Gomes sighting
Posted on July 22nd, 2008 – 2:41 PMBy Jerry Zgoda
Wolves restricted free agent Ryan Gomes hit the trail on the team’ summer promotional caravan today, showing up at the first stop in Mankato. Does that mean a deal is near with the Wolves?
In a word: No.
“I made a commitment at the end of the season to do this,” Gomes said from Mankato. “They (the team) asked me if I’d like to do this and I’m a community guy, so I said yes. I don’t know where I’m going to be yet. I made a commitment and stuck with it.”
Gomes’ agent continues to seek from other teams an offer sheet that the Wolves would be hard pressed to match. He reportedly has sought the full mid-level salary exception — $5.6 million next season — and Gomes said Tuesday it’s possible he will sign a two-year deal if the team willing to make the best offer also wants to keep its salary-cap flexibility for 2010, when a big crop of free agents, including LeBron James, becomes available.
Gomes said his agent is talking both to the Wolves and with other teams. He said he hopes to strike a deal “sooner than later” now that other free agents such as Ronny Turiaf and Kelenna Azubuike — players he considers in that same next level of free agents down from the Elton Brands as he is — have agreed to deals. Golden State signed Turiaf away from the Los Angeles Lakers with a four-year, $17 million contract and Azubuike has signed an three-year, $9 million offer sheet with the Los Angeles Clippers that Golden State has until Thursday to match.
Gomes said he likes the off-season moves the Wolves have made and would like to stay in Minnesota because “in a few years, this is going to be a special team.” But he said his main objective is financial security. He and his wife, Danielle, had their first child last month, a girl named Ryelle (a combination of their two first names).
“I’m trying to put myself in the best situation to get the most out of this,” Gomes said. “There’s a lot of (negotiation) whispers going on right now. I have to look in the mirror and see what’s the best situation for me.”
The Wolves have seven days to match an offer sheet if Gomes signs with another team.
The carvan is schedule to stop in Willmar on Wednesday and Brainerd on Thursday.
In another matter, Sebastian Telfair and Kevin McHale will hold a Target Center news conference Wednesday morning to announce that the two sides on Monday reached agreement on a new contract.
43 Responses to "Gomes sighting"
thanks for the update Jerry…way to keep your word Ryan…very respectful. lets hope everything works out for you contract wise.
any names mentioned in trade talk with anyone at this point? The 3rd PG talk had me looking yesterday at the trade machine and I noticed that Mark Madsen and Keith Bogans (Orl) contracts are similar enough to swap if the Wolves are looking for a bigger combo guard and looking to shed someone from the front court.
Ryan carried a similar reputation in Boston. He is a quality person.
I’d love to retain Gomes, I would have preferred to have kept him instead of Craig Smith. But the full mid-level exception is too much.
I really doubt if he’ll get that much, but that’s what his agent set aim for. Never hurts to gaze high, I guess. If Gomes is in that next level of free agent such as a Turiaf and Azubuike, then we’re talking $3 million to $4-plus million a year. At issue, of course, is the number of years.
Where does Gomes fit in the rotation if the Wolves are able to retain him? I like what he brings, but would think that he’s not going to start ahead of either Miller or Brewer at SF and will have to split minutes at both SF and PF. Probably 2nd or 3rd off the bench (behind McCants and Telfair)?
That’s a good question. He’s better prepared at this stage of his career to be a starter than Brewer, but you’ve got the seventh pick overall invested in Brewer and Brewer also brings defensive versatility the Wolves are going to need if they have Love, Miller and Jefferson all out together on the floor to start the game. Gomes would be a really solid guy to bring off the bench with that second unit with Telfair, McCants, Smith, etc., and he gives you the legitimate option to start him if Brewer struggles. My question is, where does Carney fit in? If Gomes comes back, I can’t see a place for him, barring injuries of course.
If it takes the something around the full mid-level exception to keep Gomes I can’t support bringing him back. This team is ready to make real noise in 2010 or 2011 and falling back into old habits of overpaying free agents will only hinder our chances for growth.
