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Hey, remember when David Stern used an unproven loss of 400 million dollars to tighten screws on the players union? Stern played the pauper during a gilded All Star extravaganza. Since then, the NBA has grown either rich or deranged—maybe both. The League’s books aren’t open, we can only speculate. So I’ll spitball this: When Amir Johnson is getting that Goldman Sachs scrilla, basketball must be in decent economic straights. When it comes to poverty, the NBA’s crying wolf—just look at the Wolves.
So, what does this all mean to the Warriors management?
- Obviously there’s more for Morrow.
- A lot of thumb twittling as some team likely whisks Morrow away.
- A lot of coping with the emasculating feeling that other teams court superstars, while your boys have to worry about retaining Anthony Morrow.
- It means Rudy Gay has a hefty price tag, not that the Warriors should want to pry him from the Grizzlies anyway.
- It means teams will call the Warriors in pursuit of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins.
What’s the right play on Anthony Morrow? I say match whatever dollars are thrown his way (within reason). It’s not that Morrow’s incredibly good—it’s what he’s incredibly good at. Ammo’s elite shooting won’t fade with age, and is a known league quantity. If the market bears a steep price for Morrow today, it will likely bear a similar cost tomorrow. And sadly, he was our best statistical player according to 82games.com.
The trick is gauging whether this explosion of GM irresponsibility is a temporary Lebromenom, or part of a larger trend. Lacking a crystal ball, all I can say is that teams love floor spacers today, tomorrow, and as long as a curvy stripe separates three points from two. It would be difficult to overpay Morrow, even in this particular free agent bubble.
Reports say Morrow is currently being courted by at least six teams. At this point, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see him get an offer for the full MLE. He may only be worth around $3-4 Million, but 2010 is “The Year of the Free Agent.” And guys being overpaid year after year should come as nothing new for NBA fans. Players are often overpaid (Elton Brand, Paul Millsap, Maggette) or made ridiculous offers (Joe Johnson) to avoid bidding wars between teams.
I hope the Warriors do the right thing this summer. First, they need to match any offer sheet Morrow signs. He’s the best shooter I’ve ever seen in a Warrior uniform. Then go after a small foward via trade or free agency. Then they should lay low until the ownership change. With nearly all the Warriors projected to be healthy by training camp, the new brass can get a better look at the direction they want to take this season.