Re: The final price

[Joe Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

DJessen33@aol.com wrote:

> I think it was no coincidence that the highest Pitino can negotiate
> without
> going to Gaston is 14 million a year. I think this is the highest
> Gaston is
> willing to pay Walker and Pitino has gone on record many times that he
> would
> love to sign Walker. Then, Pitino can be the good guy saying it wasn't
> his
> call and there won't be any longterm damage. Walker wants 17 million.
> Hey, we
> are only 3 million apart!

Hey 33:

That could be true. In any case it's an interesting "conspiracy" theory,
which would depend I guess on when Pitino signed in relation to when
Garnett's and similar contract demands were first floating around.

Personally, I thought a while back that Pitino should offer Walker just
a 2-year "home town discount" extension at this Rasheed Wallace money.
It may sound stupid, but that way Walker could become a FA again when
he's a more "proven" 25-year-old commodity and we listmembers can then
either mercilessly boast 1) "I told you so, NOW he's asking for 35
million-a-year and he richly deserves it for his 55%FG / 80%FT and our
60 win season etc.  or 2) "I told you so, Toine is still a 42%FG
shooting, ball-hogging, show-boating embarrassment whose 14 million in
free cap space can now luckily be used to acquire player so-and-so."

IMO, Pitino would have to be a master salesman to pull this one off with
both Falk and Walker, but I think even they might see the plus side,
especially if the 14 million kicks in immediately. Just wishful
thinking, probably.

JoeH


P.S. I read yesterday a Jackie MacMullin profile of Phoenix GM Bryan
Colangelo at the CNN/SI site which implied that the Suns intend to offer
Antonio McDyess 80 million dollars (and hope he won't ask for 100
million). Is Antonio McDyess all you can get these days for 80 million
dollars!? C'mon Paul Gaston, wake up and smell the coffee! Does this guy
really think we can build a non-lottery franchise if he continues to
insist on being one of the 8 cheapest owners in the league? At the very
least, I think Gaston should try to be more flexible in defending his
principles. He apparently has no problem overpaying by millions for the
second-tier Matt Geigers', Travis Knights', Dee Browns' and Antique
Wilkins' of the world.

***