Live Chat: Mark Warkentien

[Marty Mar]

Mark Warkentien completed his first season as the Director of Player Personnel for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent the previous 10 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers in various capacities in the front office. Prior to joining the Blazers, he worked for 11 years in basketball operations at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas. When Jim Paxson was released from his duties as Cavaliers GM on April 21, Warkentien was named Interim General Manager.

Do you have a question for Mark? Send your questions below and be sure to tune in at 2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 25th to check out Mark's answers!

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatNBA?event_id=8203

 

[Karma]

Mark Warkentien Chat Transcript

Mark Warkentien: Thanks for coming to the chat today. I'm ready for your questions.
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Matt (West Palm Beach, FL): Mark, There is alot of anticipation that there will be a lockout this summer. How will that affect your role and the Cavs' plans in free agency?

Mark Warkentien: Basically, the job of those of us who are on the personel side. The research continues 24-7-365. There is always new information to evaluate. Business circumstances are very dynamic and change every day. The lockout has very little effect on personnel matters.

GL (Riverside): With NBA teams in foreign countries already, and the emergence of so many talented foreign players, especially from Europe and Asia, how soon do you believe it will be before the NBA will have teams in Europe and Asia?

Mark Warkentien: Well I have to answer this question because I went to Ramona and Riverside City College. It's probably a better question that can be answered by the commissioner. I think it's inevitable that either games will be played internationally or there will be a franchise stationed overseas.

(Cleveland, OH): If you are still interim GM on draft day would you try to accuire a pick? Do you feel we need a pick? What are some free agents that the Cavs are looking for?

Mark Warkentien: Iam unable to talk about free agents because of tampering rules, but the names are obvious. We are definitely trying to find a seat in the draft June 28th.

Sean (Cleveland Hieghts, OH): Z had a good season, there has been talk that there is a 50/50 chance he'll come back. Ha has problems with his feet and is really lazy on D at times, he is also getting old, so I am willing to trade him for other players and probably some draft picks. What do you see happening with Z?

Mark Warkentien: Action is louder than words. In mid April the new ownership asked me to serve as the interim GM. My home is in Portland, OR. The first thing I did on the way to Cleveland was to stop in Chicago and visit with Herb Rudoy who is Z's agent. Simply stated, I went and saw Z's agent before I went and saw my bosses.

Michele (Hudson, OH): I recently read in a Cleveland newspaper that the Cavs may have a plan to trade into the top 10 of this year's draft for a PG? Is that a possiblility after last night's lottery?

Mark Warkentien: As to where we might get into the draft, it takes two to dance. That said, I think this is one of the better point guard drafts in several years.

Matt (Lakewood, OH): I heard that Stoudamire and Marion went to Nash personally and got him to intially take interest in the Suns last year. Then, the GM just sealed the deal. That seems like a good way to convince a free-agent to come to your team. What is your take on this?

Mark Warkentien: Most free agent decisions are made on two things: money and minutes. Once that playing field is leveled, who you play with and where you live are very important.

Andrew (Euclid, OH): When you evaluate players, what do you look for?

Mark Warkentien: It's very simple, you look for guys who play substantitally for intrinsic reasons rather than extrinsic. I want guys who love to play and are amazed at they are payed so well.

Shaun (Cleveland, OH): What is the biggest need coming in to this offseason? Do you expect to fill this need through the draft or free agency? What are your thoughts of the Cavs landing a premier free agent SG like Ray Allen, Michael Redd or Joe Johnson?

Mark Warkentien: When one watches in the Cavs in the past season, it's easy to see that Z was almost an automatic double team on the block and LeBron's dribble game required a ton of defensive attention. Consequently, people who can play off of them and make shots are at a premium.

Matt (West Palm Beach, FL): Mark, is there any chance that the interim might be removed from your title and you might be kept on as GM? Have you had any talks with Dan Gilbert regarding a permanent role with the organization??

Mark Warkentien: I serve at the will of ownership and I'm eager to help in any way that I can.

joe (cleveland): Can we sign Z and a SG?

Mark Warkentien: Sure, anything is possible.

Terry Shrader (Spencer, OH): Where do you see the cavaliers sitting in the next 2 years? What are your expectations? Thanks for your time.

