Gil’s Zeroes
Gimme the loot…Gilbert Arenas kept his word; the Wizards took care of his man Antawn Jamison, so Gil stayed with the franchise, agreeing to a six-year, $111 million deal that was actually for less dough than the Wiz were offering. Reports said Washington was ready to throw $127 million at Agent Zero, but he graciously chose $111M in order to leave the team some room to solidify the supporting cast. “You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams,” Arenas told the Washington Post. “I don’t wanna be one of those players and three years down the road, your team is strapped and can’t do anything about it.” Surprised by Gilbert’s maturity there? We’re not, but then judging by the way he plays the game, anyone could assume he’d be the type of guy to take as much money as possible and never think twice … Between Gil bringing home $18.5 million a year and Jamison clearing $12.5 million per from his extension, that leaves Caron Butler making a relatively pedestrian $8.9 million (which stretches to $10.5M in two years), despite the fact that he’s arguably the best all-around basketball player on the roster. How much time passes before that becomes an issue? From our times working with him, we know Caron is a guy with a sense of perspective who appreciates his place in the world and doesn’t have a lot of Shawn Marion in him, but the numbers are the numbers … Chris Paul followed the LeBron model, as his extension with the Hornets is actually a three-year deal with a player option for the fourth, and will pay him a total of $68 million (including the fourth year). The Hornets are closer than the Cavs to legit title contention, but they, like Cleveland, now have to make every personnel move with an eye toward the year CP can opt out and make sure they don’t have the team in a position where he’s frustrated and walks … And now that CP is signed, Deron Williams has a gauge for how much the Jazz should pay him for his extension. The potential to royally piss off the super-competitive Williams is high if the Jazz don’t come correct with a CP-ish offer … Would you want Ron Artest on your team? A 20-ppg scorer and all-world defender is now an $8.4 million expiring contract, too, and teams like the Lakers, Heat, Rockets and Mavs are reportedly lining up to explore trade possibilities with the Kings. Realistically, the Kings aren’t a serious threat to any contender in the West, so they should really look at dealing Artest if it means acquiring some pieces to build for the future. Kevin Martin is still young enough to be your centerpiece in a rebuilding effort. Now if they stop reaching on Lottery picks with guys like Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson, they’ll be alright … While Elton Brand is reportedly deciding between big-time offers from the Clippers and Warriors (we have a feeling he’ll stay in L.A. and see where this Baron Davis thing goes), the Clips’ other big man is making moves this summer as well. Chris Kaman just completed the process of getting his German citizenship, so now he can play for Team Germany in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece later this month. (Kaman’s great-grandparents are German.) Hulk Hogan and Dirk in the same frontcourt? That could be sick, however there is the matter of them never having played together before, and we all know how much continuity matters on the international level … So are Ben Gordon and Luol Deng just laying low, or is no one talking about their free agent dealings because all the focus right now is on Baron, Elton, Josh Smith and Corey Maggette? … Speaking of Maggette, word is that of all the teams looking at him, the Spurs are the front-runner. (Although we heard a left-field rumor on Thursday night that he’d signed with the Knicks.) Does Maggette really fit into the way Pop wants his team to play the game? We can already see Corey going on his madcap drives when he was supposed to swing the ball or feed the post and Tim Duncan giving him the Death Stare … Take THIS for what you will; we’re just throwing it out there … We’re not hating, but something doesn’t seem right about the fact that Tyronn Lue is basically picking and choosing between signing with the Celtics (defending champs), Suns (championship contender) and Mavs (on-the-cusp contender), while Allen Iverson is seemingly stuck in no-man’s land … On the day after the Sonics’ fate was sealed, our own Seattle-based writer penned his team eulogy. Whether you’re a Sonics fan or not, every fan should recognize the shadiness in the way the whole Sonics-to-Oklahoma deal went down and be wary that it can happen to them … We’re out like Durant …
July 4th, 2008 at 6:00 am
the real marcus says:
YEAH!
