Page 17 of 48
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:41 pm
by Ring_Wanted
rule' for teams to be able to keep guys that have become franchise cornerstones.
That's relatively easy to do.
You have to make sure that the current team is the only one capable of giving the player an amount of money larger enough than the next best offer. There are rules in this direction, but even the 2011 CBA fell short. One extra year and 3% of difference in raises (no compunded) is not enough to constiture a Godfather offer when you are a superstar, or a franchise cornerstone.
Those types, right now, are only losing one year with a moderate increase, and you can more than make up for it later. The Rose rule is a step in the right direction, but it is very hard to enter that club so its overall impact is limited.
I think we need a general revision of the number of years and the % raises, plus other benefits attached to staying with the current team.
For instance, a player option to extend the contract X years. A reverse ETO of sorts. A right that would be granted to the player when he reaches X years in a row playing for a team.
But whatever, the point is that the current team needs to be able to offer MUCH more than other teams, but a much more, let's say controled. So franchises don't destroy themselves.
That's a matter of decreasing the level of protection for the player until you get to a point where the risk is shared fairly. Like a threshold of reg season games played under which the contract becomes only X% guaranteed. Starting in year X (maybe three segments, depending on age).
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 4:14 pm
by Robot
Eric Bledsoe thinking about retiring early
by Dan Gergens portlandsunnewstimes.com
Striving Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe has been the victim of the leagues CBA. As a restricted free agent and with a Suns team promising to match any deal offered -no outside suitors have appeared to offer him the max contract he believes he deserves. The Suns offer of $48 million over four years is well under the $80 million contract he is seeking. Bledsoe has a few options - including taking the qualifying offer and becoming an unrestricted free agent next season. There is one other option - retirement.
"I don't think it's fair. That deal … $48 million is less than what I am worth and I was raised to believe you do not take less than what your worth" said Bledsoe in a phone interview "I would rather retire early than be disrespected like this. If I can't negotiate the contract I want, I would rather quit the NBA"
Apparently Bledsoe's agent Rich Paul is hoping his client decides to play next season "It would be great" said Paul from his secret Cleveland headquarters "I would prefer to make some money from his signing rather than say, not making any due to retirement -- but, I understand why he would retire. $48 million is not fair, and fairness is what we all get and deserve. I can tell you some of my other clients would not accept a less than max offer - so why should Bledsoe?"
Bledsoe's retirement would be the first of it's kind but it's a viable option. What would Bledsoe do if he retired? "I would like to act…you know…Hollywood. I have a script based on the life of Latrell Spreewell. I'd like to play him. There is something about him that really appeals to me. So yeah , thats what I'd do"
Restricted free agents must decide by October whether or not to accept the qualifying offer or… in this case, retire.
http://www.portlandsunnewstimes.com/spo ... re.html#09
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:32 pm
by Mori Chu
LMAO! Robot strikes again.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:36 pm
by Cap
He has a family to feed. Or at least himself.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 5:55 pm
by Superbone
Cap wrote:He has a family to feed. Or at least himself.
He has an ego to feed.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:37 am
by ShelC
Monroe's supposedly considering playing for the 5.3 mil QO and becoming unrestricted next year.
Also a bit of an update with more quotes from Sarver on Bledsoe:
Six weeks into free agency, Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver expressed how he still wants to sign Bledsoe to a long-term contract with the Suns. He also just wants to be able to talk to Bledsoe.
"We value Eric as a player," Sarver said. "I hope at some point we'll be able to sit down and meet with those guys and make a deal."
"Maybe that's just posturing and negotiating," Sarver said of the reports (that things were going in the wrong direction). "We haven't heard from the guy in four months, so I couldn't tell you. I do know that when he played here, he felt good about the organization, his coaching staff and his teammates at the end of the season. We had the same feelings toward him."
http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /13935221/
Also from that article, Alec Brown, our 2nd rounder this year, will play overseas in Spain once he's healed from shoulder surgery. And Goran will play for the Slovenian National Team but they're going to limit his minutes.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:39 am
by JCSunsfan
Sarver should go on record saying the Suns won't match an offer sheet for Bledsoe that is over $50 million. Then let some team sign him for $51. At that point the Suns can match and we're done.
