I posted this in another Okur thread....I just dont feel that Okur is the right type of player to play alongside Yao. I feel that we either need an athletic quick jumping/rebounding player such as Stromile Swift or a tough bruiser such as Elton Brand who can also hit the medium range jumper. Yao's weaknesses are "toughness" and "lateral quickness" and I dont feel that Okur brings either of those traits to compliment Yao. As mentioned above, Okur would be a MUCH better compliment to Amare Stoudamire.
I may be wrong, but I still can't see how Detroit can have cap room regardless of who they lose in expansion UNTIL they settle the mess with Wallace. Doesn't he count 150% of his present salary until they either renounce his rights, or sign him to a better deal? That I would think would eat up their entire $13 million. I do think that JD has done an excellent job as GM up there. He took a team that was woeful, and has built somethign for the future, if not this year. They are going to be the team to beat in the East for years to come. Gotta admit, the guy knows how to evaluate talent....
I would like to see some sort of trade scenario with Detroit like Francis, Cato, Pike and maybe maybe a future pick for Billups and Ben Wallace. I know it doesn't work cap wise, but maybe we could find a third team.
I agree, Okur is a very good player, but not the solution. Okur has a nice shot, but there is not much of an upgrade at defense or rebounding. I'd rather have Camby than Okur.
That would give the Suns one of the worst rosters in the West for the second straight year. How does adding Okur to the worst team in the Conference spell playoffs?
he is probobly the best fit for us. there are a couple of IF's left.... will he be available? if he was would he want to come here? and how much $$ will he demand?
i hope the suns sign him with a big contract (well not something too crazy) so that it could lessen their chances of getting T-Mac. dont they have a shtload of cap space though? ANywho, it would really suck and tee some of us on the board off if the suns managed to get both. Lol.
Actually, the Suns are not likely to select a PG in the draft. They will have Milos Vujanic coming over from Europe next year. He was part of the Marbury trade (and a large reason why Phoenix went through with it). Vujanic is supposedly the best PG in the world right now outside the NBA. Between him and Barbosa, it looks like the Suns are loaded with young PG talent.
I love the Detroit Pistons, and I've been watching them play a lot. The conclusion that I came up with is that OKUR F!@#$% SUCKS! Last year game 2 he missed a wide open layup to win the game. I hate that guy. Please do not sign him. He has no business in the NBA, 7 footer with no hops. We already hvae one of those. OKUR BLOWS. let him go somewhere else.
http://eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=21774 (also in Okur thread) Nash, Okur may look at Suns By Mike Tulumello, Tribune Count guard Steve Nash and big man Mehmet Okur among the free agents who are expected to consider the Suns as a possible destination this summer. "He'd consider them," said Nash's agent, Bill Duffy. Nash was drafted by the Suns in 1996, but was traded after the club developed a logjam in the backcourt when it acquired Jason Kidd. The Suns sent Nash to Dallas, where he became an All-Star, for the draft pick that became Shawn Marion. "I think it still would be a good fit," Duffy said. Yet, the Suns could be a fall-back position for Nash, who may re-sign with the Mavericks. Nash's father, John (the player's parents live in the Valley), said in March that while he would love for his son to play for the Suns, it's more likely he will return to the Mavericks if Dallas officials make him a strong offer. Duffy said this likely is an accurate read of the situation. "But it's got to be reciprocal. They've got to want him back." This season, Nash averaged 14.5 points on 47 percent shooting (including 41 percent on 3-pointers) plus 8.8 assists in 33.5 minutes per game. In the Mavericks' playoff series loss to the Sacramento Kings, he averaged 13.6 points, with his shooting percentages falling to 39 overall and 38 on 3-pointers in 39 minutes per game. A source close to the Pistons' Okur who asked not to be identified confirmed the player's interest in the Suns. Okur did not want to speak publicly because the Pistons are still involved in a playoff series against New Jersey. Okur is averaging 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per playoff game. Okur, 25, is a 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward/center from Turkey. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in the regular season in 22 minutes per game. But with the arrival in Detroit of Rasheed Wallace, his playing time went down. Last season, he averaged 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19 minutes per game. It may be difficult for the Pistons to re-sign both Wallace and Okur.
