Re: Kravitz: Mercer Looks Like Another Disaster

[Dan Forant Sr <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>]

Talk about arrogance. What makes Mercer so cocky? He's just renting. Which
to me an employer tells me he's not interested in my business. I get a kick
out of these people who think they are worth more. Poor Ron. 

At 08:43 AM 8/11/99 -0400, you wrote:
>      
>      New Bedford Standard Times: 8/11/99 
>
> 
>      Mercer looks like another Denver disaster
>
>       The Denver Nuggets just don't do feel-good moments. Maybe it's a
lack of 
>      practice over the past decade, and maybe it's just buzzard's luck,
but on 
>      a day when Ron Mercer was supposed to come in, pass his physical and
then 
>      blow a lot of smoke about fulfilling his lifelong dream to play for
the 
>      Nuggets -- and who doesn't have that dream? -- all we got was more
talk of 
>      contracts and impending free agency and a whole lot of posturing. 
>
>       "So," Mercer was asked, "will you be buying or renting?" He smiled.
"I'll 
>      be renting," he said. "Definitely." 
>       Yep, another warm and fuzzy feel-good moment for the Denver
Nuggets. Does 
>      the joy ever stop? 
>       Let's put it this way: This is going to be an interesting marriage 
>      between Mercer and the Nuggets. What I'm saying is, don't break the
bank 
>      looking for the perfect wedding gift. And make sure you keep the
receipt. 
>      On a day that should have been dedicated to peace, love,
understanding and 
>      the fast break, the talk was of contract extensions,
misunderstandings and 
>      salary-cap considerations. 
>       In one corner, you had Mercer's agent, Tevester Scott, beating the
drums 
>      of war again about how his man wants a contract extension -- now, or 
>      possibly sooner -- then bringing up the possibility of Denver trading 
>      Mercer to a more accommodating team. 
>       In the other corner, you had Dan Issel saying there is no thought of 
>      dealing Mercer and there is absolutely, positively no way Mercer
will be 
>      offered an extension before the drop-dead date of Oct. 1. 
>       Kum ba ya, my Lord, kum ba ya ... 
>       "Our thinking is, he'll come here, have a great year and if that
costs us 
>      more in the end, that's fine," Issel said. "Once he's here a while, we 
>      know he'll want to stay here, and we can give him more money than
anybody 
>      else. Plus, you look at the way the market will be next year, only two 
>      teams (Chicago and the Clippers) have any real cap room (to sign free 
>      agents). It may cost us more in the end, but it's something we're
willing 
>      and able to do." 
>       And what about meeting in the middle, maybe talking about a new deal 
>      midway through the season? Mercer, a third-year player, is
grandfathered 
>      under the old rules, which nobody understands, by the way, but it
means if 
>      the Nuggets don't extend him by Oct. 1, the two sides can't get
anything 
>      done again until Aug. 1, by which time Mercer will be a free agent.
The 
>      two sides could talk in the interim, so long as Linda Tripp isn't
taping 
>      the conversations and passing them to Rod Thorn. 
>       So there is risk on both sides. 
>       It's just that, if I'm reading this right -- and it involves the
salary 
>      cap, so there's a 67 percent chance I'm not -- there's a little more
risk 
>      on the Nuggets' side of the ledger. 
>       If Mercer has a terrible year -- or if he has Nuggets' luck and gets 
>      injured -- his new team can decide he's not worth Keith Van Horn
money, 
>      let him leave as a free agent or, the current rage, pull off a 
>      sign-and-trade deal. But still, they will have lost Danny Fortson
and a 
>      future first-rounder. At the very most, a sign and trade would bring
equal 
>      value for a player coming off a bad or injury-riddled season. 
>       If Mercer has the kind of huge year Issel believes he will have, he
will 
>      become a very attractive free agent with enormous leverage. 
>       His choices? 
>       First, of course, he will -- and should -- check the market. The 
>      free-agent market will be limited next season, but if Mercer has a 
>      breakthrough season, there is reason to believe the Nuggets, who, we 
>      should add, he is not ruling out, won't be the only ones courting
him. The 
>      Nuggets' advantage is they can pay him more than anybody else. The 
>      Nuggets' disadvantage is, Mercer might have a long memory and a chip
on 
>      his shoulder. "Why didn't you show faith in me when you had the
chance?" 
>      he can wonder. At which point, the Nuggets will wish they had signed
him 
>      for less money before Oct. 1. 
>       The other option is to stay, in which case Mercer would be
justified in 
>      holding The Donald up for a third of his assets. Mercer and his agents 
>      know the Nuggets, a franchise with little credibility, cannot go to
their 
>      fans, shrug and say, "Gosh, he just wanted too much money." 
>       Then they can play the Nick Van Exel Card: "He had a lousy year and
you 
>      gave him the gross national product of Peru. What about my guy?" 
>       Then there's the issue of Mercer's representation. His agents are a
part 
>      of rapper Master P's No Limit Sports. I don't want to paint with a
broad 
>      brush, but based on the contract they negotiated for Ricky Williams,
and 
>      based on some of Scott's early pronouncements, there is the sense
these 
>      guys are, at best, loose cannons. 
>       So, to recap Mercer's get-acquainted news conference, he is: Happy
to be 
>      here. 
>       Thrilled to be getting a fresh start. 
>       Just renting. 
>       Makes you all tingly, doesn't it? 
>        Bob Kravitz writes for the Denver Rocky Mountain News.____________ 
>
>      
>
>       Copyright © 1999 The Standard-Times.All rights reserved. 
>
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