Interesting take on things...so in essence, if he doesn't pan out, he will be yet another expiring in the summer of 2010 when all the big names are out. However, I'm still gonna go with the ship that says don't pay him before he shows what he's worth yet. At the very least, I would wait till after the trade deadline. Reason being that we can use half a season to gauge his character and how well he meshes with the team. If he doesn't pan out then or goes crazy, we ship his behind out - addition by subtraction - rather than risk having him infect our locker room chemistry with his antics. If he pans out, then we give him a good contract. Now then, the question is, what would be market value for Artest? We all know he wants a raise, but at what level? 10 million per? 12?
all Morey needs to say is that we'll be straight up with you. If things go well this year, you'll get the $commitment from us you've been looking for. We want to win 3 or 4 rings with you.
I say extend his contract for the year. WIth a guy like Artest a sign of confidence like that will do him wonders.
i dont remember the details about what ron ron said but he just wanted to be a part of houston's future... it doesnt say it has to be now. if he does well, he'll be a part of the future. he just wants to know he's in their plans. hopefully he knows what reservations a bball club will have with a player like artest.
How much can the rockets offer him since they are already over the cap? Do they have have bird rights on him?
The biggest chip the rox have for the summer of 2010 is tracy 23m, scola 3m, and 1 yr of shane at 7.8m anyway. Give the guy a 4yr 45m extension which gives him a total of 5yrs 52 m and lets move on. If he doesn't work out in houston by the trade deadline, which I don't think will be the problem, what do you think other teams will think? If he can't play with tracy and yao, who can't you play with?
from the front page ... 90% love this trade from this poll ... < 30% want to extend him now Go figure.
A big part of the reason why so many of us love this trade is BECAUSE Artest is in the final year of his deal, making the relative risk of taking on a talented but crazy individual somewhat limited. I agree that the front office, as soon as they can talk to Artest on Aug. 14, needs to make Artest feel loved. That being said, there is no way the Rockets should sign him long term until after the season. If he's great, then they'll have to pay more. If he's not, then the risk was minimal.
They say Morey has a chart about players value. It is said Artest has a value of 10m. If that's the case, then just give him 10m per for 4 yrs and be done with it. The risk is Artest not feeling like he's part of it and having problems. I know the hardball approach to Landry, but this is a totally different story. Why have drama when you don't have to?
As I said elsewhere, it depends on the terms of the extension. If Morey can get a decent discount on the salary for giving Ron the security he wants a year earlier, why not? Yes, the guy is a bit weird and flakey, but he's probably a top 20 player in the league-- a significantly better player, in my opinion, than Corey Maggette, who just got $50 million. Even after you discount the risks (injury, age, flakey factor), if you can get the guy for $10 million a year, it's a great deal.
If the Arterst situation doesn't work out, besides being locked into a long-term deal with a chemistry problem, the downside of re-signing Artest before next summer would be that it would pretty much ruin any chance the Rockets would have otherwise had to make a run at a max-caliber free agent in the summer of 2010. With Yao, T-Mac (presumably signed to an extension next summer), Artest, Battier and Scola's cap hold, the Rockets likely won't have enough cap room to make any significant additions. However, if Artest doesn't work out and is allowed to walk (or if the Rockets get something of value in a S&T), then the team should have ample cap room in 2010, especially when you account for the fact that the team will not have salary commitments to Greene or their 2009 first rounder.
I agree with your thinking. The problem is you have to make sure Artest is happy or you don't want him around, period. We've already made the big leap of faith, now comes the baby-sitting.
that would be a bargain, considering what Deng and players of less caliber are making. i`d give him 5 years 10 million per, would he accept? it`s below market value.
seems like the safest way, but he wants to see commitment from our side. he loves Adelman, he`ll love playing with mac, and yao. i don`t see why he won`t play hard here. he`s never been the one known to slack off. at least that i know of.
No extension until next summer. Can you even talk about extensions during the season? I didn't think you could. Many think it's great Artest is in a contract year and will be well behaved and focused to earn his next contract. Why screw that up with an extension? Many argue the trade was a low-risk, high-reward move because you could supposedly cut Artest if he becomes more trouble than he's worth (I don't believe it's that easy, but whatever). If you sign a long-term deal, you screw that pooch. Many liked the deal because it didn't necessarily ruin the 2010 FA plan. If Artest was good, we could sign him and forget about 2010. If not, we could lose him and still get a good FA to replace him. Why give up on 2010 earlier than you have to? Artest might not be happy with Sacramento on the extension because he felt they were going back on a commitment to him. Since he doesn't have a history with the Rockets, he doesn't have a reason to think the Rockets have an obligation to him to negotiate an extension. It's reasonable to expect to have to earn the contract this coming season. Moreover, he'll be riding the new-team/contender euphoria for a little while. So, he should not make a big stink about the extension. Of course, he isn't the most rational person, so you never know.
