It's that time of year

TURIAF AGREES WITH WARRIORS
by Broderick Turner for PE.com

http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/lakers/stories/
PE_Sports_Local_S_turiaf_09.47b3657.html

Oh, oh. Looks like Ronny may have found a better deal than the Laker would match. Or another team who thinks that Laker players are worth more than ex. LOL.

This may mean ch-ch-ch-changes!

“Lakers forward-center Ronny Turiaf agreed to a four-year, $17 million offer from the Golden State Warriors, according to two league sources.

Turiaf is a restricted free agent. The Lakers have seven days to match the Warriors' offer.

Turiaf's agent, Mark Bartelstein would neither confirm nor deny the offer from the Warriors.”

Tom

JustaLakerFan,

Thanks for your support for the Lakers absolute need to sign Bynum this summer.

>>>>> Now for those of you that said don’t sign him, no problem,
|>>>>>just let him become restricted FA we can match offer.
>>>>>Well there is a problem in first if
>>>>>we have to match offer then the cost may be more.

The even bigger problem is that if the Lakers do not sign Drew this summer, they will not have another opportunity to sign him until he becomes a restricted free agent after next year, the 2008/9 season. That is why the priority is to sign Drew this summer.

And Drew will NOT go to go out and get offers for Lakers to match once they tender a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent. Instead, he will accept the qualifying offer and play out the 2009/10 season so that he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of that season when many NBA teams will have cleared maximum cap space to be able to sign LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, or Chris Bosh, all of whom have options to become unrestricted free agents for the first and only time in their careers at the end of the 2009/10 season. It is like the ultimate time to become an unrestricted free agent.

Think about that for a second. If the Lakers do not sign Drew to an extension before October 31, he has a clear path, if he wants with the Lakers unable to stop him, to become a free agent in 2 years at the same time as everybody has saved cap space to sign LeBron, Wade, or Bosh. What agent would not recommend his client go that route?

Don’t think that Drew’s agent and the Lakers’ front office don’t realize this. That is why the Lakers will do whatever is needed to sign Drew to an extension before the October 31st deadline. It’s their only real option. Anybody who thinks otherwise is wrong.

Tom

I heard that if you call yourself a "blogger," you can sit in the press area and watch the games for free...

LakerTom,

I love you man, but you're kind of becoming a broken record.

LakerTom,

>>>And Drew will NOT go to go out and get offers for Lakers
>>>to match once they tender a qualifying offer to make him
>>>a restricted free agent. Instead, he will accept the
>>>qualifying offer and play out the 2009/10 season so that
>>>he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of
>>>that season

You're jumping the gun a bit in (at least) 4 ways here.

First - the Lakers could still match Ronny's offer and keep him. I'm not sure they will... maybe if someone offers Sasha
more, or maybe they'll just bite the bullet and pay the huge
salary and luxury hit to keep both of them

Second - your logic assumes that the Lakers will only make a
one year tender offer to Bynum, as they seem to have done
with Ronny & Sasha this summer. Ronny and Sasha are role
players. Bynum is a starter at least, and maybe a future all-star.
They will make him a big offer (maybe not max, but big), and
he might be willing to take it.

Third - your logic assumes that Bynum would be willing
to sacrifice millions of dollars and risk having a career ending
injury without ever signing a big deal. That's the sort of
commitment he would have to make to take the one year
tender offer.

Fourth - If he INSISTED on going to a team other than
the Lakers (as you assume), Bynum couldn't possibly be paid
as much. The Lakers could start at 1/4 of the MLE, and give
him 6 years with 10% increases each year. Other teams
could give him at most 1/4 the MLE (assuming they have
16 million in free cap space -- which they might, if they
strike out on getting LeBron) plus 8% raises every year
for 5 years.

Basically your logic assumes that Bynum doesn't like playing
for the Lakers. In fact he would have to hate it so much that
he would be willing to take a lot less for one year, less total
money overall, and go to a worse team just in order to spite
the Lakers for lowballing him in the summer of 2008.

Don't you think that might be a bit overdramatic?

I mean, yes most pro athletes are prima donnas, but your
reasoning says that if the Lakers insult Bynum this summer
by not offering enough money that he will take less money
and risk never getting a bigger contract to play with a worse
team. I just don't see it happening.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Lakers will make
fair offers to Bynum both this summer and next summer.
Right now that means a big deal, but not a max deal. If Bynum
plays like an all-star this year and stays healthy, then they
will probably make him a max offer (or very near max) next
summer and he will probably take it.

HEY ALL, Did you see President Bush play basketball today?

He is sooooo soft!!

GOOOooOOO LAKERS!!

LakerTom,
Bynum would have to play for the Lakers on a 1 year, 4M contract, to be able to leave. With his injury issues, he will not do that.

Posted by: exhelodrvr | July 09, 2008 at 11:1
----------------------------
Ex,
Why not? He is playing for less right now on his rookie contract.