It would open it up for teams to make offers. After all, if they really want him, teams can find ways to clear the cap space to make an offer.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:50 am
by In2ition
JCSunsfan wrote:Sarver should go on record saying the Suns won't match an offer sheet for Bledsoe that is over $50 million. Then let some team sign him for $51. At that point the Suns can match and we're done.
It would open it up for teams to make offers. After all, if they really want him, teams can find ways to clear the cap space to make an offer.
[In squeeky geek voice] Haha...tricked you! Hehe [/In squeeky geek voice]
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:57 am
by JCSunsfan
In2ition wrote:JCSunsfan wrote:Sarver should go on record saying the Suns won't match an offer sheet for Bledsoe that is over $50 million. Then let some team sign him for $51. At that point the Suns can match and we're done.
It would open it up for teams to make offers. After all, if they really want him, teams can find ways to clear the cap space to make an offer.
[In squeeky geek voice] Haha...tricked you! Hehe [/In squeeky geek voice]
OK, a leak from an anonymous source says something like, the Suns are disappointed that Eric doesn't seem to want to play here. They would be open to reasonable sign and trades, but also, because of their priority on Goran next summer, will not pay him more than what they are offering right now. In fact, the Suns are getting nervous about their present offer and are considering taking it off the table. They would rather lose him for nothing than commit so much cap space they have no future flexibility especially for a player with an injury history AND does not want to play for the team.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:25 am
by Cap
JCSunsfan wrote:Sarver should go on record saying the Suns won't match an offer sheet for Bledsoe that is over $50 million. Then let some team sign him for $51. At that point the Suns can match and we're done.
Bledsoe is a free agent. No team can simply "sign him" for an amount he isn't willing to accept, and he's holding out for max. Not to mention, nobody but Philly has the cap room.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:57 am
by The Bobster
And Philadelphia sure isn't looking to get any better anytime soon.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:01 pm
by In2ition
If the draft lottery proposals go through, I could see Philly starting to build up through free agency next year, after they have picked up another top 5 pick. Although, maybe they are waiting for the 2016 off-season, which might make more sense.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:35 pm
by Mori Chu
It's so obvious which articles are prompted by leaks from Bledsoe's agent, and which are leaked or prompted by the Suns org.
Bledsoe's agent: "relationship is irreparable", "using free agency against me," etc.
Suns org: "Haven't heard from him", "nobody thinks he is worth the max", etc.
It's all posturing.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 1:42 pm
by Superbone
Cap wrote:JCSunsfan wrote:Sarver should go on record saying the Suns won't match an offer sheet for Bledsoe that is over $50 million. Then let some team sign him for $51. At that point the Suns can match and we're done.
Bledsoe is a free agent. No team can simply "sign him" for an amount he isn't willing to accept, and he's holding out for max. Not to mention, nobody but Philly has the cap room.
IOW, nothing is budging. The ball is in his court. His side of the court has weeds and tumbleweed blowing through. It's getting tougher to repair.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:05 pm
by Robot
This story is so annoying . Every article just repeats the same things we already know.
Is Bledsoe a trust fund kid or something? His agent is so bad - this is going to be a sad story. EB will sign for QO and then either get injured - have a sub-par year - have an evolutionary year OR repeat the same as last. In three of those four scenarios the odds are he still won't get an offer anywhere near what he wants. In two of those scenarios he will get less and in all of those scenarios he will be losing millions this year.
Why doesn't he just sign a shorter deal then become a FA in two years and make more loot. Worst agent ever.
-R
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:51 pm
by Cap
I'm confident he won't take the QO. Let's look at the numbers.
The Suns are offering 4/48. The QO is 1/3.7. If he takes the QO, he'd have to get a contract in 2015 that pays more than $44M over the first 3 years just to break even. That's basically max. The best case scenario for Bledsoe, IOW, is that he ends up with the same money that the Suns were offering all along. So taking the QO isn't just a huge risk; it's a huge risk with no upside.
