The Sacramento Bee is reporting today that Bobby Brown, the star of the Hornet's Summer League team, has signed with the Kings for a two year minimum deal worth a little over a million dollars. The Hornets did reportedly make a play for Bobby's services, offering him a one year deal, but Brown had received a big offer from the European Club FC Barcelona and wanted at least two years to remain in the US. Sacramento offered the second year, and they got him.
I'm a little bothered by the Hornets not snapping him up. A free agent rookie-scale contract is the smallest contract someone can offer. I know we have CP3 and Mike James already on the roster. I know we want to re-sign Pargo, and it does seem pretty stupid to carry four point guards, but come on. We're not going to get anyone else cheaper, and he seemed to have the potential to be a good backup in the league.
Still, if we get Pargo back, I'm not going to dwell on it. John Lucas tore up the summer league in 2006 and had people raving about him as a great point guard prospect - and he'll probably be in europe this year, since he's getting almost no interest after doing nothing except being waived by the Rockets since that performance.
There are also reports out of Denver that Chris Andersen has signed on to the Nuggets for a minimum one year deal. I'm sure this will also be the source of a lot of second guessing as well, but I'm fine with it. Andersen was given a shot to produce something at the end of March, and his time on the floor reminded me of one thing from when he did play for the Hornets. Andersen was always a great energy guy who could rebound, but he was always completely lost on the defensive end. He was more than just lost - he was so worried about blocking shots and making an impact he blew rotations regularly in the short time on the floor - despite all of Hilton's flaws, he does at least cover the defensive end of the floor fairly well.(Still, would it hurt to corral a few more rebounds, Hilton? Please?)
10 masterful comments post your own
Ron Hitley
07/24/08 07:30 AM
The fact that we didn't offer Brown a 2-year contract hopefully means that the Hornets seriously intend to have Pargo back on board soon. As for Andersen, I'd like to see him do well in the NBA again, but I didn't foresee him being a difference-maker for the Hornets next season. And a question for you, Ryan: Do you think the Hornets could re-sign Bonzi if they wanted to? What kind of price do you think he's asking for, and could we afford him? How much is too much for his services? (Okay, so that was several questions.)
www.hornets247.com #1
Ryan Schwan
07/24/08 07:48 AM
Posey ate up all our cash. If the Hornets want to stay below the Luxury Tax line, they'll be able to give pargo a 2-3 million dollar deal, sign a couple guys to minimum contracts, and then have to stay put. Bonzi probably wants a contract similar to Poseys. It's pretty unrealistic however due to his reputation. Even if Wells was willing to sign for a minimum contract with the Hornets, I'm not sure I'd trust him. When he was signed for less than he wanted by Houston, his attitude was terrible and he was a disaster for them. Besides, Bonzi can play the 4(sorta), 3, and 2. We already have Stojakovic,Wright and Posey who can all do that. If we are bringing in another one, I'd want it to be someone really young who could develop and wouldn't be insulted to not get minutes. Someone like Byers from the Summer League.
www.hornets247.com #2
atthehive
07/24/08 12:28 PM
Yeah, no way Wells gets a Posey-like deal. Donatello last signed a 2 year, 5 mil. deal with Houston. He turned down 5 years/36 mil. to do so (LOL), but there is no way he's improved on his value in the last 2 years. He'll be 32 before the season starts, and has had a boatload of injury problems. I see him signing at a $2-3 mil. range again (2 yrs. probably). New Orleans has the BAE left to spend, which is valued at around 1.91 mil. So even though Posey took the full MLE, we still have a few bucks left. The luxury will be the upper limit for sure, no way G. Shinn agrees to pass it. Before we got Posey, I wanted to see Wells back. But with JP, it makes zero sense. Agree with Ryan, somebody young (preferrably a F/C or a pure off guard) would be a much smarter signing.
atthehive.com #3
sportnlife
07/24/08 04:36 PM
I agree that letting Brown walk was a sign for Pargo to chill. (Otherwise, why would they want to develop Wright into a point forward, if Brown was seriously in the picture?) What I don't know is why they don't sign Pargo now. The only reasons that make sense here are 1) if the market tells Pargo there's only X dollars out there for him, he's more likely to come back on the Hornets' terms. Or 2) they're saving money for something else, and it might be easier to sign Pargo after, rather than before. Bowers' remark that their plan is step-by-step is not just aimed at fans, but I think at Pargo's people to keep them from bolting. I don't know how the finances work, but it seems to me that they may be planning to go over the cap to get somebody, and that signing Pargo first would gum that other deal up somehow. Even if Posey ate up the cap space, there's a big gap between the cap ceiling and where the luxury tax kicks in. The Hornets may feel they need to be somewhere short of the luxury tax, but over the cap to be competitive. Tell me if this is a reach, but I'm hoping it means they may have another move on the horizon. (How about Mike James and Hilton Armstrong to OKC for Chris Wilcox?)
