OT: Withey Signs

[ABM]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/pelicans-sign-rookie-center-jeff-222143995--nba.html

Are there "rookie contract" guidelines for 2nd Rounders?

METAIRIE, La. (AP) -- The New Orleans Pelicans say 7-foot center Jeff Withey has signed his rookie contract.

Citing team policy, the club is not releasing the terms of the deal with the former Kansas standout.

Withey was drafted by Portland in the second round of the draft, 39th overall, and then traded to New Orleans as part of a three-team deal that also sent guard Tyreke Evans from Sacramento to the Pelicans, while New Orleans dealt center Robin Lopez to Portland and Greivis Vasquez to the Kings.

Withey played four years at Kansas, setting the all-time Big 12 mark for blocked shots with 312. He also was the conference's defensive player of the year the past two seasons.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Yes. The rookie contract can start at the aptly-named "Rookie Minimum" of 490k. They could theoretically receive up to the 0-6 year Player Maximum ($13,701,250), if the team had cap space to sign them.

 

[jlprk]

This is big news. I'm surprised more threads haven't been started on this.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Yes. The rookie contract can start at the aptly-named "Rookie Minimum" of 490k. They could theoretically receive up to the 0-6 year Player Maximum ($13,701,250), if the team had cap space to sign them.

Some recent 2nd-rounder contracts were DeJuan Blair's (4yr/3.8M total), Chandler Parsons (4yr/3.7M total), Will Barton (3yrs/2.25M)

 

[ABM]

This is big news. I'm surprised more threads haven't been started on this.

It's because I was curious about the contractual parameters of 2nd rounders.......................you bowling shoe! :MARIS61:

 

[MickZagger]

It's because I was curious about the contractual parameters of 2nd rounders.......................you bowling shoe! :MARIS61:

Alright, Uncle Joey

 

[BrianFromWA]

cut...it...out, really, you're great...

 

[jlprk]

It's because I was curious about the contractual parameters of 2nd rounders.......................you bowling shoe! :MARIS61:

Well why didn't you say so? What ever happened to OddEnormous? That was his expression. The Sebastian Express had it in her signature on this board. She's still a gay RealGM mod.

 

[Draco]

Am I the only one that thinks I'd prefer to have him playing for us next year than Meyers Leonard?

 

[jlprk]

Leonard has a year of NBA experience. But he got worse in that year, as proven by comparing his two SLs. So I'd chance it with the 2nd rounder over the 1st rounder, but then, who am I. Just the poster who's always right, always was, always will be, and always outside the time dimension too.

 

[Rhal]

Am I the only one that thinks I'd prefer to have him playing for us next year than Meyers Leonard?

The board seems to be split on this. I personally would rather have Leonard because of all his phsycial tools, yea he has a high probability of being a bust but the potential is there and I would rather go with potential then with a second rounder in Withey who seems like he will be lucky to be as good as Chris Johnson.

 

[NOVoodoo]

The board seems to be split on this. I personally would rather have Leonard because of all his phsycial tools, yea he has a high probability of being a bust but the potential is there and I would rather go with potential then with a second rounder in Withey who seems like he will be lucky to be as good as Chris Johnson.

I really wouldn't mind Jeff Withey as a second round prospect. His 4 bpg at Kansas shouldn't be understated, because well, it was at Kansas, against the top NCAA competition. For perspective, Larry Sanders was only at 3 bpg at VCU...

With that said, I wouldn't downplay the fact that he was actually signed. A few second round '13 picks like Iverson and Green have recently signed for European teams, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were more to come.

 

[Blazer4ever]

I think Withey is a better more dependable center right now than Leonard. He was one of my favorite players in this draft. Leonard is younger, though and doesn't have 4 years of college experience like Withey.

 

[BlazerBeav]

I think Withey is a better more dependable center right now than Leonard. He was one of my favorite players in this draft. Leonard is younger, though and doesn't have 4 years of college experience like Withey.

Dependable based on what - his zero minutes of career playing time in the NBA? I watched Oregon State play at Kansas this past season, and he only put up 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots against a team without a center. I do believe this is a case of the 'grass is always greener' way of thinking.

 

[Boob-No-More]

DAMN!!! There goes my dream that he would hold out, sit out the year, become an unrestricted free agent and sign with the Blazers to lead us to multiple NBA championships.

Bummer, I guess we'll just have to settle for the guy we got in the Withey trade, a guy who started all 82 games at center and was 9th in the NBA in BLK% last season.

Blocks don't always translate between the NCAA and the NBA. Remember last year's No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Davis, blocked more shots as a freshman (4.65 BPG) at Kentucky than Withey did (3.9 BPG) as a senior at Kansas. Davis blocked 1.8 BPG as a rookie and he saw WAY more playing time than Withey ever will. Withey will be lucky if he ever sees enough PT to average 1 BPG at any point in his NBA career.

