Benjammin wrote:That's probably true that there is a disconnect. I know for me that the emotional attachment to Gil makes evaluating the decision more difficult. For example, knowing everything we know right now about Gil and his recent years, should the Wizards sign Gil to a 4 year 80 million dollar contract, because that's what is left on his deal. Now we can argue that taking on a year of Vince Carter at 17.3 million plus a four million dollar buyout also needs to be put into the equation. Finally, some might argue if not Gil at this money, then who?
So fellow Wizards fans, would you sign Gil to a four year 80 million dollar contract if he were a free agent and everything else was identical?
I believe JRo posted this question earlier and I basically tossed aside the argument as irrelevant as he's already on the team. I guess I should try and expand on that. To answer the hypothetical directly and truthfully, no I would not sign Gil to such a contract today. Given Gil's injury history, time away from the game and media backlash against such a move, he simply wouldn't be worth the risk.
However, that is not the situation before us. Gil is already a Wizard and has a fan base here that I believe is eager to re-embrace him. With Gil already under contract for another 4 years, we've assumed most of the risk already and I believe it's time to roll the dice and see if we can catch lightning in a bottle once again with Gil. If Gil can shake off the rust, heal from his injury and return to any semblance of his old self, we could potentially have set ourselves up with one of the most dynamic backcourts in the history of the NBA. And then you can ask me then if I would still sign Gil to same contract as the length of Gil's large contract meshes perfectly with the length of Wall's small rookie deal.
That being said, I worry like everyone else about just how much the injury will affect Gil's game and whether he'll be the same player ever again. This is where I think that John Wall could do wonders for Gil and allow Gil to play off the ball, be a deadly outside assassin and not be forced to try take opposing PG's off the dribble. Even last year after coming back from injury and years of rust, I think Gil proved he can still beat most opposing SG's off the dribble and get to the rim/line when he was paired with Boykins. This allowed Gil to get in his comfort zone and be a double threat and showed us glimpses of what he was and who he can still be in this league.
And again, I think John Wall would be the biggest benefactor in all of this. On the court, Wall won't have as much pressure to be a marksman from outside as he refines his shot in the coming years. Wall would also have the luxury to give the ball off to Gil at times especially when he has tough defensive assignment against him. Off the court, Wall won't have the added pressure of being a one-man show with all eyes and media cameras on him. I'm not saying the spotlight won't be shined the brightest on John Wall, but there would be enough of a story with Gil that will take some of that attention away.
