Give me a break. Of course he's going to opt out and sign for the biggest money. That's reality folks. Mike James was just up front, and said what anybody else in his situation would be thinking. That's just business. And it's a two way street. What, you think the Rockets wouldn't trade his ass in a second if it landed them a better player. If the deals are close, then I bet he'd rather stay in H-town. But if some other team is going to give him $10 million more, then he's gone. Any of you would do the same.
what you said about the loyalty part is actually interesting because i was home listening to the interview and when discussing the loyalty part, MJ actually did state that one reason he will opt out is because he realizes that if the rockets see a chance to trade him for something they need they wouldnt blink to do it.
We probably should not get Spreewell! The "Spreewell potential rocket" summary by Clutch and the (slim) prospect of obtaining Spreewell is already affecting us
the one thing that was i think taken out of context in the interview was this part about him feeding his family he said "i gotta eat man, i gotta eat my family has to eat and my peoples gotta eat" basically implying that he wants not just his immediate family but every person in his family to be welloff and he wants to be able to afford that easily (not that 3 mil cant accomplish that) but thats what could be interpreted. he didnt just come out and say well i gotta feed my family or they will starve or anything like that. but overall he sounded very upbeat and seemed to be very excited, even talking about how he wears tight shirts and doesnt care what people say about them ...overall a very entertaining interview
The "feeding the family" comment could've been said with a heavy dose of sarcasm because of the Sprewell comment. By NBA standards, MJ is not already making big bucks like Spree was when he said it. I see nothing wrong with MJ's comments about wanting a long term bigger contract. Obviously, he's going to play his a$$ off this year to try and get it. The Sprewell imitation is actually pretty funny in MJ's case.
Thank you m_cable, the hypocrisy of these people who are saying he is "Sprewellish" with his "put food on the table" comment is just unbelievable! Here is the deal: from the way he sounded, I don't think he meant just getting paid more (he is a pretty talented scorer, dare I say as good as or better than Moochie?! ), but rather I think he meant more of what Cat Mobely is doing by opting out of his contract: getting a long-term deal that would secure him financially. Let's face it, MJ has NEVER had that one big long-term deal that every NBA player dreams of. He joined the league kinda late when compared to other players, and he worked his BUTT off to get where he is today after NBA teams dissed him. So now, if he is given the opportunity to cash in for the FIRST time in his career, you think he will be nice and just stick to the Rockets out of loyalty to get paid less than where he could be paid elsewhere? AND, more importantely, he didn't say he is definitely leaving, he only said that he is looking out for his own financial well-being WHEREVER that might be, but still reiterated how much he loves Houston and playing with a team like the Rockets. Anyways, my whole point is I just love how some people on this board act like the guy is doing something out of character or unacceptable by wanting to look out for himself and his family. Any of you hypocrites would do the same damn thing in a heartbeat! The fact that he DID say so publicly means that he likely HAS already told the Rockets management as much, and he is straightforward with the team so that they are aware of their options with MJ a good deal ahead of time, which I think is a good thing for the team. BTW, just my personal opinion, I think it's crucial that we keep MJ as an off the bench option in our backcourt. His scoring, IMO, is underrated, and the type of energy he provides off the bench is REALLY important for a team like the Rockets. I think he should ONLY be dealt IF (a big IF) the Rockets are able to get a serious upgrade over him in the backcourt. Otherwise, trust me, a guy as good as MJ for $3.5 mill a year? That's one heck of a bargain (same goes for Sura), because think about it: if freakin' Mooch, Vin Baker, and Spoon can be paid as much as they are paid right now, then how the hell do you think players like MJ and Sura would accept less if given the chance to get more? Be realistic people. It's not a diss, he is just being honest and forthcoming, and, IMO, doing a favor for the Rockets by letting them know what he intends to do ahead of time. This way, CD and JVG know what to do: either extend the guy's contract this season (I am thinking 4 years, $16-$20 mill would get it done, which ain't too bad a deal), trade him in a package deal to get something for him worthwhile, or just take their chance and compete for him on the open market.
