The market for Memo
As tough as it is to classify players by position, one NBA truism is that centers command big contracts. Want proof? In what's starting off as a list week for the Jazz blog, here's a list of all the centers who are set to make more than Mehmet Okur next season.
1. Jermaine O'Neal, Miami, $23.016 million
2. Tim Duncan, San Antonio, $22.183 million
3. Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix, $21 million
4. Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers, $16.452 million
5. Yao Ming, Houston, $16.378 million
6. Chris Bosh, Toronto, $15.779 million
7. Dwight Howard, Orlando, $15.202 million
8. Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers, $12.5 million
9. Brad Miller, Chicago, $12.25 million
10. Erick Dampier, Dallas, $12.115 million
11. Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia, $12.025 million
12. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans, $11.7 million
13. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland, $11.541 million
14. Nene, Denver, $10.520 million
15. Eddy Curry, New York, $10.5 million
16. Emeka Okafor, Charlotte, $10.497 million
17. Chris Kaman, L.A. Clippers, $10.4 million
18. Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee, $10 million
19. Marcus Camby, L.A. Clippers, $9.650 million
20. Mark Blount, Miami, $9.070 million
I'm defining centers as players who saw the majority of their minutes at the position last season, according to 82games.com. Ben Wallace, who will make $14 million with Cleveland next season, just missed qualifying for this list. Amare Stoudemire also saw significant minutes at center, although not enough to qualify as such.
If Okur opts out of his $9 million salary for 2009-10 to become a free agent, his agent has an easy case that he should receive an enormous contract. Okur is set to be the 21st-highest paid center in the league next season, but in an interview on his site (memo13.com) earlier this month, he claimed to be one of the eight to 10 best centers in the NBA.
According to the above-listed market, a top-10 center should command a salary of at least $12 million a year. If you average the salaries of the 20 centers making more than Okur next season, it comes out to $13.6 million. Even with a discount for the economy and for staying in Utah, Okur still would be due a huge payday if the Jazz are inclined to keep him.
A five-year contract at $13.6 million would total $68 million. That doesn't take into account the typical annual raise of 10.5 percent of the first-year salary. Factor that and Okur's contract balloons to more than $82 million. All of a sudden the $3 million to $5 million discount Okur talked about in the same interview to stay with the Jazz doesn't seem as significant.
I'm not sure if such a deal is out there for Okur this summer, but I think this is a fair overview of the market for centers in the NBA. For further reading, I would recommend looking up what Nazr Mohammed, DeSagana Diop, Kwame Brown, Adonal Foyle, Dan Gadzuric and - - my favorite - - Jerome James have made in recent seasons.
I've always thought Okur deserved a contract similar to the one he originally signed with the Jazz. That was a six-year, $50 million deal, in which Okur averaged $8.3 million a season.
But taking into account the league-wide market for centers, the season he had (17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 44.6 percent three-point shooting) and the Jazz's struggles without him in the playoffs, and maybe Okur will cost more than we all imagined.
* * *
For what it's worth, Okur finished the season ranked sixth in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage, behind Golden State's Anthony Morrow, Orlando's Jameer Nelson, Indiana's Troy Murphy, Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike and New Jersey's Bobby Simmons.
Murphy, in case you were interested, signed a six-year, $58 million extension with the Warriors in 2004. Five years later, that deal has to look like a pretty good benchmark for Okur and his agent.
--Ross Siler
1. Jermaine O'Neal, Miami, $23.016 million
2. Tim Duncan, San Antonio, $22.183 million
3. Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix, $21 million
4. Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers, $16.452 million
5. Yao Ming, Houston, $16.378 million
6. Chris Bosh, Toronto, $15.779 million
7. Dwight Howard, Orlando, $15.202 million
8. Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers, $12.5 million
9. Brad Miller, Chicago, $12.25 million
10. Erick Dampier, Dallas, $12.115 million
11. Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia, $12.025 million
12. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans, $11.7 million
13. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland, $11.541 million
14. Nene, Denver, $10.520 million
15. Eddy Curry, New York, $10.5 million
16. Emeka Okafor, Charlotte, $10.497 million
17. Chris Kaman, L.A. Clippers, $10.4 million
18. Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee, $10 million
19. Marcus Camby, L.A. Clippers, $9.650 million
20. Mark Blount, Miami, $9.070 million
I'm defining centers as players who saw the majority of their minutes at the position last season, according to 82games.com. Ben Wallace, who will make $14 million with Cleveland next season, just missed qualifying for this list. Amare Stoudemire also saw significant minutes at center, although not enough to qualify as such.
If Okur opts out of his $9 million salary for 2009-10 to become a free agent, his agent has an easy case that he should receive an enormous contract. Okur is set to be the 21st-highest paid center in the league next season, but in an interview on his site (memo13.com) earlier this month, he claimed to be one of the eight to 10 best centers in the NBA.
According to the above-listed market, a top-10 center should command a salary of at least $12 million a year. If you average the salaries of the 20 centers making more than Okur next season, it comes out to $13.6 million. Even with a discount for the economy and for staying in Utah, Okur still would be due a huge payday if the Jazz are inclined to keep him.
A five-year contract at $13.6 million would total $68 million. That doesn't take into account the typical annual raise of 10.5 percent of the first-year salary. Factor that and Okur's contract balloons to more than $82 million. All of a sudden the $3 million to $5 million discount Okur talked about in the same interview to stay with the Jazz doesn't seem as significant.
I'm not sure if such a deal is out there for Okur this summer, but I think this is a fair overview of the market for centers in the NBA. For further reading, I would recommend looking up what Nazr Mohammed, DeSagana Diop, Kwame Brown, Adonal Foyle, Dan Gadzuric and - - my favorite - - Jerome James have made in recent seasons.
I've always thought Okur deserved a contract similar to the one he originally signed with the Jazz. That was a six-year, $50 million deal, in which Okur averaged $8.3 million a season.
But taking into account the league-wide market for centers, the season he had (17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 44.6 percent three-point shooting) and the Jazz's struggles without him in the playoffs, and maybe Okur will cost more than we all imagined.
* * *
For what it's worth, Okur finished the season ranked sixth in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage, behind Golden State's Anthony Morrow, Orlando's Jameer Nelson, Indiana's Troy Murphy, Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike and New Jersey's Bobby Simmons.
Murphy, in case you were interested, signed a six-year, $58 million extension with the Warriors in 2004. Five years later, that deal has to look like a pretty good benchmark for Okur and his agent.
--Ross Siler
6:59 PM
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3 Comments:
Jazz are going nowhere with memo, he's nothing but a defensive liability, he'd be good for a team that is on the bubble, but whoever has him, will never be a real contender, his defense isn't, and never will be good enough, bottom line, i've seen enough to know, in my opinion, he's the root source of the jazz defensive troubles, his lazy play is contagious, and he's the laziest jazz man. and he's not going to change.
Memo is corenerstone-keep him pleeze! Mony ball baby!
he waved a me once:)
sign him for 45 mil for 4 years. 11 mil for the first three years and 12 mil for the fourth with a player option
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