2004-2005 Rockets Salaries - Filling Out the Roster

What is the projected salary cap for next year?

 

it seems like we cant go wrong at PG next year. fisher, barry, arroyo, snow, claxton, etc...but weith lue opting out we need to find 2 of them.

if JVG really is interested in foyle then i would assume that he is planning on trading for a starting PG and using the MLE to bring in a back-up PG and C.

if we can sign foyle and arroyo with the MLE, and use the TE for snow, i would be very impressed



of course i would want barry first, but it seems like we may want to get 2 guys for the MLE and not just one.

 

Nice post, rocksolid. One question: weren't there some reports that we protected Wilks in the expansion draft b/c he apparently fits into JVG's plans this season?

 

man.. what were we thinking paying Mo Taylor that much money???

 

I believe Lue can only be traded if he opts out before the trade takes place. If he comes it means we have him for next year.

If we have Lue, I might try to use the full MLE for Camby (3-5 years, his choice), than try Brent Barry (3 years), than approach the RFAs Swift (6 years, try to outbid Mem) or Etan Thomas (3 or 4 years, try to outbid Wash). If you get a defensive PF who can back up the C, trade Howard for a vet PG.

If we Lue opts out thus we can't trade for him, go full throttle for Barry for the MLE (3-4 years). If you get Barry then use the 1.7 exemption for the best defensive 5/4 available. Then add another vet PG for the min (like Hunter, Anth John, Knight, etc.)

If that does work (no Barry, no Lue) split the MLE for the next tier vet PG (Alston #1 target, Arroyo #2, than either Hudson or Fisher, than Lue--talk to him only as a last resort because he could have prevented this in the 1st place). Then use the rest of the MLE and the 1.7 exemption to secure the back-up C (Foyle starting at 2.5 mil?) and another PG (Daniels?D Jones?).

 

Sorry I am a CBA illiterate. Here are some questions:

1. I think next year’s cap will be 45 million, right?
2. If that’s the case, does that mean we are already 2 millions into the luxury tax?
3. How can we bring in more guys if that’s the case?
4. MLE means we can pay some guy 5-6 millions without counting against the cap, right?
5. Where does MLE come from?
6. Does every team have it?
7. Do we have a new MLE every year?
8. What is TE?
9. How much is it(TE)?
10. Where did we get that?

Anyone can help me on those?

 

No expert, but here goes.

The salary cap and luxury cap are different. When people talk lux cap they are really talking a tax on deemed exccesive salary over the true cap by other teams, not really a cap or barrior to transations. The lux tax, if it is in place, is substantially higher than the cap, almost all teams are over the cap, few teams are so far over it they pay lux tax.

MLE is mid level exemption, also referred to as middle class exemption (MCE). It is in place so teams over the cap can still add modest pieces to the team, in this case player with up to the average league salary, about 5 million. Every team over the cap, every year, gets the oppertunity to use it, it can be split, pay one guy 2.5 mil and another guy 2.5 mil.

There is also a 1.7 exemption seperate from the MLE available to teams over the cap, but you can only use it every other year.

If you are over the cap, and have used all your MLE and other exception, you can only sign free agents to the minimum, based on that players years of experience it starts at like 300K and ends at like 700K.

You can resign your own free agents even if over the cap, using various other exemptions however, that is when you here the Bird exemption, early bird, etc.

Teams under the cap can sign up to the difference between their total salalry and cap, or can trade for more expensive players than they give up so long as they don't go over the cap. They don't get the MLE exemption however, they can only use the cap space they got.

TE is trade exemption. This is a "credit" because we traded Glen Rice and his like 9 mil contract to a team under the cap (why the trade was allowed) for like a 2 million player contract. The difference (around 7 mil) allows us to take on a new player up to that salary even though we are over the cap, as a credit (1 year I think) per see from the Rice trade where we did not get full monetary value from.

Hope this answers many of the questions.

 

10 replies and still no mention of SamFisher's man crush on the Cardinal

 

very nice explanation. One more question. Is the MLE count as a luxury tax? Say if the knicks used it, do they pay that as their tax or is it a exemption from it.

 

He has great size at the PG spot. But I feel he is more of a shoot first type guard. Would he be willing to defer A LOT of shots to McGrady and Yao? I dont know.

The Rockets should be wary of Restricted FAs too. It could tie up our MLE monies for 14 days while other teams are getting players. If we lose out on the RFA guy, then we could lose out on other options as well.

I dont expect us to bid on any RFAs.

 

Send MOT to Indy for Croshere and Pollard, Sign Barry and Foyal or Etan thomas!




PG:Barry/Gaines/Wilks

SG:T-MAC/Pike/

SF:JJ/Croshere/

PF:Foyal/Howard/Spoon

C:Yao/Pollard

 

Signing RFA Chris Mihm and tossing Boston a second rounder so they don't interfere IMO is the best option. We get a player who is a legitimate 7-footer, has range out to 18 feet, rebounds well, can play both PF and C -- and he is a Longhorn (Hook-Em).

As much as I like Okur (Foyle is easily hurt and won't play hurt), he will be too expensive. Other possible centers may defend better than Mihm (I can't think of any who are better offensively and available), but he has the all-around package to be the sixth man or even the starting PF.

 

Lux tax is based on total salary, and signing a guy for MLE further increases your salary. IF that increase is over the lux tax threshold (yes for the Knicks, no for US for instance), they then team pays like double in "real dollars". It is allowed by the league, but the lux tax is there to try to reign in uncontrolled owners spending.

Unfortunately the lux tax makes it worse. Because the Cubans and Allen's care little about paying extra "real dollars" by going over the lux tax, they just look for the best players they can get at any cost, it creates just a few teams not really inhibited by it much.

 

I'm just hoping the Rockets don't sign another player to a big money contract, who then promptly becomes a dud.

Most of these players mentioned, are either unproven, too old, or lack the body size for the position.

So naturally the Rockets have to throw a big contract at one of them.

I'm not big on Fisher at all, but everyone else seems to love him.

 

You know, at first i was'nt too keen on Van Exel I'm starting to buy the idea. i think he can be helpfull come the playoffs, see how he went off for the Mavs?... he could become a soild third option for the Rox!