#4
Ryan Schwan
07/24/08 06:20 PM
Posey didn't eat up the cap space. He ate up the space between the Cap and the Luxury tax. The Hornets had about10.5 million dollars worth of space between their salaries and the Luxury tax line when free agency began. Posey takes about6 million of that. They now have 11 players under contract and like to carry 14. So they have 4.5 million dollars to sign Pargo and two other players. Last year Pargo made 2million. How much is he asking for? If it's 3million then the Hornets will have trouble fitting two players into 1.5 million worth of salary space considering most veterans make 900k or more minimum. That's the negotiations that are happening - how to fit Pargo and two other minimum salary guys into 4.5 million dollars worth of space.
www.hornets247.com #5
atthehive
07/24/08 08:13 PM
Well put, Ryan. @ the HA and MJ for Wilcox idea. I'd do it in a heartbeat (assuming salaries etc. match up, which I sorta doubt they do). Anything to get rid of that James contract.
atthehive.com #6
sportnlife
07/24/08 09:53 PM
Ryan: Thanks for the clarification. I just saw the numbers again, and you're right about the cap room. Hive: The numbers aren't actually that far out of line:(Armstrong 2 million, one year;James 6+ million, two years/ Wilcox 6.7 million one year.) OKC has no incentive, though. They have Watson and Ridenour at point at 6+ mil each for two years, already, so with Westbrook now in the fold, looking to play some at the point, they don't need the position and wouldn't want the additional contract year in return for Wilcox's expiring deal. Besides, they've got three no. 1 draft picks at center in the last four years, so they wouldn't want Armstrong, either. We may be at the point where Robert Horry starts looking like an upgrade.
#7
mW
07/25/08 12:26 PM
Unloading the Mike James contract is always good. I have nothing against him, but $6 mil a year for a bench player is tough to absorb. Especially one at the end of the bench. Personally, though, I'd like to see Hilton get one more year. It's often a player's third year where it all comes together. And while we obviously would like an additional big man, I'm not sure I like Wilcox; I've always found his play underwhelming. On the other hand, I'd have no problem bringing in Horry, if he'd play for the minimum. Although I doubt he would.
www.hornetshype.com #8
sportnlife
07/25/08 05:19 PM
mW: I couldn't agree with you more about Wilcox. He underperforms on a nightly basis. Still, the question is what you want from him. If you want him to carry your team and be a 20-10 guy as a starter, forgetaboutit. But if you want 15-20 minutes from somebody who is a good low-post threat and a decent rebounder behind David West, and can put in minutes at center as well, he looks a lot better. There's a difference between unmotivated play and poorly motivated play that helps to explain why he would be a good pick-up in my estimation. Wilcox has played for two franchises that were never truly in playoff contention, so he looks like a player going through the motions because he is. Many players in his situation do the same. But one of the intriguing aspects about him for me is that he is pretty much under the radar because he's so underwhelming as a front line starter.Wilcox does not play with a chip on his shoulder, but this is where Chris Paul earns his money: he will loan you his chip. My guess is that on a team with Chris Paul, who simply will not allow anyone around him to dog it, and one with a legitimate playoff run, Wilcox would be more motivated. And if those team incentives weren't enough for him, there's the fact that his contract expires next year when there'll plenty of other power forwards on the market for the asking. If he's ever going to bust his butt, it'll be this year, since doing so = money in his pocket in the next contract cycle. When you factor in that he would essentially be replacing Ryan Bowen, who hustles like hell, but was not called on in the playoffs because of his offensive liabilities, it's not like your offense succeeds or fails depending on what he brings. He can still be a double digit scorer in 15-20 minutes a game for you, and get you 5 rebounds, just playing at his current level. Maybe more, if he's actually motivated? So, yeah, at this stage I wouldn't look to him as an alternative to a DWest. But as a filler behind DWest, I think he would be an asset.
#9
Dave
07/26/08 09:08 AM
If Delonte West bolts for Europe, the Cavs could be willing to take a chance on Mike James. I think he'd be an excellent fit next to LeBron, we might see something close to the James that was in Toronto. Cavs have expiring contracts but to get that much cap flexibility the Hornets may need to include further incentive like a draft pick.
nbaroundtable.wordpress.com/ #10