Who do you guys think will the Rox give the axe once the new CBA is approved? Other teams seems too obvious, like the Mavs cutting Haywood in order to re-sign Chandler..same as Arenas for the Magic..etc.
I doubt they use it on anyone. I thought the amnesty clause was optional, and whoever you use it on still gets a large lump sum of their contract paid to them, it just doesn't count against the cap?
This. The Rockets are probably one of the very few teams who wouldn't use the amnesty clause. I guess they might use it on Thabeet, if they have a legit shot at a free agent and need some extra cap room to get a deal done (and re-sign Chuck), but otherwise I can only see us trading for a player on a bad contract with a plus-asset attached and then using the amnesty clause on such player, if that would be legal under the new CBA.
Possibly on Thabeet if if there is even a hint of Nene or Gasol being interested in signing here. Otherwise, no one.
The Amnesty cut does not help teams like the Rockets that have done an admirable job of managing the cap, it only helps the teams like the Mavs and Lakers who spent like crazy, regardless of the lux tax. I figured there was going to be some amnesty and that the only benefit for our team is that they get some older overpaid guys added to the market. DD
Grantlands team by team take on the Amnesty cuts. Enjoy the read. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7026680/welcome-amnesty-20-nba
Fits in line with how the league works in today's age. Spend a lot of money and do well. Of course, only a couple of teams have the actual money to spend.
I don't think morey will cut Thabeet unless conditions change unexpectedly. He traded an expiring Battier and a promising Ish Smith for Thabeet, Carroll and a late 1st rounder. It made sense to offload Battier for a 1st rounder, but not at the cost of a $5m/year albatross. They wanted to take a shot on Thabeet, and they haven't had the chance to do that yet.
Not to mention, McHale hasn't had time to scout Thabeet. Is there any overpaid centers that might be cut? We could potentially have our starting center waiting to be waived.
No way they cut Thabeet. He is essentially an expiring contract, and good trade bait for a trade deadline deal. Plus, they gave up a Battier rental for him, so Im sure they want to see what he can do with the first couple weeks of whatever season they get before the deadline. The only player I could see them waving, if no other team gave a decent offer to, would be Terrence Williams, and possibly Johnny Flynn. However, Im not really sure either of these players would warrant the proposed Amnesty deal, and could just end up being better suited for a buyout situation.
Haywood for one, Andris Biedrins, Darko Milicic.... That might be all that I can think of possibly getting cut. Haywood almost certainly though.
I'm thinking that Flynn is far more likely to be Houston's cut than Thabeet. Flynn might turn out to be a decent PG, but the Rockets already have two pretty good ones in Lowry and Dragic. Thabeet might have only a 10% chance of actually turning into Greg Ostertag or better. However, unfortunately, this team can actually use a Greg Ostertag. Amnesty, as others have said, is not good for Rockets since other teams have far worse contracts to get relief for. The one thing it may do is give the Rockets an opportunity to pick up a decent talent cheaply. I wonder which of the discards will have the most b-ball value.
If the Clippers cut Kaman from the proposed Amnesty cut, the Rockets would definitely be players in picking up Kaman in a lower risk signing situation. Is Kaman the answer long term as a "center?" Not necessarily, but with the matchups in the Rockets lineup he could fit in very well next to Chuck Hayes or Patterson. The 4 big rotation or Hayes/Kaman and Scola/Patterson is pretty deep and has a nice balance to it. However, I believe the Clippers could possibly swing a decent trade for Kaman after his showing this summer in the Euroleague so he could be sought after in a trade first. -Biedrins could very well be a Rocket before the first game starts regardless. I believe it was draft day night when talks heated up, and never came to fruition. I believe the proposed trade was Thabeet/Hill for Biedrins and something else that Morey was trying to play hardball to get. If the Rockets strike out in free agency, I would bet money that talks with Golden State will heat up again. *also as a side note - realize that IF (and thats a big if) the lockout somehow gets resolved by say, the first week of November, there will be a mad dash in free agency/trades and expect the Rockets to be major players this offseason.
