Larry Coon made some great comments about Bynum's agent. Lakers apparently offered Bynum $78M for 5 years versus the $88M Bynum's agent originally wanted. To put this in perspective Dwight Howard signed a 5 year, $80M extension. I think we can all agree Bynum shouldn't be making more than Howard at this point.
Hell no. Bynum's agent is insane if he thinks Bynum is worth more than Dwight freaking Howard after only a dozen or so games of high level play.
I agree he needs to get paid so we can get this over with, but his agent is nuts. There is NO WAY that Bynum is worth more than Dwight Howard. Not a damn chance. I think a fair deal right now for Bynum is in the 5 year, $75mil range, which is about what we were offering. I think if it comes down to it we do have to pay him, but I really think his agent is being a greedy prick at the moment, cause he clearly has no idea as to what his clients actual worth is.
I don't get the rush to sign him... Just wait after the season and see how he does. If he plays at a high level, give him the contract he deserves. That way, if he gets injured again, or if, god forbid, those games last year were just a fluke, we won't be stuck with his huge contract and live in regret for years to come. All I'm saying is, there should be no rush to get the deal done. If a reasonable agreement cannot be made, we can always match any offers thrown at him in the offseason. And no, Bynum has not shown any signs of screwing over this franchise by accepting the QO, he loves it here. Plus, given his injury history, it would be insane for him to turn down a big deal for the QO.
is there anything wrong with the title? LOL shouldn't it be 5 instead of 3 years? LOL 78 - 80M over 5 is a good deal for Bynum imo
He's going to command that kind of money because of his potential. Young players are paid on their potential in the NBA. So give Bynum his damn money so he doesn't have his agent in his ear all god damn year.
Yao got $75mil over 5 years if memory serves me correct. Granted, NBA contracts have been inflating but is Bynum really worth the max?
Probably. The kid has a world of potential and was on pace for an All Star caliber season last year before getting hurt. To top it off, he's only 21...well, will be at the end of the month. If he can go out and get us 14/10 and show signs of being able to do even more than that, he's absolutely worth the max. Big guys with his upside and ability don't come around too often, so if you've got one, you do what you can to keep hold of him.
http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/54988/20081021/bynum_chasing_$17m_per_season/ Just an update on the situation. The Lakers want to pay Bynum $50 million over 5yrs? And Bynum wants $85 million over 5yrs. Over 5 years it doesn't seem as bad, but I like his attitude that if he plays well, it'll take care of itself.
I guess Lakers fans look at him as someone to build on their momentum from last season. How is he worth 27 mill a year, thats like Jordan type money
Of course unless the agent knows that Bynum isn't healing up to snuff and is trying to bank before the season proves that he isn't worth the extention.
Sounds like the two parties (the Lakers and Lee) are currently on completely different sides of the spectrum right now. I just want to know how. How can they be that far apart? Better question, what makes Lee think his client is worth $17mil a year? We've yet to see what Bynum can do over the course of a full season, and until that happens, he ain't worth the $17mil per year that Lee wants. I also want to make sure he stays healthy, that'd be nice. We don't need a Grant Hill situation on our hands.
If we can get Bynum for a contract reasonably less than max money before the start of the year then I say do it...Anything close to max and his agent can drink a nice tall glass of stfu.
