Dude, Finley was WAAAAAYYYY out of bounds. Not even open to interpretation ...the refs plainly missed the call. Had they made that call, we'd likely won that game and taken a 3-0 lead.
I'm hoping this is a negotiating ploy. What makes me believe this is that he claims that Minnesota is in the running, when all they have is the MLE. He claims he would love to play with KG, but he has to know that even if he does go there, the T-Wolves are garbage. I just worry about him meeting with Avery.
wow, if james is really deciding between nickles, and dimes, I'm not sure if he's worth the money. With the T/Es, and MLE, we can add up to 3 players. Let's see who else is available. Fred Jones sounds great right about now.
Checked on minnesota and they have 7.85% income tax. Sheesh....hope KG's going to give him what.... 7.85% of 5 million is about 300K/year.
There were some bad calls in that series, but you're confusing games there. Finley was out of bounds in Game 5, not Game 3... if we had won that game, we would've been up 3-2, not 3-0. Also, even if he were called out of bounds, we were still down 3 with only about 50 seconds left to play. Could we have won? Absolutely, but "likely" is quite a stretch.
t-mac and wells could provide some problems for others. Heck if we ran James at the point at times we would have alot of scoring options if in fact we obtained wells.
I don't blame MJ one bit for working this deal as much as he can -- the guy has been traded ALL over the league. He just wants some solid money and stability i'm sure.
I don't the the difference is quite that much because I believe road games are taxed at the home state's rate. The tax from the road games James would have for the Rockets (or Mavs) versus the Wolves should be the same.
Fox26 sports is reporting they recieved word from James and he is quoted as saying "If I'm going to take the MLE, I want the full 5 years."
I'm not surprised that he wants the full 5 years. He is putting pressure on all the 3 teams for the best deal possible.
Is he worth it? I say yes ! He would be 36 at the end of that contract, and he should be at or about the same level for at least 3 of the years of the deal. DD
While your statement may be true, i'll just say that if the Rockets dont get MIke James on the basis that they offered a 3 or 4 year deal and the Mavs or another team offered the 5 year deal, then Houston management can expect a boycott and riot by Houston fans
Go to Dallas and come off the bench? Go to Minnesota and play 3rd fiddle to KG (fool's gold), Ricky Davis (bum/loser) and possibly even now Foye? Go to Houston and play 3rd fiddle to the best inside/outside duo in the league in a system you already know? C'mon MJ, let's make the easy call here.......
At this point of his career Mike James is worth more than the MLE, but from a Rockets perspective, they don't need two 30+ point guards with long term contracts. As my mantra of late goes. Wilcox wants Nene-dollars, that's too much for Seattle, let's swing 'em Juwan for Earl Watson. Earl Watson, Alston, JLIII Sura, (Free Agent), Head, Carroll McGrady, Bogans, Novak Battier, Hayes, Rybo Yao, Deke
i remember two years ago, many clutchfans were quite agreeable to offering a 33 year old Brent Barry the full MLE for 4 years. and Houston actually did, but he chose the Spurs, who went on to win it inspite of his playoff performance. what a difference two years makes. if a 3 year deal for MJ is considered a no-brainer, than a 4 year deal is just decent i guess. if you're willing to spend $24 million for 4 years, what's another $7 million? it could actually come in handy in the future as an expiring contract to offer in a sign & trade to get a player that's worth considerably more than the MLE in 2010. just pretend that the contract is reversed and MJ gets $7 million for this year and about $550K less each year after that. the contract then seems reasonable. the bottom line is the same, except for the expiring year factor in which it actually could be helpful. heck, it's better than watching freaking Dallas or Minnesota steal him away from Houston for their cheapness and lack of vision.
MJ wants the full 5 years, of course he does! So would everyone on this bbs if he was in MJ's shoes. The question is whether any of the other two teams is offering him 5 years. If so, I say Houston should match. If not, the Rockets should offer to match whatever the best offer he receives from the other teams is. Hell, I'll even throw in a no trade clause to make Mike feel good and secure at home (Houston does have a history of dumping guys a year or less after they get signed after all). Pay him his fair market value-- i.e. what it takes to get him here, but there is no need to bid against themselves.
Okay what I'm not sure about is that Minnesota has Randy Foye who will be groomed to be starting PG. They also Have Ricky Davis and Rashard Mccants for SG. Not to mention Jaric and Hudson. There is no reason they would heavily pursue James for a 5 yr MLE deal. One thing about having to wait on Mike James "to decide" until July 11/12th. Isn't that also the date that the Swift-Battier Trade becomes official? Thus, could there be some connection, as in he can't or doesn't want to comment until then.
