Free agency, Day 2: Craig Smith, Telfair
Posted on July 2nd, 2008 – 6:52 PMBy Jerry Zgoda
Craig Smith’s agent says he is still talking with the Wolves, but says his guy has “several offers” from other teams and hopes to have a deal in place one way or the other by Monday. If Smith accepts an offer from another team, the Wolves would have seven days from July 9, the first day players can officially sign with teams, to match the offer and let Smith go.
Meanwhile, keep your eyes on the New York Knicks and Sebastian Telfair. The Knicks have targeted Chicago point guard Chris Duhon, but could get serious about bringing Telfair, the Coney Island schoolboy star, back home to the big city. Miami also reportedly has some interest in Telfair, who is free to sign with any team since the Wolves did not make him a $3.5 million qualifying offer.
43 Responses to "Free agency, Day 2: Craig Smith, Telfair"
It would be nice to have Telfair back. We have a need at point guard, he’s still young, relatively cheap, and has a lot of talent. And unless there’s something we fans don’t know, his character concerns were laid to rest last year. If he leaves, we will not do any better on the free agent market, and it will be a loss for our team (mostly in terms of depth for next year but also because he could develop into a solid long-term starter over the next few years) if he signs elsewhere. It would be especially hard to lose him given that he has said repeatedly that he would like to return (making him one of the few players in the NBA who wants to be in MN). I suspect he didn’t like it when we didn’t make him a qualifying offer, and from his perspective I could understand that.
If we lose Telfair, it will look to me like another symptom of Taylor’s cheapness and short-sighted management.
Patrick,
Do you REALLY believe that Telfair is worthy of the $3.5 million annual qualifying offer that was necessary to retain his rights? Do you REALLY think it was cheapness on Taylor’s part not to make that offer?
3.5m is not relatively cheap for unrealized potential! This point guard crop is horrid and they should just sign somebody/anybody to veteran minimum to back up Foye. Please, don’t waste valuable cap space for future years when the FA market will be better and more money will be off the books. McHale can put the Wolves in a very good position if he plays this right… but he won’t.
Craig Smith does not need to be brought back. What exactly does he offer that the Wolves don’t already have? The only way I bring him back is if he takes less than $2 mil annually for no more than 2 years.
Michael and John,
Yes, I believe that Telfair is worthy of $3.5 million annually, especially compared with the other career backups whom we might be able to lure to MN as backups if Telfair walks. If Telfair returns, he’ll be solid (as he demonstrated he is last year) and there is a small but worthwhile chance that he’ll turn into a good starting point guard kind of like Tony Parker. Take note that I said he only has a small chance at becoming that good, but we’ll like it a lot better if he does it on our squad than while winning a championship with Wade, Beasley, Marion, and Morning in Miami.
If you are going to spend $3.5 million a year on a point guard with risky potential, do it on 6′7 Shaun Livingston. That’s a tall point guard that will allow Foye to play off the ball in certain situations. More than likely the Wolves don’t want to shell that type of money for a back-up guard this year. I would have no problem if they roll with Drew Neitzel if that is the case.
Neitzel, L. Hudson, and a couple of other solid potential backups are out there.
W-Will - I agree with you that Livingston would be an excellent player to take a chance on. I would offer him a 2 year 4 million dollar contract with incentives of another 1.5 million per year, and a health claus in the contract for a 3rd year at 5.0 million if he’s 100%.
Don’t get too carried away on Bassy. Last year for him was a career year and he failed to make uncontested bunnies. Should the Wolves keep him? Do other team covet him? Yes and yes, but not at $3.5M. As for Rhino, the Wolves will match his best offer because he is a solid bench player, 12-15 minutes/game. As for Neitzel, his summer league performance will determine his fate. Livingston? Another underachiever with who underperformed when healthy.
Troy Hudson
I agree, Telfair had motivation last year being a contract year. I didn’t see him coming back and hoped the wolves wouldn’t take the bidding war they did w/Hassel. Appears they learned from that mess. I’d take Lucas over Telfair. Smith depends on the other offers as i think Richards will be basically the same thing.
Livingston was also a HS kid playing on the clippers. I’d be skeptical of signing him for the simple fact if he gets hurt, at best he will have soreness keeping him out of games this coming season…you are left doing day contracts and trying to teach a PG your offense in that span. Just doesn’t work. They should sign Nietzel, Lucas or Hudson as a backup even if they decide to go w/Livingston.
rjones: no, not Troy Hudson, Lester Hudson..is it to much to ask to read previous posts before posting? apparantly so.
