Sergio Llull: There’s no contact [with the Rockets]. If you re-sign for six years like I did the last summer it’s because you want to stay for a long time. [rQUOTEr](On its continuity in Europe and reject NBA) "One of the reasons why last year I decided to stay here and not go to the NBA went to live stuff, to fight for all titles as we've been doing these years, to winning championships with the team and to celebrate ". (Open door, ajar or closed to the Rockets?) "No contacts. If you renew for six years like I did last summer is not to appear, but to stay a long time on the computer. Madrid is the place I want to be where I feel good and where I hope to continue having years as successful as the last ". http://www.gigantes.com/llull-sobre...s-anos-no-es-para-figurar-sino-para-quedarte/[/rQUOTEr]
He has not been as good the last season or two, so (while he is intriguing) I don't think it is close to a guarantee that he would be a rotational player.
Honestly, if you were making good money to be the face of Real Madrid why would you come over to the rockets? We're not competing for anything and he will just be downgraded to an asset nobody cares about. Which he will probably be playing behind harden not getting many minutes.
I'm interested to see what happens if Conley leaves the 'phis. Would SL suddenly be interested in playing with his bud, Gasol? If this eventuated, what would the return be?
I understand why he wouldn't want to come. Have y'all been to or seen Madrid? To be famous and rich there sure as hell beats being just another guy in such a plain, and quite frankly an ugly city like Houston, Tx where there are also language and culture barriers. Spaniards love their home and usually most of them want to go back home after coming to the NBA. He'd probably be in the NBA right now if the Knicks, Heat, Nets, Bulls, Lakers, Clippers or Warriors had his rights.
I think it all comes around to price for the Rockets. Last year they clearly wanted to give him nothing more than the MLE and for Sergio, if you did the math/exchange rate etc, he wouldn't see a financial break even until year two and profit until year three. So it's understandable that he'd want more than that or push for full guaranteed which the Rockets never do in situations like this. This year again it will come down to price again as the Rockets have bigger fish to fry in FA and will almost surely only offer the MLE which hasn't changed enough to compensate for the jump in NBA salaries this year. So basically the Rockets know the offer will be the same and they are likely to get the same result so there's no point in negotiating if you can't do better for your guy. I think the responsible thing to do would be to give permission to his agent to talk other teams about terms for a deal this summer or next so you can trade his rights. The Rockets are no longer the right team for Llull. They will have bigger fish to fry for years it looks like.
Supposedly, his buyout figure drops significantly this summer, so the same offer may not mean the same outcome for him this time. And honestly, I'm not really sure what the offer was last summer. People forget that if we gave Llull the full MLE, we would have lost McDaniels for certain due to the fact we did not have full bird rights on him. I do agree that price is likely the determining factor. We can double or triple his current salary easily this year, and we don't have to worry about how it affects other moves.
I like Llull, but he isn't worth the hastle anymore. Dude will be 29 in Nov and has a ton of baggage in terms of expectations due to his success/role in Spain. Good night and good luck
Before we close the book on Llull in Houston, lets see how this summer plays out. MDA, more money, need at that position.
He's 28 and the older you get the harder it will be to adjust to the speed of the NBA. I wish him nothing but luck. He seems to know what it is that makes him happy and doesn't seem to want to chase the NBA dream. I can certainly respect that. Good Luck Sergio. Now its time for the Rockets to move on.
I get that all the talk on this fan forum about Sergio Llull has gotten tired and played out, but what should you care if the Rockets invest a minuscule fraction of their time and resources to pursuing Llull this summer? It's not like the #Pursuit of Llull would seriously detract from their simultaneous pursuit of other free agents and trades. Players with far less talent than Llull are "worth the hassle" when NBA teams can track hundreds of players all over the world. Other than general fan frustration, going after Llull again shouldn't be a problem for anyone.
Llull was the hero of Real at the finals against their nemesis Barca. He won the last game by himself basically.
