He is a 15-8 guy at PF, how many of them are there in the NBA? KT is also coming into his own...he has been a monster on the boards, has tossed the fat and is now a lean mean fighting machine. If this guy is not the epitome of a player that deserves it, then we don't look at Cato and MoT. KT deserves it...and the Rocks are worse off for not having him on their roster. DD
I think right now Rudy might regret trading Kenny last season... otherwise the Rockets might get into the playoffs & Rudy won't have to step down... A good example of how one decision might effects the whole perspective of the Rockets organization...
I agree with DD. This bbs is always complaining about how we dont' have a banger PF on this team to help Yao. KT was that man, a better "true" PF than MoT or EG. He didn't mind getting in the post and hustling for the boards. He does more than MoT does (hang out in the high post and get 2 rebounds a game) or EG (hang out at the 3 pt line and jack em up). Although early on Kenny was slow and fat and shot too many 3s, he has really upped his game and dedication to getting better. We traded right before he hit his stride; Rockets will be regretting it. He deserves this contract, no matter how many people don't think so.
KT's not a 15-8 guy, he's a 10-8 guy. The numbers from last year back that up. 12 PFs out rebounded him (11 if you count Marion as a SF). Countless others outscored him. About 10 players did both, and there are others behind him with more potential than KT to do the same thing. He just went from one of the most underrated players to one of the most overpaid players. He's getting paid more than Howard, more than Olowokandi, more than Payton and Malone, and about the same as Nesterovic and PJ Brown. For an undersized PF...he's getting paid too much in too long of a contract. Really good player, but overpaid.
I guess for a avg player, 7-8mill is the starting point. Instead of letting the market set itself, the 76ers did like the Rockets and screwed themselves. Malik Rose got 42 and thats pretty much what Thomas should have got. I'm glad the nba has the salary cap to save the owners from themselves. I wouldn't have ever thought about Thomas signing for more than 5m a yr. This really is going to get ugly with Posey now.
Why are we discussing this in the Rockets 2003: Game Action & Roster Moves forum instead of NBA dish? This isn't rockets news any more now is it? Jebus.
ESPN is saying 40 mil over 7 years. That is very close to max MCE level money with just the extra year, and pretty much even for what Rose gets (42/7) who is a back-up. PJ Brown 's is 34 mil but only 4 years, considering he will be like 37 or 38 when he finishes his contract and scored less than 10PPG last year--that is an example of an overpayed player. I suspect Posey will get a little less than KT BTW we would not be a better team if we had not traded KT. KT was our best PF last year, but JP was our best SF by an even wider position. Plus, we will have an easier time signing Posey who will be assured of starting and playing as many minutes as he wants than with KT-- with EG and MoT competing for some of those minutes. I just hope this contract doesn't set the bar too high for Posey--I think 33 mil over 6 or like 29 mil over 5 is what I am hoping we get Posey for.
I saw that it was just 7yr/$40m, as Desert Scar said. That's not horrible monetarily, but it's way too long of a contract. Five years would be all I'm willing to commit to a 3rd option-type of player, at the max. BTW - at 12.5% raises, the deal starts at just over $4m...somewhere around $4.25m. It's a good deal at the front end, but it skyrockets to over $7m by the end of the deal. But, the contract rumors just go to show you the power of the Internet.
not for the final two months (after returning from his deep thigh bruise)...he was more like 12-11. In the playoffs, he was almost 11-10....and one of those series was against Ben Wallace. I don't think he is 15-8. But I do think he can approach 12-10. I prefer the later. And he is an active smart defender and offensive player who knows how to pick and move. The only thing that will prevent him from being a 10rpg guy is minutes. He might never be worth 35 minutes, and does anyone nowadays pull down 10 boards at less.
HP - for the Sixers, the higher 2nd figure is definitely preferable. In the East, he might be able to do it; we'll see. I managed to get a question into David Aldridge today on the KT (and Ollie) contract(s)... http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=3769 Clark (Tallahassee): DA, why are we seeing a lot of long-term, overpriced deals given to free agents early on? Notably, Kenny Thomas (7r/$40m) and Kevin Ollie (5yr/$15m) - the contract lengths just appear way too long. Thanks. David Aldridge: (1:32 PM ET ) Some teams don't want to get shut out, Clark, and they move quickly. Maybe too quickly. I can't disagree that those two players may be overpaid, but they're both solid citizens and good players, and you can't have enough of either in your locker room. ------- Can't say I terribly disagree, but I still think the contract lengths (above all else) are too long.
