Has anyone tabled this guy an offer? He was supposed to be hot property this off-season, but it seems the only teams interested him don't have the necessary cap room. The only possibility of a big contract could only come from Atlanta (as far as I know), so if that is not forthcoming, surely the Lakers would look at giving him the full MLE to round out their starting 5 (assuming Shaq heads to Miami).
Eric Dampier, I find to be a little overpriced. What's he asking for, something like 6 years and $60 mil. Something like that? That's a lot of money for someone who hasn't been a consistent producer in his career. Many believe that he had a standout season last year due to the fact it was the final year in his contract so he was looking to impress some other teams out there on the market. And than if he were to go and sign a huge deal he would go and have another sub par year. Whether those thoughts have any truth, I don't know, I've just heard it here and there. But, I think there are teams out there who have interest in him even though there haven't been offers made thus far. I think the Lakers could put an offer out there. It probably wouldn't be the amount he wants. The fact that they also need some type of a center make an offer to him that much more possible. But, in the coming weeks, I would think he'll get some type of an offer.
Dampier ain't that bad if you keep him involved in the offense. If you don't he'll pout and stop trying as hard. When he's definitely on he's easily the 3rd best true center in the league. In the East I think he could be the best center in his conference (if you count Ben Wallace as a true power forward). Would I trust that he could produce this upcoming season as well as last season? Who knows. He's a bit of a baby even though he doesn't whine about it to the media when he's not happy. He only whines aloud when he's in his contract year. And his problem has been the fact he wants to get paid more, he wants to play with a pure point guard (something the W's haven't had in a while since they always missed out on drafting good pure point guards in the first round), and he wants to be an allstar. In the East he could dominate. So far a some West playoff teams are interested (Memphis, Lakers, Mavericks etc) and the East teams dont' really have anything flexible to offer (short contracts, draft picks, or rookies) The bottom line is if he's asking for too much and to the point where he's making a principle sign and trade difficult, the trade will probably not go down and he'd have to grab some MLE or go to a team that can pay him but he won't enjoy (i.e. teams with point guards that don't pass like Washington)
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">In the East I think he could be the best center in his conference (if you count Ben Wallace as a true power forward).</div>Not anymore, Shaq is now playing for the Heat.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rudeezy:</div><div class="quote_post">Not anymore, Shaq is now playing for the Heat.</div>Oh yeah, huh. Its not official just yet is it? So therefore, when Shaq officially goes to the heat, an Eastern team will need someone to stop him. Damp has been known to play Shaq pretty well as I recall (but then sort of falls asleep when its a less skilled center or a non-true center).
I'm kind of wishing the Warriors didn't agree to terms with Foyle. Damp's options are drying up quickly and with Shaq in the East, Damp has a realistic shot at a Western Conference all star appearance next year. The Warriors could've probably have him back at no more than an extension of what he was making. Here's an article about Damp and Memphis that's a pretty good read. There are some REAL interesting things towards the end about how trade talks between the two teams are essentially dead, though West is still hot after Damp. Apparently, Battier is no longer the sticking point in the negotiations. God, I hope that the Warriors don't agree to a deal with Memphis.
That would be hilarious if Damp ends up sticking around the W's. Mullin would be the man for convicing him. But then poor old foyle would have to end up back on the bench or get traded further down the season.
I don't think we can resign Dampier without damaging team chemistry, because when Foyle resigned, he was promised a starting role and thus spurned offers from the Magic. Foyle is a smart player, but he wants playing time, and more than the 10-15 minutes per game behind Damp that he would get. (Remember last season, when he even went as far as to complain to the media about his minutes. While he was very diplomatic about it and understood Damp was playing well, he was still dissappointed that he barely got off the bench.) He might concede to the bench role if it meant more winning, but Damp probably will not make that kind of impact on the W's game, and thus he'd be hurt by a re-signing.
Well, nothing is signed yet. Since Boozer screwed over the Cavs I think a lot of teams, players, and agents may start to think, "well, if Boozer did it, we can do it too." This could lead to a serious of revoked offers with the Warriors right in the middle of things. If the Warriors did revoke, then Foyle could still sign with Orlando and Damp could re-sign with the Warriors. Stranger things have happened in the last couple of weeks.
Ahh, true. Oral agreements count for little in the NBA, except for specific cases. All these unwritten rules of sportsmanship are being broken in this day and age. It's why I enjoy baseball, where a lot of the traditions are respected (even though some of them make such little sense) although I'm sure even that sport will be changing to adjust to the times.
Man that's why I never believe a trade unless its official. Foyle isn't signed yet, so Mullin could be all like, "hahah tricked you. I ain't giving you 41 million. But since all these other FA teams used up their MLE and cap space, we'll give you 25 million take it or leave it." BTW, I hate the baseball's non-existent salary cap rules. I mean it just gives LA and New York the unfair advantage. They got the biggest markets and therefore have nearly unlimited bugets compared to smaller market teams. Not to say that the bay area isn't a large market for sports, but it just isn't as big as LA or New York in terms of affording the big name players. I mean if the Giants had Vladmir Guerrero, Barry Bonds wouldn't get walked as much as he would. Instead he goes to Anaheim.
