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October 17, 2007
Okafor worth a maximum contract?
This is just a guess, but I wonder if Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller cost the Charlotte Bobcats some money.
The Bobcats are in negotiations with Emeka Okafor on a contract extension. They can sign him up to Oct. 31, under rules of the NBA’s rookie salary scale. If they fail to come to terms, Okafor would become a restricted free agent following the upcoming season.
Both Okafor and team management have said negotiations are cordial. Okafor expressed confidence before the start of training camp that they’d work something out.
Still, there is no agreement. I assume that means the Bobcats have chosen not to offer Okafor a maximum contract, which would pay him roughly $80 million over five seasons. That’s the deal the Orlando Magic gave Dwight Howard, the only player chosen above Okafor in the 2004 draft.
Howard has clearly done more so far than Okafor and Howard’s potential is huge. So I can see why the Bobcats would offer something less than Howard’s compensation. While Okafor deserves to be the Bobcats’ highest-paid player, I’m not sure he’s in that max-contract elite.
But here’s where it gets sticky: Miller said he’s receptive to signing Jazz point guard Deron Williams to a max deal when he’s eligible next summer. And that seemingly raises the bar for Okafor.
Williams, taken in the 2005 draft, is a fine point guard; anyone would want him. But he’s no more essential to the Jazz than Okafor is to the Bobcats.
The Jazz has Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, and Miller is still willing to max out Williams to preserve his team’s future. Okafor is essential to the Bobcats defensively; anyone who saw this team crumble in his absence for a month last spring knows that.
So I suspect Miller did the Bobcats no favor by projecting what he’ll do for Williams next summer.
Posted by Observer staff on October 17, 2007 at 11:09 AM | Permalink
Comments
Why don't you write the next article on how apples are similar to oranges?
Posted by: LeeL | Oct 17, 2007 11:54:01 AM
wouldnt he be worth it if he were healthy like those other guys were? how about a stat showing the number of games they missed vs. the amount oke has missed? that might have been relevant...
Posted by: dave | Oct 17, 2007 1:06:23 PM
Bonnell, I have a feeling nobody from the Bobcats wants to talk to you. You're supposed to be the "insider" but your reports are based off of pure speculation. The forums provide better information than you.
Posted by: DS | Oct 17, 2007 2:27:37 PM
"Howard has clearly done more so far than Okafor and Howard’s potential is huge"
which is why Okafor was the RoY in '04-'05 and asked to play with Team USA as a rookie??
What has Howard "clearly done more of" than Okafor??
Posted by: Slam | Oct 17, 2007 2:55:23 PM
This is probably the worst thing you have ever written. It is worded fine, but in concept it makes very little sense. Charlotte and Utah have two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT situations.
Posted by: yea..right | Oct 17, 2007 4:19:09 PM
jesus, shut up people. every article on charlotte.com is labeled as "the worst article ever written". give it a break. if you don't like the article, so be it, but i like to read other peoples comments/thoughts on what the article is about, so please quite wasting everyones time with negative comments calling out the writer. please.
Posted by: tomP | Oct 17, 2007 9:10:30 PM
I disagree. Bonnell makes a great point. Emeka is a potential All-Star and even DPOY candidate, but it could be argued that he'll fall to third in line of the most important players on the team after the arrival of Jason Richardson. Do you pay a guy like that max money? I'd say no, and durability concerns are yet another issue when it comes to Mek. When it comes to Deron Williams, I don't think he's anywhere NEAR the player overall that Okafor is, but he's done the most important thing a PG can do in the Association: he lead his team to a quality season and a fairly deep playoff run.
