Sources tell me the Bobcats have an opportunity to sign a starting PG capable of averaging 15ppg with a stellar 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. He shoots better than 33% from downtown, nails 90% of his freebies and has a true shooting percentage of 54%. Excited yet? Well good news Bobcats fans, they do and his name is D.J. Augustin. You probably remember him from his previous stint with Charlotte, y’know, just a few months ago. While his name may not have the allure of “Jerryd Bayless” or “Goran Dragic“, it’s through not fault of his own. Just as in our personal relationships, things can go stale as they become overly familiar and the story of Darryl Gerard is no different.
2010-2011. The only season that matters.
It was November 2010, the Bobcats had just come off of their inaugural Playoff berth. How did they celebrate? By cleaning house of course. You see, Michael Jordan, Larry Brown and Rod Higgins had received a secret memo from the league office detailing a mysterious concept referred to as a “Salary Cap”. Turns out you can’t keep taking on other team’s heinous contracts forever. Yes readers, the organization was shoved into a corner financially, forcing them to let 2005 Lottery point guard Raymond Felton walk without any compensation and salary-dumping future Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler to the soon to be NBA Champ Dallas Mavericks in what might be the WORST trade in Charlotte Pro Sports history.
The one positive to come from all of this pre-Rich Cho nonsense was that third year prospect D.J. Augustin was finally given a chance to lead the team. For those of you who don’t remember, I’ll sum it up: He did great. Not Derrick Rose great mind you but Charlotte Bobcat Lottery Pick great. D.J. scored, dished, stretched the court, amassing the stats referred to above. He did this during a year of turmoil which saw his coach fired, his team’s only “star” traded, a season in which Kwame Brown started 50 games--that in and of itself should be enough to earn a lucrative contract extension.
But here it is July 9th, 2012 and D.J. doesn’t have a contract; not even a rumoured one. He’s technically a free agent and any team in the league may sign him to an offer sheet yet no one has. Last season didn’t help. Augustin missed twenty starts due to injury and had yet another Bobcat Lottery point guard waiting in the wings. “What more must I do?” he must have asked. “Two coaches, two point guard controversies in four years, a completely gutted roster and now they want to low-ball me in free agency after practically destroying my market value.” Extreme? Maybe. I would rest my case on the one year in which the team fully committed to D.J. Augustin, he delivered.
As it stands now, neither side is close to “winning” this game- Cho’s rebuilding project has decimated the roster and players like Augustin aren’t built to carry the entire load. Thus his value is negated and can’t be showcased properly for potential suitors. He’s like the complex film plot that can’t be sold in a thirty second trailer. Put D.J. on a decent team and he’s probably at worst in the Kyle Lowry zone.
The Bobcats, meanwhile, are at risk of losing yet another asset without compensation. Signing him to play for the qualifying offer won’t help either – “Wait, so you’re forcing me to play another season for less than market value, lose a ton of games and probably play behind a guy not yet quite as good as me? AND some other rookie wants to wear my number? SOUNDS GREAT!”
Best case scenario for both Augustin and the organization is either a sign & trade for another decent prospect or draft pick. If that type of offer isn’t on the table, I’d prefer the team to sign him to a reasonable $5-$6million per year deal and let the two PGs battle it out for supremacy. Augustin will turn 25 during next season and has shown marked improvement during his development. If he plays lights out, trade him in the summer or entertain offers for Kemba Walker. Either way both sides have something to show for the tumultous journey that they’ve traveled together.
-ASChin
so sources say, bobcats is in the mix with the dwight howard trade which bobcats can potentially receive marshon brooks, this is an exciting news to me as a bobcats fan!!
I feel a little bad for DJ.
Other guys, from Chandler to Diaw to Gerald Wallace have been able to get the stink of having played for the Bobcats off them and garner interest from other teams, but not DJ so far.
I think his defensive limitations and below-average ability to finish at the rim really torpedo his value. Still has some chance to show improvement this year, but may be at his ceiling, and if so, looks like he is best suited to be a backup long term.
If you could take Felton and DJA, combine them together and put them in a triangle offense, you’d have a bonafide starter. Not sure what his ceiling is now. Judging from Dunlap’s comments today, he’s probably gone.
by the way
there was a rumored one…
http://www.nba.com/2012/news/06/29/bobcats-qualifying-offers.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2
Thanks for the comments Leroy. The link is for the qualifying offer which the team DID extend to D.J. — more of a formality than anything else. Guessing we’ll find out Augustin’s fate over the next week as the moratorium’s been lifted.
DJ is dealing with the new reality which is today’s CBA. It also doesn’t help that there’s a glut of low to average tier PGs looking for jobs. Add to that he’s shy (lacking leadership) and his up/down stint with us. The God awful season we just had hurts him badly too.
Rumors we’ve had on another site has him getting a couple of tentative offers around the 3.5 per range. In regards to gaining anything back the most I’d hope for is a TE.
spectre-
Hope for D.J.’s sake that there’s a bigger offer on the table. I think he’s a fine player who should get AT LEAST JJ Barea money (~$4.3 per) — On the right team, D.J. could really surprise us.
I agree about the right team. Pacers would definitely be moreso that team than us. We’ve just been too “needy” in his stint here.
ASChin
I read your articles quite often because I really like this blog (think is one of the best), I’m a huge Bobcats Fan, a STH and in a very tricky/indirect way I have some ties to the organization. I know you based your stories on what’s out there in the media.
But just so you know, MJ is at the time quite upset/mad with DJ Augustin. At the beginning of last season (post-lockout) DJ was offered a 5Yrs deal woth between $30M-$35M with the 5th year being optional. I personally think that was a little too much $, but I could see the need for the Bobcats to do it. Well, it truns out that DJ Agent declined the contract extension claimimng DJ could get $8M+ in the open market. See, this is Felton 2.0 scenario.
So, unless DJ signs a reasonable offer sheet that MJ feels attracted to match, he will most likely be traded by mid season. As far as how reliable I am as a source given the details I’m sharing (you may have to take my word for it in this one). However, Rick Bonnel actually made reference to this extension in one of his posting – http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2012/03/charotte-bobcats-rod-higgins-on-trade-deadline.html – back in March 2012.
If DJ is not a Bobcats next season, most likely it won’t be the Bobcats fault, but the fault of a greedy and perhaps stupid agent.
Thanks for the kind words. If the team did in fact offer DJA that much cash, his agent royally screwed up. Happy in CLT or not, $20m MUCH BETTER than 1 yr, $3.5m.
Pacers is going to look for options for a sign-and-trade to obtain DJ from us. they just shipped away darren collison and dathany jones
http://www.nba.com/bobcats/charlotte-bobcats-withdraw-qualifying-offer-dj-augustin
and once again the office successfully disappointed us.
Wouldn’t be too bummed. Sessions is an upgrade. I hope DJA finds success in Indy, he has more talent and potential than many around the league realize.
Eh, we swapped him for a better fit in Sessions.
DJ ended up with a 1 year 3.5 million dollar contract backing up Hill. He also refused a late offer from us…preferring a smaller deal just to get out of CLT.