Mark Warkentien: This one is pretty simple. We are absolutely shooting for a championship. The new ownership is absolutely committed to such.

Matt (West Palm Beach, FL): Mark, what do you think of Washington PG Nate Robinson's prospects of making it in the NBA? Can he be a starting-caliber PG? Personally, I love his game and explosiveness. His strength and athleticism seemingly allow him to play much bigger than his size.

Mark Warkentien: Living in Portland, I've seen Nate Robinson dozens of times. He has an unteachable desire to win and creates an atmosphere of playing hard. His intrinsic abilities are exactly what we are looking for in a Cavalier.

joe (cleveland): Does Gilbert plan to spend all of the 20 million in cap space he has?

Mark Warkentien: The goal is winning a championship and his committment is absolute. How the cap dollars should be spent in pursuit of such is a topic of daily conversation.

Mike (Geneva): Hi! What do you think of the new CBA possibly limiting the age limit to 20? Agree/Disagree?

Mark Warkentien: It's a real tough question for me. In terms of the NBA as a business, I think we'd be a better league with an age requirement. In terms of fairness, it's my belief if you are wise enough to vote for President, and mature enough to go to Iraq, you ought to be able to play ball.

It's just a real tough question.

Matt (West Palm Beach, FL): Mark, can you think of one player in particular that you scouted that you missed on? Also, are there any players that weren't highly rated that you thought would make it and did??

Mark Warkentien: Shhhhh! I've never missed! Really now, nobody likes to talk about their misses. When I was in Portland, we took Jermaine O'neal with our 17th pick and Zach Randolph with the 19th pick. I remember those best.

Sayee(Akron,OH): Hey Mark.. I have been watching the playoffs currently..and I saw Ginobli..how did the SPURS find him..and what do the CAVS do to locate international talent like MANU ?

Mark Warkentien: I feel great about our international situation. Chico Averbuck joined us this summer as our director of international scouting. He is a real star and good things are on the way.

Mark Warkentien: Thanks for attending the chat today. As you can tell things are moving forward in a positive direction; we have a chance to win a championship here.

Well that was a lot about nothing. Clear as mud!

 

[Dungong]

Well you can't expect him to go out and say, We're looking to get Michael Redd, re-sign Z, and trade into the draft for a point guard directly, but if you read into the lines I think thats the direction things are headed. Now, I will be amazed if somehow, Z and a top flight SG both come. Under the new CBA with the expanded cap, the Cavs would have something like $23-25 mill which would be enough to sign Z to something starting at 12 mill and offer a max contract to a young guy like Redd or Joe Johnson. The problem is that doesn't leave much money to sign anyone else, so the other holes, PG and backup C, couldn't addressed.

 

[aaronr]

Wouldn't the Cavs still have MLE money even if they maxed out resigning Z and a shooting guard? I think there are some pretty good point guards becoming free agents, so if I'm right about the MLE I wonder if we should be trading any of our assets to obtain a point guard through the draft.

 

[NarlCavs]

The MLE is only available to teams over the cap. The Cavs won't have it to use this offseason since they'll work to get far under the cap.
Kind of one of those strange things that are in the salary cap rules.

The Cavs should have enough money to resign Z, sign a top FA SG and even then have a little left over for another player (if the cap goes up as much as rumored). The 1st year of Z's new contract won't be higher than $10 million and hopefully will be a little less.

The Cavs do have the veteran's exception, which was $1.6 million last year, to use. You can also sign players to veteran minimum contract which based on number of years in the league. The Cavs can use these to fill out thier roster.

 

[Dungong]

I really doubt Z's first year will be under 10 mill, the original asking price was 14 mill starting. I would hope so, but i doubt it

 

[NarlCavs]

I can't see any team out there willing to give Z a contract starting at over $10 million or close to his asking price. Everything seems to indicate that the Cavs won't go that high in the 1st year of his new deal. The agent always starts out at a high amount in negotiations.
One thing to remember is even if the contract starts at $9 million, it could still become worth almost $44 million over 4 years when the yearly allowed increases are factored in.
Z may be forced to accept the Cavs offer or take a huge pay cut to go elsewhere.