Every now and then an NBA player is silly enough to take my advice. Or more likely, an NBA player and his agent may think in a manner parallel to mine without actively seeking my thoughts on the matter. This time around, it's Jason Maxiell and agent Richard Katz.
As reported by Michigan Live's A. Sherrod Blakely:
AUBURN HILLS -- Jason Maxiell's agent confirmed that his client will not sign a contract extension with the Detroit Pistons by the Oct. 31 deadline. That means the 6-foot-7 forward will become a restricted free agent next summer.
"(The team has) expressed that he is a major contributor to their success," Maxiell's agent, Richard Katz, said in a telephone interview on Friday. "What we differ about on, is what that is worth."
Good move, Jason.
We advocated earlier this week that Maxiell hold off on the extension and test the waters next summer. His statistics progression through each of his first three seasons makes it reasonable to expect that Maxiell will once again experience a jump in minutes and that he will likely continue to put up big numbers. Even if he wants to return to Detroit as he claims, all it takes is one big-time offer to driveup his price in the market, and with his tenacity at both ends and his increasing ability to score and dominate the glass, there seems fair reason to expect that offer to come.