Re-signing J.R. Smith: What's taking so long?...

by Andrew Feinstein on Aug 15, 2008 9:56 AM MDT

Going back to May, Denver Stiffs has been advocating the re-signing of shooting guard J.R. Smith, a restricted free agent this summer. And yet here we are on August 15th and Smith has not officially been re-signed. To quote the man himself: "I really don't know what's going on."

So what is going on?

Over a week ago, I wrote that the Nuggets are actually being smart not to throw a lot of money at Smith unless he gets an offer from another team, and I'm standing by that. Yeah, that's right, I'm siding with the Kroenke Cronies on this one. I know its an obvious statement, but why pay more for something than you have to?

For those of you anxious to see Smith re-signed, please consider this: bidding against ourselves produced the $43.3 million contract given to Tariq Abdul-Wahad in 2000, the ghastly trade-and-sign for Kenyon Martin in 2004 (and no, it's not Martin's fault that he got the big contract, it's Kiki Vandeweghe's) and the current $60 million deal given to Nene in 2006 by the Kroenke Cronies, making him virtually untradeable.

Sometimes GM's will give players big contracts to scare away all other suitors, like the Nuggets did with Nene and the Warriors did with Andris Biedrins this summer. But with this strategy, you risk overpaying your player to the point that you cripple your salary cap flexibility. And with the Nuggets in a cost cutting mode, they clearly don't want to throw a lot of money at Smith unless they're forced to match someone else's offer.

The better strategy - and its the one being deployed by the Kroenke Cronies right now - is to publicly announce that you will match any offer thrown at your player. This, combined with Smith's history of off court problems, seems to have scared other teams away from offering Smith a sizable contract.

So we as fans just have to be patient, wait for the other NBA teams to max out their salary caps and then look for the Nuggets re-sign Smith to a reasonable contract keeping him in a Denver uniform for the next few years. Oh, and hope that Smith doesn't sign with a European team!

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i've wondered the same thing. but i'm not too worried about it. i'm pretty sure we'll get him back here. one other thing. delonte west is still out there. why not pick him up? he's a hell of a lot better than anthony carter. nearly anything is better than carter. west is a hustle guy, a pass-first PG, and a better shooter than AC.

by Anonymous on Aug 15, 2008 11:01 AM MDT reply actions

but doesn't the FO run the risk of not getting JR to come to terms this summer?

JR and his agent probably have lofty expectations for their long term deal. If the FO won't come close this summer, we risk losing him next summer as a UFA.

So while I agree that the FO is taking the prudent course by waiting this out, I certainly hope they have the wisdom to offer a reasonable yet attractive deal before the season. I'm no expert but I gotta think a 5 year, $35M contract would be desireable to the organization - I don't know what JR's agent is looking for, does anyone??

If JR continues to evolve as he has been, he may realize that his value will only go up after this year. Should be interesting to see how the FO navigates those expectations.

by Haig on Aug 15, 2008 12:40 PM MDT reply actions

Hey anon how can you say that "West is a hell of a lot better than AC"?

AC stats last season: 7.8PPG, 5.5APG, 45%FG, 35% 3PTFG

West stats last season: 8.3PPG, 3.8APG, 41%FG, 35% 3PTFG

AC is a better value, better passer, and better shooter than West.

by Anonymous on Aug 15, 2008 2:20 PM MDT reply actions

"and the current $60 million deal given to Nene in 2006 by the Kroenke Cronies, making him virtually untradeable."

People say this a lot, and I never understand it.

I think that if the Nuggets tried to simply give away Nene's contract, they'd find many willing takers.

It's really not a bad contract at all. All he needs to do is manage to play 65+ games this year, and he'll suddenly be underpaid.

by Petey on Aug 15, 2008 2:55 PM MDT reply actions

Nene is a promising player, we saw a lot of how good he could be in the 2007 season once AI arrived. A healthy Nene is a tremendous pick and roll disaster for any team. Reall at the end of the day the Nuggets ability to compete is all dependent on Nene's health.

by Anonymous on Aug 15, 2008 8:53 PM MDT reply actions

ironically, i believe that photo you have there of JR is the play where he actually blows a windmill on the break. then again, i could be wrong.

but hell i'm all for JR. especially in the playoffs, he was our shining light. and even AI knows, as he said in his post-game interview.

sign this guy

by andrew fisher on Aug 16, 2008 7:21 AM MDT reply actions

J.R. is a must have. We really need him as one of the key young players we are trying to build around. I also like the strategy thus far but I would sign him soon anyways. Whats the worst that could happen? He wan'ts more money than give him more but obviously we can't overpay him too much if we are trying to cut costs. And I am glad Nene is untradable. He is highly underrated and my personal favorite to watch. I just wish K-Mart could get his act together and start playing like a #1 pick.

by goldennugget on Aug 16, 2008 8:36 AM MDT reply actions

It's a great idea. The Hawks finally did something GOOD this offseason by waiting until someone sent an offer sheet to Josh Smith, and look what happened...Atlanta keeps him for 1-2 less million per year then Josh Smith probably could have got (like what Deng and Igoudala got).

by Jonny Drama on Aug 16, 2008 2:10 PM MDT reply actions

Is Nene playing in the olympics for Brazil?

And say a Euro team shoots an offer at JR Smith... the Nugs have the right to match an offer for him as being a restricted FA inside the rules of the NBA, but what about Europe? Would it just be up to us to give him an offer we think compares favorably and see if he choses to take ours over the Euro offer in that event?

Problem is, with the weak US dollar (although I'm hearing it's made recent improvements) non-US teams have the ability to offer the equivalent to a "mega contract" to players in the US at essentially a reduced rate over what the US teams would equate to paying that player.

I used to live in the Detroit suburbs and while there's casinos in Detroit, you could also go 15 minutes further and gamble in Windsor Canada and get $1.25 Canadian for $1.00 US... so why not theoretically have 5 quarters to play the slots with than 4? It's the same theory in that you get a bigger bang for your buck as a European now, than what an American can get... anyone notice the influx of foreign travellers in the US? Take a trek out to the mountains this winter and see how many Sweeds and the like you find in Vail, etc.... There were a bunch I noticed last season. It sucks! Unless it's a Sweedish chick.

by Eric K on Aug 17, 2008 12:58 PM MDT reply actions

Brazil's not in the olympics, failed to qualify in basketball. Swede's have been coming to vail for years, JR has got to be considering going to Europe given it's the new fad and thanks for the break down on how exchange rates work!

by Zachm219 on Aug 18, 2008 10:31 AM MDT reply actions

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STIFF LIST (as of 4/26 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. METTA WORLD PEACE

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2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

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3. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The team that was supposedly built to overcome the lockout-shortened season managed to lose 7 of its last 14 games, ceding the Western Conference's 1-seed to the Spurs in the process. Their reward might be a first round matchup with defending champion Dallas.

4. BILLY HUNTER AND DEREK FISHER

With report after report coming out about NBPA union head Hunter's shady, nepotistic dealings and questions arising about Fisher's own role in dealing with NBA owners behind Hunter's back during the lockout, this off-the-court scandal could prove to be more exciting than the playoffs themselves!

5. STEVE NASH AND THE PHOENIX SUNS
The Suns are on this list for squandering the last few great seasons from Nash. Nash is on this list for his stupidly stubborn loyalty to a franchise as awful as the Suns.