I think Craig Smith is vastly overrated. The TWolves need defense and Craig Smith is another offensive player. The other thing the Wolves are lacking is height and an undersized PF doesn’t help that out much. I’d prefer they bring in someone who can defend both smaller Centers and bigger PF’s. Craig Smith is not that guy.
Am I misssing soemthing here. Didn’t Bassy move his family to Vegas to get awya from all the drama that was in New York? So why would he sign with the Knicks, I have no idea. He’ll end up a wolf, the Knicks are going to get Duhon.
Here’s your Wolves Summer League roster, looks like your usual mix of young guys, castoffs, and local boys trying to make good:
Pooh Jeter, PG
Blake Ahearn, PG/SG
Drew Neitzel, PG/SG
Bryce Taylor, SG
Vince Grier, SG/SF
Corey Brewer, SF
Dan Coleman, SF
Kevin Love, PF/C
Chris Richard, PF/C
Longar Longar, C
Patrick O’Bryant is also a possibility, from what I’ve heard.
Is BC an abstract alias for Rob Brezinski? I like that contract for Livingston you put together. All Glen has to do is sell more 2nd round picks next year so he can pay for that contract. I’m hoping Longar Longar makes the team. Can you imagine this play by play sound byte, “…Out to Foye, who passes it to Longar Longar who gives is to Big Al. Big Al drives hard and misses and Kevin Love puts it back in.”
KFAN Wolves ratings would be at an all-time high.
Pooh Jeter related to Pooh Richardson?
Ahhh,Precious memories…
Livingston would be a great pickup if we can’t resign Telfair. His ceiling is much higher than Bassy’s despite his injury history. He was growing into an elite point guard for a good Clippers team (it feels strange to type “good” and “Clippers team” so closely together) a couple years ago, and he is still young. There’s a bigger chance that Livingston would bust and not play at all than Bassy, but if people are willing to take that chance, then sign Shawn.
He put to rest question about is behavior last season???
A season without an implosion doesn’t not an altar boy make.
He’s a nut job… he’ll NEVER live to potential and will be a journeyman
3.5 is only cheap because this watered down league over pays for under achievers.
Telfair is a mediocre journeyman… it will just take a little time for people to be convinced his “potential” is 1/2 optimism and 1/2 lost to personal complacency on Telfair’s part
What is the status on Ryan Gomes getting a new contract ?
If we had kept the 34th pick in the draft and had Mario Chalmers on our team, we wouldn’t be so worried about Telfair or Livingston or whoever. And, the 2nd round players like Chalmers come cheap, much cheaper than 3.5 million (around a million or less for 2nd round picks). What was the point in trading the 34th pick in the draft (with CDR and Chalmers available) for 2 second round picks that may end up being the 43rd and 46th picks ? Does Taylor really need the $2 million that much that he picked up in the trade ?
Troy Hudson had to retire because of his knees, and lower back.
L. Hudson is a hardnosed PG that is a passer first.
Grier could be an interesting guy in the summer league. Dan Coleman should get over to Europe… he could be in the 2nd tier division in Euro, and make good money… he’ll never catch on in the NBA. Good guy, I wish him the best.
I too would like to see Longer make the team… OVER CHRIS RICHARD!
as for my contract talks… I’ve just got way too much time on my hand Brezinksi is the hero of the Vikings… the man is the best in the NFL at what he does, and is right up there with the guy for the Boston Red Sox when it comes to putting together contracts, but I give the slight edge to our Viking guy because there is no cap in baseball, and the Sox have more money than the Catholic Church, and can buy anyone and everyone.
I just wish that the Timberwolves had someone in the front office that was creative, and someone I could point out that is doing a great job. Hoiberg hasn’t screwed anything up yet, so right now he’s in the lead at even par. McHale is pulling a 308 on a par 73, and Glen Taylor is an even 300 behind the leader.
Does Taylor need the $2 million? Nope. But Mankato Glen will save the pennies wherever he can find them.
I dont understand why we dont go after Duhon I think he would ba an ideal Pg for the wolves.
