistic about the Knicks’ chances in free agency, and he’s not afraid to say so.

      Shows what kind of jagged competition the Knicks are in for this summer when the free-agent grab bag unties. If LeBron James isn’t game to accept almost half of their $33 million surplus, you can kiss off Dwyane Wade, too.

      Where will that leave the Knicks? Chris Bosh is next in line. As good as he is, he has not been good enough to take the Raptors anywhere worthwhile (two first rounds) in this, his seventh season. He is better defensively than David Lee, but across the stats sheet, there’s not a discernable difference, and Toronto might get best of that deal. Bosh is a perfect Poncho to Cisco in Miami.

      Vescey goes on to predict that Joe Johnson will re-up in Atlanta, that Amare Stoudemire and Mike D’Antoni wouldn’t click, that the Grizzlies will match any offer for Rudy Gay, and that the Knicks would be “lucky” to get Carlos Boozer.

      In the final analysis, the Knicks may have to “settle for” re-signing Lee. Something they had better do as soon after July 1 as possible . . . before the Nets lock him up and he becomes a perennial All-Star alongside Brook Lopez . . . and they are stuck adopting unadoptable free agents.

      I’m not as down on the Knicks’ chances of striking gold as Vescey seems to be. Let’s not forget that they play at Madison Square Garden in the media capital of the world and that they’re coached by Mike D’Antoni who plays an up-tempo system that players seem to love.

      I could see the Knicks being in a situation where they’re hoping Memphis doesn’t match their offer for Rudy Gay and praying that David Lee is willing to come back after all the Knicks have put him through. I can also see a scenario where LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all take a bit less money to play for a title year in and year out in NYC. There’s no team that has a greater upside/downside as the Knicks this summer.

      Let’s assume LeBron sticks in Cleveland and Wade stays in Miami. The next best duo would be Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh. Not bad. Let’s say Bosh goes to the Heat, then the Knicks could get Johnson and Stoudemire (or Boozer). Again, not bad. What if Johnson sticks in Atlanta or bolts to the Bulls, Clippers or Nets? Then, the Knicks are looking at Gay and Stoudemire/Boozer. Could be worse.

      The funny thing is that while the Knicks are waiting on Bosh/Stoudemire/Boozer, someone (like the Nets, as Vescey said) could swoop in and snatch up Lee.

      Is it a bad thing that I’m more excited about free agency than I am the postseason?


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      Where will Wade sign this summer?

      April 9, 2010 /

      Looking for a few different takes on whether or not Dwyane Wade is going to re-sign with the Heat? ESPN’s Free Agency Dime has a nice overview of all of their analysts’ opinions about where Wade will land this summer.

      The consensus seems to be that Miami has the best bet of re-signing him, but that the Bulls are the next most likely option. Personally, I think the Heat will sign/acquire Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer and re-sign Wade. If the Cavs lose in the Eastern Conference Finals, or even in the Finals, then LeBron is the darkhorse.


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