This is from the Chicago Tribune: --------------- After a second face-to-face meeting with general manager John Paxson failed to bring a definitive answer from Scottie Pippen, the Bulls moved forward on a second back-up plan Thursday, setting up a free-agent visit for James Posey. "Chicago is an up-and-coming team with a major need at the small forward spot," said Mark Bartelstein, Posey's Chicago-based agent. "And Houston has major restrictions with the luxury tax." Posey is expected to visit Chicago on Friday. He is a restricted free agent after the Rockets made him a qualifying offer of $2.45 million, meaning Houston would have 15 days to match any offer he might receive. Whether the Bulls get to that point remains to be seen. Their second talk with Pippen "went well," according to Paxson. But Pippen is still doing exactly what management feared he might. Pippen is drawing out the free-agent drama, which the Bulls hoped he would avoid, given his feelings for the franchise and respect for Paxson and coach Bill Cartwright..... ....Posey is the Bulls' latest target, an athletic and versatile player who split time between Denver and Houston last year. He averaged 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds and at 6-feet-8-inches has the wingspan to be a decent defender. The Bulls conceivably could sign Posey and then take the $1.8 million they are expected to receive for Jay Williams' medical exception and sign Corey Blount.... etc etc etc http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...bulls,1,6077864.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines -------------------- A couple things here. Seems like each side is trying to get someone to move. Posey's agent wants Houston to get a move on, and the Bulls want the same from Pippen. The article doesn't mention that Posey could sign for the MLE at Chicago and nothing more, but I can only assume that would be the case.
Interesting. This is exactly why CD didn't want to extend an offer to Pike or any other FA. CD wanted to be sure he had room to match any offers that came in for Posey. If we can get Posey signed, only then will the Rox be in position to make any additional signings. Hopefully this will happen quickly and we can get on with it.
We BETTER get Posey. He is one of my favorite players! His agent...we must get him! And then Piatkowski!
Can our salary cap experts, tell us what we have besides the MCE to offer anybody! I thought we had enough for posey, and a few million for Pike (?). Does this mean that we only have a few million to split between both of them. CD has already mentioned not using the MCE, so what is the deal!! Can we make a trade, to free up more money to sign somebody (posey, pike, etc..). If we trade Moochie for a future 2nd rounder, does that free up more money? I remember Orlando, trading players for future picks, etc... to clear up cap space. Or they were trading picks, for scrubs that I think they were releasing to clear up money?
It's this thinking that contributed to 2 of our deadweight contracts: Rice (Anderson) and Cato (Pippen)
True, but Posey is worth keeping. For the right price, yes. Because he is the only guy on the team who understands the concept of defense.
If I remember correctly we are on the books for 51 million this year. The Luxary Tax is at 57 million. So I guess we could get Posey a contract that starts at 6 million and be ok. I think probably that is a resonable amount for him. That is a little over a million dollars over the MLE at 4.9 No question the Rockets want to wait on Posey before they do anything with their MLE. I don't expect the Rockets to use their MLE if it makes them go over the Luxary Tax. Doesn't make sense. However I think we WOULD go over the luxary tax level if we could get a star player in there. Someone that would be a serious difference maker versus a role player. I don't see us doubling our money via the luxary tax for JUST a role player. Perhaps CD is waiting people out right now, hoping that all the big money people spend their money and there won't be as many good destinations left and thus get Posey back for a decent contract. Hopefully some team that DOES have cap money won't drive up the cost of Posey's contract. I thought it was interesting that the Bulls were looking at Ira Newble and now seem to be looking at Posey. And just a few days ago an article came out saying the Rockets were looking at Newble. Perhaps for the Rockets Newble is the "back up plan" if for some reason Posey just does not want to resign here.
It wouldn't surprise me, assuming Posey reads this board, that he would take off for greener pastures. Sometimes I think Rockets fans have studied at the feet of their New York brethren -- where everybody loves to love their team but loves to hate the players. Go figure.
Huh!? Practically 90% of this thread demanded taht the Rockets keep Posey! One poster in this thread said that signing Posey to that deal was dead weight, everyone else said the Rockets better keep him, and suggested ways to free up money to do so.
