Morning Report: No Deal For Delonte?
By:
Steve Kyler
Last Updated: 8/12/08 9:40 AM ET
| 543 times read
Why No Delonte?: Cleveland Cavalier fans have been talking and scratching their heads over the Delonte West situation in Cleveland and marvel at the fact a deal has not been reached with the restricted free agent. Delonte West's camp is seeking a multi-year deal far better than the five-year $21 million deal Daniel Gibson's father negotiated. Gibson's deal was viewed by many as coming cheap, considering Gibson's upside, production and role on the team. West has been given several offers by the Cavs, none of them close to the money he is seeking. Delonte was linked recently to some bogus European offers, something Delonte is not looking to do; rather he may answer the Cavs reluctance by accepting the one-year, $2.8 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. In doing so the Cavs could not trade him without his consent and he'd get a full year to establish his value, and his options would open up next year. The hold-up on West is two-part. The Cavs like Delonte a lot and want to sign him to a long-term deal, but the issue is the dollars and the Cavs cannot justify giving him a deal above $6 million per season. The second hold-up is the Cavs belief they could trade at some point for the veteran playmaker they have coveted for the past two seasons. The talk of the Cavs and Bucks hooking up on a Maurice Williams trade is real, at least from the Cleveland side, and it lines up with the thinking that Milwaukee would trade one of its overpaid point guards. Bucks sources waved off the idea of a deal involving Mo, but league sources said if Cleveland offered the right combination of assets, Milwaukee is trying to clear up a long jam of bad contracts. Cleveland is holding on to two ending deals in Joe Smith and Damon Jones, although a Joe Smith-Scott Skiles reunion does not seem to be in the cards, given how bad things were in Chicago between the coaches and the veterans. Both players contracts match up to Mo Williams, toss in a future draft pick or two and there may be enough value to get Milwaukee talking.
Crazy Free Agency: There are still some notable free agents sitting unsigned, and some of them make sense - restricted free agents are getting jobbed this year - no question. But the fact that players like Jannero Pargo, Elton Brown, Bonzi Wells and Michael Finley are unsigned is amazing. J.R. Smith and Andre Iguodala will get new deals. The word is Iguodala's camp is closing in on a five-year, $70 million deal, with Philadelphia, that could get finalized this week. J.R. Smith and the Nuggets are at a stalemate, but both want a deal to happen so it's just timing. Jannero Pargo is pondering a bi-annual exception deal at $1.9 million with the Spurs. Elton Brown was rumored to have been in to see the Lakers and has had talks with the Hawks, 76ers and Grizzlies. Here's a solid double-double guy that could be had for the NBA minimum, and is still unsigned. Bonzi Wells is getting nibbles but no real offers; word is he may head back to Houston if things do not improve. Michael Finley has had light talks with the Spurs and Mavericks, but may find himself without a deal. Finley turned down a couple of European offers and his agent said last month that Finley had a numbers of NBA offers. It's believed that the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics have all had contact with Finley, yet still nothing.
Fred Hoiberg Next?: Timberwolves fans got some interesting news by way of Wolves owner Glen Taylor. It's been assumed for some time that Fred Hoiberg would have an ever increasing role in Minnesota. He was a fan favorite, he is an incredibly likeable guy, and according to Taylor, he will be the next GM of the Timberwolves when Kevin McHale steps aside. Taylor told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune he understood there are fans displeased with Kevin McHale, but that he was "stubbornly" loyal and that McHale would leave the team at McHale's choosing. Taylor went on to say that he and McHale have been grooming Fred Hoiberg as McHale's eventual replacement, saying: "He's in every meeting, he's in on everything. I don't know that Fred would make better decisions than Kevin would. What's interesting now is they don't always agree. That's interesting to me." McHale and Taylor have a hand-shake annual agreement every summer they sit down and decide whether Kevin will continue, so it seems that for now McHale is still the top dog, but Fred Hoiberg is a nice successor.
A Rested Yao?: Yao Ming has been the consummate Chinese Warrior, his stoic face, his towering size – he is the model in which China wants to build its athletes. His time as the face of Chinese sports may be coming to end. According to Yao this will be his last go with the Chinese National team and that's not likely soon enough for Houston Rockets fans. Let's face it, China views Yao and Yi Jianlian as assets of the country. They expect and demand more from these guys than you could possibly imagine. They "allow" them to play in the NBA as a means to train and prepare for National Team play, and the needs and wants to the NBA and the Rockets never factor in to the demands and pressures they put on Yao, and to a certain existent Yi. During contract negotiations to get Yao in Houston, it was believed China demanded half of Yao's salary. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement does not allow for a team to pay fees directly to an agent, that's a private transaction between the player and agent, but it's believed Yao is kicking back far more of his NBA and endorsement money than "normal." Yao's best season as a pro came after several months of rest due to a broken foot – the first extended break Yao had since turning pro. Removing the National Team responsibilities and training will do wonders for Yao, and for the Rockets. The question remains how much - if any - long-term damage was done this summer in rushing back from the broken left foot he suffered last season to compete in the Olympics this year. Yao says he's at 70%-80%. If playing this year gets him out of playing in future years, it might be a good trade-off. The hope for Rockets' fans is no permanent damage is done in Beijing, or that any lingering effects from the surgery to repair the foot are resolved before the Rockets open camp in 50 days.
About the Author: STEVE KYLER
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Steve Kyler is the Editor and Publisher of HOOPSWORLD. Steve is a life-long basketball fan that started covering the NBA from Orlando in 1998, but has been a huge follower of the game since the mid-80’s.
Steve is also an on-air radio personality in Tampa for ESPN radio and appears on dozens of radio shows across the country each week.
Steve is an active member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association and is passionately involved in the development of new writers and sports personalities.
Steve does not have a favorite team per se, but does root for the underdog in almost every situation. You can reach Steve directly at skyler@hoopsworld.com
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