Hmm....that would have been nice...instead.....we are gonna be over the salary cap for the next 3 years...
When you think about it, the Rockets are putting three starters on the floor who arguably could have been or were the very first pick in the draft in the year they entered the draft: Ming-- actual #1 Francis -- arguable #1 (actual #2) Griffin -- barely arguable #1 (actual #7) This apparently is not a good thing. We'll see.
The Rocekts goofed big time with the Moochie, Taylor, and Cato contracts. Although they did not sign Rice, he came from a trade in which they signed Shandon Anderson for too much. If you would take away half of the salary of these four combined, we'd be in the running for guys like O'neal and Kidd. But too bad so sad.
While those 4 may be overpaid, I'd hate to see what our records the past few years would have been if we didn't even have them. Of course, we'd have better lotto picks.
http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/36325.htm June 11, 2003 -- Tamper, tamper. Spurs' two-time MVP Tim Duncan can expect a call from NBA officials, who will go over tampering guidelines after he was quoted in yesterday's Post naming three free agents, Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and Brad Miller plus New Orleans' P.J. Brown, as possible replacements for David Robinson. "I didn't know Tim wanted to play in Indiana. He's a free agent, too. We'd love to have him," said Indiana team president Donnie Walsh after O'Neal and Miller were targeted. "If the alleged quotes are true, it is something we will look into," said NBA senior VP of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson. After he became a Net, Jason Kidd was warned about tampering when he cited Antonio McDyess as a possible free agent for New Jersey.
Your Olajuwon example is a bad one and actually illustrated exactly why the Spurs did a great GM job while the Rockets did/do not. With great GM-ing, the Spurs are going to give Duncan a 2nd star this summer along with all those role players to build on for a possible dynasty. But the Rockets never gave Hakeem a 2nd star until very late in his career. Hakeem only had those role players to work with and that's why Rockets never built a dynasty. So the Spurs are not just getting with the luck of drafting Duncan. Think about it. Even Duncan's only as good as say Kenyon Martin and they are only a No. 8 seed and 1st round team right now, they are still in a position in this summer to add a superstar/All-Star like Jason Kidd, Jermaine O'Neal or Elton Brand to lead the team because of all the cap space. Very unlike the Rockets in the Olajuwon era where the Rockets struggled to give a 2nd star next to Hakeem. And unlike the Rockets right now where they are a lottory team right now but still don't have cap space to work with to add better players. The Spurs have a great GM plan of building the team into a possible dynasty. The Rockets did/do not.
Well we did have huge cap space a couple of years ago but the only reasonably target wasn't looking elsewhere (Webber). Let see who the Spurs are able to add this offseason before saying they are the best front office since sliced bread--the history of teams capitalizing greatly on cap space is not all that good. I suspect Oneal and Kidd will stay with their own young good teams in the easier conference where they can also get bigger contracts than they can with the Spurs. Also, the Clips can match Brand. I suspect the Spurs will end up with a Miller, Kandi or GP--good players that could help them but not supersta
I remember the year we had the cap space. My point is that even if they didn't get the target star they wanted, they should not have burned the cap space and overpaid some crappy role players (they signed Mo Taylor and Cato that time right?). They should have kept the cap space and used it when the right target came along, as a great GM would do. If I remember correctly, the very next summer, Tracy McGardy, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan were available, weren't they? BTW, getting GP, Brad Miller with reasonably priced money (just over the MLE) to an already superior team is better than the MLE we can only work with on our lottory team, no?
