According to some NBA officials, you guys have offered Ronny Turiaf a contract worth up to $4 million/year. Go check out the Laker forum if you want the source. All I'm going to say is you guys are drastically over paying for him if it is indeed $4 million and if his game doesn't drastically change for the better. You'll love his energy, but that's about it.
There's no doubt it's too much at 4 years, $17 million, but the entirety of the NBA is whack. For a big man, that's not out of the question - I mean, it's within Reggie Evans-Darius Songalia-late lottery rookie contract territory. Do I like it? No, definitely not. I wish we'd taken a chance on grabbing Krstic or waited for some NBDL guy and saved the dough.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Swish @ Jul 9 2008, 02:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Turiaf doesn't have the heart to be a great player... No? Bad joke?</div> I groaned, but I'll hold off the tomatoes. It's backup money, though. I just think it's too long, I would have been fine with 2 years or $3 million. Right now Turiaf is one of the only guys signed past 2010 so that clearly eats up the plans!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Swish @ Jul 9 2008, 02:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Turiaf doesn't have the heart to be a great player... No? Bad joke?</div> LOL that's fucked up.
Somebody please remind Mullin that there are 5, not 4 positions in NBA. And, we kinda need a starting AND back up PGs. Or is Davis coming back or something?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kwan1031 @ Jul 9 2008, 02:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Somebody please remind Mullin that there are 5, not 4 positions in NBA. And, we kinda need a starting AND back up PGs. Or is Davis coming back or something?</div> We're reportedly interested in Keyon Dooling LOL. By the looks of things I'd guess we're headed into the Monta-at-PG expiriment. Nellie wanted to do it last season (maybe he anticipated Baron leaving?). Anyway when Nellie gets his mind set on something he usually goes through with it, I'm guessing he'll re-pursue that option. As for Turiaf, 4 mils is probably a bit much but it wouldn't be grossly overpaying him. He does fill a need- 6'9, athletic, strong, energetic, shotblocker, rebounder, finisher, defender. Oh and it doesn't hurt that hes actually proven. Hes a good backup PF/C and fills holes for us. Its not the best deal but it seems like Mullin/Nelson are going to try and compete next season and if so this is probably the best option for immediate help up front.
Turiaf is a nice role player, but 4 mil a year is overpaying him. But at least it's not like 8 mil a year like Adonal Foyle (whom I tried to be optimistic about in that maybe Mullin knew something that I didn't, like maybe Foyle had now become the second coming of Ben Wallace). So in that sense, Turiaf is a bargain. We need somebody off the bench that's reliable in doing the dirty work and doesn't care so much about stats. Plus, it might buy some time for any power forward or centers that aren't ready to play now and he could if needed. If Wright, Randolph, Hendrix or any of these guys were picks for nba readiness at PF, I'm sure Mullin wouldn't have had to make that move. Plus, at the end, Turiaf can slide over to C in small ball. At PF he can sort of emulate a Chris Wilcox dunking type of player, but has a little bit beyond midrange shooting game (which probably isn't super reliable yet). Turiaf would obviously not be that good offensively, but he's got a high motor at least and he's pretty strong, athletic type of guy. He's got a fair amount of upside left in him at least and you couldn't say that about another ex-Laker in Derek Fisher or our homegrown Adonal Foyle. It'd be better than 2003 free agency, I'll say that. Maybe Turiaf compares better to a PF/C like Brian Grant or Etan Thomas or a more athletic Kendrick Perkins, classic rugged enforcers in the paint type of guys. Those guys are always needed on our team because we have NOBODY that fits that bill. The things that Warriors fans will not like about him is the fact his scoring is pretty horrible, unless it's a clear open lane dunk he doesn't have a good touch on anything especially through contact. He's got tremendous heart on the court or sitting on the sideline and he'll weaken opposing post players out with his physical play so I'm sure that can be an intangible that can will the team through tough moments and get the fans cheering louder. He's a good defensive player, can be foul prone, but he's also intimidates, counters other post threats, and protects the paint like you expect tough guys to do. There's nothing soft about him there. He at least dominated the competition at the collegiate level and some role playing rookie prospects couldn't even do that. The thing is if we run out of money when we could have kept Baron Davis, that's pretty f-ed up. Like what the hell was all this holding out on Baron all about? The Dubs once again overvalued their position. Nobody good wants to come here even if we overpay and we have to overpay 2nd tier free agents only to piss off the angry Baron fans and basketball capologists.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AlleyOop @ Jul 9 2008, 02:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This wagon is falling apart at the wheels. WTF is going on here?</div> I agree we're overpaying for Turiaf, but how else are you going to lure him away from the Lakers? They would've matched if the offer was too low. And Maggette isn't getting $50 M is what Steinmetz said. It's around $45 M. I'm still hoping that Mullin has Plan B going into action.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jason voorhees @ Jul 9 2008, 11:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AlleyOop @ Jul 9 2008, 02:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This wagon is falling apart at the wheels. WTF is going on here?</div> I agree we're overpaying for Turiaf, but how else are you going to lure him away from the Lakers? They would've matched if the offer was too low. And Maggette isn't getting $50 M is what Steinmetz said. It's around $45 M. I'm still hoping that Mullin has Plan B going into action. </div> Why did we want to lure him away from the Lakers? 6.6 points and 3.9 boards last year. I'd have rather kept Pietrus, lol. What is Turiaf here for? We already have Harrington, Wright, and potential Randolph and Hendrix. Now we sign a scrub back-up to take minutes away from those guys? Maybe we can get Foyle back, too, and start him over Biedrins? *edit: at least he's restricted. Let's pray the Lakers match the offer.