Probably because Duhon is getting up in years and we’re trying to stockpile young talent who will all peak around the same time in order to make a playoff run. Wait, that’s what I thought the plan was before we acquired 28 year old Mike Miller. On second thought, bring in Duhon rather than Livingston or Telfair - it appears we don’t have much of a long-term plan.
Patrick,
You can’t have every single player be the same age. You need a dycotomy of players at different ages, different stages, and differing athletic assets to the team. Having a bunch of 22 year olds isn’t going to mean they grow together… it means they aren’t going to have any veteran leadership… people who know how to be professional. Remember when we drafted KG they brought in Porter, brought back Sam Mitchell, and other veterans to surround him with. I think that bringing in Livingston is the best option as a 2nd PG, and then Hudson or Neitzel would be a great 3rd PG.
My biggest hope is that Craig Smith and Chris Richard sign elsewhere. Smith only brings limited benefit to the team, and Richard brings absolutely nothing.
The wolves make a good point about Pekovic, but they should have drafted Dorsey who could have played here now, and would have been a perfect replacement for Smith. They should have drafted DeAndre Jordan to come in at the 31st pick and been our starting center by the end of the season, or by the beginning of next. And I actually believe that they would have kept Chalmers had they had the deal done before hand. However, they should have kept Chalmers to begin with because he’s a better point guard than Foye, and would have been a starter in this league by the halfway mark of the season. Now we didn’t get much out of having the 31st and 34th picks in a very deep 2nd teir of the draft which is something that McHale and company have been guilty of, and the Team has a history of making mistakes with from day one.
Tim: the Chalmers deal was done before the Mayo-Love trade, thus we had a plethora of guards already. I can see that making some sense in that light. Now we have what, 6 picks in next years draft? and a couple extra million for FA’s…i can take that.
TOS: criticize Taylor for not spending, perhaps you’re confusing your sports owners. That would be the Pohlads, Taylor has never said no b/c of money reasons, Pohlad has multiple times.
Duhon would be ideal, but the price changes EVERYTHING. He can’t shoot but he can play D. Thats not worth that much, think of poor man’s steve nash w/absolutely no shot. Thats not worth more than 3-4M/season. He’s going to want more than that, and relatively long term as well i imagine. thus, no its not a good fit.
BC: no guarantee Jordan would’ve been starting by the end of the season, again w/the workout he had here, reports are he got owned up and down, left and right. Time will tell, i just don’t see much fire in him. They would’ve kept Chalmers definitely had the deal been done before, i agree. The 2nd round picks all depend on the Serbian in 2/3yrs. Hopefully 2. I guess he’s making comparison of 5M US over there, w/the bad exchange rates and their contracts are net cash, no taxes.
No one has mentioned Janerro Pargo. He just had a great year as Chris Paul’s backup at New Orleans. In fact, New Orleans often seemed not to skip a beat when he was in and Paul was on the bench, and they were sometimes very effective playing together–Pargo at point and Foye at the off-guard could be a similarly good combination. Plus the Wolves actually might be able to get Pargo for the mid-level exception. This seems like a better option than any other that has been mentioned.
arenal
1. The Mayo-Love trade was already on going well before the Wolves made the Chalmers trade. The problem was that McHale was doing one trade and Stack was making the trade with the Heat. Had they actually talked to each other then they wouldn’t have made that trade.
2. Taylor has spent some money but it isn’t spent wisely at all
3. Duhon is on the verge of signing a 2 year $6 million deal. So yes, he could be had for that.
4. The Wolves, as it stands right now, have at most 5 picks next year and a minimum of 2. They have their own 1st if they stay inside the top 10 picks. They get the Heat’s 1st if they are outside the top 10. They get the Celtics 1st if they are outside the top 3 I believe.
In the second round they don’t have their own 2nd round pick(that goes to Detroit for a guy that played a quarter of a season with the Wolves, Dupree) they have the worse of the 3 2nd round picks the Heat have,(Heat, Orlando, and Philly). None of those 3 picks will be in the top 10 of the 2nd round next year.(This was obviously the worst trade of the night).
Sorry, I’ll correct myself. Duhon is getting an offer for 3 years and $10 mil. Not much of a difference though.
I do criticize Taylor for not spending. Ever since Cassell and Sprewell, he has the run the franchise on the cheap. Look at all the trades for cash over the last couple of years. He fired Saunders and replaced him with guys near the bottom of the salary scale. Even the KG trade was money-driven.
