NBA Notes: Eric Bledsoe Is The Last Man Standing

There is nothing particularly earth shattering about the stalemate between Eric Bledsoe and his employer the Phoenix Suns. It is all pretty conventional. You have a player who self identifies as a star and thinks he should be paid like one, albeit he has never been voted an All-Star. You have management who must consider costs. You have Lebron James agent, (and Bledsoe’s), Rich Paul, who is digging in with a shovel.

Apr 12, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Suns 101-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

So here we are three and a half weeks until the beginning of training camp and Eric Bledsoe is the last restricted free agent without a NBA contract. While his representatives and the Phoenix Suns are nowhere close to a deal it bears repeating that the impasse is a traditional negotiation imperative: what you think you deserve is not necessarily what you are worth in supply side economics.

To the average person who is paying a mortgage and worrying about taxes due it comes off as entitlement and greed. The numbers are numbing and large enough that they really don’t make much sense in ordinary people’s lives. Bledsoe is asking for $16 million for five years which comes to north of $80 million dollars. But the Suns want to give him $12 million for four years, $48 million. The difference of some $30 million is staggering.

The impasse has its own consequences. Its perception falls negatively upon Eric Bledsoe.  He is the athlete and so he bears the burden of the athlete’s predicament when money is involved. Most agree that $12 million dollars a year for a player that is hurt every other year is pretty good. Perhaps it is not generous but it is fair. Bledsoe’s refusal creates a conflict; he appears selfish and greedy even if he is giving and frugal. The editorial nature of the negotiation is that Eric Bledsoe is asking for something he does not deserve. When you cross that line you lose credibility, fans begin to hate you.

It would be different if Bledsoe had accomplished something in Phoenix, say in the playoffs. If like Kyle Lowry he went to a game 7 against Boston in the first round and lost at the buzzer because of a Paul Pierce shot, well that would be different. We could see the promise in games that mattered. But what you have is a player in Eric Bledsoe who wants max money and his team did not make the playoffs so how good is he really? The injury excuse only means the Suns can double down. If he is injured he cannot follow through on his responsibilities; he broke his promise so Phoenix can break theirs.

Kyle Lowry’s numbers last year were 18 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds. He played in 79 games while Bledsoe played in 43 games. Lowry was willing to accept $12 million dollars because he wanted to stay in Toronto, a community that embraced him. He wanted to establish a foundation. Lowry is not the best player on the Raptors team nor is he the most athletic, that would be DeMar DeRozan. But Kyle Lowry is the Raptors most important player, he is their beating heart. He built up capital this season with his scintillating play and was rewarded but he didn’t break the bank. Nor did he want to.

May 4, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) during the warm up against the Brooklyn Nets prior to game seven of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Air Canada Centre. Brooklyn defeated Toronto 104-103. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Bledsoe hasn’t been in Phoenix as long as Kyle Lowry has been in Toronto. On the account of Bledsoe being injured his first year, there isn’t much community capital to build on. After this episode that feels like a root canal, it is hard to see Phoenix embracing him.  Most understand the hesitancy. A max contract is for the privileged few. A combo guard who is injury prone doesn’t seem to fit the criteria.

Last season Bledsoe played half the schedule. Two years ago he played two thirds of the schedule. Bledsoe has already undergone two knee surgeries and he is only 24 years old and that is a red flag for front offices who have lived the other side. The stories of talented young men who succumb to a fate greater than they can fight through litters offices.

Still, the numbers are the numbers.  In a truncated campaign last year Bledsoe averaged 17 points and 5 assists and 5 rebounds .

Bledsoe is a freak of nature, one of those athletes who come along every few years and is undersized but dominant.  His response to his particular deficit is athleticism and versatility which sets him apart from his contemporaries. He is explosive to the rim and that is just one of his talents. He can hit a mid-range or a three point shot when guarded. His on the ball defense annoys opponents and he has sick athleticism for someone his size. He learned under Chris Paul and plays more like he is an outsider who wants to be accepted than someone negotiating to be the face of a franchise.

The consequences are significant If Phoenix doesn’t sign Bledsoe and he signs the qualifying offer ($3.7 million). Then Phoenix will be in a unique position of having both of their guards as free agents in 2015. It will be a Sophie’s Choice decision, which child to keep?  Goran Dragic is in the last year of his deal and suitors (including the Lakers) are already lining up to bid even though Phoenix will have the inside track. But you wonder if this hard line strategy of the Suns has both infected and affected Dragic’s opinion of the organization. Say what you want about the Buss family but they pay their stars.

But is Eric Bledsoe a star?

Deeply affected by this entire process the Bledsoe bridge had been burned, unable to be repaired or rebuilt. But there are few options. It is September. Only a handful of teams can make a deal for Bledsoe, the summer money has already been spent. It is what Phoenix has been counting on all summer. They are trying to cut off oxygen to the patient so they patient will cry for mercy. They are depending on Bledsoe to beg to be taken off life support.  In this they think they have the upper hand. The privileged have this sort of thought. They assume the man who makes the bread is the man they can convince to give his product away for free. They think $12 million dollars is the fair market ceiling for Eric Bledsoe and in that they will undoubtedly win the public relations war. Fans hate players who hold out for money, it reeks of greed.

The question becomes who needs the other more? Do the Suns need Bledsoe? Or does Bledsoe need the Suns?

The Suns record without Bledsoe was 20-19, hovering over .500, insufficient to make a mark in the competitive Western Conference. With Bledsoe in the fold and playing alongside Goran Dragic the Suns were 28-15.

But lets call a spade a spade. These stalled negotiations are not about numbers. The Suns are not motivated by one measly year nor are they romanticizing the past. The Suns are trying to make a statement, the same message their owner, Robert Sarver, made during the lockout with his narrow vitriolic lens. Players are the children who need adults to rein in their materialistic whims.

No one is kidding themselves. Even with Bledsoe the Phoenix Suns are not a contender. As good as Bledsoe is he is not the sort of player that changes an average team into a championship contender just by his mere presence.  So that brings us back to that famous line from the cynical movie Wall Street: Greed is good.

Yes and no. If you own a NBA team, if you are Robert Sarver then by God, greed is damned good. But if you work for a living and you play for a rich man, if he signs your checks then greed is not good, not at all. Greed creates something similar to an enemy of the people whereas both sides refuse to blink and both sides lose.