Smitty meets with Gettleman today

[carpanfan96]

what paycut? What incentive does Smith have in taking a paycut? They have him now and if they get rid of him they still pay so we can pay iim and play him or we can cut him and pay him and ot gain any cap space. Hmm let me see?

He has to take a pay cut or actually be cut, it's just the way his contract is set up this season. He's not getting his option bonus, team can't afford to give it to him. What part of this is hard to understand.

[heel31ok]

He has to take a pay cut or actually be cut, it's just the way his contract is set up this season. He's not getting his option bonus, team can't afford to give it to him. What part of this is hard to understand.

 The team cannot afford to cut him. He costs more to cut.cant afford to pay him 3.8 mil and take a cap hit of 9.8 with nothing to show for it. Like I said what is his incentive to take a pay cut? It is not hard to understand at all. He is not negotiating from a point of weakness.

[carpanfan96]

 The team cannot afford to cut him. He costs more to cut.cant afford to pay him 3.8 mil and take a cap hit of 9.8 with nothing to show for it. Like I said what is his incentive to take a pay cut? It is not hard to understand at all. He is not negotiating from a point of weakness.

 

It doesn't cost the team to cut him, it saves them 1 million this season, 4 million next season, and 10 million in 2016. He losses 3 million of the 6 million he thought he was going to get coming into the season if he's cut. 

[MadHatter]

I don't understand the 1's at all.

So you don't understand that every salary in a salary cap environment has to be evaluated vs production...and judged against the opportunity costs that would be attained by the team by spending all or a portion elsewhere. Hope you have other skills, because a successful career in business and management is nowhere in your future.

GM's and owners who base their decisions on emotion and the attitude that a player has earned the right to be overpaid late in their career are usually short lived. This is a business and most of these guys are shrewd business men.

[MHS831]

GM's and owners who base their decisions on emotion and the attitude that a player has earned the right to be overpaid late in their career are usually short lived. This is a business and most of these guys are shrewd business men.

.

 

Well said.  That is the reason there are people here who are upset about this.  They want Smitty to be paid for his 14 seasons as Carolina's best player--they seem to forget that he was paid.   Hurney led with emotion and with Jake, DW, Morgan, etc. seemed willing to pay for past production.  The bottom line is this:  Is Smitty worth $7m in 2014? Gettlemen, the shrewd businessman, does not think so.  If he does not think Smitty is worth the $7m when he is 35, it is unlikely that he thinks Smitty will be here for the next 3 seasons at a total cost of $23 million.

 

Here is the interesting aspect of this to me:  I have not heard one whisper that Gettlemen wants Smitty here at a reduced contract.  I have heard trade, I have heard that he asked Smitty to retire, but does he want him at any price? 

 

I have heard that Smitty's mouth on the radio pissed Gettlemen off, and I have heard that Smitty's presence in the huddle is taking away from Cam's ability to become the undisputed offensive leader.  I think those are reaches, but who knows what goes on behind the curtain.

[imminent rogaine]

Yep, Cam sucks and that's why a 34 year old WR suddenly had a drop in production...

 

you can't be fuging serious

 

I made no arguement that a drop in production came from Cam sucking. I said that Steve's numbers would be better with a more accurate QB or a better OC. 

His decline is expected because of his age. If he had been with a more accurate QB the last few years, his numbers in those years would have been better as well. This isn't an attempt to cam-bash, I am just pointing out that while Smith is beyond his prime, he is still a talented WR.

[panthers55]

Well said.  That is the reason there are people here who are upset about this.  They want Smitty to be paid for his 14 seasons as Carolina's best player--they seem to forget that he was paid.   Hurney led with emotion and with Jake, DW, Morgan, etc. seemed willing to pay for past production.  The bottom line is this:  Is Smitty worth $7m in 2014? Gettlemen, the shrewd businessman, does not think so.  If he does not think Smitty is worth the $7m when he is 35, it is unlikely that he thinks Smitty will be here for the next 3 seasons at a total cost of $23 million.

 

Here is the interesting aspect of this to me:  I have not heard one whisper that Gettlemen wants Smitty here at a reduced contract.  I have heard trade, I have heard that he asked Smitty to retire, but does he want him at any price? 

 

I have heard that Smitty's mouth on the radio pissed Gettlemen off, and I have heard that Smitty's presence in the huddle is taking away from Cam's ability to become the undisputed offensive leader.  I think those are reaches, but who knows what goes on behind the curtain.

You are right, Gettleman hasn't said anything about Steve except he is evaluating everyone.  All the other issues appear to be orchestrated by other team officials likely with Gettleman's approval to get the word out without doing so directly which Richardson doesn't like I have heard.  I think folks assume that a restructure is desired since the contract was written to be renegotiated and the cap is so tight.  Plus it really doesn't make much money sense to cut him this year if most of his salary is guaranteed as much as it does down the road. 

[MadHatter]

You are right, Gettleman hasn't said anything about Steve except he is evaluating everyone.  All the other issues appear to be orchestrated by other team officials likely with Gettleman's approval to get the word out without doing so directly which Richardson doesn't like I have heard.  I think folks assume that a restructure is desired since the contract was written to be renegotiated and the cap is so tight.  Plus it really doesn't make much money sense to cut him this year if most of his salary is guaranteed as much as it does down the road. 

However, if they designated him a June 1 cut, it would clear 4M of cap space this year if memory serves.

