While I'm not so sure that Morey would value Eric Bledsoe as a "max" player, there is something else to consider when comparing any max-ish contract for Bledsoe with the contract that Chandler Parons got: TRADE-ABILITY. One of the key reasons why the Rockets ultimately elected not to match the offer sheet Parsons signed was that it was structured in such a way as to essentially make Parsons untradable (at least for anything of value) during the life of his contract: Year 1: As a restricted free agent whose offer sheet was matched, Parsons would have a right to veto any trade involving him for one year (and the Rockets would also be prohibited from trading Parsons to Dallas during that one-year period). Year 2: Parsons has a player option for Year 3, so any team trading for Parsons at this point would only be guaranteeing themselves one year of his services. Also, the 15% trade kicker that Parsons has (which the Rockets would have had to pay immediately upon trading him) could have been dicey given the potentially substantial increase in the salary cap next year. Year 3: Now, Parsons is an expiring contract, once again only guaranteeing any team trading for him one year of service. The trade kicker is still a problem, especially with the cap most likely increasing a HUGE amount over the 2014-15 season. Now, if Bledsoe signed a straight-up max (or near-max) deal, without the bells and whistles in the Parsons contract, it at least allows the Rockets to move him after January 15, 2015 (when all "BYC" players can first be traded), potentially with multiple years of team control and without a trade kicker to pay. Again, I'm by no means saying that the Rockets SHOULD offer Bledsoe the max (or even something close to it). I'm just saying that a deeper analysis of Parsons's contract reveals that giving Bledsoe a "regular" max deal would not necessarily mean they view him as a clearly better player than Parsons.
I'm assuming that Cubes thought Morey would have matched if: 1. we would have gotten Bosh to come here or 2. we didn't have any other options aside from retaining Parsons Unfortunately we didn't get Bosh and, fortunately, our back up plan was getting Ariza for half the price of Parsons.
Yeah, I think the Ariza signing is underrated. We're extremely blessed to have a productive player without the financial burden. I'm starting to come around now on Morey's preservation of the cap. Hopefully, we make major moves soon.
Your assessment puts everything we have in the most negative light, and Bledsoe and Millsap in the most positive light. You're not looking at this from a very balanced perspective. Here's the negatives: Bledsoe - Only a half year of great production. Significant injury history. Wants more than PHX is willing to pay. Millsap - 29 years old. Not an elite player and doesn't have the potential to be one. Is an unrestricted free agent next summer. You've got to look at it from every angle.....not just this player vs. that player. Here's our assets/players in a positive light: TJones - 22 y/o that's a proven starter and will only get better. He's under contract for 2 more years and is a RFA after that. DMo - 23 y/o 7 footer that can run and may grow into a shooter. Great back to the basket game. Beverley - 2nd team all-nba defense in his 1st full year in the league. Already an average shooter. NOP 1st - Lottery reoganization could get this pick into the mid-single digits. Also, NOPs players have significant injury histories. Papanikolaou - Several teams had interest in him when the rockets got him in the TRob trade. His contract is high for one season, but very team friendly. Capela - Several teams called on draft night trying to acquire him. The truth is somewhere in the middle on all of this. You have to put everything in context. Now, every GM is going to value current production a little more than future production. Doesn't mean you ignore potential, but you want to win now unless you're in full tank mode......neither Atlanta or PHX are. And let's not forget.....there's always the possibility that it's a 3 way deal, with some of our assets going to the 3rd team in exchange for the player PHX or Atlanta wants.
BMD, I like this... You basically broke down why would Phoenix do this... Great food for thought... T_Man
Ehh, I disagree. The Rockets and Parsons had plenty of time to negotiate a 3 year max contract before Cuban even had a chance to talk to Parsons. If they wanted a max contract Parsons without all the attached "poison", they could have had one. To me, it seems Morey decided the team simply would not have been good enough to compete with Harden/Howard/Parsons/Ariza core. This brings me back to my original musings of whether Morey feels the same about a Bledsoe/Harden/Howard/Ariza group.
I'd say it's Bledsoe or bust. Sarver was willing to pay an aging Nash with no hope of winning. If he can't win, pay someone who the fans love, will pay to see. Look at his city's demographics. It's predominately white retirees.
Thank you for that. You're more polite than I am. Some people here, you'd swear someone put thumbtacks in their Raisin Bran. Just a liiiiiittle negative.
That was the point. I was pointing out the negatives. And from Phoenix's perspective, I think the negatives out-weigh the positives. I mean, you are pointing out the positives, but you are doing so in a vacuum. You are not thinking about it relative to what they are giving up in return. Relative to what they are giving up, what I posted is accurate. I mean, if these players were really as good as you are saying, then there wouldn't be this constant talk of getting a PF and a PG and flipping all of these back-ups like hot cakes.
It's not me being negative. It's me being realistic from Phoenix's perspective. We are always talking about how we need big upgrades at the PF and PG spots. And then at the same time many people here are pumping up those same guys in trades for big-time players. It's like a lot of you are talking about of both sides of your mouth.
Think you got me confused with someone else, just as I might have mistaken your post for so many of the doomsayers we have around here, but your point is taken. Like this guy, for example:
And what is PHX giving up? Remember, LAC was willing to trade Bledsoe and Butler's expiring for Dudley. Since then, what has happened? Bledsoe got older, had 2 knee surgeries, and has only played a half season for PHX. What I'm saying is that you're overvaluing Bledsoe. When he was sitting, PHX's offensive production barely dipped. When Dragic sat....it nosedived. Bledsoe's value is all in his potential.....not in production. So I'm suggesting a bunch of players with potential for one player with potential. It's not that far off. Also, consider the makeup of PHX's roster. They've already got Goran and Bledsoe, yet they brought in Isaiah Thomas and drafted a PG in the mid-1st round. That's not the decisions of a team that has settled on it's back court of the future.