It's not only Bledsoe who would be taking a huge risk with nothing to gain, but also Rich Paul. There's no way he comes out a winner, but he could come out a big loser. With Bledsoe basically his only client (LeBron James doesn't need representation), a foolish stubbornness that costs his client a lot without any upside, would make his name literally a joke. For the next 20 years, every time an agent acts like a moron people will call him a Rich Paul.
There's one face-saving way out of this for Paul, if the Suns are willing to give it to him. Publicly, they hold to 4/48, but privately offer 4/52. Let him hold out as long as he wants, let the media keep writing "Bledsoe is an idiot if he doesn't take the 4/48," and let him take the 4/52. Then Paul can say "When everybody else was saying he should take the 48, I was a tough negotiator and got him 52. I'm a winner who gets the most for my client."
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:06 pm
by SDC
JCSunsfan wrote:Sarver should go on record saying the Suns won't match an offer sheet for Bledsoe that is over $50 million. Then let some team sign him for $51. At that point the Suns can match and we're done.
It would open it up for teams to make offers. After all, if they really want him, teams can find ways to clear the cap space to make an offer.
no need to do that. no team would overpay for bledsoe.
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:12 pm
by Robot
Cap wrote:I'm confident he won't take the QO. Let's look at the numbers.
The Suns are offering 4/48. The QO is 1/3.7. If he takes the QO, he'd have to get a contract in 2015 that pays more than $44M over the first 3 years just to break even. That's basically max. The best case scenario for Bledsoe, IOW, is that he ends up with the same money that the Suns were offering all along. So taking the QO isn't just a huge risk; it's a huge risk with no upside.
It's not only Bledsoe who would be taking a huge risk with nothing to gain, but also Rich Paul. There's no way he comes out a winner, but he could come out a big loser. With Bledsoe basically his only client (LeBron James doesn't need representation), a foolish stubbornness that costs his client a lot without any upside, would make his name literally a joke. For the next 20 years, every time an agent acts like a moron people will call him a Rich Paul.
There's one face-saving way out of this for Paul, if the Suns are willing to give it to him. Publicly, they hold to 4/48, but privately offer 4/52. Let him hold out as long as he wants, let the media keep writing "Bledsoe is an idiot if he doesn't take the 4/48," and let him take the 4/52. Then Paul can say "When everybody else was saying he should take the 48, I was a tough negotiator and got him 52. I'm a winner who gets the most for my client."
This sounds all very accurate and logical I just wonder if Bled is delusional at this point? He def. thinks he will get the max and -- it is POSSIBLE that -- given he has a great year w/o injury he would get the max from some team at the start of free agency. This was a strange year with Lebron and Carmelo [ ps. Rich Paul should have insulated EB from it but didn't , he had inside info obviously ]
So to Bledsoe - he probably imagines he will get a max so the QO would make sense long term. I don't believe he thinks there is a CHANCE he won't get the max. I'm sure his assumption is that teams have already spent this season but will be spending again next - which is true to a degree. Still it is a huge risk for him.
- R
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:11 am
by Superbone
http://arizonasports.com/41/1758061/NBA ... o-a-corner
Yahoo! NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski: Bledsoe, agent 'boxed themselves into a corner'
...
On Monday's Bickley and Marotta show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Wojnarowski said Bledsoe and his agent, Rich Paul, have "kind of boxed themselves into a corner" after rejecting the Suns' four-year, $48 million offer but being unable to secure an offer sheet from another team.
"It's not really a negotiating strategy to say, ‘Max deal or nothing.'" he said. "Restricted free agency is about the agent going out and getting an offer sheet for his player. That's it. It's not about the Suns bidding against themselves. Utah didn't bid against itself with Gordon Hayward, and Houston didn't do that with Chandler Parsons, but their agents went out and got offer sheets, and got max offer sheets."
...
Re: Eric Bledsoe [RFA]
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 7:37 am
by Sunsfan4life
Although it would be extremly stupid given his instability and the offer on the table, I think Bledsoe is going to take the QO. I think the fact Greg Monroe signed it yesterday increases the odds Bledsoe will.
The difference? Monroe has no history of injury problems. Bledsoe leaving 48mil over 4 years on the to play for a 3.7mil QO would be pretty bizarre, but I have a hunch he's going to.