That's exactly right. Morey should be (and is) trying to trade guys like John Lucas, Steve Novak or even Kirk Snyder (assuming that there is no place for him on the team) for picks or cash. Remember, now that the team is over the luxury tax threshhold, trading any of these players would save the Rockets DOUBLE that player's salary, plus possible more money from certain escrow funds to which the Rockets otherwise wouldn't be entitled. The Rockets are probably looking for a team willing to give up a second round pick for Lucas. If they can't find any takers at that price, they will likely trade him just for cash or a trade exception (Boston, Phoenix or Indiana are possible candidates here). Heck, it is conceivable that the Rockets could trade Lucas AND cash to a team for a trade exception. The luxury tax savings would be greater than the cash the Rockets would have to include. Assuming the Rockets are comfortable enough with James, Head and Battier as the team's three-point shooters, they should probably give the same treatment to Novak. It's becoming apparent that he cannot defend a paper bag, so his shooting ability is unlikely to be enough of an asset to get him on the court. Plus, I believe that the team will sign Carl Landry and likely values him more than they do Novak. As for Snyder, trading him should be for at least a second rounder (preferably a very conditional first rounder) and should ONLY happen if the Rockets were either committed to Bonzi or if Adelman doesn't think that the team could use Snyder for the long term. Remember, Kirk is due for a new contract next summer. If there is no place for Snyder on the Rockets, then trading him for a pick and a trade exception would save the team a TON of money. Personally, I think that the team should hold on to Snyder as the long-term successor to the "Bonzi role" after Bonzi goes after bigger money next summer. While my preference is to get rid of Reed (with two years left on his deal) or Alston (with three years left), trading Lucas, Novak or Snyder could save the Rockets a lot of money given their luxury tax situation.
CORRECTION: I don't have any knowledge of the Rockets trying to trade Novak or Snyder. I am merely speculating on that and the benefits of doing so.
Here's the actual salaries: 1. Tracy McGrady $19,014,187 2. Yao Ming $13,762,775 3. Mike James $6,477,030 (remember the 15% trade kicker) 4. Shane Battier $5,883,600 5. Rafer Alston $4,550,000 6. Steve Francis $2,688,000 7. Luis Scola $2,668,000 9. Kirk Snyder $2,358,432 10. Bonzi Wells $2,284,200 11. Dikembe Mutombo $1,830,000 (the LLE equivalent, which is what Feigen seems to be saying it will end up being) 12. Chuck Hayes $1,700,000 (the rule is you count likely incentives on the cap figure) 13. Justin Reed $1,437,500 14. Luther Head $1,122,000 15. Aaron Brooks $972,720 16. John Lucas III $770,610 17. Steve Novak $687,456 18. Carl Landry $427,163 (rookie deal, Feigen says they will sign him) 19. Mike Harris $50,000 (after being cut) 20. Sura paid $1,000,000 by insurance apparently doesn't count on the cap Luxury Tax Amount: $67,865,000 Rockets Total Cap Figure: $68,683,673 So they are $818,673 over the cap counting Lucas not being traded and Mutombo demanding LLE money. Very easy to solve. 1. Trade Lucas to a team under the cap or with a small trade exception that needs a third point guard for a 2nd round pick and cut his cap number. Now you have a cap number of $67,913,063, which is only $48,063 over the tax limit. 2. Then for Dikembe: $1,830,000 - $48,063 = $1,781,937. So just to be safe depending on scenarios that may come up in a potential Alston trade, offer Mutombo the same that Hayes got $1,700,000. Now the Rockets cap number = $67,783,063 which is $81,937 under the tax, which gives some leeway in an Alston trade and also allows for other cuts and signings during the year. So these are the remaining off season agendas: 1. Trade Lucas for a 2nd rounder. 2. Re-sign Mutombo at no more than around $1,700,000. 3. Trade Rafer Alston for something that still keeps the team under the luxury tax threshold of $67,865,000 but also helps to improve the team as well.
I forgot Jackie Butler at $2,376,000. Well the only way to get under is to trade Alston to a team under the cap then.