I’d prefer to see Carney coming off the bench ahead of Gomes, which is why I would have preferred to keep Gomes rather than Smith. Rodney is a dynamo, he changes to outlook of the team in a fundamental way when he’s on the floor. He’s a pure slasher and a huge scoring threat that just gets the team’s energy level up. Gomes is solid, but no spectacular, and in terms of his style of play, he’s pretty generic. A guy like Carney can be a Ginobili-esque x-factor off the bench. I don’t think we can afford to not play him solid minutes.
Not having personally seen Carney, I don’t know what to expect other than athletic ability. He’s probably a better 3 than Gomes in that regard. What I always liked about Ryan in watching the Wolves last year was his ability to play the 4, but stay more on the perimiter. He and Smith make a good inside out tandem at PF, depending on the opponents defense. It be tough to swallow if he gets too big a contract(IMO more than $3 million for 2 yrs), but I’d still rather see him in a Wolves uni than somewhere else.
I agree with the most recent posts. It would be hard to pay a guy $4 million to be a solid bench player (not a super scoring sub mind you, but a good role player).
If the Wolves start Brewer (I think I heard a high ranking Wolves official call Brewer a 5th option sometime in the Summer League - would he be a 6th option if they allowed six players on the floor per team??), they can more than get away with it. The other four guys (assuming Love can adjust) have the ability to put the ball in the hole.
Is it possible that both Booth and Carney get cut? Their contracts have practically been paid by Philadelphia or are they part of a trade (again their contracts are paid for… they can be used as salary towards a trade)?
Also - Jerry is Pops pretty much gone? I had read and later posted that he signed with a team in Europe, but I read a poster somewhere else wrote that an NBA team has until tomorrow to sign him. He’s probably not a difference maker for this team, but he was fun to watch / follow.
Ryan seems to have a “clutch” ability that a lot of players don’t. That makes his skill set that much more valuable. He seemed to be able to hit shots when they were needed last year. Momentum building or changing shots. And step up on defense at those momentum swinging moments too.
Since the Wolves don’t make it down to my backyard that often (literally walking distance to the Mankato Y), I stopped by with my daughter to catch the festivities. J-Pete made it sound like Gomes being in a Wolves uniform next year is a given. I think the Wolves are playing this perfectly. They let the market play itself out in a year where things aren’t going to get out of control and they’ll likely get him for between 4-4.5 for 3 years…which isn’t too bad for a player like Gomes. Anywho, J-Pete made it sound like Gomes would be around next year. As always, the Wolves took as much fun out of the festivities as possible by banging people over the head with a sales pitch. It never ends.
Booth has a good chance of being cut in my opinion. If we do resign Richard (which seems all but guaranteed at this point) we have a glut of big men, and ultimately it’ll come down to Booth or Jason Collins. Collins’ contract is over $6 mil IIRC, and he just does more than Booth will. A much more proven player.
Carney I think would really have to bomb in practice and preseason to be cut. McHale made it clear that he’d have to earn his spot, but he also stressed that acquiring Carney was the reason we did the deal in the first place. He has such potential, it would be hard to pass on that kind of high reward possibility.
And yes, Pops Mensah-Bonsu reportedly has a deal in place with DKV Joventut (Spanish league) that give him until the end of today to sign with a team without that team having to buy the contract out. I’d love to see him stay and he’s earned a contract somewhere in the NBA, but unfortunately it appears we won’t be offering him a deal (if we were going to, I assume we would have done so already). Perhaps if the Gomes situation was resolved already…
Good post Bryan! Thanks for the info on Pops!
Looking at the future: It looks like we have Big Al, Foye and Love as young pieces to build around for the long haul, and Miller will fit in nicely as a true outside threat. Given enough playing time and experience I see Brewer (Defensive Specialist) and Telfair (True Backup PG) being worthy of holding on to.
This year will be crucial for evaluating the rest of the talent and figuring out who deserves to stay. Smith and Carney are guys who could have real value. I’m not sold on Richards yet and as for Cardinal/Madsen/Booth/Collins, it’s pretty clear that they have no place in the T’wolves future. I really hope that none of these guys (except maybe Collins) play anything more than clean up minutes. McCants and Gomes are both solid, proven role players. I really would like to see them keep both guys but would be fine letting them go if they demand too much. If we can get Gomes for 2-3 years for $3-4 mil I would be fine with that.
I really hope Booth/Madsen get cut or bought out and guys like Pops/Jeter/Ahern get a chance to make the roster.