I could be wrong but I think we had that window of oppertunity also because Francis had not signed his extensions yet. I don't think we could have delayed until the next year and still be able to sign a FA to the max. The timing has to be right. This is also true with the Spurs--this is their only chance to get to add a max unless TD signs elsewhere because TD will sign for the max this offseason. If they don't get Oneal or Kidd--which I don't think they will--the best they will be able to do is Brad Miller, Kandi or Payton I think. First, I don't think they can get Miller and Payton for "just over the MCE" because there current teams will offer far more than that to keep them. That said if they can get Miller (preferable because he is younger) or say PJ Brown plus Payton for like a combined 15-17 mil per year I would say they would be no worse than the cofavorites with the Lakers (if the Lakers can make reasonably additions like Howard and a vet back-up guard like Barry) for next year's title. But again lets just wait and see what happens for all teams/players this offseason--I think most of the top 4-5 FAs (real FA stars are TD, JO & Kidd, I guess Brand is next but he is restricted) will play next year for their current teams--it is most of the next 2nd tier group (GP--given his age, Kandi, Brad Miller, Dre, PJ Brown, Howard, Arenas, Terry) more likely to move teams--though I think their current teams will really try to keep Brad Miller, GP & Terry and have the money to offer so they won't come cheap or easy.
GP actually would be exactly what the Spurs need. A second star who can provide leadership and scoring when Duncan is not on the floor. With Parker and Ginobili in the backcourt SA could keep his minutes down during the regular season. GP may be 35 but he should have 2 seasons left in him of bball at his usual level given his conditioning. Hard to say what GP's price would be but $10 mil per for 3 seasons would be a very competitive offer, I feel. That would leave SA with enough to add a decent starting big. This wouldn't be a long term addition but that would give TD a solid supporting cast for 2 of his next prime playing years. As for the front office's work, it's hard to gloss over finding a guy like Ginobili with the next to last pick in the entire NBA draft or drafting Parker with the last pick of the 1st round. SJackson is fire and ice but the Spurs managed to succeed where others could not with him. Rose has given SA a bench over the last 5 seasons. Willis was a nice move for this season. Ditto for getting Claxton for John Salmons and change. Bowen's one of the best defenders in the league as well as one of the top 3 point shooters. Popovich and RC Buford are the most visible members of the Spurs' front office but Sam Schuler, Director of Player Personnel deserves a good portion of the credit. He was a big part of the Warriors' front office that added all that talent in the late 80s and early 90s. Pop brought him to SA in 1994 when he got the GM job. Over the last two years SA built a team to beat the Lakers and they were successful. SA also has the rights to Luis Scola, another Argentinian drafted late in the second round last year who played rather well versus the US in the WBC last year, in particular against Jermaine O'Neal. Maybe or maybe not he pans out but that's another prospect at least. On top of that the Spurs are in a situation where they can win a championship and then a month later go out and sign the franchise player off the team that they beat in the Finals. No matter how unimpressive that might be to some, it works for me.
It wouldn't be that hard for either to force a S&T in order to get the 7th guaranteed year and the 12.5% annual raises. Once you factor in state income taxes the difference isn't as great between the deal their current teams can offer and what the Spurs could sign either outright for, so the Spurs will have some leverage. We'll see what happens with JO'Neal. He doesn't seem too happy about the Pacers right now and apparently he and his family are less than enthused about living in Indianapolis. JO'Neal could continue to play for an also-ran in the East or he could be the second star next to TD. Sure, perhaps his ego couldn't take it but maybe he does really want to win a championship. Anyways, are you more likely to remember complentary stars like Worthy and McHale on title teams or the best player on a non-title team from any era? The Spurs have made a pitch for JO'Neal before...in 1999. Unfortunately all they had was the Elliott cap exception to offer at that time. Sometimes players like it when a team has shown interest in them before. JO'Neal and Pop got along well last summer at the WBC. Kidd is the more likely one to stay. It would be hard for him to justify leaving a team that made it to the Finals again unless some major rift developed between him and Scott, Thorn, and/or Katz.
To win the championship with a payroll of just about $50 million (under the luxury tax land and probably less than half other NBA teams) is just great accomplishment no matter how you look at it. Actually the most impressive thing for me about the Spurs management is not even the talent evaluation of Parker, Ginobili etc (you kind of hit and miss in draft), it's their vast knowledge of the salary cap - luxury tax system. The DA for Steve Smith trade (looked bad talent wise but superb contract wise), the contract signings or resignings of DRob, Danny Ferry, Kevin Wills, Steve Kerr etc were all done with an eye for future cap space. The Spurs management team just has great vision and know exactly what's going on in the NBA.