July 4th, 2008 at 6:01 am
the real marcus says:
beat y’all just like that…
we’re out like doubters on gil’s word…
July 4th, 2008 at 6:03 am
YOUNGFED says:
It ain’t gonna happen to Detroit.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Mister Sun says:
looking at the city of detroit and this thing they call arena, it should happen there. they just need a clay bennett and it will be faster than seattle.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:58 am
loganlight says:
Happy 4th… Basketball and cookouts and remembering our troops.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:03 am
loot says:
dwyane wad eis also on that pic
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25513177/site/14081545
i call bullshit
July 4th, 2008 at 9:00 am
fiyaman says:
the photo thing is funny.. I dont think is was coincidence.. the photographers knew what they were doing
July 4th, 2008 at 9:23 am
look says:
take a look at wade and j.kidd. clearly wade is taller then him, but his still standing right behind him.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:32 am
that's what's up says:
ladies and gentlemen, the 2008-2009 Okla-Homos !!!!
July 4th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Data says:
No way that pic is a coincidence. It was an intentional effort to block out the adidas logo and in return Dwight probably blocked out the nike logo. He probably should have put his hand over his chest to cover the other swoosh and claimed he was doing the pledge of allegiance.
As for Corey, he’s a joker. My buddy’s uncle works for EA sports and designs the Live series and he told us that evry year Corey and D-miles without fail would make the trip to Vancouver to comoplain that their player rankings were too low. Corey once dragged the developpers to an outdoor court to shoot 3s to prove to them that he was a better shooter than his rating suggested. This is not a joke it’s a 100% true story.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Korady says:
@ loot
Wade is Converse, which is owned by Nike
July 4th, 2008 at 10:50 am
loot says:
good point korady
July 4th, 2008 at 10:57 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
Props tp Gil for being “Mature”, but even with Caron and ‘Twan, this team isnt good enough to win a ‘chip.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Coach T-sun says:
Gilbert solidify the supporting cast? dime do some more research they are gonna be over the cap with these 2 signings this year they’ll have a 72 million dollar payroll 3 million behind the lakers, a million ahead of the celtics even though both teams haven’t signed their guys yet but thats a championship pay roll again another team PAYING like a contender not gonna be PLAYING like one. They’ll be paying the luxury tax if they sign more guys. then the season following that they’ll have a 69 million dollar payroll. Given the market these days the wizards could of def settled for a 100 million OR LESS contract is gilbert a guy that’ll take you to the top? i know if i am building a championship contender thats one guy that doesn’t deserve to get 100 million for “da guy”
July 4th, 2008 at 11:18 am
eyeused2b says:
I checked out the USA pic, and more than the hidden logos, I noticed that Bosh isn’t 6′10″. If Howard is 6′11″, Bosh is 7′1″ And no, I’m not counting the hair. His forehead is slightly higher than Howard’s, and his neck is slumped forward.
What’s the deal with NBA dudes not wanting to be 7-footers? KG and Duncan have been lying about their heights for years. Now we can add Bosh to the list.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Bron42 aka coffee black says:
Are the majority of them wearin the hyperdunks? Cuz outside of wade,lebron,melo etc…thats what it looks like. Not a bad way to advertise your new high profile sneakers, so maybe thats why dwight got his covered. And does dwight even have his own sneaker from adidas?
July 4th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
tim says:
and he’s right…it isn’t gonna happen to Detroit…because Bill Davidson put up his own money to build the Palace. That is if i remember correctly.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Bosh says:
I am not 7′1″
July 4th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
K Dizzle says:
Really doubt if Bosh is 7′1. Might wanna check out the Tor-Orl highlights again
July 4th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
OKC Hicks says:
I’m a huge Wizards fan and all those who hate on Gil needs to realize that his heart is in the right place. Did you see Kobe do this when the Lakers were dismantled from their 3-peat? NO. Kobe took the money and ran with it, and that team struggled till about last year. Good PR move also considering Wiz fans that might have thought of Gilbert as selfish might now see he’s about the team, as well.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
nate says:
someone always brings kobe into this.
kobe still has the same contract but they are in contention now. why because they are paying brian grant absurd amounts of money. trading shaq for grant,butler and odom equaled shaqs contract. IF they had the same team with shaq instead of those three it would still be the same money-wise but different outcome.
