Woelfel on WSSP: Ellis not interested re Bucks extension

[jr lucosa]

I like the idea of trading him for Calderon and a 1st, then moving beno for best offer available.

[Buck You]

Good.

Get rid of the bum.

[Badgerlander]

I'd bet money that this ends up exactly like Salmons did.

[Steve210]

I'd bet money that this ends up exactly like Salmons did.

I doubt it, Skiles & Hammond are both going into this season in the last year of their contracts. I think Senator Kohl might be putting the team up for sale, and the last thing he's going to sign off on is a big contract for someone that he doesn't think will be part of the future of the Bucks. I think the Jennings situation will be interesting, because I could see them signing Brandon long term, but I highly doubt Monta will get that type of offer. Jennings has been the face of the franchise, especially since Bogut's been gone, and you notice they don't really promote Monta? I don't see him in a Bucks uniform long term, let's see if he makes it through the entire season?

[emunney]

So let's say we keep him thinking that with his bird rights we can offer him more than any other team (right?) and he opts out after the season and we get into a bidding war with ourselves, what is the max we can offer him? You know an offer so stupid he can't refuse? That, aside from yet another trade for a past his prime wing on an overpaid contract, is the worst case scenario.

It'd be a 5 year deal starting at 30% of the 'cap'* and moving up by 7.5% of the first year each year. A max bird rights FA with Monta's accrued years would start at 16.4m. So the total contract would be 5/94.23.

I don't see it happening, personally... unless Monta scores 25ppg and we get to the 2nd round. Hammond is too cautious. He's a C grade GM. He's not going to leave a smoking crater when he leaves. He'll just leave an empty lot.

*not actually the cap, a different calculation is used for this than what's used to calculate the actual cap level.

[eagle13]

I like the idea of trading him for Calderon and a 1st, then moving beno for best offer available.

It would be nice. Not sure Raps do it as they have added Fields & Ross as SGs as well as DeRozan moved to SF

[jr lucosa]

I like the idea of trading him for Calderon and a 1st, then moving beno for best offer available.

It would be nice. Not sure Raps do it as they have added Fields & Ross as SGs as well as DeRozan moved to SF

I think they may consider near January if they are in the playoff race and Fields is his normal bad self. Might depend on how well Ross is playing.

[jr lucosa]

And I would love something centered around horford and ellis, I see the hawks as realistic trade partners even if we can't pry horford away from them.

[tski1972]

I wish Buckpack would throw us a nugget, even if it's just to say "no one's getting traded".

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

I don't know if Ferry would be interested, but I'd at least make a call to Atlanta to see if they want to get Ellis to help entice Howard next year while Ferry can clear more cap space. Ellis & Josh Smith are two of Howards buddies.

Ellis/Sanders/Top3 protected first for Horford

It will make more then that...Ellis Udoh and Dunleavy perhaps.

They are not taking Sanders. I would throw in Udrih as well in that situation. He is an expiring as well isn't he?

You are also gambling that Howard will not resign with the Lake Show which is a huge gamble for GM Ferry but that is not our problem.

Horford...? I don't know now. I loved him when we had Bogut. I guess he and Delembert can work until Henson is ready...Nah. You would have to get a 3rd team in here because you still have a logjam.

We need a 2 guard not another PF. Horford was the guy I wanted when we had Bogut. On a bad team around him he is pedestrian. He is good to great when you have other pieces around him. He is not the centerpiece of your team.

LaMarcus Aldridge would interest me but Stotts would not move him for Ellis unless we could move Ersan so we stiick to a two guard.

Thank you for this mess Kohl....you should have fired both Hammond and Skiles and just moved on with a fresh hire like Nate McMillan or Kelvin Sampson and started over. That is why we can't attract and sign nobody!

No one is coming here with the status of no extension for Jennings or Ellis and two lame ducks in Skiles and GM Hammond. WHO WOULD COME HERE IN THAT SCENARIO!? They'd be a fool.

I wouldn't...and this is my home-town team. And I would fire my agent if he even seriously suggested I come here ...on the spot.

That is why we only got a walking wounded Center in Prybilla and a desperate guy in Sammy Delembert who would play anywhere. Even Meeks rejected us and many others we probaly don't know.

Too late now. Thanks alot Kohl. Thanks alot. This could have all been avoided. Skiles could be in Orlando and Hammond in Portland and we would have this settled by now.

[Badgerlander]

So let's say we keep him thinking that with his bird rights we can offer him more than any other team (right?) and he opts out after the season and we get into a bidding war with ourselves, what is the max we can offer him? You know an offer so stupid he can't refuse? That, aside from yet another trade for a past his prime wing on an overpaid contract, is the worst case scenario.

It'd be a 5 year deal starting at 30% of the 'cap'* and moving up by 7.5% of the first year each year. A max bird rights FA with Monta's accrued years would start at 16.4m. So the total contract would be 5/94.23.

I don't see it happening, personally... unless Monta scores 25ppg and we get to the 2nd round. Hammond is too cautious. He's a C grade GM. He's not going to leave a smoking crater when he leaves. He'll just leave an empty lot.

*not actually the cap, a different calculation is used for this than what's used to calculate the actual cap level.

Wouldn't Hammond's contract end before the draft? I'm assuming it would be a cronie that will take over, and I wouldn't put it passed them. They promoted Monta when he first came here with the full page add and everything, and to hear Pashke talk about him he must be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Anyway, I merely brought it up as a worst case scenario.

