<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Luke signs contract extension Posted by Frank Hughes @ 03:26:43 pm The Sonics just announced that they signed Luke to a contract extension. They are having media availability at 5 with Luke, Rick Sund and Bob Hill. </div> Link Surprising, considering that traditionally the Sonics have allowed for the market to dictate what they were willing to spend for first right of refusal (restricted) free agents. Interested in seeing what the terms of the deal are, especially considering that this is the first official move of the new ownership regime. I think that Luke will play much better knowing that he has some financial security but at the end of the day I would have preferred to wait till the offseason to offer this extension. At this point in time I'd rather have seen the Sonics lock up Rashard Lewis long term than Luke Ridnour.
Interesting - I had heard that Nick's option would be picked up asap, while Luke's could be a little more complicated and may not be done by the deadline.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">A day before reaching a deadline that would have prevented him from signing a contract extension, Seattle SuperSonics point guard Luke Ridnour agreed to a three-year, $19.5 million deal that will keep him in a Sonics uniform through the 2009-2010 season. Ridnour’s contract could be worth an additional $5 million if he reaches both individual and team-based incentives, according to his agent, Lon Babby. The contract is almost exactly the same as the one signed by power forward Chris Wilcox in August.</div> Link 6.5 million per year for Luke Ridnour? Wow. This is very unSund like. Clay and company might have put pressure on Sund to get this done before the deadline because I have not seen Rick make a deal like this when he didn't have to. Hell, he let Ray Allen wait in the wings in 2005. This doesn't make much sense to me. This deal in my opinion very much exceeds Luke Ridnour's market value. I would have said at best he would have gotten a MLE deal. How could you possibly give him the opportunity to get an extra 5 million in incentives after you already gave him 19.5 million? Chris Wilcox, in my opinion, has a much higher market value than Ridnour--but yet essentially they signed the same deal. Perplexing.
Nick and his agent have told the Sonics that they want to wait until the season is done to talk about contracts. He is not discussing an extension with the Sonics so they are focused on Lewis at the moment. Hill likes Luke and I think the Stockton comparisons are a main reason why Chisea was selected to be the defensive hire. There is hope that he can teach Luke a lot of the tricks that let Stockton succeed against the odds. He has talent and work ethic, but needed the right coaching appears to be the thinking. Stockton never had the best footspeed or lateral quickness, but was a better than average defender. He was never huge and muscular but he was resiliant and took hard picks time and again. I believe the thinking is that three years with Chisea will determine if Luke can be a star or a just a player. With Allen and Lewis signed for multiple years (should Lewis get the extension) having a pass first point guard who can run the offense Hill wants to run with continuity (remember, Luke flourished under Hill last season after stinking it up under Weiss) is probably a sharp decision. $6-6.5M for a solid starter who could become a star is not out of whack for the league, though it likely would not have happened under Schultz's watch.
Didn't Stockton give Luke personal lessons a couple years back? I think Luke's problems are all mental. He doesn't have the personality to maximize his potential, just like dozens of NBA players.
Luke studied with Stockton for a couple of hours one day...focused purely on the offensive aspects of the pick and roll. I doubt anyone counts that as more than anecdotal value. Other than the regression Luke underwent at the start of last season I am happy with his progress. Offseason PG contracts in 2006: 05/06 Stats Jason Terry 6 Years $57M - GP: 80 FG%: .470, 3P%: .411, PPG: 17.1, APG: 3.8, SPG: 1.2, RPG: 2.0 Sam Cassell 2 Years $13M - GP 78 FG%: .443, 3P%: .368, PPG: 17.2, APG: 6.3, SPG: 1.0, RPG: 3.7 Luke Ridnour 3 Years ~$19.5M- GP:79 FG%: .418, 3P%: .289, PPG: 11.5, APG: 7.0, SPG: 1.6, RPG: 3.0 Speedy Claxton 4 Years $25M - GP: 71 FG%: .413, 3P%: .270, PPG: 12.3, APG: 4.8, SPG: 1.5, RPG: 2.7 Mike James 4 Years $23.4M - GP: 79 FG%: .469, 3P%: .442, PPG: 20.3, APG: 5.8, SPG: 0.9, RPG: 3.3 Terry got the long term, big money with his clutch performances, 6 more points per game. Even with the close stats, subjectively he is more deserving of the big money than anyone else on this list. Cassell got the next best money, with his clutch performances and the same six points and one rebound more than Rid, but he is getting older and only got 2 years to transition the team to Livingston. Claxton got a longer contract for about the same money, with 1 more point per game and nothing else. Mike James may have had the best stats of the group but with a cruddy team. He got the least money but got a year more than Rid. I put Ridnour ahead of everyone on this list except Cassell and Terry, with Cassell at the end of his career and Ridnour at the start. What is there to complain about? It is a fair market value contract that could pay off. Both Luke and Watson are on board through 2010.