KEYWORD: trashing kobe in topics not about him makes no sense. do your research
July 4th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
rodnets says:
Arenas doens´t deserve 111 million, since when a unidimensional scorer gets that amount of dough?
peace
July 4th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Amar says:
jazz fans not worried. deron has said from the start that he’s signing with the jazz. jazz management (inc team owner LHM) has said on the radio that he’s going to get the max. the only thing is for how many years? they are meeting this week to figure it all out.
happy 4th!
July 4th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
nate says:
they arent* payin brian grant i mean
July 4th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
OKC Hicks says:
@ Nate (Kobe’s Nut Rider)
Okay I agree with what you said, but do you think Kobe would ever take a paycut for the team? Hypothetical question so don’t get all mad.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
schoops says:
It must be a boring off season if all there is to talk about is a stupid picture. Nike sponsors the team, it makes sense. who cares?
July 4th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
schoops says:
Gilbert also said (not direct quote, but close…) “what can’t I do for my family with 111 mil that I could do with 126?”
The only man with an answer to that is Sprewell.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Bron42 aka coffee black says:
also, the kobe $$$ plays a part since they got better through the draft and cheap trades like kwame and his waste of money for gasol and his regular season semi allstar status….not cuz kobe left them tons of money to sign a good free agent so lets not give kobe the good citizen award yet. Very few teams can afford to pay a wanna be superstar or a real supster tons of money and then expect to make any signifigant moves around him. which is why shaq worked his contract different when he first went to miami.
@rodents,
Um, considering in the nba, scoring is what gets the seats filled, ya he would deserve the money. Not to mention his personallity fills the seats even more and is pretty much the only reason people pay any attention to the wizards no matter how great people wanna say caron or jamison are. So from sales, to marketing, to his scoring hes worth it.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
OKC Hicks says:
Bron42,
Thank you for proving what I was saying earlier. I don’t hate Kobe, therefore I don’t have a reason to say shit about him unless there is actually shit to say about him. He’s selfish, and for the first time in his career (this season) he’s starting to realize being that way isn’t gonna make him look good if he’s not winning, at least in the eyes of the public. Am I saying he’s a bad player? Absolutely not. But I GUARANTEE he would not have done what Gil just did. And if you think I’m lying about Kobe not caring about the money, remember the Clips offered him a similar type contract, but with less dollars, and he didn’t want to play for them, even though it probably would have been a better team than the Lakers had at the time. I’m tired of people thinking that talking the truth about Kobe means that we hate him, nah he did that to himself.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
nate says:
Im not angry, im jus saying how every story turns into a kobe this kobe that story. If you played for one team your whole career and they offered you the most money y would you leave? the lakers are a more relevant franchise. thats like saying you’d go from the *football terms* Cowboys to the bills because they would have a better team that year. They promised Kobe they would get better so he took them for their word.
AND FYI
Gil’s contract is 6 years 111mill: roughly 18.5 a year
Kobe’s contract is 7 years 136mil: roughly 19.4 a year
July 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
nate says:
plenty of players take max money.
