The Utah Jazz GM suffers from Dementia!

[fiasco!]

LMAO!!!!!

Mehmet Okur = 6 years, $50,000,000

[tajmccall]

ladies and germs...

the european greg ostertag!

[Phil]

You know the sports economy is out of whack when (as tajmccall states above) the European Greg Ostertag gets $50 million. Think of it... that's a fifth of A-Rod's deal, and A-Rod's deal was over a longer period of time. Yikes.

...also, before I get the guaranteed PM's and emails about it, would you mind changing your turn of phrase in the topic title joel? Just as a personal favour to me and my inbox?

Edit: Thanks!

[Ez Street]

my GOD! That is insanity!

[GMac]

changed the title or not... my god he hit it right on the head...

[Lee.]

I am offended, Joel, by your heartless misspelling of "dementia". Please change your header immediately.

[Phil]

I am offended, Joel, by your heartless misspelling of "dementia". Please change your header immediately.

:adjust collar: eh-hem... yeah Joel, get a dictionary...

(I was the one who actually typed in the change that Joel suggested.)

[Saintsfan]

Hmm thats not 'dementia' thats just pure insanity! Man is it gonna be a long road back for the 'Mazzericks' if this is how the team is gonna be run.

Look like the Mavs of today, play like the Mavs of 1992!

[the_cynic]

I don't see how this deal is that "insane". Okur has proven that he can produce great numbers and $8,333,333 a year is pretty much the market value for a guy like that. I know, the market is out of whack but everybody's salary has sky rocketed in the past 5 years!

[jrodsep]

The Utah Jazz should be reborn as the Utah White Hopes.

Heres their starting line up:

G - Lopez (assuming that Arroyo leaves)

G - Harpring

F- Kirilenko (sp?)

F- Okur

C- Ostertag

[the_cynic]

Dude, how in the hell did you come up with that line up? First off, assuming that Arroyo does leave, do you really think the Jazz rely on Lopez and Williams to fill the void alone? Yeah they have Kirk Snyder who can play PG as well but I think they'll end up using some money to get a quality PG if he does leave. Shall I suggest Troy Hudson?

Here's how I see it in the end.......

C - Mehmet Okur

PF - Andrei Kirilenko/Matt Harping (Depending upon match up's)

SF - Matt Harping/Andrei Kirilenko (Depending upon match up's)

SG - Gordon Giricek (I perdict Kirk Snyder will take over this spot later in the year)

PG - Carlos Arroyo

[jrodsep]

Dude, how in the hell did you come up with that line up? First off, assuming that Arroyo does leave, do you really think the Jazz rely on Lopez and Williams to fill the void alone? Yeah they have Kirk Snyder who can play PG as well but I think they'll end up using some money to get a quality PG if he does leave. Shall I suggest Troy Hudson?

Here's how I see it in the end.......

C - Mehmet Okur

PF - Andrei Kirilenko/Matt Harping (Depending upon match up's)

SF - Matt Harping/Andrei Kirilenko (Depending upon match up's)

SG - Gordon Giricek (I perdict Kirk Snyder will take over this spot later in the year)

PG - Carlos Arroyo

Dude you missed my point. It's an all white starting line up, if u have Arroyo, Giricek, Harpring, Kirilenko and Okur. A RARITY IN THE NBA THESE DAYS!!!!!

[Phil]

I don't see how this deal is that "insane".  Okur has proven that he can produce great numbers and $8,333,333 a year is pretty much the market value for a guy like that.  I know, the market is out of whack but everybody's salary has sky rocketed in the past 5 years!

$8.333 mill is a lot for a guy like that as it is, and to commit that to him for the next 6 years is insane.

A guy with the impact like that shouldn't get more than $4 or $5 million. He's how big, and backed up 6'9" Ben Wallace? I mean, Ben's a good player without a doubt, but a 7-foot-something $8.333 mill/year centre should be able to put Wallace at the 4-spot at the very least.

[NJTank]

LOL I cant believe they are givingt Okur that much money, it defentley is overpaying. He may not be a bad player but that amount is just outrageous its a bad move.

[random]

Since Okur is from Turkey wouldnt he be "the middle eastern greg ostertag" and not the european one? i guess it depends where in Turkey he's from.

[Magus]

well if utahs newest set of uniforms are any indication of how things are ran in utah, should we be surprised by the deal?

[winters in buffalo]

Gah! I would have guessed that to be the team's entire operating budget.

[the_cynic]

I don't see how this deal is that "insane". Okur has proven that he can produce great numbers and $8,333,333 a year is pretty much the market value for a guy like that. I know, the market is out of whack but everybody's salary has sky rocketed in the past 5 years!

$8.333 mill is a lot for a guy like that as it is, and to commit that to him for the next 6 years is insane.

A guy with the impact like that shouldn't get more than $4 or $5 million. He's how big, and backed up 6'9" Ben Wallace? I mean, Ben's a good player without a doubt, but a 7-foot-something $8.333 mill/year centre should be able to put Wallace at the 4-spot at the very least.

SyPhi,

You have to understand that the Jazz have had a long history of "crappy" centers. Ever since Mark Eaton left there's been a plague in SLC where the big men couldn't produce on a regular basis. So the first chance the Jazz get the sign a productive big man, you can guarantee they'll jump at it........no matter what the cost. I still stand by my words, Okur is a great player and 8.333. mil a year is a fair enough price.

Here's something else to consider, Adonal Foyle from Golden State is reported to recieve 41.6 mil over the next 5 years from the Warriors. Big men don't come cheap these days!

[shiznit1083]

Unproven centers never pan out. Trust me, I lived through the Travis Knight experience. It's one thing to project a guy who's played about 20 minutes a game, it's another to have him actually go out and do it. It would have been easier for him to start in the East, but let's be honest, the guy won't hang in the west. He's a softie. The guy is a perimiter shooter with sloppy footwork. He can't bang in the low post (trust me, I watch a lot of basketball) especially when there's a decent guy opposite him. The Jazz are packed with shooters and already have a talented squad, what they really need is a guy to do the dirty work and Okur isn't it. He won't dominate a game, but he will give a club a good sixth man. The Jazz will find out soon enough that a big body doesn't always equal big time consistency and production.

Is Okur defninitley a guy worth having on your squad? Sure, but for nowhere near 8 million per year.

[the_cynic]

Unproven centers never pan out. Trust me, I lived through the Travis Knight experience.

Travis Knight was a completely different story!

trust me, I watch a lot of basketball

I too watch a lot of basketball and I know a player with potential when I see one. You can't expect a 2nd year player to be that dominant off the bat. Trust me, Okur will only get better, the only question is........how much better?

The Jazz will find out soon enough that a big body doesn't always equal big time consistency and production.

I think they already have, it's called Greg Ostertag!

Is Okur defninitley a guy worth having on your squad? Sure, but for nowhere near 8 million per year.

So who in your mind is worth 8 million a year? In this summer's free agency who should have the Jazz gotten? Who could they possibly get? We all had high hopes that we could snag Erick Dampier but that's a pipe dream. Okur was the best, most talented center that Jazz could get. They also wanted a big man they could keep around for a while, hence the 6 year contract. You can always say that so and so won't cut it but in this situation Okur was the best decision the Jazz could make considering.