Thanks for that. I pretty much agree that it's a case of Cooper's people using the media to agitate for a newer and better deal. And I don't object to it. If the league and the team are going to use every legal means necessary to keep players at a salary that's lower than probably deserved, I don't object to players' and their reps' using these means to get themselves a better deal. ...especially when the team is showing that they've got money under the cap.
As a former player and as a youth coach (Gbandi is one of his former players), he'd know better than most people what was up with this story. But he's also in the media, so his living depends on access to information and to players, access which would be aided by helping out a major players' agent with putting a story out in the media. Now, that might seem a little sleazy to some people, and I suppose that it is, but if you wonder why journalists seem willing to just parrot whatever some politician just told them, consider that it's how they maintain access.
I remember Davis ranting about how "Dallas fans hate him for no reason" on his show the week before the playoff game in Houston.
So it would appear that Davis is right and Buzz is right. Coop's unhappy, but primarily with the way he's been jerked around by management with respect to his salary. And while I am an adherent to the "always get it in writing" philosophy, I also think you should live up to your verbal commitments and I don't think that FCD and HSG want to get a reputation for bullshitting prospective players to get them to sign and double-crossing them after they do. Players talk to one another and agents tend to remember this sort of crap and pass this info on to other clients. Personally, I'm of the opinion that FCD/HSG should get off the dime and give him a new deal that's a lot fatter than his current one. When healthy, he's been our consistently best scorer of the past two seasons.
I think I've read a few posts that mention the next big thing. For a domestic player Kenny's been the next big thing/big thing for a couple of years now and if FCD manages to hold onto him they will reap the rewards of his potential 20 goal seasons. After Coop it's AWall and after him it's AI.
Seriously, I hate it when people use non-obvious abbreviations or acronyms that have an audience of maybe two people.
Wasn't Kenny's father acting as Kenny's agent? I guess it is easier to blame FCD than your dad. Any agent worth his salt wouldn't have taken a handshake but would have put performance clauses in the contract.