Oakland Tribune

October 9, 2004
by Dave Del Grande

Foyle's Deal Foiling Damp's Plans

OAKLAND -- There are those who claim the five-year, $40.6 million agreement between Adonal Foyle and the Golden State Warriors set the stage for salary madness leaguewide this off-season, but no one is more upset with the deal than Erick Dampier's agent, Dan Fegan. Oh, Fegan will get over it. After all, if Foyle, who averaged 3.1 points and 3.8 rebounds as Dampier's backup last season commands more than $8 million a year, what do you think the starter who was good for 12.3 points and 12.0 rebounds nightly is worth?

Chances are, we won't learn the answer to that question today, when the NBA's 13-day "negotiating" period ends and the league returns to full-scale operation.

Today's the day Shaquille O'Neal formally can be traded by the Lakers, Carlos Boozer formally can stamp himself a jerk, and, among dozens of other headlines-worthy happenings across the NBA landscape, Foyle formally will ink a contract that figures to make him the Warriors' starting center for the foreseeable future.

But Dampier, one of the plump fruits on this summer's free-agent tree, is not likely to host any press conferences today. Or any time soon, for that matter.

He can thank Foyle and new Warriors head of basketball Chris Mullin for that.

In a move some characterized as panicky because he stood to lose both his centers to free agency, Mullin was one of the first decision-makers to act this month, getting Foyle to agree to a deal worth more than twice his previous four-year, $16 million playing arrangement.

The free-agent market has gone bananas ever since. Brian Skinner is expected to sign a $25 million deal with the 76ers today. Etan Thomas will get $38 million from the Bucks, Hedo Turkoglu

$39 million from the Magic, Mark Blount $41 million from the Celtics and Mehmet Okur a whopping $50 million from the Jazz.

How crazy is the frenzy? The Warriors would have loved to retain Brian Cardinal for up to $8 million over three years. Instead, the Grizzlies swooped in and offered him $39 million.

Back to Dampier. With many of the teams with big-time cap space having exhausted their money (Phoenix on Steve Nash, Detroit on Rasheed Wallace, San Antonio on Brent Barry and Manu Ginobili) or trying to (the Clippers on Kobe Bryant, Denver on Kenyon Martin, Utah on Boozer), Fegan's options are shrinking by the hour. Here's what's left:

Take upward of $10 million a year from the Hawks even though Dampier has said he doesn't want to play for a bad team.

Wait out the Clippers, Nuggets and Jazz and hope they're willing to reload if/when Plan A fails. However, Denver (Marcus Camby) and Utah (Okur) already have signed free-agent centers this summer.

Convince Mullin to agree to a sign-and-trade with a team over the salary cap, enabling Dampier to get his big bucks while the Warriors receive compensation in return.

Clearly, the latter ticket out of Oakland would benefit Dampier most at this point, but Mullin has made it clear he's going to have to be swept off his feet by the offer in order to accept.

That's because, with Foyle in hand, the Warriors are now dealing from a position of strength.

And as long as they can dangle Dampier in front of any number of teams desperate for a quality big man, that position only figures to get stronger by the day.

The key here is Mullin really doesn't have to work to reap the ultimate reward. Worst case: Fegan drags Dampier kicking and screaming to Atlanta, and the Warriors add to their superstar-enticing cap space next summer.

In the meantime, Mullin has two of the league's best deal-makers -- Fegan and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban -- working for him.

If there's a can't-resist sign-and-trade out there -- apparently it's going to take more than Memphis' offer of Stromile Swift, Shane Battier and Earl Watson -- chances are Fegan will sniff it out.

And if there's an attractive three- or four-team deal in the making -- Tuesday's latest rumor had the Knicks' Kurt Thomas and Mavericks' Josh Howard going to Golden State in a blockbuster that included Toronto -- you can bet Cuban will have masterminded it.

Meanwhile, Dampier is left twisting in the trade winds.

And he thought Foyle was his friend.

Copyright © 2004, Oakland Tribune

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