:tu Beat me to it.
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I can understand him though... He dedicated years of his life to basketball and now he wants a guarantee he will get at least something out of it. I doubt he comes from a rich family...
If I were him I would seriously consider a guaranteed european contract if that news has any legs. (In the case if the Spurs wouldn't commit at least some money)
If he gets injured in SL he is fucked.
Blair's agent, Happy Walters, said it was in Blair's best interests to turn professional. He has a limited number of years to earn money because of his two surgically repaired knees.
"He doesn't have any [ligaments]," Walters said. "No one has ever been drafted without [ligaments]. Teams didn't know how long he would hold up in the NBA grind. Going back to college would have made the situation worse. This was a decision to take care of his family."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09178...xzz0LGQUZYNf&C
this is very intersting. I guess it was the reporter and not the agent who said, "He has a limited number of years to earn money because of his two surgically repaired knees."
either way I find the quote from his agent incredibly intersting. "Going back to college would have made the situation worse. " would have made what "situation" worse? his knees? where he's drafted? I'm assuiming he meant his knees since this is after the draft, and you can't get worse than the 2nd round. and if he did mean his knees, what does this say about a contract down the line? it doesn't add up.
If Blair is backstabbing the only team in the league that decided to take a chance with him because of money issues after being drafted in the second round, he officially lost all my respect.
This better be bogus or a team decision.
Lies!!! He's said too many right things to say this idiotic blurp!
I read that article a while back and his agent clearly doesn't have confidence in the longevity of Blair's career. The Guy turned pro so he could get those checks, he's on borrowed time and he knows it and I don't blame him for trying to get some money. Health is not guaranteed but an NBA contract is.
His agent is a business man not a doctor. He'll find any excuse to squeeze a contract out of a team. Spurs aint no suckas, they'll take their time to make sure both sides r happy. Besides, the human body is a remarkable piece of work. The younger u r the more plasticity ur body has so Blair having these injuries at a young age has allowed his body time to heal and adjust properly. So, sure he may not play 20 yrs or even 15, but 10 good years is feasible after that who knows! He's defied medical science so far :toast
The only reasoning I can think of is because this was a guy who was projected as a lottery pick on many lists. It could get framed in the media as an ego trip; a guy feels that he should have been a first round pick and is demanding that the team that drafted him give him a first round pick's contract. Of the two options it's better to look like an underdog watching your family's back than a petulent kid.
Wow. This is pretty bad. When is the last time someone held out for money on the Spurs?
Blair seems as good as advertised on the boards, but demanding his contract be finalized after only one SL game is really presumptuous.
I understand his reasoning, of course, but this is still pretty selfish. If Manu could wait his turn until his late 20s to get his first big money contract, why can't Blair?
Whatever the Spurs sign him to, they BETTER lock him up for 3 years, not two: even though I believe he can't sign with another NBA team until that first 3 years is over, still the Euro teams are a threat.
I hope Blair will be as dedicated after getting his contract, because if he get's happy and sits around on his laurels, he won't have the chance to get his second contract.
He will be a spur for now either way. The league has never seen knees like his before they have yet to fail him, add in how quickly medicine is progressing it is hard to say he has x amount of years till his knees pull a south park and testicles pop out of them. We had Sean play while needing a kidney transplant and then afterwards, so who knows, nothing is impossible. I will appreciate Blair's skills as long as he plays, all indications point to him being a good if not great pro and a great person to have in the locker room. So what if he doesn't see the court in Vegas again, we know what he is, he will be a significant part of the rotation. I hope for his family he can cash in on his gifts.
http://images.southparkstudios.com/i...cters/165a.jpg
Pucho, I seriously doubt he will play ten years without ACL's. I give him 3-5 years at his best. NBA is an 82 game season plus playoffs with SA. It just doesn't sound very likely that he could pull off that many years in the NBA grind without ACL's. It's clear that's why he wants to make money now for himself and his family. I hope the Spurs do give him a good 2 year contract. As Byron Scott said while viewing him play at SL, "that's a man out there."
I think he will earn his pay. I think his College rebounding game will translate to the NBA, and again he has a short window to play. He knows that and his agent knows that.
I hope the Spurs are fair with him. After all, they did take him knowing he has no ACLS thus they have to know his window of playing in The NBA will most likely be a short 3-5 years. :toast
Look the contract Bucks gave to their 2nd round pick
Quote:
Milwaukee Bucks second-round pick Jodie Meeks was signed to a three-year deal worth $2.3 million, with the first two years fully guaranteed and partial coverage in the third.http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/column...Chatter-090714
Of course, if I am his agent I use RC's own words against him in negotiations. RC said that he sees Blair playing 20 minutes a night, that they were trying to trade up to the late 1st round to get him, etc which are all indications that they would have no problem in paying him guaranteed money. I think they will arrive at a price somewhere between the money for a late first rounder and the minimum with the 1st year totally guaranteed, the 2nd year partially guaranteed and a 3rd year team option.
That would protect the Spurs against a total disaster if his knees can't hold up (which I don't think they are overly concerned with) and also give them his bird rights if he really blossums into a 15 point, 12 rebound guy like he was at Pitt.
with all the horrible, HORRIBLE contracts in the NBA today, what's the risk in just giving Blair what he wants. is a 3 year / 7 million deal (or whatever, I just made that up) really all that risky when you consider that RJ would probably struggle to get 10 mill per year out on the open market right now, even TD is getting about 5-7 million more than he's worth right now, yet they're going to squabble with this kid over what? 500k? :lol
I refuse to fall in love with this kid. it's only for my protection, though. *sigh*
:(
Thinking about it a little bit, this would be the perfect time for the agent to tell Blair to stop playing. The Spurs got a taste of how good Blair is, Blair is still healthy and training camp is a long ways away so there's time to negotiate. His knees are admittedly a concern so getting that guaranteed money is more important than most draft picks. The agent wouldn't be doing his job if he wasn't trying to protect Blair.
If Blair does sit out, I would 100% see where he's coming from. It's a business.
We'll see what happens. Hopefully the Spurs sign him ASAP and the contract issue can go in the past.
Even if Blair sits out the rest of summer league, it wouldn't be a tragedy. Everyone already saw how good he is and Blair doesn't have much left to prove in this setting. Plus it'd give the Spurs more of an opportunity to take a look at Gist and Mahinmi -- and really, that's most important right now. Is Gist ready to make the jump? Is Mahinmi still a legit prospect? Blair has answered his questions already.