As for the comparisons between Dwight Howard and Emeka Okafor, I've always had Mek's back in the discussion, but it's pretty easy to make the argument that Howard has both done more already and is primed to have the better NBA career. The easiest way to do that is to say that Howard has played 246 games to Okafor's 166. That's a FULL SEASON'S worth of difference. Statistically, Howard's always been a better rebounder and shooter (including a MONSTER 60% from the field last year), though Okafor did show some improvement in the latter category last year. The ROY award in '05 was nice, but let's note the fact that Okafor had come off of the experience from three years and a national championship at Connecticut, whereas Howard was fresh out of high school. Furthermore, Howard entered the league at 19, whereas Okafor came in at 22. As players, Emeka is probably the better defender of the two, but that's really his only clear advantage other than Howard's penchant to turn the ball over on occasion trying to make something happen off the dribble (which confounds me from a guy going 6-11, 265.) Howard is more athletic, has a better low post game, and is a better pure rebounder in terms of instincts. Furthermore, we're looking at a Dwight Howard who, despite being much younger and lacking the experience of Okafor, is right with Mek in terms of their development. And, lastly, the Team USA nod in his rookie year was nice, but you'll note that it was Howard who was starting for Team USA at the most recent competition, while Okafor wasn't even on the training camp roster. Complain about limited exposure all you want, but it's not like the Magic have been a standout team the last few years. Bonnell's comment was legit and very valid.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Oct 17, 2007 11:03:21 PM
You missed the most important point in your argument. How many games have Okafor missed so far?
Posted by: mjfan | Oct 17, 2007 11:30:11 PM
Umm, it was actually the first thing I mentioned, dumbass. I note specifically that Okafor has played a full SEASON'S worth of games less than Howard and that durability concerns were a hangup for giving him a max deal. Learn to read.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Oct 18, 2007 1:52:33 AM
SOLUTION>>>>sign bob stevens outta the new york state independent federation basketball association asap. thx
Posted by: Ron Mexico | Oct 18, 2007 9:47:35 AM
I do believe that even after all this good comments, Okafor should be the most valuable player in the Bobcats roster. After all Howard has been playing better and has been more durable, but Howard came from High School to an already competitive team and it was pretty easy for him to become a leader with almost no preasure at all. Okafor as a rookie was demanded to carrie over his back all the hopes of a team that was nowhere to be found in the first two years of existence. Okafor had to work way harder and with a lot more preassure than Howard to be who he is. Okafor was everything or I should say the only thing that the B-cats had, until G-Force actually came up big and tried to helped him. Howard landed into a team that was already a contender, and his job was only to make that team better.
Posted by: RobC | Oct 18, 2007 10:33:31 AM
One more thing, besides signing Okafor, is known by everyone that the B-cats still need some help down the post. There are not too many good guys out there to sign, and that comes to my suggestion; What is happening with ANDERSON VAREJAO. He is a hustler, very hard playing back up C-PF that will provide good minutes in those two positions and that already has playoff experience.
Posted by: RobC | Oct 18, 2007 10:37:13 AM
Yeah but Larry Miller also sold the naming rights of his arena to a company that stores nuclear waste in the desert, so what does he know?
Posted by: Seriously, They Do | Oct 18, 2007 2:54:11 PM
RobC, the Magic were not a contender. They went 21 and 61 that year. They earned the number 1 pick.
A max contract guy must be a dependable franchise player. I think Okafor is worth a decent contract, but not the max.
Posted by: LeeL | Oct 18, 2007 3:36:58 PM
Since when is a back-to-back 36-win team that finishes 10th in a 15-team conference "already competitive"? If anything, he MADE them competitive, with the win total increasing by 15 their first year.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Oct 18, 2007 3:47:47 PM
I'm also concerned with the continued work we're doing on our defensive glass. Opponents have consistently been getting loads of offensive boards (and thus, second chance opportunities) all preseason long. Perhaps this is a product of leaving guys out on the wing to run or just the fact that we're sacrificing size and rebounding prowess to build a team that can do so, but it's an early emerging problem nonetheless.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Oct 18, 2007 3:49:49 PM
Okafor
+
crappy, inexperienced big men
+
coach telling the rest of his players to "run"
=
what you've been seeing
Posted by: Will | Oct 18, 2007 7:41:05 PM
Who really cares? No one goes to the games anyway. How many more seasons do we have to have this organization here?
Posted by: kevin | Oct 20, 2007 10:55:18 PM
Hey Kevin, the stands are always empty. Get them out of here.
Posted by: don't Bother | Oct 22, 2007 5:44:22 AM
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