Comments on: 5 Worst NBA Free Agent Signings of All-time http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/ The Hoop Doctors | NBA Basketball News, Rumors, Videos Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:57:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: keith http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-8269 keith Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:14:54 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-8269 Yes, Jim McIlvaine was a horrible signing and it was one of many terrible moves that the Sonics made during their last decade in Seattle. But Kemp himself boxed himself into the circumstances that made his so unhappy. Two years before the McIlvaine signing, Kemp and his agent had negotiated a long term, top dollar contract. While negotiating that contract, Kemp had told the Sonics he wanted long term security as well as a pay grade that was comparable with the leagues other top tier power forwards - Charles Barkley's and Karl Malone. The Sonics complied with his wished by offering what I believe was 8 years at about $3.5 million. This contract tied the Sonics' and Kemp's hands. According to the collective bargaining agreement, a player had to complete about 40% of a contract before either side could look at renegotiating. This was a clause that could not be waived by either side. Kemp was only entering the 3rd year of an 8 year contract. Had Kemp signed a shorter contract in the first place - say 5 years - he would have been eligible for renegotiations. But he and his agent, Tony Dutt wanted him to have that all important long term security, hence the 8 years. Yes, a year after Kemp signed his contract, salaries spiraled out of control at an unforseen rate. Blame that on the huge sum the Timberwolves decided to offer a very young and uproven Kevin Garnett based on his potential. That set a new precident. But that's the risk Kemp and his agent took when they locked themselves into that long term contract. Barkley and Malone were in same boat but they both shrugged it off because they were not only well paid for their basketball services, both of them were also riding their NBA fame to enormous side incomes from promotional contracts. The same side income opportunities could have been there for Kemp had he not destroyed his image with his well documented substance abuse and other indiscretions. It's ridiculous to blame Kemp's growing substance abuse on his disenchantment with his contract . Even at a paltry $3.5 million a year, his income was still 100 times the national median. His youth, combined with relative wealth and the general party atmosphere of the NBA at the time guaranteed that he would be exposed to every temptation. People who are inclined toward subtance abuse will do so whether they are making $50,000 or $5,000,000. From the Sonic's perspective, it's a good thing the clause that prohibited an early renogotiation was in place. Given the team's proclivity for bad personnel moves, the clause saved them from themselves. If allowed to, they probably would have caved and given Kemp what he wanted and locked themselves in for 10 more years. By then, even without the drugs and alcohol, Kemp would have been an aging veteran with diminished abilities: In other words, a huge salary cap liability. In hindsight, looking at how quickly his career spiraled downward due to his escalating use of alcohol and drugs, the Sonics were fortunate that they weren't allowed to renegotiate or extend. So why did the Sonic's sign McIlvaine? Again, Kemp played a role in his own unhappiness. The Sonics had lost a game to the Bullets late in the season prior to McIlvaine's free agency. Big Jim came off the bench and blocked 7 shots in just 15 minutes. Kemp and teamate Gary Payton were so enamored with McIlvaine's human eraser act, they lobbied Sonic's management to go after the guy. This was truly an instance of "be careful what you wish for". To get McIlvaine, the Sonic's had to out bid other teams that were equally dazzeled by McIlvaine's shot blocking and rebounding potential. The Sonics and other teams saw him as a potential Dikembe Mutombo type player able to block shots and sweep the boards. Sadly, the Sonics just kept on making bad moves: Calvin Booth, Jerome James, Billy Owens, Vernon Maxwell, Johan Petro, Robert Swift, Greg Foster ...all high profile free agents or draft picks who contributed little to the team. They did salvage the Kemp situation by getting Vin Baker who did have an allstar/allpro season for the Sonics until he too