My observation stems from reading all the other threads that have commentary on Posey. Most want to keep him only if he comes cheap, that is, unrealistically cheap. Granted, we can't go overboard as Philly did for KT. However, that is the rationale for my observation.
I noticed this as well. However, when I talk to Rockets fans who don't know about this site or don't use the Internet much, they say the Rockets' biggest problem is our reluctancy to let go of players who have not risen to expectations (Griffen, Collier, Posey, Maddox, and Moochie). In the past the Rockets were reluctant to pull the trigger on a struggling player, but I am optimistic about the new coaching staff. If a guy like Moochie doesn't fill his role, then he will be delt with rather than given more time. A good example of the new mentality in action is the releasing of Terence Morris. The guy didn't turn out to be the player we expected, and so we let him go.
Looks like JP is seeking a 6-yr. deal. My guess is that he can be had for 6 yrs, $42 million. Alot of money, yes, but Rice's salary comes off the books next year, giving us some leeway from the luxury tax.
I love Pose, he is our D and our fast break. But we shouldnt pay him 42 mil. If he gets that offer from Chicago, let him go. Once again, its not that he is not worth it. Its just that we have other bad contracts, Moochies #1 on the list, followed by Mo and Cato. Because of this we shouldnt drop another 40 mil on a role player
why would you say something dumb like that? cuttino plays at least equal defense to posey (especially if we're considering posey's time on this team, cat was better), hawkins plays D, cato plays D, yao and eg aren't great at one on one but both block shots. or was rudy just the biggest defensive genius in the world to take a team with only one defender for half the season and turn them into a team that gave up the 8th fewest points and the 5th lowest fg%, while grabbing the 3rd highest percentage of rebounds? from WizzyWig: uhh who in that group fits that mold? griffin is 20 and has played 2 years, not exactly the time to give up. collier we got rid of as fast as we could. posey?? he played decent for us, just like we expected. maddox was gone after one season. moochie we apparently were thinking of cutting. we certainly can't trade him b/c no one wants him. did we hold on to yao too long since he started the first 7 games kinda slow? from Baqui99: oh god, not another 6 year contract for a role player, and a hefty contract at that (i realize it starts just over the mle but damn 6 years is a killer). his defense is not up to artest levels and his offense is virtually nothing (unless we very strongly believe that his improved shooting is a trend, not a fad). and 6 yr, 42 million is what artest got. is there anyway we can bring it down to 3 or 4 years. hell, if it was 3 years, he could have a higher starting salary if he wants b/c then his contract would end when cato and yao and mobley and someone else's does, and that offseason we might actually have some money to play around with. but i'll just get ready for another cato contract to be added. hell just find another backup guard and play the occasional 3 guard with cuttino at SF while letting boki and rice play SF the rest of the time if we have to. and give EG minor minutes there too. there has to be a more cost effective way to fill the SF position than paying posey 42 million. hell bring back tmo for another 8 or 9 minutes.
I agree sorta because Mobley and Hawkins and Yao and the whole team knows how to play defense. The only reason Posey is GREAT (not excellent) at it is because he is athletic and tall and fast...if Hawkins was 6-8 and 215...he would have at least been drafted as a #57 pick. If the Bulls really really really want him...why don't we sign and trade Posey for either Marcus Fizer, Donyell Marshall, Eddie Robinson, or Tyson Chandler? None of them fit here...Posey fits best. I dont' think we should pay him $42 million/6 years though! Around $5 million a year would be okay to me. But Fizer's contract expires next season and that could help. Glen Rice can still play a little...and we still have Boki. No more TMo though. AND ANYWAYS. They can only give Posey MLE. So we offer him more and he likes it here! We are just waiting for him to say YES...
I do agree that 6yr. 42 mil is way to much for JP. I love the way he hustles and plays hard and d's up, but that is too much money for another role player. That is why we have no money now, because of too many bad contracts on role players.
barbourdg, we can use the entire mid level exception on who ever we want and still sign Posey to the max if we want to do that. No team in the NBA can offer Posey more money than the Rockets since Houston has Posey's bird rights. CD is just trying to stay under or at least as close to the luxery tax as possible in order to save the orginization money. That is why he is waiting to spend the mid level exception money and why he wants to sign Posey as cheaply as possible.