If you’re the Wolves, why do you want 3 first-round picks next year? You’re going to tie up almost $10 million a year in cap room on those players alone. Not to mention the fact that 2009-2010 has to be the year you make the playoffs if you want to claim that your rebuilding is on track. Sticking three rookies into your rotation probably isn’t going to help out much on that.
If they’re smart, they will find a way to move at least one of those picks for some other asset.
The Wolves shouldn’t waste their entire mid-level excpetion on a backup point guard. Have we learned nothing from Troy Hudson and Marko Jaric?
BC:
I agree with most of your points except about needing more veteran leadership. I think Mad Dog, Gomes, Doleac, and Collins can provide enough of that. Given that our point guard position is up-for-grabs - no, I don’t think the Wolves believe Foye is the long-term answer at point guard - we should be looking for the best long-term prospect available. At this point, I think it’s Livingston (if they think he can get healthy) and then Bassy, who, even though people here will not admit it, still has long-term potential to be a decent-to-good starting NBA point guard.
Totally agree on Jordan. I don’t care how badly he got owned in the workout, a guy who COULD become a starting NBA center and who has a body like D. Howard & Bynum is worth a second round flier. In a few years, we’ll probably all be posting on here complaining that McHale didn’t draft him (or CDR, or Bill Walker, or any other player we passed on who goes on to become a star) and saying that we wanted that guy.
The Wolves could use a dose of veteran leadership that actually contributes.
Doleac — not on the team.
Madsen — waving towels isn’t leadership.
Collins — maybe?
Gomes — less time in the league than Jefferson.
A guy like Tyronn Lue would be perfect for that kind of role. I’d be surprised if the Wolves go hard after Livingston, and I think they’re hoping Telfair will be willing to settle for something cheap here.
Oops, is Doleac gone? Anyway, who says Madsen or Gomes can’t provide leadership? They’re both veterans who are consummate professionals. They can show the young players how to conduct themselves and all that jazz. I still think that we should be looking for cheap, young talent given that we passed so much of it in the second round.
Gomes has been in the league the same amount of time as Rashad McCants. What qualifies him as the wise sage?
Madsen, “the consummate professional”, missed the first part of last season because he was horsing around on a jet ski during the summer.
As I said, Gomes seems to be a consummate professional (always on time, works hard, plays hard in the games, doesn’t complain). He’s been in the league for long enough to know more than your average rookie or second year player.
If years in the NBA were the most important criterion, why not bring back Ricky Buckets? I hear he’s a free agent. He’s played for a while.
Gomes is not a veteran leader. Mad dog is a veteran, but I think to be a leader you have to play, and while I love the guy as a standup guy. He’s one of the least talented players in the NBA. He reminds me of my son when he was younger, and didn’t take his ADHD medication. A spazz.
Doleac is gone, and I don’t know enough on Collins to be 100% one way or the other.
Patrick… I had to take a deep breath and read that three times before I realized you were being sarcastic about bringing Ricky Cancer back to the wolves. Taylor and McHale would be brought up on hate crimes against the state of Minnesota if he were brought back here because it would prove that they hate Timberwolves fans!
Jefferson
Love
Gomes
Miller
Foye
or
Jefferson
Love
Miller
McCants
Foye
I suppose it depends on us resigning Gomes, and McCants’ attitude.
NOTE TO RASHAD’S AGENT!!!!
Dude, Rashad ain’t getting paid until he learns how to shut his mouth, and starts playing some D, and playing more of a team game. With enough shots anyone can score 10 points a game in the NBA… you better let McCants know that if he wants a contract in the NBA next year that he needs to get his act together… hire Dr. Phil, or Dr. Kavorkian, or a Witch Doctor, but the man needs a change of attitude or he becomes our version of Harold Miner.
ok, I’m back again…
Why don’t the Wolves try to put together a deal that could bring them Childress or Smith from the Hawks?
McCants and Brewer for one of them?
Earl Boykins PG might not be a bad move.
Damon Stoudmire… has his attitude changed any?
and I wouldn’t mind them bringing in Dan Dickau either as a veteran PG.
BC:
Yes, I was being sarcastic, in a (failed, it appears) attempt to express disagreement with the other poster’s concept of leadership.
