Sixers' Iguodala has faith he can play for larger fortune
Posted: Wed Mar 5, 2008 2:53 pm
Sixers' Iguodala has faith he can play for larger fortune
By PHIL JASNER
Philadelphia Daily News
jasnerp@phillynews.com
LOS ANGELES - He wants to be a franchise player. He wants to be paid accordingly.
But he walked away from a $57 million contract extension. And his team is 28-33.
And that has observers all around the NBA wondering exactly where that leaves the 76ers' Andre Iguodala as he approaches restricted free agency this summer.
In the midst of his fourth season after becoming the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA's 2004 draft, he is the Sixers' leading scorer and has been one of a handful of players in the league to maintain averages of at least 19 points, five rebounds and four assists.
He was a member of the U.S. national select team that practiced with and scrimmaged against the Olympic team last summer. Jerry Colangelo, the managing director of the Olympic team, has said he is a likely candidate for the 2012 Olympic team.
But when the Daily News asked people around the league whether the multitalented Iguodala is a franchise player, many of the responses indicated that, while he might yet develop into one, he is seen more as an excellent No. 2 guy, able to support a No. 1 guy in whatever areas might be necessary in a given game.
Those same people - certainly not a scientific poll - wonder about the wisdom of Iguodala rejecting an offer that would have provided him with his first fortune; he is playing this season for a little more than $2.8 million. Negotiations on a new deal cannot resume until July 1, when the Sixers will hold the right of first refusal.
The Sixers also might hold a trump card, because they are likely to have more space (about $10 million) under the salary cap than any other team in the league; should they choose to pay luxury tax they could conceivably use their space elsewhere, then re-sign him. Iguodala also has the option of signing a 1-year tender and becoming unrestricted after next season.
"When I heard that he had turned down the extension, the first thing I thought was, either he's crazy or he's a good businessman," said Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "The way I look at it is, he has a lot of faith in himself. Given the finances of my generation, I can't compute [the current numbers], to be able to walk away from that. But a lot of players are."
Iguodala wasn't alone. The Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng and Ben Gordon reportedly walked away from offers of $50 million; the Charlotte Bobcats' Emeka Okafor turned down a reported $65 million.
"For that group, in the long run, it probably is a good business decision," Rivers said. "But it is risky."
Colangelo, the former owner of the Phoenix Suns, has seen the value of player contracts escalate and worries about where the ceiling might be.
"I think the agents have tremendous impact on what decisions these young men are making," he said. "It's a little bit of a sad commentary on the importance or emphasis on money, that it takes precedence over a lot of other things. It's gone way too far, way too far. That's my opinion."
Denver Nuggets guard Allen Iverson, Iguodala's former teammate with the Sixers, said it was a lot of money to walk away from "[but] it was a good decision if that's the decision he made. Obviously, he felt like he deserved more." Iverson added, "He's someone you can build a team around."
Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson agreed. "He is a quality player that you can build around as your franchise player," Nelson said. "Isn't he already there? He's pretty close. He guards, he rebounds, he scores; he's not a terrible passer, though it's probably not his forte. He's multifaceted, tough to guard, does what the coaches ask and is a willing teammate. I'd put him up there."
But the payoff that Iguodala left on the table still is difficult to fathom, said former player Eddie Johnson, now a broadcaster with the Phoenix Suns.
"It's hard to ask a guy who played in the 1980s and 1990s [about the money], because we're looking at it like 'Whaaat?' " Johnson said. "But in today's game, we're dealing with a different kind of player.
"If you're telling me you're walking away from $55 million because you want $60 million and then you're playing 82 games and risking the chance of maybe having a bad year or getting hurt, something's wrong."
While some observers might disagree with what Iguodala did at the contract table, most are in pretty close agreement about his strengths and weaknesses. Hall of Famer Rick Barry suggested that Iguodala "needs to be more aggressive, to do the subtle things, like breaking a guy down, squaring up and beating a [defender] instead of always doing it off the dribble."
And a veteran scout who requested anonymity said: "To me, he's the second- or third-best player on a good team. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses; he's a good defender, a good passer, a little fancy, a high-turnover guy. He runs the floor and is athletic. If the Sixers had a star, he'd be a great player."
The money?
"I thought he was out of his mind, quite frankly [to turn it down]," the scout said. "First of all, there's no money out here. But I think all of this is based on [the Sacramento Kings'] Kevin Martin, who got about $55 million. Martin, though, was averaging 21 [points a game for a team] in the West, and he found a team that thought that was his worth. I don't see a team paying Iguodala $57 million."
Iguodala ascended to the dual roles of leader and best player after Iverson was traded to the Nuggets in December 2006, helping drive the Sixers to 17 victories in their last 26 games.
"It would help him if he had more guys around him, which he's starting to get," Rivers said. "What they're doing right now is phenomenal; they're playing amazing ball and he's the leader, he and Andre Miller. This is his first shot; last season, in the middle of the year, shouldn't count."
Good player to great player to franchise player. That's the ladder Iguodala is attempting to climb, said Hall of Famer Bill Walton. "I think the role model for him has got to be [Wizards forward] Caron Butler, showing the ability to become one of the top 15 players in the conference, to be able to translate talent into impact, control and wins," Walton said. "Ultimately, the result of that is the imagination of the crowd that is drawn to watch you. Can you sell tickets? Can you be the driver of the engine?
"I was stunned with all the guys that turned down the money. Those are huge amounts. Are you going to be able to get significantly more by waiting longer? I'm not sure that's the case, and even as salaries continue to grow, [you're talking about] another 1 to 2 million [dollars] . . . for what?"
Iguodala has consistently said he is comfortable with his decision and that, if he and the team play well, things will take care of themselves.
"I think two things when guys turn down the money," said Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy. "Most people look and say 'How in the heck could you do that?' I always think they're taking a risk, but at the same time I say they're showing tremendous confidence in themselves and their abilities.
"If a guy is going to be a franchise player, and I think that's what Andre Iguodala wants to be, it starts obviously with talent, but the next thing is, they better have tremendous confidence. I think that's what he's showing."
And then there was this caveat from Minnesota Timberwolves broadcaster Billy McKinney: "Whenever a guy turns down that kind of money, I think back to Christian Laettner, who turned down $63 million from the Atlanta Hawks, then blew out his Achilles tendon. Sometimes, a reality check needs to happen."
That will come, one way or another, this summer. *
Right now I say Iggy should get 60 million nothing more, nothing less
but He gona break the bank..