Rox Center: Nene

You may be right, but the chatter of a hard cap, end to/reduction of Bird Rights and other exceptions, and a franchise tag make me think the "free" agent market may turn awfully cold and teams may severely cut back what they offer their own FAs in the face of a hard cap.

If you're a rebuilding Denver, would you hand Nene a multiyear deal in the $10-12M range?

I think we're about to see a league of have/have not salaries. Franchise guys get the max, everyone else knocked back to $3M or less to make room.

$65M cap and a 14 man roster gives you an average of $4.6M per player. Take one franchise guy at $15M, and the average for the remaining 13 becomes $3.8M.

I like Nene, but I think he's far better off grandfathering his current deal than opting out of it.

 

Well, yeah, I agree with that. I've just kind of soured on the whole Nene thing. You can only hear his name discussed so much before you get sick of it and want to pursue alternatives.

Just saying if I need to spend $12-13M to fill the center position, I'd rather get both Gortat and Childress for that price. Childress is a much better player than his stint with Phoenix indicates.

 

FWIW, Chris Mannix:

 

Thanks for the link. Denver and other teams with pending FAs may be cursing the Grizzlies now for the Randolph extension. I'd bet agents for other top-level players are arguing that the Zach extension sets the market for their clients, too.

I wonder if an "extend-and-trade" can be worked out between Denver and another team before the July 1st expiration of the CBA. My guess is that the probability is pretty low-- If an extension is hopeless, Denver will most likely keep him even just for the Bird Rights and worry about signing or signing-and-trading him after the lockout ends.

 

Good luck making that argument after the season/post-season that Randolph is having.

I agree with jopat in that the only way we could get Nene would be through a SnT. The question is if Denver would want anything from our roster in exchange for letting him go..

 

While I don't think too many agents can say their client is having a season comparable to Zach's or even that all of their clients should get Zach-level money, I think they can at least say that at least one team isn't worried about giving a big contract in the face of a lockout and guys are not inclined to be taking a pay cut solely on accouint of the CBA expiration.

As far as Nene is concerned, I agree a S&T will be needed unless the new CBA is (very) suprisingly generous. There are probably some pieces Denver might like-- a PF to replace Kenyon Martin, maybe Budinger if they are not bringing back Chandler, maybe a flyer on Thabeet/Williams as part of a package, or an agreement to eat Al Harrington's contract to save them some money (I think the Battier traded player exception will work). We'll have to see what the going market value of Nene's salary is, though. I imagine there is a number above which Morey will not go for him.

 

I love Yao, but you're tripping if you think he is even top 10 at this point. Love is not a center, not even close. Horford isn't either, thats why they slid him to PF against dwight. And Lopez is soft and slow.

 

Do you have a link for the article your talking about?

 

http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_17978868

 

So your plan is that Nene wants to play with HOU so badly, he'll leave
$6M/year on the table? Color me skeptical.

For MLE $, he'd rejoin Melo with the Knicks and be the C they need badly.

 

Or dump Miller and/or Thabeet to a third team with a pick.

Or buyout both for nothing and resign each for 2 years 6 million with the MLE.

Wala, cap room.

 

What kind of name is Inishi? NERD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ILoveorlandobloom was taken *******

 

Don't shoot the messenger, but I am good friends with NeNe's family..his wife's side anyway.

Spoke with them the other day just about life and the conversation turned to basketball. She said that she doesn't want to move to Houston, but we're the team that's pushing for him the most.


Take that as you may...

 

I'm not the least bit surprised. The Rockets are desperate for a center. DM shouldn't over pay him.

 

Plus,NeNe is a great guy. I've met him a few times. You can tell he's a leader and an easy player to get along with.

The Rockets need some more "glue guys"

 

Every good free agent center is going to be overpaid. And the ones who aren't overpaid now probably will be impossible to get.

 

Nene seems like a solid center, but I see no compelling reason to pull the trigger.

 

Unfortunately,that's true. Nene isn't worth 14-15 M yr. Let's hope that the new CBA can cut down some of the overspending.

 

Why doesn't she want to Houston? Too many strip clubs and harlots trying to steal her man?