Manu would not be the same for the Rockets. They never are. He's thriving in the Spurs system. That doesn't make him a stud. He is a Rocket Killer though, one of many. Kinda reminds me of a rookie Sam Cassell. Wild and head strong and on the verge of being out of control. Yet they alway come through for you. When everything else is not working, they are the wild card that you throw out there. Still doesn't make him a stud though.
Maybe being in Harlingen (homesick for Houston!) and watching more Spurs games than Rockets games has made me appreciate Manu. He has been on a tear lately. And I know the Spurs would rather dump Horry's contract than lose Manu (but this would only be necessary, I BELIEVE, if they signed another high-dollar free agent).
How can the Rockets make a run at him? We can ONLY offer the MLE? The Spurs can offer MORE than the MLE because they will be 7M below the cap, which is MORE than the MLE? I dont understand your point? The only team that can REALLY make a run at Ginobli is a team like Utah who is like 18M below the cap and can throw out outrageous numbers like 9M a year. They could outbid SA. But only teams like Utah, Phoenix, Atlanta and Denver can really outbid SA. They are the only teams that will have more cap space than SA.
I insist that Ginobili is going to be a restricted FA: http://www.nbpa.com/cba/articleXI.html (b) Beginning with the 1999-2000 Salary Cap Year, any Veteran Free Agent whose first Season in the NBA was the 1998-99 Season or later (other than a Veteran Free Agent whose Fourth Year Option was not exercised), and who will have three (3) or fewer Years of Service as of the June 30 following the end of the last Season covered by his Player Contract, will be a Restricted Free Agent if his Prior Team makes a Qualifying Offer to the player at any time from the day following such Season through the immediately following June 30.
Manu will be a RFA, but as a 2nd round draft pick the Spurs don't have his Bird Rights (like the Cat Mobley or Gilbert Arenas situation). Thus I think the Spurs can use their cap room, or the Early Bird (I think about the MLE level), to sign him, whichever is greater (in this case the Spurs cap room is greater). The Spurs went to great efforts, including not signing S Jackson and having a lot of expiring contracts this year, to be prepared to resign him, we will see if it was enough. Utah would be their logical competitor. I could easily see Utah putting togther what they did for Maggette. If the Spurs keep him I sure hope they have to overpay, if they lose him all together even better. Utah would seem like a great fit for the why Manu plays.
And Utah rarely overpays for an outside FA's. Last summer, even with the tons of capspace they had, still they only offer CMaggette the market value of his -with the Clips gladly matched it. A 42 mil 6 yrs offer wasn't exactly a mindblowing one IMHO, with just around 5.5-5.6 mil of starting salary. If SA want to keep Manu, they shall retain him -unless a chance for Kobe or TMac appearing.
Eight different teams could/should win it in June, but if I had to put down me last dollar, how could I not give it to SAS?
