One Team’s Back-Up Center is Another’s Great Hope

Posted by Rob Mahoney on July 3, 2009 under News | 3 Comments to Read

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, via Third Quarter Collapse:

Gortat, according to reports, has committed to sign the Mavs’ offer sheet, with Howard’s back-up apparently commanding a mid-level contract starting at $5.6 million. Smith said he had yet to receive an offer sheet from the Mavs. But he reiterated his stance that the club — which can match any offer for Gortat because he is a restricted free agent — will not pay that steep price to keep him. “Those numbers are a little rich for a back-up center, a guy playing behind my best player (Dwight Howard),” Smith said. “If it’s 5 (million), it puts you in a situation (financially) that you don’t recover from.”

It should definitely be noted that per league rules, the Mavs are not allowed to sign Gortat to an offer sheet until July 8th.  Still, it’s looking more and more like the salary the Mavs have supposedly offered Gortat as well as the luxury tax ramnifications for the Magic have sufficiently dissuaded Orlando from surprising us in the coming weeks.  They’re not stitching the Gortat jerseys just yet, but we’re are nearly a go.

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  • Brian D

    I wish I could be as excited about this as everyone else seems to be. However….Spurs add Richard Jefferson. Lakers add Artest. Cavs add Shaq. Blazers add Turkoglu. Magic add Carter. Celtics (probably) add Wallace.

    Mavs add Marcin Gortat. Marcin Gortat.

    I hate to be the guy who spits a loogey in the punch, but I’m very underwhelmed here.

  • http://www.bign.com/cagabel Cynthia

    Gortat is ten times the player Rasheed Wallace is. Plus the guy works hard. Wallace is unmotivated and lazy. I just read the other day (can’t remember where…maybe dallasbasketball.com) a list of the WORST rebounding centers in the league. Guess who topped the list?? Rasheed Wallace of course. Right now Rasheed is as good as he’s going to get (and given his numbers from last year that AIN’T saying much) while Gortat is just beginning. This is a GREAT signing for the MAVS. And the others you mentioned? Artest is a head case from hell….here’s hoping he and Kobe get along as well as they did in the playoffs….Turkoglu is now going to the Raptors so Portland (so far) hasn’t done anything, Shaq will be a difference maker for the Cavs as much as he was for Phoenix (nuff said) and Jefferson, while good, is EXTREMELY injury prone. If he makes it through the season without a prolonged absence from injury THEN it will be a good signing. You do know Gortat was a backup that (at best) played 12 minutes a game, right? He had 4 starts last season (including 1 in the playoffs). In those 4 starts he had 4 double doubles. The upside of this guy is incredible and a helluva upgrade over the center we have now. You know also that San Antonio, Houston and I believe Portland ALL had interest in signing Gortat. THAT ALONE ought to tell you something. Like everyone has been saying….this signing is a really good thing.

  • Brian D

    I’m glad you’re so excited about it Cynthia, but I can’t be yet. The only thing I want is a championship in the Dirk era. I was hoping to be a bit closer to that goal after this summer, but it feels further away that it did when the season ended.

    I can’t pretend that I think all these moves from these other teams are going to fall through. Shaq on Cleveland is a whole lot different than Shaq on the Suns. I am thrilled Portland didn’t get Turk though, he would’ve pushed them over the top. Artest/Kobe does have potential to explode but if it doesn’t that team is damn near unbeatable. I wouldn’t underestimate the Wallace signing either. Sure he’s been mailing in games for Detriot since 2005, but KG doesn’t let stuff like that fly. When he wants to be, he’s one of the most talented big men in the league.

    It isn’t that I don’t like the Gortat signing, I certainly wouldn’t take it back. I like him, he’s got potential, but at this point that’s all it is. As long as there’s another great on its way, it could all work out well.

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