Why's everyone so against this signing. $4 mil is not much for a big man in the NBA. Biedrins is our ONLY center now that POB is gone (I would have definately picked up the option for POB instead of Turiaf though). Al is probably going to be gone and Hendrix is a second round pick who odds are, will never be anything special, and Randolph is a 3. That leaves only Wright at 4. Without Ronny, we would have a frontcourt rotation of a lightweight center, a second year PF who never played as a rookie, and a scrub who's just hoping to make the team. I agree Turiaf wil never be a star or even a quality starter but he definately filled a need at a bargain price (by NBA standards).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (jason voorhees @ Jul 9 2008, 11:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AlleyOop @ Jul 9 2008, 02:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This wagon is falling apart at the wheels. WTF is going on here?</div> I agree we're overpaying for Turiaf, but how else are you going to lure him away from the Lakers? They would've matched if the offer was too low. And Maggette isn't getting $50 M is what Steinmetz said. It's around $45 M. I'm still hoping that Mullin has Plan B going into action. </div> Yeah its hard to make sense of the signings. I did hear that Steinmentz said the Mags deal was 45 mils on the radio which is a bit more reasonable. Still well overpaid though. According to my sketchy calculations Marc Stein was about right in assuming the deal started at between 7.5-8 mils. I put some projected salary numbers by year down (I'll paste my previous post below) to give you guys a rough idea of the contract. I'm still not happy with the trade but if it does start at 7.5 mil as opposed to 8.5 mil then thats a noticeable difference. Also theres been no confirmation either way if there is a team or player option in the deal but if the 5th year is a TO then that makes the signing a bit more palatable. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Marc Stein guesses that the deal we gave Maggette starts at 7.5-8 mils. According to my sh*t calculations that means he'd make a contract with salaries of 7.5, 8.1, 8.75, 9.45, 10.21 for a total of 44 Mil to 8, 8.64, 9.33, 10.07, 10.88 for 46.9 mils total. If it is 50 mils, its more than either of those. According to Stein they don't know exact figures.</div>
Semi-OT but I didn't know where to put this, here's a nice summary of whats going on with the W's right now by Janny Hu: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>What's next for the Warriors? From Janny Hu. I was told that with Corey Maggette on board, the Warriors' No. 1 priority is to sign a big man. Apparently, they're in speed mode at the moment. The Riverside Press-Enterprise is reporting that Ronny Turiaf, the Lakers' restricted free agent, has agreed to a four-year, $17 million offer from the Warriors. What does that mean? If Turiaf actually signs the offer sheet, the Lakers have seven days to match. And in this case, there's reason to think they won't. The Lakers are already over the luxury tax, so keeping Turiaf would cost them double his actual salary. That comes out to more than $8 million a year once the dollar-for-dollar penalty is factored in -- an awful lot to pay for a backup power forward on a team with plenty of big men. Wrapping up other news: # Sources say Maggette's deal is for five years at about $50 million. I know that seems high, but no one inside the organization I've spoken to is really talking that number down. There may be a team option in play, but so far I haven't been able to confirm that. # Also spoke to Al Harrington briefly tonight. Said his family is very close with Maggette's, so he's excited about the signing. Of course, Al also used the term "if I'm there," which is just another reminder that both he and the Warriors are exploring possible trades. # Couldn't get a hold of Baron Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar, but Jonathan Abrams of the LA Times did. Ramasar told him that Baron will honor his agreement with the Clippers despite getting hung out to dry by Elton Brand and his Carlos Boozer stunt. # The Warriors still need a point guard, a big one to put next to Monta Ellis. I'm told they've expressed interest in Keyon Dooling, Anthony Carter and Delonte West. And that they're keeping their eye on Jamont Gordan, who went undrafted and is currently playing for the Sixers' summer league team. # As for Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins? Sources say Ellis is on track for a multi-year deal/offer averaging more than $11 million a year. Talks with Biedrins will start this week, according to the CC Times. # Good for Mickael Pietrus, who will sign with the Magic today for four years at just under the midlevel exception. MP wanted to be closer to home (the French Caribbean), and he'll be a solid addition to an already solid Magic team. For all his frustrating moments on the court, he was one of most genuinely friendly guys in the Warriors' locker room. And now he gets to enjoy the rest of his summer while other free agents sweat it out. # Cap space? By my calculations, the Warriors have about $50 million in committed salary and cap holds for next season. That leaves them about $8 million under the new cap ($58.68 million) and about $21 million under the new luxury tax threshold ($71.15 million).</div> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/warrio...;entry_id=27976