ten highest contracts at the end of the season
1. Kevin Garnett – $23,750,00
2. Michael Finley – $21,696,750
3. Stephon Marbury – $20,109,375
4. Allen Iverson – $20,109,375
5. Shaq – $20M
6. Jason Kidd – $19,728,000
7. Jermaine O’Neal – $19,710,000
8. Kobe Bryant – $19,490,635
9. Tim Duncan – $19,014,187
10. Tracy McGrady – $19,014,187
yet we single out the number 8 highest
July 4th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Bron42 aka coffee black says:
no one really singled kobe out…he was one of the more recent ones to compare it to. And knock finley off that list since half his money is coming from the mavs. Also on that list, if you just pointed out guys considered selfish, kobe is well documented. And ya I’d go to the bills if I was already rich and they gave me a better chance of winning a ring than the cowboys did at the time. Sticking with bad teams for money is how you end up in bad situations ala one star and a bunch of bum role players worth only the mid level. All that i “think” hicks was saying was “kobe has the option to take less and make his team better” but instead he took the money and his team suffered until they got lucky this year with the gasol trade (funny how one they started losin to the celts kobe went back into jerk mode) meanwhile “gil had the option to take more money and screw the team but instead choose to hook up his teammate and then still take less to give his team room. Shaq did it too, duncan has done it, tmac did it in orlando (but grant hill like died and just took the money)…so I personally can’t stand kobe, but i’m just pointin out general facts, not hating on him right now. Your bills cowboys comparison is like askin KG if he would take this year back if he could of still made more money with the twolves.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Luigi says:
Gil. shuda taken 27 mill off instead of 13. by then we wud have enough cap space for flexibility.
he shuda done 6 yr 100 mill
July 4th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
OKC Hicks says:
Yeah, the other players on that list were contracts from a while ago and already had some solid players around them. Ofcourse there are exceptions; you could say KG didn’t have talent but remember they did have Spree and Sam I Am and made runs in the playoffs…
Nate, your comparison with the Bills and Cowboys, to me, seems like an easy choice. If I have a chance of going to the better team, for a little less money (considering money isn’t a factor once you’ve made that much aleady), I’d definitely go to the Bills, for the sake of your comparison.
Am I singling out Kobe? Yeah, because the greatest player on the planet gets held to a different standard than others, meaning what he does is under a much more intense microscope. The guy wanted to be the sole beneficiary of the L.A. spotlight, but when the losing started to catch up he realized he needed help and started talking to fans saying “ship their ass out” about his own TEAMMATES. Tell me that’s not selfish? Are you telling me that if management said “Kobe, we’d like for you to take this much less so we can re-sign so and so and possibly improve thru free agency,” he’d do it? Nah. Gil didn’t have management ask him that, he went to them and said it. That, to me, whether undeserving of the money or not, is unselfish. Unfortunately as good as Kobe is, like Bron42 said, he goes back to being the Kobe we all know – you know, the selfish one.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
weezy f says:
duhon has agreed to a contract with the kncks
July 4th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
GEE...neva had to run from the Klu Klux Klan and I shouldn't.. says:
Happy 4th DIME-ers!
Can’t get BBQ on the keys holla!
July 4th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
nate says:
When i brought up the cowboys/bills i meant you can say they “Might” be a better team the next year, but down the road who knows, kobe chose to stick with a team he believed will be better in the future. If the bills were better than the cowboys that next year but after a few years they went back to the basement, why would i want to sign there?
And I understand some of you may dislike kobe but kobe put up the best stats of his career this year and took a team to the finals. Forget what the announcers and analysts said the celtics were the better team and you can say the lakers overachieved.