I mostly think you are spot on, except overrate Snyder. I think we basically got Snyder for nothing (they unlikely scenario that NO wanted our 2nd round pick over their own). Snyder did nothing to help his value last year. I'd take any kind of 2nd rounder for someone to take Snyder, maybe even for nothing to a team under the cap, or with a sufficient TE. On the other hand I believe Snyder has one last chance, and Adelman just might turn him around. If he has a good year he might get the Rockets or someone else to offer something beyond a minimum down the line, otherwise I doubt it. This is a big year for him, so it may pan out for us. But I am not counting on it--I would hedge on Head and even Wells in the rotation 1st.
OK, that is back to around what I had caluclated. I say Morey should minimize tha cap hit as much as possible and chalk the remaining hit up to injury insurance costs for the year, and go with who we have under contract. If something presents itself around Christmas or mid year then pursue then.
The NBA CBA doesn't allow front loaded contracts. Subsequent years on the same contact can't be for less than the previous year.
off the top of my head most the recent bulls contracts have been frontloaded. joe johnson's contract is frontloaded.
That is 20 people so we have to get down to 15. Here is my solution. 1. Carl Landry - dont sign him...period. Let him develope where ever he wants to develope. Since he is a second round pick we will continue to own his rights until we sign, trade or out right release him. We don't need or have a roster spot for him right now. 2. John Lucas - I agree with you. Trade him for a second rounder if possible. If not just ship him for a trade exception if possible. 3. Mike Harris - If we can not ship Rafer and someone else like Justin Reed out in a 2 for 1 deal then we have to let this guy walk. Bring him to camp and then cut him once he has out lived his usefullness. 4. Bob Sura - If he has a buy out clause then of course we buy him out at the trade deadline. I don't think we should be too hasty to buy him out unless there is some rule or reason to do it sooner than the trade deadline. 5. Rafer Alston - This guy has to go. Preferably in unison with someone else such as Justin Reed or Steve Novak. I would love to see the Rockets aquire another versital big man that can play the 4 or 5 spot. Someone like Tim Thomas or Jeff Foster. If Houston really wants to trim some salery they could trade Aston, Novak and next years #1 pick for someone like Foster. This would keep us from having to add a garunteed contract next season and free up a roster spot to keep either Mike Harris or Carl Landry. Guys I don't want to trade are Snyder, Head and Jackie Butler. BTW, I just realized that you missed Butler in your salery cap break down.
I got those salary figures from the Rockets PR office. I just forgot to add in Butler's $2,376,000 salary in the initial post, a typo. I had to add them myself. Scola's contract according to them is: Year 1: $2,688,000 Year 2: $2,484,000 Year 3: $2,300,000 Total: 3 years $7,452,000 That matches The Boston Globe's report exactly. http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2007/07/22/this_time_its_not_about_him/?page=3 on page 3 "GM's moves intended to rocket team up the standings New Houston general manager Daryl Morey has had an eventful first summer on the job. There was the coaching change, as Rick Adelman replaced Jeff Van Gundy, and Morey then stunned many Rockets fans by selecting Oregon's Aaron Brooks in the draft when the team already had Rafer Alston and Mike James (acquired in a trade for Juwan Howard) at point guard. (Never mind that the Suns had interest in the kid, as did the Spurs.) But last week, the Rockets added veteran Argentine forward Luis Scola -- for three years and $7.452 million -- in a deal with division rival San Antonio." His contract is front loaded because it starts at the high year first. The MLE is $5,356,000, minus Scola's high year first of $2,668,000 leaves $2,688,000 left over. This is Francis's starting salary. Both those figures matched what the team's PR depertment said. Although of course they don't come from the GM himself so they may be wrong. But they do add up to the full MLE total of $5,356,000. That means Francis got: Year 1: $2,688,000 Year 2: $2,903,040 (player option) That totals $5,591,040 over 2 years or an average rounded up of $6 million over 2 years, and they almost always report contracts as averages rounded. That matches exactly to the amount ESPN claimed Francis got here, http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2942354 "Francis was in Houston on Thursday to sign a two-year contract worth roughly $6 million with the Rockets. The club will announce the signing at a newsconference on Friday." The Chronicle simply always gets contract info wrong for whatever reason. I know horoo really slammed me for this another thread, but it's obvious that you just can't go by anything The Chronicle claims on salaries, Feigen even had to correct what he said they offered Mutombo. They got Spanoulis' salary wron. And they even got Bonzi's salary wrong, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4915299.html "Wells had until Monday to reach a decision but Duffy said the paperwork had been completed and sent on Saturday to opt into his current contract, worth $2.8 million." Wells signed for $2,115,000 meaning his max salary could only be $2,284,200 for the next year.
