Gee has many intangibles that will add to his worth, imo. First, he is a good human being. His humility and character adds to his value, in that it blends well with the team's star and fits the mold of what the FO is looking for. This presence cannot be underscored, as it highly regarded by the organization, and will definitely be considered when valuing his worth. Secondly, he is still young and relatively inexperienced. Combining that with his willingness to learn and get better under a pretty damn good HC, and we arrive at yet another valued component of what this FO regards highly in evaluating a player's worth...his heart, drive, and determination to be the best he can be all with a cieling I'm not sure he has even come close to yet. Third, he is a good wing defender that can be counted on to play tough, stingy D on whomever he is designated to go up against. Yes, he may be slowing a little right now after this crazy offseason/season we are going through, but there are not a whole lot of other wings around the entire NBA that I'm picking defensively over Gee. And the ones I would take, off the top of my head, are all paid much higher than Gee will be/is. Scott values D immensely. He values hard work/effort guys above all else. Point being, this is the type of guy BS will point to as a a guy to emulate. In other words, coach has his back. Can we say that about Samardo? I know we couldn't about Eyenga and Hollins.
So, while it is true that his worth definitely has to be measured, in part, by what his numbers show, it cannot be even close to the whole picture. If Gee puts up numbers similar to some knucklehead down the street at the same point in their careers, this FO pays Gee more because they will definitely reward his intangibles. I'm pretty certain that if you lock up Gee for the next 4 years, there will be no worries about him spending his first $100 of his new contract on twinkies and a pedicure. Dude is still gonna hit it hard. You tell him to go get dirty, he's gonna come back looking like a coal miner.
I feel more confident in overpaying a guy like Gee a little bit than I would most players in the league. With the identification and subsequent addition of a guy like Gee, and now with what could be the next Gee in Donald Sloan, I'm gaining more and more trust in this FO as a new age version of the vaunted SAS FO. I know it's early. I know Gee has a ways to go. I know Sloan is still just a 90% potential guy, but the awareness of guys like this is promising. And I fully expect this FO to reward these guys when it comes time. This type of structure builds solid reputations league wide. Players take notice. Fans appreciate it.
And let's not forget all the fans on this site and others who where bemoaning the contract offered to another hard working, good character, under the radar type guy a few years ago. People were ripping the former FO for offering too much for "just" another energy guy. Now, said guy, is thought of as having a ton of value under this same contract. It's been said how attractive his contract is to not only us, but to potential trade partners around the NBA. And Gee is even younger than my current example, Andy Verejao.
Pay the man.
