I can't believe Yao is gone. But what that means is we need to move Salary to get under the cap. Our current team is not a championship team. We will never be a championship team without a superstar. We have no superstars. We will never tank under Adelman. So we need to acquire a superstar through free agency if possible. Where is Bimathug? How much do we have to dump to get far enough under to sign a top free agent. Might as well trade AB. We can't afford to sign him now. We are a mediocre team. We need expirings and draft picks. Scola for expirings? Time to play the Rookies? Battier is gone, Jeffries involved in trade to acquire a draft pick or center. Do whatever it takes to get IGGY or trade for? I don't know what to do but it is time to go a different route.
I think adding Williams took us up a bit, but IIRC, it is now about $3 million or so. Bima would know though. DD
Looking at the free agent market... nothing really good until 2013. Lets start planning for that summer.
Not likely anyone in here can answer that question. The next CBA is a huge unknown and Stern is postering for a hard cap.
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/houston.htm as it stands we will have $36.2MM on the books next season. I am assuming the projected cap will be somewhere around $59MM Brooks has a qualifying offer and $2.9MM counting against that number, if he walks in free agency we are now down to $33.3MM. That is $26MM to play around with, and that is without having to jettison a Scola or Martin
They'll be far enough under the cap next season to sign a big time FA if they renounce the rights to all their own FAs including Brooks.
Players with Team options next year include Jordan Hill ($2.85MM), C. Lee ($2.2MM) & C-Bud ($884K). Doesn't seem to make much sense letting them walk at such a bargain.
Check out Bima's article a few months back, Rox will have about 10 million or so if they don't bring back Aaron and let their FAgents go. I do wonder if this changes any of their plans in concerns to their FAgents and expiring deals?
If the Nets don't get Anthony maybe the Nets still want Scola. How about Miller and Scola for Murphy and Favors. Murphy is an expiring. Who is available in Free Agency.
naw you were right before the edit... its $45MM after the team options are taken in to account. Brooks walks and you are looking at $42... should have looked closer at the math on the site...
That $36MM number doesn't take account of the player options on Lee, Hill, CBud, and Brooks' qualifying offer.
Most likely their first wish is to try to use Yao's deal to eat some salary in return for value similar to what they did with McGrady. Nobody knows what the next CBA looks like or what "cap room" they will ave for letting contracts expire, so I doubt they woudl give up immediately attainable value. Of course, this is predicated on somebody willing to give up value to dump future salary. Takes 2 to tangle.
There is no need for salary dumps when we have contracts expiring that would dump the salaries for us. Yao obviously is not getting 17 million again even if the remote chance he returns. Brooks is not getting 17 million dollars even iof the remote chance that he gets alot of minutes this year how Lowry is playing. Battier is not getting his normal 7 million dollars again. Jeffries isnt returning. We have enough to sign a superstar but unless Carmello has a change of heart? Thats not happening. Time to go young and stockpile and keep the capspace low unless a superstar falls through the trade cracks to us.
No chance they give up Favors unless it's for Melo. Murphy for Scola, if you want a salary dump, is very possible and something to consider.
TANK!!!..thats the only way, your not going to attract free agents without another superstar to pair him with so we need a lottery pick if we ever want to get a legit franchise player. I'd move battier, scola and Martin for salary dump and picks, and keep the young guys, having scola, battier, and martin will keep us around .500 stuck in the middle chasing the 8th spot which will make it hard to improve.
