[Denver Post] Rockets Still interested in Wells...

If Charlotte offers a decent contract, we won't have a chance, and Bonzi would be foolish to think he can get a better contract next year, aren't there a ton of good players on the FA market next year?

DD

 

IIRC the Bobs have to get to a minimum salary cap floor, so signing Bonzi and/or Ely or acquiring someone else seems requisite.

 

From the same article though...

"The greater question is a roster spot. The Bobcats already have 15 players under contract, plus a qualifying offer of about $3 million to restricted free agent Melvin Ely. Bickerstaff indicated that resolving Ely's situation probably takes precedence over any other move between now and the start of training camp Tuesday in Wilmington."

 

Actually it makes sense. Head is redundant and not that important (talent wise) when you have Bonzi, Skip, Snyder, VSPan.

And what is this talk about redone draft? And you think Luther will be taken higher? Which draft? You make me laugh - I do not think you are really serious.

This is how it will work - we trade the TPE for Bonzi and move Luther for a scrub [on their team] to make them happy. What is with the not-mention-Bowen talk? Why? Do you even know how these things work?

Gater
You make me laugh indeed. Can we stop this ridiculous JVG will not play rookies slant? Bonzi for our TPE and a Sactown player for our 1st rounder is NOT a steal - it is flat out silly. We cannot continue to give up potential assets for nothing. I don't even know how else to say this. I guess if you do not get, then you do not get it. If Sacramento does not want to swap Luther (or another one of our reduntant players) for of their's, then they should forget it.

 

There are three guys on their 'roster' I know nada about, minimum wage guys. They couldn't fit Bonzi AND Ely in?

Rox have 18 on the roster IIRC but can find space for Bonzi?

 

Does anybody here thing that Charlotte is interested in Bonzi for more than one year?


I don't see it. They are building through the draft and they are going to keep their salary cap in a situation where they can load up on a couple of prime time free agents, players such as Vince Carter. I can't see them chewing up cap space on a multi-year deal with Bonzi. It's too risky for their building plan. They want Bonzi for one year to fill in their minimum salary requirement.

I think the only reason they are talking to Bonzi is to stir up some other teams that have too many players to dump some expirings on them in exchange for a trade exception. Charlotte gets some younger players with some potential from say Indiana, and Indy picks up a TE. For instance Bender's contract and a young player like Josh Powell or Rawle Marshall would make a lot of sense to Charlotte along with a couple of million dollars, in exchange for a big, fat TE that Indy can use down the line somewheres.

I just can't see Charlotte wanting Bonzi for more than a one year rental just to achieve their minimum salary threshold.

 

Their players are probablu all on guaranteed contracts, Rocks only have 14 players with guaranteed contracts.

 

IIRC the Bobs have to get to a minimum salary cap floor, so signing Bonzi and/or Ely or acquiring someone else seems requisite

i thought they had an exemption for 2 or three years

 

And what year is this?

 

As the Chron stated the Cats have roughly 9m to spend to reach the minimum team salary. This doesn't include Hermann's salary (probably around 1M?) and Ely who has yet to sign.

Though Cat's don't have to sign Bonzi to reach the minimum team salary. They can choose to give already under contract players bonuses.

 

Wells foolish for thinking he could do better
September 19, 2006

If free agency is a game of musical chairs, Bonzi Wells is singing the blues. Wells and his agent, William Phillips, severely miscalculated early this summer, when the Kings made a five-year, $36 million offer. Wells and Phillips turned it down, certain they could work out a bigger deal in a sign-and-trade. Wrong -- which helps explain why Wells still is looking for employment two weeks before training camp starts, and also why Phillips is now Wells' former agent.

Most of this, of course, is Wells' own fault. It's hard to pity a guy who overvalued himself as much as Wells did back in July; it's also hard to pity a guy who still will make in the $3 million range this season. He had a brilliant postseason, but in the luxury-tax era, teams just can't overpay for two weeks of brilliance.

If the tax was designed to save owners from themselves, to prevent them from making stupid signings based on little consistent production, then the Wells case is a good example of the tax at work. Additionally, Wells carried a reputation as a slacker and pain in the backside after stormy tenures in Portland and Memphis. He's also had two severe knee injuries -- just more reasons teams did not flock to him this summer.

But Wells is too good a player to be in his current situation. He is one of the best post-up shooting guards in the league and a solid perimeter shooter. He is capable of playing good defense and is an excellent backcourt rebounder. Questions about his attitude should be tempered by the fact that Kings coach Eric Musselman was an assistant with the Grizzlies two years ago when Wells was in Memphis -- the year that coach Mike Fratello sent Wells home during the playoffs. But Musselman supported the re-signing of Wells in Sacramento 100 percent. He could not have been all that bad in Memphis. Thus, it was easy to have contempt for Wells early this summer. And it's easy to have sympathy for him now.

Wells will play this season, but he has limited options. He missed a chance to make Sacramento a contender again. He won't be going back to the Kings. Sacto can't afford to make a sign-and-trade with Wells, so that option is almost certainly out. Unless Wells now undervalues his skills, he is basically left with one choice: sign a one-year deal (maybe with a player option for a second year, in case he is injured) with a team that can showcase him.

The Heat has been discussed, but Wells would be low on the scoring totem in Miami. Charlotte is another possibility, but Wells is not going to turn the Bobcats into a contender and would lack the postseason exposure that would boost his summer value (however, if the Bobcats offered a one-year, $8 million deal, well then, all bets are off). That means one of two things: taking a one-year, $3 million deal with Denver or working out a Rockets-Kings deal in which Houston sends its $4.2 million trade exception to Sacramento with a pick.

Wells would make more money with Houston, but that does not look like a wise career move. The roughhouse defensive approach of Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy is outdated, and Houston was 29th in the league in scoring last season. On a team that has Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, Wells does not figure to score much. If he signs a one-year deal, he will have to put up good numbers. His chances of doing so in Houston are diminished.

The Denver option is the better one, because the Nuggets are a good team desperate for a shooting guard. Wells would be the No. 2 option on an uptempo team, meaning he'll have the opportunity to score 15-18 points per game and grab 7-8 rebounds. If he does, he can take another crack at free agency next year. When he does, hopefully he will have learned his lesson, and he'll jump at $36 million when it's offered.


http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=129417

 

I'm beginning to get this awful feeling that Bonzi may only be using us as leverage to get a better offer from Charlotte. I reeeaaaallly hope not. As a Rockets and Kings fan, I'd be ticked to the utmost if my both my teams had shots at him and then didn't get him.

 

The only way Charlotte trumps us is if they commit to a multi-year deal. Can't see them doing that. I'm more worried about Miami or Denver making him a bunch of promises regarding playing time, and a future deal after this season.

 

I don't know, I did write that original blurb from the Charlotte newspaper?!? Maybe he knows something we don't following the B-Cats?

 

As this isa very relavent point would you be so kind as to name the 14 players?

 

Tracy McGrady
Yao Ming
Juwan Howard
Shane Battier
Rafer Alston
Bob Sura
Dikembe Mutombo
Vassilis Spanoulis
Kirk Snyder
Luther Head
Ryan Bowen
John Lucas III
Chuck Hayes
Steve Novak

Partially - Casey Jacobsen

 

It's amazing that sportswriters still think we had a completely healthly team last year! 29th in scoring, lol!

 

Come on, you don't expect them to actually do an research do you, that's why they still say Yao is soft and blah blah....

 

Yeah, your right, and the JVG's "outdated" defensive approach thing was great too! San Antonio and Detriot haven't had much success with that recently have they?!? Great stuff!

 

No kidding, just have to laugh it off at this point.