I agree fully. This will be even more of a problem than D-wade and Lebron. If they were smart, they would have made a move for Jameer and D12.
That's one of the big problems with the NBA. Somehow, the system has placed a hard cap on super(duper)star salaries. That's why teams can afford to have 2-3 max (or near max) players on their rosters. If there was no limit on salaries, teams can realistically only afford 1 superstar or risk players leaving 10's of millions of dollars on the table to play with their friends. The reality is that LeBron, D-Wade, 'Melo, everyone that came into the League under the current rules is underpaid as much as, if not more, than the guys like Gasol, Martin, Nene, Chandler, et. al. If the NBA really wanted competitive balance, it would've implemented a hard cap and uncapped superstar salaries to "share the wealth" so to speak on the most limited and valuable resources, err assets.
We would be closer than a gutless Gasol and Nene team. This is not even a lateral move. Chuck is gone so we have already taken steps backward. Now they are talking about Lee and/or Patterson. So basically we are now giving up our future. Not worth it.
You know I could live with PG: Lowry/Flynn SG: Lee/? SF: Iggy/Parsons PF: PPat/Morris C: Gasol/Motiejunas as well. And I really don't want to part with Motiejunas at all. By far the highest upside on the Rockets roster. He has already put on 20 pounds and is showing amazing progress over in Europe. If the draft was today he IMHO would be a top 5 pick.
I love Chuck, Lee, and Patterson. But come on, they are not close to being elite or even all-stars. They are barely even starters!
I don't think people understand--when it gets to that point ($17M a year), it's no longer about the money, it's about what the money says. These guys don't really care about $1M extra per year, hard as that is to grasp from our perspective. What they care about is the status is gives them to say "I am a max salary player, I make X a year". The tax situation doesn't really enter into that. At best it's a very small perk.
More important than the tax situation, I think, is that the Rockets (with Gasol) would probably give Nene a better chance to contend for a title than NJ. That may well trump the status thing enough for him to drop his salary demands slightly for us.
No way the difference between Bynum and Brook Lopez is worth passing up two first rounders AND New Jersey taking back Turkoglu's salary. Dwight's going to New Jersey, most likely.
For those of us who had to sleep and give the F5 key a rest, is there a leaked summary of what the trade looks like now? Can't see what more the Rockets would have to give up.
If the Nets offer to Nene is true, I hope he takes it. What I don't get is - why are they offering so much money to Nene when they are in the running for Dwight Howard?
the no state taxes thing has worked so well for us in the past it's honestly the most overused, overrated line by Houston sports fans..and i know because i used to make that argument and carry that flag all the time.
yeah... lets give up this guy instead.... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vwpN6Dw4Zgc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
