Forget about Larry Hughes. He's a great player no doubt, but we're not going to get him so why bother thinking about it?
The Dalembert question is an interesting one. I've been asking myself that question too, so I thought I'd look up some numbers and give it a shot. He's not an established defensive presence, but he looks like he might develop into one. I don't think he's really our ideal solution because he's a player that needs some work before he'll deserve a full-time starting spot. On the other hand, he's young so he's got more upside than a Theo Ratliff.
I thought I'd look at what some comparable players are making. Mark Blount's got a contract starting at 4.9 and scaling up to 7.9 in year 6. That's a pretty huge contract, but big men with some skills are a valuable commodity in this league so that's about what to expect. Eddy Curry made 3.8 this year and Tyson Chandler made 4.8. Both are better than Dalembert. Nene only made 2.4, a relative bargain. Scott Pollard made 5.8 this year (I think Indiana expected him to be a starter) and will make 6.2 next year. He's got more of a track record than Dalembert, but obviously not nearly the same athleticism. Kandiman made 5.4. Nazr Mohammed made 5.25. Nesterovic made 6.16.
Philadelphia does have a history of overpaying for guys (like Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner). He made 1.6 this year. There's also a guy named Webber taking up 19 million next year, so they've got reason to be cautious with cap space. He was drafted in 2001 so he's eligible for the Bird exception. Which means, if Philly thinks he's important enough, they can pay him up to the max contract.
I expect he'll sign a contract with Philly starting around 5 million. Which is overpaying, but they're expecting him to live up to his potential and become a real defensive presence. In any case, given Philly's situation, unless they've given up on Dalembert and pick up a big man in the draft this year instead, he's going to be making more than the MLE next year unless either the MLE goe sup significantly or he's tired of playing with AI. If he legitimizes himself as a starter with a full set of skills, not just an athletic bigman shotblocker, than his 5 mill contract could be a good deal. I don't think he's the best option for us though because he's not going to make us significantly better in the near future.
The Dalembert question is an interesting one. I've been asking myself that question too, so I thought I'd look up some numbers and give it a shot. He's not an established defensive presence, but he looks like he might develop into one. I don't think he's really our ideal solution because he's a player that needs some work before he'll deserve a full-time starting spot. On the other hand, he's young so he's got more upside than a Theo Ratliff.
I thought I'd look at what some comparable players are making. Mark Blount's got a contract starting at 4.9 and scaling up to 7.9 in year 6. That's a pretty huge contract, but big men with some skills are a valuable commodity in this league so that's about what to expect. Eddy Curry made 3.8 this year and Tyson Chandler made 4.8. Both are better than Dalembert. Nene only made 2.4, a relative bargain. Scott Pollard made 5.8 this year (I think Indiana expected him to be a starter) and will make 6.2 next year. He's got more of a track record than Dalembert, but obviously not nearly the same athleticism. Kandiman made 5.4. Nazr Mohammed made 5.25. Nesterovic made 6.16.
Philadelphia does have a history of overpaying for guys (like Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner). He made 1.6 this year. There's also a guy named Webber taking up 19 million next year, so they've got reason to be cautious with cap space. He was drafted in 2001 so he's eligible for the Bird exception. Which means, if Philly thinks he's important enough, they can pay him up to the max contract.
I expect he'll sign a contract with Philly starting around 5 million. Which is overpaying, but they're expecting him to live up to his potential and become a real defensive presence. In any case, given Philly's situation, unless they've given up on Dalembert and pick up a big man in the draft this year instead, he's going to be making more than the MLE next year unless either the MLE goe sup significantly or he's tired of playing with AI. If he legitimizes himself as a starter with a full set of skills, not just an athletic bigman shotblocker, than his 5 mill contract could be a good deal. I don't think he's the best option for us though because he's not going to make us significantly better in the near future.
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