Sorry, one more thing: the Spree comparison is completely invalid in this case, simply because Spree has cashed in BIG time in the past with a huge contract, MJ has never had the chance to do the same. Also, at the age of 30, MJ is running out of time to cash in on his NBA career, so he is probably looking for a long-term deal more than anything else (kinda like what Cat is doing, which obviously makes economic sense).
tiger, let's not forgt many of us didn't hear this interview and are only going by what you originally posted. So, don't jump on people who maybe have not fully understood what you say he stated and the context by which he said it. I never said his actions were wrong. He has every right to opt out to look for the almighty bigger dollar for whatever reason he has. If he thinks he can use his latest performance as a leaping pad for a better contract, so be it. And, yes, I would too. The only problem I had, and is why I thought it could have been a prank or joke, is that he seemed too open for his (and the team's) own good. Maybe he was trying to be funny and cracking jokes by some of the offbeat comments (Big strong SG, feeding family, possibly playing for Utah of all places) but you couldn't tell that by your recap. I like Mike James alot but you can't tell me (if he wasn't joking) that Wesley, JVG and/or CD are not a little peeved by some of his comments he made if said as you posted. And, again if NOT A JOKE, his 'feeding his kids' comment was just as bad a Sprewell's. Most of us will NEVER know the feeling of having $3 million dollars, let alone making it each year. If he can't feed his family from $9 mill. plus, then something is wrong. But again, I suspect the comment(s) was in jest otherwise it would have been sprayed all over the media just like in Sprewell's situation.
Fair enough. Obviously, I can't relay what MJ said word for word, nor can I accurately describe for you his tone or his demeanor in the interview, and that's why I said that I hoped someone else caught it and taped it or something so you can hear it for yourself. As for whether it was a prank call or not, I am pretty much sure that it wasn't, because he was on to promote his charity work I believe, although that inevitably led to him being questioned by the interviewers about the Rockets, his future, etc. My only contention was in regards to how some people act like the guy is doing something wrong by wanting to secure his financial future. Spree made over $14 mill a year for how long? Now, the avg salary in the league is what, $4.5 mil or so? By that standard, MJ is underpaid, because he is a slightly above average player. I don't think what he said was as bad as Spree, because he basically wasn't complaining about his current pay or what he was being offered, he was just saying that the reason why he would opt out to test the market was to look for the financial well-being of his family. It is not like he did what Spree did and said he can't feed his family on $3.5 per, he was just saying he would like to do the best he can to secure a better financial future than he has now. I don't see anything wrong with that at all. Personally, I think people are reading too much into it, his sounded upbeat and sincere about his love for the city and the team. I think he is a straight-shooter more than a selfish guy, I don't think he is into BSing people, he certainly doesn't sound like it. As for the "big SG" comment, that wasn't a shot at anyone as far as I can tell, which again further proves my point that people are reading too much into this. He was basically asked as to what HE thought was the Rockets' biggest need in free agency, and he said he thinks a big SG could be helpful in relieving T-Mac of some of his duties and improve the team overall. There is nothing inaccurate or disrespectful about that. Would it be disrespectful if he said that he thinks the Rockets need a big, strong PF and that would improve the team overall? Would that be considered as him taking a shot at Juwon? No, it would just be considered the truth, no pun was intended IMO.
That doesn't sound like spree, to me that sounds like Mike Tyson! Seriously, think James Posey. Perfectly happy on th Rockets. Grizz offered him more - move on.
Thanks for the recap and clarification tiger. I really wasn't trying to make a big deal out of it but, the way I interpreted your post, some of his comments just came off a little odd. I just couldn't imagine a player publicly making a 'feed my kids' comment after the whole Sprewell fiasco. But, like I said, he was probably making a joke otherwise he would have been chastized through the media by now. It was probably just a misunderstanding on my part. Again, thanks for the recap.
from tigermission1: I also didn't mean to intimate there's anything wrong with going after the money, especially for a player that's never had a big payday by NBA standards. The "explosive" thing bugged me because I've defended MJ's play here in the Mav's series. I really thought JVG didn't care whether he made a pass on any possession. But if he wants to be the reincarnation of Vinnie Johnson to boost his stock I want him elsewhere. I also don't think it's cool to be flippant about opting out of a contract. That signals to me we do need to trade him, and I would have bet he was the one player besides Yao and T-Mac that we don't want to trade. And of course mentioning Utah here doesn't particularly elicit concern for MJ's nightlife.
He should give us a big year if he is planning on a big payday next summer. Good for us. MJ is a superb 6-7th man. If he wants 4 yrs $20MM next summer: Bye bye, we enjoyed having you.
