Need help- could some of you brains help

IMO, only two contracts are really hamstringing us, Howard and Taylor.

The rest aren't that bad, and most aren't even bad at all.

 

The most accurate is Patricia Bender's site. But this a quick reference guide.

http://www.**************/salaries.htm

 

Every contract in the league is guaranteed, with the exception of 10-days, player and team options.

That doesn't mean they are guaranteed to be here necessarily.

 

Some salaries are missing but it gives you a good sense of our salary situation.

Rockets Salaries

 

So you don't think Weatherspoon has a bad contract? You know that Matt Maloney is still owed over three million this year, but luckily it is the last year.

 

Forgot about Spoon.

Maloney's contract is irrelevant IMO. Its like a write off. It doesn't affect our cap situation since we would still be way over regardless.

 

Ward- $1.8 this yr, 1.9 next, team option on third yr (should be refused)
Sura- about $3 million this year, with 3 years remaining after this yr (unsure about terms)
Wesley-$4.5 this yr, $4.9 next yr (final)
Barry- $1.5 million, final yr
Mo Taylor- $8.5 this yr, $9.1 next, $9.75 in final
Howard- $5.4 this yr, 4 yrs remaining (player opt for final $7.4, which he'd be silly not to take)
Spoon- $5.9 this yr, $6.4 next yr (final)
Gaines- $1.2 million in his 2nd yr of rookie contract (next yr is last guaranteed - $1.3)

The only good news is that next season we will have 5 players in their final yr (Mutombo, Ward, Spoon, Gaines, Wesley)($19 million in total salaries), which makes them very tradable. This summer we will have 4 free agents (Barry, Bowen, Padgett, Barrett)(just less than $4 million off the cap).

I am a strong proponent for buying out Mo Taylor's contract this summer for $12 million. Juwan is due too much money (around $25 million left after this yr) to be bought out.

Evan

 

Here is what the hoopshype site has. It is in millions and I kind of rounded up on alot of them.

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<b>McGrady:</b> 04/05-$15 | 05/06-$15.7 | 06/07-$17

<b>Taylor:</b> 04/05-$8.5 | 05/06-$9 | 06/07-$9.8

<b>Weatherspoon:</b> 04/05-$5.9 | 05/06-$6.4

<b>Howard:</b> 04/05-$5.5 | 05/06-$5.9 | 06/07-$6.4 | 07/08-$6.9

<b>Mutombo:</b> 04/05-$4.5

<b>Wesley:</b> 04/05-$4.5 | 05/06-$5

<b>Yao:</b> 04/05-$4.5 | 05/06-$5.6

<b>Sura:</b>

<b>Ward:</b>

<b>Barry:</b> 04/05-$1.5

<b>Gaines:</b> 04/05-$1.2 | 05/06-$1.3

<b>Bowen:</b> 04/05-$800k

<b>Padgett:</b>

<b>Barrett:</b>

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I'm sure someone can fill in some of the blanks that hoopshype didn't have, but tjis will give you an idea.

 

Not at this point. That contract will be very attractive starting in July. Howard's contract, on the other hand, is a pill no one would swallow.

Evan

 

The PF backlog looks bad when viewed in a lump sum. Let's look at how it got that way...

1) Taylor signed a 1 year "test drive" deal and performed well during the 2000-01 season. He was given a contract somewhat above market value...IMO partly as a "reward" and partly commensurate with expectations as a low post option (with an aging Hakeem) on a team with perimeter scorers in Francis and Mobley. Taylor's play hit a plateau. Partly injury, partly motivation, partly overestimating his upside. It's important to remember Mo was brought in under Rudy T when 1 on 1 offense was more of a focal point.

2) Weatherspoon is a better option to have on the bench than Moochie Norris. That's all that needs to be said on the subject. If we didn't have the redundant skill sets of Howard & Taylor, Spoon would be a very decent 8-10 mpg backup PF in the right circumstances. (Padgett being the better option in other circumstances).

3) Howard came along with McGrady. Not being privy to the negotiations, none of us here knows if Gooden was available. IMHO, when TMac is on the table, the differences between Howard and a then very unproven Gooden where neglible. The worst case was for Howard's shot to vanish and Gooden to resurrect in CLE. This was not predictable.


If you went on the pathway to see how we could be players in the FA market, it's a dead end street. We have a maxed TMac and will surely Max Yao. We are not players in FA market but it has little to do with Howard or Weatherspoon.

We had our run at Free Agency when Hakeem's $16m came off of the cap in the summer of 2001. While we were negotiating with a disgruntled Olajuwan, other teams were signing FA's. When the smoke cleared, we were left left with a re-signed Moochie Norris, Taylor and a SnT with Shandon Anderson for Glen Rice. IMHO, that is the precise point in time when we fell out of the FA market for many years to come.

 

Great analysis GATER!

There it is! That is the moment. Amazing that we are STILL paying for those decisions. Thank GOD we lucked into Yao which then allowed us to luck into Tmac.

GATER, like you said, we should FORGET talking about being in the FA market with this team. We arent going to be able to add a quality player that way because of the cap situation you mentioned above.

We have to add one semi-quality player with the FULL MLE and hope they play up to expectations and beyond. An example of this is the Pistons signing Chauncy Billiups the other season for the MLE. Another good signing is Bobby Simmons for the Clippers. They got him for less than the full MLE and he is exceeding expectations. Those are the types of players (values) that we have to find.

We have to be able to DRAFT some good young quality talent and hope they turn into a quality player.

Basically it is all on our SCOUTING (for Free Agents and for the draft) and ability to find players with big upsides.

It's easy to have cap room and just throw money at a player like the Suns did with Nash and Q. Richardson. BAM instant impact.

It is much more difficult to be able to add quality players with LIMITED resources. The Pistons adding Billups with the MLE in the past and this offseason adding McDyess are good examples.

 

If Mo can come off the books quicker by a buyout then the Rockets should do it. But I think that is going to be hard to do. The organization can't save any money by cutting him unfortunately.

 

and Matt Maloney

 

I get really frustrated with this suggestion because IMO, that won't impact much of anything. At the start of this season, Taylor was due ~ $8.5m which he has already received a pro-rated per game amount of. In addition, Taylor is due ~ $19m over the next two seasons.

First, Taylor and his agent Dan Fegan (whom some regard as the devil incarnate) would have to agree to an amount which favors them. They have the contract...and it's well above what Mo could get on the open market.

Secondly, the agreed to amount is then amortized against the Rockets cap for the remaining life of the current contract. IOW, if they agree to a lump sum $12m, that $12m hits the cap at $4m per year for 3 years. Not enough of a reduction to impact anything especially since in Taylor's last contract year, we are going to have to max Yao.

Stated another way, in the summer of 2006-07 we will be paying McGrady ~$17m, Howard ~ $6.4m, the $4m from the hypothetical Taylor buyout and (based upon the current CBA) Yao a minimum of $10m. That's $37m without filling out the roster. I've repeated it more times than I can count...as long as we have a maxed TMac and a Maxed Yao, we are never going to be players in the FA market. Period. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, we made our bed in the summer of 2001 and now we have to lie in it.