From a Marty Burns article at the CNNSI site: Do you see the Bucks trading Glenn Robinson in the off-season? What can they realistically receive? --Rick Rietbrock, Milwaukee If the Bucks don't make the playoffs, look for the Big Dog to be barking someplace other than Brew Town next year. Yes, he's got a huge contract that makes such a deal difficult, but the Bucks will clearly have to do something -- and they're not going to get rid of Ray Allen. Most likely they'll get a mid-range player or two and draft picks. It's not much, but it ain't Alpo either. --Interesting, but I'm not that excited about Big Dog, it's just that this got me thinking. You know what? Forget free agents. There's a great pool of them, but forget 'em. We can't sign anybody for crap, except the mid-exception and 1 mil exception. TRADES, baby! We have the ultimate weapon- the 4.5 mil exception. In a new era of basketball where trading a large contract involves as many black magicians as lawyers, we have an all-purpose salary equalizer! This thing is a trade-wizard's dream come true. And Rudy and Les are trade wizards bar none. Take your eyes off those touted free agents and look around for disgruntled stars with difficult-to-move contracts. In the scenario above, or indeed any scenario where a team wanted to trade away a large-contract player, we are their dream come true. Hey, you don't need that team of lawyers to check multiple player contracts and incentives and whatnot. We got you covered! What do you need? Athletic big men? Hot-shooting forwards? A half-court savvy point? Picks? Hey, tell us what you like, our exception will cover the rest. Hand over that star. We'll make him happy. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Nolen (edited April 22, 2000).]
Starting to agree with you Nolen ... look at what CD told the Houston Chronicle this morning on the $4.5 million trade exception... "It's as complicated as it can be. It's a better deal than it looks like. You can't sign a free agent and put him in the trade exception. It can be only used in a trade. But it can help you more than it sounds. It's a tool we're finding every day is better than we thought it was. It's very involved, but it's very good to have. It can help us." Oh yeah we'll be seeing some deals this summer I think ... quick Rudy, get on the phone with the Clips! ------------------ NOTHING BUT .NET CLUTCHCITY.NET
My thoughts exactly Nolen. We appear to be on the right wavelength. One problem though. If the Rocks are gonna trade for a disgruntled star with a huge contract, they better pick the right one. I dont want to get stuck rooting for some overpriced loser like Pippen again. I dont want Juwan Howard please. The Rockets can make a trade for a star player. But it may be a too disgruntleable, too overpriced star. Catch22 ------------------ I'm not a role model.
Exactly Clutch. If there's a way to Sterling's heart it's with the words "save money." All we'd have to do is tell him that he can send $9 million worth of players to us and only have to take on $4.5 million in salary. With the right players being involved, I say we send him our pick as well (we can probably pick up that player in about three years as well). Maybe the Clippers can be kind of like our farm team. ------------------
Your title was a mistake Nolen...now you owe Crisco some food for his thoughts. here's some crumbs for thought... 1. The $4.5m can be spent in pieces, and doesn't have to be spent. 2. A large chunk of it expires on the anniversary of the Francis trade, the other chunk on the Pippen trade. 3. You don't have to use it. If we don't use it, we have $4.5m less salary on our cap for next year's Hakeem windfall. Using the exception is "spending" money. It adds the equivalent amount of salary to Rockets' total. Don't spend it for the hell of it. Get a difference-maker. If not, it is not a failure to eat the exception for more Free Agent negotiating room next year. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited April 22, 2000).]
HP- yeah, I've been having second and third thoughts since posting that. Since reading Rudy's last interview, I think we need big men who shoot jumpers well, and do everything else (defend, rebound) excellently. You've posted several times before about not spending the exception money to open up more cap in 2001. Who are you saving up for? I understand your point, but do you actually have some stud in mind to dish the money to, or do you just want that flexibility? I really have no idea who is a FA next summer. I know I wish we had the money NOW. The FA market is awesome. It really can't be overstated how difficult it is to make trades under the new CBA. Look at how quiet the last trading deadline was. Look what it took to get Pippen traded. The new CBA severely hinders player movement. The exception we have is an incredible tool to cut through all that red tape. But I absolutely agree, it shouldn't be used for the hell of it. It just opens up options tremendously, small ones as well as big ones. ------------------
I'd hazard a guess that HP had Webber in mind. Other than him, the other options IMO would be Finlay and Mashburn, but they're not the big men that we need. ------------------
sid picks up the crumbs... yes, Webber is the food for thought that has me drooling. If the Kings get smacked by LA, and don't greatly improve next year, Webber is going to start seriously worrying about how he is going to get a ring! Francis would be the easy answer for him. This is why I'd have infinite patience this summer and try to convince Mobley to take a one year, and sign his Big Bird after Webber. Lastly, I have absolutely no problems using the $4.5m to sign any disgruntled star with only one year on their contract, especially in a package with Walt or Cato. If Rudy can shape him up (the star), you have a winner. If not, you trade him for a song (or freaking renounce him) and have succeeded in shedding another $5m from your cap by purging yourself of either Walt/Cato's contract. Then you enter the FA market next year with one of the lowest team salaries in the nba. does that make sense? note: that scenario doesn't really even require you to use the $4.5m [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited April 22, 2000).]
Clutch quote: "Oh yeah we'll be seeing some deals this summer I think ... quick Rudy, get on the phone with the Clips!" hmmmm...is this some inside info? Odom or Candyman maybe? ------------------ I had amnesia once or twice. [This message has been edited by BobFinn* (edited April 22, 2000).]
