Why we should NOT give Nene the Max
by mbspam17 on Dec 6, 2011 5:58 PM EST
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PrintLet me start this off by saying I like Nene as a player and believe he would be a perfect third option on a championship team. That said, the Nets simply CANNOT give him a max contract this summer, and here's why.
Max contracts should only given out to the absolute top tier of NBA players, guys like LeBron, Dwight, Dirk, Durant, Kobe, etc. Secondary players should NOT receive max contracts or really anywhere close. Here is your proof:
Joe Johnson (6 years, 119 mill)
Carlos Boozer (5 years, 80 mill)
Rashard Lewis (6 years, 126 mill)
Gilbert Arenas (6 years, 111 mill)
Elton Brand (5 years, 80 mill)
Antawn Jamison (4 years, 50 mill)
Al Jefferson (5 years, 65 mill)
Ben Gordon (5 years, 58 mill)
What do these guys all have in common? They are second-tier players that signed huge deals that their teams regret. Max contracts should be reserved for the following players, in my opinion: LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and Dirk Nowitzki. I could be forgetting a couple people, but you get the point.
Another reason not to give Nene the max is his style of play. He is a tall big man with significant skill on the offensive end. However, he does not rebound very well, and does not intimidate anyone on the defensive side of the court. Does this remind you of anyone? Brook Lopez and Nene would not mesh well in the front court given that they are similar in many ways. Who would rebound and block shots for this team? Who would intimidate opposing guards and wings from driving the lane? Tyson Chandler would be a better fit because he would change the defensive culture of the team and turn us into a tougher and more intimidating team singlehandedly. However, he should not get the max either, as he is also a second tier player.
And finally, people cite Nene's remarkable efficiency as a reason to give him the max. However, with more shots and more minutes, it would be tremendously difficult for Nene to maintain his great FG%. Thus, we would be overpaying a second tier player only to see him exposed for what he truly is, similarly to all the players above on the list of big contracts given to second-tier players.
Nene is a good player, but we should not overspend just to spend, as it could set our franchise back for years, as it has done with several of the players on the above list.
Billy King, DO NOT GIVE NENE THE MAX.
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agreed
but let’s say other teams offer him (or chandler) 15/year or 17/year?
do we match or risk missing out on both nene and chandler?
by TheTrueMANningIsELI on Dec 6, 2011 6:03 PM EST reply actions
we move on and look for other opportunities.
we should never give out a contract we don’t feel a player deserves. being in the situation the nets were in pre d-will (lots of cap space, young players, draft picks, etc) is better than being in the situation, say, the magic will be in post-dwight, stuck with lots of bad contracts and with no cap space to use to get better.
Nets have had a hard enough time...
… overpaying to retain their own “stars”. Contemplate this: Nets biggest EVER signing of a free agent from another team: Travis Outlaw.
Essentially your position is the Nets made a mistake dealing for a franchise player with only one year left on his contract, and should have stayed the course on the OKC model. May have been tenable if the Nets weren’t moving to Brooklyn, and didn’t have an owner with deep pockets that purports to be willing to spend to build a contender.
That resolve will be put to the test. This offseason is the new ownership’s litmus test, where it shows it’s willing to pay its way into contention with the Cubans and Dolans (sic) of the league.
Plan A isn’t much more attractive: Should the Magic choose to deal Howard to the Nets, we’re stuck with Turkoglu’s contract and little means to improve the rest of the roster beyond Deron and Dwight for the next 3 seasons beyond the MLE.
With a “Plan B” signing of Nene/Chandler to a cap space killing 4 year/$60M+ deal, at least the Nets can amnesty Outlaw to fill in the starting SF, have a lot of young players on the bench, and retain their picks in the 2012 (and beyond) drafts to add talent to the roster. Slower road up, need Nene to stay healthy and Brooks to improve, but it has a more “OKC” feel.
i liked the dwill trade and still do
but unless we get a star to pair with him he will likely leave. nene doesn’t fit my definition of a star, if he fits dwill’s then maybe, just maaaybe i’d overpay to get him. but imo you should stick to the contract figures you feel the player deserves.
so if the Nets miss out on Nene and Chandler
because we let other teams pay them, and also presumably Howard goes elsewhere, what are these ‘other opportunities’ you’re talking about? Realistic examples please. Let’s see if they really are better alternatives.
Thank you
I’m glad someone is seeing the whole picture.
Although i think Nene should get about what Ben Gordon is getting. 5 years/60mil @ $12mil a year is right on point for his skill and the market.
I saw NENE play a lot when I was in Colorado for 2 years.
and although he is not a great rebounder or shot blocker, he is physically imposing and takes up a lot of space allowing others to get rebounds. I seen him live several times and opposing big men always seemed to have their hands full with him in the paint. The market will set his price but I think we have no choice but to meet it if we want to contend this year.
Nene Plan B1, Chandler Plan B2
Either Nene or Chandler will do but I think that Nene would be the more versatile choice.
Chandler does seem like a better fit next to Lopez as he would fill the obvious defensive and rebounding weaknesses. BUT, is Lopez – like Nowitzki as paired with Chandler – good enough to carry most of the big man scoring load on a team that’s supposed to contend? If we get Chandler, let’s sure hope so. Or, would having two offensive options in Lopez and Nene be better? Also, while not an elite defender like Chandler, Nene is known as an above-average defender.
And down the line, as an athletic big not just limited to defense, Nene could have better trade value. (Remember also that Rashard Lewis 6-year cap killers are no longer possible as 4 years is the longest you can sign outside free agents unless you do a 5-year S&T. Think of it as 3 years under contract and 4th year big tradable expiring. After just 1 season it becomes 2 years + 3rd year expiring, and so on.)
As has often been pointed, Howard is still Plan A and Nene/Chandler Plan B. If we miss out on Dwight, I don’t want to miss out on Nene/Chandler too. Is there really a better alternative currently or next offseason than to form a Twin Towers combo of Nene/Chandler + Brook? You get it done and do what it takes.
Max No Way!
But 15 mil why not. Nene is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Very efficient offensively with a decent mid range game, solid passer, and very good defender (not shot blocker) but defender.
If Dwight is out of the question I’d love to have Nene.
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