Now, the Knicks (LOL): http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/17079.htm OKUR MAY BE GOOD FIT FOR KNICKS By MARC BERMAN May 21, 2004 -- AUBURN HILLS - With all the talk about the Knicks courting Rasheed Wallace, there's another Piston big man who fits what Isiah Thomas is looking for - 7-foot restricted free agent Mehmet Okur. While Detroit GM Joe Dumars has been emphatic about re-signing Wallace, Okur's status is unclear. As with Wallace, Thomas is expected to take a run at Okur, it has been learned. If Wallace does re-sign with the Pistons, Okur could be the odd-man out and the Knicks have their $5 million mid-level exception to play with. Thomas has said he will be very active with his mid-level exception. Knicks coach Lenny Wilkens said the club would look for an athletic power forward. Okur doesn't meet that description, as he's slow, but he has brawn and size and can block shots, unlike Nazr Mohammed. Plus, this free-agent class is weak and Thomas can eliminate all the talk that he doesn't like European talent if he signed Okur. Okur is restricted, meaning the Pistons could match any offer for him. But because Okur has played only two years, the Pistons can't match an offer over $5 million from an under-the-cap club. Hence, they can match the Knicks' offer. The capped-out Knicks also can only offer Wallace their mid-level at a maximum six years, bringing the total to $37.5 million. Thomas could be creative and try to lure Wallace for two years at the mid-level ($5.0M, $5.5M) then re-sign him to a 75-percent raise, according to CBA rules. That would make his salary in the third year $9.62M. It's clear Pistons coach Larry Brown doesn't always know what he has with Okur, a native of Turkey who is in his second NBA season. Speculation that Okur was all but history as a Piston surfaced in Detroit after the Game 5 three-overtime classic last Friday. Despite all the foul-outs, including Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, Okur did not play in any of the three OTs, as Brown went with a small-ball lineup. However, Brown learned from his mistake. In Game 6, with the Pistons trying to rally from a 13-2 hole, Okur was put into the game at small forward for the erratic-shooting Prince and Detroit thrived. Okur combined with the Wallaces for a lethal and big frontcourt that made it tough for the Nets to get to the rim in the halfcourt.
In Stein's article on Malone, referencing TMac and Rox? he also mentioned possibility of Okur not being resigned by Pistons: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playo...marc&id=1807865 Detroit remains quietly confident that it will be able to convince Sheed to re-sign a long-term deal this summer, and the Pistons are willing, the Pistons are willing, even if it means they have to sacrifice Mehmet Okur.
I don't know why we as a board spend so much time thinking about Okur. Barring something bizarre, it's almost impossible to get him. Detroit prefers Wallace but would could Okur too if they could. They can keep him if he signs any contract for $5 million or less. We can only offer that $5 million. Detroit cannot sign-and-trade for any more than $5 million. Either he'll be offered more than $5 million by an under-the-cap team and leave Detroit, or he'll sign for $5 million and get picked up by Detroit. If the Knicks signed him to a 2-year deal, Detroit would be ecstatic because they can match without risking a lot of years. I only see 2 possibilities here. (1) Somehow, Okur finds his market value to be less than $5 million, allowing Detroit to S&T him and yet we offer enough talent to make a trade worthwhile to Detroit, even though they could have a quality bigman at a bargain price. Or, (2) we could use the trade exception to relieve the Pistons of a different player (Williamson or Campbell) so that they could offer more money to Okur and Wallace. Neither option seems profitable. Incidentally, does it seem to anyone else that the Pistons should have traded Okur (hindsight being 20/20) at the trade deadline. They could have traded him for someone with a longer contract and would be able to keep that person and Wallace this summer. Now, they are pretty much poised to lose Okur for nothing to a team with caproom.
For the Rockets I agree with the poster about Swift. Swift or Etan Thomas are far more likely to bring something different to the table than Okur. We have offensive oriented but unathletic 4s, what we need is a defensive first PF who is at least adequate on offense (in contrast to Cato) to provide a different look. For those of you worring about Phx, let them get out of the cellar before waisting your time. They were about the worst team in the West last year and the player who carried them their last playoffs is in New York. Unless they add a Duncan or Garnett they are not worth thinking much about, every team has guys with potentials and on paper look like they can play but few put it togther to actually make a good NBA basketball team. Noone left on that team has proved to be a capable leader of an NBA team. Didn't we also learn lessons by signing Cat (great value) and passing on a MLE level deal on Posey (excellent value with Memphis and passing on him left us with zero depth at SG/SF and no long term fixture in the SF). Point is some times contracts turn out bloated, some times they end up being great deals (Cat)--you have to judge each one on its own. 2nd, a correlary to this is solid PFs don't grow on trees. We have given away most of our mid-range draft picks (where if we are lucky we could find another Kenny Thomas) and are still over the cap for 4 more years or so. You can't acquire a proven youngish PF for much less than double the MLE. Unless we trade SF for a PF, our most realistic option for improving the position is taking a calculated but not cheap (MLE) flyer on one who might turn into a decent all-around PF like Okur, Swift or Etan Thomas. Though again, for what they bring relative to what we have (Mo, Spoon), I think Swift or Thomas would be a better fit.