Jerry,
Thanks for the updates. Is there any way to find out how Kevin Love is doing in the Olympic practices?
Jim Peterson is a straight shooter. When the KG trade didn’t happen the first time, Peterson pretty much made it sound like he was as good as gone on the media outlets he was on.
On draft night he was genuinely surprised when the Wolves drafted OJ Mayo and appeared to be keeping him. So he knows what the front office is feeling. Maybe their isn’t that big of a demmand for Gomes. If it’s 3-years, 9-10 million range, I think that is fair market value. I think that was still less than what Trenton Hassell made here and Gome is a better player.
I think they are going to retain him, Jerry is right, there is no way he gets a Full-Mid Level. I think its nice the problem we have with Carney, I’d like to see him get some run though. Will all the first round picks, this team is going to be really good in 3 years.
Yorbington,
I found this on a Kings Fan Blog…
* Kevin Love, another late addition to the scrubs, sat out practice with a sore Achilles. He is coming off an excellent NBA Summer League showing, though he sat out the last game with the injury.
* From what I am hearing, rookie O.J. Mayo was the most impressive of the non-Olympians, and surprise, surprise, Kobe Bryant distinguished himself about the Beijing-bound players.
Gomes full midlevel, I hope not here.
Comparing Carney to Ginobili, in any context, is insanity.
Brewer is a bust. Get rid of him and keep Gomes.
Jerry,
Any word on Pops? Today was his deadline to get an NBA contract right?
PS: I listened to your interview at Timberwolves.com. You sounded like the changing focus of beat writing towards online readers, blogs, video, … is not your favorite development.
It is sure nice for readers though. I live in outstate MN and would never buy a subscription to the Star Trib. I read stuff on their web page every day though. For us diehard Wolves fans, your blog provides same day news and the chance to ask questions. Good stuff!
As far as I’m concerned the Wolves can let Gomes go. There aren’t many minutes for him at the 4 now with Jefferson, Love, and Smith here. And with Brewer, Miller, and Carney all able to play minutes at the 3, it’s crowded there as well. The midlevel exception will be there to acquire another player of Gomes’s caliber down the road when this team is thinking playoffs again. There’s no sense tying up any more cap room than is absolutely necessary at this point.
Is it really so important that Brewer be a starter, when his offensive game is still developing? Why not sign Gomes (although for less that the full MLE) and start him? IMO, he has a more well rounded game that Brewer (defense & athletisism), Carney (athletisism) or Smith (wide body w/ soft touch near in the paint). Give Ryan two years, then see where the team is at and how fully others skills have developed.
I am among those that could see Gomes go as well, he is a nice player w/ good productivity but the wolves have replaced his numbers IMO with what they have done this off season.
and as far as Corey Brewer being a starter…that will be settled during training camp IMO. guys that will be battling for that spot are McCants, Miller(who should start at the 2,3 spot) Brewer, Carney. I still feel that Love could come off the bench and have Collins and Big Al starting at the 4/5 spots. thats my take. a few months to go until it’s settled and more can be done between now and then
Trie - It is actually very important that Brewer is in the starting lineup now. If you think about all the potential defensive liabilities on the floor if the starting lineup is Big Al, Love, Miller, _______ & Foye wouldn’t you think you’d need our best perimeter defender out there ? Doing his best to keep the better wings in league from getting to the paint / rim and drawing fouls on Big Al and Love ? You don’t need to worry about his offensive liabilities…he is the 5th option.
Gomes is expendible if he wants the full MLE. Although he’d be the most important player on the second unit.
I don’t think Gomes or his agent are looking for the full MLE, especially if you consider what his agent said about the guys that are in his tier signed for…he’s probably looking for and going to get around 3M per
Any word on Pops jerry? Also I would rather give Carney minutes than brewer.. Brews D is very good, but he is horrible on offense and always looks lost and scared. He actually has some value right now, but I believe that one more poor offensive season would make him very difficult to deal in future seasons for anything of value.
come on now marcus…you know Defense will keep you in the league for a long time…look at Trenton Hassel…and he was hardly a knockdown jump shooter. Bruce Bowen…his offensive game didn’t develop until the last 4yrs or so.
