Can we offer EJ the most

Pacersike · Post #1 » by **Pacersike** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:07 am

and keep/match the rest of the team?

It is funny, I was never a fan of him, but the longer he is out, the more I seem to get interested in him and the more I start to believe he isn't going to stay in New Orleans.

What team has more reason to give him a big check and take a bit of a risk with his health than the Pacers? Hornets perhaps, but it doesn't look like Eric really wants to play for them.

What other team is close enough to competing and could use Gordon as the final piece and would be willing to gamble on him getting healthy again?

If they have the cap room, I can definitely see the Pacers offer the most, even without the Hornets matching it. George Hill can walk if he wants to...

yoadknux · Post #2 » by **yoadknux** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:13 am

The Hornets have cap space & they will match anything. Even if they don't plan on keeping him, they will match and S&T him to get value. There's no way any team in the league gets him through free agency without trading anyone.

Wizop · Post #3 » by **Wizop** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:15 pm

under the new rules, I've heard you can no longer use a sign and trade to pass the home town extras on to the next team. in any event, I'm not in the EJ is the missing piece camp.

pacers70 · Post #4 » by **pacers70** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:45 pm

EJ is not the answer. He is injured too much. He played 78 games his rookie year and since then has played a maximum of 62 games in a season.

Ducksplatt · Post #5 » by **Ducksplatt** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:47 pm

He would be a great fit but there is way NOH let's him go. I can see hime trying to force a trade after that.
Honestly, he is injured so much that I can't believe he turned down that extension they offered him.

BTW - it would be EG not EJ

Wizop · Post #6 » by **Wizop** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:24 pm

EJ is what people call him. the J is right. I assume it stands for Junior but I could be wrong. it is not a misspelled Gordon.

basketballwacko2 · Post #7 » by **basketballwacko2** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:52 pm

I like Gordon but like was said the longer he is out the lower his value gets. I think NO will match any offers for him they will likely extend the QO and then he'll check the FA market, I was for offering him about $9-11 million per for 4 yrs with an ETO/player option after the first season. Maybe one of those declining offers starting at $12 million droping by 8% per year with the ETO in year 2 and 3. Then if he signs and NOLA matches he gets paid good in 2012-13 and can opt out and be a UFA after one season. Then if we want him and he's healthy we can go after him in 2013 following his opt out.

If he still plays only 50-60 games the he can stay in NOLA.

Post #8 » by **Miller4ever** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:11 pm

He's banged up a lot. Injuries like the ones he's had tend to add up and produce a less-than-stellar product. I think we would get similar returns if we picked up Brandon Roy if/when he comes back.

Starkiller · Post #9 » by **Starkiller** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:50 pm

BTW he is called EJ because he is Eric Jr.

Honestly, I've all but given up on the idea of him coming home and being a somewhat savior for us. Whether it's the possibility of getting him or just staying healthy and not being a waste of a ton of money.

Boneman2 · Post #10 » by **Boneman2** » Thu Mar 1, 2012 4:49 am

If he signs a q.o. atleast he'd have a season to prove himself before becoming unrestricted. At that point Granger will be close to expiring, so I could see a scenario where PG shifts to the 3 and we sign a stud 2. If EJ proves himself we'd have to consider it.

Someone mentioned Brandon Roy, if the rumors are true that he might return, I wouldn't be shocked if he ended up here because of his connection with Pritchard. Plus I think we're only carrying 13 on the roster, so we've got room.

Pacersike · Post #11 » by **Pacersike** » Thu Mar 1, 2012 8:14 am

Miller4ever wrote:He's banged up a lot. Injuries like the ones he's had tend to add up and produce a less-than-stellar product. I think we would get similar returns if we picked up Brandon Roy if/when he comes back.

And West is 31 and coming of major knee surgery. Does that guarantee who stays healthy in the future?
Heck, even Brandon Roy thinks about a return and he has empty knees.

This is exactly why I think he might end up with the Pacers as soon as next offseason.
Every team knows the possibility of him getting hurt again are way above average. What more reason do they have to sign him than the Pacers do? Maybe the Hornets will do an extra investment to keep the guy they got for CP3, but there don't seem to be any indications Eric is eager to play for them.
Am I the only one who thinks there got to be more to it than just him being injuried?

I was always opposed to trading for Gordon, but if we can add him, we would instantly have the best wing rotation in the league, when healthy. Bird and Morway have build a team that doesn't depend on 1 or 2 guys, so if 1 or 2 players get injured, we can still make it to the playoffs.

Patiently waiting till u get a steal somewhere (like decent DC for the horrible Murphy) has its attractiviness, but at some point u have to make a risky move if u want to win it all. Now seems like a perfect timing to get A a player who puts people in the seats B a player to close out games.

The longer he stays inactive, the more I will want to see him in a Pacers uniform

MNPacersfan · Post #12 » by **MNPacersfan** » Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:11 pm

I only looked at this because I thought it was about TNT's Ernie Johnson...

Post #13 » by **Miller4ever** » Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:29 pm

We got a pretty good deal for West. I'm not sure Gordon can be had for value on production.

Boneman2 · Post #14 » by **Boneman2** » Thu Mar 1, 2012 5:33 pm

Am I the only one who thinks there got to be more to it than just him being injuried?

You are not alone Pacersike. I've been saying this about EJ from the moment he started missing games.

clippermitch · Post #15 » by **clippermitch** » Fri Mar 9, 2012 9:45 pm

I've watched EG play since we drafted him. Dude is an incredible baller, but he's always hurt.

I really hope he can get healthy and play an entire season. He hasn't done this at all.

granger05 · Post #16 » by **granger05** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:29 pm

Assuming Eric Gordon was healthy and that he wanted to play for the Pacers what are the contract shenanigans that we could pull in making him an offer?

In the past, I can think of examples of non-max players getting front-loaded contracts in order to discourage a cap-strapped team from matching it. Assuming that signing Gordon would require something near the max that sort of thing wouldn't be possible. If New Orleans is likely to match any offer even up to the max then why not offer a contract that pays him the max, but has a player termination option after the first year?

If there really was mutual interest in him playing for Indy wouldn't that be the fastest way to guarantee it happens. If he signed that with us then New Orleans could match it, but matching it requires an identical contract right? In that case, it wouldn't be any different than signing the QO except he gets bigger money for the year and if he were to demonstrate that he can't stay healthy then New Orleans is stuck with him.

The CBA is very explicit about the maximum term and dollar values, but what other nuggets can get added in? What contract perks are specifically disallowed?

Post #17 » by **Scoot McGroot** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 2:36 am

granger05 wrote:then why not offer a contract that pays him the max, but has a player termination option after the first year?

It's simply not allowed. I think if a player termination is in the contract offer, it has to be after the 3rd year, at the earliest.

Wizop · Post #18 » by **Wizop** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 2:37 am

I really hope we don't do anything like that. PG and not EJ is our shooting guard now and I hope for a long time. if we can keep Barbosa, we've got the backup spot covered. we could use help at backup 3 but that's not EJ. if we offer any free agent the most, it is just going to make it harder to sign the guys who are already here. there is a thread started on just that problem. going after EJ only makes the problem worse.