Every sport has polarizing characters and in basketball it jus happens to be kobe. You can say what you want but he still is A: the best player in the league, and B: has the best chance to add rings. So whatever you say about how he got where he was, the point is he is set up to be playing in june for a long time
PS. Kobe and Shaq couldnt coexist period. Same with Shaq and Penny. Shaq trashes every team he leaves, jus like he did orlando, Los angeles and miami, so it was never “solely” kobes fault, he was at fault but shaq was not flawless. like demanding 5 year extension after 04 from the lakers. Buss could not pay that and kobe period. You pick between a mid twenties perimeter superstar and a over thirty post superstar. Kobe had eight or ten good years left, shaq had 2(the first two in miami)
July 4th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
Ok now I have to agree that you are a kobe nut hugger. He has lost in the first round what, the past 3 years until now and choked in the finals so saying he has the best chance in the league to add rings is kind of a stretch. Shaq and kobe couldnt exist because kobe wanted to be the man on SHAQS team at the time. And just like you give kobe all this praise, shaq went and won his ring. What has kobe gotten the lakers since shaq left? a bunch of lottery pics. Shaq demanded a five year deal and won a ring within the next 2 years. So in hindsight it would of been a worthy extension. Instead kobe took a huge like 80 million contract himself and the lakers havnt’ wont jack since. Bein the best player in the league is great but kobe himself will tell you he wants rings. And if he never wins another one, where would his legacy stand? Also, it wasn’t just kobe who took the lakers to the finals since once bynum went down the lakers floundered, then they got gasol and came back up. Also the reason when gasol and odom fell to pieces in the finals, the lakers looked like ajoke team. So give kobe all the credit you want but since shaq left, hes been all about himself. And hicks point IS that if kobe took a pay cut in the hope to keep the team together, they could of got shaq to stay. Instead he worried about himself and got disbanded like the bulls and the team has been trash since until this year.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
RiDickuLous says:
You Kobe haters are a joke. U take a topic about Gil givin back money and somehow get all over Kobe for takin the max when the only person to ever give a hometown discount are Duncan and Shaq in Miami. Shaq was never stayin. Kobe was a free agent. You keep the 26 year old year with MJ’s work ethic or the big guy whose prime was two years ago? Stop hatin for no reason…
July 4th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
dagwaller says:
Big Wizards fan here, big Gil fan, big NBA fan…but still pretty disappointed in all three right now. Gil isn’t worth that much, so I think that the Wizards kind of dropped the ball there. Like someone else said, those three have proven that the most that they can achieve with the current team is MAYBE a trip to the second round.
And with the way they’ve paid two of their stars, there’s no way that they’re going to get better. I lost a bit of respect for Gil here, because he’s crazy if he thinks that that extra few mil is really going to draw more players to the team. They weren’t getting anyone when he was signed for less – how in the world are they going to add more pieces with LESS MONEY?! Him posturing like he’s helping the team out is complete b.s. It’s a good move for him, because he wasn’t going to get much more than what the Wiz were offering anywhere else (relatively – obviously we’re talking about millions here), so giving back that few mil makes him look good while he still gets PAID. For being an injury prone (for the last season or two) shoot first point guard.
Yea, 111 million can pay for pretty much everything 127 million could. But so could 100. Or 90. If he was REALLY trying to help his team. I guess he doesn’t like Caron as much as he likes Antawn, because him taking that huge contract pretty much guarantees that Caron won’t get paid like he deserves.
Those are my main points (I’m pretty pissed about this), but look at the Spurs. Yea, Tim Duncan gets paid a lot, but no one else (other than Finley, haha) really does, even though they COULD be opportunistic and go somewhere else. Guess that’s why can win chips every other year, while the Clippers, Warriors, and Wizards (the biggest free agent players so far) haven’t made it past the first round more than once combined in the last 10 years or something.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
nate says:
thas what i was saying RiDickuLous
so much hate on kobe, but funny thing is kobe’s contract was up and it was his time to get paid. Yet shaq still had TWO years left on his contract. Just like you say kobe should have took a backseat, in reality shaq should have stfu and played for the money his signed the contract for.