2 things
1. Has anyone seen the numbers on the Telfair contract? Years? Dollars?
2. Why didn’t the Wolves trade one of their 1st round picks for Marcus Williams? Golden State traded a 1st round pick for him yesterday. Wouldn’t the Celtics pick next year have been worth Williams and the Wolves could have saved the money they gave Telfair?
there is supposedly a news conference at Target Center announcing the details…not sure what time…but something should be up soon.
According to the Wolves website, it’s a three year deal with a player option on the third year.
Looks like Richard will sign. McHale is making it sound like it’s just a formality:
McHale: Chris right now is under a tender. He’s actually tendered for us and at any point, he can sign the deal and go to camp with us. Technically, he’s under contract with us. He can go out there and sign another tender and we’d have he right to match. Bassy was the guy I was more worried about because he was unrestricted. Those other guys are tendered. They can sign that tender any day. Ryan could sign that tender tomorrow and he’d be playing for that tender. Chris is in that same situation. He’s still trying to establish himself and do that. Chris is a guy that really wants to be here and we want him here. I consider Chris under contract. The number that he’s being offered is the number everyone would offer him. Chris isn’t going to make any more money. It’s a matter of him accepting the tender or not. He’s excited and has been here all summer working out.
Also on Timberwolves.com is McHale commenting on Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
Q: On if there’s a chance to bring in Pops Mensah-Bonsu to camp:
McHale: We’ll see. Pops has to do what’s best for himself. We had him in the Summer League. Nice guy, came out and brought a lot of energy and played well for us.
Brewer’s going to see a lot of time on the floor, no question. He can guard 1 through 4, depending on the circumstances. He’ll also be a more effective player in an offense that looks to push the ball. (Insert Kevin Love outlet pass reference here.) Plus, the team clearly has money and opportunity invested in him. Whether he starts or not isn’t that big a deal. He’s an important part of the team.
But that doesn’t make Gomes redundant. I agree he’s not asking for nor should receive anything close to the exception. He’s probably looking 3 years/$10 million and people are offering two years. If the Wolves can sign Ryan Gomes for that kind of money, they should. They aren’t so talent-laden that they can’t fit a solid all-around player who can play multiple spots in for 25-35 minutes a game at a fair price.
If the rotation starts to get crowded, you adjust. Great guy to have on a second unit, though.
Wow…wow- I agree that defense can keep you in the league for a long time.. And I’m certainly not trying to say brewer isn’t an asset for the wolves, I’m just saying I see more potential in carney and I would prefer to see him get more minutes (which I know won’t happen). Rodney plays some pretty good D too.. He also has a poor shot percentage, but its better than brewers. But yes I agree, a good defensive player is valuable
Am I the only one that thinks ahern could give the wolves a slight boost off of the deep end of the bench? He’s explosive and can obviously shoot. I say the wolves sign him and pops and see what happens. I think pops will likely receive more money overseas however.. Damn those euroleagues for preventing us from underpaying our young athletes!!
Actually I was thinking that Aheard was probably the favorite to be that third guard - now that Telfair is signed, but maybe they ar still looking for that guy who can play the 1-2-3.
Speaking of a guy who can play this and a lot of people talk about him on this blog… (from Sacromento Bee Blog)
The Clippers still like him and have interest in re-signing Livingston and seeing the investment through, but probably only at the minimum of $854,957. Maybe another clubs tops that by giving a second season as a team option, but no way anyone commits serious for a guy with that injury and that much comeback still ahead. L.A. hasn’t even been able to see him play two days in a row and can’t even say for sure whether he’ll be ready to play by December or January.
But still: 23 when training camps open, 6-7, point guard, defense, 46.3 percent.
Sorry I haven’t posted earlier today. As others have already answered, yes, it’s a three-year deal with Telfair’s option on the third. I haven’t nailed the money down, but a wild guess would be something around $3 million a year. McHale soudned like Pops is headed to Europe because of the guaranteed money he can get there that he won’t get here. And Shawn, you and many, many others get your news the same way, which is why I probably won’t have a job all that much longer.
A potential trade might be on the way…
There is a rumor that the Wolves are going to acquire BRANDAN WRIGHT from Golden State for Rashad McCants (and possibly a pick/Carney?) in a three-team deal soon.
I’m not making this up. Apparently, this deal has legs and could happen in the next couple of days. Maybe one of the Star Tribune writers can look into this potential deal a little more and confirm it.