[lola]

Well said. That is the reason there are people here who are upset about this. They want Smitty to be paid for his 14 seasons as Carolina's best player--they seem to forget that he was paid. Hurney led with emotion and with Jake, DW, Morgan, etc. seemed willing to pay for past production. The bottom line is this: Is Smitty worth $7m in 2014? Gettlemen, the shrewd businessman, does not think so. If he does not think Smitty is worth the $7m when he is 35, it is unlikely that he thinks Smitty will be here for the next 3 seasons at a total cost of $23 million.

Here is the interesting aspect of this to me: I have not heard one whisper that Gettlemen wants Smitty here at a reduced contract. I have heard trade, I have heard that he asked Smitty to retire, but does he want him at any price?

I have heard that Smitty's mouth on the radio pissed Gettlemen off, and I have heard that Smitty's presence in the huddle is taking away from Cam's ability to become the undisputed offensive leader. I think those are reaches, but who knows what goes on behind the curtain.

Wait, what? I haven't heard about the radio thing ticking off Gman. Can you elaborate?

[panfan32]

Tried to read and respond.....however, the grammer and sentence structure was SO bad that it made my head hurt.

 

Hey you try to type correctly while your all doped up on pain killers and muscle relaxers from a spinal injury where you waiting for the VA to fuse your vertebra and most likely make you wheel chair bound for the rest of your life! So I'm so sad that your little head was hurting. Yeah and this reply had so much to do with the topic at hand. What an ass!

[MHS831]

Wait, what? I haven't heard about the radio thing ticking off Gman. Can you elaborate?

 

I cannot remember where I read it, but there was one writer who said that it was possible (not that he had any evidence) that Smitty's appearances as a regular on a local radio station (WFNZ) have been a bit upsetting to upper management.  He mentioned it as a possibility.  I do not listen, so I cannot comment more than that.  Steve Smith is pretty honest and straightforward, so maybe his candor has ruffled feathers.   Again, this was speculation.

 

There is also the fact that nobody is talking about.  When Gettlemen used the present perfect tense to describe Smith ("he has had a great career"), Smitty called it the past tense, and went to the media to complain about Gettlemen's comments.  This reaction could have turned the public against the Panther front office just before free agency. The basic concern/theory was that it is POSSIBLE that Gettlemen is tired of Smitty's public comments through the media.  Remember when he bashed Clausen during an interview?  I am guessing that they are referring to that kind of thing.  I personally love Smitty's honesty.

 

I looked for the article/passage but could not find it.  It is important to note that this is one person's opinion over possible areas of tension between Gettlemen and the player, nothing that I can see is based on anything more than circumstantial speculative conjecture.

[panthers55]

However, if they designated him a June 1 cut, it would clear 4M of cap space this year if memory serves.

I suspect others may know more but from what I remember since the dead cap money would be 9 million but the regular cap is 7 million we would still be on the hook for the 7 million this year and next year it would be the remainder which is 2 million and change.  I don't think under the new CBA it is a 50-50 split across 2 years.  But i could be wrong.  Carpanfan96 seems to have a better handle on the ins and outs better than I do so I would defer to him on this.  Then again you might be right as well.  Hard to keep up with all the numbers being thrown around.

[lola]

I cannot remember where I read it, but there was one writer who said that it was possible (not that he had any evidence) that Smitty's appearances as a regular on a local radio station (WFNZ) have been a bit upsetting to upper management. He mentioned it as a possibility. I do not listen, so I cannot comment more than that. Steve Smith is pretty honest and straightforward, so maybe his candor has ruffled feathers. Again, this was speculation.

There is also the fact that nobody is talking about. When Gettlemen used the present perfect tense to describe Smith ("he has had a great career"), Smitty called it the past tense, and went to the media to complain about Gettlemen's comments. This reaction could have turned the public against the Panther front office just before free agency. The basic concern/theory was that it is POSSIBLE that Gettlemen is tired of Smitty's public comments through the media. Remember when he bashed Clausen during an interview? I am guessing that they are referring to that kind of thing. I personally love Smitty's honesty.

I looked for the article/passage but could not find it. It is important to note that this is one person's opinion over possible areas of tension between Gettlemen and the player, nothing that I can see is based on anything more than circumstantial speculative conjecture.

Thanks. Yeah, I mean I listened to all of Smitty's radio gigs and love his honesty and candor. I can see where maybe it could ruffle some feathers, but it's just Steve. That's how he rolls. I think, if this turns out to be true, then perhaps DG is just looking for a reason to be turned off. Like constantly picking fights with your significant other in a subconscious effort to get them to leave. It's just the way that strikes me, idk.

[MHS831]

Thanks. Yeah, I mean I listened to all of Smitty's radio gigs and love his honesty and candor. I can see where maybe it could ruffle some feathers, but it's just Steve. That's how he rolls. I think, if this turns out to be true, then perhaps DG is just looking for a reason to be turned off. Like constantly picking fights with your significant other in a subconscious effort to get them to leave. It's just the way that strikes me, idk.

 

Sure, I see that.  In fairness, I doubt they really care much about Smitty's radio appearances.  The media tend to give themselves more influence because they are so focused on their jobs--people only have what the media present them, so the only details they have about the "rift" are from the radio, internet, newspaper.  Gettlemen was being prodded for information and he tried to answer by complimenting Smith's accomplishments and refusing to address the specifics of the inappropriate question.  Smitty was then being prodded for a reaction to the comments that were prodded out of Gettlemen.  Then they write the story as if they weren't the instagators.