no one has a front loaded contract. it is against the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement. but go ahead, tell us it's not.
Marcus Camby has one, so does I believe Lamar Odom. But doesn't mattier, even if Scola's deal is not front loaded as those deals are pre new CBA, it's the same exact salary. That means Scola starts at $2,300,000, it still matches the Boston Globe figures for him and Francis still makes $6 million over 2 years. The only ones saying Scola got front loaded is related to Rockets press PR and Chronicle writers, and as pointed out they are wrong a lot.
Some players have declining salaries. Ben Wallace and Hinrich are examples. http://www.hoopshype.com/salaries/chicago.htm There also is language in Coon's site suggesting this.... http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#50 50. What are option clauses? What kind of option clauses are there? .....Option years may not have a lower salary than the previous season. ETO's have no such restriction. Perhaps the front loading is through signing bonus, not officially declining salary. 62. How about signing bonuses? Are they allowed? How do they count against the cap?..... If a player has a signing bonus, then that bonus is spread among the guaranteed seasons in the contract (not option years or years following an ETO), in proportion to the percentage of salary in each of those seasons that is guaranteed*. .... * The calculation for allocating the signing bonus to the years of the contract is somewhat confusing. It is not proportionate to the salary, but rather to how much of the salary is guaranteed...... Crash, I thought this as well. However denniscd and Aelliott disagreed, and aellliott referenced where 2nd round picks must get a training camp tender by November I believe--something I had missed in Coon's refence. I think if Landry took us up on the min tender and then we cut him we would lose his rights. Trading his rights before that deadline with or without another player seems to be the best we can salvage, unless he signs in Europe on his own before then (best case for us).
Actually this was reported many times during the times they signed. If they do not, I am not mistaken the writers who reported it are.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2104688 http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...bulls,1,3229956.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines and I'm sure I saw a video interview where Morey specifically said they were frontloading Scola's contract to help his buyout situation.
There are two things at work here. 1. What is counted for CBA purposes. 2. What is actually paid. When contracts are reported as "front loaded", it generally means a large chunk (max of 25% off the top of my head) is payable up front. This was the case when Andre Miller was a restricted free agent from the Clippers -- Sterling was too cheap to be willing to accept paying a lumpsum of upwards of 15 mill + base for Andre Miller. Similar situation for Odom. I wouldn't be surprised if Scola's contract was front loaded, but it wouldn't make a difference for cap purposes. Given the relatively small overall value of the contract, it would make a relatively limited impact in overall dollars as well. For cap (luxury tax) purposes, Scola + Francis cannot equal more than the value of the MLE. The "I'm not wrong" act gets old. Edit: The max signing bonus is 20%. For a good explanation of signing bonus economics, http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#62
I've posted the Scola salary several times, with links, then even the Rockets PR said that was correct, yet every time people immediatley argue with it. Just because Feigen said a different number. In other words, "the I am not wrong argument" that "gets old" is really the I am actually just more thorough than the Chronicle's paid hacks. And I don't even care if it front-loaded it is everyone else arguing over that. That is pure semantics because the ontract and the cap number and the MLE amount is exactly the same one way or another as I have pointed out. It is exactly the same whether it is front-loaded or not. I am not even arguing that, I am just answering the person who was arguing it and kept asking if anyone had front-loaded contracts to which I answered two that had been reported and got back an answer about being mistaken.
