Lance Stephenson offered 5 yr / 44 mil from Pacers, but wants more and will talk to other teams.

Let's hope most realize we can't sign up until after next season due to us amnesting (sp?) him. Of course, all it takes is one....

 

@WojYahooNBA: Tough restricted free agent market for Lance Stephenson, little leverage on Pacers to be found.

 

How is that a low ball offer?

 

Stephenson, to me, is a rich man's Vernon Maxwell
He has that Mad Max quality of supreme confidence fueled mainly by insanity

Vernon's skewed view of the world, and his place in it, gave him the invulnerable self-confidence to defend peak-level Jordan as well as anyone at that time
It also allowed him to explode for 50 out of nowhere, as if he was a perennial All-Star

Lance has the same traits ... he truly believes he is just as good as LeBron or Wade, and will go right at them, as we saw all year

Unfortunately, just as with Mad Max, we saw the dark side of this delusional bravado when he imploded in the ECF, becoming a distraction and detriment to his team with his antics

To me, he only holds significant value to a team on the cusp of real contention, and with a stable, veteran leadership in place
Much like Ron Artest, he can be a difference-maker in the RIGHT situation, or a nightmare in the wrong one

With all their internal turmoil, not sure the Pacers are a great fit for him, even though his talent is crucial to their success

 

I wouldn't pay him more but he's got some talent. Reminds me a bit of Artest.

 

Vernon Maxwell was a wildly inefficient player. I don't think people realize how good Stephenson is. The only bad part about his offensive skill set is that he's not a good FT shooter.

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

I agree ... I think he is rich man's Mad Max ... much higher upside, but exact same downside
Always on the brink of a meltdown that can ruin a game/series/season/team without any warning

Artest is probably a much more accurate comparison as an overall talent, but I was going for position-specific
What's worse, I feel Lance hasn't even had his hit-rock-bottom moment yet, a la RonRon's Malace at the Palace, or Mad Max's fight in the stands in Portland

Whomever signs Stephenson this time will be in for a bumpy road ... this years ECF were just foreshadowing

 

They might have lowballed him a little bit, but not by much. I'd say $50m is about right for him, but at the same time, he might not actually be able to get that on the open market.

 

Some stupid team with cap space is going to give him a ridiculously big contract. This is a problem the CBA should address- less teams with all this cap space would prevent bloated contracts.

 

I think he's worth $10mil per year but I wouldn't sign him to a long-term contract.

 

he's worth more than that. chandler parsons will probably get more and lance is better.

 

exactly.

 

I don't think he's a rich mans Vernon, Vernon is a champion. You mean a poor mans? Right?

 

From wikipedia on Stephen Jackson:
"In 2003, Jackson became a free agent during the offseason and expected to parlay his success with the Spurs into a long-term contract. After rejecting an initial offer by the Spurs, he and his agent were criticized by sports media for miscalculating the market. Eventually, Jackson agreed to a 2-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[17]"

 

So who's going to pay Lance a 4 year $48 mill contract this time around?

 

Ok Rookie

 

I hate Lance Stephenson, but I'd take him on our team if we could. He's a dumbass but he's a talented dumbass. Too bad he's demanding too much.