I held off this morning on Mike James' soliloquy in the papers this morning, saving it for lunchtime. Roughly translated -- and keep in mind, this is a boiling down of an excerpt highlighted by reporters out of a 30-minute conversation, so a fair amount of editing is going on -- James is basically saying 'I want mine':
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| ALAN DIAZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
| Mike James: Money player. |
"The money that I make — the multi-year deal or whatever you guys want to call it — just give me what I deserve," he explained. "Don't underpay me.
I'm tired of being called an underachiever. I'm tired of being underpaid. And I've been underpaid since I've been in this game. Now it's time for me to get what I deserve.
The money don't motivate me. The money don't motivate me at all.
But the thing is, maybe I do want to wake up one morning and say, 'Baby, let's go to the Bahamas. Today.' That costs money. So what if I want to do that? Why shouldn't I have the ability to do that if for six, seven, eight months I give you my heart on the basketball court?"
So that's what he wants. If I'm Bryan Colangelo, I'm thinking another thing: Get it somewhere else.
I quite like watching James play, even if he drives me nuts. He has a fierce desire, he's not afraid and he's been a better teammate than the less mature, more volcanic Rafer Alston, for whom he was traded at the beginning of the season. The flip side of all that is he has no conscience with the ball in his hands, and tends to forget there are other players on the floor with him, including a certain cornerstone frontcourt player heading into a critical season in terms of his future here.
Look, I know whether to keep James or not when he walks this summer is best left to the pros. And I find it hard not to like the guy because of that fire he brings to the floor on a team that often appears a bit too cool for its own good. But the nucleus here is the duo of Bosh and Villanueva, and James' tying himself to Bosh's future, as if the two are connected, is a bit of a fallacy. If the Raptors can get the 30-year-old James at a price that suits them, fine -- and for a little insight on that, Doug Smith's latest Internet column tells us. And if not, if the meter on James' taxi runs over, thanks for stopping by.
In the meantime, I really don't want to listen to another athlete talking about what they "deserve". Mike James is making $3.4 million this season. He's made good money, even if it's not NBA good money, and he's had a good year, even if he's putting up numbers on a bad team -- always a bit chancey, those kind of figures.
What he's due is a matter for the NBA market to decide this summer. And however that works out, I have a feeling that waking up one morning and deciding to go to the Bahamas is going to be quite possible -- although I'd recommend Montserrat. It's a little more exclusive, befitting a legend in your own mind. And they have parasailing.
Oh, and with the Raptors heading into New York and Boston tonight and tomorrow, here's a little pregame show for ya.
Related: Scott Carefoot at Raptorblog: "I can't predict whether or not Mike James will re-sign with the Raptors after this season or the amount of money he'll sign for. But I am sure of one thing: it will be less than he thinks he's worth. And who among us honestly believes we get paid what we deserve? See, Mike James is just like us after all."
UPDATE: Dig deep, everybody!
I'm disappointed with Mike James' statement. If I were Mr. Colangelo I wouldnt sign him. With his statement he has proved he is yet another money-driven athlete of which I am not particularly fond of. Let him go get what he feels he is worth elsewhere. Toronto resurrected his career and now he feels he is a star -- besides he annoys me with his over dribbling especially in the 4th quarter when games are on the line. Goodbye Mike.
Posted by: Tunde Kolarinwa | March 21, 2006 at 06:27 PM
I just hope that Mike James can feed his family with the new contract he gets and I'm sure there are many people on social assistance that can vouch for him on his quest to become the next overpaid player in the NBA. Is Latrell available for Career Counseling for our PG? I like what Mike James brings to the court but if his first name isn't LeBron then he isn't worth the money.
Posted by: Naoto Yuki | March 21, 2006 at 11:50 PM
The guy's prone to mental errors in tight end-of-the-game situations, so that doesn't translate into a big money player...but can't blame him for using the media to start the negotiation process...If it were Grunwald then he'd probably get more than he deserves, let's hope Colangelo isn't as gullible.
Posted by: Sunny | March 22, 2006 at 01:24 PM
Is this guy for real? I am hoping Colangelo sees through the "breakout" contract year and sends Mike packing. James is too old to deserve any sort of lengthy contract and is almost guaranteed to put up worse numbers next year. Save the cap space to re-sign Peterson next year, a much more consistent, proven player.
Posted by: Raana | March 22, 2006 at 10:58 PM
As good as Mike James has played this year, I feel that his age and cockiness do not warrant the major off-season signing he is hoping for. I'd be much happier if Colangelo went for Luke Ridnour when his contract expired in '08 and kept the same lineup minus James. This would undoubtedly lead to a horrible record - and who knows maybe we could land Oden in the '07 draft!
Posted by: Scott MacKay | March 24, 2006 at 07:59 PM