BNM

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Blocks don't always translate between the NCAA and the NBA. Remember last year's No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Davis, blocked more shots as a freshman (4.65 BPG) at Kentucky than Withey did (3.9 BPG) as a senior at Kansas. Davis blocked 1.8 BPG as a rookie and he saw WAY more playing time than Withey ever will. Withey will be lucky if he ever sees enough PT to average 1 BPG at any point in his NBA career.

To be fair, Davis' block %--as a rookie--was higher than Lopez's was, so it's not as though Davis didn't block his fair share of shots. His 1.8 bpg was good for 11th in the league, and he was 15th in total shots blocked, despite only playing 64 games. I think he's a poor example to use to suggest that shot-blocking doesn't translate.

 

[MickZagger]

Am I the only one that thinks I'd prefer to have him playing for us next year than Meyers Leonard?

Yes.

 

[Boob-No-More]

To be fair, Davis' block %--as a rookie--was higher than Lopez's was, so it's not as though Davis didn't block his fair share of shots. His 1.8 bpg was good for 11th in the league, and he was 15th in total shots blocked, despite only playing 64 games. I think he's a poor example to use to suggest that shot-blocking doesn't translate.

I just chose him because he's the most recent example. Davis was drafted No. 1 for his defense and he wasn't exactly a defensive stopper as a rookie. He got pushed around and a bused by heavier, stronger players. Withye will face the same problems, and he's not nearly as good as Davis.

My point was you need to give up something to get something. Sure, I would have loved to have the luxury of having Withey around as a 3rd string center, but we gave him up to get a proven starter. We gave up very little and got a lot. That trade was a no brainer. Jeff Withey isn't a needle mover. Drafting Withey was not the kind of move that would keep LaMarcus Aldridge happy. Trading Withey for Robin Lopez was.

Besides, if you really need a skinny, shot blocking one trick pony, as has been pointed out, guys like Chris Johnson are always available as D League call ups.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Am I the only one that thinks I'd prefer to have him playing for us next year than Meyers Leonard?

But would you rather have Withey as your back up and Leonard starting, or Leonard as your back-up and Robin Lopez starting? I'm pretty sure LaMarus Aldridge prefers the latter. So do I.

BNM

 

[HailBlazers]

Leonard has a year of NBA experience. But he got worse in that year, as proven by comparing his two SLs. So I'd chance it with the 2nd rounder over the 1st rounder, but then, who am I. Just the poster who's always right, always was, always will be, and always outside the time dimension too.

Lol, nice burden of proof.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I'll be really curious to see how he does over the next few years.

 

[Draco]

But would you rather have Withey as your back up and Leonard starting, or Leonard as your back-up and Robin Lopez starting? I'm pretty sure LaMarus Aldridge prefers the latter. So do I.

I never said I wanted Withey instead of Lopez, you are the only one arguing that with yourself. I'd rather have Withey as the center backup for next season instead of Meyers. Thats not a nock on Lopez, or a projection of greatness for Withey, just a sad realization of this seasons projected competency of our backup center.

 

[HailBlazers]

Withey could possibly be better than Meyers on defense, but our second unit needs scoring and Leonard is much more likely to make waves there.

 

[Draco]

Withey could possibly be better than Meyers on defense, but our second unit needs scoring and Leonard is much more likely to make waves there.

Wright and CJ are primarily offensive players. We don't need the entire bench to be offense.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I never said I wanted Withey instead of Lopez, you are the only one arguing that with yourself. I'd rather have Withey as the center backup for next season instead of Meyers. Thats not a nock on Lopez, or a projection of greatness for Withey, just a sad realization of this seasons projected competency of our backup center.

But trading Withey's rights enabled us to get Lopez. We could not have included Meyers in the trade even if we wanted to, because of his salary. Remember, the whole reason NOH basically gave us Lopez was to free up the cap space necessary to sign Tyreke Evans.

So, the choice really was Lopez or Withey (which is, of course, a no brainer). Meyers was never part of the discussion. The choice wasn't trade Meyers or Withey. The choice was get Robin Lopez, or not.

If you think Meyers Leonard as our back up center is bad news, imagine him starting, which is exactly what he'd be doing, if we'd passed on the Lopez trade and kept Withey.

BNM

 

[BrianFromWA]

BNM, I was going over this in my head when the trade happened, and didn't think it was thread-worthy at the time, but I guess it's up now...

When the offer on the table was Lopez (basically) for 2 second-rounders, and NOP said "we want Withey, too"....did Olshey even haggle over it? Was he close to hanging up the phone on a trade because of Jeff Withey? Would NOP have held their ground and not traded Lopez (and not received Evans) if we had said "nope, we're keeping him"?

Was Jeff Withey the keystone of a deal that might help the Blazers win the championship?

 

[santeesioux]

Rolo will make us all forget about Withey (i hope).

 

[Draco]

But trading Withey's rights enabled us to get Lopez. We could not have included Meyers in the trade even if we wanted to, because of his salary. Remember, the whole reason NOH basically gave us Lopez was to free up the cap space necessary to sign Tyreke Evans.