succumbed to alcohol abuse. So in summary, don't blame the signing of McIlvaine for destroying Kemp's career. Kemp is the one who pushed for the long term that made rengotiation impossible, and he's the one who chose to drink and do drugs. Yes, Jim McIlvaine was a horrible signing and it was one of many terrible moves that the Sonics made during their last decade in Seattle. But Kemp himself boxed himself into the circumstances that made his so unhappy. Two years before the McIlvaine signing, Kemp and his agent had negotiated a long term, top dollar contract. While negotiating that contract, Kemp had told the Sonics he wanted long term security as well as a pay grade that was comparable with the leagues other top tier power forwards – Charles Barkley’s and Karl Malone. The Sonics complied with his wished by offering what I believe was 8 years at about $3.5 million. This contract tied the Sonics’ and Kemp’s hands. According to the collective bargaining agreement, a player had to complete about 40% of a contract before either side could look at renegotiating. This was a clause that could not be waived by either side. Kemp was only entering the 3rd year of an 8 year contract. Had Kemp signed a shorter contract in the first place – say 5 years – he would have been eligible for renegotiations. But he and his agent, Tony Dutt wanted him to have that all important long term security, hence the 8 years. Yes, a year after Kemp signed his contract, salaries spiraled out of control at an unforseen rate. Blame that on the huge sum the Timberwolves decided to offer a very young and uproven Kevin Garnett based on his potential. That set a new precident. But that’s the risk Kemp and his agent took when they locked themselves into that long term contract. Barkley and Malone were in same boat but they both shrugged it off because they were not only well paid for their basketball services, both of them were also riding their NBA fame to enormous side incomes from promotional contracts. The same side income opportunities could have been there for Kemp had he not destroyed his image with his well documented substance abuse and other indiscretions. It’s ridiculous to blame Kemp’s growing substance abuse on his disenchantment with his contract . Even at a paltry $3.5 million a year, his income was still 100 times the national median. His youth, combined with relative wealth and the general party atmosphere of the NBA at the time guaranteed that he would be exposed to every temptation. People who are inclined toward subtance abuse will do so whether they are making $50,000 or $5,000,000. From the Sonic’s perspective, it’s a good thing the clause that prohibited an early renogotiation was in place. Given the team’s proclivity for bad personnel moves, the clause saved them from themselves. If allowed to, they probably would have caved and given Kemp what he wanted and locked themselves in for 10 more years. By then, even without the drugs and alcohol, Kemp would have been an aging veteran with diminished abilities: In other words, a huge salary cap liability. In hindsight, looking at how quickly his career spiraled downward due to his escalating use of alcohol and drugs, the Sonics were fortunate that they weren’t allowed to renegotiate or extend. So why did the Sonic’s sign McIlvaine? Again, Kemp played a role in his own unhappiness. The Sonics had lost a game to the Bullets late in the season prior to McIlvaine’s free agency. Big Jim came off the bench and blocked 7 shots in just 15 minutes. Kemp and teamate Gary Payton were so enamored with McIlvaine’s human eraser act, they lobbied Sonic’s management to go after the guy. This was truly an instance of “be careful what you wish for”. To get McIlvaine, the Sonic’s had to out bid other teams that were equally dazzeled by McIlvaine’s shot blocking and rebounding potential. The Sonics and other teams saw him as a potential Dikembe Mutombo type player able to block shots and sweep the boards. Sadly, the Sonics just kept on making bad moves: Calvin Booth, Jerome James, Billy Owens, Vernon Maxwell, Johan Petro, Robert Swift, Greg Foster …all high profile free agents or draft picks who contributed little to the team. They did salvage the Kemp situation by getting Vin Baker who did have an allstar/allpro season for the Sonics until he too succumbed to alcohol abuse. So in summary, don’t blame the signing of McIlvaine for destroying Kemp’s career. Kemp is the one who pushed for the long term that made rengotiation impossible, and he’s the one who chose to drink and do drugs.

