Looking at the list of players who could potentially be amnestied in the next couple weeks, and given the unique nature in which this rule will be implemented, I was curious what people thought about the Amnesty rule vis a vis the Rockets roster. Who would you pursue, how much do you think you'd have to give them to win the auction, how would such additions change the way the Rockets pursue free agents and trades? For those of you unfamiliar with how the Amnesty rule will be implemented this time, any player released using this rule will go through a waiver process in which teams that are under the cap can bid on that player via a silent auction. The team that bids the most receives the player, and if the player receives no bids then he will be a free agent. Given the facts that Houston will likely not land the free agents they are pursuing (Nene , Chandler and Gasol) and that, even if they do, these players will be grossly overpaid, I think that the amnesty auctions might be a better way to address the roster deficiencies and to upgrade our talent level. The two players that may be amnestied and which I think the Rockets should most go after in the auctions are Andris Biedrins and Brendan Haywood. Of course, I would never like to see these players on the team at the rate they are being paid -- but Houston may be able to win the auction on them with a bid of 3 million per season, which would be a steal. Acquiring one of these guys would give them the larger post defender they lack without overpaying the marquee free agent centers and compromising their cap space for next season. Plus, they could bring back Hayes and have a front court rotation of one of the above Amnestied centers, Hayes, Patterson and Scola. The other player that will almost certainly be amnestied that I think the Rockets should bid a few million on is Brandon Roy. He doesn't exactly fit a need, and it is likely he would not pan out, but for 3-4 million a season, it is a great risk to take in order to get a potential all world talent, which Roy was. As we have seen, superstars are hard to come by, and I would rather take a flier on someone like Roy than an unproven rookie. Plus, last season was his first coming back, and his injury has often shown that it is the 2nd season back that the player returns to form -- and that explosion of his in the playoffs may be an indication of this exactly.
I didn't a word you just posted op, but imo the Rocets sould not sign Nene or whoever and should save their cap in case a Roy or Gay gets cut.
I think this waiver wire is a pretty interesting wrinkle to the free agency blitz. So, will these auctions be run individually each time someone is released? And, how long will an auction last? I wonder because the timing could greatly affect strategy. If someone is amnestied on Day 1, how many teams will bid when they still hope to use that cap space on a great FA prize? And, if -- say -- you want to amnesty someone and maximize the chance that some other team picks up part of the tab, when is the best time to release him? Early when everyone still has money? Or later, when the FAs are signed and there's still a couple of teams with cap space and no one to spend it on?
Personally I think the Rockets will be on Houston's own, Rashard Lewis. I think he'd be a good fit at the 3 and give us some size at that position. We tried to get him when he was a free agent but the money was too much from Orlando for us to match.
How much do you pay him though. I think he's still getting over payed at the MLE if he's only averaging 12 pts 2 boards.
I would agree to picking up Roy if the Blazers cut him. Then try to trade Martin for a center, the Bulls need a SG right? Let's get Omer and some other fillers please. Next try to get a S&T for Nene for Scola (maybe throw in one of the busts we got last year from the 09 draft). Maybe that'll be a good twist of fate for the Rockets? We aren't really going anywhere fast so I don't see why we wouldn't jump at a chance to get a top 5 SG when/if healthy. It could either put us near the top OR give us a great shot at the draft next year and possibly allow us to be a player in the free agency of '12.
Dont know where you got those numbers from. The only time Lewis averaged less than 4 boards was as a rookie. He was more like 12 & 5 last year with knee issues. I would give him 6-8 mil, but only if his knee is ok. I didn't really follow him much in Washington so I don't know exactly when he haad his procedure and how he looked afterwards.
