Does anybody think that Sasha's performance this year is a direct result of it being a contract year? Many players have these "contract years", and after being notoriously inconsistent his whole career, Sasha has finally put it all together. I mean, look at Luke Walton last year (contract year) compared to this year. I hope that's not the case with Sasha, but if it is...I wouldn't be surprised.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Black Mamba @ Feb 24 2008, 05:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Does anybody think that Sasha's performance this year is a direct result of it being a contract year? Many players have these "contract years", and after being notoriously inconsistent his whole career, Sasha has finally put it all together. I mean, look at Luke Walton last year (contract year) compared to this year. I hope that's not the case with Sasha, but if it is...I wouldn't be surprised.</div> Well, Sasha also came in as a 20 year old player from overseas. Not everyone can bust onto the scene so quickly; Luke was more seasoned, 3 years older when he was drafted, and at least he's still rebounding and passing at the same per-minute rate (though I detest that punk). Shooting is also a skill that is simpler to retain over the years (especially I would think, if that is one's specialty, unlike Luke who used to be an all-around player).
Sasha has always been a hard worker though. I dont think you can just start making shots because you're in a contract year. I think you try to work harder in a contract year, but like I said, Sasha has always been a hard worker. so no, I dont think he's playing better because of his contract situation. As the poster above me mentioned, he's just getting to that age of maturity. Plus he has shown steady improvement every year. It's not like he flat lined , then all of a sudden made a jump
I think he's just now turning the corner as a player, I don't think it has anything to do with his contract year. He's shown flashes before of what he can do, he's just never done it consistently. He's now doing it consistently, and as mentioned by Huevon, shooting isn't really a skill that digresses, and that's what he is, a shooter. As long as he can get the looks and keep the confidence, I think he'll keep it up.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (kobe23 @ Feb 24 2008, 08:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>2 - 3M ... Thats it </div> If Luke was worth the MLE with his phony contract year, I'd expect something similar for Sasha. His TS% is amazing.
I don't think you have to worry about Sasha slacking off. He is, and always has been a very hard worker. Even Kobe Bryant complimented him the past about his work ethic, and I highly doubt he'll start slacking off after getting an extension. And as previously mentioned, Sasha has been showing gradual improvement every year, unlike Luke Walton, who turned from the worst player on the roster to arguably the third best player on the roster overnight. I'd probably offer him a 3-4 million per year type of contract this offseason. I don't really think any team is going to go out and offer him the full MLE. Teams are starting to become more careful on who they are spending their money on, which is one of the reasons why so many players didn't receive contract extensions over the summer (Gordon, Deng, Okafor, Iguodala). As for Luke Walton's contract, the Lakers extended him before he even touched the market, so who knows what his true market value would have been.
I don't see how Sasha is worth the MLE. I wouldn't give him more than 3 million/year. We can sign Brent Barry for the vets minimum, and he'll give us the same shit Sasha does. Shooters like Sasha are not a rare breed, he isn't worth that kind of money when we can go find a cheap one.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Black Mamba @ Feb 24 2008, 09:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't see how Sasha is worth the MLE. I wouldn't give him more than 3 million/year. We can sign Brent Barry for the vets minimum, and he'll give us the same shit Sasha does. Shooters like Sasha are not a rare breed, he isn't worth that kind of money when we can go find a cheap one.</div> I don't think he's worth the full MLE, but something on that level around 3.5-4.5 million. I don't think it's such a big deal really, a couple of extra dollars in LT. At least Sasha has upside, I would expect some more growth on his part, he's 23. I'm not opposed to the cheap route and acquiring a vet either.
If it comes down to resigning Sasha and Ronny, I'd rather throw more money at Ronny and let Sasha walk. I hope we can convince Sasha to stay for 3 mill, though.
I personally would love to have Sasha back. Look at his numbers this year. He's playing only 15mpg, but he's getting 8ppg and shooting at an extremely efficient clip. He's hitting 48% from the floor (career high), 43% from the arc (career high) and 84% from the line. He's shown tremendous growth this season as well, which I like. Plus, he's also shown he's not afraid to shoot the important shots, as he's had a few games this year where he's come up huge in the 4th. As for choosing between him and Ronny, I don't know who I'd take. Sasha is clearly going to be more valuable on the offensive end than Ronny, while Ronny's hustle isn't going to be found in Sasha. I'd prefer to keep both and hopefully not overpay for either.
At the end of the day, I believe both will be back, unless some team goes out and overpays them like crazy, which probably won't happen since teams are starting to become more careful on how they spend money. Jerry Buss won't be hesitant at all if he has to pay a couple more million in luxary taxes. Seeing that we're now in contending mode, I fully expect Jerry to do whatever it takes to get us a championship. But if I had to choose between the two, as much as I like Ronny, I'd probably have to go with Sasha. Ronny is not going to get that many minutes once Bynum returns, so unless an injury occurs, he really won't have much impact with this team on a regular bases. Sasha on the other hand, has been one of the leaders of our second unit. With him gone, our bench production will take a hit. Now, on the other hand, if we can retain a sharp shooter through free agency (I'm not sure who's available in the offseason), then I'd probably stick with Ronny. Btw, I still can't believe Sasha's only 23. He seems to have been around for ages. lol
Ronny will take less I think .. i'm guessing he feels some loyalty to the team after they helped him through his heart issue. That's my guess anyway
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Brian @ Feb 25 2008, 12:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>3.5 million? Sounds good to me</div> He should probably get closer to 4 million since he's a better offensive player.
