Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Juan Carlos Navarro signs with FC Barcelona

Via Chris Herrington:

According to (Chris) Wallace, Navarro has signed a four-year deal with FC Barcelona for the equivalent of $20-$24 million.

Well, that experiment didn't exactly turn out so well, did it? It's not a disaster by any means, but the fact that the Washington Wizards are still owed a well-protected first round pick will have to linger in the back of the minds of many fans. As Herrington noted, they took a calculated risk and it didn't pan out.

I understand the many reasons that JCN decided to return to Spain, not the least of which was the money. I must say that I am disappointed that I won't see him in FedEx Forum next season, though, as his enthusiasm and flair were a source of uplifting entertainment during a dismal period.

The other question that seems obvious is whether or not this will have any effect on Wallace's attempts to lure F/C Marc Gasol to play on Beale Street. That should prove to be an interesting story to track over the next couple of months.

¡Buena Suerte, JCN!

BallHype: hype it up!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Quite understandable: JCN hates losing!

Anonymous said...

where's our compensation we have the rights to him no?

Chip Crain said...

Compensation doesn't apply.

NBA teams don't have to compensate other teams for signing their free agents but restricted free agents (RFA) do have to allow their former teams the opportunity to match the offer. That is not the case with European teams.

Memphis ought to offer Navarro the Qualifying Offer (QO) to insure that they maintain his rights in case he ever does want to return to the NBA. Even if Memphis doesn't match the offer per se they can do a sign and trade to acquire assets for the future. Not offering Navarro would end our relationship with Navarro and he would be free to return to the NBA without the Grizzlies having any rights on the player.

Anonymous said...

I did read somewhere that Marc Gasol is now considering idea of hooking up and playing with JCN at Barcelona