I too have him on my fantasy basketball team and I get to see him play frequently. I am sure his stats are helped by playing with a lot of talent. Even with that, players who have a good FG%, good FT%, good assists and low turnovers are rare and are worth a look.
I live in Dallas and have been watching this guy play since pre season and his game was just as good then. Look at his production since moving into the starting lineup. The kid is the real deal.
Daniels needs great shooters the way the Nets forwards need Jason Kidd. You can't just move him to a different context and get the same result.
Nobody over the cap can sign him for more then the MLE, including the Mavs...there are no bird rights or anything like that. A team like Utah could offer more if they chose to do so.
No he is not Mr. Turnover. Where the hell did you even get that? As a starter averaging almost 40 minutes a game he is only turning it over 1.8 times a game while handing out 4.5 assists.
Exactly why is that? Did he force any shots up last night? He basically played with in himself not forcing much of anything. The fact that he is starting instead of Josh Howard should ring a bell. The guy is very athletic and very active on defense, he handles the ball very well and passes well to. Marquis Daniels is the real deal.
It doesn't matter if the Mavs want to match or not. He is unrestricted so he can sign with whomever he wants. If he wanted to go to Houston (say based on PT, role) for the same amount of money as the Mavs offered he would wind up in Houston. Moves like this (though I admit I like Daniels for a reasonable price on the surface) will only be made after a major shake down in our line-up [Francis or Mobley traded, probably the former, for a quality player(s)] this offseason either has occurred or has been agreed to in principle though. I do think some cornerstones will be changed, and the secondary pieces will then be adjusted once the big decisions have been made.
Daniels is restricted ... this is from a Dallas Morning News Q&A: Daniels loves the Mavs, because as he sat inconsolably undrafted on yon draft night, Donnie Nelson phoned him and said, "Pack yer bags, yer a Mav." He's got minutes and a rotation spot on a fun, high-profile squad. The only way he'll leave is if he's offered a multi-year deal starting over the MLE which would guarantee a few generations of his family's security ... probably ... and who could blame him. See Calvin Booth as an example.
I don't know where the Dallas Morning News got their info but here is a link from the USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/salaries/playerdetail.aspx?player=518 It clearly shows that Daniels has a 1 year contract with no option. He is not a 1st round draft pick so he is not restricted. Maybe Gater or aelliott can correct me if I'm wrong but only 1st round picks are restricted free agents at the end of their first contract.