Kobe’s contract did not destroy that team. Like i said before Kobe/Shaq(at the time) costs the team the same much as Kobe/butler/odom/grant.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
OKC Hicks says:
Who says I’m hating on Kobe? If DIME put up a poll asking who is the most selfish player in the NBA and listed several choices, Kobe being one of them, guaranteed #24 takes the cake. And yeah, without Pau and Bynum, aka the Lakers team before this past season (with a few exceptions like Fisher) the Lakers wouldn’t do shit. I mean that because as Bron42 pointed out, the Lakers got stomped in the Finals when players other than Kobe can’t do anything. This is not a skill comparison of Kobe vs. Gilbert, rather a comparison of situations. I just said that Kobe would never take a pay cut to help the team, regardless of whether that was the case in the past or not. Hypothetically, if Kobe had to re-sign TODAY, he would take all the dollars he can get. I don’t blame him, I just commend Gil for trying to make sure his boy (Jamison) got paid, and that his team has a chance to improve. I didn’t bring Kobe into this because I hate him, as most of you ignorant dumbasses who don’t read all of my posts will notice, but I did it because most people like the guy when really I think he’s selfish, but a damn good baller.
Tim Duncan is a big man and even though people say its a guard’s game, those with a dominant post presence (by that I do NOT mean someone like Pau) have won chips. Shaq…Duncan… Not saying that the Spurs are not unselfish, because they do take paycuts to remain a team, but believe me, if you swapped Gilber with Duncan, the Wiz instantly become a title contender. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the Spurs success is largely due to the fact they have Timmy. And you can say what you want about Tony Parker’s Finals MVP but we all know that without Duncan they wouldn’t have won that specific series.
And to quote Shaq, “Last week Kobe couldn’t do without me…” And that is completely true, I don’t believe that the Lakers will win unless they get Bynum back, which, hey…what do you know…he’s a BIG MAN.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
OKC Hicks says:
Shaq should have stfu? Why? He was the reason they won 3 rings, I’m pretty sure he can say what they want. And do I blame Buss for taking Kobe over Shaq? Nah. I’m just saying if Kobe REALLY cared about WINNING, he woulda found a way to keep Shaq because deep down, Kobe knows he can’t do it without Shaq, and he’s probably realizing it now.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
OKC Hicks says:
Also, Gilbert’s contract is structured so its rear-loaded, meaning that he makes like 14-something this upcoming season, therefore he does allow the Wizards to make more moves. Therefore he does not make 18.5 or whatever it was per year. As each year progresses, the salary cap increases, therefore it makes sense. Just something for you guys to chew on…
July 4th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
nate says:
Long story short, you make your money while you still can. You never know when you’ll wash up and catch a couple knee surgeries. You cannot blame kobe for taking the cash, I would have done the same. Players for years have been winning chips without saying let me take a paycut and hope someone plays with me. you fight with the army you have, not the one you hope you do
Back to gil: hes been making less then he makes now, so if noone wanted to come to wash before why would they want to come now. Gil is a shoot, first pg coming off major knee surgery and hes not worth that type of money. period
July 4th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
OKC Hicks says:
Yeah, all valid points, I’m just saying why I think, in this day and age, it’s nice to see an athlete try to put a team before himself. You can’t say that about every prominent player in any sport.
July 5th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Kobe Bryant says:
All you haters is whack.
July 5th, 2008 at 12:29 am
dagwaller says:
OKC, my entire point is that Gilbert ISN’T trying to be selfless. 18 mil is 18 mil. That point you made about his contract being rear loaded, if true, does give him a little bit of credit, but not much since the entire thing is pretty much guaranteed. In other words, the only way he’d be putting the team ahead of himself in that scenario would be if he planned on spending the entire 14 million in one year or something absurd, and instead was like, no, I won’t do that – I’ll stick with 14 mil this year and put off that island purchase til later on in my contract. No, it’s just him NOT being a d bag and asking for more money up front. And his contract going up over the next few years is going to get in the way of Caron’s contract when IT comes up.
I just fail to see how gauging your team for 111 million is selfless.
July 5th, 2008 at 12:34 am
dagwaller says:
Oh, and nate, unless these guys make like Sprewell, they could probably live VERY well off of a few million for the rest of their lives, let alone the extra 10 or 20 million they take or leave.
