Chron: Heightened urgency to step up to playoffs accompanies Rockets' opener

The only problem I have with this article is the last statement by Mobley. I think they have to have the attitude of playoffs first, then we try to make a run at it. The playoffs is not an end, it's a fresh start.

 

"Guys want to win," Taylor said. "Our team, we have the luxury that it has a lot of guys under contract. There are not any underlying motives. Everybody's already under contract.

"We have one goal, that's getting to the playoffs, making the Rockets a championship-contending team. When you have guys that already have long-term deals, they can relax and just worry about winning. There's nothing for us to do but play."


What the hell is this crap from Mo Taylor? Everyone's under contract now so we can concentrate on winning? WTF? It's too bad we can't ship your ass back to Clipperland.

 

Timing, he doesn't mean that guys without contracts don't care about winning. But it's hard to focus on winning as a team when you feel like you have to prove yourself as an individual to get the security of a longterm contract for what you think you're worth. I mean, it's like being at a company where you work together with colleagues on projects, but you have to keep making sure your bosses notice you so that you can keep your job. It's hard to work together with colleagues. The Clippers might be a case study this year with regard to this.

I'm not saying guys like Kenny are excused from working with the team to win. But having your job up in the air is a significant distraction.

don, no offense, but it seems like you're nit-picking. I'm sure once we make the playoffs, everyone will play to win, to go as far as possible. But the goal for the season is making the playoffs. Next year, they may shoot for higher than that. You may ask what difference it makes, you should try to win regardless, right?
Well, I think the difference is that for playoff contenders like us, every regular season game is important. For championship-contending teams like the Lakers and the Rockets past, it's more important to keep your team healthy for the playoffs. That doesn't mean you just cruise through the regular season, but it does mean you don't pressure yourself to win every single game.

I haven't been thinking about Kenny's contract situation. I hope we don't trade him anytime soon. With the recent injuries, I've decided I have absolutely no problem with depth. Logjam, be damned. If we have too many deserving players that warrant minutes, then run them to death on the court and expand the playing rotation to 12 if need be.

I just want to make the playoffs. If that means Rice plays minutes at backup 2, TMo plays minutes at center, etc., fine. Whatever it takes, and don't trade away ballers like Kenny just so your roster looks nice and neat on paper.

 

Relativist:

What can I say? You are simply correct on all accounts.
Obviously, if we make the playoffs this season, we are gonna have to aim higher next season.

 

It's selfishness and we have way too much of it on this team.

 

Because of the luxury tax, unless Les has a change of heart and wants turn Cuban, the only way KT will be back next year is if one of our high dollar contracts (Rice,MoT or Cato) is somehow moved. I bet Collier doesn't get his fourth year extension (50% raise), either (which would have to happen today or tomorrow?).

 

That says a lot about the chemistry of the top rotation. The luxury tax is what it is and they have explained how they don't expect it next year when they can sign him for even more. These little injuries prove you can't have enough depth...

 

JoeBarelyCares,

I don't read the Luxury Tax that way. Every August, Larry Coon (the CBA faq, god) and all his entourage run the numbers and try to calcute the tax, and you can email him his results. Last year there was none, despite media saying it would kick in. This yr there is one. However, there is one mainly because the new TV contract is $400m less than previously. Again, however, that is a one yr shortfall due to the structure of the contract. It goes back to normal the 2nd yr, plus, notice all the new NBA revenue from China contracts coming on line.

The prediction is that there is a great chance that there will be no luxury tax for 2003-2004, and maybe even never again.

With that in mind, what is sounds like to me is Carroll Dawson is suggesting the need to wait until July to find out for sure. Is there going to be a tax or not? And if there is, what is the threshhold? Why talk to Kenny about money until you know whether there is a threshhold or not.

anyhow, the media was wrong last year about a tax kicking in, and there is no reason to believe that a tax will kick in next year....good chance it will only be this year.

 

Thanks for the info, HP. However, I would actually be disappointed if there is no luxury tax next year. It looked like the fear of the tax brought a lot of sanity to the teams on spending. Even the Knicks are now saying their free spending days are over. If there is no tax, salaries will continue to climb, which means ticket prices will continue to climb.

Additionally, the Rockets may have a competitive edge under a tax situation, because although we have a few overpaid players, they are not the monster contracts that other teams have. And Rice's deal comes off after next year, Maloney's payment comes off, and Cato may now be tradeable.

 

JoeBarelyCares,

Maybe I didn't make it obvious, but the Luxury Tax is tied directly to the profit margins of the owners. If their revenue-to-salaries exceeds a certain ratio, then they are making plenty of money and no tax kicks in. So, if there is no tax, then there is plenty of money, and tickets prices theoretically could come down. yeah, right?

remember, the salary cap is what mainly keeps salaries in line, and it goes up and down based on revenue, as well. The Luxury Tax effect is more about not signing above-average players to max contracts, whereas the average players are beginning to find it harder and harder to get more than average pay. This is partly the Luxury Tax, but also due to the flexibility of player movement is greatly increased if you do not exceed the Middle Class Exception, since every team over the cap gets that exception.

You can actually measure salary growth rather easily--just follow the Middle Class Exception. The MCE is defined as a league average salary. The MCE did not go up significantly last year.

 

Selfish!? What are you talking about? You're letting your hatred for Mo twist his words around so you can have a reason to rip him. What he simply said, and it isn't selfish it's logic, that if you have people under contract you don't have to worry about guys playing out of the team concept and trying to get a contract. It's as simple as that. If you have a guy who is worried about his future and whether he gets a new contract on a young team trying to get to the playoffs you have problems. That's the same thing the Clippers are facing. I can't believe you sat there and read and article where the players are talking about getting to the playoffs after a year of injuries and all you got from it was that Mo and the team are selfish and Mo needs to be traded. And for the record Mo didn't say say now that everyone is under contract we can concentrate on winning, you said that. Mo said that now that everyone is under contract there won't be any underlying motives and I agree with that. If you don't think it's a problem, then ask Rockets management what they thought in the contract years of Mario Elie, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler when they spent the season worrying about their contracts and talking about potentially going to other teams in the middle of the season.

 

When you have guys that already have long-term deals, they can relax and just worry about winning.


For the record, that's what Mo said. If it takes fat contracts for everybody to just worry about winning then that says something about the team.