Nothing has changed in the standoff between Eric Bledsoe and the Suns, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the point guard’s agent is holding firm on his demand for no less than a max offer. Here’s more from around the league, including more on the floor general some have dubbed the “mini-LeBron:”
- On his Instagram profile, LeBron James himself challenged the Suns to up their offer to Bledsoe, presumably to the point guard’s desired max salary (H/T Micah Peters of For The Win ). James, like Bledsoe, is represented by Klutch Sports Group agent Rich Paul.
- Chris Mannix of SI.com thinks Greg Monroe‘s decision to sign his qualifying offer with the Pistons is a bold, “high risk, high reward” choice, citing variables that could work against him including injury, diminished play, or reduced playing time under new coach Stan Van Gundy (on Twitter).
- D.J. Augustin tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com that he wasn’t let down by the two-year, $6MM contract he signed with the Pistons this summer. “Anything can happen in free agency or in this business, period,” said Augustin. “So I had no expectations because it could go either way. I was just happy to be signing with a good organization, a good team and getting the opportunity to play again.”
- The point guard credits Tom Thibodeau, who most recently coached him with the Bulls, for rejuvenating his play. “Not only did he give me the opportunity, he actually brought my love for the game back,” Augustin said. “You kind of lose that a little bit, your passion for the game, throughout the years in the NBA depending on playing time and different situations you may be put in…I owe him a lot. I give him credit for bringing my passion for the game back and wanting to learn and play hard. [Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy] reminds me a lot of [Thibodeau]. They’re both good coaches. He’s putting us on the right track to be a good team.”