Again, I’ll never be in these situations, so who am I to judge? In general, you want your sports heroes to be better people, and to stick to a higher ideal (wanting to win and placing the team above all else), which is perhaps unfair. It just galls me, though, when someone like Gil is selfish (understandable human nature), but then claims he’s trying to help the team (so he’s trying to say he’s aspiring to the higher ideal at the same time).
July 5th, 2008 at 1:50 am
OKC Hicks says:
What it means is that Gilbert’s contract will progressively increase 10.5% each year. Meaning that he starts with 14 mil. and then it keeps going up. Also, the salary cap and luxury tax amount progressively increase each year, therefore, as each year goes on, his salary adjusts with the salary cap, creating space to…SIGN SOMEONE ELSE! Granted they will be over the salary cap, but answer me this. If Golden State is willing to offer him 105 mil. over 5 years, how are the Wizards not justified in 111 over 6? Rear-loaded contracts allow for flexibility later down the road, and there is even a possiblity that the next CBA(Collective Bargaining Agreement) could even better the salary cap issue for owners. Therefore, it is not 18 million a year, because each year presents various new financial opportunities with people that may not be re-signed, released, etc.
July 5th, 2008 at 1:57 am
OKC Hicks says:
BTW I live near the D.C. area so I’m not just making this shit up. I guess you could say I have a Wizards bias but you didn’t see KG do this, and the Minnesota was in a financial stranglehold. You didn’t see T-Mac do this, you didn’t see any other NBA player do this other than maybe Elton Brand, and that would be if he signs with the Clips for less than what the Warriors are offering. I understand what your saying dag, but I can’t understand why people are knocking him for taking less. Maybe someone can explain that to me. So your saying the 16 mil. he left on the table WASN’T enough? How much more moeny do you want him to lose? The dude puts all his life into this and yet people think he should still be putting more money on the table to let the Wiz prosper. Last time I checked, he’s the only one who volunteered to let go of 16 mil. considering he’s the one doing the negotiations on his behalf.
July 5th, 2008 at 6:47 am
RiDickuLous says:
Gil is givin money back cuz he opened his big mouth and said he would take a paycut if the team signed AJ. He plays with 2 other allstars. AJ and Caron deserve that money. Who Kobe savin money for? The next best players(Odom and Gasol) already make solid 8 figures. Your argument is garbage. Kobe got a team without a big piece to the finals in the west. What Gil done for Kobe Bryant money? Calderon signed for 40mil and Baron signed for 65. You tellin me Gil better than those two by that much?
Put it like this: Who would you give a 5 year deal worth 100 mil to right now? Kobe or Shaq?
Peace
July 5th, 2008 at 7:40 am
eric says:
whatever happened to gil being hurt last year and the wizards being better off without him – they reached the same stage as last year in the playoffs withouth him huh?
July 5th, 2008 at 10:06 am
OKC Hicks says:
Ridikulous,
You obviously can’t read. I was talking about when Kobe’s contract ran out a while ago, not last year. Dumbasses need to learn to keep their mouth shut if they don’t understand the damn point I’m trying to get across. Where in the hell did I talk about the present? I was comparing Gil’s situation now to Kobe’s after they lost to the Pistons in the Finals way back. And obviously I’m not saying to give Shaq a 5 year 100 mil contract now. I don’t know where the hell you came up with that.
If your gonna argue, at least read what I said throughout before typing shit on here and looking like a dumb fool. And am I saying the Wizards are a better team? No. Am I saying that Gil is better than Kobe? No. I’m comparing CONTRACTS you DUMBASS!
July 5th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Tha Boddy says:
(rodnets says:
Arenas doens´t deserve 111 million, since when a unidimensional scorer gets that amount of dough?)
Hmm let me think does Tracy McGrady, Micheal Finley, Juwan Howard come into thought???
July 5th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
nate says:
jus because those three got it doesnt mean they ‘deserve’ it
July 6th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Paul says:
Why does Michael Finley earn so much? He’s not very good.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:00 am
MSkittle says:
You guys are writing off Jason Thompson already?