July 1 - Free Agent Negotiations (question)

[dc rock]

I read that free agent negotiations begin monday. Does anyone know who , if anyone, the Rockets are looking at signing? Also, what do they have to offer free agents?

[lovethisgametoo]

Also does anyone have any insider info who will be let go from the current roster?

The current roster......I just saw we have 18 players already....isn't NBA has a 15-player limit??

[Dwightman]

Originally posted by lovethisgametoo
The current roster......I just saw we have 18 players already....isn't NBA has a 15-player limit??

Keep in mind that 5 players are free agents (Tierre Brown, Langhi, Oscar Torres, Wizard and Willis). The limit for the active roster at the beginning of the season is 12, plus 3 on IR. Until that time, I don't think there is a limit. I seem to remember that Orlando had more than that on their roster (and under contract) going into training camp a couple years ago.

Dwight

[Lil Francis]

Since there is a slim chance that we can trade for Odom or Lewis what do yall think of signing Michael Redd? He played the three for Milwaukee and having he and Bosti at the small forward position would be nice.

[BimaThug]

Lil Francis--

a) Michael Redd is a 2, not a 3.

b) After a great year last season, Redd will demand big $$$.

c) We are all stocked up with guards on our roster.

I actually wouldn't mind bringing in a name the Sporting News threw out there (then dismissed) - Johnny Newman. Sure, the guy's almost as old as dirt, but he started for the Mavs last year, is a solid defender, can hit the open shot, does not need the ball to help his team, and can provide solid veteran leadership from the bench and in the lockerroom.

[Old Man Rock]

Originally posted by Dwightman


Keep in mind that 5 players are free agents (Tierre Brown, Langhi, Oscar Torres, Wizard and Willis). The limit for the active roster at the beginning of the season is 12, plus 3 on IR. Until that time, I don't think there is a limit. I seem to remember that Orlando had more than that on their roster (and under contract) going into training camp a couple years ago.

Dwight

Out of those 5 players the only one I give a chance to make the team is Oscar. And that is just slim. No reflection on Oscar it's just that the Rockets are so young and they could use a veteran to come in and help on and off the court.

There is a good chance they can come up with a solid player. The name of the game now is dump salary. As much as everyone complains about the Rockets players salaries with 49 mil in salaries this past season we were 20th in the league. NY has 85 mil in contracts.

Teams are considering trading high priced players just to avoid the luxury tax. So if that means you have to give up a decent player with a high salary player with a long term contract and take back a high priced player, but with only one year left on his contract you do it. 14 mil man Mutumbo becomes a valuable commodity because he only has one year left on his contract.

So alot of teams won't be resigning players unless they are absolutely sure that player is important part of thier future. And if the Rockets lose W.Williams 5+mil, Willis 3mil(?), M.Maloney 2.5mil, plus the rest of the minimum contracts at about 1.5 mil their team salary drops below 40 mil and under the cap of course with all the players raises the actually won't be and with the rookie contracts they'll be under 50 mil.

So they have some room to pick up a player with their MLE. And a player like Rashard Lewis is not completely out of the realm of possibility. The Sonics have to be convinced Lewis a big part of thier future otherwise they might let him go. They have seven players under contract for next year and Jerome James will almost for certain take all of their MLE so they are very leary of giving Lewis the max. And unless the do or at least pretty near it they will lose him. And with the only other team interested Chicago bulls only 5 mil under the cap(still a sign and trade is a real posibility ), there is very little room for him to easily move to another team.

So he may just drop in the rockets lap for the MLE it's a longshot but not impossible. If they don't Lewis they may decide take a quality veteran like FA Byron Russell. He is a guy with a good attitude and talent that could help our young team.

The only the other possibility is the Rockets trade a player like Moochie or KT for some player under contract. (not likely)

And then finally they can resign torres for a little more than minimum.

[smoothie]

langhi is as good as gone.

after drafting nachbar, wiz is not needed.

maddox was picked so we didnt have to sign brown for a 3 year deal that he would want.

willis wants to be on a winning team. one that will give him about 18 minutes per game too.

that gives us:

ming-cato-collier
griff-moT-kt
rice-nachbar-Tmo
cat
wink-mooch-maddox

we still need another SG. we will wait to see if we can get a vet with our mid-class exception. someone like john starks maybe?

if not, os is our man.

[Stevie Francis]

once you think about it, we should keep willis to help ming out. He can make him stronger and teach him a better jump hook.:D

[timm]

once you think about it, we should keep willis to help ming out. He can make him stronger and teach him a better jump hook

I think Rox should let Wiz, Tierrie and Lankey go. Keep Willis as a coach to help the big men. I think Cato, Eddie and Ming will all need a big man coach..though Mr Mean should be able to shoulder some burden there:cool:

Getting lewis would be good (only if he is coming on MCE)..else A Byron Russel would be a good pick-up

[fba34]

yao ming can teach kevin willis how to catch a pass

[rfrocket]

They can attend AAA meetings together.








