Why hasn't Dampier been snatched up? I wonder what's scaring off teams. You would have thought he'd be at the top of the list, right after Rasheed, K Mart, Camby, and Okur, and yet his name rarely comes up anywhere.
There are questions regarding how much he really cares when he's not playing for a contract and apparently he wants a boatload of $$$.
yea, people are probably thinking that he's another ike austin...played really well in the previous season when he was playing for a contract.
Plus Golden State signed foyle so they have all the leverage. Unless he wants to go to Atlanta he is going to have to sign for the MLE. The asking price for the warriors is going to be pretty high for a Sign and Trade because they will have some cap room next year once they get van exel off the books. They wont be taking on any extra contracts or anything. Your going to either have to offer the MLE or offer a pretty good package for Dampier.
Dampier had a 2004-05 player option for $8.1m with $8.7m in 2005-06. IMHO, he and his agent took a calculated risk that backfired. He may well get more $, but after the teams with significant cap space used it all up (Nash, Boozer, Okur, Kobe, Kenyon, etc.), the ball is now in Golden State's court. With Speedy, JRich, MD Jr, Pietrus and Troy Murphy all very inexpensive and Foyle & Uncle Cliffie almost reasonable, the Warriors can be selective about whom they will SNT Dampier for. IOW, they ain't gonna pay Mo Taylor $8m to backup Murphy.
