DanTown8587 wrote:First, this isn't a far off possibility the RFA kills contracts.
Players Union isn't going to let contracts get slaughtered. I can see them getting modified, but not to the point that conspiracy theorists are suggesting. And even if they did, then Noah's contract would get adjusted to the point that it would have the same effect to the new cap. According to player union officials, negotiations have gone surprisingly well, so I don't see a huge change upcoming.
Second, the "Noah was getting more than this" is a strange statement. Only the big eight FA got more than this over the summer, don't see Noah on that list.
Legitimate 2 way centers are not easy to find. Legitimate centers that affect the game the way Noah does are even harder to find. Noah was going to get paid nicely next summer. There are always teams out there that are willing to overpay. Had Noah been a FA this past summer, I don't see anyway he wouldn't have got that contract he was looking for.
Third, Noah was vital last year. But right now why is no one yelling that Noah defensively is a liability against elite teams like Carmelo would be? There seems to be an awful lot of cherry picking regarding the two guys (by both sides) instead of the legit concerns/strengths of both.
Noah's defensive shortcomings are due to his lack of strength. Melo's are due to lack of motivation, effort, and skills. One of those can be fixed/adjusted easier than the other. Noah is a good committed defender. He has added strength every year he's been in the league. Will he be a shut down Center against the bigger centers in the league this year? Probably not, but I have more faith in him getting there as the years go on. Melo finally learning to play D after 7 years in the league, I find a lot more doubtful.
Fourth, if you compare Noah to horrible overpaid and universally bad contracts, than yeah Noah's deal looks fine.
If you compare Noah to Centers with close to his contribution, then yeah he looks good. Same as Deng's contract. Im not saying compare him to bad contracts. Im saying compare him to comparable production. The fact that there are so many overpaid centers in the league, just goes to my 2nd point, that Noah would've gotten overpaid had we allowed him to become a RFA. Teams are always willing to overpay for good big men.