Warriors should definitely go after Delonte West with some of that estimated 8 million they have left. He's a pretty big PG and would fit in nicely next to Monta Ellis. He's a tough, rebellious guard that I think would fit in well with the Warriors and he's definitely someone they need to guard the bigger PG's in the NBA because Monta's quickness isn't always gonna work against Deron Williams, Baron, and Billups for sure.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ryan @ Jul 9 2008, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Why's everyone so against this signing. $4 mil is not much for a big man in the NBA. Biedrins is our ONLY center now that POB is gone (I would have definately picked up the option for POB instead of Turiaf though). Al is probably going to be gone and Hendrix is a second round pick who odds are, will never be anything special, and Randolph is a 3. That leaves only Wright at 4. Without Ronny, we would have a frontcourt rotation of a lightweight center, a second year PF who never played as a rookie, and a scrub who's just hoping to make the team. I agree Turiaf wil never be a star or even a quality starter but he definately filled a need at a bargain price (by NBA standards).</div> Well said. If it goes down, I'd give Rony a chance. Mullin never would have considered this move if he and his staff didn't feel his current big men are ready. At least Rony isn't Adonal Foyle for 40 mil over 5 years or whatever the outrageous amount they spent on a backup center with bad hands that can't make layups or dunks or couldn't even outjump or outquick a snail.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (J_Ray @ Jul 9 2008, 02:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Warriors should definitely go after Delonte West with some of that estimated 8 million they have left. He's a pretty big PG and would fit in nicely next to Monta Ellis. He's a tough, rebellious guard that I think would fit in well with the Warriors and he's definitely someone they need to guard the bigger PG's in the NBA because Monta's quickness isn't always gonna work against Deron Williams, Baron, and Billups for sure.</div> West would actually be pretty decent since he defends and can shoot. His playmaking is getting better. If we're not breaking the bank on him, he's a welcome addition. He's not very tall, but he plays big.
Laker fan here. I'll just give you guys a run down on his game if you're interested. Like most of you already know, Ronny's a great teammate. He cheers for everyone on the bench, dances, high-fives, everything. He's a great locker room guy. His offensive game isn't that great at all, except for maybe a couple of dunks here and there, don't expect much. For some reason last season, he kind of fell in love with his mid-range jumper, which is pretty horrible. He's all right defensively. He's a pretty good shot blocker and you guys will see him make hustle plays here and there. My main gripe about him is that his play is so erratic he picks up fouls like crazy. A lot of times, it ended up biting us in the ass because it would put us in the penatly early on in the quarter. Another thing about Ronny, don't expect much rebounding from him because he is not that good in that department. I don't know where you heard he was a good rebounder Run, because he isn't. Also, for some reason, I don't think he's really improved that much since his rookie season, but he's still pretty young and still has time to develop. I love Ronny, but ever since the allstar break this season, he has been pretty much non-existant for us whenever he steps onto the court. He was pretty horrible as well in the Finals, so it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. With that being said, I think playing in a fast pace offense should benefit him. As for the contract, I think it is a bit overpaying, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's not really THAT bad of a deal. But for us (Lakers), I think it would benefit both sides to go opposite directions. Ronny should benefit playing in a fast pace offense, and for us, I believe there are better options out there. I really wish Ronny the best of luck because I'm pretty positive Mitch won't match the offer. I'm sure he will become a fan favorite for you guys.
