Keep Telfair for Cheap?

[shrink]

I read an interesting article that suggests that a small offer might keep Telfair simply becaue of the new economics of free agency. I would not mind keeping Telfair, regardless of who we draft, if his price tag isn't too high.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9062

"Owners' pockets are getting a lot tighter," asserted the executive.

"Do you know how many full mid-level exceptions were handed out last year? Zip. That's right, not a single one. And the summer before last? Just three."

So while teams are granted various exceptions to the salary cap -- with the mid-level being the most prominent -- owners are feeling less and less comfortable about allowing their GM's to spend the entire amount allotted by the collective bargaining agreement. And owners are getting increasingly more cautious of paying for potential in the current economic climate.

What that means is restricted free agents this summer -- such as J.R. Smith, Sasha Vujacic and Sebastian Telfair to name a few -- probably aren't going to command the kind of money they might have been able to even four or five years ago.

[shrink]

.. and of course, this might mean Gomes is cheaper, and Craig Smith and Kirk Snyder aren't guaranteed to hit the road.

[deeney0]

I'm for keeping all of them if they're cheap.

[Basti]

I'm for keeping all of them if they're cheap.

[Frozen316]

I would love to keep Sebastian, especially if we don't take Mayo or Bayless. We should have at least one true point guard on the team.

[Tekkenlaw]

I really want to keep Bassy, I think he has more potential than any of our other RFA's.

[revprodeji]

WHat I was told is that Gomes is our first priority, but Bassy is #2. We want to keep him. I see us keeping him. Likely Mayo is seen as a 1/2, which means having a true back-up 1 is a good thing. Also, we are constantly getting injuried. I am all for keeping Bassy.

[dunkonu21]

Telfair is our version of Rondo. We have to keep him!

[Devilzsidewalk]

for very very cheap I'd like him, but not if it interferes with MN getting a more important free agent at swing or the frontcourt. For backup PG we already got Jaric, if we need another we can go the minimum route and pick up a guy like Arroyo or Smush Parker. Plus we got those two 2nd rounders, that could be a guard too. We have to wait until the draft sorts itself out before thinking about Telfair.

[deeney0]

Bassy isn't nearly the defender that Rondo is, but I think Bassy is a bit more of a pure PG.

[dunkonu21]

But he is a pain in the ass to the other team like Rondo. He'll get a couple blow byes, steal a bunch of balls and is a pretty good passer. I know he isn't as athletic, but he brings some of the same energy and is a very good back-up PG if injuries happened just like Rev said.


He is also one of the few dudes in the world who has the foot speed and quickness to stay with the Tony Parker's and Chris Paul's of the world.

[revprodeji]

another thing is that you could argue McCants was at his best last year when he played the 3, not the 2. We had a line-up of Bassy-Jaric-Shad. Lets say we get Mayo. We can play a line up of foye-mayo-shad (bassy-mayo-shad) which means more minutes for Bassy. It is a crazy athletic line-up.

Talent is good, the more the better.

[deeney0]

If you're willing to play zone all the time or just give up on defense. But playing Shad a lot at three, against folks like Carmelo and LeBron and Caron? Recipe for trouble.

[Worm Guts]

You can give Shad spot duty at the 3 during certain matchups but you can't give him consistent minutes there, especially with an undersized 2.

[4ho5ive]

I was rooting for Telfair when we got him last season so it would be nice to be able to retain him if he is willing to come for a lower dollar amount. If he can work on his shooting and ability to finish, then I think he would be a great change-of-pace guard to have.

[karch34]

I'm all for keeping him on the cheap. Even if we get Mayo who could play PG, it'd be nice to have a pure PG as the backup. Marko can play PG, but I think he's a better fit as a combo 1-3 off the bench, mainly at SF.

I like what I saw from Bassy and want to keep him. The issue as I see it is going to be how much PT for everyone since we're already back court heavy without drafting Mayo. So if we draft Mayo and resign Gomes and Telfair that alone leaves us with:
Mayo: starting PG or SG
Foye: starting PG or SG
McCants: SG likely off the bench and not a great SF due to size.
Telfair: backup PG
Jaric: backup PG, SG, SF
Gomes: SF, PF who in my mind should be starting at SF with Al at PF.
Brewer: SF, SG still needs work, but he's going to get his PT some way.
Buckner: SG but expiring not likely to see major minutes

Obviously with Al playing C it moves Gomes to PF for major minutes and helps alleviate some of the 1-3 minutes, but I think both are much more effective at PF and SF respectively.

[TMo519]

Yeah, I kinda echo everyone else, I'm all on board with signing talent on the cheap, I don't care what position.

[shrink]

Well, I thought it was good news too, and I didn't expect anyone to say it was a bad thing to keep talent at a bargain price.

One other thought I had here was that this gives us a slight edge economically for all the guys we want to bring back, if its cheap.

First, all teams operate under similar cost limitations, and if our players are more productive for the dollar, i.e., more cost-effective, that is obviously a benefit.

Second, if other teams are reluctant to add salary for a free agent, that doesn't mean they wouldn't trade for the guy if it would keep their payroll at the same level. For example, suppose we could get Craig Smith for $2 mil. He might not be a fit here, but he'd be a helpful low-post scorer for several teams that have a big center to put behind them. Heck, he'd be more veteran production at a cheap price than several picks for teams with play-off ambitions. Yes, we'd be adding that salary (versus letting him walk like a TPE), but we could possibly trade him for a piece that fits? Or use him as incentive to get a trade done? If he's cheap, he's a trade asset.

I'll be happy to keep Telfair. I hope this means Gomes pricetag will be lesser than I imagine. But if the price is right, getting Craig Smith (talent without fit) would be a good move too.

[karch34]

That should make Smith more likely and you make some great points Shrink. I really think it depends on if we acquire a big man through the draft or via trade though.