(Alligator Armers Anonymous):D :D :D

[TBar]

Hopefully the Sonics are stupid enough to tie up =seven year-maximum money with Rashard Lewis, That ends speculation on him coming to Houston.

I would like to pick up johnny Newman- he could help us - very consinstent and very cheap.

[KALIKULI]

Kenny and Oscar deserved to get an offer from Rocks. But I'm afraid KT might get better offer somewhere else!

[tycoonchip]

Uhm hmm... do we really have to keep collie on the team? grrr...

[Lil Francis]

Originally posted by BimaThug
Lil Francis--

a) Michael Redd is a 2, not a 3.

b) After a great year last season, Redd will demand big $$$.

c) We are all stocked up with guards on our roster.

I actually wouldn't mind bringing in a name the Sporting News threw out there (then dismissed) - Johnny Newman. Sure, the guy's almost as old as dirt, but he started for the Mavs last year, is a solid defender, can hit the open shot, does not need the ball to help his team, and can provide solid veteran leadership from the bench and in the lockerroom. Redd played alot of 3 last year because they have a guy name Ray Allen on the team.
Milwaukee had Ray and Mike on the floor at the same time alot last season.

[Achebe]

We should package Collier, Mo T, T Mo and Moochie for a perennially injured, pot smoking underachiever with big hair. Question is: where can you find such a beast?

(cue crappy Will Smith song)

[MManal]

I dont think Michael Redd would be such a great fit here. He may play 3 sometimes but his game is that of a 2 guard. Redd is the type of player that needs the ball in his hands to score off the dribble. The guy is basically a 6-6 scorer. The addition this team needs imo is a veteran wingplayer that can defend, shoot and just ease in Nachbar. The player I like most for this role that was mentioned in this article and in another thread is Bryon Russell. I dont think the Jazz will make a serious effort to re-sign him as they are planning on keeping Marshall from what I have read along with having Kirilenko and Stevenson in the fold. Russell shouldnt command a large salary at all and would bring Finals experience along with a game that fits this squad.

Also, I wouldnt mind trading Cato if this team can find a taker. I know most folks will disagree, but I wouldnt mind seeing Marc Jackson at the backup big man on this squad. Last season had more to do with Jackson being irritated with Garry St Jean than his skills having declined. If we could lose Cato and somehow get Jackson, I wouldnt mind that at all. Jax would give this team the banger they need as he knows how to use his 270 pound frame on both ends of the floor. In addition, he brings a solid mid range shot which Cato does not have and his contract is half of Cato's. I dont really care if Jackson cant block shots ie his vertical leap is bad; he understand the concept of position defense and does not get backed down on the post on a consistent basis like Cato. Playing defense down low in the trenches has a lot more to do with understanding, desire and positioning than being able to leap and block shots.

[pugsly8422]

we will have the following players under contract:

Glen Rice $8,800,000 4-yr; $36.00 2003-04
Maurice Taylor $6,500,000 6-yr; 48.00 2006-07
Kelvin Cato $6,048,000 6-yr; 42.00 2005-06
Cuttino Mobley $4,413,375 6-yr; 30.89 2005-06
Moochie Norris $3,600,000 6-yr; 22.7 2006-07
Steve Francis $3,473,520 4-yr; 14.12 2002-03
Eddie Griffin $2,011,080 4-yr; 9.42 2004-05
Jason Collier $1,280,040 4-yr; 5.94 2003-04
Kenny Thomas $946,920 4-yr; 4.21 2002-03
Terence Morris $490,000 2-yr; 1.00 2002-03

That is 10 players, with Yao and Nachbar we will have our 12, now just to find the 3 for the IR. Tito will probably be there, so that leaves 2 spots on the IR. I liked the thought of Starks, but he may be getting too old, but I'm sure he can still light it up at times. Even though if we get him we may just be replacing wiz. We would all like to see Rashard or someone of his calibur playing for us, but lets be realistic, most likely we will have that team and Tito, and 2 other players on the IR, one of which being Oscar, unless he simply demands toom much $$$. That leaves the question, who will the 3rd be? I'd actually like it to be Collier and have someone take his spot, but who am I kidding? This is Rudy we're talking about, and we all know he sticks by his players.

Pugs

[ricerocket]

We don't need to do anything really:

Francis - Maddox - Moochie
Cat - Torres
Ming - Cato
Taylor - Griffin
Rice - KT - Nachbar

IR: Collier - TMo - Langhi

Although if you want to get a three or two I think KT and Moochie could be great sign and trade bait for a Lewis

[Hottoddie]

MManal,

I'd love to see us trade Cato & acquire Jackson. I believe your analysis is dead on.