<div class="quote_poster">psheehy Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> 05/06 Stats Jason Terry 6 Years $57M - GP: 80 FG%: .470, 3P%: .411, PPG: 17.1, APG: 3.8, SPG: 1.2, RPG: 2.0 Sam Cassell 2 Years $13M - GP 78 FG%: .443, 3P%: .368, PPG: 17.2, APG: 6.3, SPG: 1.0, RPG: 3.7 Luke Ridnour 3 Years ~$19.5M- GP:79 FG%: .418, 3P%: .289, PPG: 11.5, APG: 7.0, SPG: 1.6, RPG: 3.0 Speedy Claxton 4 Years $25M - GP: 71 FG%: .413, 3P%: .270, PPG: 12.3, APG: 4.8, SPG: 1.5, RPG: 2.7 Mike James 4 Years $23.4M - GP: 79 FG%: .469, 3P%: .442, PPG: 20.3, APG: 5.8, SPG: 0.9, RPG: 3.3 I put Ridnour ahead of everyone on this list except Cassell and Terry, with Cassell at the end of his career and Ridnour at the start. What is there to complain about? It is a fair market value contract that could pay off. Both Luke and Watson are on board through 2010.</div> What you failed to mention was that each of those free agents were unrestricted free agents that were in demand by the teams that signed them. Ridnour on the other hand would have been a restricted free agent next season and we would have the right to match any deal that he received by another team. Plus we have a back up point guard who is arguably better than Ridnour locked up until 2010 and an All-Star small forward and arguably our best power forward who will be up for free agency at the end of the season (w/ Rashard Lewis being an unrestricted free agent) it doesn't make any sense to do this deal right now. Clay Bennett himself said that he will not pay over the luxury tax threshold but yet he and Rick Sund are going to offer Luke Ridnour a 19.5 million deal with a 5 million dollar incentive bonus. Are you kidding? I have been the biggest advocate of Rick Sund but if this is how he is going to conduct business under new ownership than he deserves to lose his job. This move basically suggests that Rashard Lewis will be traded before the deadline because there is no way that fiscally we will be able to keep Ray on a max deal, Luke and Chris on 24 million incentive based contracts, Earl on a MLE deal, and Damien with a 5 year 15 million dollar deal, and have the money available to give both Rashard and Nick Collison market value contract extensions. Plus the fact that they are eventually going to have to commit to one of the two centers in Robert and Johan there is no possible way for us to stay under the salary cap and stay competive with these contracts coming up. If there was ever a time for uncertainty it is now because I have a funny feeling that this team, where ever it is, is going to be drastically different next season than it is today. And if this is the type of basketball mind that Clay Bennett has then maybe I am giving him entirely too much credit for what he brings to the table as an owner.
Bennett coughed up 5 years at ~$33M for Nick, so perhaps Lewis is on the trading block now. As for the restricted/unrestricted comments and frustration that you have with Sund, Shiek.... Ridnour IS in demand by the Sonics. Hill likes his style and feels that it is crucial to the team's success. He likes Watson, but considers his turnovers to high to be a starter and also believes the turnovers come with the energy and flair that he LIKES about Watson. Hill appears to believe that the Ridnour/Watson combo is perfect through 2010 at least. Who knows what happens beyond that? I think the new ownership are making a statement their first week in control by telling Sund to send a message to their free agents and potential free agents, that they are willing to spend but want to maintain sanity in the spending. In the long term I expect them to continue fiscal responsibility. They have a fan base they want to encourage and tickets that they want to sell...they have politicians they want to get on their side. I think it is all part of a bigger game than you are taking into consideration at the moment. I like Sund's actions to date, probably as much as you do. The Ray Allen trade has proven a sharp decision on his part despite your dislike of the ray man. He has proved prescient in the players he has passed on, and now they have the players that they want. It is time to let the dust settle for a while and see how things roll.