Can you believe these numbers for Okur? http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/drew28_20040528.htm DREW SHARP: More Pistons win, more they risk losing Okur May 28, 2004 BY DREW SHARP FREE PRESS COLUMNIST The Guarantee and The Block already have taken high places in Pistons playoff lore, but when the pixie dust dissipates at season's end, attention will shift to The Gamble. By definition, that implies a cost for losing. How does a price tag of around $7 million a year sound? That's how much the Pistons might have to pay Mehmet Okur to keep him this summer. "I'm excited about my future," said Okur, an impending restricted free agent. "I'm not nervous about what might happen this summer. I know that if we do well and keep playing that people will pay attention. Everything will be OK." Why shouldn't this just-turned-25-year-old maintain a cool outlook? There's no pressure on him. The one sweating profusely is Joe Dumars. The Pistons president of basketball operations doesn't have the luxury of tunnel vision. He can't afford Larry Brown's obsession with winning now regardless of the consequences. Success has a short shelf life. Dumars must balance the euphoria over the Pistons' run toward their first NBA Finals berth in 14 years against the realities of maintaining a quality product several years down the road. And Okur is as important as Rasheed Wallace in that equilibrium. Is Dumars the equal of the Red Wings' Ken Holland as a master juggler? The Pistons can't keep Okur for the salary slot they thought they would have when Dumars green-lighted the trade for Wallace. The no-risk rationale spun from Auburn Hills after the trade is now exposed as wishful thinking. League sources say Okur will receive offers for a minimum of $6 million a year and perhaps as much as $8.5 million in a multiyear deal. Phoenix supposedly rates first among suitors. The Suns think Okur's perimeter skills would be the perfect complement to Amare Stoudemire's talents in the low post. Denver and Utah also are projected as key players in the bidding for Okur. The cost will be outrageous for a promising second-year player who doesn't start, but the hypnotic lure of a young 7-footer often overwhelms common sense. Or have you forgotten about Darko Milicic? "I'm happy here," Okur said. "This is where I started. My friends are here. I'm happy with coaches and my teammates. I have a good time with them. It's a lot of fun. I don't want to talk about (free agency) because we're doing well, and that's what's important right now." Okur sounds as though he's as good as gone. Brown is two victories shy of taking the Pistons to the NBA Finals. If the Pistons make it that far, he will have won more influence with personnel decisions. And Brown wouldn't lose a second's sleep sacrificing Okur for the sake of bringing back Wallace at any price if it means improving his chances of winning his first NBA championship. Commit long term to Wallace -- anything beyond three years at $27 million would be insane -- and you're gambling that his exemplary behavior the last three months reflects a genuine rehabilitation and not smoke and mirrors in a season his contract is up. But the Pistons can't afford to lose Okur because there's little confidence among the brain trust that Milicic could contribute consistently before the 2005-06 season. Watching Okur emerge as a reliable 18-point, 10-rebound player elsewhere would only inflame the sting of the Darko miscalculation. There comes a time when a franchise must not only nurture and develop its nucleus but invest in it as well. If Okur bolts, what message does that send to Carlos Delfino? Why should he bother buying out his contract with Italian team Skipper Bologna if he thinks he won't like it here or will sit at the end of the bench next season? The courtship with Okur requires the usual coddling and stroking. Okur's agent, Mark Fleischer, attended Game 7 against New Jersey, and Dumars frequently assures Okur that he will become a key part of a championship contender. Lost along the periphery of Game 2 at Indiana was Okur's nine-point effort in the first half, which kept the Pistons close to the Pacers with Ben Wallace on the bench. There he was banging for position in that previously foreign terrain -- the low post. Despite the appearance of conflict with Okur, Brown has made him a better-rounded offensive player. Brown pushed, prodded and punished, and now we're seeing a slightly more refined fruit of his labor. Inconsistencies remain. Okur still hasn't grasped the concept that defense requires moving his feet, but understand that those size-19s are quick enough to seize a pile of money when it becomes available. And it will come this summer. Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com.
I would be thrilled in Phx offered him a deal starting 8 mil a year. That would ensure they continue to have about the worst defense in the WC and keep them out of the FA market for other players.
why are we obsessed with paying $6 miillion for a PF that scores 9 pts and 5 rebs a game... don't we already have Mo T for that ?!?