[paulpressey25]

Jennings has been the face of the franchise, especially since Bogut's been gone, and you notice they don't really promote Monta? I don't see him in a Bucks uniform long term, let's see if he makes it through the entire season?

Steve--I do see Monta getting promoted a lot the past two weeks. He and Jennings are the primary two featured in all the ads. Go to the MJS site and up pops up Monta's face with Brandon. You can't miss it.

Frankly that's why I don't have much hope he'll be dealt. They seem to be all in on him this season.

[jr lucosa]

I was just on the Milwaukee Bucks official facebook page yesterday or the day before and they had a picture of Monta (and no one else) as their headline pic or whatever that is called - the picture that runs across the top of the page.

They also put him on the team schedule calender thing.

I don't think it would make much sense to deal him now anyway unless someone offered a legitimately good package. The Bucks always seem to be PR sensitive heading into seasons too and always try to promote dudes who have no business being promoted which makes me think that even if someone did offer them a good package we probably aren't interested, I think he gets moved at the deadline or he rides out his contract as a Buck and we lose him for nothing.

[Max Green]

If he's still intimating that he doesn't want to come back around the trade deadline he's as good as gone. Only way I can us holding on to him under that scenario is if we are the 6th/7th seed or better record wise and he's having a good year.

[LUKE23]

When have the Bucks ever made a trade that would benefit them long-term to abandon the chase of the playoffs? It's really weird to make a proclamation that we'll definitely move Ellis unless we're 6th/7th. Granted, even then it would be stupid, but I'd bet heavily that he's kept past the deadline unless we're completely buried out of the playoff picture. Hell, we didn't even move RJ that one year that Bogut was down. Sessions-kept. Ilyasova-kept. What asset have we cashed in at the deadline except to try and make the playoffs?

[paul]

When have the Bucks ever made a trade that would benefit them long-term to abandon the chase of the playoffs? It's really weird to make a proclamation that we'll definitely move Ellis unless we're 6th/7th. Granted, even then it would be stupid, but I'd bet heavily that he's kept past the deadline unless we're completely buried out of the playoff picture. Hell, we didn't even move RJ that one year that Bogut was down. Sessions-kept. Ilyasova-kept. What asset have we cashed in at the deadline except to try and make the playoffs?

Not to mention the fact that Ellis was obtained in the first place purely because he was healthy and Bogut was not to help make a playoff run - despite comments from Hammond since that made it clear he felt Bogut was the better player and the deal never would have been done if not for health reasons impacting that playoff run.

The sooner we can put this entire debacle behind us the better. Ship him FFS, now.

[Baddy Chuck]

If Monta was a good player and wanted out I may try to appease him this season to get him to stay but he is not a good player.

[Max Green]

We've never been in this situation before with the current regime where we had a guy that we recently traded for where it is pretty much unanimously being reported that he's gonna opt out and wants no part of signing an extension here.

Sessions, Ersan etc... were homegrown guys who they actually intended to re-sign at one point. If we are a couple of games out of the 8th seed by the trade deadline and he's still refusing to sign an extension I would bet heavily that he's gone.

[SkilesTheLimit]

When have the Bucks ever made a trade that would benefit them long-term to abandon the chase of the playoffs? It's really weird to make a proclamation that we'll definitely move Ellis unless we're 6th/7th. Granted, even then it would be stupid, but I'd bet heavily that he's kept past the deadline unless we're completely buried out of the playoff picture. Hell, we didn't even move RJ that one year that Bogut was down. Sessions-kept. Ilyasova-kept. What asset have we cashed in at the deadline except to try and make the playoffs?

Exactly. In reading this, it brought one thought to my mind: this is the most reactionary upper management of any sports team I can remember. Never proactive, with a vision for the long-term future of the organization. It's always about the here and now and "going for it" (which in Milwaukee terms means...just making the playoffs). Never trading assets for first round picks or young talent. We wonder why this franchise is stagnant with both feet stuck in a hole filled with cement. It's a pathetic organization and we all deserve better. We deserve competence.

[Max Green]

When have the Bucks ever made a trade that would benefit them long-term to abandon the chase of the playoffs? It's really weird to make a proclamation that we'll definitely move Ellis unless we're 6th/7th. Granted, even then it would be stupid, but I'd bet heavily that he's kept past the deadline unless we're completely buried out of the playoff picture. Hell, we didn't even move RJ that one year that Bogut was down. Sessions-kept. Ilyasova-kept. What asset have we cashed in at the deadline except to try and make the playoffs?

Not to mention the fact that Ellis was obtained in the first place purely because he was healthy and Bogut was not to help make a playoff run - despite comments from Hammond since that made it clear he felt Bogut was the better player and the deal never would have been done if not for health reasons impacting that playoff run.

The sooner we can put this entire debacle behind us the better. Ship him FFS, now.

Come on, you know the main reason he traded Bogut & Jax for Ellis & Udoh & Cap relief was because Bogut is injury prone and unreliable. I'm pretty sure the fact that Andrew played was going to play in less then 60% of our games for the last couple of years had more barring on why he was traded then making the playoffs last season. If this wasn't Bogut's 3rd season ending injury in 4 years we wouldn't have traded him at the deadline, Playoff run or not.

Hammond looked at Udoh & Monta especially as core pieces for this team, and has said repeatedly that he believes Monta & Brandon are and can work as our backcourt for the future. The fact that Monta & Udoh could also help contribute to last years playoff run was icing on the cake for Hammond but not the sole basis for the trade.