So, the choice really was Lopez or Withey (which is, of course, a no brainer). Meyers was never part of the discussion. The choice wasn't trade Meyers or Withey. The choice was get Robin Lopez, or not.

If you think Meyers Leonard as our back up center is bad news, imagine him starting, which is exactly what he'd be doing, if we'd passed on the Lopez trade and kept Withey.

Well duh obviously nobody is saying we should have kept Withey instead of getting Lopez.

I hope Meyers surprises me and outplays specialist second rounders such as Withey. I'd have been intrigued if we had found a way to keep Withey since there was a real chance we could need a player with that skillset on the court this season. If you look at NBA players like Theo Ratliff, he didn't do anything good except block shots and had a very nice 10+ year career. I don't think there is a chance for Crabbe or Barton to get court time this season unless the team has multiple injuries. With Watson, CJ, Wright the team already has shooting and scoring on the bench, which are Meyers strengths.

But the team doesn't have any shotblocking or tall defensive presence on the bench, so I think there could have been a great opportunity for Withey to find a role on this team. In the NBA the position that has the greatest effect on a teams defense is by far the center position. Defensive centers can provide support to all other four positions. That why every year the DPOY voting is filled with centers. The Blazer roster is already composed primarily of offensive players so I thought a scrub like Withey could end up shockingly being a contributor even in a small role.

Maybe Neil didn't want that, maybe he wanted Meyers to get the backup center spot by default and only have to beat out the worthless Freeland or a shorter Thomas Robinson. If we wanted Withey I’m sure we could have easily included a different 2nd round pick in the trade. Throughout the year I’ll compare Withey with Meyers as it may be interesting.

 

[Boob-No-More]

BNM, I was going over this in my head when the trade happened, and didn't think it was thread-worthy at the time, but I guess it's up now...

When the offer on the table was Lopez (basically) for 2 second-rounders, and NOP said "we want Withey, too"....did Olshey even haggle over it? Was he close to hanging up the phone on a trade because of Jeff Withey? Would NOP have held their ground and not traded Lopez (and not received Evans) if we had said "nope, we're keeping him"?

Was Jeff Withey the keystone of a deal that might help the Blazers win the championship?

I liked the Withey pick. I thought he was a great value where he was taken and liked the idea of him as our third string center. Him, Leonard and Lopez are all very long and good FT shooters.

But, if the choice comes down to keeping Withey or getting Lopez, you take Lopez 11 times out of 10. Even if you think Withey will be a stud (he won't be), you take Lopez to give Aldridge the legitimate starting center he asked for in his exit interview.

I'm sure NOP wanted him to fill a roster spot and 2nd rounders don't have cap holds (other than minimum salary if they have less than 12 players under contract). So, that helped them sign Tyreke. After clearing the decks to sign Evans, they needed cheap bodies to fill out their roster. Withey gave them a back up big that was cheap - exactly what they needed.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Well duh obviously nobody is saying we should have kept Withey instead of getting Lopez.

I hope Meyers surprises me and outplays specialist second rounders such as Withey. I'd have been intrigued if we had found a way to keep Withey since there was a real chance we could need a player with that skillset on the court this season. If you look at NBA players like Theo Ratliff, he didn't do anything good except block shots and had a very nice 10+ year career. I don't think there is a chance for Crabbe or Barton to get court time this season unless the team has multiple injuries. With Watson, CJ, Wright the team already has shooting and scoring on the bench, which are Meyers strengths.

But the team doesn't have any shotblocking or tall defensive presence on the bench, so I think there could have been a great opportunity for Withey to find a role on this team. In the NBA the position that has the greatest effect on a teams defense is by far the center position. Defensive centers can provide support to all other four positions. That why every year the DPOY voting is filled with centers. The Blazer roster is already composed primarily of offensive players so I thought a scrub like Withey could end up shockingly being a contributor even in a small role.

Maybe Neil didn't want that, maybe he wanted Meyers to get the backup center spot by default and only have to beat out the worthless Freeland or a shorter Thomas Robinson. If we wanted Withey I’m sure we could have easily included a different 2nd round pick in the trade. Throughout the year I’ll compare Withey with Meyers as it may be interesting.

I agree with your points. I liked the Withey pick very much at the time. But, I was just pointing out that there was never a Leonard or Withey decision. Because of his 1st round rookie scale contract, Leonard would have counted as $2.3 million against the NOP cap. Withey, a 2nd rounder had no cap hold. They definitely needed a center after giving away their starter to sign a guard. Withey was perfect for what NOP needed. That's why the insisted he be included in the Lopez deal. Leonard wasn't even an option.

This does beg the question: was that Olshey's plan all along. Was a deal in the works at the time of the draft. Was Withey actually drafted for NOP and never in Portland's plans. I know NOP could not officially make an offer to Evans until July 1, but maybe their plan all along was to dump Lopez to clear as much cap space as possible. If they knew ahead of time that they were losing Lopez, and they knew Portland desperately needed a starting center, they may have been talking to Portland (and other teams) about taking a center in the second round.

BNM