I guess Falk wasn't satisfied with the 4% he got from Brand. Deke didn't get off the bench until Yao was injured last season. With Artest playing at the 4. I'd guess Scola and Landry would also take minutes at C. As long as Yao is healthy he's behind Hayes anyway. If Yao isn't healthy what's the point they're not going to win... SF: Artest, Battier, Harris PF: Scola, (Artest), Landry, Dorsey, (Hayes), (Harris) C: Yao, (Scola), (Landry), Hayes, (Dorsey)
For a guy as selfless as Mutombo, I find it hard to believe that he can't put the team's needs ahead of his own. Signing him to anything more than the league minimum could be costly in terms of luxury tax. As great as Deke has been for us, on and off the court, he's in his mid-40s now and would unlikely be getting significant playing time. Even when Yao went down last season, he was struggling to say on the court for more than 20 minutes. He only played more than 30 minutes twice during that stretch. Most vets in a similar situation are more than happy just to be offered a contract. I don't think Mutombo is worth more than the league minimum at this point. Avoiding luxury tax may also make Les that much more inclined to write another big fat check for the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.
is writing a check to his charity in lieu of salary even allowed? i would think it would be forbidden.
man.. he barely played last year.. I can only imagine how much playing time he get's this year.. I bet it's going to be like he's getting paid to cheer for the team. seriously. He should open his eyes and see what the Rockets could become. It would be a shame if he had to watch the Rockets get rings from another teams bench. no to vet's min.. hell give that money to Landry to shut his agents trap and stick Maarty or Mike H. in Deke's spot.
What?! What do you mean sacrifices? He's almost the oldest player in the league and the Rockets organization and players have donated several times, and have held events to raise money for his Hospital. A couple of exciting blocks and 4 points a game doesn't equall big raise. Go ask landry how well bullying your way to a pay raise works. Let me guess, Deke's goin to Europe? Seriously though I wish we could pick up another backup C. I love Deke but I think we need some scoring from that position so we don't have that huge dropoff like last year when the bench comes in.
Landry is a restricted free agent. Deke is unrestricted. Big difference. Also, for those talking about using some of the MLE on Deke, that is not necessary. The Rockets have full Bird rights on Mutombo and do not need to use the MLE to re-sign Mutombo to any salary. There are still luxury tax consequences, though. And, in case pbthunder or Carl Herrara are reading this, isn't it ironic that Jonathan Feigan mentions in his article tonight the EXACT issue we were debating earlier today (re: how minimum salaries count towards the luxury tax)?
Not the time to be penny foolish. I don't know how he does it. If Deke can play like last year he is worth more than the vet minimum. Hopefully this is just negotiating.
I would think part of the issue would be how much the Landry budget end up being. If they saved some money on that front, it would be easier to pay Mutombo. I am hopeful some resolution can be made. Frankly, Dikembe is worth more than the minimum. The guy still rebounds and defends (against the right matchups) better than most of the centers out there. It's unlikely he gives you large quanity of minutes (like 2000+ for the season), but whatever he gives you is high quality stuff. I also think he is an important presence in the lockerrrom.
I think Dorsey was the hedge on Deke not coming back. Morey will sign Landry and Les will throw some extra cash his way. Win-win. Oh, and I think we'll do a lot of that this year.
I don't like the downplaying of Deke's importance. Especially with the addition of a volatile Artest, the veteran presence of Dikembe in the locker room would be another calming influence for Ronny. Further, he's our biggest cheerleader on the bench- something I don't think we fully appreciate. He keeps the entire bench involved in the game, a major reason we have such great team chemistry. And of course, when Yao goes down, the ageless Mt. Mutombo will be there to answer the bell. We NEED this guy if we want to win it all this year.
Damn. You beat me to the joke. Don't be hard on Deke, guys. It's not like he's threatening to play for somebody else. He's trying to figure out whether it's worth dragging his old body through another season. You'd think of retiring too, if your nest egg and other interests were looking more attractive than another year of hard work. Personally, I think the fact that he's struggling so hard with this choice means that his body is telling him to stop, and his motivation is no longer enough to override that. If I'm Morey, I make all the right noises about loving Deke and wanting him back, but I keep the offer low with the expectation that Deke, not me, will officially make the decision to part ways.
Anyone else see Mutombo sitting out until midseason when he will sign for peanuts with whichever team is a clear contender (most likely in the east)?
Makes me ache just thinking about the old guy trying to do it again. The good thing is that Yao usually plays all the minutes for the first half of the season or so. Maybe he can take the vet minimum with the understanding he just plays a bit in the later part of the season and playoffs. He can stay home on early road trips.
Interesting concept, but isn't that a waste of a roster spot, and asking Grandfather deke to sit out another 5 months then come back for the playoffs will never work. I can hear his knees from my house.
