[ClutchFans] BimaThug: Houston Rockets Salary Cap Update

I missed the last $400 in JJ's salary. It's actually $6,883,400 for Jared Jeffries.

Bimathug's number is not stingy. Actually, it is a little generous. The true number for a team acquiring JJ would be $5,426,720.

$5,426,720 x 125% = $6,783,400 + $100,000 = $6,883,400

 

This isn't mean to disparage BimaThug on this as I absolutely love what he has brought to the board, and am looking forward to his output in the future.

But do you believe some of the claims made in the article quoted above still hold true after it appears the Rockets salary dumped Ariza? At the moment, I still think Rockets fans have the right to question Les's commitment.

 

Les is cheap.
Morey fits in this cheap team nicely.

 

I don't think Les is cheap, he is just running a business, and Morey is working under the guidelines he gives him...and quite well I might add.

DD

 

This argument is getting old, fast.

Just because we traded Ariza (for a guy who is only marginally worse than him) to potentially get under the tax is not a reason to question Les's commitment. It's just smart to save that money now so that we can use it when it really counts (ie going over the tax after trading for a superstar).

If and when it's clear that our long-term core of players is set AND we are still under the tax, then I will concede that the Rockets are not willing to pay the tax. As I see it, we are just holding off on doing so while in this transitional phase until our core is complete (and all indications are that we are one major move away from being so). I do think Bima was a bit premature to call this season "all-in" ... I don't think we'll go all-in until we see what Yao's long-term future looks like.

The bottom line is there is almost NO WAY to compete for a championship every year and not pay the tax. You might avoid it temporarily, but sooner or later you'll have to pay to keep the players that got you there in the first place.

 

We'll disagree on the difference that separates Lee and Ariza, and also disagree that the trade actually helps us to trade for a superstar.

But other than that I agree we're in a wait-and-see state at the moment. Which is still contradictory to BimaThug's article, which was pretty much "their can be no more debate." It's a shame to because I was really excited after reading it a few weeks ago. And now I'm back to scratching my head, wondering if Les ever will "go the distance."

 

There's no proof it was a pure salary dump. There is, however, some indication that Ariza was regressing, and that Morey traded him before his value dropped even further.

And questioning the commitment of Les is absurd. He's one of the best owners in the league.

 

An honest question good sir.

Why?

Why do you feel Les is one of the best owners in the league?

DD

 

Of course there's no proof, you think Morey is going to come out and say they salary dumped him?

I like Les. Maybe I should have said commitment to pay the luxury tax is still in question.

 

I agree that the trade doesn't help us trade for a superstar, per-se, but I think it's just Les saving money now so that it's a little easier to shell out the LT money when the time comes.

 

Because he's aggressive. That's more common now, but he was an aggressive owner from the get go. He's not afraid to roll the dice. He's not afraid to take chances. He's not averse to risk.

Because Les played it uber cool during negotiations for a new arena. He never turned that into a him verses the public fiasco that so many owners have mistakenly done, including Bud Adams.

Because he was shrewd enough to snatch Morey from the Celtics. Again, showing his willingness to take risk.

Because he maintains the perfect balance between being too hands on and too distant.

 

Ok, sounds good....I can appreciate that.

Well said.

DD

 

I disagree ... strongly! And DieHard's got it...

Perhaps we made the Ariza trade to maintain cap flexibility in case we are not able to land that coveted all-star, difference-maker. Perhaps the potential trading partners for said roster upgrade did not value/desire Ariza as much as NOH. Perhaps swapping Ariza and Lee positions our team better for a championship run once we add that special someone. Perhaps the TE created by the Ariza/Lee trade gives us more trade ammunition or options down the road.

Perhaps we are able to make that great trade that all of us at ClutchFans are so clamoring for. And, if we do, we will be paying the tax, just not as much as with the previous obligation of the Ariza contract. And we may still have/use the 6.3 Mil TE, further occupying tax-territory.

Posters, please realize. This is an all-in year. Yao is not getting any younger and is in a contract year. There is also the small issue of a looming lockout, lest we forget.

So damn the torpedoes, all hands on deck. This is an all in year. It's just that the hand is still on the table. And our GM is the best poker player. Be grateful.. and patient (I know that's the hard part, at least it is for me).

 

Assuming the salaries in the trade would have to matchup, how will we be paying the luxury tax if we trade for a superstar?

 

1)We're still over the cap.

2)There is the 25% rule in any trade (i.e.-we could take back more salary.

 

Is it not obvious that our roster is prepared for Carmelo?


Ariza and Melo do not fit together on the floor, Lee and Anthony do...


You definitely value Ariza much, much more than I ever have...

 

Obviously we have different views on Ariza's worth, but aside from that I would never expect Ariza and Melo to play together. Ariza would have been part of the trade for Melo and a better trade chip to include for us And for the Nuggets than Brooks. Or we could have at least traded him for equal value and gotten more back.

 

Les vetoed a Tmac for Billups/Prince(or Hamilton)trade, which proved to be fatal. He goes for the big names who can generate a lot money,took a chance on Tmac, which 90% of the owners will do in 2004 so that doesn't make him that great. He didn't want to go over lux threadhold until this year, and the best time for Yao/Tmac era is passed.

Morey is a lot cheaper than Dawson and apparently CD was not doing a good job at both draft and FA signing at that moment.

I'm not saying Les is not a good owner, but I don't see him as that great either.

 

Sorry, I haven't viewed this thread in a couple of days.

To respond, I will admit that perhaps I was rash in my comment about the Rockets being hopelessly over the luxury tax. Frankly, for as much love as I give Morey on this BBS, even I didn't think he was capable shedding so much salary so quickly. He's just that damn good.

As for the Ariza "salary dump" and its relation to Les's willingness to spend/pay the tax, I agree with others that the savings from that trade may prove invaluable in the Rockets' ability to take on additional salary in a larger trade later. It will be easier (financially) to take on up to the full "125% + $100k" maximum salary in return in any trade. Hell, the Rockets could conceivably take back that much AND take back another player or two making up to $6.4M.

I stand by my comments that the Les haters need to put a sock in it. Since I doubt the Andersen and Ariza trades were already lined up before the Lowry, Scola and Miller signings (there's no way in hell a 4-team deal was in place at that time), Les was clearly willing to take the risk that his salary would be stuck in the low $80 millions. Fortunately, cost-cutting moves were subsequently made without materially adversely affecting the Rockets from a competitive standpoint. But there was no guarantee that those moves would happen.

Just allowing your payroll to get that high without a guarantee that it could be significantly lowered shows that Les is committed to winning. For him to have actually paid all that tax just to prove something to the fans would have been STUPID, not commendable.

 

The Pistons are saying that Dumars vetoed the deal, because he didn't want to trade both. Joe ended up only trading Billups to the Nuggets.

http://www.nba.com/pistons/features/truebluepistons_100810.html