Offer Nene some money

[Pacersike]

West latest surgery and the fact the Grizz can match any offer the Pacers make for Gasol might have something to do with it, but Bird will be flying to Denver to propose to Nene.

Per Mike Wells' twitter-

https://twitter.com/#!/MikeWellsNBA

Pacers president Larry Bird is scheduled to fly to Denver to meet with free agent big man Nene on Tuesday, according to sources.

The Pacers like Nene because he can power forward and center. Roy Hibbert played the role of recruiter while working out Nene in Texas.

Seems Nene may be our #1 target.

According to sources, Nene, Chandler and Gasol all set their early asking prices in the neighborhood of maximum-contract territory, starting at $14.8 million for Gasol, $17.7 annually for Nene, and $20.7 million for Chandler. There is plenty of crossover in their respective lists of salary-cap-friendly suitors, with the Nets, Rockets and Warriors appearing to be the hungriest shoppers, and the Pacers and Trail Blazers strolling the big man aisles as well.

How much would u offer him or how high u think Bird is willing to go?

[Pacersike]

4 years, 55M

[Indy2thaWindy]

4/58

4/60 at the most

[laydo]

Wow! You guys are so generous paying him that much!

The maximum I would give is 4/52, that's it.
Over 13M/yr, he will be overpaid.

[Moooose]

Wow! You guys are so generous paying him that much!

The maximum I would give is 4/52, that's it.
Over 13M/yr, he will be overpaid.

I agree. 13M/yr is already too much IMO, but he kinda fits what we are looking for more than West does. So i'f still want him in Indy even if he's expensive. We could be giving West a bigger contract, to opt for Nene would be safer.

[Wizop]

we need to be at 85% of the cap. I think that sets a floor on what we'll have to pay someone to fill out the roster.

[Gremz]

I'd go up to 60m. Guy is the perfect fit here, and we'd end up paying 5m for a backup Center and probably a bad price for West anyways.

[mizzoupacers]

I'd go up to 60m. Guy is the perfect fit here

I've slowly come around to this position as well. Nene is exactly the kind of player the Pacers need for their frontcourt. In ordinary circumstances, I don't think he would be worth $15 million a year, but given that the Pacers have the cap room and he fits so well, I think overpaying a little for Nene would work out better than most other options likely to become available in the next two or three years.

With Nene in the starting lineup, the Pacers would have five solid starters, and the first two guys off the bench (I assume it would be George Hill and Hansbrough) would be above-average sixth and seventh men...that's a 50+ win team easily, maybe better. I'd like to see it happen.

[Indy4Life]

If there was a way to land Nene and Battier I would be thrilled. They are both great pieces to add to any roster, but great fits for ours.

Collison-George-Granger-Nene-Hibbert
Hill-Battier-Hansbrough

This would be one of the best rotations in the East. I think that team would compete for a division title and a homecourt in the 1st round of the playoffs.

[8305]

Assuming Nene can play the 4 that is a pretty awesome fit. Since he can play two positions eliminating the need for a remarkable backup center, can you justify throwing more money at him? I will be very surprised if he can be had for less than 15 mil per season. Just too much cap space chasing a very small pool of players who can more than fill a narrow role.

[PR07]

I'd be stunned if anyone gives Chandler that kind of money with his injury history.

As for NeNe, I'd probably go as high as 14 million a year. The fact that he can play both frontcourt positions should be just gravy to the Pacers. It also helps that he's a big body. Hansbrough while tough is small, and Hibbert gets pushed around a lot, but I can't see anyone pushing Nene around.

[8305]

Truth be told Nene is an upgrade over Roy at the 5 and an upgrade over Hans at the 4. Don't know if that says more about his talents or the weakness of a Hibbert/Hans 4/5 combo.

[Grang33r]

Wow! You guys are so generous paying him that much!

The maximum I would give is 4/52, that's it.
Over 13M/yr, he will be overpaid.

Welcome to trying to building via free agency. If we are not willing to overpay, we are not going to sign any of the players we are after, that includes David West and Jamal Crawford. However, unlike the Rashard Lewis mega deal Orlando signed him to in 2007, Nene, or any other free agent, comes at less risk because it comes with only a 4-year contract.

Free agency now is going to help teams such as Indiana and other small market clubs, but, these teams still must do their homework. From the looks of it, our front office is exploring every option, which makes you believe they have done every bit of homework possible. Lets hope.

[Boneman2]

I think I'd rather pay D. Jordan 5/40--- 8 per

14 per is just silly....

I know Nene is a perfect fit, but we have to be careful not to overpay for a good player. That kind of salary should be preserved for all-star level players.

[8points8seconds]

I feel we have become accustomed to not be big spenders on the market, but this is what we must do in in order to lure in players to Indiana. I really hope we get NENE. It will have such a positive effect on the future of the competitiveness if this team.

[Miller4ever]

Bird's flying out to personally invite Nene to the Pacers. It's clear that we're not going to throw all our money away on him, and the personal touch is a great point of consideration for many players, who want to feel comfortable wherever they end up.

[Grang33r]

Bird's flying out to personally invite Nene to the Pacers. It's clear that we're not going to throw all our money away on him, and the personal touch is a great point of consideration for many players, who want to feel comfortable wherever they end up.

According to Fox Sports radio, i heard them say that Brian Shaw, Frank Vogel and David Morway also accompanied Bird to Denver to meet with Nene.

[Gremz]

Vogel went too? Awesome, his motivation should surely help to get him here.

[Grang33r]

Vogel went too? Awesome, his motivation should surely help to get him here.

Yup, it does seem our interest is very serious in Nene. Not sure if they will offer the max to him, but if i had to guess, it will be pretty high up there. Roy Hibbert worked out with him all summer long and has been recruiting him, so they must know there is enough interest as long as the price is right.

[Grang33r]

Shaun Powell -

Larry Bird is trying to talk Nene into accepting slightly lower money so the Pacers can chase other free agents.

Link- https://twitter.com/#!/Powell2daPeople/ ... 4916137985