I like Mooch but if this is true, Houston...we have a problem Rockets think Moochie wants way too much Folks, now here's a story about Minnie the Moocher. He was a red hot hoochie-koocher. He was a slick point guard who could sail, but Minnie wanted a wallet as big as a whale. Hodey-ho-dee-ho-dee-ho. Dan Fegan is at it again. And the Rockets could be on the verge of losing their third Fegan client in a month. Call him "Minnie the Moocher". A league source close to the negotiations told Insider Thursday evening that talks between free-agent point-guard Moochie Norris and the Rockets are currently at a standstill. According to the source, the Rockets have made inquiries into several free-agent point guards should negotiations fail. "Things aren't going well. Fegan (Norris' agent) has been over playing his hand all summer, I think the Rockets are getting sick of it." No doubt they are. Fegan has a reputation of being a tough negotiator and the Rockets are finding it out the hard way. They've already lost Fegan clients Hakeem Olajuwon, to Toronto, and Shandon Anderson, shipped to New York when his demands became too rich for their blood. Is Moochie Norris next? According to sources, Fegan is pushing for a multi-year deal starting at around $4 million per season. That's too rich for the Rockets given that Norris averaged 20 minutes and 6.6 points per game last season. Still the Rockets consider having a quality back-up point guard vital and don't want to lose him. Norris has become a fan favorite, plays hard every night, is a great distributor and, let's face it, has the best afro in the league. But at Fegan's asking price, they've begun to explore other options. At the top of their list is free-agent point-guard Damon Jones, who played with the Grizzlies last year and also is being courted by Cleveland, Miami and Seattle. Despite Fegan's posturing, Norris' options are limited unless the Rockets agree to yet another sign-and-trade, unlikely after already pulling off two for Fegan this summer. Still, one suitor, Toronto, has its full exception and could probably afford to steal Norris straight away. Given that they already have Hakeem up north now, the Rockets know the threat is more than a bad dream.
I hate FEGAN!!!! Does he have like a personal vendetta against Houston?? Dude needs to get off his high horse...... As much as I love Mooch, $4 mill is way too damn much for a CBA refugee. Im sure there are plenty of PG's out there who could back up Wink.
Now I understand Toronto's thinking in the Olajuwon deal: If you're going to acquire a Fegan client, get one who's so old you'll never have to negotiate another contract.
Fegan must be out of his mind. Houston is obviously the best place for Mooch. He is completely jeapordizing his clients future by playing hardball just a little too hard. And the only leverage that Fegan seemingly has is the fact that Steve and other players like Moochie. The 3 guard lineup last season was fun, but with a true starting SF in Rice, I imagine we will be seeing it less, leaving fewer minutes for Moochie. So, in that respect, Mooch's value to the team is dropping. I love Moochie. He is great for our team, and he did help us win many games last season, but does he seriously think he is worth $4 million or more? I tell ya, I just can't figure it out. This is the final straw. I'm gonna write Fegan's name down here on this paper that I call my "Enemies List."
HOLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! BRING ME MAHMOUD! BRING ME MAHMOUD! BRING ME MAHMOUD! BRING ME MAHMOUD! BRING ME MAHMOUD! BRING ME MAHMOUD!
It's easy to tell who the fan favorites are around here. With Hakeem and Shandon, it was "Hakeem and Shandon want too much money". With Moochie, it's "Fegan wants too much money".
I don't know what else we could have expected. The Rocks did S&Ts for Olajuwon and Anderson that paid them considerably more than they could have had staying in Houston. Why shouldn't he play hardball and try to do the same for Moochie? The only thing is, he's waited too long now. When he had Dallas courting, there was definitely an option. Does Toronto want him when they have A. Williams and Chris Childs?
4 Million a Year? how much did Mobley get again? I love Mooch. . . .He's a great baller but 4 million? For the Backup PG Sean Colson better not have left town just quite yet Rocket River
If you're Mooch, and you finally put together a decent year after being out of the league and stigmatized by a sleeping disorder, I think you'd be more worried about long-term financial security than how well you get along with a team and its players. If Mooch and his agent can fenagle a S&T that gets him even $500k more a year than he could get here, then I'd say he made the right move. No one knows what the future holds and Mooch has to make the most of it. He's certainly not one that you look at and say "he's going to be a player in this league for a long time". At least I wouldn't put my money on it just yet. I think his market value is as high right now as it is ever going to be. At least if I'm Mooch, that's how I'm looking at it.
1) I think that the Rockets have Colson's option at 500K. NIKE? 2) I think that Moochie hasn't learned to sleep well enough to merit $4m per. 3) I still think that the luvfest sucks. 4) I think that it's time to yell "rebate" and court Webber.
Tb-cain: Moochie's market value is as high as Marc Jackson's. Dan Fegan had better live it up now. Parity in the NBA is a season away. If you think that it's a buyer's market now...
Hopefully Moochie's desire to stay in Houston is stronger than his ties to Fegan. No way he's worth 4 mil a year. If another team wants to pay him that, so be it. Bring in Damon Jones.
Nobody (with the possible exception of the Mavericks) would/will pay Moochie $4M. That is just silly money. The question is whether anyone else will go over the $1+M that is supposedly on the table from the Rockets. Further, if someone does, will the Rockets meet/beat that offer? If they lose Moochie, the Rockets might have trouble meeting the Comets attendance figures, what with all the missing 'fan favorites' (Mooch, Bull...and, oh yeah, that Olajuwon fella')
I'm glad you brought that up. Can you provide a short course in the parity clause? I'm sure I'm not the only CBA dummy out there. Thanx.
Freak, I'll dig up my old thread. I've said that it was the player, not the agent. That goes for all three of the Fegan boys. If they wanted to stay in Houston then they would have told that to Fegan. You don't hire an agent and leave your entire future in his hands. You tell him your priorities and then he comes back with one, or several, scenarios that fit your priorities. If Moochie wants to stay, then he will stay. If Moochie wants to leave, then he'll leave. ****THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT FEGAN ISN'T EVIL**** It just means that the players are responsible for his actions in the end.
Sorry, I hit the submit button too quickly. Toronto is the only team out there with that kind of money to spend. However, I wonder if Moochie knows about the reduced buying power of Canadian dollars and what it's like in the Frozen North during the winter.
