According to the Chronicle, it's a 2 year contract so maybe we didn't spend part of our MLE on him. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4072483.html The Rockets have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with second-round pick Steve Novak and will announce his signing today. The 6-9 forward from Marquette University, the No. 32 overall selection in the NBA draft, is a long-range shooter who can stretch defenses with his touch from the perimeter. Novak averaged 16 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 42.9 percent from behind the 3-point arc with the Rockets team that went 5-0 in the Las Vegas Summer League. His high game was 22 points (6-for-8 on treys) against Portland.
How does he not fit the current system? One of the main goals this offseason, besides perimeter defense, was to surround Yao with shooters. Novak isn't getting traded.
Now either Sura shows he still can contribute, or he'll probably retire and his contract will come off the salary cap so the team can sign for another player.
We're a 'hub' of second-round talent...that's pretty much what this entire offseason has been. Ah, well, go Rockets!
I just saw it from rockets.com, it is officially a 2 year deal. So I believe we didn't use any part of MLE. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Novak_signs_contract-185529-822.html
Maybe and maybe not. 2 years with a team option on the 3rd and 4th still means officially only 2 guaranteed years. They didn't disclose the amount so perhaps they didn't disclose the team options as well.
Because we don't need 3 year contracts to do it. 2 year contracts with Lucas and Novak ensure that they are restricted FAs. Two year guaranted min contracts are usually the best contracts 2nd rounders and UDFA's get, it is almost unprecedented to have to break into the MLE exemption just to sign unproven but promising players like this. With Novak if we add a 3rd year we would actually reduce our ability to sign him (could not invoke the Gil Arenas provision). I can't see how that would make sense at all. In Lucas' case it is a bit tricker. He does have some more leverage because we don't have his rights. However I think he is already credited with 1 year service, so if he got a 3 year contract he would be unrestricted at the end of it--less nego. power for the Rockets. Again, 2 year guaranteed deals are generally the best players with resumes like theirs can get, and give us a lot of leverage if they blossum into quality players.
Don't we get early bird rights after a 3 year contract and full bird rights after a four year contract?
Free agents with three years experience in the NBA are restricted as well (unless you're a first round pick who had an option declined like Marcus Banks). Like how bogans was restricted this year. So we wouldn't need the Gilbert Arenas provision to match for Novak. Seems to me that the benefit of adding a team option for Novak is the ability to delay a potential raise back a year, more than anything else. As for Lucas, you're right, it's a much trickier situation. Since he's already got a year in the league, if we sign him for a two year deal, he'll be a restricted free agent at the end of that contract. BUT we wouldn't have his full bird rights, and we wouldn't have the Gilbert Arenas protection (which is only for first or second year players). There's not a whole lot of chance that he's going to be good enough to deserve a pay raise over the MLE, but you never know. And like I said, it seems like the benefit is more along the lines of pushing back new contracts a year further. For example if the two of them become solid contributers, they could easily be up for raises to 3 million or up. In that case, by putting it off a year, the Rockets could potentially save 4-5 million off the cap for that year. Seems like a classic Risk Management analysis, and the front office has deemed it worthy to break into our MLE to get that extra year on both their contracts.
The point is that we will have to use future MLE money to resign Novak Vspan and Lucas had we offered them 2 year deals. That's MLE money that might be better used on another player. By giving 3 year deals to all of our rookies this year we eliminate that problem because they will have bird rights and we can give them whatever we decide. Yes it is unprecedented but considering we already gave part of the MLE to Vspan and there isn't much else we can acquire with the remaining why not spend that money now instead of wasting MLE money later.
Novak interview online here HERE . Look in the VIDEO section. I didn't know how to provide a better, easier to get to link.
giving more than a 2 year deal isn't unprecedented. Look at the contract that Peter Ramos got from Washington 2 year deal with 2 option years. More likely than not thats what Novak got. The options are both team options.
He could be Bull, he could be Lanky. We'll know after 2 years. Good luck kid! If you can play, we need you. Now learn how to play team defense,and if you shoot it, you go get it, with a vengence. That's all, get to work.
UPDATE: Mark Berman just reported that JLIII will indeed sign with the Rockets as the contract is complete and will be signed in the next couple of days. David Falk said although he was offered some nice contracts and recieved alot of interest, he wanted to repay Houston for taking a chance on him last year.
Next to sign, John Lucas III Lucas to sign with Rockets, agent says Associated Press HOUSTON - Guard John Lucas III plans to sign with the Houston Rockets, his agent said Wednesday. The 5-foot-11 Lucas, son of former Rocket John Lucas Jr., played with the team under two separate 10-day contracts last season as a rookie. Agent David Falk said the experience formed a bond between the player and the team. "We have an agreement in principle with a few nuances to work out, which we will in the next day or two, and then he'll sign," Falk told Houston television station KRIV. The younger Lucas also played with the Rockets' summer league team. Lucas went undrafted out of Oklahoma State, where he was selected the Big 12 player of the year in 2004. Link= http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/15131206.htm