]]> By: 2009 nfl picks http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-6246 2009 nfl picks Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:34:37 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-6246 What about signing allan houston to the Knicks. They actually made what was called the allan houston rule, that allowed the knicks to waive houston and pay him 40 million dollars for 2 years that he didn't even play..... Stephon Marbury fits into this mold too. Pretty much anyone the Knicks sign or trade for is usually a mistake.. What about signing allan houston to the Knicks. They actually made what was called the allan houston rule, that allowed the knicks to waive houston and pay him 40 million dollars for 2 years that he didn’t even play….. Stephon Marbury fits into this mold too. Pretty much anyone the Knicks sign or trade for is usually a mistake..

]]> By: Patrick http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5512 Patrick Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:01:04 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5512 As a Kings fan, I'm partial to Kenny Thomas' 6-year, $45 million deal as one of the worst of this decade (at the least). He hasn't played a significant game for Sacramento in two seasons, yet he's one of their top salaries. That's a biased answer though... As a Kings fan, I’m partial to Kenny Thomas’ 6-year, $45 million deal as one of the worst of this decade (at the least). He hasn’t played a significant game for Sacramento in two seasons, yet he’s one of their top salaries. That’s a biased answer though…

]]> By: Quick scan of the net - seattle supersonics « An Englishman in Bulgaria http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5383 Quick scan of the net - seattle supersonics « An Englishman in Bulgaria Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:57:36 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5383 [...] http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/The Seattle Supersonics made a dumb financial decision. The team was coming off an NBA Finals appearance in which they were taken out by the record-setting ‘96 Chicago Bulls. In serious need of a big man, the team decided to go after … [...] [...] http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/The Seattle Supersonics made a dumb financial decision. The team was coming off an NBA Finals appearance in which they were taken out by the record-setting ‘96 Chicago Bulls. In serious need of a big man, the team decided to go after … [...]

]]> By: Who smokes cigars? » Fast Wednesday links http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5381 Who smokes cigars? » Fast Wednesday links Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:44:41 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5381 [...] http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/The Seattle Supersonics made a dumb financial decision. The team was coming off an NBA Finals appearance in which they were taken out by the record-setting ‘96 Chicago Bulls. In serious need of a big man, the team decided to go after … [...] [...] http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/The Seattle Supersonics made a dumb financial decision. The team was coming off an NBA Finals appearance in which they were taken out by the record-setting ‘96 Chicago Bulls. In serious need of a big man, the team decided to go after … [...]

]]> By: robertjamis http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5372 robertjamis Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:34:54 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5372 I think you probably could have built this entire list out of Knicks contracts...but the one you left out was Allan Houston. Houston was signed to a max money deal of 120 million that left the Knicks totally inflexible from a payroll standpoint and he missed an incredible number of games over that span. I think you probably could have built this entire list out of Knicks contracts…but the one you left out was Allan Houston. Houston was signed to a max money deal of 120 million that left the Knicks totally inflexible from a payroll standpoint and he missed an incredible number of games over that span.

]]> By: dwhite10701 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5365 dwhite10701 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:17:50 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5365 Jim McIlvaine should be number one. Not only did they spend a ton of money on a completely unproductive player, but the signing directly resulted in their best player (Shawn Kemp) leaving town. Doesn't get much worse than that. Jim McIlvaine should be number one. Not only did they spend a ton of money on a completely unproductive player, but the signing directly resulted in their best player (Shawn Kemp) leaving town. Doesn’t get much worse than that.

]]> By: Cuban Linx - Eye Know | The Rap Up http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5364 Cuban Linx - Eye Know | The Rap Up Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:47:09 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5364 [...] ♣ 5 Worst NBA Free Agent Signings of All-time [Hoop Doctors] [...] [...] ♣ 5 Worst NBA Free Agent Signings of All-time [Hoop Doctors] [...]

]]> By: minesport.com http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5362 minesport.com Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:30:43 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5362 <strong>5 Worst NBA Free Agent Signings of All-time...</strong> As the NBA off-season continues to change the landscape of the league, team executives need to be warned. Choose your investments wisely. Free agency has turned the NBA into a revolving door and has created plenty of parity over the years. Teams that... 5 Worst NBA Free Agent Signings of All-time…

As the NBA off-season continues to change the landscape of the league, team executives need to be warned. Choose your investments wisely. Free agency has turned the NBA into a revolving door and has created plenty of parity over the years. Teams that…

]]> By: Linkin Ain’t Easy | Pippen Ain't Easy | A Chicago Bulls Blog http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5313 Linkin Ain’t Easy | Pippen Ain't Easy | A Chicago Bulls Blog Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:27:27 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5313 [...] 5 Worst Free Agent Signings of All-Time Hoop Doctors [...] [...] 5 Worst Free Agent Signings of All-Time Hoop Doctors [...]

]]> By: Jordan Levi http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/2009/07/5-worst-nba-free-agent-signings-of-all-time/comment-page-1/#comment-5312 Jordan Levi Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:16:11 +0000 http://thehoopdoctors.com/online2/?p=8787#comment-5312 Great list, but where is Tim Thomas signing with the Bucks for $67 million in '99?? That has got to be at least one of the top 2 or 3 worst free agent signings ever! Great list, but where is Tim Thomas signing with the Bucks for $67 million in ’99?? That has got to be at least one of the top 2 or 3 worst free agent signings ever!

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