Some other FA's that could help us are:

Voshon Lenard (SG)
Larry Hughes (SG)- If they let him walk, I'd at least take a look at him.
Jeff McInnis (PG)- There's no reason why he couldn't play SG as well.
Devean George (SF)- Will probably cost too much.
Mitch Richmond (SG)- If he's healthy. He had an off year this year, but can still produce.
Jim Jackson (SG/SF)- Nice shooter
Chauncey Billups (SG)
Terry Porter (PG/SG)- Older than dirt, but still shooting over 42% from the field & 3pt land.
Ansu Sesay (SF)
Dell Curry (SG/SF)- He's old, but still shooting a high percentage.


Also, with the looming Luxury Tax, there are some restricted FA's that might be had.

[lpbman]

I think Mcginnis would be a great fit
but I dunno if he'd play for the MCE, or go to a team knowing he wouldn't start

[Possum]

Here is a list of all ufa's.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS:
Walter McCarty, Rodney Rogers, Erick Strickland, Kendall Gill, Jim Jackson, Sean Marks, Vladimir Stepania, Rod Strickland, Anthony Johnson, Donny Marshall, Felton Spencer, Larry Robinson, Troy Hudson, Jaren Jackson, Monty Williams, Corie Blount, Vonteego Cummings, Tim James, Derrick McKey, Popeye Jones, Tyrone Nesby,Cal Bowdler, Emanuel Davis (player option), Mark Strickland, Jacque Vaughn, Travis Best, Charles Oakley, Victor Alexander, Dana Barros, Damon Jones, Mikki Moore (player option), Trajan Langdon, Jeff Trepagnier, Kevin Ollie, Carlos Rogers, Bruno Sundov, Greg Anthony, Greg Foster, Darvin Ham, Mark Pope, Chris Childs, Dell Curry, Greg Buckner, Johnny Newman, Calbert Cheaney, Zendon Hamilton, Voshon Lenard, Scott Williams, Walt Williams, Kevin Willis, Grant Long, William Avery, Chauncey Billups (player option), Felipe Lopez (player option), Sam Mitchell, Robert Pack, Gary Trent, Bruce Bowen (player option), Danny Ferry (player option), Stephen Jackson (player option), Cherokee Parks (player option), Terry Porter, Malik Rose, John Crotty, Rusty LaRue, Quincy Lewis, Donyell Marshall, Scott Padgett, Bryon Russell, John Starks, Mookie Blaylock, Dean Garrett, Cedric Henderson, Jeff McInnis, Doug Overton, Devean George, Lindsey Hunter (player option), Jelani McCoy, Mitch Richmond, Brian Shaw, Samaki Walker (player option), Randy Brown (player option), Dan Majerle, John Wallace, Rick Brunson, Mitchell Butler, Chris Dudley, Chucky Brown, Rashard Lewis (player option), Randy Livingston, Art Long

[pasox2]

I another thread, a NY fan proposed trading Cato and Mooch (+- KT) for Kurt Thomas and Charlie Ward. I really like this deal. We dump long contracts for short and get an overachieving thug and backcourt D in exchange for an underachieving mope and TLD. I like Mooch and all, but geez. We need enforcer power up front and a d specialist in back. Not bad.

I'd like to re-sign oscar.

Also, the cap room clearing deal for Doug Christie could be sweet. Tmo KT and Collier for Doug.

[ArtV]

I'd like to see Cato gone because I think he is a disease with multiple side-effects. But we need a center to rest Ming and I don't like Collier. If we trade Cato, we need a 5 in return or we better get one via FA.

[Rocket Addict]

Originally posted by ArtV
I'd like to see Cato gone because I think he is a disease with multiple side-effects. But we need a center to rest Ming and I don't like Collier. If we trade Cato, we need a 5 in return or we better get one via FA.

Very true. I'm in favor of keeping this team together, but when it comes to Cato, it may be a case of addition by subtraction.

I'm fine with his play as a backup 5, but his attitude has got to go. He is a cancer and he won't be happy about being replaced by Ming.

If the Rockets are smart, they'll get rid of him ASAP for any expiring contract and pick up a backup 5 via free agency.

[Jeff]

Originally posted by Dwightman
Keep in mind that 5 players are free agents (Tierre Brown, Langhi, Oscar Torres, Wizard and Willis). The limit for the active roster at the beginning of the season is 12, plus 3 on IR.

One other thing to note, there is no IR any longer. Remember that last year, the owners agreed to get rid of the "injured" tag to eliminate the need for teams to make up phantom injuries. Technically, it "IL" but instead of "injured list" it is "inactive list".

Just a little clarification. :)

[ArtV]

Originally posted by Jeff


One other thing to note, there is no IR any longer. Remember that last year, the owners agreed to get rid of the "injured" tag to eliminate the need for teams to make up phantom injuries. Technically, it "IL" but instead of "injured list" it is "inactive list".

Just a little clarification. :)

No IR??? Wow! I didn't know that. I always liked the idea of keeping projects on the side. Now I guess they will have no choice but to play them. I wonder what happens if the injury bug runs deep?