The whole situation here is just strange. For a very short period, he was a great young defensive big and had potential for days. I don't know what personal matters he's going through or if he'll ever play ball again...or if he wanted to play it in the first place.
That's a lot of money to part with and the fact that they're stretching it over 7 years...most unusual buyout I've ever seen.
As A GM I would be very reluctant to offer him anything more than a non-guaranteed/make good contract. I think he needs to stay out of big markets and the pressures that are there, both on and off the court. Indy, Orlando, Memphis, or some place along those lines.
He screwed up in Milwaukee. How more small market can it get? It's up to the individual to change; certainly environments matter, but the onus is putting the responsibility on yourself, and in his case, that would be seeking the appropriate treatment, identifying the core issues, and working through it. Agreed on the contract part...it needs to be a non-guaranteed deal if anything.
^ I didn't mean a smaller market than Milwaukee (Shaq once said that was the worst place to play basketball in the NBA). But I don't think he could handle a market like LA or NY or one that expects a championship (SA, Chi). Certainly as his first destination after his sabbatical. He has to fix himself first, agreed. It depends on what the underlying issue is, too (heard everything from booze, to drugs, to depression). But the pressures and media coverage of a prime time team is like him jumping into the deep end of the pool. He should probably dip his toe in first, so he and the new team can see if it will even work out.
I've heard it's family issues, whatever that means. There's a story here that'll come out and make this situation more understandable, but it could be a while before we read it. I'd give him a shot though if we had the chance.
