Aaron Goodwin has =
been an agent=20
for 22 years.
He said he reminded Cavaliers general =
manager Danny=20
Ferry recently that he negotiated contracts with his father, =
Bob,=20
back in the day.
All he wants to do now is sit at the =
negotiating=20
table opposite Ferry and actually negotiate a contract for =
point=20
guard Delonte West.
West, a restricted free agent, flew =
to=20
Cleveland days after the summer league in Las Vegas and met =
with=20
Ferry and Cavs assistant general manager Chris Grant. =
Goodwin said=20
West expressed his desire to play for the Cavs.
"He wants =
to play=20
in the NBA and for the Cleveland Cavaliers," Goodwin =
said.
When=20
the free-agent period began, Ferry and Goodwin decided that =
they=20
would let Grant and Noah Croom, who works for Goodwin Sports =
Management in Seattle, negotiate a new deal. Goodwin and =
Croom flew=20
to Cleveland early in the process to outline parameters of a =
contract.
With one month of the free-agent period now in =
the=20
books, Goodwin said he believes the Cavs are low-balling=20
West.
"They said, 'Take the deal we've offered or we'll =
go an=20
alternate route,' " Goodwin said. "They won't negotiate=20
fairly."
According to a league source, the Cavs have =
talked to=20
Philadelphia 76ers guard Louis Williams, another restricted =
free=20
agent. Williams, 21, is a 6-foot-2, 175-pounder who averaged =
12=20
points for the Sixers last season.
He has reportedly =
turned down=20
a contract starting at $3.9 million from the Sixers.
The =
Cavs=20
signed fellow restricted free agent Daniel Gibson to a =
five-year,=20
$21 million contract. The first year of the deal starts at =
$3.7=20
million.
Goodwin said the Cavs have offered slightly more =
to=20
West.
"They made an offer to Delonte for around what they =
got=20
'Boobie' to sign for," Goodwin said. "Chris Duhon got $5=20
million-plus, and he might not even start (for the New York =
Knicks).=20
All the comparables that we showed them doesn't matter to=20
Cleveland.
"They keep saying how much players want to =
play with=20
LeBron (James). That doesn't work with Delonte."
Goodwin =
said the=20
Cavs told him they have five or six players who are all =
around the=20
same level playing-wise. So, he said they want to keep all =
of those=20
players at the same level contract-wise.
"It doesn't work =
that=20
way," Goodwin said. "Delonte is their starting point guard. =
He has=20
to play offense and defense. He has to play defense against =
guys=20
like (Washington's) Gilbert Arenas.
"I think he's =
hard-nosed,=20
gritty. He can help that team. It's not apples for =
apples."
A=20
league source said Boston and Miami have approached the Cavs =
regarding sign-and-trades. The source said they were turned =
down by=20
the Cavs.
"To quote another team, 'Why should we =
negotiate for=20
the Cavs?' " Goodwin said. " 'If we make an offer, all =
they'll do is=20
match.'
"Teams hide behind the first refusal clause - the =
right=20
to match anything. Other teams see value in West, but =
Cleveland=20
doesn't."
A source said West wants a five-year contract. =
The Cavs=20
have offered several options, including a four-year deal =
with the=20
final year a team option.
One source doesn't think West =
should=20
get the full mid-level ($5.6 million) in the first year of a =
possible deal. But the source said he thinks West should be =
in that=20
range and average $5 million over the course of the=20
deal.
Reportedly, the Cavs are not in that =
ballpark.
If things=20
break down, Goodwin said his client will play for the =
qualifying=20
offer of $2.7 million and become an unrestricted free agent =
after=20
the 2008-09 season.
"If he gets a good deal, we'll do =
it,"=20
Goodwin said. "If not, we'll take the qualifying =
offer."
Goodwin=20
and Croom, the lead negotiator in this ordeal, have spoken =
to teams=20
from Europe, including Dynamo Moscow in Russia.
Playing =
overseas,=20
though, doesn't appear to be a viable option. Goodwin said =
he wants=20
to get a fair deal for his client with the Cavs.
"The =
ball is in=20
their hands," Goodwin said. "If they go get someone else, =
the hand=20
is set. If we sit down and work something out, we'll get =
something=20
done. We are not posturing. That's where he wants to =
be."
"Quit=20
telling us these bluffs. Sit down and negotiate a fair deal. =
They=20
are making offers not far off the qualifying =
offer."
Goodwin said=20
he normally doesn't comment on negotiations, but he felt =
compelled=20
to do so with the way the Cavs are handling =
negotiations.
"I felt=20
I needed to comment so the Cavs' fans don't think we are =
being=20
unrealistic and don't know the market," he said. "We want to =
be=20
fair."
Ferry said he is not allowed to comment on =
negotiations as=20
per league rules.=20
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