If they're going to do it, why not just do it immediately? Nets delivered the offer sheet to the Rockets last night. Why even wait up until the Tuesday midnight deadline? Have him eligible and available for Monday night's home game against Boston. The team might even have a light practice Sunday that he could be in on. Hell, when we first signed Josh Smith, we had him on a plane immediately that day so he could suit up for the game that night.
I think if it's not done by the end of the day today, then we'll know that they're leaning towards letting him go. Would have to be for health reasons I gotta think.
I don't think this is as easy of a match as most do. To me, the "no guarantee after Year 1!" talk is overplayed. For this to matter, they'd have to cut him by March 1, and Les Alexander would've essentially paid $9M for 2.5 months of basketball from D-Mo, presumably in a limited bench role. That seems a bit far-fetched. It's not that the clause is meaningless -- certainly, it helps having that option, should something go wrong with his back. But I just don't think it's a major selling point, because I can't imagine any NBA front office being willing to pay $9M for one extra bench big for 2.5 months, playoffs not included. Bottom line to me is that in either Brooklyn or Houston, Motiejunas is highly likely to play at least two seasons on this contract. The team options on the final two years are very helpful, and the overall price (~$9M per) seems like a good value. But the big problem is Motiejunas and his representation (does it feel like to anyone else that B.J. has ax to grind with Morey?) having full veto power until December 2017. If Morey wants to make a run at max space in July 2017, it's hard to see them getting there without moving Motiejunas' deal, and not having control is a real issue to consider. Also, if you think Dekker and Harrell will each continue to improve, it's fair to wonder if the upgrade to Motiejunas is significant enough to be worth the July 2017 uncertainty. I'm not saying it's a clear decision not to match. If healthy, Motiejunas could be a sizable upgrade on Nene and Harrell. He does provide more depth and injury insurance. And if he plays well, the contract is friendly enough that perhaps there would be a deep enough trade market for him next summer that Daryl could still find an acceptable destination that Motiejunas and B.J. would approve of. Beyond all that, maybe Morey ends up trading for his second star, rather than using free agency, and Motiejunas at ~$9M per becomes an excellent value deal for the Rockets over the next few years. There are a lot of scenarios where it could work out, but there are a lot of "ifs," too. I think this is a much tougher call than most realize, because most fans are either focused on the here and now (Motiejunas would make them a more talented team, yes) or the totality of the deal, which is below market value for a seven-footer of his talent. But Daryl has to weigh the significance of those factors against giving up control in July 2017, and it's not an easy choice.
@The Cat "(does it feel like to anyone else that B.J. has ax togrind with Morey?)" Yes! His Tweet about Plato and how it's not all about numbers. He has tweeted something like that earlier in this whole fiasco, taking a jab at Morey's analytic-centric reputation. Why keep doing that now when Morey has the option to match? He's taking pop shots still at his client's potential employer. Just odd. Ok I'm going back to read the rest of your post. But yes, totally getting that vibe from BJ.
I would think DMO see's little to no playing time for several games if they sign him IMO, the team is currently playing very very well and you would think MDA brings DMO along slowly since he hasn't played 5 on 5 for quite some time.
Good post Cat. What I'm very concerned with at the "moment" is the high probability of health issues between Nene and Anderson as far as the Big's go. DMO is versatile enough to flip between the 4 and the 5 with no problem other than the fact he's not a great rebounder but he brings many other things to the table the other Big's currently don't bring. I'm sure Morey's decision to match will be mainly about cap flexibility for DMO at the moment like you say.
The question is "should they" and not "will they", And the answer is simple - No, they should not. We are having 2 very young players are developing and eagerly needed all the minutes they can have and more importantly, the team is in a row now. Fork all that cap and money shlt, if the core value of this player we are going to keep isn't guaranteed to be positive or even higher than now, then fork it and don't do it. And fork low post game that kind of shlt. Seriously GTFO with our current system.
Key to beating teams like the jazz and warriors and spurs we need to have as much depth as possible at our bigs position. Dmo can be our stretch 5 in certain lineups with Ryno. This is key especially in matchups with GSW or jazz in which we need to play big and try to stop rudy and favors. Yes dmo isnt the best defender but he does add to depth
We have two deadlines to dump him. January and March. If he starts whining after this season, we can still dump him after the next season, or we can trade him by then. Besides, we can always send him down to the DLeague. He loved the DLeague. Remember?
LOL! No brainer.... of course you match! If DM had proposed this deal he would have been vilified for 'taking advantage' of the circumstances...lol... 4 years... under 10M/yr.... with basically team options after each year?!?!? LMAO.... BJ is an idiot..... no brainer.....lol
Sure, but that doesn't invalidate my point, which is that a couple of losses (or wins) this early in the season can change the perception of the team drastically. It just so happens that, of the games that have truly come down to the last few seconds, we've been fortunate enough to win most of them. That's why I phrased things the way I did.
