I'm starting to see the idea bandied about in some threads that without Cuttino, the Rockets will have serious cap room to go chasing after Chris Webber et al. next summer. Calling all cap experts: Is this true??? My quick & dirty estimate says the Rockets could have $22 million in committed payroll that summer, not including the following: --Hakeem's salary. The <a href="http://www.members.home.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#45">Salary Cap FAQ</a> says that even if a player retires, his contract counts against the cap until it expires. How long does Hakeem's contract run? <a href="http://www.nationwide.net/~patricia/contracts">Some sites</a> say 2004. If so, that's $15M or so more against the cap, and say goodbye to any free agents. --Salaries for waived players. Remember all the guys who got cut after the Pippen trade? Maloney's got $2M/year coming until just about the end of time, right? Who else is there? --Cuttino Mobley. We're already planning for the post-Cat future in this thread. Save your Cuttino rantings for one of the 8,000 threads already devoted to that topic. --Any players signed with an exception this year, plus next year's draft picks. These could add another $3-5M in salary commitments. --Keeping the rights to any Rockets free agents. Players whose contracts expire in '01 include Bullard, Langhi, and anyone else signed to a 1-year deal this summer. The salary cap next summer is expected to be between $38M and $40M. Webber will be eligible for a maximum salary of $11-12M. Thoughts? Input? Clarifications? ------------------ [This message has been edited by Swopa (edited July 21, 2000).]
Swopa- pretty close. Here's about the best idea I can give as to the salary space for next summer. http://members.home.net/victony/houdata.htm Now of course that is somewhat misleading. I would hope we could find a way to dump Walt's salary by then, and also Bryce Drew's. And it isn't counting Croshere or Lewis if we could acquire one, or anyone for that matter brought in via the trade exception or salary exceptions. But as of now, what's on that page is what we have committed unless we can dump it. ------------------ http://www.saveourcuttino.com
Whoa! What a great site. Thanks!! You're right, one great thing the page does is identify whose salaries would be best to dump. (And I love the entry in the notes column for Maloney.) But it doesn't answer the Hakeem question -- it shows a 5-year contract, starting in 1999 and ending in 2001 with no team or player options. That can't be right. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Swopa (edited July 21, 2000).]
http://members.home.net/victony/houston.htm Here's what that salary guy has to say about it. The number one uncertainty for Houston is Hakeem Olajuwon's contract. It's reported as running for five years, starting in 1999. However, all indications are that he's retiring after 2000/01, and the contract will not count against Houston's cap after that. Therefore I show him no longer counting against Houston's cap after the 2000/01 season. If I'm wrong, please let me know. ------------------ http://www.saveourcuttino.com
Swopa & Cat, I maintain a salary site devoted to the Rockets - made up of info I've painstaikingly gathered gathered over the past 12 months. The site is http://rocketdavo.tripod.com I've checked out the link Cat posted and it was great, but I think mine is a little more accurate. My page includes amounts for un-renounced free agents, future draft picks etc,some assumptions about Mobley, and some facts about Hakeem's position (this year is his last contract year) ------------------ Current Rocket's Salary & Contract Info
OK, mystery solved, I think. I did a quick Web search on "Hakeem Olajuwon contract extension Houston Rockets" and found a couple of references (including one in Forbes magazine, ranking the wealth of various athletes) to his having signed a 5-year extension in 1996. So, unless he was re-extended three years later (and I couldn't find any proof of that), his contract expires in the summer of 2001, and the Rockets clear lots of cap room. ------------------
What?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!? Bullard's going to make 4M in 2001!?!?!?!??!?!?! The Wiz is making over 6M?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? SAY IT AIN'T SO!!!!!!!! That's insanity! ------------------
Bullard's contract was for about 1M a season I remember. Something is wrong with that I think, don't worry. Maybe it's 4M TOTAL or something for 3 years. ------------------ http://www.saveourcuttino.com
Davo, One question about the page. Matt Bullard counts that much on the payroll only if the Rockets want to keep him right? I still dont understand why they would want to keep him after this season. Why not just let him play out this season and renounce him next summer when the big free agent hunt commences? ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
MManal, Your are correct - Bullard only counts $4mil until he is remounced. As a "Bird Eligible" free agent earning less than the league average, he will count 200% if his previous salary until renouced. http://www.members.home.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#25 If the Rockets are chasing a big Free agent, they will either renouce bullard (and Williams if we still have him for that matter) or maybe sign him to a small contract. ------------------ Current Rocket's Salary & Contract Info
The rockets shouldn't have any trouble unloading Walt either this year or next. I can think of two different scenarios that would work out. Trade him to a contender looking for some outside shooting off the bench. If Philly thoght Kukoc was gonna put them over the top, then.... The second is to trade him to a team looking to clear space in 2002 summer. His contract is up and would bring 5-6 mil for the new team. I would love to see the Rocks add a big FA next year. ------------------ "Chucky who? I thought we were talking about basketball?" Charles Barkley
Davo, Did you get my email? Mango ------------------ 1. Put new topics in the proper forum 2. Use clear wording for new threads 3. No duplicate threads 4. Conduct yourself as an adult The Serious Police are watching Donate Blood or be assimilated!
......so we could keep the Wiz for this season and then renounce him for 2001? That Then, we could sign him for a more reasonable price than the $6 million salary? That sounds pretty darn good. ------------------
we can not renounce Walt Williams. You can only renouce free agents, which Walt won't be till 02. ------------------ The more lefties on your team, the better. Collier is Seven Foot and Left Handed. How can you go wrong? Trade or bench Kenny Thomas.
Seems like we'll have some cap room with Walt Williams(6,350,000) Carlos Rogers(2,660,000) Bryce Drew(1,659,503) Kenny Thomas(986,400) all free agents in 2002 Anyone know the free agent list for 2002 free agents? ------------------ You ain't gotta like me, you just mad cause I tell it how it is, and you tell it how it might be.
the list includes the Vince Carter class in fact. The only problem is, that all of them are restricted free agents, meaning their respective teams have the ability to match any offer (and they can match up to the max salary, because unlike our situation with Mobley, their teams will have their Bird Rights) I have a link to Bskball's old list of every season's free agent list on my comp, but that's in Houston, and I'm in Boston. When you think about that though, Vancouver will have to dish out some serious cash that year. Bibby and Dickerson are both free agents, and probably will command the maximum. ------------------ The more lefties on your team, the better. Collier is Seven Foot and Left Handed. How can you go wrong? Trade or bench Kenny Thomas. [This message has been edited by NIKEstrad (edited July 23, 2000).]
So will Golden State, with Larry Hughes and Antawn Jamison. Fortunately for them, that's also the year that Donyell Marshall's contract mercifully expires. ------------------
Nikestrad, I don't how much Bibby will improve in the next two years, but if he doesn't improve greatly, I don't think he will get the maximum. I don't think the 2002 free agents are going to be very good, since most of the stars of the class are backcourt players, where the Rockets are set(Hughes, Bibby, Pierce, Dickerson). The only players I could see the Rockets really gunning for are Nowitzki, Carter, and Jamison.
Oops, I didn't mean that the 2002 free agents aren't going to be very good, I meant that the 2002 free agents aren't going to be very good for the Rockets in that they can't benifif from them like they could benifet from next years free agents if they could somehow get Webber.
